IT'S OVER! ... And the winner is ...

Click ont he chart to view the final standings

(or click here to see the full breakdown)

 

Ha, ha ha ha … He didn’t … ha ha … he … wait a minute … ok, I’m good. 

HE DIDN’T WIN!

Despite the judges best efforts to sway the vote, despite the labels of "best Idol contestant ever" and everyone’s apparent willingness to go along with it and crown him Jesus, Adam Lambert couldn’t close the deal. 

Never in eight years of watching this retched program, have I seen the deck so stacked in favor of one contestant like it was for Adam Lambert. 

TUESDAY NIGHT: 

Both contestants picked their best song to do and both brought their A-game, but Simon awarded round 1 to Kris … 

Then, for song 2, they give Kris an untouchable Marvin Gaye song that’s way out of his range and he actually did a real admirable job of spinning it, making it contemporary and putting his own stamp on it. Still, round 2 went to Adam. And admittedly, he probably was better, but he wasn’t “a million times better,” as Simon was sure to hammer home...

After the 3^rd song, on which Adam was really quite awful, all 4 judges actually came up with a different way to say, “Well Kris, you sung that song better, which is 2 out of 3, but we still think Adam should win.”

WEDNESDAY NIGHT:

The fix is still in on the results night finale.  The blockbuster duets have Kris paired with country star, Keith Urban who, I guess an A-list artist, and they did sound good.  But he didn’t get the star treatment of bronze medalist, Danny Gokey, who got top sing a medley with Lionel Richie … Lionel Richie!  And he certainly doesn’t rate with the likes of Adam, who got to close the show by putting on a full-blown rock concert with KISS.  And as if that wasn’t enough of a ploy to convince people that Adam was going to win and that glam rock could still be cool, the producers throw in Queen for good measure.  Mike Siciliano, pool participant and former guest-blogger, had this to say:

“I know everyone thinks Lambert is so current and he is .... if it's 1979. Last night was the perfect example, he would've been great as the lead singer of KISS. I'll even give him high marks as the lead singer of an 80's hair band. But nobody listens to that music anymore. There is a reason Warrent aren't playing sold out shows anymore. Lambert might be a Freddie Mercury clone but he died like 20 years ago. Gokey has the same problem. He would've been great in 1983 singing on the soundtrack to the Arthur movies with Michael MacDonald. But music is different now.”

And YES, I was surprised…

And YES, I’m 400 words in and I’m still talking about the guy who didn’t win…

And YES, I’m gloating like an 11-year-old who’s just won the fifth grade Jeopardy tournament and is parading around the room while his opponent, know-it-all smarty-pants Megan Lynch – who had more than triple my-er his score but decided to bet it all on final Jeopardy, sits devastated at the front of the assembly room … what? … where was I? ...

Oh yeah. What can I say, Adam Lambert really brings out the hater in me.  I’ve been waiting for this since week one.

And yet, perpetual underdog Kris Allen – the guy I actually picked to go out in week one – is our new American Idol!

Well, my weeks of Lambert-hating finally paid off but they didn’t help me in the pool.  And they also didn’t hurt our pool winner, who had Adam picked to win.

This is the 6^th Annual IDOL Pool and it’s the 3^rd time that no one picked the winner.  But it may be the first time in IDOL Pool history that no one even picked the eventual champ to reach the finals.  The Swami-forcasted Gokey elimination before the finals, coupled with some stellar picking in the middle rounds led our pool winner to victory.

It is my great honor to award the 2009, Season 8, IDOL Pool Championship to … JOANNE TRAHAN

Congratulations, and shame on us all for watching this rubbish 2 nights a week for the last 12+  weeks a year for the last 8 years.  

Until next year …

Swami out!

Down to the wire

(Click on the chart to view standings)
To see everyone's picks and a full standings breakdown, click here.

We're just one week from the IDOL finale - can you believe it? Three contestants remain and, believe it or not, our pool is still up for grabs.  If you're like Mike Sis, and you fast forward through the performances to get to the judges' comments, you probably just want me to give you the standings and get on to the finals.  So I'll keep it breif this week.  Just a few notes from last week.

... Paula Abdul should not perform on Paul Abdul's show.  I can put up with her idiosyncratic, borderline-nonsensical ramblings on the show but don't ask me to take her seriously during the same 1-hour block of TV.  I don't want sexy, early-nineties Paula and crazy-aunt-who-never-makes-any-sense-but-you-still-love-her Paula to exist on the same plane of reality.

