Adam Lambert's Fans Throwing Sex Toys Onstage!

We didn't see anything quite like this at the Ontario, CA venue...it was definitely a more 'family-friendly' crowd there! LOL :)

Adam Lambert's Fans Throwing Sex Toys Onstage!

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Idol Tour Time!

Dr. L and I will be going to the Idol Summer Tour this Friday! We'll be in Ontario -- California, that is. One big bonus -- Kara's song "No Boundaries" has officially been kicked off the tour, no lie. I thought I just thought it sucked, but, no, the feeling was apparently universal. So we are looking forward to seeing some of our Idol faves again. If any of our Idol Watcher brethren will be there, let us know, maybe we can meet up before/after the show. We'll give our report on the show this weekend!

Danny Noriega's video

I actually really like this!

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=108285374601&h=pVMoQ&u=wfj3-&ref=nf

American Idol 8: Some Post Finale Ramblings

So, what a very strange season of American Idol. I'm tickled by the result. I've liked Kris from day one. So, for me, and the type of music I like, I think America made a good decision. That being said, I'm a bit stunned that it all came down this way. Never, and I mean NEVER, in the history of American Idol has such blatant PIMPING of contestants occured. Adam Lambert and Danny Gokey were consistently given the pimp spot and were judged by different standards than all of the other contestants. Despite pounding into the audiences' head week after week that this should be the finale . . . America rebelled. . . America rebelled big time . . . the result being that Gokey went in the Final Three and Lambert was knocked out in the finals. In turn, the Idol machine has rebelled by not telling us, for the first time in Idol history, the difference in the vote totals . . . we've always gotten percentages or raw numbers . . . but, this year, we gots nothing. Reports are floating around . . . one specific story from Billy Bush at Access Hollywood, that the voting wasn't close . . . in essence, that Kris blew Adam away. When you think about it, that's not too difficult a scenario to imagine . . . mainstream vs. outlier . . . I do, however, continue to be puzzled by the Idol Machine's unwillingness to discuss the numbers. Are they so stubborn and so pissed off that one of their two chosen horses didn't win that they're not going to effectively promote the contestant that America wanted?

I'm going to try and post articles that I can find that deal with this topic . . . and, like last year, will keep updating the blog as often as possible with pertinent Idol stories . . .

P.S. I found Simon Cowell's reaction to Kris Allen's win was completely distasteful and tacky. That boy worked just as hard as Adam Lambert, and for Simon to remain seated and not applaud was complete bullshit.

That's all :)

No Boundaries!

So...we have a new American Idol - Kris Allen. Congrats to Kris. What a great season this was. Kris is definitely the icon-American Idol. He rose from the pack and grew every week. Looking back, he definitely had some of the best moments of the season - from Falling Slowly to Kayne West, he won over the masses with his simplistic charm. The young man that Simon said had no personality came to find one. Seeing his audition last night to where he is today was everything that American Idol is.
At the same time, Adam Lambert is probably the most talented person to ever appear on American Idol. There has never been a contestant with the same amount of talent and charisma. But when it comes right down to it, talent and charisma are really not what American Idol is about. Certainly, it plays a key role, but if talent and charisma were it, Melinda, Daughtrey and Lambert would have easily taken the crown. American Idol is about talent and charisma but also about growth and hopes and dreams. America doesn't necessarily want to vote for the "Best" person, they want to vote for the person that they can share the journey with and this year Kris Allen fit the bill. I'm anxious to see what AI will do for Kris and I hope that his dreams come true.

So...we come to the end of another season and 7 long months of withdrawl (luckily this year we have GLEE in the fall which will dull the pain).

In closing I just want to give you my top 5 moments of the finale:

#5 - The return of Norman. He was absolutely hilarious last night. I couldn't stand him at first, but he grew on me. SNL or somebody else needs to snatch him up.

#4 - Adam and Kris duet with Queen - it was a perfect staging of why Kris needed to win this year and Adam didn't.

#3 - Allison and Cyndi Lauper - Man...Cyndi is looking old and little freak. But the Time after Time duet was fabulous.

#2 - Adam and Kiss - Amazing

#1 - Kara and Bikini Girl - Best moment of the night. Never saw it coming...and I have to give Kara her props for having the guts to do it...not to mention that she sounded absolutely terrific. Kara showed "NO BOUNDARIES".....

So....everyone....have a great summer and lets meet again in January for Season 9!!!

Rubbertoe.......out!!!

We want to Rock and Roll All Night and Party Every Day with Adam and Kris!

We're posting from the phone, watching on the 3" TV, and this is still one of the best Idol Finales ever!
Seriously, who could lose tonight? I think Kris will wear the crown, and after last night he proved it fits--but we've seen the meteoric rise of Adam as well, and he's still on his way up.
We have to keep posting, y'all, this blog is too much fun!
We'll check back in the next couple days--on the road to Rubbertoe's stomping ground.
-- L & K, last post from Austin

The Idol Finale: The War Of The Worlds May Be Too Close To Call . . . But I'll Give it a Shot

I’m just getting here so I’ll just get to it.

Each of the guys has three songs . . . there favorite performance of the season, the producer’s choice, and the Idol song – co-written for Kara DioGuardi. The competition starts here live right after the break.

Here we go . . .

1. Adam Lambert – His parents are talking about how much he likes to yell . . . not much different than he is now . . . His song choice is “Mad World”. Here we go . . . HE sounds GREAT . . . I feel like the music is too loud, but that has NOTHING to do with this wonderful vocal. These kinds of performances are where I think Adam shines because they are understated and show just what a wonderful vocalist he is. That was GREAT . . . simply great. Randy says this is it, and it was an A+. Kara is happy he chose that performance, and that it proves he is an artist. Paula is unbelievably proud of him, and thinks it was a great performance for him. Simon thought the prior version was his best performance, but he thought it was over theatrical.

2. Kris Allen – When he was a kid he was shy about singing, and his parents paid him to sing at family functions. His song choice is “Ain’t No Sunshine” and he’s on the piano . . . here we go . . . Wow, man, smooth vocals that I expect from Mr. Allen . . . as I said before, that was GREAT . . . simply great. Randy loves that he can tell exactly what kind of artist he’s gonna be and that was one of his best performances on the Idol stage. Kara thinks he moves people, and that he creates an intimate bond with the audience. Paula thinks he awakens the spirit in all of us, and that he is a great artist. Simon wants us to remember that this is a competition, and he wasn’t sure last week if America had made the right choice. He takes it back after that performance.

3. Adam Lambert – Producer’s choice . . . “Change is Gonna Come” – The opening part is amazing . . . and he is wonderfully restrained . . . scream at the right time . . . but pull it in boy . . . that was WONDERFUL . . . simply wonderful. Wow, what a competition we have going here. Randy thinks that the real reason he’s here is because he can sing anything. Kara thinks it was his best performance on the Idol stage. Paula thinks it was the best she has ever heard him sing EVER. Simon thinks he is 100% back in the game.

4. Kris Allen – Producer’s choice . . . “What’s Going On” . . . he’s on the guitar . . . sounds good . . . sounds smooth . . . WONDERFUL . . . simply wonderful . . . just love it. Randy thinks it’s a great competition, but the song is a little light for him. Kara loves that he has not wavered throughout the competition. Paula thinks he tore that song up and made Marvin Gaye proud. Simon thinks it was like three friends in their bedroom strumming along to Marvin Gaye.

5. Adam Lambert – “No Boundaries” – This is the Idol theme song . . . I’m having trouble hearing him . . . Whoa, not anymore . . . this is very Idol single sounding . . . better than most, but still with the ultimate cheese factor . . . in some ways it fits his voice, and in others not so much . . . not his fault, his vocals are good as per usual. It’ll be interesting to hear what the judges say about Kara’s song . . . Randy thinks he can sing anything, but that wasn’t one of his favorite Adam performances. Kara thinks she speaks on behalf of her co-writers. She’s moved and she’s proud. Paula thinks that adjectives can’t express what he has brought to the Idol stage. Simon’s not going to judge the song. Over the entire season, he has been one of the best and most original contestants . . . he believes they have found a worldwide performance.

6. Kris Allen – here he comes with “No Boundaries” . . . I’m curious to see if he re-arranged it. Again, I will say, I don’t love this song. I think that it fits Kris’ voice a little bit better, and he did re-arrange the song a bit better than Adam . . . Randy thinks he should be very proud of himself in this competition, and he thinks it fits his voice better than Adam’s. Kara wants him to be judged on the fact that he is an incredible artist. Paula thinks he should take it in, and thinks that this has been one of the most compelling finales. Simon thinks the highlight was the best song, but he thinks that watching him has been incredible, and that he has thoroughly deserved to be standing on this stage tonight.

After all is said and done, this is how I break it down.

Round 1: Kris by a hair – I think that both performances were damn near flawless, but I think Kris gave a more heartfelt performance . . . just by a bit.

Round 2 – Adam by a hair – Again, I think that both performances were damn near flawless, but this time I think Adam’s arrangement was a wee bit better . . . just a bit.

Round 3 – Kris by a dreadful hair – This was one of, if not THE WORST Idol finale song EVER . . . that obvious statement being made, I think that both guys did with it what they could. The key was too high. . . strangely enough, for both of them. Kris just seemed to make a wee bit more of an effort to have that “Idol Moment” than Adam . . . again, just a bit . . . this one was hard to judge because of the basic hideousness of what they were forced to sing.

Overall Rankings: Kris 1, Adam 2, Kris 2, Adam 2, Kris 3, Adam 3

So, what does it all mean? We know that these two guys were within a million votes of each other last week – after 88 million votes were cast. We know that The Gokey’s votes are hanging out there waiting to be assigned – if they re-vote at all. We know that the Idol Machine REALLY REALLY wants Adam Lambert to win. We know that we have two VERY DESERVING guys vying for the title. What we really know folks is that we will have a VERY CLOSE vote. So, again, what does all of this mean? Well, in my very humble opinion, I believe all of this will result in Kris Allen eeeeeeeeeeeeking out a second consecutive upset and taking the Idol crown.

