I agree ROT produces pretty dire conformed images, especially for interviews. Sure it looks clean and non distraction and is fine for a CNN interview say but there are a 100 ways to skin a cat. I do think these rules are worth learning but its true you hear, its all about knowing when to break them....well I guess but I would be more interested in seeing how different compositions make the viewer feel.

When I line a shot up I naturally am thinking is this a nice image, its not nuclear physics. The truth is I think some people have a visual eye and taste for what looks good, some simply don't and you can't learn it really, you can imitate it sure but then you go back to clunky art. I think its more important to know the effect a composition has on the viewer be is a high shot or low shot or centred etc. I personally nearly always want to line my shot up with lines i see in an image be it the horizon or lines of a room etc. after that I do what i feel like doing.

And in conclusion rules are not made to be broken but for dull learned artists to criticise more interesting ones with..