American Idol and Folklore

I got so excited last time about the new book on Folklore and the Internet that I have forgotten to update the list of folklore books for the month of September - and September is almost over! I will catch up later - I ordered a copy of the book and hope to have it in my grubby hands within the week. I hope I am cited! If not, then shame on them.

What could American Idol possibly have to do with folklore? Interesting question. Last year's contestant Anoop Desai was a folklore graduate student. And the Smithsonian has just recently put a display of the American Idol desk up in the castle. A discussion of this development can be found at the marvelous folklore blog Forums on Folklore, which has been added to the official New Vernacular Culture blogroll.