Last statement: Regardless of who wins, it was my favorite Idol finale to date. I believe we witnessed the birth of two very talented artists.

The Guyliner vs. the Guy next door

I loved Ryan's line last night....the guyliner vs. the guy next door. We're down to the dynamic duo.
So, my co-worker and friend Lisa scored us tickets to the rehersal yesterday...)thankfully I have a boss that is so understanding of the importance of all things American Idol).
So me and some co-workers left work and proceeded to the Nokia Theater Downtown LA.
Unfortunately for me, I followed the directions to the lot they told us to park in, but when I went to make the turn, it was blocked off my orange cones. Anyone who knows this area of Los Angeles understands that first of all, the area is under a lot of construction. They are still building the LA-Live entertainment district and hotel...not to mention that it was the first game of the NBA Western Conference Finals across the street at the Staples Center...so it was a madhouse...but certainly there was a lot of buzz and energy. I circled the block a couple of times and eventually found a lot to park in about a mile away....now its 10 minutes before we are supposed to be there...so I hoof it to the theater (and it seems like its about 100 degrees outside...and it probably is)...
Luckily for me, I find the rest of my group right off. The crowd is energetic...lots of "ADAM" signs in the crowd of young girls all "dolled" up in their outfits. FOX is out shamelessly promoting "GLEE" and people everywhere are wearing red GLEE baseball hats. "Idol Tonight", my second favorite TV show has set up their stage in the center of LA Live for the pre=show arrivals tomorrow night (Actually tonight now)...I'm looking around for Brandon, Justin Guarini and Kimberly Caldwell but I don't see them. I do, however, see KAI in the line (you remember KAI...the cute guy that had the sick mother (cancer) who made it to the top 36)...he looked good. Later, I saw him in the theater and told him "I wish you had made it"...he smiled at me and responded "You and me both"!
So we get inside the theater (Beautiful theater by the way) and me and a co-worker are directed to the pit, while the rest of our crew are directed to seats, after a quick second thought, we decide to join them in the seats (the pit is fun, but it is a LOT of standing and we've been standing in line at this point for about 90 minutes).
Anyway, we get GREAT seats, third row just off to the center. They are doing sound checks and finishing the minor details in the lighting and staging.
A band is set up in the middle of the stage, don't know who it is until the stage manager lady tells us that they are going to pre-shoot Carrie Underwoods performance.
Now I realize what the "CU" on the drums stood for. The band is warming up and we hear some rifts of the goodbye song...we debate was it "Guns and Roses" or "Motley Crue" that did it originally? My co-worker sneaks into her purse and recovers her cell phone that we snuck in....googles...it was "Motley Crue". Funny sidenote- while in line outside, we are told that there are no cameras/cell phones allowed. Go put them in your car. Yeah right, like we are going to hoof it back to the car...ah...no. Everyone in line is debating whether to go back to their cars. We decide to hide ours in her boots (steel toed boots???)...can we get away with it? One of my co-workers is extremely nervous about us getting through the metal detectors with the phones..."They are going to wand you...and the wands will find them!"....can I tell you, straight through the metal detectors, not even a flinch!...so much for that security!
Anyway...Ryan comes us...he's especially giddy and joking with everyone in the crowd.
OK...for the show.
Adam - Mad World (Better at the rehersal than live on TV)...watching him in silouhette (or however you spell it) with the blue lights and the fog...incredible. The guy has stage presence and charisma like no other. Even the "haters" cannot deny this. His rehersal performance was intense and incredible. He was more toned down in the actual show, didn't take as many "risks".
Kris - Better live than at rehersal. Round 1 at Rehersal....clearly ADAM....Round 1 live - Edge to Kris
Round 2 - Adam Live show much better than rehersal. We are all thinking...very bad song choice for him. Watching live, I thought he did an incredible job. Kris #2...rehersal 100% better than live performance. Watching him in the theater, we all said that this is going to be Kris' moment that pushes him over the edge....live, it didn't come off as good. Round 2 at Rehersal, CLEARLY Kris...live CLEARLY Adam.
Round 3 - First...let me say, this is why they should let PROFESSIONALS write the finale song...after horrible song "winners" (DO I make you proud....this is my now)...we finally have a song worthy of the finale. The song was clearly written for Adam, and listening to Adam sing it in the rehersal, its a perfect fit for him.
We all say, there is no way that Kris can sing that song...and for the most part, we are right. Thankfully, they put it in a lower register for him and he does better than I expected, but still clearly not his song. Round 3 - definitely ADAM.

So the prediction: I stand on my previous prediction. Kris is be singing "No Boundaries" tonight under the confetti laced bright lights of the Nokia Theater...and it will be a "Should have been moment"...the song will be released on the radio and it will be a misfit song and we'll have to wait for Adam's first single.
If the competition were solely based on talent...Adam would be the clear winner. He is probably the most talented contestant in the history of AI...but AI is and has never been solely about talent...it is about making an Idol...and Kris fits that model perfectly.
If you haven't guessed, I am rooting for Adam. I voted about 50 times last night for him. But secretly, I kinda hoping for Kris to win. Like last year, either way, I won't be disappointed. I like them both. They both deserve a career...and ultimately, it is US that is the real winner in all of this.

Watching the montage of the season, I got teary-eyed, seeing our old friends, Norman...face-pierce boy, bikini girl....even Tatiana. And it once again drove home the reasons why we all love AI so much. It isn't just a TV show...we grow "close" to the personalities...we share in their hopes and dreams, we thrill for their triumphs and we share in their disappointments.
I had Kris leaving #13 - boy was I wrong there...but there is no escaping that we all have enjoyed vicariously, the dream of a mellow young guy from Arkansas...with no confidence of how good he can be...and we've grown as he has grown to become the next American Idol.

One final blog tomorrow......Rubbertoe.....out!

A Couple of Finale Spoilers

Mjsbigblog has posted a wee bit of a spoiler and a clip from a press conference given by Adam Lambert and Kris Allen. It looks like for the "Contestant's Choice", Adam Lambert will be singing "Mad World" (remember stunning performance and blue light shooting from Adam's crotch) . . . while Kris is mulling reprising "Heartless" or "Falling Slowly" . . . the blog futher spoils that he is leaning towards "Falling Slowly" . . .

I hope that these spoilers are accurate because I think that "Mad World" and "Heartless"/"Falling Slowly" were three of the best performances of the season. We'll see what happens.

Click the link to read the story!

A Final of Polar Opposites Could Be Too Close to Call

USA Today published a story today outlining tonight's much anticipated Idol Finale between Adam Lambert and Kris Allen. The article plays on the differences of the contestants to demonstrate the possibilities of how the final could play out. Click the link to read the very informative story.

Why Kris will wear the Idol crown

OK.....so I went to a function on Tuesday and haven't been able to catch up. I will say that I agreed completely with J's post as well as L/K.
I would have ranked them Kris2,Adam1,Adam2,Kris2,Danny2, Danny1, and I would have thought America would send Kris home with the possibility that Adam would go home. NEVER saw Gokey going home...but America got it right!

Now my quick analysis of why Kris will win Season 8.

Only 1 million votes out of 88 million seperated Kris and Adam.
Who will Danny's votes go to? I doubt many will go to Adam. Adam/Danny voters have been pretty much in their seperate camps since midseason. Look for Kris to pick up the majority of those votes.
Who NEEDS to win? Obviously Kris. Kris won't go anywhere without the Idol label.
Who benefits most by "losing" - Adam. Adam is going to be a star regardless and maybe in a Daughtery way, not having the "winner" status will be better for him.
Who can the Idol machinery mold more? Kris. They can take Kris, punch him through the Idol machinery...give him a new look and new stage presence and mold him like clay.....(Aiken).

When the winner is announced....I for one won't be shocked when we hear - Kris

THERE IS A GOD...

and he is BYOO TEE FULLLL!!!!!!!

Gokey croakeyed, and we have a Kris/Adam finale!

YESSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The irony is seeing Jordin Sparks, quite possibly one of the most boring Idols from one of the most coma-inducing finales ever, on the same night we get the fantastic news that we will get a REAL finale this year where we can get excited about whichever of these two guys wins. Awesome.

Top Three: The Results . . . AMERICA FINALLY GOT IT RIGHT . . . HELLZ YEAH!

Weird opening Ben Stiller movie prop . . . The Idol Desk is in the Smithsonian? Seriously?

Over 88 Million Votes Were Cast and less than one million seperated the Top 2. Seacrest tells us that we think we know the results but WE DON'T.

Alicia Keys pimping an Idol Gives Back type fundraiser . . . and yes Dr.L/K, I totally thought the Carrie Underwood stuff was leftovers . . .

We're back to take some trips back to the hometowns of our Final Three . . . The Gokey is up first . . . Has he done enough to make it next week? Let's hope not . . . But first, let's go visit with Jamar and the rest of Milwaukee, WI . . . Screaming tweens, Local TV, and being reunited with Jamar

Here comes Kris Allen . . . Let's go back to Conway, AK. He went back to his favorite restaurant and got free cheese dip for life . . . they should have given that to The Gokey . . . 20,ooo screaming, yelling, folks.

Next up, is Jordin Sparks and our results . . . LIVE.

Here comes JS performing her new song, "Battlefield". Song is very catchy . . . and you better go and get your armor!

We're back . . . and here comes Adam Lambert . . . with suspenders hanging from his ass . . . hmmm . . . I would swear that Ryan said, "How ya doin, honey?" . . . maybe I misheard that . . . Let's go back to San Diego, CA . . . Um, where are the screaming gay boys . . . no, really, I'm serious. Dim the lights . . . here we go . . .

