2010 American Idol Final Standings!

American Idol Viewer's Guide - The Finals!

Let’s be honest. This season has lacked flair. While a couple of singers have had nice moments, there has not been one contestant that has consistently blown America away. Both Lee and Crystal could be a stand-out star at your college or on a cruise, but they are hardly superstar material.

If Crystal won, her Ford commercial next year would be in their new minivan. She’d have her son in an infant seat in the back and her hubby would be in the front seat wearing a t-shirt and jungle pants. They’d pick up Taylor Hicks hitch-hiking on the highway and STILL have room to squeeze in Bucky Covington and his seven brothers.

If Lee won, he’d be in a Taurus. It would be the standard model with no upgrades. He wouldn’t say anything-he’d just be eating a pint of vanilla ice cream (out of a cup-NO sprinkles) with his mouth extended in crooked bites. At the end of the commercial, the screen would turn black and the following would come on the screen. “Ford Taurus. Hey man…why not?”.

I’ve managed to put together the following video clip to summarize this season of American Idol.


Because I don’t have much else to say, I’ve decided to look to you for your thoughts on some questions swimming around in my idol poolmaster brain:

If he really does leave, who should replace Simon Cowell?
	Donald Trump
	Kanye West
	Satan
	Little Richard
pollcode.com free polls

How should American Idol spice up the things next year?
	Last Chance Idol. Change age limit range to 40-50 for one season. Get some has-been rockers in there
	2nd Chance Idol. Selected finalists who finished in the top 5 but didnt win return for a 2nd shot
	All Star Idol. Winners from each season return for the ultimate Idol showdown
	Global Idol. Winners from other international Idol competitions all gather for global Idol crown
pollcode.com free polls

Please vote on your favorite trip em up idea designed to throw the singers off and create a better viewer experience
	Crisco on the stairs
	Backup singers a quarter step down and sing in Mandarin Chinese all night
	Randy Jackson judging naked (no judging table allowed that week-chairs only)
	Songs from the Kenny G catalog
pollcode.com free polls

America should not only vote for their favorite singer but also vote on the artists stage name. The best name for Bowersox is:
	Shasta PowerSlam
	Dreadlocky McMoonbeam
	Melissa Ethrindigo Girl
	'U2 ' (Designed to increase album sales, this is different than Bonos band due to the space)
pollcode.com free polls

Please vote on your favorite stage name for Lee Dewyze
	Pretty much anything but Lee Dewyze
	Dexys Midnight Riderz (again, creatively designed to increase
	Lee DeYawn....Snore...zzzzzzzzzz
	Big Mike
pollcode.com free polls

Based solely on their weekly performances and their potential to become a star, who do YOU think deserves to be the next American Idol?
	Crystal
	Lee
	They are both amazing and deserving
	None of the above
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Finally, how do you think America will vote?
	Crystal
	Lee
pollcode.com free polls

Idol Pool Standings Week 11

American Idol Viewer's Guide - Top 3!

Tomorrow evening's show and next week's finale always make for two of the best nights of television all year. The Top 3 show is frequently forgotten about, but when you look back on past Top 3 episodes, you quickly realize how chock full of awesomeness they are.

Here are some great memories from past Top 3 episodes:
In Season 4, Bo Bice secured his spot in the finals by singing a capella. In Season 5, we got to see Elliot Yamin's mom in tears during Elliot's hometown parade. Season 6 brought the incredible night and subsequently controversial elimination of Melinda Doolittle. Last year's season 8 saw early favorite Danny Gokey get eliminated in favor of the surprising Kris Allen.

Point being, in the last 5 years, we've either seen some great performances, some surprising results, and/or some memorable events. It gets you really excited for Tuesday!

The show on Tuesday is as much about the contestants' trips home as it is about their performances on the show, so let's take a look at what we should expect tomorrow:

I'm sure Lee won't be losing any votes tomorrow when the producers show him weeping at his horse track concert:

Question - how can you be both a Cubs fan AND a White Sox fan? Still, throwing first pitch at Wrigley is pretty cool.

