It comes down to the final three tonight (9 p.m., Fox and CTV), as the ubiquitous American Idol careens toward the end of its sixth season and a brand-new winner ... and no doubt yet another underselling post-Idol album (okay, I'll give you Carrie Underwood ' please, no more angry email).

And since we learned last week that at least one of the judges isn't even paying attention, it is somewhat reassuring to know that the viewer voting process is at this stage of the game much more meaningfully democratic.

Which is just as it should be, according to University of Guelph economics professor James Amegashie, who conveniently emailed his comments yesterday (I love it when pundits self-promote ' saves you the effort of actually asking).

"Viewers tend to care more, relative to the judges, about factors other than a contestant's singing ability or performance," posits our prof.

"Introducing the element of popularity into the contest gives the weaker singers a chance of winning by adding an element of luck," he adds.

"The weaker contestants will work harder knowing that they may have a shot at winning, which in turn puts pressure on the stronger singers to work harder."

Well, duh.

Frankly, I've always held that the really crappy ones are the only thing that make Idol worth watching.

As evil judge Simon Cowell would obviously agree. And indeed did so again in an interview this week on the website parade.com.

"There's something fascinating watching and hearing somebody who is obviously useless, but believes for whatever reason that they're incredible.

"I find it addictive."

Double duh.

BABA WAWA BIO BOO-HOO: She's made a career out of making celebrities cry ' and now the hankie's in the other hand, as Barbara Walters herself deigns to squirt a few during an intimate interview with Charles Gibson to flog her new autobiography, Audition, on ABC tonight at 10.

The crying thing is not what she'd prefer to be remembered for, as the 70-something queen of questions is quoted in Monday's USA Today.

And neither is the apocryphal story that she once asked Katharine Hepburn if she were a tree, what kind of tree she'd be.

Not at all how it went down, Walters says. It was Hepburn who first compared herself to a tree. Walters just dutifully asked her which kind.

In fact, Barbara Walters will most likely be remembered for the hilarious Saturday Night Live impressions performed by Gilda Radner and Cheri Oteri.

PROUD AS A PEACOCK: Global has finally found a way to beat big-spending CTV to the punch at the annual U.S. network buying spree, signing a pre-emptive package deal with NBC Universal for all of its new product for the coming season.

So the old "Global's got it" promo will now encompass not only existing NBC series Heroes, The Office, Life and Friday Night Lights, but also Christian Slater's new schizo spy show, My Own Worst Enemy, the Molly Shannon/Selma Blair remake of Kath & Kim, the Knight Rider retread and the as-yet unnamed mid-season Office spinoff.

THAT WAS DEN: It's your last chance to pitch for the chance to pitch to the pros on CBC's Dragons' Den, with the final auditions for enterprising entrepreneurs being held Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the CBC's 250 Front St. studios.

Learn everything you need to know, and even apply online, at cbc.ca/dragonsden.

rsalem@thestar.ca

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