... No Doubt, on the other hand, was like taking a time machine back to 1996 and I loved every minute of it.  It's still not out of the question that I will marry Gwen Stefani.

... Kris Allen's performance was not only way better than they judges gave him credit for, but about a hundred times more real than either of the other guys.  The Judges have been pretty obvious about who they want in the finals.  Luckily, their assassination attempt on Kris was unsuccessful.

... Danny ... woah ... Danny, what the hell was that?

... I for one was sorry to see Allison go but her exit performance was a moment of triumph, right down to the fist-pump after they showed her loser video.  She'll be in the studio within weeks.

Ok, some pool results and then we'll call it a day.  Melissa Clement is STILL clinging to first place but with Allison and Lil in the finals, she's locked at 262 points.  Joanne Trahan will pick up at least 18 points next week, with Adam over Danny in the finals but she's far from a lock.  Even if Joanne picks up all 36 points, next week it will still come down to the finals where Larry Shay can win it all with a Danny Gokey victory.  Its all coming down to the wire so stay tuned to see who comes away with the crown. 

The Swami says, "Gokey's a gonner.  Adam will face Kris in the finals and Joanne will get a new pair of shoes."  You heard it here first!

Back for more ... the Final Four!

(Click on the chart to view standings)
To see everyone's picks and a full standings breakdown, click here.

Well it was bound to happen sooner or later and this is about the time when things like the NHL Playoffs, the Miss New Hampshire Pageant and general laziness take over and push the Idol Pool Blog off the rails.  So I apologize for the lag in updates but let's face it, no one's reading this thing anyway.  Alright enough apologies ... let's talk IDOL!

Since we last spoke we've had 3 eliminations, a judges save and a lot of shake-up in the pool standings.  There weren't a whole lot of surprises in the last few weeks.  The Judges save happened about when we thought it would and we said goodbye to the second tier of contestants.  Lil Rounds' elimination played spoiler to a lot of people's chances in the pool but after nine weeks of mediocracy, it couldn't have come as much of a surprise.  Anoop and Matt were crown favorites but you just didn't get the sense that either of them had a chance to win. Now, however, the cream has risen to the top and we're left with 4 contestants who all have a chance at winning.  

In the pool, Melissa Clement remains in first place, where she's sat comfortably since week 5 but losing her winner (Lil) will make it pretty hard for her to close the deal.  Melissa's put a lot of points on the board already though and if Kris or Allison can pull an upset, she could just hold on to win.  

In the Adam Lambert camp, Joanne Trahan has the best shot to win.  Joanne's picked well so far and with 3 of her top 4 remaining she'll be unbeatable if Adam can win it all.  No offense, Joanne but this Idol blogger hopes you're wrong! Honorable mention to Adam Fleishman who actually has Adam winning but has picked so poorly to date that he's already been mathematically eliminated and has a shot at picking the winner and still finishing dead last - IMPRESSIVE!

A few people have Danny Gokey slotted to win and among them Larry Shay looks like the favorite, but if we see a Gokey/Lambert final, Kathleen Amantangelo will push by Larry for the top spot.  

Nobody has Either Allison or Kris picked to win but if they can keep the other two out of the finals, it will leave the door open in the pool.  We'll save those scenarios for another post should we get a surprise this week. It's rock week this week, which shouldn't scare any of the contestants but the Swami says, "Adam Lampbert is showing cracks in the armor and he could be out sooner than a lot of people think... possibly much sooner!"

Siciliano's Seven

(Click on the chart to view standings)
To see everyone's picks and a full standings breakdown, click here.

What's up, Cats and Kittens?

After a month of gracing us with his inspired prose, Ben has requested a well deserved week off. So, in Ben's absence, he called me in from the bullpen to provide an inning of relief pitching from a fresh arm while he takes the week off to rejuvenate his creative juices. 
Because my services will only be used sporadically and there is a an avalanche of American Idol brilliance swirling around in my brain, I've chosen to break from Idol blog tradition and just go with a rambling, free-flowing stream of consciousness before getting to last weeks recap. Due to the length, feel free to skip over the blog and go straight to the standings, but know that your soul will be forever destitute and empty for doing so.

IDOL THOUGHTS

Count me amongst the millions that missed most of Adam Lampbert's performance last week thanks to the show's battle royal with my DVR timer. Really Fox? Eight singers plus judges. Nobody thought last week's show might go longer than 60 minutes? Not one staffer raised this possibilty?... 

