Season 8 Recap and Final Thoughts

Idolites –

I know I was going to wait until the weekend to write this, but I can already feel my interest fading as we look in the rearview mirror. I can’t imagine my thoughts would be any more enjoyable to read (if they ever were anyway) as we move farther away from the show. So, I’ll leave you with my final thoughts now before you forget who won…did you remember that it was Kris Allen? Crazy!

THE FINAL SHOW

My random thoughts:

What a great Finale! Usually, about 30 minutes into the final show, I’m looking at the clock just wanting them to announce the winner already. Wednesday’s show was spectacular in so many ways that I was sad to see it end…until Kris was crowned, then I couldn’t wait to shut it off.

Best moments:

• Norman Gentle…simply the 2nd best performer on the show this season. Comic genius and great entertainer. I was beaming when he tore off the sweat suit and broke into I’m Not Going one last time. The fact that I dressed up as him for the party was icing on the cupcake.


• Adam with KISS…No secret I love Adam. Did you also know that in 1978 at the Cow Palace in South San Francisco, a 9-year old Pool Boy saw his very first live concert? Who was playing? That’s right, my favorite band at the time…KISS! So, when Adam was up there singing Beth (which fired up Idolite & Season 2 pool champ Beth Shanaman), I told everyone at our viewing party “If KISS comes out to sing with Adam, I may just have to use the bathroom.” 30 seconds later, I ran into the bathroom…just to scream, though. When Adam first came on stage with the platform boots and wings, I thought he had decided that this was the time he was going to come out of the closet. Heck, the voting was over now, so why pander to the prejudice voters anymore? It was Adam as I hope to see him in the future…larger than life and over the top! Fabulous!!


• The very end of the bit with Kara and Bikini Girl. At first, I was just rolling my eyes when Bikini Girl and her fake cans strutted up on stage to sing. I was, however, impressed that she was able to turn her 15 minutes into 34 DD’s. During her initial audition, Kara lost points with me when she started singing the song. I was wondering why she thought she had to prove herself. Out singing Bikini Girl is like me beating Lucky at basketball…who cares? (and kinda desperate). Then, when Kara came on stage to sing last night, I realized that she was poking fun at herself a little bit. That gained her a little credibility from me. As I was watching the song, I was thinking “ What would have been cool is if Kara came out in a bikini.” Less than 30 seconds later, I got my wish (as if my mind controlled the whole thing…creepy!). That moment pretty much counter-balanced No Boundaries. She’s back to even in my book.
  
• Allison’s duet with Cyndi Lauper…I realized why Allison didn’t seem intimidated singing Time After Time right next to Cyndi…she was born about 8 years after it’s release. It wasn’t an iconic part of her childhood. She did a very nice job!
  
• Rod Stewart. I mostly respected the fact that he obviously big-timed the producers and said “Um, yeah, I’m Rod Stewart…so go ahead and let the Top 13 do a hack medley of Do Ya Think I’m Sexy? and I’ll sing Maggie May by myself, thank you.”
  
• Adam completely out singing Kris with Queen doing We Are The Champions.
  

How is it that Lil Rounds get to perform a duet with Queen Latifah? Anoop finished higher and he didn’t get his own duet. Even in the Finale, the Idol producers are in denial that Lil just wasn’t that good. She had all of us fooled.

I was brutally reminded that instead of Alexis Grace, America gets to see Michael Sarver on the Idols tour! I’m sure the mic-tapping oil-rigger will put on an excellent show…not!

SEASON 8 FINAL THOUGHTS

Adam Lambert was simply the most creative and interesting contestant to ever be on the show. Whether you liked him or not, I’ll bet you found yourself on Tuesday mornings this Spring wondering “What will Adam sing tonight?” You probably also found yourself talking about him on Wednesday mornings much more than any other contestant…and about how cool or unusual his performance was, not because he was so awful. That’s a star. Many think Adam screams too much and were too distracted by his awesome performing skills. I downloaded the studio versions of Mad World, If I Can’t Have You and Feeling Good. All of them sounded even better than on the show, and were very subdued. They demonstrated to me that he isn’t just a performer…he can sing and sing well. The “screaming” he does on certain songs happens when he performs live. I happen to love it, because there are very few singers that can do what he does. There are a bazillion singers that sound like Kris…in my humble opinion.

All my love for Adam aside, in most circumstances I would be the type of person that would have rooted for Kris. I tend to support the underdog. Heck, Kris is even a really nice guy that seems genuinely humble and surprised by all of his success. I could just never get beyond his boring (in my opinion) music style and bland personality…and where I do love an underdog, I also appreciate when someone is unique and memorable. A perfect example was during last night’s show. I was in the other room and heard a song being sung by a guy. My first guess was that is was Matt G., then Kris. Turns out it was Anoop. If it were Adam (even Allison, Danny or Megan..that’s right, I said Megan) I would have known instantly who it was, because of the unique vocals. One of the reasons I think Kris did so well along the way was because he was singing songs that were current. I obviously hadn’t heard of a lot of the songs he was singing, but the millions of teen girls (ones that have the stamina and time to dial in votes for two to four hours at a time) most certainly did. Adam sang songs I liked. Kris sang the songs voters liked. Damn!

We’ll see if Kris will go the way of David Cook, Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood? Or will he see sales more like Ruben, Taylor or Fantasia? My guess is that it will be somewhere in the middle…just like Kris, safe and middle of the road. That being said, I don’t think anyone should ever bet against this guy. He obviously leads a charmed life.

I think the Top 36 format produced some interesting results. With essentially just one performance to get into the Top 13, we weren’t given much to go on when the Top 13 finally began. It made all of us think that Lil Rounds was a shoe in for the Top 3. It allowed for us to be caught up in the fact that Scott was blind and his story was so compelling that we should vote him in. Had he needed to sing a week or two more to get there, he may not have made the Top 13…or at least would have been eliminated sooner than he was. Trust me, I was caught up in it too. The format also allowed someone like Kris Allen to sneak into the Top 13 and quietly gain momentum all the way to the title.

The judges save ended up being more of an exercise in cruelty, than a way to assure the best singers made it through. Now, instead of just singing because you’re sad you just got voted off, you’re singing scared, because you may have a chance to get saved. Then, you get rejected by the judges too…brutal. Using it on Matt Giraud really diminished its credibility. They should have used it on Alexis. I’m sure it will be back next season. I just hope it actually does something. If not, it would be nice if they just didn’t use it.

Was this the best season ever, with the most talent (as the judges mentioned on several occasions)? This is hard to say right now. Certainly, when you line up the contestants from each season, it seems as though the singers this year were the strongest. With the exceptions of Jasmine, Jorge, Michael and, yes, Scott, the vocal talent was pretty solid this year. When you add the fact that you had a freak of nature, once-in-a-lifetime vocal and performing talent like Adam, the scales are tipped in Season 8’s favor. The bottom line is that the talent should get stronger each season. More and more people know about the show and how it can change their lives. The competition breeds excellence. I think this is one of the reasons this show is so popular. As soon as we have a season where there is a drop off in singing talent, American Idol will have jumped the shark. Until then, it will remain the most popular and successful show on TV…or until Simon leaves.

POOL RECAP

The Top 16 (15%) of our 105 pool entries are getting paid. Here are the winners again, along with their payouts:

1. Kathy Hunter - $300
2. Jen Davies - $150
3. Kim Skorupa - $80
4. Tiffany Sannes - $70
5. Isabel DeVera - $60
6T. Daryl Bakke - $52.50
6T. Presley Ruona - $52.50
8. Richard Venneri - $45
9T. Christian Wiehl - $32.50
9T. Kelly Gallagher - $32.50
9T. Lizanne Grothkopp - $32.50
9T. Muddy McCoy - $32.50
13T. Dawn Capecci - $22.50
13T. Paul & Jessica Brotherton - $22.50
15T. Jennifer Harowicz - $20
15T. Tami Duryee - $20

As soon as I have all fees, I’ll send out the winner’s checks.