Katie Perry singing first . . . UGH . . . I was really hoping we would get some drama here, but I'm not sure we're gonna. . . . It's 854 and we're still on commercial. UGH!

Here we go . . . here are our results . . . The first person competing in next week's finale is KRIS! AMERICA GOT IT FUCKING RIGHT!!!!!!!!!! Who will it be Danny or Adam . . . C'MON AMERICA!!!!!! YEEEEEEEEEEEEEES! ADAM VS KRIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'M STUNNED AND I'M THRILLED! That makes me so very happy.

Nothing more to say!!!

Cryin' about the One Beautiful, Heartless, Dance Apology

A Quick Post from Dr. L & K --

Here's our rundown from last night's performance show, because both Dr. L and I have school functions to attend and will have to catch tonight's show on the DVR.

The 1st Round:

Gokey sounded like a cat in a blender. What happened to the cool style Terrence Trent D'Arby put into the song? Oh, that's right, Gokey hasn't got any. He looked like he was trying to blow his way into the finals with lung power.

Kris: the waste of space known as Kara did Kris no favors with this song. It wasn't bad by any stretch (see above) -- just plain forgettable. This is the point of the competition where you have to do more than be good.

Adam was great, on the brink of another "moment" with this song, but it kind of became too much at the end. Still, he easily mopped the floor with the other guys.

Our picks: Adam, Kris, ---------------- Gokey.

(any of you think the shots of Carrie Underwear doing the Looky! Idol Gives A Crap! photo ops were from last year? Sure looked like retread footage to us.)

The 2nd Round:

Chokey actually almost surprised us. I was all ready to hate the song but he started off restrained, and had almost pulled us in...when he BLEW OUR HEADS OFF with the screeching at the end. Totally killed it. Epic Fail.

Kris: I have to say I hate the Kanye song. But Kris did the impossible and actually made it sound good. My only problem with it was it sounded like the same old Jack Johnson Lite© performance he pulls out time and again. But I can't say this enough, it was 1000% better than the original.

Adam: not as strong on the 2nd song, but that was due to several factors. Idols commit this error all the time: they pick a rockin' song, then expect Ricky Minor and the band to sound as awesome as the original artists. Most of the time, they just do an "a-ight" job, but this was one where they fell short. Also, could the backup singers hear the music? The mix of all that, plus the weird arrangement, made the song sound off. I think Adam did still did pretty well though, considering.

Still for us, Adam, Kris, ---------------------- Gokey.

But America...

I have a feeling Gokey has those voters that believe God is on his side, if you know what I mean, and it doesn't matter that Kris cruised easily past him last night. Sadly, it seems more likely Adam will get voted off than Gokey at this point.

So, since life isn't fair, we say America will get it wrong, and vote Kris off.

Top 3 Results: A "Heartless" Move Could Upset The Idol AppleCart.

Alright, I'm ready to make some predictions. I went back and watched the show again with Ttown Idol Fan . . . I've read the reviews . . . I've talked to my peeps . . . and it all backs up what SHOULD happen tonight. What SHOULD happen tonight is that The Gokey SHOULD be shown the door and we SHOULD get an Adam vs. Kris finale. That's what SHOULD happen. And . . . I'm slightly inclined to think that it very well MIGHT happen. I kind of think that Kris Allen's version of "Heartless" was just ballsy and brilliant enough to upset the Idol applecart. That being said, I understand that the percentage prediction here is a Danny vs. Adam finale. However, let it not be said that I'm afraid of the ballsy prediction.

Eliminated: The Gokey

Finale: Adam vs. Kris

The Top Three: Will America Get It Right?

They have become heroes in their hometowns but who will garner the support of a nation.

These are you Top 3 . . . and THIS is AMERICAN Idol.

It looks like the order tonight will be as spoiled

Gokey
Kris
Adam

I'm surprised they didn't put Kris first, but am not surprised that they put Adam last.

Say hello to the judges!

Cue the tapes of the screaming fans from the hometown visits . . .

Tonight they are performing 2 songs each . . . a judge's choice and a personal choice . . .

First up, Paula's choice for Danny Gokey . . . Paula has chosen "Dance Little Sister" by Terrance Trent D'Arby . . . Gokey didn't know it. It's a little obscure . . . let's see how it goes . . . we're going all screech all the time with this one . . . I'm having a difficult time with this one because he's screeching so much that it's hard to figure out whether he's actually in tune. He's definitely dynamic on the stage. I'm just not sure about the vocals . . Here come the judges to pimp him out . . . Randy thought it was dope. Kara thought the vocals were good, but the dancing was too much. Paula reminds us that she is a choreographer and thinks he did "real good". Simon thought the dancing was a bit desperate, and thought that vocally it was good.

Next up, Kris Allen with a song from Kara/Randy . . . Let's go south to Arkansas to see what they picked for him. . . they chose "Apologize" by One Republic . . . I'm quite hopeful for this song choice . . . He's playing the piano . . . with a little orchestral accompaniment . . . his voice sounds clear and clean as per usual . . . He stuck to the melody and made a few vocal adjustments . . . I'm quite pleased with Kris . . . Randy thinks that this is the kind of artist that he is. Kara thought it was a competent performance, but wishes he had interpreted it. Paula is used to him taking artistic license and thinks he had a bum note. Simon thinks its a cop out to blame him for doing the song that they chose. Simon thinks that Kara/Randy didn't follow through with their end of the deal.

Next up, Simon Cowell's choice for Adam Lambert . . . let's go to San Diego to see what his song choice is . . . He's chosen "One" by U2. Simon got permission from Bono for Adam to sing this song. Blue light special is back . . . He's slowed it down and toned his look down completely . . . my opinion is going to be unpopular here . . . the first half of this song was brilliant, but the second half was unnecessary . . . why did he feel the need to scream . . . and then the end was brilliant again . . . Randy thought he was in the zone, but that he went off the melody a bit. Kara thinks he is a strategist, and she thinks he changed everything (I'm not sure what she was listening to) Paula thought it was one brilliant song, one brilliant performance from one American Idol. Simon thought it was a brilliant song choice, and if he's not in the final it will be one of the biggest upsets.

After round one, I have them 1. Adam, 2. Kris, 3. Danny . . . I think that we still haven't seen one of them be spectacular yet . . . that being said, I think none of them were awful either . . . I think that Kris is gonna have to blow it away in round two to have a shot at knocking out the douchebaggery that is The Gokey . . .

Here comes an update from Carrie Underwood about Idol Gives Back . . .

Here comes the douchebaggery . . . I mean, The Gokey . . . He's singing, "You Are So Beautiful". . by Joe Cocker . . . I like the onstage arragnement of instrumentalists. . . I like the restrained tone of his voice, but I still don't love his tone. Oh and there is the SCREEEECH . . . The judges will eat this up and try and cement his spot in the final, and it was MUCH better than his first song . . . I just don't LOVE it. Randy thought he showed that he could really, really, really sing. Kara thought he did everything he didn't do in the first performance. Paula was left breathless. Simon loves the song, but wouldn't have done the arrangement, but thinks it was a vocal master class. Seriously, a vocal masterclass. PIMPAGE! PIMPAGE! PIMPAGE!

Ugh, this season of Idol has left me so jaded. I just can't take it anymore.

Here comes who should be in the finals, IMO, Kris Allen . . . he's singing "Heartless" by Kanye West. He thinks it's fun. Here's hoping . . . Now THAT'S HOW YOU REARRANGE A SONG . . . nice, nice, nice . . . I'm loving that re-do. LOVE IT. Randy thinks this is going to be a tough voting night. He likes his version better than the original. Kara thought it was bold, brave, and fearless. Paula thinks this is what keeps him relevant. Simon had written him out of the competition, that has all changed after that performance.

Here comes Adam to round out the night . . . again . . . He's doing "Cryin" by Aerosmith. There's already a problem . . . the girl doing the harmony is TOOOOO loud and is trying to outshout Adam. . . his vocals are solid as per usual. Adam is GREAT as he always is . . . but, this has not been his best night. The end note was verrrrrrrrrrrry good. Randy says he is one of the best we have ever had on this stage. He liked it better than the first. Kara wonders how he hits those notes and talks the next day. Paula thinks he has set the bar so high that he hopes he is collecting frequent flyer miles. Simon's not going to suck up as much as the other three. He thinks he deserves to be there, and that everyone should vote for him.

Here we go . . . in my humble opinion, the final should be Adam vs. Kris . . . but, I'm not ready to make America's choice just quite yet . . .

See you in a bit . . .

Here were my initial rankings

Kris Two
Adam One
Adam Two
Kris One
Danny Two
Danny One

EW's Idolatry: A Review, A Preview, and a Kara Beatdown

EW's idolatry team has produced yet another insightful and truth-filled video post this week. Click the link to see their opinions on the endless pimping of the Gokey, the short-changing of Allison and Kris and the many gaffs of Kara D. P.S. Pay attention and you will hear a lovely and accurate descriptor of The Gokey. :)

This one is definitely worth watching!

Top 3: The Spoilers for the Judge's Choice

Our first spoilers are trickling in thanks to our friends over at idolbloglive. The following songs have been spoiled for our three remaining Idols . . .

Danny Gokey - “Dance Little Sister” (Paula Picks)*
Kris Allen - “Apologize” (Randy Picks)
Adam Lambert - “One” (Simon Picks)

Now, I'm familiar with Kris' and Adam's picks and think they should blow these songs out of the water. However, I'm unfamiliar with Paula's pick for Gokey. I have read that it is a Terrance Trent D'arby song . . . I wonder if it will turn out to be a positive or a negative move to have him sing a less familiar song when the other two are singing VERY familiar songs. We'll see . . .