Here's a video of him crying through performing "The Boxer". He gets the tween crowd screaming when he sings the verse about sleeping with prostitutes in NYC. Stick around for him crying so hard that he can't even play "Hey Jude".:


Adam Lambert's favorite, Crystal Bowersox, had a similar trip home to Toledo as Lee did to Chicago, except for that seemingly nobody went to her parade, that based on crowd shots there were about 1/2 as many people there for her concert as for Lee's, that she got to go to a Toledo Mud Hens game instead of Lee's trip to Wrigley Field, and that she hugged a giant mascot chicken while Lee was just left alone on stage to deal with his own sobs of happiness....oh there was also more in-tune singing. Check out the video here.

Meanwhile, Casey James was escorted into his concert in Ft. Worth by the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders where he sang the amazing "Wayfaring Stranger" with his mom in front of 2,000 fans who braved the rain to see him perform. Now, that's the way to do a hometown visit. Check out the video here.

And here he is doing a radio show interview:



As you all know, on the Top 3 episodes each contestant sings two songs. For one song, one of the judges picks a song for one of the contestants, and then for the second song, the contestants get to pick a song of their choice. I'm not going to guess what the contestants have picked for themselves, but I feel like I have a really good idea of what's going on inside the judges' heads. Therefore I predict the judges will pick the following songs for the finalists:

Simon Cowell will pick a song for Lee. Lee is probably the front-runner right now, so Simon will want to look like a genius for picking a song for the leader because he will then be able to pat himself on the back for giving the front runner a slam dunk song. Now, what song will Simon pick for him.....let's see - it has to be something that will make Lee look vulnerable while still showcasing his voice while, at the same time, earn Simon a ton of money.

I know! He owns the rights to Leonard Cohen's much-too-frequently covered "Hallelujah". I'm sure that will be it.



Looking into my "crystal" ball, I predict Ellen will pick a song for Crystal. Why Ellen pick for Crystal? Just a gut feeling.

I'm actually betting Ellen doesn't pick the song but is actually railroaded by the producers into giving Crystal a song....it would have to be something that would show off her range, make her comfortable in that "I don't sing any songs written in the last 15 years" kind of zone, but take her away from her guitar since she'll be relying on it for her own song choice.

I know! How about McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed"? It's right in her wheelhouse vocally, it will allow her to improvise when she wants, it allows her to where a backless dress to show off her back tat, and it will bring McCartney even more royalty fees than he's already received from the last couple seasons.



This means I predict that Kara and Randy will jointly pick a song for Casey. Kara is a little more current than Ellen and Simon, so I imagine it will be by a contemporary artist. It probably should be by someone who is known for playing the guitar. I'm guessing it will be a song that will showcase Casey's sensitive side since his own song choice will probably be a bluesy rocker. I'm also guessing Kara would subconsciously pick a song for Casey with sex on the mind.

I know! What about John Mayer's Daughters?! It's written by a sexy sleazebag, and it'd allow for Casey to simply the guitar while the camera slowly zooms in on his dreamy eyes and incredible hair.



Those are my guesses for Tuesday night.

Enjoy the top 3!

Idol Pool Standings Week 10

American Idol Viewer's Guide - Movies!

Welcome to the random and catch-all 'Movie week' American Idolers!

One would think you'd have lots and lots of songs to choose from since there are roughly 10 million movies in existence, according to my trusted source (Wikipedia).

That being said, Idol has culled that list down to a mere 34 songs according to the internet rumors out there.

I have a lot of problems with this list. For starters - Bryan Adams makes the list twice? Didn't we leave him in the 90's?

I can't help but wonder how and why they pick the songs they do - producers favorite movies? Judges secret crushes? Artists who have spoken kindly about American Idol? Did I miss a cryptic explanation from Seacrest on this topic? No matter the process, there always seems to be a strong element of cheese on this theme night, and a whole lot of suckiness. And since expectations are so low, let us hope to be pleasantly surprised tomorrow night.

Here are my predictions from headquarters (I'm choosing to think they have free rein and can pick the movie song of their dreams. Humor me on this one, it's much more fun):

Casey:
This is an easy on e- Casey needs to sing 'In your Eyes' from Say Anything.

He can play his guitar, and he look meaningfully at Kara and he can even use a boom box as a prop. I also suggest going shirtless and blowing out his locks for special effects. The ladies will swoon.