In the meantime, if you are on this list, please e-mail me your mailing address so I know where to send your winnings.

…and now some extra special props to our pool champion, Kathy Hunter. Unlike Kris Allen, she cannot be considered an underdog. Not only was hers one of only five entries that picked Kris to win, she was one of only seven entries to pick David Cook to win last season…also finishing in the money. WAY TO GO KATHY!!!!

POWER OF THE POOL….AGAIN! (WISDOM FOR NEXT YEAR’S PICKS)

At the end of last season, I made a point about how the favorite to win Idol NEVER does. Kris made sure that streak stayed in tact.

In past seasons, going into the Top 10 or 12 or 13 (whatever the start of our beloved pool), there was a prohibitive favorite or two. This season was no different. The only exception was that there were three strong favorites this year (Adam, Danny & Lil). This was according to our pool, as well as betting lines, the judges, etc. So, when filling out your pool next season please keep the following free and valuable advice in mind.

With season 8 now added, this is how most of our pool members fail each and every year:

Here are the Favorites and Actual Winners of Each Season (plus how many pool entries correctly picked the Winner):

Season 1 - Fave: Justin Guarini Winner: Kelly Clarkson (n/a)
Season 2 - Fave: Clay Aiken Winner: Ruben Studdard (2 out of about 20)…10%
Season 3 - Fave: LaToya London Winner: Fantasia (5 out of 32)…16%
Season 4 - Faves: Bo Bice/Anwar Robinson Winner: Carrie Underwood (4 out of 34)…12%
Season 5 - Fave: Chris Daughtry Winner: Taylor Hicks (2 out of 57)…3.5%
Season 6 - Fave: Melinda Doolittle Winner: Jordin Sparks (0 out of 52)…0%
Season 7 - Fave: David Archuleta Winner: David Cook (7 out of 77)…9%
Season 8 - Faves: Adam Lambert, Danny Gokey & Lil Rounds Winner: Kris Allen (5 out of 105)…5%

My mom just pointed out another very interesting (and potentially valuable) piece of information about the winners of Idol. Six of the eight winners have been from the South. I looked at it even further (of course I did). The only two winners not from the South were Jordin Sparks (Arizona), who beat Blake Lewis (Seattle) and David Cook (Kansas City), who beat David Archuleta, (Utah). The young Southern voting block is a force to be reckoned with for sure. Keep that in mind next March.

STATISTICAL ODDITIES

I’m several pages through this last blog entry and I’m still fascinated by how unlikely Kris’ victory was. Let me point it out one last time:

1. Was 30 to 1 to win it all by bodoglife.com at the start of the Top 13. Even Jorge (25 to 1) and Scott (10 to 1) had better odds this season.

2. His average rank in our pool was 9.18, which was 11th best.

3. Only 20,000 votes separated he and Anoop during the Top 36 performances. Anoop came back as a wild card. Even the most hard core fans of Kris (which have come since then) might say that if he didn’t get into the Top 13 that night, he probably wouldn’t have made the wild card round.

4. Of the five entries that picked him to win, one was a random pick out of a hat. Two were made by Tiffany Sannes, who had not seen any episodes leading up to the Top 13. She made her picks solely on the short video clips of their Top 36 performances on the AI website. Maybe Tiffany should replace Kara next season. Tiffany obviously knows what America wants better than her…and can figure it out in a much more succinct manner. Nice job Tiff! Kathy Hunter and Jen Davies are just plain psychic.

How did this year’s pool compare to seasons past, you ask? Well, let’s take a look at how the scores break down:

Season 3: 32 entries, High Score:102, Low Score: 52, Avg, Score: 70
Season 4: 34 entries, High Score: 90, Low Score: 47, Avg. Score: 63
Season 5: 57 entries, High Score: 86, Low Score: 45, Avg. Score: 68
Season 6: 55 entries, Couldn’t find standings for this season. Hmmm???
Season 7: 77 entries, High Score: 91, Low Score: 46, Avg. Score: 66
Season 8: 105 entries, High Score: 94, Low Score: 35, Avg. Score: 63

In theory, one would think the scores for this season would be higher, given the fact that there was a Top 13 instead of a Top 12, giving one more week’s worth of scoring.

In reality, there were two reasons I believe the scoring was a bit lower:

1. A few contestants really drove this year’s average scores down. The most notable were:

*Alexis. Her average pool rank was 5.83, which was 5th amongst the contestants. Nine people picked her to win (none of which was a randomly picked pool to my knowledge). Her 11th place ousting really screwed up some pools early.

*Lil: She had the highest average pool rank at 2.78. Over 70% of us had her in the Top 3. 24 people picked her as their Idol. Her fall from grace didn’t so much kill anyone, as we all had her ranked high, but it sure did drive down the overall scores.

*Kris: I’ve already exhausted you with how improbable his run was. In turn, he drove down the average score even more than Lil.

2. Randomly picked pools. I’m not sure of the official number, but there were a lot of pools picked at random. A few folks picked their winner and then randomly filled in the rest. While our consensus wasn’t spectacular as far as results, I do think that people that actually watched the show prior to picking did better. Ironically enough, our last place pool (sorry to throw you under the bus James Munger) actually tried to pick correctly…or at least I assume so. The double irony is that James was the one that asked me about comparing the scoring to past season. The triple irony is that James’ score of 35 this year set the record for lowest score in pool history, crushing the previous record low of 45.

James is another pool boy who runs an awesome NFL weekly picks pool, NCAA Tournament pool and Oscar pool to name a few. Let me know if you’re ever interested and I’ll hook you up. I may be teaming up with him on the standings page for this pool next season, as he is way more technologically advanced than I am.

PARTING WORDS

I’m sure you weren’t ready for that novel of a recap, so I apologize for being so verbose.

I wanted to thank everyone for being part of this pool and my blog. My absolute favorite part of the Idol season is getting to hear from my Idolites when I say something stupid or just to give me a word of encouragement. It’s nice to have a place to spout off about my favorite show and not have to hold back.

I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did.

Until next January…

Pool Boy Out!

An Upset? A Crime? All That And More

Idolites –

Since we were hosting a little viewing party last night, I didn’t take my normal notes on the show and am writing off the top of my head on the bus.

Yes, we all know I wanted Adam to win. Adam should have won, based on his dominant performances all season long. Even Kris, as he was crowned the winner last night said, “Adam deserves this. Sorry.” Alas, it is votes that win this competition and Kris was able to get more than anyone when it counted.

It is truly the one of the biggest upsets I can recall in any competition. Not necessarily his victory last night, but his entire journey. I was shocked when he beat out Anoop in the Top 36, to make it in the Top 13. He was picked by the odds makers at 30 to 1 to win it all (only Michael Sarver was a longer shot at 50 to 1). Even our pool disrespected Kris, giving him an average ranking of 11th place…he wasn’t even supposed to be on the Idols tour for crying out loud.

Yet, week after week, he slipped by and built momentum along the way. So, even though I’m still a little bitter that the best contestant didn’t win, I have to give Kris props for literally coming out of nowhere to steal this thing.

I am going to write one last blog entry this weekend that will recap the season, our pool and last night’s show.

Today, I will try and think of the great things that happened last night. Like my man Norman Gentle getting to perform one last time and Adam rocking out with KISS.