Robbed!

I think Simon's expression here sums up how the vote tonight felt to me:



This is Simon looking at the stage after Allison was sent home tonight. I don't know who he thought deserved to go more, but he was definitely not happy with the way it went down. I'm with you, buddy. For my $ 0.02, Allison blew Gokey off the stage last night. Maybe off the planet.

-- K

Top Four: The Results . . . The Good, The Bad, and The Very Very Gokey!

Here comes our Top 4 . . . and THIS is AMERICAN Idol!

Tonight we reveal the Top 3 of Season 8 . . . over 64 million votes were registered. How are the votes divided up and who is headed home?

Did Ryan just call Randy, "The bomb.com"

No Doubt, Daughtry, and Paula Abdul are performing tonight!

Here's our Ford Music Video . . . not loving that one . . . Here's our Top 4 with Slash doing "Schools Our For Summer" . . . This performance is kind of all over the place . . . I like that they are actually singing live and I like the band . . . but the vocals are kind of all over the place. Hmmmm . . . anyway let's go on to the results and Paula Abdul next . . .

Let's check in with our Top 4. . . . Danny thinks Wednesday night is the most tiring. Kris thinks that being in the Top 4 is surreal. This was Adam's favorite theme week, and he liked his outfit. Danny thinks it was "funny" when he listened to his last note. Allison thinks Simon was asking for it last night when she got "feisty".

Here comes Paula Abdul . . . let's see how it goes . . . interesting, on the positive side, I REALLY like the song . . . very Gaga . . . on the negative side, there was no pretense of singing on a show that is all about singing. Hmmmm . . . anyway, we should get some kind of results type thing after the break.

Let's talk to Paula! More music . . . here comes No Doubt with "Just a Girl" . . . which was released approximately eleventy years ago . . . Tutu boy reminds me of Flea from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. . .

Here we go with some results . . . our Top 4 are backstage awaiting their fate . . . if they get through to the Top 3, they get to go on a hometown visit. Here's how it's gonna work . . . the seats are for the Top 3 . . . the finalists will be announced in random order . . . wtf? Here they come . . . for the first time, I'm actually a little nervous. Dim the lights, yo . . . Allison is up first . . . Danny is next . . . after the nationwide vote . . . we move on to Adam . . . and we'll wind up with humble Kris. He's going to send one person to safety . . . the first person in the Top 3 is . . . Kris! Well, now, isn't this interesting. . . America, IMO, got it RIGHT! But now, the upset factor appears to be rearing its pretty little head.

We're back to hear Chris Daughtry perform . . . they did a nice retrospective . . . and tonight we're gonna hear the first song off the new record called, "No Surprise" . . . Ok, kind of love this song . . . it is lovely pop rock goodness. :) Btw, my friend Michele says that CD was playing a Finder Strattocaster . . . forgive me if I spelled it wrong. :) Next up, Danny, Adam, Allison which one will go . . .

Here we go . . . The second person in the Top 3 and headed to their hometown is . . . ADAM! We're down to Allison and Danny . . . after the record setting vote of 64 million. . . . Danny is safe . . . UGH! Allison is going home. UGH! UGH! UGH! That's some bullshizz . . .

Allison's problem always has been that she hasn't had the voting base. She's been in the bottom two or three way too many times . . . but UGH! THE GOKEY NEEDS TO GO! UGH!

So, we're down to our Top 3 . . . for the very first time, it's an all male Top 3 . . . Kris, Adam, and Danny. Thoughts?

Dr. L & K qwik post!

Hey gang,
Dr L & I are on the road, but didn't want to miss out on the predictions; so here is our breakdown:
Adam
Alison
Kris
Danny

----

America's breakdown:

Adam
Gokey
Alison
Kris

Kris goes home,

A Few Idol Ramblings

Sooooo, I felt the need to post before the results show. I've been scanning the web and it seems that the same sentiment is buzzing around as has been buzzing in my head. I can't seem to shake the feeling that we could be in for an Idol shocker tonight. Stranger things have happened . . . See: Tamyra Grey, Latoya London, and Chris Daughtry. As I thought about this today, a few things occured to me. First of all, Kris, Danny, and Adam all have proven that they have very strong voting bases. However, Allison was VERY strong in the final duet which I believe will keep her safe. Second, The Gokey was smacked in the middle of everything like Kris was . . . and Simon said that, "he should be safe". We know from Idol history that often times "you should be safe" and comments like it tend to make voting bases lazy. Third, the buzz around the net is that everyone is PISSED at the blatant throwing under the bus of Kris and Allison and the blatant pimping of Adam and Danny. All of these things work together to make an unstable voting situation. Therefore, I'm gonna put out a few different scenarios that could be shocking.

1. Allison and Danny in the bottom 2 and Kris and Adam safe. Before you go, "WTF" think about it. Allison has never had a strong voting base and it isn't out of the question that despite going last her peeps just won't come up with enough numbers to keep her safe. The Gokey was HORRIBLE last night, and that, along with his positioning in the line up, could result in this situation.

2. Kris and Danny in the bottom 2 with Danny going home. See the above commentary on Danny and mix that with Kris' very strong voting base. Barring last week's odd bottom 3 in a Top 5 situation, Kris, along with Danny, has always been safe.

3. Danny/Adam bottom 2 . . . granted, I think this is a very unlikely scenario, but could it be that Adam was actually in the bottom two last week because his voting base isn't as strong as we think it is? Just a question . . .

At the end of the day, it will probably be my Kris who hits the road, but what if . . . .

Entertainment Weekly's Weekly Roundup

Entertainment Weekly reporter Michael Slezak has written an article today that so captures my utter irritation with this show this season that I just had to post it. Well done, Mr. Slezak . . . well done. Click the link to read. . . . American Idol: Crime-Scream Investigation.

I wanna Rock and Roll All night! (and party every day)

Duets? Wh-wh-wh-what?

Allison and Adam look really great!

Adam - "Whole lotta love" - Perfect song choice for Adam. Allowed him to show off his high register. I had a WHOLE lotta love for this performance.

Allison - Why didn't they give her this makeover earlier? I didn't love the first part of the song. But during the chorus she brought it on. Its hard to do Janice Joplin justice. I was thinking exactly what Kara said... "Piece of my heart" would have been a better choice for her.

Kris/Danny Duet: Renegade. Early harmony was great. But when it got to the rock part it was weak for both...moreso for Kris. Danny showed some signs of strong vocals but also showed some weaknesses. I give Kris props for TRYING to add some stage presence. However, he didn't pull it off.

Kris - "Come together" Good job...for once, I saw some actually stage presence from him. Not the vest vocal of all but as an overall package, this was Kris at his best.
The only judge who agreed with me was Randy...hmmmm.

Danny - "Dream on". Oh....I'm afraid of this one. I can already hear the Gokey screech coming up. Horrible song choice. Wow....this was horrendous. I know this wasn't Danny's genre but this one was rough.


Allison/Adam Duet - "Slowride" - This duet was exactly opposite of the first. On the individual parts they were both great, but the actually duet part was not that good.
I agree with Simon...Adam may have pulled through

Do you get the feeling they are pushing an Adam/Allison finale?

Rubbertoes ranking tonight:

1. Adam (Once again my a mile)
2. Allison (pulled up from #3 based on her performance on the duet)
3. Kris (Danny was better on the Duet but Kris was waaaaay better on the solo)
4. Danny (Wow...how the mighty fell. Last Week he was my #1...this week, all the way to the bottom).

Who should go home? If you base it on tonight, Danny. If you base it on the competition overall, Kris.

America's Rankings

1. Danny
2. Adam
3 Allison
4. Kris

I predict like Jason Castro who left #4 last year, our low-key guitar playing pretty boy will go home in the same slot.

--rubertoe....out!

Hey Top 4 Rock-n-Roll . . . Rock On . . . ooooooh I said . . .

THIS is AMERICAN Idol!

Alright folks, we’re down to the Final Four . . . Danny, Allison, Kris, and Adam. Tonight, they are taking direction from mentor, Slash and singing “Rock” songs. In yet another Idol twist, the foursome will sing individually in the first round, and then, sing duets for the second round. That second round could be hot or a hot mess . . . we’ll see.

We had an accident on the set which prevented a complete rehearsal.

Here are the judges! It’s a big week, yo! Paula’s gotta new single.

WHAT THE FRACK IS LAMBERT wearing? I feel like I say that every week. But what in the name of Alice Cooper has gotten into that boy?

Anyhoo, here is the Slash retrospective.

Here we go . . .

1. Adam Lambert - He’s singing “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zepplin. This is Adam’s favorite
of all the theme weeks. It’s like glam rock exploded. Vocals were brilliant . . . absolutely brilliant. As per usual, he was WAY over the top, but that’s Adam. He was the essence of Adam . . . very, very good. Randy thinks he IS a rock star. Kara thinks he is a ROCK GOD! Paula thinks he is a whole lotta perfect. Simon thought it could be a disaster, but it was one of his favorite performances from Adam.

2. Allison – She’s singing “Cry Baby” by Janis Joplin. I think she looks really cute tonight. Allison went with Adam to his “hair girl” to get her hair done. She’s great when she hits the high notes, but she struggles a bit, as Paula would say, in her lower register. I gotta say that was not as good as it should have been. Randy didn’t love it. Kara thinks that Janis was the right artist to choose, but thought she was nervous. Paula thinks she is fearless. Simon thought it was a terrific vocal, but didn’t see much originality. Allison talks back this time . . . but it comes off better than it did with Lil.