In the 4th season of Idol, with eight weeks left, Simon made a prediction that Carrie Underwood would not only win the competition but would "sell more records than any previous Idol contestant." Of course, she did both. After one performance this season, Paula made a prediction Lil Rounds should get ready to be in the finals. I'll let you fill in your own joke for that one....

This show makes 26 quadrillion dollars. It's historically popular. It's totally reinvented the television landscape. And they still can't figure something  out to help Simon hear the contestants when they are talking. It's pretty impressive, actually. I'm keeping count of the times he has to lean over and whisper "What did he say?" We're approaching the triple digits....

Gots to give the Idols credit, they've really chosen some classic songs. Between Lampbert's version of "Tracks of my Tears" and Allison's "I Can't Make You Love Me" by Bonnie Raitt, those are two of the greatest songs of all time....

I just re-read that last thought. I really need a girlfriend...

What's with the blatant lip-synching in the group performances? Where they always doing this? Two weeks ago, it looked like a Bruce Lee kung fu movie up there....

Ever notice Paula speaks in sentence fragments after a bad performance? "You are ........ a brilliant vocalist ...... but that ....... only gets you so far....Not your best." In the words of the Billy Madison, T-T-T-TODAY JUNIOR! ....

Hey Annop!  You seem like a good guy. Probably fun to hang with. Having said that, I really hope you have someone keeping detailed notes for you in that science lecture down at UNC. People aren't going to pay real money to hear/see you perform ....

I've been trying to figure out why Adam brings out the inner-jock in me. (I always find myself fighting a strong desire to pummel him.) And I think I've figured it out: I like weirdness. I embrace people who are kind of quirky and different. But I can't stand people who TRY to be weird and different. Adam strikes me as the kind of kid that goes waaay out of his way so that people will think he's edgy. The kid is from Pasadena. Stop with the black nail polish before take your lunch money...


This is killing me. Count how many times the judges uses this phrase: "You know what I love about ______"
A) "you..." 
B) "that performance..."
C) "this show..."
D) "pork chops ..."  

(D. is for Randy only)

This phrase is used at least twice a week. It's really starting to get to me. We need to either get the producer to cut the microphone of any judge that starts a sentence with that phrase OR create the first ever Idol drinking game. One of the two.

As for our pool, Melissa Clement continues to lead with the Amatangelo sisters close behind. And my cousin Jay sits in last. I mean, dead last. (Just wanted to highlight that.) 

This week's theme is Scenes From The Cinema, with mentor Quentin Tarantino. No, I'm not kidding. I'll wait a second while you read that sentence again.

(waiting...)

OK, so for pool purposes I need a strong performance from Lil. But if momentum means anything (and I think Lindsey Lohan has proven that it does), it looks like either Ms. Rounds or Anoop could get sent packing tonight. Then again, this week just has the feel of one of those shocking eliminations, so watch out. That would be fun.

Yo, you know what I love about shocking eliminations.........
 
--Mike Sis

The Questionably-Elite Eight

(Click on the chart to view standings)
To see everyone's picks and a full standings breakdown, click here.

Yes folks, Eight contestants remain after the shameless "Songs that are on iTunes" week, and thankfully, mercifully, gloriously, Megan Joy is not one of them. The awkward-dancing, sleeve-o-tats-having, Amy Winehouse-esque, crooner opted to cover Bob Marley and instead of being shown the love she was shown the door. But Megan wasn't the only contestant to turn in a sub-par performance in last week's show and with a seemly limitless choice of songs, there were more misses than hits.

Not the worst performance, but certainly the most disappointing, was Lil, who played it safe yet again, choosing a yawn-o-riffic Celine Dion ballad instead of something, anything with some swagger to it. What the hell happened to the Lil Rounds that came out blazing to Mary J. Blige in the top 36? Where's the attitude? If Lil get's any whiter this week, she'll be gone.

And speaking of being white ... Anoop ... seriously ... Usher?! No Anoop. Just ... no.

Danny Gokey was solid and picked a pretty risky song but I wouldn't have piled on the praise as much as the Judges did.

Matt Giraud singing the Fray was, to me, a lot less mediocre than I usually find him. But the Judges hated it, so clearly I just don't get this kid.

Adam Lampbert was obnoxious as usual but the judges didn't heap the attention on him as they usually do so I won't either.

Allison Iraheta has the perfect voice to sing No Doubt but her attempt at playing the guitar was absolutely useless. She only played for about 12 seconds before swinging the guitar behind her back where it sort of handcuffed her the rest of the way through the performance. She could have tore that song up but instead she just sort of stood in front of the mic looking awkward.

Scott was actually not that bad this week. Billy Joel was a good fit and he finally turned in a solid vocal. But the hair do ... really. You're lucky you're blind Scott, or there would really be no excuse for that.

Ok, Ok, enough venom. Because there was one performance that made it all worth while. Kris "formerly-most-forgetable-contestant" Allen was absolutely smokin' doing "Ain't No Sunshine". It was original, inventive and full of punch. Kris gets better every week. He's got a John Mayer, Jason Mraz-y style that's very relevant. He's a cool young married guy which I've gotta get behind, and I've gotta say, the guy I once thought was too boring to make it past the first round is fast becoming my favorite contestant.

Not much movement in the pool this week, Most people had Megan out already so Melissa Clement remains in front with Amy A. nipping at her heels. People are starting to have fewer red marks though as we reach the middle of the pack so it's still anyone's pool (well, almost anyone's) This week the Idols will be singing songs from the year they were born and Allison Iraheta will make us all feel old when she drops a top hit of 1993 ... sadly, she could sing No Doubt again if she wanted to. The Swami says: "Get yourselves a good dose of Anoop Dogg this week - It will be your last chance."

Make sure you come back next week when Mike Siciliano will take the reigns as guest-blogger for some fresh-perspective snarkiness - See you then!

9 Lives Left

(Click on the chart to view standings)

To see everyone's picks and a full standings breakdown, click here.

Another week of IDOL has come and gone and taken roughneck, Michael Sarver with it. Sarver's departure was overdue according to most of you but not for Amy A. who lost one of her top 4 and fell out of first place giving us a new leader by the name of Melissa Clement.

All in all I'd have to call Motown week a bit of a disappointment, but that's coming from a guy who holds Motown music as some of the best ever written. For me, it's hard for anyone to do justice to these songs - especially when compared to Mike Siciliano's fully-choreographed serenades in the offices of lakings.com.

The night's biggest disappointment (besides Megan Joy not being voted off) had to be Lil. The judges were right, it should have been her night. With so many great songs to choose from, "Heatwave" was a weak choice. After two luke-warm performances, Lil's breakout performance in the top 36 is starting to feel like a fluke.

Another favorite, Danny Gokey was good, but how do you blow off arrangement advice from Smokey Robinson?! Danny got off easy because the show was running late but I would have love to see him get called out for that with Smokey sitting in the front row.

There were some bright spots in week 3 though. Even the harshest Adam Lampbert critics among us (wait, is that just me?) were impressed by his stripped-down take on "Tracks of My Tears". I don't exactly see how that fits with his manic performances of weeks past, and I'd still call him the most overrated contestant in American Idol history (yeah, that's right) ... but it was good dog, it was good.

Tops for the night though was Allison Iraheta, who picked a tough song in "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" and knocked it out of the box. I'm usually pretty tough on the 16 year olds, but this girl can blow!

In the pool, Melissa takes over the lead in both earned and potential points but Amy A. is still in the hunt. The Hunts occupy 2nd place at the moment but picking Alexis to win will be their downfall. As the field narrows it's getting tougher and tougher to make a comeback but some people in the middle of the pack still have great potential. (Hint: the numbers in red are what really matters and they can only go down!)

Mums the word on this week's theme but the Idols will have their work cut out for them. The Swami says: "I hate to say it, but Scott MacIntyre's time is drawing to a close."

The Top 10

(Click on the chart to view standings)

To see everyone's picks and a full standings breakdown, click here.

Two weeks in, the touring top ten has is set, and if our pool is any indication we've had our first shocking elimination.  This week Alexis Grace got the axe, putting a lot of red marks on people's brackets ("Red marks," you say?  Click the full standings link above and you can see how each elimination affects your bracket and everyone else's).  

First off, thanks to everyone who stopped by to read last week's post but especially Mike Sis, who left a very amusing comment about how all (or at least half) of you all know each other.  If you didn't see it, check out the comments below the previous post.  And Mike, don't worry, It's only week two.  The snarkyness will pick up as the season progresses and I become more and more offended at how much time I'm devoting to this ridiculous TV show.  Once I start skipping weeks, my posts should be downright venomous.  Stay tuned.  

