DEAR STACY: We are really disappointed in "American Idol" this season. Boring! And I can't stand Nicki Minaj. I'd like to know what the ratings are like compared to other years. —Ray T., Huntington, W. Va.

DEAR RAY: Worst in a decade. And "Idol" has had its worst audience erosion among the 18 to 49 demographic. An audience of 18 million viewers per episode ain't hay, of course. It's just way down from its peak in 2007, when the show averaged 37 million viewers each week.

DEAR STACY: The music on the current Dodge Ram commercial is hot! It has words something about "from sundown to sunset." I can't stop thinking of it. Can you please tell me the name of the song and who does it? —Crystal N., Oxnard, Calif.

DEAR CRYSTAL: The song is "California Soul," originally done by the 5th Dimension and reborn in Marlena Shaw's current version, which is available on iTunes.

DEAR STACY: I heard that the late Mr. Rogers of "Mr. Rogers Neighborhood" was a Navy Seal when he was young. I find this hard to believe. Any truth? —Pat S., Cedar Rapids, Iowa

DEAR PAT: There's no truth to that persistent story, or to the urban legend that the beloved children's entertainer was an Army sniper or a marine. Fred Rogers didn't serve in the military. He was, however, an ordained Presbyterian minister.

DEAR STACY: Whatever became of David Birney? —Phyllis M., Youngstown, Ohio

DEAR PHYLLIS: The actor/director, who has logged dozens of theatrical roles through the years, in addition to his TV work, seems to have been laying rather low since 2011, when his one-time wife, Meredith Baxter, came out with her tell-all tome accusing him of domestic abuse. Birney's official website includes his response to her claims, which he calls, "an appalling abuse of the truth."