Hollywood Week, and it's actually in Hollywood!

Hello Tasters,
well Dr. L and I have been religiously watching this season of Idol but not as religiously posting. So far there hasn't been any shocking eliminations in Hollywood, because most of the hopefuls who got cut were borderline anyway (at least 90% of them).
We did think of a drinking game, whenever a contestant says they are a Worship Pastor or some variant thereof, you have to take a drink. Trust us, this season, you will be wasted.
I have to say the talent level is pretty high this season. Idol is determined to go out with a bang. And they are willing to go off into some weird directions, like with the Off-The-Grid cowgirl, who has a pretty voice but plays the upright bass like she's in a David Lynch film. I really think there are enough powerhouse singers that a lot of the quirky taken is going to get leveled out soon.
I hope you guys are all enjoying, and I would love to hear what you think!
Rubbertoe, keep your fingers crossed that we will get tickets! It would be great to see some of the shows again with you.
Who do you think will win this thing? Idol has been cagey about showing all of the singers, just like always. Have we ween the winner yet?
K out!

One more time around, Little Tasters!

K here! Hello everyone, I hope you guys are still out there for our last go 'round with the blog. Can you believe it has been 15 years since Idol was first on the air?

We're going to try and have some special guest stars (J are you out there?) and we'll be gunning for tickets big time. Let's hope we get in to see some of the last few shows and we will blog about it here.

As far as this first episode went, Dr. L and I were impressed. It seems like Idol has some real talent on hand this time and we saw a couple of folks who really look like they could go far. Sonika Vaid was probably our favorite, followed by Lee Jean.

But I think a dark horse could be Shelbie Z from Sumiton (how can it be Idol without some powerhouse contestant from Alabama LOL!). Though I read she was on The Voice before? Could be some Idol tomfoolery…

There were quite a few other notable hopefuls and the usual Idol drama (thankfully they took it easy on the full-on whack-jobs, but I'm sure we'll see more of those). The most ridiculous moment was Kanye's "audition" -- I kept thinking, "I wonder if they are all imagining how they would tell him no if he was trying out for real?"

What did you guys think? Let us know! We will miss the blog so much next year so I hope we give it one last fun ride.
Here's to a great season, and looking forward to hearing from Rubbertoe here in 2016.

Dr. L & K out!

Nick Fradiani becomes the 14th American Idol

You can check out more info and a video of Nick's win on USA Today here.

I don't know if Nick winning is good or bad? For the first season ever, I really have no opinion LOL. Did he deserve it? I do know that my gut instinct seeing him doing some of the group numbers last night (and some of the folks who got the boot along the way) that maybe he was one of those Idols who was just "aa-iight" enough week-to-week that he got the votes? That could be unfair, but I swear I heard more exciting voices from some of the others.

Then again, that is a phenomenon I have observed in other seasons: for lots of reasons (stress mostly) the Idol rejects seem to sound better after they have a few weeks off, and come back for the Finale. Have you guys noticed this as well? A lot of times they even look like they're having fun for a change.

So in any case, Nick is our winner, for the penultimate season. I read one rationale that Idol didn't just pack it in this year was that they already have auditions in the pipeline for next year and it was too late to cancel them (this is true). But I also think Idol will treat this last season as a kind of year-long retrospective, don't you think? I'll bet a lot of the old faces we haven't seen for a while will be back.

I feel bad in a way that Dr. L and I were so busy doing other things that we did not watch most of this season. It's not like we didn't watch TV; if anything we watched even more of it. But Idol (if you really watch ALL of the hours leading up to the show, and the padded two hour broadcasts) is a real time commitment that we chose not to make this year. I guess the rating show we weren't alone. One stat I read was that after the EMPIRE season ended (serving as a lead-in or -out for Idol, I believe, right?) that Idol's rating plummeted 29% that next week. Ouch! And the numbers for the Finale were even worse.

So as for us, during most weeks we watched Gotham, Castle, Supernatural, Goldbergs, AoS.H.I.E.L.D., Grace and Frankie, Daredevil, The Fall, Mad Men, Flip or Flop, Game of Thrones, Hart of Dixie, The Walking Dead… and these are just the ones I remembered that we watch regularly, not to mention the occasional Netflix documentary or stand-up show, or all of the movies we saw on TV or at the theater.

I think Idol just kept getting bumped down on our priority list? And like Rubbertoe has said, some of the best parts of the show aren't even the actual competition. So we missed out on those, and then we didn't have that connection to the contestants. There were some favorites by then that truly baffled me, I couldn't believe they made it. And then the format changed, blah blah. It just wasn't the old Idol.

So there were some good years on Idol and I was glad we watched it, but to me it kind of hung around too late at the party? I won't miss it as much as I will miss this blog! So maybe we can find another crazy ass show to talk about. And we have one more year of Idol, so I will be on board for that for sure. Let's get in to see some of these last shows, y'all!

I would love to hear if you guys had any thoughts about Nick's win! It just seems like a "meh" to me, maybe not on par with Lee DeWyze but closer to that than the first 5 seasons. But maybe it was a good thing! Maybe the right guy won.

K Out!

The End of an Era

Well, Dr. L & I have been MIA for most of this season, because a lot of life stuff happened, but I never thought this would be the season where FOX decided to cash in! I just read the news today that Idol will be canceled after the 2016 season. We will HAVE to give it one last hurrah on the old Taster blog, and I bet Idol will throw the kitchen sink at us with special guests and returning Idols etc. It has been a long strange journey!

How have you guys been? How was this season? After the early rounds we just got behind and never caught up. Knowing that this is the next-to-last season we will probably watch the last eps this year and comment (though we missed all the drama LOL!).
So it's down to Clark, Jax and Nick? I want to say Rubbertoe called this way back but I can't remember! The odds seem to be that Clark is a shoo-in, but we'll see. It's a kind of… pale finale isn't it?

K out!

Oh! P.S., I almost forgot, we got a really funny email from the On Camera Audiences folks to be seat-fillers for the finale. It seemed like an interesting opportunity, and we have done it before (and got GREAT seats right behind the magic board Ryan reads his words from, which is in turn right behind the judges.)
But the instructions this time said we should be of an age "between 18-29" -- which we sadly are not LOL. I thought it was really crazy of Idol to think by sticking young faces in the crowd it would make the show seem more relevant?

IDK, maybe that's not the reason. And I also wondered if they would card us, ha! I don't know if we look 29 but we look younger than our age. It would be hilarious to see them weeding out the old lying folks trying to slip in, except that you have to wait forever just to get to that stage and I would be pissed! But we decided to pass. C'est la vie.

Fun Idol Website Idol Analytics

Hey Tasters, you may have been aware of this site (Idol Analytics) already but it is an interesting breakdown of which Idols seems to be getting the most love online week to week, analyzed and broken down for your perusing pleasure.

Check it out! Here's a snapshot of a post from this week.

Master K out!

A disagreement among tasters!

