The Final Standings!

1. Jennie L. - 284 points – up from 6th

2. Ryan – 279 points – down from 1st

3. Suzy M. - 278 points – up from 7th

4. Stephen - 276 points – down from 2nd

5. Dave L. - 275 points – down from 4th (wins tiebreaker with David H. 12th)

6. Lisa B. - 275 points - down from 3rd

7. Amy Y. - 273 points – down from 5th

8. Katie K. - 266 points – up from 13th

9. Meredith - 264 points - down from 8th

10. Julie H. - 263 points - down from 9th

11. Jan W. - 257 points – down from T-10th (wins tiebreaker with Amanda 11th)

12. Jane – 257 points – down from T-10th

13. Cathleen - 256 points – up from 25th (wins tiebreaker with David C. right)

14. Jaime - 256 points – down from 12th

T-15. Don - 254 points – down from T-14th
T-15. Michelle - 254 points - down from T-14th
(both had David A. 2nd and then nothing right, so they end tied)

17. Mike L. - 253 points – down from 16th (wins tiebreaker with Syesha 3rd)

18. Liz - 253 points – down from 17th

19. Amy L-P. - 251 points – down from 18th

20. Denis - 250 points – down from 19th

21. Marcia - 249 points – down from T-20th (wins tiebreaker with Syesha 3rd)

22. Aneesha - 249 points - down from T-20th (finishes 2nd in tiebreaker with Brooke 5th)

23. Stephanie - 249 points – down from T-20th

24. Suzanne - 248 points – up from 32nd

25. Kara - 247 points – down from 23rd

26. Damian - 246 points – down from 24th

27. Anh - 243 points – up from 42nd

28. Matt - 242 points – down from T-26th (wins tiebreaker with Brooke 5th)

29. Alieda - 242 points - down from T-26th

30. Corona - 239 points – down from 28th

31. Julie R. - 238 points – down from 30th (wins tiebreaker with Chikezie 10th)

32. Karen - 238 points – down from 29th

33. Jen S. - 237 points – up from T-47th (wins tiebreaker with David C. 1st)

34. Jenny M. - 237 points – down from 31st

35. Cindy - 236 points – down from 33rd

36. Jean Claude - 235 points – down from 35th (wins tiebreaker with Ramiele 9th)

37. Scott - 235 points – down from 34th

38. Kristin - 233 points - up from 40th (wins tiebreaker with David A. 2nd)

39. Will B. - 233 points – down from T-36th (finishes 2nd in tiebreaker with Jason 4th)

40. Jon - 233 points – down from T-36th (finishes 3rd in tiebreaker with Amanda 11th)

T-41. Brian - 233 points (245 max) – down from T-36th
T-41. Rich – 233 points (245 max) – down from T-36th
(both had nothing right, so they end tied)

43. Lisa S. - 232 points - down from 41st

44. Marybeth & Lucy - 230 points – down from 43rd

45. Stacie - 226 points – up from 46th (wins tiebreaker with David A. 2nd)

46. Jan M. - 226 points - down from T-44th (finishes 2nd in tiebreaker with Amanda 11th)

47. Brooke - 226 points – down from T-44th

48. Melissa - 225 points – down from T-47th

49. Matty - 224 points – no change

50. Yvonne - 223 points – no change

51. Team O'Brien - 222 points – no change

52. Mandy - 221 points – no change

53. Dina - 216 points – no change

54. Team 'Tini - 215 points – no change

55. Paul F. - 214 points – no change

56. Team Ringey - 212 points – no change

57. Kathryn - 211 points – no change

58. Michael W. - 210 points – no change

59. Andy - 209 points – no change

60. Sean - 207 points – no change

61. Missy - 206 points – up from 62nd (wins tiebreaker with David A. 2nd)

62. Emily - 206 points – down from 61st

63. Peter - 204 points – no change

64. Katy L. - 202 points – no change

65. Lance - 200 points – no change (wins tiebreaker with Michael 8th)

66. Cristina - 200 points – down from T-65th

67. Paul P. - 199 points – no change

68. Julie W. - 194 points – no change

69. Judy - 192 points – no change

70. Dave S. - 191 points – no change

71. Jill - 190 points – no change

72. Mike & Suzy - 188 points – no change

73. Kendra - 187 points – no change

74. Julie K. - 182 points – no change

75. Will A. – 179 points – no change

76. Chris F. – 167 points – no change

77. Mark - 126 points – no change

78. Neisha - 119 points – no change

American Idol Final Viewer's Guide!

Archuleta has a girlfriend? Really?

American Idol Pool Members,

In this, our last Viewer's Guide of the year, I want to celebrate you, the reason why we at AI Headquarters work around the clock to bring you joy, bring you standings, and bring you a reason to live. Thank you for all of your comments, your participation, and of course your money. On behalf of myself, Debbie the Intern, and JoJo Conroy, we wish you much luck in this momentous week of the American Idol Finals.

But the season isn't over. We are highly anticipating the climax of what Ryan Seacrest has called "the best season of American Idol yet." Clearly, this season is the strongest season in American Idol's seven year history with record breaking voting and the largest turn out for the American Idol Pool (some of you still owe JoJo money).

When thinking of my final post, it would be so, so easy to pit these two finalists against each other. Age-old battles of the young whippersnapper vs. the seasoned professional, the velvety-toned wunderkind vs. the gravely rocker, or the fresh-faced teen-idol vs. the "kind-of-look-like-I've-eaten-too-many-chipotle-burritos-but-I'm-still-kind-of-sexy" twenty-something, are the stuff of legend and lore; to pit one of these finalists against the other would be the easy way out.




I have also considered endorsing one candidate over the other. As Idol Pool Master, I feel I have my finger on the pulse of the membership, and I feel confident that I could put our membership (78 multi-generational, multi-city, multi-sexually oriented voices strong) solidly behind one candidate. But it isn't that easy. To be honest, I love both of these candidates (when I don't hate them.) Sure, if David Archuleta makes that hand-motion one more time (you know, the one where he clenches his right fist and pushes it down when he hits a big note), I might throw up. And the open palm "give back" of David Cook is a moment that is seared into my worst of nightmares. But, let's be frank, these two men (kind-of) can SING! They both have huge potential to join the ranks of Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson and Taylor Hicks (?) as pop-phenoms.

But we here at Idol Pool HQ believe there is not an Archuleta America or a Cook America -- there is a United States of America. We like rock in the Archuleta States and appreciate pitch in the Cook States. We like "aw shucks" in the Cook States and pretense in the Archuleta States. Our hope that is that on Wednesday, the sky will open, the light will come down, celestial choirs will be singing, and our new American Idol will appear: