‘Idol’ still a winner

Every year is an election year when it comes to “American Idol.” On Tuesday, Fox once again cranks up the star-making machine, with a two-night, four-hour opening salvo that will begin the latest race to be the Idol of the Americans. There may come a day when the people tire of “Idol,” when it will join “Star Search” and “The Original Amateur Hour” on the scrapheap of history. But that day is not now.

Indeed, as the rest of television crumbles into the stormy seas of the writers strike, “American Idol,” at the start of its seventh season, stands as an unshakable rock. If it does not have quite the whole of the nation involved, it is as many people as you can get to show up to a party nowadays. Indeed, it wouldn’t surprise if Fox were to go all-”Idol,” all the time, surrounding the reliable main event with shows like “Battle of the Former ‘American Idol’ Runners-Up,” “The Sanjaya Valentine’s Day Special,” or “Tea with Simon Cowell.”

As to what’s ahead this year, I can say with some assurance that it will be much like the years before, only different. For the first time, contestants will be allowed to accompany themselves on an instrument, and I will vote for anyone with an accordion. Or a tuba. But Simon is not suddenly going to turn nice. Paula is not going to turn not nice.

At the end of this four-month public gestation, a new star will be born. (That is the theory, and by and large it is a good one.)

(Fox, Tue., 8 p.m.; Wed., 8 p.m.)

-- Robert Lloyd