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....