Secondly, I must make a retraction from last week's post.  Chris Piccolo picked Matt Giraud to win it all.  My last post said that Chris had picked TX native, Michael Sarver.  Let's hope we're both wrong!

OK, now that we've got the housekeeping out of the way let's have some week 2 highlights. Here we go ...

Clearly I'm an idiot, but I had Kris Allen out first because I thought he was boring. Halfway through his week 2 performance, I started writing down these notes ... Guess I wasn't wrong.

I think the judges were a little tough on Lil Rounds for not hip-hopping up her song on country night.  She made a conscious decision to respect the original version and took a risk with it.  If that's Lil singing outside her comfort zone, look out!  

Adam Lampbert with Randy Travis was the most awkward encounter since Jason Castro met Andrew Lloyd Webber.  His sitar-laden rendition of "Ring of Fire" was the most offensive performance since Archuletta sang "Imagine".  The fact that he survived that without a trip to the bottom 3 means were going to see a lot more Adam than I'm going to have patience for.

11:28 PM - I just realized that Scott is not a very good singer. Nice guy. Excellent piano player. Not a good singer... crap.

Megan getting a pass from the judges because she was sick was a crime. She's awful, flu or no flu.  If you think that's mean, you should hear my wife talk about her - scary.  

Good recovery by Anoop and Good thing for Jacqui and John, who both have him picked to win (Although truth-be-told, my aunt Jacqui said she wanted "Apoo" to win ... what a racist).  

Try as his stylists might, Matt Giraud is not Justin Timberlake.  He's a second-rate bar room piano player with average vocal chops - get over it people! 

There you have it folks.  Snarky enough for you?  Coming here and spewing sarcasm will soon be my only source of enjoyment since my own bracket is looking pretty dismal.  I'm not is as bad shape as the Hunts though, who both had Alexis picked to win it all.  They weren't the only ones hurt by Alexis' early departure though.  Adam, Brady, Jacqui, Ben S. and Geri "Glamma" Robak also picked her to go deep.  Not fooled though, was Amy Amantangelo, who continues to lead the pack with a 60/390 score and only one red mark going into week 3.  

This week's theme is "50 Years of Motown" and the Swami says: "Michael Sarver is going to sound silly singing Stevie Wonder and the Temptations - his days are numbered."

Season 8 is Underway!

(Click on the chart to view standings)

To see everyone's picks and a full standings breakdown, click here.

Yes folks it's season 8 of American Idol and we've reached the top 12 ... well OK, it was actually a top 13 but only for a brief shining moment as week one saw two contestants get the boot. Meanwhile, BP's IDOL Pool is in it's 6th season and despite losing some familiar faces (Where's Richie? Where's defending champ, Wilcz?), we have our biggest turnout yet with 21 players vying for IDOL supremacy this time around.  With two eliminations in week one, some people have already taken some damage but the season is young and it's still anyone's contest.  

This week, we said goodbye to Jasmine, who made it through as a Judges wild card and didn't fool a lot of people, as well as Jorge, the Puerto Rican sensation that many (myself included) thought could make a run.  The week one standouts came as no surprise. Lil Rounds, who led the pool in winner-picks with  7, had a strong showing as did Danny Gokey who was 5 people's pick to win it all.  But it was Adam Lampbert, who won the night for the judges with a (somewhat overrated in my opinion) rendition of "Black or White".  Only 4 people picked Adam to win it all so if things stay on course, Kathleen, Adam, Jay and JoAnne could be looking pretty good in the pool.

The big loser of the night (besides Jorge and Jasmine of course) was Anoop. 'Noop Dogg's likability earned him 2 winner picks in the pool, but his karaoke rendition of "Beat It" earned him a tongue-lashing from the judges.  Unless things turn around quickly, he looks overmatched.  

So far in the pool it's Amy Amantangelo leading the way in both points-scored and potential points.  Amy, along with Roisin and Kevin Hunt are the only players with a chance to go 10-for-10 this week.  The Idols take on the songs of the Grand Ol' Oprey in week 2, which is good news for Chris Piccolo, the lone player to pick Michael Sarver to win it all.  Country music could give a lift to the Texas native.  Swami says: "Anoop will struggle with the Opry tunes, and face the chopping block again.  But don't expect to see Megan Joy again - she'll be going home this week."

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!