Crystal:
Crystal should sing something from Even Cowgirls Get the Blues. There's a lot to choose from here with K.D Lang's lyrics and style to embody for our artsy Crystal. She can have a lot of fun with the outfit as well- not only will that silly giant feather thing hanging off her head finally fit in, but I've got a great, great idea as to what she should wear for pants… wait for it… CHAPS. Good ol' leather chaps. Who wouldn't vote for her?


Big Mike:
Mike has a lay up here if he channels his inner-diva and does some girly song in his breathy falsetto. Better yet, why not just sing Kate Bush for the THIRD time this season since This Woman's Work is by far his most popular tune. I'm thinking he could really rock Judy Garland's version of 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' . If this guy can do it, anyone can. The judges will think it's about his wife and new baby, and Kara will cry. It's all very perfect. If Judy doesn't do it for him, Mike could always default to Titanic and Celine Dion.



Bringing up the rear is our consistently (read- boring) soulful friend, Lee. I'm going to place my tongue in cheek and recommend that Lee actually sing something by Bryan Adams. My bias against Bryan aside, their voices have the same raspy quality to them and I think Lee would win over the female vote with a little 'I Do It for You'. Bonus points if he dresses up like Kevin Costner and manages to bring a horse on stage (a small pony would suffice as well).


Well Idol Fans, settle down with your movie popcorn and Milk Duds, and let's see what the night brings!
IPM

Idol Pool Standings Week 9

American Idol Viewer's Guide - Sinatra!

Well Idol Pool fans, we've made it to the top 5. It's Sinatra week! Let's hope none of the contestants end up like this:


Since our dear Blue Eyes isn't here to mentor the remaining contestants, we at Idol Pool Headquarters have come up with the advice we think he'd give if he were with them before they take the stage. And since our beloved Seeohbhaan left, it’s a toss-up as to who will sing "Jeepers Creepers".


Casey
Casey: Hi. The ladies call me "ol’ blue eyes" too.
Sinatra: No they don't son. You got smog in the noggin, and there ain’t no chicks in skins boppin to your beat.
Casey: Huh?
Sinatra: Exactly - sing for me then blue eyes. Make it hip.

Song choice: ‘Blame it on My Youth’ or ‘Bop! Goes My Heart’.


Big Mike

Sinatra: So Big Mike, tell me something about yourself.
Big Mike: I don't like to be called Big Mike.
Sinatra: Oh yeah, I get it. I saw 'The Blind Side'. So, Big Mike, you wanna work out and play some football?

Song choice: ‘Love Me Tender’ or ‘I Love You Just the Way You Are’


Crystal
Sinatra: Well, Ms. BobbySoxers, I've heard all about you.
Crystal: Actually, my last name is Bowersox. But it's okay.
Sinatra: You really should change it - bobbysoxers wore the hip look - I think it might catch on again. Do you think you can pull this off?

Sinatra: Oh, and stop toying with your boy you saucy lass. ‘Don't marry me, I’m not ready, I have the ring so I’m ready, I’m not giving him the ring back yet, He'd better propose but I still have the ring, Why hasn't he done it, No pressure at all’. Seriously woman, I've seen less torture in war times!

Song choice: ‘Both Sides Now’ (Joni Mitchell version) or ‘Everyman Should Marry’ (to be proudly dedicated to her ready-to-run-the-opposite-direction-because-she-made-it-awkward-in-front-of-millions-of-viewers boyfriend)


Lee
Sinatra: So, you’re the rocker.
Lee: Yeah.
Sinatra: Think you’ll win?
Lee: Yeah.
Sinatra: What’s on your chin?
Lee: Hair.
Sinatra: You look like a fool. In my day your Dad would have popped you one and you'd have shaved it right quick.
Lee: Cool.

Song choice: ‘Bad, Bad, LEEroy Brown’ or ‘LEEavin’ on a Jet Plane’ or ‘Mrs. Robinson’


Aaron
Aaron: Hello Mr. Sinatra. I was thinking of singing ‘Makin’ Whoopee’. Just like last week, I’ll be singing it for my Mom.
Sinatra: Well, gee, okay.
(He sings)
Sinatra: I'm sure you have a good voice son, but every time you sing all I hear in my head is cookie monster telling me 'One of these things is not like the other - one of these things does not belong’.