3. The first duet tonight – Renegade by Styx . . . Danny and Kris . . . I will tell you right now, I will download this song . . . they are the PERFECT match . . . the harmony was brilliant and they both sounded great. Randy liked the harmonies, but the individual vocals were ok. Kara thinks the sum of the parts were better than the individual parts. Paula thought it was powerful and compelling. Simon thought Danny was better than Kris.

A comment here . . . again, they want Kris and Allison GONE . . . they are first and in the middle so as not to highlight them too much.

4. Kris – He is singing “Come Together” by the Beatles. He wanted to pee in his pants with Slash there. He sounds good, no problem with the vocals as per usual. He gets props from me for playing the guitar. I very much liked this performance. Randy thinks he picked a good song, and thinks he played the guitar well. Kara thinks he is the softer side of rock, but she didn’t think it was a great performance. Paula thinks its risky to do a Beatles song, but thinks it was a Kris song. Simon didn’t really like it, and thought it was a safe performance. Once again, it could not be m ore clear that they do not want Allison or Kris in the finals.

5. The Gokey - He is singing “Dream On” by Aerosmith . . . which if you will recall sent Michael Johns home last year. This could be a hot mess because I fear the screech will be in full effect. I think this will be a test of where the judges stand because I feel like this was not good. Those last few notes were absolutely HORRIBLE, AWFUL, TERRIBLE. If they say he was great then we KNOW the fix is on. Randy thought it was ok, but gave him an A+ for effort. Kara thought he added more edge, but took it too far. Paula knows it was a tricky genre, and didn’t think it was the right song. Simon thought the last note was like watching a horror movie.

6. Adam/Allison duet – I FEAR for this duet . . . I feel like this could be like the Celine Dion/Barbara Streisand duet . . . who can out scream the other. We’ll see. There singing “Slow Ride” . . . Can we discuss Mr. Lambert’s pants . . . I think I can see the circumcision scar . . . I think this was MUCH better than I thought it would be. Completely different than the first duet . . . the individual performances were MUCH better than the harmonies. Randy thought it was HOT . . . Kara thought they were ROCK gods . . . Paula thought they were great. Simon thinks they won the battle of the duets . . . but once again, Simon has to pimp Adam and say that HE may have given her a chance at staying in the competition.

Individual Rankings: 1. Adam (HUGE SPACE), 2. Kris, 3. Allison (GIGANTIC MASSIVE SPACE), 4. Danny

Duet Rankings: 1. Adam/Allison 2. Kris/Danny

My rankings: 1. Adam 2. Kris 3. Allison (huge space) 4. Danny
My Bottom 2: Allison and Danny
America's Bottom 2: Kris and Allsion
Eliminated: Sniff Sniff . . . Kris

Slash & Burn (Mentors Idols, Blogs About It)

Hey gang,

got this link from the HufPo, but the original article was from the NY Post, so --
if you click on the title above it will take you to an interesting article about Slash mentoring the Idols. Apparently he was most impressed with Adam, but given the Axl-esque quality to Adam's voice on some of the rocker-y tunes, it kind of figures.

-- K

Little Kara, Big Annoyance

If you click on the title of the post above, you will be magically transported to a young Kara DioGuardi's childhood, where you can see the molding of the Idol judge (and the weird lip shapes) we know and love today.

Dr. J

TTown Idol Fan!! made a great point -- L is now Dr. L but the illustrious J is still hiding his light under a bushel!
I think "Dr. J" is the way to go. I am totally planning on becoming Master K this summer :)

Shenanigans

Just a quick post after reading J's thoughtful analysis of Top 5 night:
I completely agree that there is shameless pimping going on of Adam and Gokey. I wanted to take it a step further, and ask all you faithful Idol vets if you think the "bottom 2" scenario tonight was actually another case of manipulation.

I couldn't think of specific examples, but I know J has some filed in his mental Rolodex (he is a font of Idol lore, y'all):

think of other times when "shocker" bottom 3s and 2s happened, when Ryan goes into careful wording about the "results". He'll say at the top of the show "X MILLION VOTES!" and then later describe the contestants in the hot seats as "your bottom 3". There are many nights when Ryan will come out and say, "these are the two with the lowest number of votes", but some nights, he's a little cagey.
Bottom line: I think Adam wasn't actually the 2nd lowest vote getter. But I think they are pulling some shenanigans to make people THINK he was, so they will vote their asses off for him in the Gokey/Lambert finale they are salivating about. What would this mean? Maybe they want to pull some votes away from Kris; I think Allison has been in the B3 so many times she'll go out before the Top 2, surely. But it really makes me think they want to set up Adam for the win.
Anyway, I'd like to know if anybody else thought the same thing. J, I know you can remember a couple of those results nights moments I'm talking about.

PS -- I do want to say this is truly the best possible Top 4 from the group this year, in my and Dr. L's opinions, echoing J's earlier comment.

-- K

Home Stretch

Sorry I have been absent so much this season my life has been spinning out of control like poor Lil Round's, hope she finds her "voice" after Idol!
Last night the best top 5 show I can remember!
I have fallen for the Adam hype machine, I truly think he is amazing! Great voice but better entertainer!
The final 3 will be Allison, Chris and Adam, I know that this is not a new revelation to anyone, even if Idol does seem to want Danny in there for some reason.
The bottom 2 tonight will be Matt and Danny! Matt goes home!

A Worthy Final Five OR The Shameless Pimping of Danny and Adam

I have to admit, I had an entire post from live blogging last night, but I was so damned irritated by last night's show that I decided not to post it. I re-read it, and I was unfair in portions and down right venemous in others . . . therefore, I decided to be a good social worker . . . take a step back . . . and re-group.

As a part of my re-grouping, I came into work this morning and reviewed the evening with Allison. I was relieved to find that she and I were on the same page about some of the performances and the structure of the show as a hole . . . whew, at least I haven't gonna astray from all of my fellow Idolers . . . What follows is a list of rankings with a few comments thrown in for good measure. :)

The first thought I had when watching last night's episode was, "Why can't we cut the damn filler stuff and get back to the singing." I missed not having two performances on top 5 night. They have managed to do it every other year . . . Ugh! The next thought I had was why are Kris and Allison first and second . . . Again . . . I swear, if you go back and look at all of the week's this year, those two have logged in WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY more time at the front end than anyone else. On the same note, how many times does Adam Lambert get to go last or next to last. Yes, I understand that it's a ratings ploy, but this is a competition and we all know that placement in the lineup plays quite a little role in voting. Wow, I feel better . . . just had to get that off of my chest.

Now, here are my rankings . . . get ready, cuz they could be considered somewhat blasphemous.

1. The Gokey - Last night's performance was the best I have seen from him since the Top 32. He managed to restrain the Gokey screech for a full 2/3 of the song. . . that way, by the time he went ape-shit with it at the end, it didn't feel like bamboo shoots underneath my finger nails. That being said, I do wish The Gokey could figure out that his voice is quite lovely and that it isn't ALWAYS necessary to go apeshit crazy.

2. Kris Allen - Here we go. . . I will agree that Kris sounded a bit overshadowed by the band at times . . . no doubt . . . however, y'all know I'm a vocal purist with this stuff . . . and week in and week out he is one of two contestants who I NEVER get nervous about because he always hits the notes. They may not be the strongest of notes, but I don't think this is a screaming contest. **Stepping down from soapbox** I thought he chose the perfect song for him, and performed it very solidly

3. Adam - Now, I know, blasphemous to take him out of the Top 2 . . . and before I say anything else, let me say that his vocals, as always, were spot on. He has an amazing range. That being said, I LOVE that song . . . it's a smooth, jazzy number, and, to me, it didn't need all of that extra flair. I could have lived with out the use of the Lambert Lungs. I was really looking forward to the number because I thought it would be reserved Adam . . . it was not. Again, not knocking him on the vocal, but on the self-indulgent stylistic choices he made.

Which brings up a point. The SHAMELESS pimping of Danny and Adam. Seriously, Simon Cowell is the king of calling people out on being self-indulgent . . . and that was perhaps one of THE MOST self indulgent numbers . . . and he didn't say anything . . . Really? . . . Seriously? I felt like there should have been a running scroll at the bottom of the screen that said . . . "Seriously Y'all, please don't bother voting for anyone else because this final is a lock . . .yo"

And back to the rankings . . .

4. Allison - I love this girl, and I really liked her performance last night. I thought she put a different twist on the song, and it did show a kinder, gentler rocker chick. The reason she winds up fourth for me is because her vocals aren't quite as spot on as the previous three. She had some problems clearly enunciating some of her phrases last night, and, at times, I thought she was a shade under or over the note. Otherwise, I loved her.

5. Matt - This, indeed, should have been Matt's night. . . and, to a certain extent, it was. He had some nice charisma on the stage and I was impressed with a lot of his vocals . . . however, Matt is one of the one's that I cross my fingers for when he sings because he occasionally strays from being in tune . . . pitchy if you will . . . last night was no exception. There were some off moments littered throughout what was, otherwise, a lovely performance.

I agree with Dr. L/K about Simon playing reverse psychology with certain contestants . . . however, it was hard to stomach hearing him tell Matt that he had charisma and confidence and gave an excellent performance. I don't know . . . I just don't know . . .

Josh's Bottom Two: Allison and Matt
America's Bottom Two: Allison and Matt

Eliminated: Matt

If all goes as it should tonight, we will have, in my opinion, the best 4 of the entire group as the Top 4 . . . that should make for a wonderful last three weeks. I just hope they will get to perform two songs next week . . . seriously, they used to get in 8 songs in an hour. Get it done Idol! **Stepping Back Off Soap Box**

Rat Package

First off, thanks, Rubbertoe, for that awesome rundown of last night's rehearsal! I feel like we have a special window on the show.

Here is the view from our TV:

Dr. L & K's ranking:

Adam (like a chromed comet)

Danny
 (brought it, fit the theme perfectly)
Allison (sounded great, but descended into slurred Rawk phrasing by the end -- I defy anybody who is unfamiliar with any song she sings to tell me the lyrics afterward! You can't.)

