Game On!

OK Idolites!

Before I get to the business, I have to say that I'm already a bit angry. I can't believe Lilly Scott didn't make the Top 12. I won't comment on the ones that did make it, as I don't want to influence any picks, but America really missed the boat on her. I also thought Alex Lambert should be there, but have an easier time swallowing that one, as he was clearly not quite ready...but man did he have a nice voice. **DEEP BREATH AARON**

After months of auditions and a ho-hum battle from the Top 24 contenders, the Top 12 has been determined. Now it's time for all of you to try and figure out how these singers will finish out the season. I am sending out this blog entry via e-mail (as I will throughout the season), so you will find an official pool entry form attached. If you want to forgo the form and just enter your picks on the official standings website, that would be great. If you are phobic about diving into that or are just lazy, you can still just fill out the form and return to me. I'll make sure it gets entered onto the standings site. Regardless of whether you use the form or not, please take a look at it, as all the pool rules are located there. Here are the instructions of how to enter your picks on the site:

Go to http://www.mungermack.com/pools/

If you DO NOT have an account yet:

* Click Register on the left navigation bar

* Fill in the appropriate information and click Go

* Your passcode will be e-mailed to you automatically

* Go back to the main pools page

Okay, you have an account:

* Use your login and passcode to log in on the left navigation bar

* Click American Idol 2010 (pay) - or (free) if you're a wuss

* Click Set Picks on the navigation bar

* Choose who is your Idol, first runner-up, and so on. The red is to guide toward whom you have or haven't picked yet.

* Click Go when complete. Done.

This will automatically join you to this pool, AND the free one (which requires no extra work).

If you wish to enter more than one pool...

* Log out using the link on the left navigation bar.
* Go the beginning and set up and register another account.

Again, if you have any problems, either e-mail James Munger: jmunger1@yahoo.com OR just fill out the entry forms and send to me. James & I will get you set up.

Three last items...

1) Be sure to vote on the first poll of the season, which is located on the right panel of this blog. This one is about your opinion on Ellen's judging so far.

2) You may have noticed the Christmas card at the top of this entry. Well, it really is from Kris Allen. He and his family rented out the home of one of my good friends over the Holidays this year. She was able to get me not only his autograph, but a copy of his actual Christmas card, which looks like it was purchased from Walgreen's...just like ours!! My friends said he was a really cool, down-to-earth guy that seemed genuinely uncomfortable with his fame. Well, he definitely earned another fan in me. He's a pretty good pitch man for Ford too!

3) Did anyone else notice that Matt Giraud kinda ruined the Third Eye Blind: Part Deux premiere, by obviously having his signature feature removed from his forehead. Oh well, at least they sounded awful.

Good luck on putting your pools together. Things look much tougher this season. Should be interesting.

Please e-mail me with any questions or concerns.

- Pool Boy

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….