I Respectfully have to disagree with my friends Dr. L/K. The Idol save last night actually brought tears to my eyes. I have never been a fan of the "judges save". I wish that they would just get rid of it. It has never been used for the reason that it was intended (ala...to keep somebody like Daughtrey or Jennifer Hudson voted off too soon). Its been used for a bunch of ham-bones that weren't worth saving. That being said....was Qaasim worth saving? Ultimately....probably not. However, it was the first time that I actually agreed with the judges save and I'm glad that they used it so that we don't have to deal with it for the rest of the season. I actually thought that Qaasim did a performance worthy of being saved. I thought his performance was probably one of the top 5 of the night...and Qaasim brings a different element to Idol that has been lacking for many years. Qaasim's time will come very soon, but he's worth keeping around for a few more weeks. Now....just a few more comments on the night. I thought the best of the night by far were was Joey. She has really grown on me and it was great seeing more variety from her. The next cluster would be Jax, Clark and Quentin. When I heard Quentin was doing "You're the one that I want" I was seriously frightened. I had visions of Clay Aiken in my head.. (What was that song he did that was just horrendous?)...The so/so - Adanna....then the bad - Maddie (boooooooooooring), the really bad - Tyanna (what was up with that? She was off key the whole song and the arrangement was horrible). Finally the truly truly truly horrible - Rayvon and Daniel. I don't know who was worse? They are both cute for different reasons, but Rayvon must have had a brain lapse to pick that song and sing it 95% in falsetto...and Daniel...put the poor kid out of his misery. I know....my sons love him and vote for him....but he needs to go. I know I'm missing someone....but can't think who. Should go home: Rayvon and Daniel. Will go home: Rayvon and Maddie......Rubbertoe OUT!

The Mic Drop Off The Edge Of Sanity

Idol Top… Ten? Let’s just call it Movie Night.

Nile Rodgers is the mentor tonight. What a talented dude, and it segues into the lamest group sing in possibly all of Idol history. Ryan comes out sporting the scruffiest trendy beard of his life. It's ON now, Idol!

The judges come out, and for once I don’t want Keith’s t-shirt LOL. It’s just aiight tonight (Surfing Cowboys). Harry looks like it’s any other Thursday, and Jlo looks babalicious for some reson. Dr. L commented that Jlo will wear these mega-short dresses and then constantly pull them down, because half the audience could look up her skirt.

Oh, OK, Ryan says Jlo is going to perform so that explains it. Ryan plays a little tutorial about who Nile Rodgers is for the kids — but did you know the original title of Freak Out was Fuck Off? He and his partner wrote it when they got turned away from Studio 54 one night. I think he got the last laugh.

Jeff Gordon wanders out to deliver Ryan’s envelope of Doom. What a weird celebrity mashup! But I guess it’s all for the Fox overlord’s plan. Was it just me or does he look like Henry Rollins younger, preppier brother?

The red chairs light up. Adanna gets the call to come on down first. To me, singing a song from Dreamgirls is kind of cheating? She’s in the KOD spot though. She looks good, and she has a good voice but this is kind of shaky in the beginning. She gets it under control about midway. The judges give similar comments and also some stage advice. I don’t know how these 18 year olds can realistically emote.

Daniel made it? God help us. This is shaping up to be a trainwreck. Nile tactfully deflects him from the piano, and then the dufus chooses the guitar. I guess he can just blend in after the first few verses there though. Jesus, he sucks in the beginning of this. And keeps sucking. This song is just way too mature for him. But hey, the voting isn’t based on logic, but emotion, so if he made it this far he’ll keep failing upwards. Jlo softballs the negative critcism, and Harry does the same. Keith searches for something positive, basically saying his arrangement made the most of a lesser vessel.

Up next is Rayvon. Doing Staying Alive, a la Prince? What’s with the falsetto tonight? I feel like if he auditioned with this rendition they would have laughed him off. This was amazingly even shittier than Daniel’s in my book. Harry again tries to softball in some legit criticism and the boos hit like a tsunami. Come on people, they need to know when they suck. Jlo and Keith have to creep up on saying it wasn’t good as well. It was a fail from his douchey hat on down through his Jailhouse Rock Elvis costume. I am still waiting tonight for a good performance!

Nick made it? God damn! Doing Danger Zone in his Nickelback/Daughtrey knockoff style? Tonight has been so shitty I have to say this is not as bad as the rest. Dr. L asked if he “broke out” like Harry wanted. LOL! I don’t know if I’d say that. He did the patented “take a dump” squat combined with swinging his arm around Citizen Kane style, like he’s making a speech. This is still a crazy-ass song choice. What is up with these guys tonight? Harry calls him out on this. Ryan coats his mother in nasty melting ice cream, ha.

Joey hits the stage next. I like that she’s dressed as a quirky character from a Wes Anderson movie. I am so happy she chose Mad World. This could be huge. It’s more subdued than I thought but (maybe because I love this song) I loved it. It was kind of serious and moody. And holy crap, they finally whitened her teeth! Hallelujah! Keith calls her an “Ottist”. Best of the night so far.

And then there’s Tyanna. She’s doing freaking Circle of Life? What’s with these children singing big adult songs? But I think she can pull it off. Again it starts off so low she is almost inaudible. Then when it gets high she’s off-key for the first few bars. She gets it back and then loses it again. I think she’s been off-key more than not. That look at the end said it all: she saw this as some sort of muscular feat, and she didn’t pull it off. Harry says as much. When he calls her on it, the audience acts surprised, so weird. Jlo simply bails on her comment, and Keith does a bait-and-switch with his where he praises her for something else than slams her. But it was not good. She was just shrieking it.

Jlo performs her number (clearly taped earlier). I applaud her for just singing and not booty-shaking her way though weak vocals. Her special effects are cray-cray. That’s a magic dress! I liked it. I usually speed through this segment but I watched it all. That’s like a Grammy y’all.

Quentin gets his green chair. He’s doing a super slow version of that goofy song from Grease? Nile and Scott slam him for his pitch. What about tonight? I like his pimp daddy costume. This is surprisingly a great arrangement. Did someone else cover this? I would never have expected this. But he did a good job. Aha! Keith rats him out that he didn’t come up with the arrangement. But I guess Idols do this all the time. Harry calls him on his pitch. But I think along with Joey he’s one of our resident artists this season and so that’s not so much why you vote for him.

Maddie jumps up like the chair is electrified. We hear about how she’s been sick for 2 weeks — we should start an Idol rewind list of all the contestants who limp along perpetually sick all season. She’s singing a song from Footloose. She’s sharp all through it, and for a song that is so upbeat she was amazingly lackluster. That last note was like someone stepping on a goose. So blah. Harry calls her on it. Keith tries to blame it on the song, but isn’t it really her talent that makes or kills it? She’s our last IBW for whatever that’s worth. But are any straight guys voting anymore? I don’t know if someone like Katherine McPhee would make it as far anymore.

Kenny Loggins comes out, and at an apparent age of 120, STILL blows all the Idols off the stage. He looks like freakin’ Jed Clampett and he’s still rocking.

Clark gets his shot singing a Maroon Five song. Sunday Morning. Again, he knocks it out of the park. Harry says THE EXACT SAME THING — we are on some kind of wavelength tonight. Right now, there is no competition for him.

OK, a “cliffhanger” where Jax and Qaasim come to the stage. If there is a God, Qaasim goes home. AND there is!!! Although I do love Qaasim’s one-sleeve vampire-slaying gangster costume.

(Just imagine this with one less sleeve)

Jax is doing That sweet song from Wedding Singer. This is a wacky song choice that mainly works because of its quirky earnestness. She actually does a pretty good job with it. And she stays in tune, so that puts her in the Top 3. Smart move to pick something Adam Sandler made famous LOL.

So Qaasim sings for the Save. Do we even need to do this? He’s singing Come Together, and the props and gestures alone would have fired up Vote For The Worst to save him for weeks to come. The mic drop at the end, BWAH HA HAAA!!! No way they save him! No way! That sucked beyond belief.

And of course, they save him. What a ridiculous moment! That was terrible, just objectively awful, lacking in any discernible merit either vocally or in his creepy, awkward, stalk-the-stage sweaty performance. And yet, Idols powers-that-be keep him in. Well, that just killed a better singer down the line. I’m truly flabbergasted.

