As if we didn’t have enough to worry about these days, now the damn zombies are attacking the American Idol try-outs! Will the nightmare never end?

The mainstream media are curiously silent on the subject of zombism, but I understand there have been a number of similar attacks this summer. They’re a new fad that’s evolved from the “flash mob” phenomenon of a few years ago, in which a group of people quietly organize using the Internet, cell phones and other electronic means, show up simultaneously at the same public place, do something weird to attract attention, and then leave. While I always thought flash-mobbing sounded pretty pointless, the zombie-mob idea amuses me. The thought of badly made-up pretend-ghouls shambling around in broad daylight is so patently absurd that I imagine only the uptightest people could avoid smiling at the sight of them, and Lord knows we could all use a few smiles after reading the latest news from the Gulf Coast.

Incidentally, the American Idol producers were tipped off that this prank was in the offing, and they were ready for it. To their credit, they didn’t meet the zombie mob with stern-faced security guards and cease-and-desist orders, but rather with a fistful of release forms. That’s right, the new season of Idol is going to feature zombies as well as wanna-be pop-singers. Not that there’s a lot of difference, of course…