It’s back! American Idol kicks off its seventh season with a two-night four hour premier starting tonight on FOX. And you know the drill, we get to laugh and sometimes cringe at the mostly outrageous auditions. The producers discovered early on that the freak shows were popular. Some of their stories are sad, some are inspirational – but it’s all entertaining! What’s amazing is the massive amount of people that show up for the auditions. You have to think that most just want a shot at getting on television and only a small percentage are actually pursuing a singing career. If that is your goal, American Idol is, without a doubt, the fast track to instant success. You don’t have to be the winner to go on to fortune and fame. It just goes to show that it is all about exposure. True wannabes can ride the Idol wave past the TV show and onto the internet. A website, started (by the same production company) last year, gives hopefuls the opportunity to get their voices heard. It’s called American Idol Underground and it’s an actual competition with some pretty cool prizes. Okay, the prizes aren’t record contracts, but it is exposure and experience. I was looking at the winner, Alyssa Atherton, and she’s pretty good. She has a profile and links to her own website. The site keeps track of how many times her songs are played and ratings that listeners give them. Whether you’re serious about getting your music out there, or just like all the attention, American Idol Underground is worth checking out.