Congrats to Kathy Hunter, our 2009 Pool Champion, who just a few weeks ago was poking fun at her own pool with me because she had picked Kris to win.

Enjoy the long weekend and be sure to send me your pool fees if you still haven’t gotten them to me. I hope to pay out all the winners next week.

Until this weekend…pool boy out!

Anything Less Than An Adam Win Is A Crime

Idolites –

I re-learned two things about myself last night:

1. I need to buy an additional muffin tin…those of you coming to my house tonight will understand.

2. I want Adam to win.

In fact, everyone that cares about this show, music and a sense of fairness in the universe should also want him to win. Simon has said it over and over…it does matter who wins. I have been saying all I wanted was to see him perform in the finale, but I really do want him to win.

The judges were very contrite and positive with Kris after his last performance, telling him how proud they were of him…blah, blah, blah. Kara said she hopes America judges him on the entire season (not a great endorsement of the mediocre performance of her lame song). If that was actually the case, then Adam would be the clear choice yet again.

Kris did deserve to be there. There wasn’t another contestant that was clearly better than he was…except Adam. As a music STAR, Adam has outpaced the field all season. He has the best voice, he puts on the best performances and he has the ability to arrange songs to fit his strengths. He should win. That being said, I’m nervous that he won’t.

On to the show…

Why do they have the finalists sing a song they already sang? I hate that. How are they ever supposed to match the excitement of the first time they did it? …and the “first single” song must go. More on that later.

Nice DVR warning by Seacrest. I guess after fumbling the ball on that several times (including last year’s final, where I had to go to the internet to see who won after the DVR cut off Seacrest just as he announced the winner), FOX finally realized that not everyone watches it live.

ADAM – Mad World. His best performance of the year the first time he did it. At least I got to see this one on my TV (see DVR note above). Of course, he was really good, but he didn’t really change it up too much, so you end up comparing it to the first time. Not bad.

KRIS – I’ve got to give him props for actually changing up his song from the first time. He even played a different instrument. He dressed more like it was a rehearsal, not the Finale, but the bland, sloppy look has worked for him all season, so why not stick with it?

This is reminding me of Cook V. Arch, except in this case, the underdog is the one with the momentum going into the show.

ADAM – A Change Is Gonna Come. WOW! I was a little scared about Simon Fuller’s song choice, but this just proves again that Adam can sing any style of song and make it his own. He was even solid when singing in a lower register at the beginning of the song. Of course, he also looks great. In the area of wardrobe, these two are just as far apart as their star quality.

KRIS – What’s Goin’ On? Good song choice by Fuller again. Whoa! Kris now has color in his wardrobe…grey!. Did Jason Castro just shave his dreds and come back as Kris Allen? Sounds like we’re in the lounge at the Mandalay Bay drinking a Margarita during Happy Hour. Randy and Simon were dead on. This version is way too light for a finale performance. If he had completely stripped it (and slowed it) down, it may have had an impact. Otherwise, that was pretty average.

Kara’s song…No Boundires

Before I get to the individual performances, let me just tell you how much I hated that song….I HATED THAT SONG!!! Those were the cheesiest lyrics since A Moment Like This. I felt like I should be watching the end credits from the Olympics. So clichéd. Why do the producers feel the need to have us hear them sing a crappy song? Was this the reason we’ve had to endure Kara all season? She just lost most all of her credibility with me.

Whew! Thanks for that. I really needed to vent.

ADAM – Despite the song, Adam still sang it well and with emotion. He even mustered up a compliment for Kara. I’m sure he’ll have her write all the songs on his first CD. Simon took the high road and didn’t bash Kara, which you could tell he really wanted to do…nice restraint!

KRIS – He finally dresses like he’s in the finale! This was not only a bad song, but a bad song for Kris. That didn’t help him out at all. Not the kind of arrangement that suits his style. Too bad that is how we end the Season 8 performances. I can’t fault him on this one, though.

My final picks of the season…

BEST

Look – Adam on all three songs (although he did look a bit “Trench Coat Mafia” on the first one). He owns this category. HM – Kris’ last outfit looked really nice…finally!

Performance – Adam A Change Is Gonna Come (and, yes, he owns this category too)

WORST

Look – Kris’ first two songs. This is not the rehearsal. You’re in the finale, dude! Step it up.

Performance - Kris What’s Goin On?…I should really have Kara’s song writing represented here.

WHO WILL WIN?

Adam (I’m really worried it may actually be Kris, but I just can’t write that down)

Our final poll has Adam as the winner by a 10 – 5 vote. Will America be as wise?

Enjoy the Finale!

Good Luck to Richard and Kathy!!

What If?

Happy Saturday Idolites!

As we approach the big finaleon Tuesday and Wednesday, I wanted to present to you who will win money basedon the finish.

So, here you go...

IF KRIS WINS:

1. Kathy Hunter - $300

2. Jen Davies - $150

3. Kim Skorupa - $80

4. Tiffany Sannes - $70

5. Isabel DeVera - $60

6T. Daryl Bakke - $52.50

6T. Presley Ruona - $52.50

8. Richard Venneri - $45

9T. Christian Wiehl - $32.50

9T. Kelly Gallagher - $32.50

9T. Lizanne Grothkopp - $32.50

9T. Muddy McCoy - $32.50

13T. Dawn Capecci - $22.50

13T. Paul & Jessica Britherton - $22.50

15T. Jennifer Harowicz - $20

15T. Tami Duryee - $20

IF ADAM WINS:

1. Richard Venneri - $300

2. Dawn Capecci - $150

3. Lani Peterson - $80

4. Charlene Fysh - $70

5T. Isabel DeVera - $57.50

5T. Jennifer Costello - $57.50

7. Kim Skorupa - $50

8. Heidi Graves - $45

9. Brad White - $40

10. Susannah Searson - $35

11. Skeeter McCoy - $30

12T. Kathy Hunter - $25

12T. Presley Ruona - $25

14T. Daryl Bakke - $20

14T. Julia Speiss - $20

14T. Rod Sannes - $20

All along, I've thought it would be a landslide victory for Adam. Now, I'm not so sure. I think it's wide open and Tuesday night should be AWESOME!!!!

Enjoy.

Pool Boy out!

Whew!

Idolites -

Nikki McKibbin, Kimberly Locke, Jasmine Trias, Vonzell Solomon, Elliott Yamin, Melinda Doolittle and Syesha Mercado.

What do they all now have in common with Danny Gokey? That's right, they are all 3rd place finishers on American Idol. Let's hope he has a little more success than this group.

At 30-1 to win it all by Bodoglife.com, Kris becomes quite the improbable foe for Adam in next week's Finale. From afar, it may look like a David vs. Goliath scenario, but I'm not so sure anymore. Kris has completely taken this competition, our pool (who picked him 11th) and yours truly by surprise (Notable exceptions of Tiffany Sannes..who picked him to win on BOTH of her pools...Kathy Hunter and Jen Davies...sorry Tyler, but randomly picking him to win doesn't quite count).

Seacrest set us up for next week early in the results show by stating that the top 2 vote getters were just 1 Million apart in votes. Where will Gokey's votes go? Certainly not to Adam. I just don't see those crying girls in Milwaukee picking up the phone next week to dial for Adam.

All in all, I'm just happy that we will get to see Adam perform three more songs. If Adam were to win, I feel it gives Idol a bit more credibility, as he is going to be a huge star. Kris will sell a lot of records and have a great career either way, but he'll never have the star/celebrity factor Adam will.

….and for the pool biz….

Kim Skorupa holds a 5 point lead over Richard Venneri, with Daryl Bakke sitting in third.

As for next week, should Kris beat Adam, Kathy Hunter will shoot from her current tie for 19th place to the pool winner.

