TV's grand finales

Call it the Super Bowl of Song and Dance.

Call it May Madness.

Call it anything you want – just don't call while the shows are on.

The finales of "American Idol" and "Dancing With the Stars" hit this week, and across the nation devoted fans wait with their dialing fingers on standby as they prepare to select and see who will be the final "Idol" and the dancing queen and king.

The shows are the juggernauts of prime-time television, for the current season locking down the top five spots in the Nielsen ratings. "American Idol" averages about 30 million viewers each time it airs. "Dancing With the Stars" nabs an average of just under 20 million.

And while other competition-based reality shows have their own die-hard devotees – from "America's Next Top Model" and "Project Runway" to "So You Think You Can Dance?" and "Rockstar" – none can compare to the success of "Idol" and "Dancing."

So to answer the question of why these glitzy talent contests have captivated viewers, we went to the fans. Here's a little of what we heard.

An American fairy tale

Monette Hubbard of Fullerton started watching "Idol" in its first season and by the third season was so far into it that she'd play hooky from work to attend the show in person in Los Angeles.

"I'd call my mom and say, 'Hey, I called in sick today and I'm on my way to watch "American Idol," ' and she'd go, 'You're going to get fired!' " says Hubbard, who now takes vacation days for her trips to watch the show live.

For the past three years she's made it into the Kodak Theatre to watch the finale – and she's planning to try again this Wednesday, too.

"This is sort of my annual Super Bowl," she says of her pilgrimages to the performances.

As for why "Idol" took such a hold on her life, Hubbard says it's the way viewers get to watch as regular people are plucked from obscurity and given a chance to become stars almost overnight.

"I came into the States like 15 years ago, from the Philippines, and I did pretty good," Hubbard says. "So to me, ("Idol") is like, wow, you can make it in America! I know it sounds pretty corny, but I like to see, 'Oh, my gosh, look at her! She was working in a burger joint and now she's a country star!'

"I like that – it's a fairy tale."

The evolution of dance

Many "Dancing With the Stars" fans told us that the thing they like best is watching the stars start off with two left feet and end up graceful gliders on the dance floor.

"I think that 'Dancing With the Stars' is terrifically challenging for these people who aren't dancers," says Carole Ciraulo of Balboa Island. "And then to see how they evolve is so interesting."

Jan Peverill of San Clemente echoed many of Ciraulo's opinions about "Dancing."

"They are able to take somebody who is – I don't want to say a klutz, but someone who doesn't dance – and turn them into a pro," Peverill says. "They're able to work with them and a get a lot out of them."

As with some other "Dancing" fans, both Ciraulo and Peverill say they occasionally watch "Idol" but don't really enjoy it as much as their favorite show.

"I watch 'American Idol' and that guy from England (judge Simon Cowell) really rips people apart, and I can't handle that," Peverill says. "I like the singers, but they're kind of the same, I think, where the dancing, they've got different personalities and they're doing different dances every time."

A show for the family

Tracey Irving enjoys sitcoms such as "The Office" and "The New Adventures of Old Christine" but with a 12-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son-and-daughter twins, it's hard to sit down and watch many programs together.

"My husband and I think those are really funny shows," says the Fullerton resident. "My kids have seen a little bit of 'The Office' – enough to think it's funny. But a lot of the time it goes into subject matter we feel is inappropriate for them, and we have to stop watching."

Likewise, where the kids enjoy "tween" fare such as "Hannah Montana" and "The Suite Life of Zach and Cody," Irving says those shows don't offer her much entertainment value.

Enter "American Idol" to fill that void.

" 'American Idol' is interesting and new each week," she says. "And we can watch it all together.

"It's just entertaining to see the competition, see the differences, to see if they can consistently go from week to week, and adopt personalities that appeal to us," Irving says.

"And definitely the whole concept of getting America invested in these people before they have an album come out works – my kids recognize all these singers by the time their albums are out."

Reality trumps fictional TV

FEELING THE LOVE: "American Idol" finalist Blake Lewis performs before throngs of supporters in his home town of Bothell, Wash. The show's ability to pluck people from obscurity and make them stars is a big part of its appeal. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
For some fans, the real people of shows such as "Idol" and "Dancing" are just more appealing to watch than the fictional heroes of "Grey's Anatomy" or "CSI" – the dramas that would dominate the Nielsen ratings if "Idol" and "Dancing" didn't exist.

"I'm stuck on reality shows," says Linda Pickle of Orange. "I like the little stories that they have behind them. And watching them grow, like when Clay Aiken came on years ago – that gawky guy with big ears and the great voice – you get to see them grow and mature.

"It's like seeing Elliott (Yamin) – he got rid of his teeth problems from 'American Idol' last year," she says. "You grow to love the journey they take."

For viewers such as Ciraulo and Peverill – the "Dancing" fans – there's also a sense that network TV has gone downhill in quality, and the reality shows offer something more wholesome or entertaining.

"There is so little on television worth watching to begin with," Peverill says. "This comes along and lit my light bulb in my head – this I will take the time to watch."

For Ciraulo, "Dancing" and to a lesser degree "Idol" provide more variety than the same old stuff on TV today.

"You get to watch (reality shows) or you get to watch 'Law and Order,' or 'Law and Order,' or 'Law and Order,' " she says of the multiple flavors of that popular crime franchise. "I like to watch something entertaining."

The shows we talk about

FROM HIGH SCHOOL TO HIGH RATINGS: Jordin Sparks, 17, performs a free concert before several thousand fans in Glendale, Ariz., her home town. In the past few months, she has gone from being a typical teenager to a probable pop star. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The simplest answer to the popularity of "Idol" and "Dancing" is that they're almost as fun to talk about as they are to watch – in other words, if people still had water coolers, this is what they'd be talking about around them.

"You can go to work and other people watch it and you discuss it," says Karen Stewart of Orange. "My son's a big fan, and just a little while ago we were on the phone – 'Oh, Ian Ziering left on "Dancing With the Stars," who do you think will win?' "

For Laryn Nolan of La Habra, talking about the show makes it fun to get together with friends to watch.

"I have some girlfriends, we have a quilting club, and we – on purpose – do it on Wednesday nights so we can watch ('Idol') and talk about it together," Nolan says.

Though she doesn't watch much TV at all, Nolan says "Idol" captured her from the start, with "Dancing" a later addition to her viewing list.

"I think what it is that there aren't that many shows that pull you in and make you want to watch and see what's going to happen next," she says. "What's Sanjaya going to do with his hair? And what song is so-and-so going to sing next? Who's going to mess up?

"A lot of my friends, we all watch 'American Idol,' and we were talking about how funny it is to have something so must-see-TV. You can't miss it."