Best of the night (really the only good performances) were Clark, Joey, Jax. Worst by FAR was Qaasim. Followed by Daniel and Rayvon. The rest are all awash in the middle. None of this makes any sense so I would say they only postponed the inevitable by sending Qaasim and Daniel home next week. But that probably won’t happen. The week Clark gets voted off and Daniel stays they’ll be sorry LOL.

I can't wait to hear what you thought of tonight's ep!

Dr. L & K out!!!

Still Reeling From The Weird Show Changes, Y'all...

But here we are for Idol Season 14 Top Twelve (Eleven?) Performances!

Right off the bat, I have to ask: does it seem weird to you that we see Ryan every week, then they play the opening theme, then the announcer says his name and he walks out from the big ass doors in the stage as if we didn’t just see him?

The judges enter, I love Harry’s shirt. Did Ryan just say there will be no results shows this season? Wtf? All righty then, that makes zero sense. But Here comes Taraji PH from that lil show that could, Empire, to bring Ryan an envelope.

Whaaaa— red chairs turn green, and then they sing? Idol, come on. I like to have a few drinks and not learn some crazy new rules. This is going to take some getting used to.

OK, Rayvon gets to sing? Borchetta (who looks like Sex Machine from From Dusk Til Dawn)

gives him some advice. Then we see some pre-performance footage of R and then a split-screen with Harry giving some random comment about him. Is this what they do on the Voice? I guess anything to distract us from realizing this is year 14 of a karaoke show, right?

This is the KOD spot. I feel like nerves have constricted his throat, he seems like he has no breath. Wow that part where he tried to go false really derailed it. That was not a good start, to me. What was Keith hearing? Or Jlo? That was not good! Even Rayvon knew it. After Harry ignored the suckage, it must be clear they want him to stay.

On the commercial I cracked up at the “Ryan Seacrest Collection” from Macy’s. At some point Ryan will take over the universe I guess, and we’ll have to put a nickel in a water fountain with his mug on it.

Wait — it just dawned on me that only 11 people will sing tonight? How does that even work? So staying or leaving is not based on tonight’s performance? I guess we missed a lot of explaining — this seems nuts. So Rayvon gets to stay even thought tonight’s performance was crap?

So Maddie is next on this carousel of insanity. I see now, Idol is going to show you a package every week, and I guess you are voting on a “feeling” you have about them. She’s singing to her base, not an especially good job doing it, but she looks the part and showing some leg, so maybe she’s safe? For next week? I don’t even know what I’m evaluating here.

My God, this is two hours! So will this decide next week? Do they want us to forget the songs?

Anyway, Joey is next. I have to say, this poor kid has the yellowest teeth of anyone alive. She’s doing Fancy? Her rendition is eminently more listenable than Iggy’s, but not Charlie XCX maybe. I would buy this single. So far the best of the night. For the first time the praise seems earned.

Some dudes from Empire performed and I could not tell you anything because I sped past it.

Up next is Clark. Doing a Doobies song? I get the feeling this guy could sing the phone book and kill it. He’s definitely a favorite, and I think he’s my contender to go all the way. I think Keith was right that he should maybe strive for something sublime next time and not just great.

Ok, no surprises yet, Jax is up next. Doing T Swift? I think this is a little shaky here in the beginning. Why do Idols pick these busy songs to sing, it’s almost aways impossible to sound on key, and she’s no exception. It seemed like it took a million years to finish it. Maybe the fans out there will love it, but I think it was a mistake. Jlo agrees with me! So did Harry and Keith. Oh jesus, are we going to hear stories from Scott all season about behind the scenes Taylor Swift shit? Kill me!!!

Qaasim takes his shot. Scott admits he can’t sing as well as he performs? What a weird world we live it that this would be logical. He’s doing Jet. Come on y’all, this is pretty freaking bad. Am I being punked? If all he has is his performing, it’s a zero then. Why the hell did he choose this? He could have chosen a thousand better songs to coast though and jump around. If he doesn’t exit soon there is no God. Harry creeps up on a negative comment but we apparently live in a softball world now. Keith and Jlo loved it? Just, no.

BTW, we had an invite to go to this taping. Thank God we didn’t, it would have been all night! Also, I love Harry for his comment that explains his shirt. This is the best lineup of judges we’ve had in years. Even with the scripted comments the producers/puppet masters give them sometimes.

OK, Adanna. Doing Bruno Mars, smart choice. I love this song. She does a pretty good job. I like her voice a lot, until the last note maybe. Ok, there were some rough spots throughout but it really seems like a diamond in the rough. If she could calm down and focus, she could kill it. Jlo says this exact thing.

Of course Tyanna had to make it. How old is she? Is she an OMG 16 or something? You’d never know it. This was a catchy song but it really had no build. I think it’s clear she should go far but like Clark she needs to be careful with song choice. Jlo heaps praise on her, Harry gives her a 10, Keith makes her cry. She’s probably my No. 2 at this point behind Clark.

Daniel made it? Well, I guess he had to. I can only see him through a Bieber lens now, 5 years from now, tatted up high on Sizzurp. But let’s hope not! Vote him off, America. Aw, he’s like the cute kid at the bar mitzvah. Does he have talent? Hell yeah! But should he be here? Not for much longer. Again, if Allah is paying attention. it has to be Daniel or Qaasim next week to say adios. But I have to say, that 180 decibel shriek of the tween girls sounds like Victory.

Hey, Quentin made it. Good for him. He’s like a cooler young Lenny Kravitz. I like this arrangement, he really is a good performer. I thought that was great. He definitely should go on into the heart of this season. He’s probably in my top 3-4. I agree with Harry that one flaw was a lack of emotional depth. But hey, the kid can’t cry every show.

Who gets the last safe spot? It’s Nick. He does an OK job, a little screamy, but this was again a kind of generic version. I know if he picked a better song he could make an impact but for now he’s lost in the pack. He shouldn’t go, but how long should he stay? The judges seem to agree.

Sirena Joy is in the totally unenviable position of Judges Save on Night One. No way they will use it here! For all their posturing and changing elements of the show around, they keep this one crazy thing. Sure, if there was a way, right on the spot to keep her and eject Qaasim, I would say go for it. But that’s not how it works. And anyway, she doesn’t kill it like she needed to. We all know the Save only exists if America gets it tragically wrong and votes off a Clark or Joey maybe. And only in a later round. And so it goes.

From best to worst, Clark, Tyanna, Quentin, Joey, Adanna, Jax, Maddie, Nick, Rayvon, Daniel, Qaasim. Goodbye Sirena. What do you think?

Dr. L & K OUT!!!

Rubbertoe ranks the top 12

So America basically got it right (with a little help from the judges). I can't imagine this season with Quentin or even without Quaasim. Here's where I think America will start to get it wrong. I have a feeling that my top 12 is going to be very different from America's. Rubbertoe's top 12 12. Daniel Seavy 11. Maddie 10. Nick 9. Rayvonn 8. Sarinna 7. Joey Cook 6. Adanna 5. Quaasim 4. Jax 3. Tyanna 2. Quentin 1. Clark Beckham Here is the way America will vote 12. Sarinna 11. Nick 10. Quentin 9. Maddie 8. Joey 7. Adanna 6. Qaasim 5. Daniel Seavy 4. Tyanna 3. Rayvonn 2, Jax 1. Clark Beckham Ok....just a quick prediction before the show!

Coming Into The Top Twelve Cold!

Hey Lil Tasters -- did you miss us? Dr L & K are BACK!!!

Sorry we dropped out of the prelim rounds, once we got behind it became too daunting to catch up. There's only so many hours in the day and there was not that many left for Idol. Thanks Rubbertoe for keeping us up on the competition. But that means we haven't seen any of these fools -- so we don't know who Idol has been pimping or kicking to the curb. 