Matt 

Kris (of these guys, Kris sounded swallowed up by Ricky Minor and the band, and Matt stayed afloat, to me, simple as that)

I think anybody who is an Idol veteran realized last night Simon was employing the age-old Idol trick of Reverse Psychology. At a strategic point in the competition a judge (primarily Simon, 'cause who really listens to Dawg, Heart U or Ortistry?) can lull some contestants' voters into a false sense of safety, while spurring other contestants' fans to VOTE by praising mediocre performances and damning good ones.
Add in another Idol truism: certain contestants will pick up the lion's share of last week's booted singers' votes. Who would Anoop or Lil fans vote for? Hmm...
America's bottom 2:
Kris/Matt, Matt goes home.


-- K

The Fantastic Five

So, I got invited this week to attend the dress rehearsal before last nights show with a friend, her friend and her kids... Basically, they do a full run through of the show prior to the taping of the live show. Similar to when I have gotten to go to the live tapings, we were "herded" into the waiting area outside the soundstage. We were eventually led inside, this time not in the pit, but in the seating area. The Idols came out and they spent about 20 minutes shooting some footage for the results show which airs tonight. Basically, they shot the opening sequence and then some individual shots. We are told that all of the footage will last for just a few seconds tonight. Another little interesting thing that I learned was that the "recap" prior to the phone lines opening is shot during the dress rehearsal. So the 10 second clips you see with the voting numbers is actually not taken from the live performance but from the rehersal. It was fun watching for that and I actually noticed some big difference in Danny and Adam from the way they performed it live.
Finally, Ryan comes out, clad not in suit and tie, but rather, jeans, a country cut plaid shirt and baseball cap. Ryan is very social with the crowd, very laid back.
They talk about how they are going to shoot the opening "THIS is American Idol shot"...Ryan offers his suggestions. Ryan actually has more influence than I would have expected. Throughout the rehearsal, Ryan changes several times the way things are shot (I would have expected it to be a "director" thing, but they seem very open to his way of doing it...maybe its in his contract).
Finally we get to watch the performances (I'll talk about that in a moment). I knew from reading earlier that it is the music of the rat pack. This should be a good night. The Idols all look so great on stage. Kris looks especially cute. Incidentally, I should mention that the crowd is overwhelmingly pro-Adam. All of the girls are yelling for him...a few for Allison, but not really much for anyone else. At one point, Ryan is positioned in the crowd, I think right before Adam...maybe Danny. The crowd of kids in front of us are going crazy getting his autograph. Ryan is so cute, he takes the Sharpie and autographs in huge letters on each of the kids arms. They are going crazy. One kid wants Ryan to sign his forehead, Ryan says, nah....your mom would kill me....but he signs his arm instead.
Just a couple of other things. Its fun watching the final five interact. Adam is much more interactive with the crowd this time, waving and responding to the people calling his name. Allsion, we are told, cannot act serious for more than 5 seconds without busting out laughing. She seems to be having a great time with the guys.
Danny makes a comment about them looking like a boyband...which prompts Ricky and the band to improv a little "Backstreets back" and Matt does his rather talented version of N'Sync's puppet dance (Don't remember what song that is). Matt is obviously in his element and enjoying it...he is constantly snapping his fingers and dancing throughout the rehersal. Finally, before we talk performances, one of the young girls that was with us made a CD for Adam, she created what she thought should be Adams first CD, with pictures and labels. She has a note inside the CD and wants to get it to Adam. Prior to the show, they were able to move into the pit with the other young kids and we can see that they are positioned right up to the stage. As the rehersal was ending, we see Ryan by them. Apparently they got Ryan's attention and asked him to give the CD to Adam. Ryan hands it to Adam, Adam is perplexed by "What is it"...he looks at it quizzickly with Allison and then gets it....he gives the girls a wink and a "OK" hand signal...making the girls day!!!!
Anyway....on to the performances. For the most part they were the same live as at rehersal with the exception of Danny, who was incredible at the rehearsal, much better than on the live show, on the live show he was a little more over the top and I thought it came off as trying too hard....and Adam....who was much more over the top in the live show, but for him, I have to say it worked because of the type of performance it was.
I thought they were all really good. Ranking in order: 1. Danny - I am going to give him the edge tonight based completely on the vocals. THIS is the Danny that we haven't seen for a month. Finally. 2. Adam - What can I say that hasn't been said before, the guy knows what he is doing, he's got an incredible voice and incredible control and he knows how to perform. Tonight's performance was pure Adam...if you like Adam, you would LOVE this performance, which I did. If you don't like Adam, you would hate this one. 3. Allison - It was great seeing this side of her and to see her do it so well. 4. Kris - Excellent, but just not on the same level as the front runners. If he wasn't so dang cute, I doubt he would be where he is..and I think he knows it. In his intro he says that vocally he is not in the same league...and he seems apprehensive when Simon tells him that he doesn't have the confidence that he can win. 5. Matt - It should have been more Matt's night than it was....but hey....Matt being in the top 5 was somewhat unexpected.
The obvious bottom 3: Matt, Allison and Kris
Kris is safe and Matt goes home.

3 more weeks until the inevitable Danny v. Adam Finale!

---Rubbertoe....out!

Disney World Launches 'American Idol Experience' With Star Studded Party!

FOXNews.com - Disney World Launches 'American Idol Experience' With Star Studded Party - Celebrity Gossip | Entertainment News | Arts And Entertainment

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Kara Bogarts Randy's Critique

If you click on the title of the post (not the pic itself, it's just a snapshot I grabbed of the vid), it should take you to a funny video on the TMZ website I saw a little while ago.
I thought I saw this live Tuesday night, but after watching the vid again it confirms it: Randy was supposed to give his feedback on Kris' performance, but Kara, oblivious, blurted out her take on the song.
Watch Randy try to correct her, to no avail, then the look of utter disgust he and Cowell share when Kara just blunders on with her inanity. if Kara is back next year I will be amazed.

-- K

Top Seven: The Results . . .

Get ready for a double elimination . . . drama, y’all!

THIS is AMERICAN Idol!

No tie bar tonight . . .

Lil Boo is here tonight . . .

45 million votes last night . . . wow

Let’s say hey to the judges!

Can they pull off Paula Abdul’s moves . . .this should be pretty good . . . and I am quite impressed . . . they did a great job. No way they could have been singing during that choreographed number.

And we’re back and the girls are still changing . . . so, the Seacrest is gonna waste some time.
VERY LAME Ford Focus video . . . Matt G took the longest to change and now we’re changing the mood.

RESULTS! Lil Rounds is up first . . . She was asked to walk to the far side of the stage . . . what does that mean? WOW! They eliminated Lil without any suspense. That’s crazy! Maybe not . . . they got rid of the least suspenseful elimination first. She was MUCH better tonight . . . probably would have been safe if she had done that last night.

Here comes the disco medley . . . wow, Freida Payne is . . . well, she’s had some nice work done! J Next up, we have big bird . . . um, er, I mean Thelma Houston . . . sorry . . . And here comes KC of KC and the sunshine band . . . and there ends the disco medley . . . and we still have 30 minutes to go. . .

Here we go with the RESULTS! Kris is up next . . . and he is SAFE! Adam Lambert is up next . . . and he is SAFE! The Gokey is up next . . . and he is SAFE! Anoop is up next. . . and he is in the Bottom Three! Matt and Allison are standing together . . . Matt . . . Allison one is in danger . . . Matt is SAFE, and Allison is in the Bottom Three! WOW! I don’t think anyone of us saw that coming.

Lil Boo up next . . . and he knocks it OUT da park . . . I heart Lil Boo!

Here we go with the results . . . who is gone . . . ANOOP! Allison is SAFE! As she should be . . .

And we're down to five . . . next week, if we follow Idol history, we should be moving to two numbers a piece . . . what will they sing? will America get it right and knock out Matt? all of these questions and more will be answered next week!

Top 7 Redux: Rankings and Predictions

Alrighty, after much lamenting here are my rankings . . .

1. Adam Lambert - Excellent, excellent job of reworking the song.
1. Kris Allen - Ditto . . . Lovely, unique take on classic Donna Summer
(LARGE SPACE)
3. Allison - I didn't love her rendition of hot stuff, but I thought it was still inventive enough to put her at the top of the second tier.
(SPACE)
4. Matt - despite the fact that his entire performance was mired in sweet, cheesy, karaoke fueled wonder . . . his vocals were 100 times better than they were last week.
5. The Gokey - He gets put behind Matt because he started the song with the MASSIVE GOKEY SCREECH and never found his way back . . .
6. Anoop - The Dogg would have ranked fourth and possibly third had he continued the song the way he started it . . . however, the shift in tempo to the attempt at a slow groove just did not work. . . and, his vocals suffered in the transition.
7. Lil - Despite picking a much better song, she just doesn't stack up next to the other six . . .

I'm going WAY out on a limb here. I think that Lil is a dream that once was, but I think the second elimination is tricky. From my standpoint, Anoop is the obvious choice . . . however, I think that Matt and The Gokey are also at risk. I'm just not sure . . . I think Matt is safe . . . Hmmm . . . I think if Lil goes home that Anoop will follow suit . . . however, if Lil is somehow safe, I think there could be a MASSIVE SHOCK and the Gokey could find himself fronting his youth group much sooner than he anticipated.

