American Idol

I don't have a TV and don't want one. I have never seen American Idol and wouldn't watch it if I had a TV. But this picture of Didi Benami is here because Didi, who I first saw when an infant living in the same building I lived in, is one of the women finalists. I've watched clips from her rise on American Idol and cannot judge her singing but her stage presence is impressive.

Didi's parents left the city 20 years ago but her uncle who lived only a couple doors from me for some 25 years is understandably proud and calls to keep me up to date on her career -- and that of her very talented sisters. Didi and her sisters visited once in a while and sometimes one or two slept on my sofa. I am happy to see that after some years struggling like so many other pretty, talented young women, to "make it" in Hollywood, she has reached a national audience. To see someone with the grit to work hard at a career and be recognized is heart warming. Maybe some readers would like to watch the next time she's on and even vote for her ...