Charles Jensen | Writer

One of the gifts I got for my birthday this weekend was the Wii version of the American Idol Karaoke game.

If you know me at all, you know that I died a little bit, in a good way, to have karaoke at home, privately, and some of my favorite songs.

I’m about halfway through a competition “season” of the game. So far I’ve done well, always been in the top groups, and I’ve even scored two prestigious “diamond record” ratings for singing two songs perfectly, much to Paula’s delight:

“Walkin’ on Sunshine” (Katrina and the Waves)
“Heart of Glass” (Blondie)

My real-life karaoke crowd-pleaser, “Tainted Love,” did not result in a diamond record despite the fact I have been practicing it in bars for about three years.

In any case, it makes me feel good to sing and then have people—digital people, yes—say nice things about it.