A mentor, you probably realize, is a wizened old soul who takes on the vital task of educating a novice.
The name came from an elderly Greek man named Mentor. Odysseus put him in charge of his son Telemachus, when he left for the Trojan wars. These became famous people, the namesakes of the odyssey, the telenovela and a famous condom.
But I digress. Ever since, people have taken advantage of the deep wells ove experience provided by a mentor. Merlin mentored Arthur, Dick Cheney mentored George Bush, Steven Spielberg mentors the world's finest filmmakers.
I mention this now, because Fox has just announced who will be this season's first "American Idol" mentor: It's Miley Cyrus.
Really, wily old Miley is mentoring. Soon, the Jonas brothers will get their legacy award.