And now we have our Top Twelve:

I forgot how kooky the new intro music is. Ryan is so slick now he doesn't need a tie LOL. The judges come out -- Keith has on some kind of cool Johnny Cash t-shirt. Now I have to get one like it! Or maybe this one:

Ryan jumps right into it. Sarino Jo is the first to perform. Maybe it's nerves but she sounds a wee bit shaky. Like she has a good voice but was off. Keith calls her on it. Then Jlo does too. Keith takes it easy on her. 

Rayvon is up next. He has a pleasant tone but is this a forgettable song? That one note at the end wasn't enough for me, but if we're going from 16 to 12 then it's probably enough. They softball him, but I think Keith mentioned the end 3-pointer in a roundabout way. 

After the break, they play a montage to tell us who the F Scott Borchetta is, since we really don't care. But he's a BIG DEAL, ok.  All the Idols have to do is just have the same talent as Taylor Swift, no biggie.

Daniel is up next. Who is this Doogie Howser kid? I guess the gimmick is he has a bigger voice than his Howdy Doody frame would suggest. Did he forget the lyric? As a novelty his voice seems ok, but this was kind of a train wreck. Harry lays it on the line but the others sugarcoat it. I think the only way he stays is if he gets the tween vote.

Maddie: She's the first one tonight that I can see going the distance. She has a good look too. She doesn't need Idol, in the long run, I think. But it would sure help if she made it to the top 6 or so. They give her the "psychological" critique which is always a good sign -- it means there was no easy vocal thing to pounce on. 

Ryan gets in a plug for Empire -- haven't seen it but J (our friend who started this blog!) said it was good and we should check it out. 

Tyanna (is her hair green -- it is!) is up next. Dr. L likes her voice, She seems to have effortless power. She can go far if she holds it -- ooh, that was a bum note or two in there. She needs to reign it in a little. This is a great song for her though, and she seems to be having fun. She's a contender. 

Nick is our next victim. He has a pleasant enough voice -- but doesn't it seem like a generic indie rock voice? I guess he's been trying to be that guy for so long he can't help it. But I think he'll have to become his own singer to go further. The end falsetto kind of sucked but the rest was OK. 

Another commercial. Did you know Fox has a show called Empire?  Now we're back. Jax is up. 

She has one of those voices that could be irritating, but I think it's clear enough that it isn't an affectation. The quiet opening was better than the part with the band, but I think she's going to go pretty far.

Qaasim is onstage now. Dr. L said Idol must really be trying to go with some people of color this year! I hate that it seems so unlike Idol, but recent years haven't looked like this. Wow, this performance is really like bad karaoke to me. You don't need to jump around if you can sing, my friend. I think Harry was not impressed but Keith and Jlo praise his antics. If he goes forward it will not be for long.

AAaand, our DVR caught up to real time LOL. I guess we can't speed through the commercials anymore, dang it. Another Empire plug -- you know, if Fox had promoted Firefly this vigorously, it would still be on the air.

Clark is the next to perform. Wow, I didn't see this voice coming (guess I would if I'd seen the early rounds, huh?) and it seems pretty strong. He has good control, and mercifully knows how to stay in key. I can see him in the top 3 if he can keep it up. Jlo thought it was performance of the night.

Joey made it this far? She has a pleasant voice but again it's kind of a gimmick, right? I would probably buy her music but will Idol? Did it sound like this through all the earlier rounds? Damn, I bet that was entertaining. I dig her hair. 

Another Empire, er -- I mean commercial break (I guess they're going for the Memento crowd, people with 5 minute attention spans). And we're back. I find it hard to believe the six people remaining sucked harder than Qaasim or Daniel But we'll see. 

The first of the last is Quentin. Yeah, this is a weird slow easy-listening arrangement of Royals. His voice is definitely better than those other guys though. Poor dude is reduced to tears. Maybe this is too tough a process for him? But he's moving on to Number 11.

Damn, imagine how this would suck to be these last five. You made it through all the other shit, and you hear some of these D-bags make it and you didn't. 

Adanna is singing ok doing Gaga. I think she has a good voice; I was going to say she didn't do it for me, but part of it was great. I think Harry said it best, she was all over the place. But if she can get it together she'll pretty far. 

So THIS is our Top 12. Well, to me it's at best a Top 9-10. Some of these dudes are clearly cannon fodder. But I would say Clark, Jax, Tyanna and Maddie were the best of the night. And the worst was Daniel, followed closely by Qassim. 

If someone's going to go it has to be one of these clowns. The girls did better tonight IMHO.

What did you guys think? We're in it for the rest of the season now, y'all.

Dr. L & K OUT!!!

Rubbertoe ranks the girls

Ok....so the guys performed last night. I have to say overall they all did pretty well. It very well might be a guys year. But lets take a look at the women. So lets start off by getting rid of a few: First off....Maddie, who stole the spot from the much more deserving female in probably one of the cruelest idol moments in AI history (IMHO). She wasn't that good in the sing-off and should not be in the top 12 girls. Will definitely not be in the top 12. Next...that Bartheimole or whatever her last name is girl. (Shannon Berthiaume...or however you spell it). She was inconsistent throughout the entire Hollywood week. How they put her through is a mystery. She won't go any further. Shi....whatever her last name is. Another completely inconsistent performer who shouldn't be in the top 12 girls. Her ride is over.....over. The next.....some of them I don't even know who they are....Alexis Gomez? Katherine Winston? Lovey James? Sarina Lowe? Adanna Duru? I honestly don't remember a thing about any of them. I'm sure once I see them tonight...my memory will be jogged...but for now they don't stand out at all to me. So onto the good ones that stood out for me. Tyanna Jones - At first...I wasn't a fan, but the House of Blues performance made me a fan. She has potential to go far...maybe even to the top 5. Jax - To me...she was one of the two or three top girls. She has that raspy kinda voice thing going on, combined with an interesting persona. She is another shoo in for the top 12. Loren Lott - probably my favorite of the girls. Strong voice....beautiful girl.....great performer and the power in her voice will propel her to the top 12 and probably a top 5 finish. Joey Cook - I don't really love her. She's quirky but a one note wonder to me. She was interesting at first...but I see her getting old fast. Unique enough for the top 12...but a quick exit after that. So I can't really give a top 12 ranking...top 4: 4. Joey 3. Jax 2. Tyanna 1. Loren. Those four get into the top 12 for sure....and 2 others from my unknown 5. The show is over for Shannon, Maddie and Shi. Can't wait to watch the show tonight! Rubbertoe.....out!