That being said . . . here are my shaky predictions

Bottom 3: (If there is one) The Gokey, Anoop, Lil
Eliminated Anoop . . . and The Gokey . . . Hey, occasionally you gotta go out on a limb. :)

Ott Ott Ott -- Uffff! (As sung by a 16-year-old chainsmoker)

Hey gang,
once again, I thought I'd show the DialIdol "prediction" results for last night's show. I think what this says more than anything is that DialIdol is completely worthless now, because this result doesn't seem to exist on the same planet as most of the reviews I have read, or the show I watched.
I have to agree with J that it is easier to pick the top performers last night, but for us it was just as easy to pick the bottom -- it was the group in the middle that was kind of up for grabs. It was a disco night that kind of left me wanting to hear some ... disco.

Our picks:

Adam
Kris
...
Anoop (forgiving the last bum note)
Allison (getting on my nerves with her growly "Ot Ufff" pronunciation where she leaves off the beginnings & ends of words)
Gokey (did you see his barely contained sneer after Simon DARED to say it wasn't a killer performance?)
Matt (I actually thought he brought it a little -- but not enough. Realistically, he'd be above Gokey in my book, but America has been programmed to think it will be an Adam/ Gokey finale, so I've given up hope LensCrafter Boy will get booted.)
...
Lil (I've been saying it for weeks now: Lil looks better every time, and sounds worse. Her biggest problem is, however, that TPTB have made up their minds that she goes under the bus, so Allison can go forward.)

Dr. L and I think Lil and Matt are going home.

Tuesday Night Fever

We're off to a Quick Start - Lil Rounds - Once again absolutely gorgeous. I hate to say it...but I didn't love it. It seemed like she was trying way to hard. Moments were great, but a lot was too low for her range. Lil's mom was giving Simon some serious "tude".
Kris - "She works hard for the money" - Very "Jason Castro"-ish. Pretty good...in a Kris kinda way. But the question is...does she buy women's underwear?
Danny - First Scream was awful. It got better. The first 3/4 of the song was very Kareoke, the last 1/4 was finally good.
Allison - Interesting beginning to this song...Transition was weak. Arrangement was weird...its too slow. However, last 1/4 was Hot stuff though.
Adam - Completely unexpected. I thought for sure this would be uptempo and would play right into Adam's energy. He surprised me. Incredible vocal. Full of raw emotion.
Matt - "stayin Alive" -I actually liked his take on this song. Surpisingly better than I would have expected. a little cheesy in some parts but Matt put his signature on it. I would rank Matt#2 so far tonight.
Anoop - "Dim all the lights" - I didn't like his 1/2 up tempo 1/2 slowed down version of this song. Anoop has given up. I think he knows this is his swan song.

Best of the night - No question. Adam by a landslide
Followed by Matt, Kris, Allison and Danny

Bottom 3: Danny, Anoop and Lil
Bottom 2: Anoop and Lil.

Burn Baby Burn: A Surprising Disco Inferno

Last week Matt G was saved, but that means the stakes are higher . . . and no one will be safe . . . THIS is American Idol!

The tie bar is back.

Matt G lives to see another week on American Idol, but two people are going home tomorrow night . . . and it’s Disco Week . . . YIKES!

Let’s say hey to the judges!

Here are OUR Top 7 . . . and what is Matt G wearing . . . and Anoop . . . and Lil’s wig . . .

1. Lil Rounds – “I’m Every Woman” – She looks a little like “New York” from I Love New York . . . she appears to have finally picked a better song this week . . . she sounds much better, but they have put her in the death slot . . . I’m happy to finally be able to say that Lil is kind of back . . . sort of . . . this is MUCH better. Randy thought it sounded “wild”, and not in the good way. Kara agrees with Randy, and thinks she has been every other woman but herself. Paula is letting us know that she was on complete vocal rest, but she doesn’t think she hit the boiling point. Simon thinks this will be the last week that we’re going to see her. Lil talks back again, and, this time, I agree with her.

2. Kris Allen – He’s got his guitar with him this week . . . and might I say, cute as ever . . . but he’s singing “She Works Hard for the Money” . . . I’m a little concerned . . . but I have faith. Ok, I heart this boy, y’all know. I’m kind of digging this arrangement. I’m pleased that he took a genre he would have trouble with and made it his own. Kara thinks he took a risk, and that it paid off big time. Paula thinks it had a Santana feel to it, and thought he shopped well in the women’s department. Simon needs a Paula translator . . . he thought it was original and well thought out and was fantastic. Randy thinks he is ready for the big time.

3. The Gokey – “September” – and we get the Gokey screech right off the bat . . . UGH! There is no doubt that this boy can blow, but, for me, he is turning into a one trick pony. Minus the screeches, the performance is good and solid, but I’m having a hard time with the similarity of all of his performances. Randy was worried, but thinks he worked it out. Kara was also worried, but thinks he did a good job. Paula thinks he always takes it up one step higher, and thinks he has one of the sexiest voices ever. Simon agrees, but didn’t feel any star power from the performance.

4. Allison Irihita – “Hot Stuff” – Her vocals are pitch perfect as per usual . . . but for some reason, I’m just not loving this performance. I think she sounds great, but there’s just something odd to me . . . I just can’t quite put my finger on it . . . Randy didn’t love the arrangement, but thinks she is one of the best singers in the competition. Kara also thought that the arrangement was awkward, but that the vocals were spot on. Paula loves her edginess. Simon thinks she was the underdog this week, but thinks it was a brilliant performance . . . now I need a translator.

5. Adam Lambert - I must say that he is looking FIERCE! He’s singing “If I Can’t Have You” . . . he connects to it emotionally . . . very good . . . very good . . . like I said earlier, he reworked the genre and made it something that would work for him. Excellent! Randy thinks he is ready right now to record. Kara thinks he’s brilliant and inspiring. Paula has never questioned her visceral response and thinks he will be in the final. Simon is tickled and loved it cuz it was original and the vocals were immaculate. Ryan thinks that Adam melted Paula into a pool of Abdul.

6. Matt G. – “Stayin Alive” – I’m a little afraid of this . . . I can already say that one of those judges is going to call this karaoke . . . his vocals sound 100 times better than last week. His problem is going to be that he is not straying from the original on a night when we had Adam and Kris brilliantly re-work songs . . . Randy did not love the song or the arrangement, but thinks he can really sing. Kara thinks he brought disco back, and that he was pretty good. Paula thought he was quite good. Simon thinks he needs to get himself out of “Idol land”. He thought it was desperate and unoriginal.

7. Anoop Dogg – I missed the title of the song . . . something about dimming the lights . . . ah yes, “Dim All the Lights” . . . his vocals were pretty much pitch perfect in the intro . . . but, he made what I think is the hideous misstep of going a little up tempo in the second half of the song. I’m not loving the second half. That was not great. Randy thinks it was a rough last note, but thinks he can definitely sing. Kara thinks it was a great song choice, and that it could be on the radio. Paula thinks he looks fantastic and that real men can wear pink. Simon thought it was mediocre at best, and prayed that the tempo wouldn’t come in . . . and thought it was his worst
performance by a mile.

I'm not quite ready to post my rankings . . . however, I will say that I think the Top 3 are a much easier pick than the bottom four . . . not as far as I'm concerned, but for what I think America will do.

How to condense Idol to 15 minutes

http://tv.yahoo.com/blog/american-idol-how-to-condense-the-show-to-20-minutes--254

Ok...I thought this was really funny....very accurate....and really really funny

Top 7 Results: Are You Freaking Kidding Me?

I wonder if QT directed this intro . . .

QT thinks America's going to have a tough time . . . but thinks he knows who is going home.

THIS is AMERICAN Idol.

The tie bar is back. . . and it is telling us that Miley Cyrus and Jennifer Hudson are here.

And here are our Top 7 . . . Will the judges use the save? Will one of YOUR favorites go home? Will Ryan and Simon engage in uncomfortable homosexually laced innuendo? All of these questions and more will be answered in the next hour.

Here comes the Idols doing Flashdance . . . Revel in the cheese . . . featuring, as usual, the Gokey screech . . .

Let's talk to the kiddies . . . Adam thought QT ws very encouraging . . . Allison thought it was cool that they got to ride in a limo and go to the premier of 17 again (I wonder if Lambert and Zefron had a powwow?) . . . and the Zefron is in the audience . . .

Dim the lights and here we go . . . Allison is up first and she is SAFE . . . Adam is next and he is SAFE . . . Anoop is up next and he is in the BOTTOM THREE. . . . so far, no surprises.

Jennifer Hudson is up next with her pre-taped performance. We do love our girl Jennifer. She's singing "If this isn't love" off her first cd. . . . Her voice was amazing . . . our girl can blow. . .

And we're back to the live show, and the very live results . . .

Kris and Lil are standing up together . . . Simon wanted to mention that Kris was brilliant . . . one of them is in the bottom three . . . Kris is SAFE and Lil is in THE BOTTOM THREE . . . Matt and Danny are up next . . . The Gokey is typically cocky . . . Matt is in the BOTTOM THREE and Danny is SAFE . . . Ryan's gonna send someone back to safety . . . who is it ? ANOOP is SAFE! As he should be . . . Lil and Matt were, in my opinion, the definite bottom two last night.

Up next, The Miley . . . Yes, I'm 36 years old and I like this song . . . please point me in the direction of a support group . . .

Someone in the tech room missed their cue . . .

Here we go . . . after the nationwide vote of over 36 million . . . Lil is SAFE and Matt is going home . . . or is he? I just can't imagine that they are going to save him . . . particularly after that hot mess . . . that was just not good. . . I cannot believe they chose to save him . . . wow, I hope they don't live to regret that . . . I mean, I like the boy, I really do . . . and I'm touched by his emotion . . . but that was simply awful . . .

Two pieces of bad news . . . 1) Two people are eliminated next week AND 2) It's disco week . . . yikes . . . I'm a little ugh-ed out right now. Oh well, I am J and THIS was AMERICAN Idol . . .

Top 7 - the Tarantino Extravaganza!

