The Final Four

So clearly starting this blog was the perfect jinx to ensure I would never find time to write about the IDOL pool ever again.  So far I'm 2 for 2 at starting blogs, making one post and completely abandoning them (Click here to view my other one-hit-wonder).  But with the Final Four set to compete tonight, I couldn't resist dropping by to give my 2 cents.

ON THE SHOW

Four contestants remain, the Davids, Seyesha, and Jason Castro (who I can't seem to get off a first-name-last-name-basis with).  Props to our Idol Pool pickers who did a pretty good job of picking winners.  Each of the remaining contestants was picked as a winner by someone in our pool.  But how many have a legitimate shot?  This guy says only two.  We've seen some surprises this season but I can't imagine not seeing an all-David finals.  

David Archuletta has shown signs of weakness lately, and I've failed as a writer if I haven't expressed my own personal bias against the 17-year-old wunderkind but he's been steamrolling since week one and we shouldn't expect that to change now, especially with all of Brooke White's sweet-votes up for grabs.  David Cook has been the competition's most unique performer and looks to have a promising career regardless of what happens in the next few weeks.  But is he getting the votes?  I generally (and completely unscientifically) think that most voters are teeny-boppers and Moms.  Alterni-pop teens who are fans of bands like My Chemical Romance and Death Cab for Cutie should eat up D.C. but I have to think that the other David has the Miley Cyrus crowd locked down.  

So how about the underdogs?  Do Jason Castro or Seyesha stand a chance?  Seyesha has made a few appearances in the bottom 3 and most (at least in our pool) picked her to go out long before Carly or Brooke.  And yet, she remains the only girl left in the competition.  That has to be good for something doesn't it?  Jason Castro is a real unknown.  Most people think he would have been long gone but his sheepish grin and shoulder-shrug attitude has obviously captured people. If it were up to me I'd want a Castro-Cook finals but, since I refuse to actively participate in TV by voting , it is clearly not up to me.  

IN THE POOL

Since I'm one of several people who could lose the pool despite picking the winner, I've been hesitant to do the math.  The lead piled on by Wilcz and Jeff in the early rounds might be insurmountable, even if Archuletta doesn't win it all.  But, for the sake of down-to-the-wire excitement, the remaining Pool contenders can be divided into 4 camps.

Camp Archuletta - If you're going to pick the favorite, you better be good in the early rounds.  over half the entries had Archuletta as their winner but Wilcz's early success and a supporting cast of David Cook in his final 2 will make him a lock ahead of all the other Archuletta-lovers out there.

Camp Cooke - As the lone camper here at Camp Cook Ben P.will take great pride in seeing D.C. win it all (sorry, had to slip into the 3rd person for a sec. so I could bold my own name).  But I should have hedged my bet with the other David in the finals.  Instead, the red mark over Carly Smithson's name will likely be my undoing.

Camp Seyeha - Brady has been a big Seyesha supporter all year but the only one brave enough to pick her was Cheryl M.  The early rounds were tough on Cheryl but if Seyesha can pull it off, she'll have bragging rights at least.  

Camp Jason Castro - Kelly S. was the lone Castro-supporter and she's done well thus far.  depending on how the finals shape up she could ride her dark horse to victory.  The Swami says, "It will be all guys in the final 3 but don't expect to see Jason Castro in the finale." 

Week 7 Recap

Week 4 Recap

4 weeks down and the field is narrowing, both on the show and in the pool. This week we said "Hello Dolly" and "goodbye Ramiele," as the contestants took on the Dolly Parton songbook. Now, with 8 contestants remaining, the cream is rising to the top and time is running out for the rest of the pack. Here's what's happening in IDOLand ...