Rubbertoe ranks the guys

Ok....so now we are finally down to the show. I love Hollywood Week...but this is where it really starts to get fun. The Top 12 guys perform tonight and I am going to give my predictions and attempt to rank the guys. First off....lets get rid of a few: Adam aka "Hurley" - He's got a good voice, but I think there are some that are better and he just doesn't have the "idol look" Nick Fradiani - He's the old guy of the bunch (at what? 28?). Nothing about him stands out and really distinguishes him. He is talented but doesn't have enough to propel him into the top 12 Mark Andrew - He's too inconsistent and he plays like too many of the recent idol guys. In another year, he might make the top 12...but I don't see it for him. Trevor Douglas - the science geek. He's fun and cute in a geeky sort of way, but just doesn't have the talent for the top 12. THE ABSOLUTES These are the guys who are DEFINITELY IN THE TOP 12 Clark Beckham - The guy is one of the most overall talented people to appear on Idol. He is my choice to win it all at this point. He's got a great voice, he's got good stage presence. In addition he's a great musician. Years past have had great piano/performers, but he takes it to another level. This isn't a "Dueling Pianos" club performer....this is the real deal Quentin Alexander - He's different/unique. He definitely has stage presence and I think his charisma will lead him to the top 12. Great voice in addition Michael Simeon - He's the boy next door. Personally, I would not put him in the top 12. I think there are much better performers out there...but he's gotten a lot of screen time. He's a cute guy which is going to garner some votes. I see him getting into the top 12 and then making a quick exit around 8 or 9. Qaasim Middleton - I think he gets into the top 12 on the strength of his back story. He does have a good voice, although not as good as many. But he has those great dreads and he got a certain amount of charm that if it shines through sends him into the top 12. Daniel Seavy - This is my "controversial one". No way does he deserve to be in the top 12. He's a cute kid but when compared to the others, he's no where near the same level. But the young voters and the moms are going to put this kid through. He'll be the chicken-little of 2015 and steal the spot of a more deserving contestant THE FENCE SITTERS That means that there is only 1 more slot for one of the following: Savion, Rayvonn Owen, or Riley. Personally I would love to see Savion get it. He's gorgeous and he's come so close in other years...but AI seems to really LOVE Rayvonn. I don't really love his voice and/or his style of singing...but his sound is very contemporary and he is different that the rest of the group. So I think he goes through. Riley...another great performer who could sneak in because his Country-ness is different than the rest...I just don't see him making it this year with the other strong performers and factors here. I really wish they would do top 5 and then let each judge pick a wild-card...however, I don't think that is in the cards this year. Rubbertoes top 12 guy rankings (combination of my personal choice and what America will do) 12. Trevor Douglas 11. Adam aka Hurley 10 Mark Andrew 9. Nick Fradiani 8. Riley 7. Savion TOP 6 6. Daniel Seavy 5. Michael Simeon 4. Rayvonn Owen 3. Qaasim Middleton 2. Quentin Alexander 1. Clark Beckham Waiting to hear what your predictions are!!!!

House of the top 24

OK....now I can start the blogging....we are at the house of blues with the top 48...cutting it to the top 24. All in all I think it looks like it is going to be a good year. Michael Simmian - I would say he is a shoo-in for the top 24. The need to give him the idol make-over and trim those eyebrows. He will be in the top 12 for sure. Lauren Lott - I think she is another shoo-in for the top 24 and the top 12 as well. She is a beautiful girl with a great look and a powerful voice. Mext up Adam aka "Hurley" - I think he will make the top 24 but probably not the top 12. Cody gets cut....surprising. He wasn't one of my favorites, but I thought that we was probably going to be in the top 12.....so very surprised he didn't make top 24. Blond girl...didn't catch her name - Levin or something like that. She was good but nothing about her has stood out for me yet. Mr. Crispy and Hawaiian guy get cut.....not surprising there. Adana Duru - She's another one who has not stood out for me. She's ok...not great. She'll make the top 24 but not the top 12. Maddie Walker - She's got a good voice...I just don't think its good enough to go far....probably top 24 but again...not top 12....oops....wrong, not even top 24. Rachel Hallack- she's definitely a little stronger than the last one. Top 24...maybe top 12. OK....first staged drama of the season. I hate it when AI does this crap..."We didn't plan sing offs"....give me a break. What do you guess they put them both through? We'll see after the break. (oh man....I hope they don't play the fatal X-Factor card aka "We almost let this one get away and she ends up winning the show.)Surprisingly they put Maddie through and not Rachel. It was kind of mean what they did to Rachel...they could have done that better. Clark Beckham - My favorite so far. Shoo in for top 24 and top 12. I'm going to say shoo in for top 5 at this point. Daniel Seavey - My kids love him....so I want him to go through for them...but I would not put him through to the top 24. I think he might be good in a few years...but he's not ready yet. But they put him through. I don't see him in the top 12. Tianna Jones - I don't love her. I personally would not put her through. Too much drama with this one. Although...after seeing her house of blues performance, I am having second thoughts. Ok....I think I was completely wrong about her. I'm really digging this performance. Changing my mind....top 24 and top 12. Her voice kind of reminds me of Jennifer Hudson. Rayvon Owen - and Shannon Berthiuame - She kinds bugs me the way she sings, but I like the raspy voice. Rayvon's style is not my favorite but I think he's good enough for the top 24. Jax- she is a shoo in for the top 24 - Right now...I love her voice, but I think it might get old with me. Hollywood Anderson - I loved him at first...but not so much in Hollywood week.....we'll find out.....after the break......tomorrow!

Tough Slog Thru These! Back in it.

Idol Audition Night 3 — Kansas City. (yes, last week!)

Takin’ it to the streets in the Idol Bus. Can I say, still not digging the Club Mix Idol Theme LOL. Sorry Dr. L and I are a week behind, we have gotten sucked into the show Supernatural — all 10 seasons of it. We can handle the hour shows but ugh, the 2 hours are rough. I agree with Rubbertoe, these are not the fave parts of the show. But here goes:

Eleven towns across the country. Dr. L said she likes the bus idea. We’ll see how she feels after listening to Big Sexy. I’m getting a bad feeling about this. Oh yeah, he sucks. Harry and Keith straight up diss him to his face, damn that was funny. How in the hell did he go through? Madness.

The Shrieky Guy was no worse than Big Sexy yet he got the boot. Ashley Lusk was cut but kind of sharp? Still 1M times better than the first two. Josh Sanders was great. Hey, it’s that Casey kid from Alabama! Back for another shot. They all go through. 

Uh oh, turquoise haired porkpie hat chick. I like her voice but the whole shtick is kind of distracting. I hope she can lose the affectation.

We get a Country montage. Alexis? She’s a blonde Valley-ish Mexican girl. OK. Not great, but she’s got the look so they give her the golden ticket. Anton? He’s seems legit from the sticks. I like this kid! Voice was good though the nerves, and he was a nice guy, and we need them. 

Stephanie the Squeaker. She has an old 70s singer-songwriter vibe. Wacky but she squeaked by on a 2/3 vote. Hollywood will be interesting for her.  

Ashley is 15, and her parents are deaf.Oh, if only she could sing. She’s just too young. We get a montage of off-key folks and then hope arrives from Branson. Ellen, with a banjo. She’s got a pretty voice. And she can yodel!! The Beverly Hillbillies Trio was awesome. 

Colton (Kohlton?)  is a ramblin’ man, living under a tarp in the great outdoors. He sounds like some chainsmoking black dude from the 1940s, not a surfer-ish blonde white dude. They send him through. 

He should have stuck around for the ribs Ryan brought out!

So did we see some Top Tens? I say maybe one or two. What did you guys think? 

We’ll try to not get too far behind LOL. Happy MLK Day, and K out!

This was like the quirky twin of last night's show...

Idol Auditions Night Two! 

It’s all about dreams coming true, says Idol. Of course, technically it’s about 99% of the contestants’ dreams NOT coming true, but I see their point.

This new opening credit sequence seemed even weirder the 2nd time around! What do you guys think.

So we are back in Nashville. This time, they lead off with a guys who chokes. Are they setting us up for greatness next? We have an Alabama boy who acts like a fool, so I hope he can sing. Andrew singing Stevie Wonder. He was mega annoying but squeaked by. I didn’t feel it.

Next is Loren from SD California. Singing Bruno Mars. Face much cuter than her voice. Again a debate over someone that should get the boot. She went through? if she didn’t look that way there’s no way her voice would have been enough. This is a crazy night so far. Holy shit, this ep is 2 hrs tonight? We’re going to have to speed this up.

Kid from Texas with glasses. Quirky dork can sing, I like him better than the 1st two. 

Piper, big girl with big voice from Nashville. She should be recording now. Not sure how Amrica will vote for her but we’ll see.

