Should we care about Danny Gokey?

Get used to hearing Danny Gokey's name a lot.

As the first Wisconsin native to get a spot in tonight's coveted "American Idol" Top 13, Gokey's life has already changed even if he hasn't won anything yet.

One of the early front-runners for the "Idol" crown, it's also a safe bet he'll be in the pop culture bloodstream for the next few weeks. That the Milwaukee media is already drooling over his story has already served him well for any local shows (see: Eli Mattson) he'll choose to perform there -- again, win or loss.

Anyway, we're a bit anti-"American Idol" here at Channel Surfing, so consider this your lone public service announcement on Gokey Mania.

Nothing personal against this newly dubbed Hometown Hero (in fact, the Journal Sentinel is already predicting he's going to win "Idol.") It's just that Paula Abdul's effusive praise and Simon Cowell's contrived scorn is too much for us to handle eight seasons in. You've seen one "Idol," you've seen them all is our general argument.

But maybe having a local kid in the running will change all that. After all, Gokey's story goes beyond the normal "Idol" contestant -- his wife, Sophia, died last year. It's kind of hard to create backlash against someone who is triumphant in the face of tragedy, yet that's exactly what's happening in some Internet circles.

Should we care about Danny Gokey just because he's a Wisconsin kid? Should we have to?

I'm not making plans to TiVo the festivities. I'm almost certain Adam isn't going to carve out time from his week. And maybe Boyd and MJ would go ga-ga if he had a funny Italian accent.

So yeah, maybe something will come up where we cover "Idol" for the sake of keeping tabs on a backyard story that probably has more than a few locals talking. That doesn't mean we have to like it, though.

Sorry Danny. I guess we're just not that into you.

-- Thomas Rozwadowski, trozwado@greenbaypressgazette.com