Should contestants have to write an original song?

Nashville Star has original song night. RockStar: INXS had the contestants write songs. Even American Idol had contestants write a song in the early stages of the auditions in a previous season. Should the contests simply need to have a great voice or should they also have a deeper understanding of music that writing a song would demonstrate? Would it make for an entertaining show?

HAHA could you see Chris write his own song. He would sing enter sand man and claim he wrote it . Like when he sang Live's version of walk the line and act like he was the first do it that way.

It would be a horrible show, IMO. The best part of Idol is seeng how their performance compares to the original song/artist. When I don't recognize a song, it's incredibly boring, which is why 21st Century night was so bad to me.

Many musicians right now don't write their own songs, it's done for them. Nobody wants to see that.

He never pretended that was his. Everyone incorrectly assumed it.

No, because you don't have to be a song writer to be a singer. The singer-songwriter concept is relatively new, it started primarily back in the 70s.

What I think would be interesting is to have them sing new, unpublished, never-before recorded songs. It would also, potentially help the struggling song writers.

I, for one, would love to hear the lyrical expressions of Kellie

To the tune of Billy Joel's 'We Didn't Start The Fire'

Cal-a-mari sa-l-mon Katharine is my best friend What's a ballsy again? I beat Bucky Covington

On paper I can talk Roller skate when I don't walk Daddy's in the hoosegow Vote for my looks anyhow

Never been bottom three Everybody look at me This show is in the bag Ryan here's your snot rag

(chorus) I am the star of Idol Though your ears are burning and your stomach's churning I am the star of Idol You picked Pickler And you can't feel sicker

Anyone notice if you remove the 'y' it's 'midolspace.com'

Purty good, tho I woulda gone hol hog and ended with 'sickler.'

The Other Mickey

The songs from Taylor Hicks CD are awesome. He is the only one who could handle a night like that, but it will never happen

That's a knee snapper!