Kelley and her daughter were great.  Good thing she could sing, or it would have been a heartbreaker LOL.

Cammie’s dreams were crushed. She couldn’t find the key. Looks great, maybe she should be an actress?

You gotta worry about all these twenty-nothing people who quit their jobs and say this is “what the are meant to do?” See the 99% comment above.

Up next is blind contestant Garrett from AL. I loved his version of Proud Mary. He is going to definitely make it hard on the competition: confident and talented. I am looking forward to hearing more form him. 

Clark the Busker has got the goods. Dr. L said if you see Keith doing the shoulder bob thing, you know you’re good. He makes the kid sweat though. Harry plays it hard but JLo sends him though. Considering some of the others, he deserved it. 

Gina brings her toys. She is really interesting. I can’t see the box on Idol every night but hey didn’t that one chick bring a rug?  I liked her.

Probably the cutest boy so far this season, Alex is up next. I am not sure his voice is all the wya there but it is definitely enough for Hollyweird. 

Cody the kid jingle singer survived Harry’s bad jokes and sang a pretty version of Somewhere Over The Rainbow. Held those notes a little too long, but he has pipes. I think Harry is right about his kind of music being embraced more now. 

Hector the Cosmetologist loves JLo’s skin. I can say from experience it is blinding. Hector can sing but he has bad habits like a lot of these amateurs. You can tell the guys who have been told they can sing by everyone. But I think he will get better over time — will he survive the group rounds?

We get a crying montage. Either people don’t curse as much or we have a kinder gentler contestant pool. 

Sarina finds out perseverance pays off. I think too many of these people have been corrupted by hearing Mariah though, damn. Enough with the 1,000 runs a song, y’all!

Alison sounded good. Jake (from the town I grew up in, Murfreesboro) had a nice tone, too. The blonde with her voice trapped inside sounded OK but I think Hollywood will crush her. 

Savion from TX sounded better than last year. I like this kid and it was good to hear him ask for help to get better. I think he may do really well. 

So now we are in Kansas City? Kid named Zack with skyscraper hair had a shaky start but maybe it’s nerves? Voice was all over the place. Harry was right, it was a phoned-in performance. But softie Keith sends him on. When he ran off it confirmed, nobody cares about Ryan anymore LOL.

Natalie form Portland (of course she is!) gives us a karaoke Adele. She’s funny but it was a total clone of Adele without the endless range. That and the over-dramatics made it hard to hear her for me. But she has a voice in there. No way she’s going to make it all the way, though. 

Jhameel from Oakland has OCD. And he sings T-Pain? He’s a cool kid, and hopefully he won’t let Harry freak him out too bad, ha. It looks like the judges are having even more fun this go-round. 

Jasmine. She’s from the Bronx but she’s also way off-key. It got really painful. She’s so deluded that she thinks her voice gave out — I think her ears gave out.

Man that BBQ looks good. Lovey looks interesting but can she even sing? She’s 16 and sounds like Minnie Mouse. But Jlo loves her. And she does sound like a pop star today. Which means I would hate her sound but voters may love it. Stage name, cracks me up. My stage name is going to be Lord K.

Jess looks funky but she’s older so hopefully she has chops. She is really unique and they had too much fun with Harry playing along with her. Could get old if she overdoes the weirdness but I liked her sound enough to hear more of it. 

I’m not sure I heard as many front-runners tonight but there were a couple standouts. What did you guys think?

— K Out!!

Idol kicks off the season y'all!

Audition Show Number One!!!! Are you ready?

OK, some quick thoughts. Ryan walks out looking very Dick Clark/Mr. Rogers-ish. He says they're going to switch things up and show us the Top 24 now -- but all we hear is a super-over produced music video with some silhouettes. The Idol theme comes on, and they tried to Funk it up, but you can't hide the schmaltz. 

Back from the break, we get the 17-city montage. The Judges are going to take us to their hometown -- are we going to Alice Springs for Keith? Naw, I bet not. Jenny is STILL from the damn block, or so she says. The Big Easy for HCJ, natch. Oh yeah, Nashville for KU. Word to the Tasterverse, Nashville is MY hometown, for real. Keith's truck is cool though.

This kid Riley is going to go far, cute and talented and humble. Is Idol trying to be more Voice-like and portray itself as supportive instead of showing the freaks for our entertainment? Let's see how long it takes to get a cringe-worthy contestant tonight.

Back from the break. Priscilla is sho Nuff from the South. Can she sing? (I love Keith's Goo Goo Cluster shirt BTW. 1st KU shirt sighting of the season.) She was OK, I would say she has some bad habits and not enough experience but We'll see her again. 

Cameron from KS. He's got some hours under his belt performing and it shows. He should go far too. At least to Hollywizzle.

Back from the break: nice harmony with the Judges. OMG the moronic girl who was 3 season behind with her shout-outs to the judges. Here comes the cavalcade of deluded losers. Thankfully it zipped by quickly.

I like the girl from Memphis, I hope she can sing. That's debatable, but she had power LOL. Jlo didn't want to send her back to the hood, thought Harry was right to say no. 

Back from the break. Cool, we FINALLY get to see the pre-pre-judging that has been going on for 14 years. Wow, imagine going through that cattle call. The red haired amnesia kid looks scary. Kyle? He kicked off the sad goodbye montage. They could have played up the creep factor but this is a kinder, gentler Idol.

Back from the break, we get the bearded barista from across the street. Dr L said he was just Aiiight. But I predict they will love him because he has that weird tone. YES! They fawn all over him. Kory is going though on the wings of pretension. I'm not saying he can't sing -- he just chose not to. Make me a latte, punk.

I like this kid Michael from MS. Hope he can sing. He can!!! In our book he was a million times better than Kory. How sweet was that dance? I love these judges. I feel like Idol has been brought back from the dead with these guys. Anyway, they are a lot of fun.

Back from the break, Ryan commanded a 15-yr-old girl to audition through the TV last year. Emily is from WPB Florida.  She was really great, and pulled off a tough song with sufficient emotion. I think she could be a big country star. She's going to Hollyweird!

So this was a positive start to Idol, some real talent, some cannon fodder and not much insanity. I'm looking forward to the next round. What did you guys think?

-- K Out!

Little Tasters! Can you believe Idol is back?

Hey everyone, K here checking in in case any of our intrepid Lil Tasters are watching yet. I hope Rubbertoe has had a great year, and Dr L actually spoke to J and he said he was going to check in with us!!! Go J!!!

Idol slipped up on me this year, so I didn't even know it was on until today! Fortunately the trusty DVR knew, so we will catch up soon. Early predictions and snarky asides to soon follow.

Here's hoping we will get everything we expect year after year from Idol, the Good the Bad and the Deluded & Off Key, and that somewhere in between there is some real talent we can root for.

K Out!

It's Confetti-eating Time!!!

Idol 2014 Results Night! I'm in the LBC and Dr. L is in Champaign Illinois, but we are comparing notes via texts and emoticons LOL.

So it all comes down to this. They stick us back in the box with the green light. Caleb and Jena re-live the audition days. Caleb says the line that will be my new catch-phrase for the next year: "Let's break some necks and cash some checks" -- THIS is American Idol!!!

So the two Idol hopefuls walk out and deliver a medley that, honestly, I fast-forwarded through. I'm going to be doing that a lot tonight LOL. They sound fine, maybe Jena had that goat-warbly thing going a little too strong, and Caleb was channeling Meat Loaf, but it's the shmaltzy opener, what do you expect. I was seriously afraid for them when the COLUMNS OF FIRE erupted behind them -- did you see how they were sweating afterward? It must have been hot as hell. You see Ryan didn't come out for any of that, nor did harry with his velvet jacket, ha. 

