Dear Music,

What happened to the days when you could be ugly as sin and still have a record deal? Or the days when you could sing like shit and still make millions of dollars and become a rock legend because you were talented with words and notes? What happened to our poets? Where did the Bob Dylan's, the Mick Jagger's, the Jim Croce's, the Joe Cocker's go? Not that those new singers out there aren't talented. I love the fact that any joe-schmoe off the street can walk into an American Idol audition and if they have any talent at all will be able to make an effort toward their dream - what I hate is that they're so bias toward 'pretty' people. Do you think Kelly Clarkson would have won if she had a huge Roman nose? Would Carrie Underwood have won if she had a gravelly Marianne Faithfull voice?

I feel the same way about movie actors too. Theatre actors on the other hand can be ugly as sin and as long as they can act, they can play any part they want to.

Anyway, the original point - Music, stop being so shallow. Go back to the days when music had meaning. Lyrics had to be listened to. Guitar solos and drum solos and showing off the fact that there was a band behind the lead singer who was just as talented (if not moreso).

And on the flip side of that, America - grow up.

Sincerely yours,

Melissa