American Idol has changed my taste in music! Well, not really. But the show did change my music-buying plans for this week. I was all set to go out and get Todd Smith by LL Cool J when the contestants blew me away with their performances of the classics. Now a compilation of classic tunes is at the top of my must-buy list. That's just further proof that American Idol has the power to influence what America buys. Did you know that Daniel Powter's "Bad Day," the song that is played at the end of each elimination show, rocketed to number one on The Billboard pop chart thanks to the Idol exposure? It's no wonder Fox will be charging advertisers $1. 3 million for a 30-second ad during the show's live finale in May. The country is under the influence of American Idol!