Should Adam beat Kris, Richard Venneri will become the first male to win it all.

I will soon send out the two scenarios for those who could win money.

In the meantime, enjoy the standings sheet and please be sure to get me your pool fees ASAP, as I want to pay all the winners out in a timely manner. If your name is in red on the standings sheet, I still haven’t received your money.

Also, be sure to vote in our poll on the blog…Who will win?

Pool Boy out!

Choices, choices

Idolites –

I have to say that the show last night was pretty awesome. It makes you wonder why the judges don’t select songs for the contestants earlier in the competition. Just think if Lil Rounds actually had some guidance on what to pick.

As for the competition…

DANNY – Dance Little Sister…a great selection from Paula! Great song and perfect choice for Danny’s vocal style. I thought he did a solid performance, with the right amount of movement. I didn’t think his “dancing” was even worth noting, much less having the judges get in a tizzy over. It was by no means in the Taylor Hicks league.

KRIS – Here is where I lose all credibility for writing this blog. I think I am the only person in America (including my 7-year old son) that has never heard this song. So, from that standpoint, it sounded original to me. I have to say that sitting behind the piano at this stage of the competition was a mistake. Especially since it really wasn’t relevant to the performance. Maybe if he had stripped it down and had no backup band it would have been better, but it didn’t seem as if he was connecting. Did you notice the little bit of nail polish he was wearing in his video…that alone could lose him votes. The nail polish is for Adam.

ADAM – How about this? Declare Adam the winner tonight and let him sing all six songs next week! Simon picks a great song and Adam delivers…again. I can’t say much more. He is so far ahead with his ability it would be a crime if he wasn’t there next week.

DANNY – So he goes out on a limb and sings a song that Taylor Hicks sang. However, he mixes it up and delivered a killer performance. When I’m filling out my pools, I always narrow the field down to the few contestants that I feel can deliver a performance that gives me “goosebumps”. I had goosebumps. He deserves to be in the finals.

KRIS – I’m beginning to understand Kris’ appeal a bit more now. He sings songs that the kiddies know and enjoy. Again, he does a song I have never heard (the only good thing coming from this is the amount of comments I am sure to get about my lameness on current music). This performance was much better than the first. Kara was a little overboard and calling him “brave”. Like he was the first person to go “unplugged” this season (or any season). Again, I can see him selling records (that I will obviously never hear). What was up with the toght, black sparkly shirt? People say that he and Adam can’t stand each other, but I think Adam has been coaching him on his fashion.

ADAM – Of course, as a 40-year old white guy, I was hoping for a more classic Aerosmith song, but Adam is smart and decided to appeal to people that will actually dial votes for him. Wouldn’t it have been awesome if he sang Dream On though? Just to say, “Hey, Danny, here is how it should have been done.”. The background vocals in the first part of the song were way too loud, so I was getting distracted,. Adam once again finishes like no other Idol contestant ever and kills it.

Adam has truly taken the season by storm. He was on the cover of EW this week and Simon actually gave him a standing ovation this year AND he begged America to vote for him last night. Two things he has NEVER done on the show before.

Even though it would serve my pool better to have Danny win, I am rooting for Adam. At the very least he has to make the finale next week. Simon was wrong in saying it would be one of the biggest upsets in Idol history. It would be THE biggest upset…and we would all suffer not being able to see him do three songs next week.

BEST

Look – Adam (Cryin’)

Performance – Danny (You Are So Beautiful) Honorable Mention – Adam (One), Kris (Heartless), Adam (Cryin)

WORST

Look – Danny (You Are So Beautiful) – Enough with the vests already.

Performance – Kris (Apologize)

BOTTOM 2

Should Be - Danny, Kris

Will Be – Kris, Adam

OUT

Should Be – Kris

Will Be – Kris (please!!!!!)

Enjoy the show tonight!

Pool Boy Out!!

Shocker? Not Really...We'll Miss You Allison!

Idolites –

When you get down to just four, it’s hard to say that any elimination is a “shocker”. So when Allison was sent packing last night, it was just my own misery that paralyzed me from writing this until my bus ride today.

I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. Kris, Danny & Adam have consistently been the top vote getters all season, while Allison continually found herself in the bottom. It’s just sad so see her go…particularly since it means Presley’s pool is now out of contention to win it all.

On the show…

Paula sounded much like Jamie Foxx with her digitized voice. I have to give her props on how well she was moving around the stage, though. Looks like her medical issues are behind her.

No Doubt…pretty cool. Was it just me or did Gwen Stefani look a bit (as Simon would tell Danny) clumsy running around stage? I thought she was going to fall on a few of those jumps. Paula actually seemed in better shape, as Gwen was sounding out of breath by the end.

I also find it funny how all the contestants from season’s past that were eliminated way too early are coming back to perform on the Idol stage. Daughtry was the latest to tell America, “Look, you got it way wrong”.

And the pool…

For however much I find it perplexing that Kris is still alive, I have to give props to all of you Idolites that saw it coming. That being said, it’s gonna be a Danny vs. Adam final, which is the best thing for the show anyway. No matter what you think of Danny (who earned points from his humility over his “scream”), he has the ability to pull off a really moving performance way more than Kris.

Kim Skorupa has extended her lead to six points over Richard Venneri and Daryl Bakke. Richard is now rooting harder than ever for Adam to win, because no matter who goes out next week, Richard wins the pool if Adam wins it all.

Should Danny win, it would be either Kim or Isabel DeVera winning it all. (NOTE: Isabel was the only one to pick the Top 4…my mistake on last week’s recap…great job Isabel!!)

Should Kris shock the world and take it all, it will be either Kathy Hunter or Jen Davies winning the pool.

Richard would be the first guy to win it, so GO ADAM AND DICKY V!!!!!

I’m still waiting on several of you to pay your pool fees. So, please don’t make me get all serious on you and get them mailed to me ASAP. If your name is in red on the standings page, you still owe.

Until next week, Pool Boy out!

Slash and Burn

Idolites –

So there are times when I can look at the song list for a night and get really excited, because they are some of my favorites songs in “reality”. Then, when they are actually performed, I kinda of cringe and wish they hadn’t done it.

With Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Styx, The Beatles and Foghat on the docket, last night provided a little bit of both…

ADAM: OMG, Adam is going first? Who’d have thought we would ever hear Led Zeppelin on Idol? I’m sure glad it was Adam that delivered it. Although there was a tinge of regret that he didn’t sing Sweet Child ‘O Mine, Adam once again delivers the killer performance of the night. I’m not gonna go all Kara (who was wearing the same jacket as he was) and declare him a rock god yet, but that was pretty cool. He most definitely has a killer rock voice and will move on to next week without issue.

ALLISON: Agreeing with the judges, I wasn’t thrilled with the song choice. Allison also has a voice made for rock and did a great job with what she had, but with all the choices she had, I wish she could have picked better. I will say that it was nice to see her stand up for herself a little bit. She did it in a respectful way, not getting defiant like Lil or Matt, which is what makes me a fan of hers. She looked great again too. I think she and Adam are good buds if she is now using his hairstylist too.

KRIS/DANNY DUET: A duet? Really? This is just weird. This is what the producers came up with instead of letting each contestant sing two songs? OK. Again, a cool song, but I’m not sure it came off too great. Renegade was the song playing in my car when I got my first ever speeding ticket in 1986. Had it been sung like that, maybe I’d have been going the speed limit.