Ryan makes his usual creepy sexual-objectifying comment about Jlo, and she thinks about the millions they are paying her and smiles graciously. 

So they bring out Sam, and Phil Philips. They sound good together. Full disclosure, I fast forwarded again LOL. But Phil seems like an old pro already. Can't help wondering if his family is still eating dog food and living in a fridge box on Skid Row, however. 

Jennifer Nettles is next, with Jessica. I wonder why they buried her up front like this? Maybe so we don't think what might have been? I didn't care for Jess's dress but she sounded good. I may have to download some JN music. 

Ryan talks to Randy in the crowd, and Randy is wearing a hot pink velvet jacket so we don't forget about him. Randy tries to talk about "growth" but it's the same as the last 13 years, you can almost see the producer's hand up his ass making his mouth move. 

Now they show us the Jlo performance they taped last night. Nice fake intro guys! It was a combo of both takes from last night, as expected. The ending was from the 2nd for sure. You could just see me and RT on one angle! I see why they pre-taped it, Jlo wouldn't be able to spring back and do the rest of the show after two of those workouts. 

Now we see the first of the good old Idol clip montages. Harry's poker face. Ha ha! He was watching a barn-burner and barely cracked a smile! Oh, Harry.

 Next up, It's Caleb and KISS!!! 

Caleb is wearing my Cobra jacket from the Keith Urban Collection. These shirtless painted-up grandparents came out and rocked the FUG out of it. It was a little creaky on the start but once it hit the chorus it got better. For pure spectacle it was well worth it. More fire! I bet Caleb lost five pounds. After the songs, Caleb's brother comes out and shows us his future as a Juggalo. 

After the break, the second of the wacky Idol clip montages. Crazy lip syncs! This was weird, but less humiliating than most Idol clips on these type shows. The one of Keith talking about robots and corn on a train made it worth it. 

Who is Aloe Blacc? Is this the most unlikely name since Fox Mulder? Could he be any pitchier? What is this song mashup? Why so many questions? Baseball Cap Guy comes out and actually makes Dexter in his shiny suit and chin-strap beard look like a GQ cover model. Wow, Alex can really sing. He makes 90% of these other guys sound like crap in this guy-group thing. 

The Ford Rider video was weird. The funniest thing was when Majesty came onscreen and the crowd cheered -- what if she had made it to the Top 3 or so, hmm? Then they give Caleb and Jena their new obligatory 2015 Mustangs -- wow, these new Mustangs are so stylized now they look like Transformers or something. I liked the convertible that Jena got. it's just as well Caleb got a hardtop, he might blow off what hair he has left with the ragtop version. We see the Idols reward their mentors, and is it me or do we usually see them before this moment? They just kind of spring these guys on us, so I don't know how to feel about them. Good on them for getting a new Fusion, though. 

Demi Lovato comes out, and I recall the girls behind us on Performance Night going NUTS when they announced her being on the show. Really? Demi Lovato is that big of a star? This Disney factory is creeping me out, y'all. Some of the Idol girls come out and sing with her. Still seems strange not to see MK, and we get that Mystery Girl again, what's her name? And then Demi and Jena take turns yelling in each other's faces. I'll give them this, though, they blew Aloe off the stage. 

So next, Jena rolls out with a piano and sings Decode. I like her a lot better when she's just doing it without the band. Then Paramore shows up and I'm teleported back to hair and pants I had back in 1983. I didn't have the tank top, though. Maybe I should have. It's funny, Jena looks like the pro here and the chick from Paramore looks like the starry-eyed Idol finalist getting to sing with her "Idol". The balloon drop was hilarious! it totally obscured them. I think somebody read the memo wrong on the size and number of balloons. Good song, though. 

John Legend shows up and classes the joint up. Are we on a different show now? Malaya gives it the old college try but she's in too high a key. Mr. Legend sounds silky smooth as usual. I wish there were more like this!

Now the 3rd Idol Memory Lane clipfest. Ryan does a creepy Time-Travel narration (recorded in real time during the auditions but talking about the thousands of hopefuls as if they are past-tense losers already -- which I guess they are). I wanted him to tell the girl who said "I got a Golden Ticket": "Yeah, but you didn't make it." 

Maybe Ryan is like the main character in Slaughterhouse Five now, and exists outside of time. It is terrifying to contemplate. 

Back to reality: Alex teams up with Jason Mraz. This is shaping up nicely. The harmonies with Alex are great. Dr. L said she would buy this song! Best of the night so far. Just when I think the sound on my TV is going bad I hear something like this and realize it's OK, LOL, it's just the other singers. 

Randy and Ryan's family make an awkward intro for him to sing. They look just like the Atlanta Junior League and their loyal servant in the pink jacket. Ryan assaults our ears with the worst vocal ever on idol, and then Richard Marx rises from the grave to show that even a corpse can show Ryan up, if it has talent. 

The 4th clip montage is really funny. The judges were so entertaining this year. I am so glad they are coming back, it's a good mix of personalities. Hey, there was Casey and Haley out in the crowd from Season 10! I wonder if they are still a couple? So cute. 

Darius Rucker is in the house! He sounds great, but is the mix off tonight? it's hit or miss. CJ strolls out with Dexter. It's an OK jam, but not as great as it probably sounded on paper. Thank you, Idol, for flashing to the shot of the woman with the enormous boobs, I was starting to zone out. 

Lady Antebellum frolicked across my TV in fast-forward and now Ryan is standing with Jena and Caleb's fams. John Locke from Lost is back there behind them too. Caleb's dad looks like a guy you could buy some good acid from in back of the Roadhouse. 

Now the second of the pre-recorded songs from last night. You can hear the shouters from the crowd name-checking the judges apropos of nothing! So funny. This was the second taping, because you can hear the clapping. But Jlo's vocal was better for sure. All I can say is, you guys really missed out on Blister In The Sun LOL. 

So now the moment of truth: Jena and Caleb onstage with Ryan awaiting the results. Jena looks great, and Caleb looks like he has a spacesuit tuxedo made of metallic leeches. Dim the lights…

WTF?!!! Caleb wins?!!! Wow, I did not see that coming. Although, looking back on last night, he REALLY got the applause. So maybe we should have known. Jena is doing her best not to burst into flames I think. She's smiling, as are her parents, but it's the kind of stank-face smile when you know the camera is on and you won't show your enemies you have real human emotion. Nobody looks more surprised than Caleb himself, except maybe the judges, who all stood there looking gobsmacked. 

I LOVE that he made no immediate attempt to sing his victory song. I sort of hoped he could blow it off entirely, but he was a trooper and sang about 30% of it. I almost feel sorry for Simon Fuller and 19 Entertainment; good luck marketing Caleb's AOR/Classic Rock album to the over 40 crowd who love the genre he sings in LOL. 

So that's our season guys! It was fun, started off strong, and then got idol-ized by the end. Maybe next year they will just throw the votes out altogether, and if they know in advance they will get who they want, they can stop with the shenanigans. See you next time!

K and Dr. L Out!!!

Live Blogging The Finale With RT and K

Idol Finale Recap: Just like Highlander, there can be only one!

This was an extra special Finale, because for the first time ever, Master K and Rubbertoe got to team up and check out the finale together! Dr. L was so jealous! But she had to work while we were able to slip away and spend the day at Idol. It was so much fun. 

