`American Idol' demands a whole lot more of our time.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

Byline: Mark Washburn

"American Idol," you're asking a lot.

Your feel-good talent search returns Tuesday night on Fox, strutting its success by demanding more attention.

Two hours Tuesday. An hour Wednesday.

Auditions Tuesdays and Wednesdays for two weeks after that.

Then two more weeks in Hollywood winnowing singers.

And after all that, we'll just be down to two dozen finalists. So for the following three weeks, you want us for Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays to get the field down to 12.

It's the vocal Olympics, but without a closing ceremony in sight.

"American Idol," you're good, but you're coming off as a little needy. It may be time for us to think about seeing others.

This will be your fourth …