KRIS: First Simon tells him Danny sang the duet better, then he tells him his performance of Come Together was “like eating ice for lunch” (huh?). This was one of the first times Kris got hammered by the judges and he didn’t seem to like it much. One thing this show pointed out to me was how far ahead Adam is from the other three. When he gets stuck with a theme that doesn’t suit him, he molds a song to fit him (i.e. Ring Of Fire, Tracks Of My Tears). Kris felt like he needed to “rock”. Why? Just pick a song and strip it down…play to your strength….and voters. This was not good and may send him home.

DANNY: Remember when I said it was cool to hear your favorite songs sung on the show? This was not one of those times. Yikes that was bad. First he comes out looking like he’s wearing his second choice outfit from Rat Pack night. Then, he picks a song that Adam may even have difficulty with. It felt like I was listening to myself at karaoke after about six Long Island Iced Teas. The huge difference being that I only hurt the ears of about 25 people in the bar versus 25 million that decided to tune in. To make matters worse, the Idol producers use the clip of his last, painful note as his recap at the end of the show. That should hurt him, but it won’t…Danny will be safe again tonight.

ADAM/ALLISON DUET: OK, I get it now. A duet can sound kinda cool. I disagree with the song choice again, though. I love that song. Heck, it’s the easiest one to play on Guitar Hero. That being said, it didn’t totally capture what Allison and Adam can do. However, they made the most of it and their chemistry is undeniable.

All in all, rock week was pretty fun and it (in my mind) illustrated the significant difference in the vocal abilities of the contestants. Adam and Allison have the best, strongest vocals and should be the last two competing. It may not happen, but it should.

BEST

Look – Adam (Glambert was in full effect!) Honorable Mention: Allison

Performance – Adam…duh! Honorable Mention: Allison

WORST

Look – Danny (If you’re gonna try to sing exactly like Steven Tyler, then at least look the part) Honorable Mention: Kris…and Kara

Performance – Danny Honorable Mention: Kris

BOTTOM 2

Should Be – Kris, Danny

Will Be – Kris, Allison

OUT

Should Be – Kris

Will Be – Kris

I sure hope I’m right.

We’ll see tonight….

Best Final 4 Ever

Idolites –

All the Adam fans, please take a step back off the ledge. He’ll be in the finals. I think his voting contingent got complacent…this was a wake up call.

The last time Seacrest had a contestant pick which group they belonged to, Melinda Doolittle refused to pick. Not our boy Adam. He acted a little pained to have to choose, but chose the group we all thought would be the top 3. He was actually right, but of course, the joke was on him. That must have been quite an uncomfortable last half hour of the show for him, having to stand with the two guys he just said were worse than him. With Kris also in the Bottom 3 for the first time, Danny is now the only contestant that hasn’t been there.

Taylor Hicks actually looked and sounded really good…and Simon gave him a standing-O. I think he has finally shed his embarrassment of being American Idol.

Jamie Foxx has the number one song with that one? I’m really out of touch. With all the digitizing of his voice, just about anyone could sing that one.

America has really gotten the top 4 right. When the Top 13 started, it looked like Danny, Adam and Allison in the top 4, but who would have thought Kris would be there instead of Lil? No one, actually. Not only was Kris the pool consensus pick to finish 11th, but not one pool entry picked all of the current top 4…although a few of us have gotten three!!

Kim Skorupa has scored 27 points in the past two weeks (including two correct picks in a row) to take a commanding 4 point lead on Isabel DeVera. Things have tightened up considerably, however, and a lot of people still have a chance at being in the money.

Slash is the mentor next week…sweeeeeet!!! That means rock songs, which should play to the strength of Allison and Adam. I also think they should be singing two songs, but don‘t quote me on that, as I thought they’d be singing two this week.

Until next week….

Two Leaders In The (Rat) Pack

Idolites -

When Seacrest said "we're just three weeks from the finale", I have to say that I was thrown (and little bit weepy). Is it all coming to an end already? It also reminds me of two things:

1. For those of you that haven't paid your entry fee yet, please send it to me ASAP. It's $10/entry. My address is: 1423 SW 151st Street, Burien, WA 98166. I can't pay out the winners until they are all in.
2. For those Idolites living in the Seattle-area, I will be sending out an Evite soon to an Idol Finale viewing party on Wednesday, May 20th. Come dressed as your favorite Idol personality and you may win a prize!

On to the show....

• Paula's dress....HA! It's about time. I've been missing those kind of crazy dresses from her.

• So when I first saw that Jamie Foxx was the mentor for Rat Pack night, I was not getting it. Then I see he has actually done some things in music and I feel better...but what the heck does he have to do with the Rat Pack? Now the show is over and I still don't see the connection. However....he was actually pretty good! He was kinda Paula-esque in his over-praising of each contestant ("I'd do a record with this guy (Kris)"...really, Jamie? I'll be looking for a new song feat. Kris Allen on your next CD), but gave them each some good tips and seemed to boost their confidence.

• What? Only one song per contestant? This is going to start to feel like a results show...filler,filler, filler. Speaking of that, Taylor Hicks performs tomorrow...yay!

MAYER-LITE: Boring. Sorry. I do have to say that I really like Kris as a person. He seems pretty down to earth and genuinely uncomfortable with his great looks. I completely agree with Simon on this one...except for the "it sounded wet" (huh?) comment. I just don't get Idol winner from that performance. It was nice, but.... Hey! At least he looked nice.

CLARKSON-LITE: Wow! Allison looks great. Yes, I can say it...she just turned 17 after all. Very good performance, as always. Kara anoints her to the finals...Paula is proud (surprise)...and Simon kinda pin-points what her problem has been all along. Although, asking her if she thinks she can win was kind of a set-up. If she says yes emphatically, she comes off as too cocky and could lose votes. As it turned out, she came off kinda confident, but not nearly in the league of Adam or Danny. It worries me a bit when Simon says she could be in trouble. I still think she'll be OK though. Seems like every other week she is in the Bottom 3. I think she'll be there again, but the first one back to the couch. She's young and is making great progress with her image. Her voice is a no-brainer. Hopefully, she can keep hanging on (and all those votes I called in for her pay off!).

THIRD-EYE: Hated it! Enough with all the runs, Matt. I TOTALLY disagree with Simon on this one. You've gotta be kidding me. No, it wasn't awful (obviously not my cup of tea, but done OK), but "brilliant"? Et tu Simon? Et tu? Were you drinking out of Paula's cup during the last commercial break? Gotta go with Randy & Kara on this one.

SOUL PATROL II: Love him or hate him, Danny walks on that stage like he is going to the finals. I thought the song started out good, then took a turn for the worse before he kicked into an amazing finish. Simon sobers up (i.e. agrees with my train of thought) and recognizes the swagger Danny showed while up on stage. He definitely made a statement.

GLAMBERT: Tonight was the night where Adam could have come out and done a cheeky Broadway version of a Rat Pack song (and still made it through to next week with ease). But no! Instead, he endears himself to me even further. He does the Muse (one of my favorite bands) version of Feeling Good. So cool. I want to buy his CD now. He gets to go last again. Are they really a random draw? Not that it matters with him. Ever notice how cool the sets, lighting and camera work is during his performances? Leah brought up a good point...he's probably behind all of that too! Especially given his theater background. He'll be pretty cool to see live. Do you notice how he really doesn't react or care about the judges comments? He'll laugh at what Simon has to say, but otherwise just smirks as if to say, "Ho hum...when is the finale again? Gotta get my friends tickets."

BEST

Look: Allison Honorable Mention: Adam

Performance: Adam Honorable Mention: Danny

WORST

Look: No one. I think they all looked good tonight!

Performance: Matt Honorable Mention: Kris

BOTTOM 3

Should Be: Matt, Kris, Allison

Will Be: Matt, Kris, Allison

OUT

Should Be: Matt

Will Be: Matt

At this point, it looks more and more likely we are looking at a Danny vs. Adam final. Let's see what America says.