We were able to have a few beers and some tacos before the show,

and RT got some pictures of some of the superfans. One guy had a sign with every member of Jena's family's signature except hers -- you gotta admire his tenacity but it was bordering on creepy. We got there early enough to get great seats, about six rows back on stage right. Idol Wannabe Sighting! We saw Emmanuel Zidor posing for lots of pics down front. Don't remember who he is? I think he got knocked out in Hollywood or shortly thereafter:

So onto the warmup. The guy working the crowd up deserves a special mention. He was like a little Ryan Seacrest clone on crack. He took about a million selfies with the crowd and kept up the DJ action with music from his cell phone. Songs I never thought I'd hear at an Idol event, like 2Pac and Dr. Dre singing California Love: "Out on bail fresh outta jail, California dreamin/Soon as I stepped on the scene, I'm hearin hoochies screamin'"--it was pretty funny hearing the crowd sing along.

Idol-adjacent sighting: Jena's brother was working it for all he was worth pimping himself out for pictures. RT pointed out how funny it was when there was nobody left to snap one with, he looked so lost LOL. 

So we ran through rehearsal on going nuts/bananas when Ryan kicks off the show, and then Seacrest appears, looking like Ricky Ricardo's maitre-D at the Copacabana in his ivory jacket. The show begins. You can't hear it on the TV, but throughout the show there are continuous random screams of "WE LOVE YOU JLO" or "HARRY!!!" and occasionally a contestant's name. 

They kick it off with a funny video of Jena and Caleb battling it out on a prom stage. Then the contest begins, with songs chosen by Simon Fuller, longtime Idol producer.

Jena sings Dog Days are Over, by Florence and the Machine. I have to say, she sounds really good in person, and she knows how to work the stage. We thought it wasn't bad. A good start to the show. The judges love it, of course. 

They cut to commercial, and then Caleb comes out to sing Dream On, by Aerosmith, the classic. This guy has some pipes. Holy crap, he just kept building. I don't know if this comes across on TV, but the crowd reaction to him vs Jena's 1st song was about 3x as enthusiastic. He definitely took Round One.

Next was Idol's Favorite Moments. Jena does the Elvis song, I Can't Help Falling In Love. RT turned to me and said, "really?" He wasn't blown away the first time, like the judges seemed to want everyone to be. She does an OK job, but after it was over, Rubbertoe shrugged and said he didn't really hear anything this time that blew him away either. I almost forgot, they had the Seacrest Lite Guy come out while we were on the break to warn us not to clap during the next song. This was it. I guess he didn't want us to ruin a "moment", but there wasn't really one to screw up. They praise her like it's one, for sure. All I kept thinking was, now we heard her do Creep twice and this song twice, in case we didn't get it the first time.

We really had a good laugh watching Randy trot over and hold up the numbers after the performances. HA! I guess they had to give the Dawg something to do, that redundant sack of crap. 

PS, all the security guys standing around acting menacing on the edge of the stage looked like they were straight out of the Russian Mob. 

So Caleb does Maybe I'm Amazed again. I was amazed at how well his voice had recovered after they had reminded us One million times last week that he had a strained vocal cord. No problems tonight. He did another stellar job. of course the judges had to play it up as if it was Jena's round this time -- I can assure you the crowd was not as conflicted. After they hemmed and hawed that it was a "tie" now going into the third round, one of the ladies beside us called BS on it. Regardless of the motives, they try to perpetrate some drama. 

The Director comes on the mic during the break and tells us that if we stick around, we can see the judges sing (to be aired tomorrow). Of course we are! More on that later. 

So Ryan comes back from the break and reminds us Jena was the first ever Wild Card to make it this far, OMG! Rubbertoe called this tactic way back in the season. They have to trot it out so we can factor that into our voting for this Plucky Underdog. She sings her "single", and it was OK. Catchy. RT has a theory that they give the contestant they want to win the better song. This one maybe had more of a melody.

Caleb sings his "winning single". It was definitely more of a rocker tune, but it wasn't quite as catchy. I had to crack up that he gets the explosion at the end, and the whole time he had the Illuminati Triangle behind him onscreen LOL. No explosion or choir or bagpipes behind Jena, but maybe they don't think they need them. 

So Ryan sends us off to the voting with a host of Idols swarming the stage singing the Kelly song Break Away. It was hard to remember some of them -- and what happened to MK? She wasn't there. I did a little investigating and found out she was sick, but will be on the tour. 

http://www.bustle.com/articles/25237-why-isnt-mk-nobilette-at-the-american-idol-finale-singer-tweets-an-explanation

So the main show is over. While we wait, the Seacrest On Speed Dude whips the crowd back up with more tunes, this time with some kind of DJ app that blends beats together. RT and I compared notes about who really won the night. Without much elaboration, it was clear that Caleb did better on the night -- but that idol definitely wants Jena to won, so she probably will. Listening back to Caleb's "winning" song, it was much weaker than Jena's, and maybe the explosion was to help mask that. If you look at Caleb's face afterward, he seems a little disappointed -- maybe he was hoping to hear some praise from the judges and didn't get it, or maybe he was bummed his 3rd and final song was kind of light-rock-pop-blah? (Side note, we saw him after the show and he seemed pumped, and happy. So maybe here at the end of the show he was just coming down realizing this was his last song in the competition). 

The post-show cranks up with an Idol "supergroup": Keith on lead guitar, Randy on bass, Harry on keys (two keyboards -- a piano and an electric organ) and Jlo in a cute little dress sitting on Harry's piano, singing lead. before the actual taping, they jam on about four different songs, the best of which were Dire Straits Sultans of Swing and Violent Femmes Blister in the Sun. Makes me wish they could just play a set off the top of their heads…

The actual songs they perform are a pairing of True Colors by Cyndi Lauper, blending into Go Your Own Way by Fleetwood Mac. You will see all these tomorrow. (Take note: at some point rearranging the set they bumped Jena's Big Board sign, and it was dangling at an angle -- I kept worrying it would fall and Ricky Minor would go Splat! But it held on the rest of the night. I'm curious if you ever see it tomorrow night.) The 2nd take was by far the best, but the crowd forgot the Ryan Lite Dude's admonition not to clap, and we clapped all through the 2nd run of True colors -- it might screw up the take. Too bad if it does -- as RT astutely pointed out, Jlo was a bit 'pitchy' on the first take LOL. 

So they call it done and they break down the set again. This time they set up a seizure-inducing light array for Jlo's dance number. We were very entertained watching the choreographer working with the Faux JLo and the dancers, tweaking some of the steps. I was cracking up -- it was so elaborate, I couldn't imagine what any more rehearsal was going to help if they didn't know it by now! Jlo came out in a bathrobe and did a little step or tow, and I guess they locked it in.

So when the lights come up, and the stage facade opens, Jlo is now out of the robe, revealing a slinky spangly outfit. I can't tell you the name of her song -- maybe something about The First Time? She kept saying that, and counting off the Second Time, Third Time, etc. It was an OK banging-beat number, but what made it was that Jlo was dancing her ass off. I was actually afraid for her a couple of times, jumping on tables and whatnot. She really is a fantastic performer, she gave 150%. When it was over, just as we were about to leave (RT said, "I can't imagine her doing another take after THAT") -- they said she was going to do another take. Damned if she didn't do it all over again. It might be me, but I felt like the effort made the 2nd take suffer a little. She again danced admirably, but maybe at 125% this time. There was an amusing glitch as her mic was probably supposed to be turned off during one note, after a sequence where she probably didn't really have enough breath, and holy crap was it off-key. But hey, at least she was really singing the darn thing. She thanked the crowd after the songs, a real class act. 

So we made our way outside and strolled by the media set-up with Caleb and Jena talking to the press.

I snapped a couple pics, but there was a pretty good mob so I didn't try to get closer. I almost walked right into Dexter, and could have probably actually talked to him, but by this point I was tired and ready to head home. All in all it was a great night at Idol, and so much fun to share the experience with RT.

Now we just have to wait and see how America saw it…

Dr. L and K Out!