David Cook is in a league of his own and there's plenty left in the tank. He seems to be effortlessly finding songs that are a perfect fit for him. ... I'm happy to say, without any sarcasm this time, that Michael Johns has returned to form and he managed to seem cool this week after a gradual slip into dorkdom. ... Syesha gave her least forgettable performance this week but it was far from a showstopper. She, Brooke, and Jason Castro have all been giving decent performances, but they need to find another gear if they want to compete and time is running out. ... Carly Smithson needs to decide who she is. Her look is very arty and mysterious but she sings like a pop star. If that's the road sh wants to take, Simon's right - she needs to start dressing the part. ... Does anyone else think David Archuleta might be a robot? His vocals were spot-on again this week but he seems absolutely emotionless onstage. I've can't remember him every saying anything besides "huh, huh, oh man, thank you, huh, oh man" and what's with the weird up-turned hand thing he does while he's singing? Ok, ok, I'll stop hating on the kid - at least until next week ... and finally ... Shut up, Brooke White. Quiet down. Seriously, stop talking.

Meanwhile, Jeff is proving he's the David Cook of this competition, going 4-for-4 this week and putting some distance between him and the rest of the pack. If Archuletta can win this thing he'll be tough to beat, but to go 5-for-5 he'll need Jason Castro out this week. The rest of us will hope that Kristy Lee Cook makes her long-overdue exit when the contestants take on "Inspirational Music." I'm not sure what that means but here's hoping somebody kisses Randy's ass with a little "Don't Stop Believing". Wilcz had another big week this week and carries a clean sheet into round 5 but Ramiele's exit was disaster for front-runner Amy A., who had the tiny Hawaiian in her final 3. Speaking of 3, Look for 3 girls in the bottom 3 again next week - and don't expect Carly Smithson to be one of them - so says the Swami!

Good luck to everyone next week and I'll see you in Dollywood!

Week 3 Recap

Week 3, come and gone - taking with it, our beloved Chikeze and the IDOL Pool hopes of some of our players. I had to duck some conversation this week because I missed the Tuesday episode, but through the miracle of TiVo, I was able to binge on 3 hours of IDOL in one night. Right around the beginning of hour 3 I came to a realization ... I love them all. I really do. Even the ones I hate, I love because they're such good villains (I'm looking at you Archuletta!). It was a bit of a shocker to see Chikeze go this week, and with the playing field relatively level, the goodbyes are going to get tougher and tougher.

OK, enough pleasantries - let's get to some rapid-fire reviews!

Michael Johns got back on track, proving that he can stay in contention as long as he can come up with 9 more Queen songs. ... Raimiele was so-so, but avoided the bottom 3 yet again. I need her to stick around for another couple rounds so I'll say no more. ... Carly Smithson was the victim of some harsh judging despite sounding pretty good on a tough song in "Total Eclipse of the Heart." I suppose it evens out though, since we were all victims of her crimes against fashion Tuesday night. ... Seyesha gave another stellar performance singing Gladdys Night - enough to make you stand up and say, "meh, whatever". The girls can sing but she's chronically uninteresting. ... Jason Castro made his first appearance in the bottom 3 and it won't be his last. His John Mayer-ish vocals and Richie Victorino-esque good looks have got him this far, but his deep cut song choices aren't winning over any new fans. ... I think Chikeze genuinely likes these slow soul songs he keeps trying, but they're no good for his voice. Hopefully next week he'll get back to something more.. oh, sorry. ... Like Babe Ruth, pointing to the outfield wall, I called Simon's "themepark" shot against David Archuletta. Soon I'll be calling for the Muppet's early exit! ... I was kind of psyched to hear Brooke White take on the Police but it was pretty predictable. Her plateau will keep her safe for a while, but not forever. ... and then, there was Kristy Lee Cook ...

The only thing more offensive than schlocky commercialism is schlocky patriotism! iTunes commercial thinly disguised as a show segment on picking songs? Offensive. Always-awkward promos for IDOL Gives Back? Pretty offensive. Staying alive for one more week by busting out the Lee Greenwood? Priceless! I would think at least the Brit could muster up some venom for this cheap stunt without being a USA-hater, but even he played it safe. The only thing that could make me less "Proud to be an American" would be if K.L.C. stays around for one more week. ...