Be sure to vote in the poll.

Pool Boy out....

...and then there were 5.

Idolites –

So we say farewell to Anoop and Lil. I have to say that I was pretty nervous and prepared to go off big time if Allison had been eliminated. I’m sure the judges wouldn’t have been too happy about saving Matt if that happened.

I still can’t figure out why Allison keeps ending up in the bottom 3 every other week. Will being the only female left help boost her vote totals? I can only hope.

Man, did Lil ever look pissed when Ryan brought her down. I think the producers saw her face and told Seacrest to just cut her then so we didn't have to watch her brood on the silver chair for 30 minutes.

Look at how they threw Paula a bone and let her choreograph the group number last night. I’m sure she taught them good techniques on lip-syncing too.

Normally, I'm OK with older artisits coming back to perform on the show, but that disco medly was pretty sad. Poor KC sounded awful. I was just embarrassed for them all.

Pool update...

Jessica Fracker has been displaced as our leader, moving into a tie for third with Kim Skorupa.

Jen Davies is the new leader in the clubhouse with 53 points and Isabel DeVera is in second just one point behind.

With Lil going out, 24 Idolites lost their Idol…and hopes of winning the pool…sorry :-(

Interestingly, of the 18 Idolites currently in the money, just two have Adam as their Idol.

I was correct on two of the three bottom 3 last night (I won’t count Allison, since I had her as the fourth in the bottom). That makes me 13 for 19 (68%) on the season..not bad.

I improved my record on guessing the eliminated Idol by picking both Lil and Anoop to go last night. That puts me at 4 for 8 on the season.

Our poll also picked Lil and Anoop to go last night…good job Idolites!

In my other poll, it looks like you would most like to see Sting as a guest mentor, followed by Bono, Prince and David Bowie. Of course, I’d love to see any of the ones I listed, with the exception of Britney Spears….I threw her in there for the kids.

Being down to the final 5, I would anticipate two songs by each contestant next week. I’ll go out on a limb (not really) and say Matt is going home next week. I think he survived this week because his fans dialed extra hard with him being saved. Hopefully Allison will pick up Lil’s votes.

Until next week!

Disco Fever

Idolites -

Who'd have thought that disco night would put out more memorable performances than movie night? It was an interesting and pack-separating evening last night.

and then....

• Vince Neil in the front row...interesting. Not the guy you'd think the producers would keep cutting to on disco night, but hey!

LIL: Ugh! Its to the point now where you are afraid to see her go out there. She truly has no idea what the judges are trying to tell her. She has turned into the karaoke queen and yet looks completely hurt and surprised when the judges continue to rail on her. I hope she goes tonight...for her sake and ours.

KRIS: I'm sure all the Kris lovers are bracing themselves for my commentary, as I have been very clear about him not being my cup of tea. Let's start by saying that he continues to dress like a homeless man...and again no color. Dingy grey jeans and a ratty old white t-shirt? C'mon Kris, at least try. However, his performance was really, really good. He solidified his John Mayer-esque profile by singing a song about a strong woman in a really cool way. He has locked himself into a top 4 or 5 spot. Great job Kris!

DANNY: About what I would expect from Danny. Again, I like him, but am growing weary of his performances. This was a fairly good performance that won't be memorable in the long run, but will easily push him into the Top 5. I think he needs to shave next week. The 5 O'clock shadow experiment was a failure.

ALLISON: Good for her to pick a Donna Summer song and make it rock. I kind of agreed with Kara and Randy on the arrangement being so-so, but she is really gaining confidence and should make it through to next week. Though it's not my kind of style, at least she is starting to develop her look. Her hair was tamed quite well last night too. Could be in the bottom if they pull 4, but there are only 7 left so it wouldn't be a complete shocker. She's safe.

ADAM: I almost expected greatness last night due to the cheese-filled Born To Be Wild last week. Well, I got it. How does he keep pulling out better and better performances? Randy was right on...he is ready NOW. Paula was shaking, which didn't help her articulate any better. At least in this case, I could totally understand why. This guy rocks!

MATT: He should go home just for picking Stayin' Alive. Really Matt? He dropped all his crutches..no piano...covered the 3rd eye...but he couldn't cover up the cruise-ship worthy performance. Thank goodness for Simon to tell him the truth. He's trying to be Justin Timberlake, but is nowhere in JT's league. The only thing I think may save him is that fact that he the bottom vote getter last week which surely put his fans on alert to place a lot of calls.

ANOOP: ...and arriving to the studio straight from Easter brunch, it's Anoop Desai! Again, he stayed with what has worked for him. It just wasn't that great. He did have some nice moments, but it's apparent he is not in the same league as Adam, Allison Danny or Kris. I think the road may end for Noop Dawg tonight.

BEST

Look: Adam Honorable Mention: Lil, Danny

Performance: Adam Honorable Mention: Kris, Allison

WORST

Look: Kris Honorable Mention: Matt

Performance: Lil Honorable Mention: Matt

BOTTOM 3 (or 4)

Should Be: Lil, Matt, Anoop, (Danny)

Will Be: Lil, Matt, Anoop, (Allison)

OUT

Should Be: Lil & Matt

Will Be: Lil & Anoop

Enjoy a probably very cheesy group number and results tonight!

Pool boy out!

The Idol Gods Taketh and Giveth Back

Idolites -

On any other decision night, I would be ticked off.. the judges save...a week wasted...no pool standings update. Tonight, though, I felt like the same Idol Gods that took away my recording of last night's show, gave me a gift by giving Matt...and all of us...a do-over.

So, instead of ranting or making fun of Miley Cyrus, I'll leave you with this link to a video that has been watched nearly 7,000,000 times since it aired 4 days ago. It includes our favorite Simon Cowell and the most incredibly shocking and wonderful contestant you will ever see on a talent show. Thanks to my mom for sending it to me!

Click here to see greatness: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

Have a great rest of your week and weekend. Let's hope Simon wasn't kidding about disco night next week. That would be rad!!

Aaron

DVR Dummy

Idolites –

I wrote this on the bus this morning, as I was so frustrated with myself last night I couldn’t concentrate. So, I apologize for the slight tardiness.

I don’t know if was the Idol gods messing with me or my complete inability to handle our DVR when it comes to Idol, but for some reason when I went to watch the show around 9:15 last night…no recording. UGH!

I had been bitching all day about how I thought Idol was getting lazy when it came to themes and mentors. Quentin Tarantino? Really? Last time I checked he had zero CDs. Granted, I love his films and he has quite a knack for picking music for his soundtracks, but as a singing mentor? He’s already been on the show once as a guest judge. He must have something on Simon. Maybe all the complaining was the Idol Gods telling me to simmer down.

So, I went on line to search for performances and could only find a site that had the audio of each performance. After listening to each one, I can make my comments.

My first comment is that I wish that Tarantino had mentored the contestants on song choice instead. At least he knows that and the contestants are struggling big time. This was the cheesiest collection of songs to date.

ALLISON: Going first may hurt her again. Of all the bad song choices hers was the best. Although, did you watch the show last year Allison? David Cook did this one already. Of course she nailed it. Made the song much better that I liked it. Just think if she would have done Son Of A Preacher Man from Pulp Ficton? Our poll said it will be an Allison vs. Adam finale…we’ll see.

ANOOP: Anoo-wop, the Indian Balladeer. At least he’s decided what keeps him in the competition. Another snoozer for me, but it picked up a bit at the end. Extremely cheesy song selection, but hey, it’s Anoop. What about Lonesome Town from Pulp Fiction? A little more hip and another homage to Tarantino.