This will short - mainly due to time and both J and Rubbertoe gave excellent recaps earlier. K explored some of the polling stuff out there on the web. I will post our picks, which I think are in line with everyone else too - I am saying that without re-reading other posts first!

Just a quick thing on QT - doesn't it just crack you up what a big Idol fanatic he is??!! I had to laugh when J mentioned the love that the show gives to him, it is SO true - what an intro! He does have great music in his movies - and I wish he could have had some influence on the Idols song choices last night. It was little too 80's for me.

Oh well! After much discussion, we thought that America's bottom three will be: Matt, Kris and Lil - and Matt will go home. Matt tries, but I think this is the end of the road for him.

Top 7, Songs of the Cinema: So Tell Me Have You Ever Really. . . Really Really Ever Loved this Theme Night?

THIS is Quentin Tarrentino and THIS is AMERICAN IDOL

Why is Paula is in a jeweled dominatrix outfit

Anyway, Tonight the judges are only talking two at a time . . . because “the girls” talked too much . . . so, not all of the judges will judge all of the contestants . . . Hmmm, we’ll see how this goes.

Here comes the worship at the Quentin altar. . .

Fortunately the Terrentino will not be judging . . . Here we go . . .

1. Allison – “I Don’t’ Wanna Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith – I’m scared of this a little bit. I love my girl, but this song . . . ugh. Interesting start . . . she’s a bit flat in places . . . the back end of the song is much better than the front end. I think she was good, but I’ve heard her do betterPaula thinks that she possesses the same special sauce that Adam does . . . Simon thinks that she is the girls only hope in the competition . . . being that there are only two left, that’s kind of rough on Lil . . .

2. Anoop Dogg – “Everything I Do I Do It For You” – Yikes . . . this could be rough . . . He started well, but then kind of went astray on some of the early notes . . . some pretty notes towards the end, but I don’t think he strayed far enough from the original. I think it was just kind of meh . . . Randy thinks he’s found his range in the last few weeks, and Kara thought it was one of his best performances.

3. Adam – “Born to be Wild” – Let’s see what he brings this week – The full on makeup is back this week. He’s rockin out with the band and the background singers . . . He’s doin a good job here because this could be so karaoke. The boy can blow . . . seriously blow . . . Simon is probably going to think this is self-indulgent . . . but the boy is just in a whole different league. Paula thinks he dares to dance in the path of greatness. Simon thought it was vocally incredible, but that it was a bit like Rocky Horror in parts.

4. Matt G. – “Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman” – See the beginning of Anoop’s comment . . . yikes, this could be rough . . . playing the piano tonight . . . very nice . . . Matt G makes me nervous because of his shaky vocals. So far so good vocally, but he’s not changing the melody at all. I wonder if this time the judges will praise him for sticking to the melody or tell him that he should have changed it. For me, that was really rough. Randy didn’t think it was one of his best. Kara appreciates the soul he tried to bring to it, but doesn’t think he really delivered.

5. The Gokey – He brought a guitar tonight . . . He’s singing “Endless Love” because this song touches his heart . . . Ok, this could be REALLY GOOD or REALLY CHEESTASTIC – Nevermind, he doesn’t have his guitar . . . very restrained performance without the typical Gokey screech . . . I’m liking this . . . wait, I spoke to soon . . . the Gokey screech has made another appearance. Overall, a solid performance from the Gokey. Paula worried about the low key, and thinks the back half was very beautiful. Simon can’t fault the way he sang the song, but he was disappointed in the harp and the traditional version of the song, and was kind of bored.

6. Kris – I’m not sure what this song is . . . I couldn’t hear over Quentin . . . he’s debating over an instrument . . . he has chosen not to play. . . The boy just rips me in two . . . shaky at times, but I just thought it was a lovely vulnerable performance. I never worry about his vocals like I do some of the others. He is always spot on. Randy thinks it never quite caught on. Kara thought it was one of his best moments.

7. Lil – “The Rose” - I’m worried about this song choice. This is one of those perfect, classic songs. Girl can hit the notes, but I’m just not sure about this rendition. I love her, and I think that she is better this week, but . . . just didn’t totally work for me. Paula thinks it’s a beautiful song, and didn’t really give any commentary. Simon thinks she’s getting it completely wrong . . . had some nice moments . . . Lil talks back . . . and good for her . . . but I’m just not sure about that . . .

We've come to the end of yet another Idol performance night. I have to say, it was better than I thought it would be. No one was terrible . . . probably because this is, by far, the most complete group of Idol finalists we have ever had . . . in my opinion . . .

Here are my rankings

1. Adam
2. Kris
(SPACE)
3. Allison
(Space)
4. Danny
5. Anoop
(BIGGER SPACE)
6. Lil
7. Matt

My Bottom Three: Anoop, Lil, and Matt
America's Bottom Three: Anoop, Lil, and Matt
Eliminated: Matt

Idol Voting from the Twilight Zone

Here is a snapshot of Dial Idol, a "prediction" of how the voting results will go down tonight.
Dr. L and I will post our predictions in a little bit, but I thought I'd throw this up here as a way to ask, "WTF?"
I don't think Danny sucked last night, but #1? No way in hell. It wasn't anywhere near one of his best nights. Lil is obviously gaining some votes as a result of being Vote For The Worst's pick, but #2?
And if you skip on down to Kris at the bottom, it is even trickier. I think a lot of people like Kris, and he has a good voice, but the past couple of weeks have not been his best. I am perhaps on the island of unpopular opinion in saying perhaps Kris deserves to be low in the polls this week, but will he really get the boot? You wouldn't think so if you read some of the polls on the web. Quite a number have speculated that Lil is being thrown under the bus in favor of keeping Allison in the competition, and if so, who could blame Idol? Taking it a step further, if Lil does get the boot, will they use the Magic "Save" for her -- or did her sass back to Simon cost her, the same way that Megan Joy may have sabotaged herself?
Now you see my WTF mindset.

-- K

The magnificent Seven

How is Quentin Tarentino a mentor? This seems a little bit of a stretch to me.
First up - Alison - Aerosmith - Loved her energy and confidence, although she sounded flat in a couple parts. Solid performance. Not her best though...but another strong night for her.
Anoop - Bryan Adams - Everything you do. Anoop... man....the comeback kid. His version of this song was far superior to the original. Probably his best performance.
Adam - "Born to be wild" - WOW....just WOW. Loved the look. In a league of his own. This was probably one of the best idol performances of all time.
Matt - "Have you ever loved a woman" - Vocals were extremely weak in parts...almost as if his nerves got to him. Could have been a good performance and it was in parts, but at this stage...just not good enough.
Danny - "Endless Love" -Vocals were good...his breathing was a bit distracting though..it seemed like he was out of breath the entire song. A step backward for Danny from last week.
Kris - "Falling slowly" - I love this song, but it is such a simple song from a simple movie...not sure if he is going to stand out with this song. First 1/2 was weak....got better in the middle and died again at the end. I don't think this was a good choice for him.
Lil - The Rose - Oh no....this is one of the classic songs that I'm not sure if you should touch. I'm waiting anxiously during the break. Beginning was a little weird. Middle got much better, but end ...again didn't do it for me. She looked really beautiful though tonight.

Overall...I HATED the two judge team...It didn't work and really wasn't a fair way to do it. A word of advice: Don't try to squeeze the show into a time restriction that is unreasonable. If the show needs to be 90 minutes...then make it 90 minutes. I hate these "rushed" shows.
Also - I was surprized by Tarentino as a mentor. I actually thought he was good and gave some pretty good advice.

SO we're getting down to the difficult weeks. Here is my rankings tonight:
1. Adam - Is this a competition any more? If the Idol is the better singer and best performer this one is a no-brainer.
(Humongous space)
2. Alison - Solid...if not her best. Who would have thought that the girl from ELA would wind up the strongest of the women? Its a shame that she has even been in the bottom 3 at all.
3. Anoop - the Comeback kid. Just when you count him out, he comes back strong. Too bad he doesn't have what it takes to win.
(big space)
4. Gokey - Gokey was strong at the beginning of this competition, but plateaued and got predictable. Last week, he finally returned some of the spark. This week was a step back for him. Although, I still predict he will win. He has a strong voting base that is going to overlook better perfomers simply because they like HIM.
5. Lil - I agree with Simon. Where did the strong performer with the incredible voice go? 6 weeks ago, I predicted she would win it all. Now I'm predicting she won't make the top 5.
6. Kris - Poor song choice. Great song....but not for this competition.
7. Matt - Not much to say...except there are simply better performers in this competition. Its time for Matt to go back to doing what he does, entertaining crowds in the dueling piano bars.

America's bottom 3: I think this week America agrees with me - Lil, Kris and Matt
Who goes home: Tough one....Kris is safe, so its either Lil or Matt. I think ultimately Lil has a stronger base than Matt, so I predict Matt will leave us tomorrow.

Rubbertoe.....out!

American Idol's Big Tease: Adam Lambert and the State of Gays in America

The New York Times has published a very interesting article on Adam Lambert and American Idol. In the article, the authors ask the question is America ready for an openly gay idol . . . if Mr. Lambert is indeed gay. The article is of particular interest becasue they use the topic of Adam Lambert and American Idol to discuss the state of homosexuality in the United States today. It is a VERY interesting read. Check it out by clicking the link.

Hillary Uses Idol to Pay Her Campaign Debts

My Fox Chicago is reporting that Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton and her peeps are coming up with very inventive ways to pay off her campaign debt. She is selling off chances to attend the American Idol finale . . . and a lunch with Bubba . . . er, um, former President Bill Clinton. Click the link to read the story.

Scott McIntyre: "I Went Out in a Blaze of Glory"

US weekly has published a story on Scott McIntyre, and his thoughts on being eliminated last night. Click the link to read the story.