And filed somewhere between "not as offensive as Kristy Lee Cook" and "blazin, molten, hot!", is David Cook , who tore it up again doing Cris Cornell's version of "Billy Jean". If I'm nitpicking, I'd say he could have still done his whole rock spin but deviate just a tiny bit less from the original beat of the song. Sorry Mr. Cook, but for a child of the 80s, Thriller is like the Bible. Besides, D.C can take it, If Randy and I are right, "he might be the one to win the whole lot!"

In the Pool, Jeff and Amy A. lead the pack, picking all of the first 3 eliminations and carrying no wrong answers into week 4. Wilcz is nipping at their heels but Chikeze's elimination can't be a good sign for guys with only one name. Things will get interesting in the coming weeks as picks everyone begin to differ through the middle rounds. Good luck to you all and to the contestants, who sing country music this week (for real this time) with Miss Dolly Parton.

Swami says: Jason Castro's brush with the bottom 3 will keep him safe this week, Michael Johns will taste the bottom 3, and a girl will be eliminated.

- IDOL Pool H.Q.

Week 2 Recap

Week 2 is in the books! Amanda Overmeyer goes down, the touring top 10 is revealed and we hear one more (and consensus is, one too many) week of Beatles music.

David Archuletta returned to form this week reasserting himself as a contender while Michel Johns continued to look shaky and claims to have peaked during the Hollywood round. Squeezing 2 weeks out of the Beatles songbook was pushing tacky, and certainly seemed like too much for some of the contestants. Kristy Lee Cook limped through, surviving another bottom-two, but should get a boost from the change-of-venue to country next week. Personally, I'm just happy to put the Amanda Overmeyer songbook behind me. I'll think of Amanda every time I visit Strangebrew ... mmm, I can almost smell the stale beer. Other highlights for me included David Cook, who busted out the Peter Frampton-style voice box on "Day Tripper" (what ... WHAT?!), and an appearance from Idol alum, Kellie Pickler, which you missed if you tend to fast forward through the results show. Say what you want about her smarts, but it's hard not to like Pickler, who Seacrest noted, has ... ahem? ... "grown in more ways than one."

Amanda's elimination was music to many ears including Jeff, who scored 20 out of 20 and caries the only clean sheet into Round 3. Amy A. and Wilcz could join him though, with a Kristy Lee Cook elimination next week. Everyone has a chance, but as the points double next week your wrong answers will be twice as costly. The Swami says, "Don't count on Kristy to survive country week, but Ramiele will be gone sooner than most of us think."

Quote of the week:
"Hopefully I'm here next week because I can blow you out of your socks, and you know it." -- Kristy Lee Cook

Quote of the week (runner up):
"(Raising my hand) Ummmm, I would like Kristy to blow me out of my socks." -- Mike Sis


Good Night, and Good Luck.

- Special Assistant to Ms. Abdul

Week 1 Recap

Welcome to the 2008 Idol Pool!

We have a record number of participants this year (16) and as week 1 proved, a very unpredictable field of contestants. Week 1 saw the Idol hopefuls take on the songs of Lennon & McCartney. Pool players let out a collective gasp when pretty-boy favorite, David Archuletta crashed & burned on the big stage. Can he rebound and remain a contender? Seven of you think so. Carly Smithson was another favorite, with six picking her as the next Idol. Only three of us were brave enough to pick against the grain with nods going to David Cook, Syesha, and everyones favorite dreadlocked Colombian, Richie ... I mean ... Jason Castro.

David Hernandez went down in week one, proving that America loves strippers - just not on prime time TV, and striking a serious blow to some people's ballots. Only one person picked David H. to go down first and picked up all 22 points ... you guessed it ... IT WAS ME! Everyone else settled for 20 but pool newbie, Jeff, has David out next and still has a chance to go into round 3 unscathed. Jeff, like many others, will be looking for Kristy Lee Cook to get the axe next week. Can she survive another week? With another week of Beatles tunes on the way, this Idol analyst says no!

Good luck to all, and we'll see you next week ... well ... not actually. I'll probably just e-mail you the results again ... in fact ... some of you I've never met. Oh well, until next time,

Seacrest out!