ADAM: It’s choices like this and Play That Funky Music that make me think that Adam really doesn’t want to win. He has the ability to pick amazing songs and do them so well. He also has the ability to pick the cheesiest karaoke songs of all time. Yes, he showed off his vocal range, but didn’t make it his own and sounded more like a struggling metal band singing at a bat-mitzvah. Disappointing. How about anything from Purple Rain?

MATT: I have to assume he’s back behind the piano. This song sounds like a clip you’d hear on an ad for Warm 106 FM, “All the soothing sounds of the 80’s 90’s and today.” He, Anoop, Danny & Kris are all starting to meld together. I wish someone would decide to be original. I really shouldn’t expect that from Matt, though.

DANNY: Endless Love…UGH. I know I should expect it, but c’mon. He does sing it with passion, but the song is so syrupy and sappy it’s hard to get beyond. I want more from Danny. How about Let’s Stay Together from Pulp Fiction? See where I’m going with this?

KRIS: Falling Slowly? I have no idea what this song is. I think America will have the same question. It sounded really flat and was really boring most of the way through. It would be great if he’d “Fall Slowly” out of the competition tonight…well, at least for my pool. Imagine if he had done Stuck In The Middle from Reservoir Dogs? I think it would have sounded great, sounded original and would have set himself apart from all the cheesy ballads. Instead, he sings a ballad no one has ever heard of…sigh.

LIL: Lil, Lil, Lil. Is there cotton in your ears or do you just not care at all what the judges have to say each and every week? Being in the Bottom 3 didn’t concern you last week? So, to sound more contemporary, you sing a Bette Midler song? It sounded OK, but more like a church revival version without the emotion. Lil need to go home. How about Down In Mexico from Tarantino’s Death Proof? Sultry, sexy and hip. All things that Lil is not right now.

Since I didn’t see how they looked tonight, all these are based solely on what I heard…

BEST

Performance – Allison. That’s it.

WORST

Performance – Kris Honorable Mention: Adam

BOTTOM 3

Should Be – Lil, Kris, Matt

Will Be – Anoop, Matt, Allison

OUT

Should Be – Lil

Will Be – Anoop

Sorry for the extra bitterness. I’m coming off the stomach flu and am highly frustrated with my inability to get the DVR thing right. I’m mostly mad at myself, so the poor contestants get to deal with my projecting.

I’ll be watching the results more closely tonight, as I will want to see everything I missed last night. The first episode I’ve ever missed…sigh!

Pool boy out!

The Dead Weight Has Been Eliminated

Idolites –

Well, much like Scott, I stepped out on a limb and predicted Kris to be out last night. Yet another reminder I have no idea what I’m talking about. The last few eliminations have been quite uncontroversial. It seems like with the judges save in play, the shocking eliminations aren’t coming. Our pool poll was correct in picking Scott to go. Didn't he sound WAY better last night when singing for his life? I can't believe the judges were really considering using the save on him, though.

I am now just 2 for 6 picking the eliminated contestant, but was 2 for 3 on my bottom 3, moving me to 11 for 16 on the season.

Last night was great news for Kris fans. It proved that he does have a legitimate following and will likely make the top 5, if not higher.

On the pool…

Jessica Fracker continues to hold a one point lead over Carol Cooper. Some idiot has moved his way into a four-way tie for third with Kathy Hunter, Isabel DeVera and Jen Davies.

At this point of the competition, even though I sit in third place, I am not feeling too great about my chances. My hope is riding on the pool I filled out for Presley, which now sits in a tie for seventh place. Why, you ask? Well, take a look at how I rank the current top 7 and you’ll see that my pick of Danny beating Lil in the finale doesn’t look quite as hopeful or realistic as Allison beating Adam in the finale.

The top 7 as I see them:

7. Anoop – nice run so far, but I think he only has a week or two left in him
6. Lil – Unless she makes a major turnaround, her appearance last night in the bottom 3 will become habit.
5. Matt – The judges like him more than Lil right now. Although with all the dead weight now gone, he’s one cheesy performance away from going home.
4. Kris – Great following. In terms of votes, he’s probably in the top three right now.
3. Allison – With Lil continuing to slip, she becomes the only legitimate female contender. If Simon would start getting off her case and America woke up, she would have a shot at winning. Heck, Syesha Mercado finished 3rd last year.
2. Danny – The judges and America love him. Could be vulnerable if Allison picks it up.
1. Adam – By far the favorite right now. Something still tells me there will be a Top 5 shocker with him and the judges won’t have a save. I hope that doesn’t happen. I want to see him perform until the end.

Enjoy the standings and next week's performances!

Pool Boy out!

Mad World...Mad Skills!

Idolites –

To think I nearly missed Adam’s performance. The cool thing about a DVR is that I can start the show late and fast forward through commercials. The bad thing about that is when the show runs over and the recording stops at the last commercial break. I swore I had it set to run 10 minutes over! Thanks to our good friend and housemate, Lorna Jackson, we found Adam’s performance on-line. I can’t imagine how lame this post would have been without commenting on his amazing rendition of Mad World.

I’ll get to that later…

• Who is that bald guy sitting in the front row? He looks scary and is just staring intently at something on stage. Is he secret service? Looks more like someone that would start opening fire on Seacrest.
• Just one hour tonight, so we miss out on the grand intro for the judges. We finally find out that they are just a time filler.

DANNY: So here’s the deal: I like Danny. I picked him to win. I do like his voice too, but I’m starting to not enjoy his performances so much. He’s still one of the favorites and besides Adam, the only one that can perform first and not be affected. I thought the middle part of the song sounded a bit loungy, but he always kicks in the emotion at the end, leaving his fans happy. What’s up with the Members Only tuxedo jacket? Tribute to 1980?

KRIS: It’s well documented that I’m not a huge fan. However, before tonight, I was at least starting to see that Kris was becoming a serious contender to crack the Top 5. He has been consistent and original. After that performance, I am starting to get my old feelings back about him. So much, in fact, I think he may be in some real trouble tonight. He still needs to step up the wardrobe a bit too. As Lorna (a big fan of Kris) said when he came out last night “I want him to wear a color…other than putty.” Will the judges use a save on him? We may get to see.

LIL: She is in denial. Why wouldn’t she be? She has never been in the bottom 3 , despite continuing to sing songs that make her seem way older than she is. The judges keep telling her to young it up, so what does she do? A Tina Turner impersonation….and not a good one. Tina had to be in her 50’s when she recorded that one. C’mon Lil! At least she looked great and took her criticism without talking back. She’ll be safe again, just watch. She is just one of two women left after all.

ANOOP: More tender moments with Anoop. This guy is either a soft and mellow balladeer or a ridiculous frat boy at karaoke. Tonight he decides to put us asleep again. At least the sweater matched his performance. How do the judges say he made True Colors his own? One of the most overused songs from the 80’s and he wasn’t that special. See you on the stool Anoop.

SCOTT: This was the big surprise you wanted to pull out Scott? You play guitar. Happy now Paula? OK, well your fan base probably doesn’t care. When he plays piano, you hear the instrument and it all makes sense. That just looked like he decided to have the guitar in front of him as an accent. Not good. I’m also growing tired of his constant defensiveness and excuses. I have a feeling he has not been criticized much in the past, because he looks shell shocked when a judge says something negative.

ALLISON: Simon finally acknowledges she is good! He also makes a great point about her personality. She can obviously sing, but keeps ending up in the bottom 3. I think he now is actually trying to help her out now that he sees that Lil is a lost cause. I like the Kelly Clarkson reference by Randy as well. The song was done beautifully, but was a little mellow. I think given her spot in the rotation last night and her endorsement from Simon, she should be back on the safe side this week.

MATT: After seeing his childhood photos, it is apparent that the third eye on his forehead has developed later in life. He wasn’t about to let it hurt him tonight, however, as he sported the fedora to cover it up. That being said, I am in a complete fight with the judges about Matt. They loved that? It was a jazzy, cruise ship version of a bad Stevie Wonder song. I just don’t get his appeal. At least he moved away from the piano tonight. I think when this competition is over, he and Scott should form a touring dueling piano group. They could be called Third Eye Blind…Part Deux.

ADAM: To think I almost didn’t see this. WOW!! Best song of the night…a true 80’s song. Despite how good he was on Motown night, I liked this performance even better. After last week’s karaoke throw away performance, he comes back super strong and delivers another memorable moment. He is also getting very lucky on the draw as he seems to always perform on the back half of the show. Not that it really matters. The only thing I can see standing in his way of winning is that he is fairly unemotional. Can America connect to him? Who cares? They connect to his performances, that’s for sure.

Hey look! Clay Aiken is on Top Model tonight.

BESTS

Look: Lil Honorable Mention: Adam

Performance: Adam Honorable Mention: Danny, Allison

WORSTS

Look: Anoop Honorable Mention: Danny

Performance: Scott Honorable Mention: Lil, Kris

BOTTOM 3

Should Be: Anoop, Lil, Scott

Will Be: Anoop, Scott, Kris

OUT

Should Be: Scott

Will Be: Kris (That's right, I said it! Stepping out on a limb here...will the judges save him if I'm right?)

Be sure to vote for who you think will go out.

Standings tomorrow.

No Joy In Idolville

Idolites –

That’ll teach people not to tell Simon they don’t care what he thinks. Megan punched in the face by irony. Better make this your swan song, because “we don’t care either”…SNAP!!!!

And then….

• Did you see Jason Castro sitting with Alexis Grace behind Randy? New couple?
• So we know the Idols lip-synced their studio-shot medley last week, but lip-syncing to Journey live in the auditorium was a bit much. If you’re going to do that, please give Scott a headset mic, because when he sang his verse he was about 3 feet away from his microphone.
• David Cook reinforcing the power of the show by going Platinum…nice job!
• Lady GaGa…I’m still trying to figure out if I loved or hated that.
• Jessica Fracker still leads the pool, but her lead has been shaved down to one point over Carol Cooper and Isabel DeVera….and who is that just two points back in 4^th?
• Taylor Madden was the lone Idolite with Megan as his Idol…sorry Taylor.
• I was 3 for 3 on my bottom 3 predictions pushing my season total to 9 for 13.
• I also got Megan correct as the booted contestant improving to 2 for 5 on the season…two in a row!
• Looks like our poll also picked Megan to go out last night with 10 votes. Anoop got 8, Matt received 6 and Scott just 1.

Next week the Idols sing songs from the year they were born. I am very excited about the possibilities. Below are the singers and their birth years. I’d love to hear some predictions on what they each may sing. All I know is that besides Allison, it’s all 80’s!!!

Adam – 1982

Anoop – 1986

Allison – 1992

Danny – 1980

Kris – 1985

Lil – 1984

Matt – 1985

Scott – 1985

Until next week….

Identity Crisis

Idolites –

Well, the contestants finally got the week they were hoping for, yet many of them still blew their song choice and find themselves (and their fans) searching for an identity.

And so it goes….

ANOOP: Ugh! After two straight weeks of showing off his vocal skills and becoming more of a serious contender, Noop Dawg went back to just being silly. First of all, what was up with the coat? He should have worn that one when he sang Beat It. The hair is starting to get a bit more hip, but he still needs to tame those brows. Kara knocks him down with the frat boy reference…SNAP! The justification to the judges for his lame song choice is getting old. Anoop is back…in the bottom 3.

MEGAN: After jumping off the Lil bandwagon last week, I am jumping off the Megan bandwagon this week. I’ve been waiting to hear her sing a song that could feature her voice. She obviously can’t do that. I also now think that even if she had the right song it wouldn’t matter. Despite her beauty, I find it difficult to look at her while she sings. Her jerky convulsions are just too much and, once again, she kind of looked ridiculous. She is now moving into Sanjaya territory.

DANNY: He needed that. While he hasn’t dropped off the radar like Lil, he was in need of a big performance to re-establish himself as a front-runner. Randy told him to go ahead and let loose with his body motions. I actually appreciated the fact that he kept it controlled and focused on his vocals. Brilliant!

ALLISON: Another train wreck outfit. What is going on tonight. Her look was so distracting, it completely threw the judges. They all commented that they liked seeing her with the guitar. I disagree. It was only getting in the way. If the instrument is not critical to the song, just sing. Again, her voice is so strong that she can get by, but the stylists need to help her out if she is going to win. She can’t look like that in the Finals…or she won’t be there.

SCOTT: Back in his wheel house. Scott is definitely capturing the Clay Aiken-David Archuleta fans. Singing Billy Joel gets them back on his side dialing the phone. After last week’s disaster, he came back with what he does best. I personally wasn’t quite as fired up about it as the judges, but I think he makes it through another week and probably avoids the bottom 3.

MATT: Piano again? Paula??? Why aren’t you dissing on him? It’s almost like this guy doesn’t want to win. The judges keep telling him how good he is when he is in the R&B mode. He keeps feeling like he needs to sing rock songs. Last time that happened, he missed making the Top 12 and needed the judges to save him with a wild card bid. Each week, his dueling piano persona becomes more and more evident. First, he always plays piano. Then, he always sounds like the artist he is singing. Put another dollar in the jar! Will the judges need to use their save on him tonight? He could be right back in the bottom 3 again.

LIL: Sigh! When she said, “I chose a Cline Dion song” I already hated it. After looking great for the first time last week, she’s back in another, old-looking and ill-fitting dress. As Leah put it, “she looks all lumpy”. Her hair looks like a helmet too…help Bradley!! It is painfully obvious that the judges and producers want Lil to be better than she is, but I’m starting to think that she isn’t as good as we all thought. She continues to come off as old-fashioned and now her vocals aren’t even that great. She is heading down the path of LaToya London, Nadia Turner, and LaKisha Jones. She’ll still make it through this week, but continues to fade in the big picture.

ADAM: See what several weeks of domination can afford you. You can just be plain silly and still make people think it was good and original. This was my least favorite performance by Adam. If he had done this one 2 or 3 weeks ago, the judges would have crucified him. He’s obviously still the front runner. My only concern over Adam is that he seems to play a different character each week. I still can’t pin down who he is as a singer. Will it hurt him? Not for a long time. By then, he’ll probably have figured it out.

KRIS: Again, not my style, but he does the right stuff for his voting base. I thought it was a so-so performance, but did like how he played the piano. It actually worked, was necessary, and showed off his wider range of musical talents. He did seem more confident this week, as Simon mentioned. If he really wants to contend, he’ll need to step up his look. He is just a bit too casual right now. Anoop looked ridiculous in his jacket tonight, but at least he’s trying. Kris need to take note.

BESTS

Look: Scott (with notable exception of his Kenny Loggins circa 1983 hair-do)
Honorable Mention: Danny

Performance: Danny
Honorable Mention: Scott ? (Not a lot of good ones tonight)

WORSTS

Look: Allison (She sure can take the criticism, though)
Honorable Mention: Anoop, Megan, Lil

Performance: Megan
Honorable Mention: Anoop, Matt, Lil

BOTTOM 3

Should Be: Anoop, Matt, Megan

Will Be: Anoop, Allison, Megan

OUT

Should Be: Megan

Will Be: Megan

Be sure to vote for who you think will be out tonight!

Standings update tomorrow.