Song choice: ‘Come Fly With Me’ or ‘I Get a Kick Out of You’.


Enjoy Sinatra week!

Idol Pool Standings Week 8

American Idol Viewer's Guide - Shania Twain

Well, Tim is officially gone. Phew. Between boy-crazy tweens and votefortheworst.com, I was starting to fear a finale of Tim Urban and Aaron Kelly. Even the founder of Vote for the Worst was planning to throw in the towel if Tim Urban had made it all the way.

Alas, he is gone, and Vote for the Worst continues to sabotage. Their new pick has been revealed: slow-talking, combat-boot-wearing Siobhan Magnus. They will certainly help her cause; however, I’m pretty sure Siobhan has her own way of manipulating the competition…

With her uncanny resemblance to Nancy Downs, the evil teen witch from The Craft, Siobhan just has to stare at the camera with wide eyes and slightly flared nostrils and people from around the globe involuntarily pick up their phones to vote.



Don’t be fooled by the butterfly accessories, glittery, purple lip-gloss and molasses-paced commentary, this witch is no Glinda. You don’t have to take my word for it… just look at her friends:

BEWARE.

Now, onto this week’s theme: Shania Twain. This… could… be… ugly.

Predictions:
Crystal: “Forever and For Always”. She may wear cowboy boots with a hippy dress.

Siobhan: “You’re Still the One”, which she will actually be singing about her little sister.

Big Mike: “When You Kiss Me”. He’ll throw in some extra vibrato, hit those high notes, and then stand with his wide-stance in front of the judges like the football player he is.

Casey: “You’ve Got a Way”, which will either show his vulnerable side the judges have been after, or it will be the worst. performance. ever.

Lee: “I’m Gonna Getcha Good!”. This is an unfortunate theme for Lee, but whatever song he sings, he will make it all gravelly and “commercial” and he’ll be just fine.

Aaron: “Up” because the lyrics are made for an adolescent boy:

It's 'bout as bad as it could be
Seems everybody's buggin' me
Like nothing wants to go my way--
yeah, it just ain't been my day
Nothin's comin' easily

Even my skin is acting weird
I wish that I could grow a beard
Then I could cover up my spots
not play connect the dots
I just wanna disappear

Enjoy the episode, everyone!

Idol Pool Standings Week 7

American Idol Viewer's Guide - Idol Gives Back

Next up on Idol is Idol Gives Back -- the two day event where American Idol reminds the American public that Africa is a continent and not a country.

Last year due to the economy (which has apparently made a miraculous recovery!) Idol Gives Back did not take place but two years ago, it was the week that Aussie Michael Johns was sent packing. This was a major disappointment one week after his sexy Dolly Parton number, "It's All Wrong, But It's All Right".


God, remember when Idol contestants put on performances that actually made you press rewind so you could watch them again?!

This week, we expect to see the following special guests:

Joss Stone, Lady Antebellum, Justin Bieber


and Mary J. Blige, Carrie Underwood, Black Eyed Peas, Annie Lennox and Alicia Keys, who will also mentor the Top 7. Someone we won't be seeing however is this man.

And now for the predictions (that I made before having the benefit of the actual "Inspirational Songs" available for the contestants to choose from).

Lee: Man in the Mirror
Casey: No Boundaries (keep working Kara!!)
Mike: Turn Turn Turn
Siobhan: God Bless the USA (keep us guessing -- and it worked for Kristy Lee!)

Crystal: Talkin''bout A Revolution
Aaron: Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me
Tim: Redemption Song

See ya when I see ya,
IPM

Idol Pool Standings Week 6

First of all, everyone who watched American Idol on Wednesday night, not to get you down, you did not see Rihanna performing live. Her entire performance was staged about an hour before the show. It was prerecorded, which means they record the performance before the show and run the footage for the show. While on the topic of Rihanna and her performance, my mom and I agree that Rihanna is much prettier in real life. And, she cannot play guitar.

Another little Hollywood secret, they have a “pepper-upper” person on the set to get everyone in the crowd pumped up. His name is Cody. In between the commercials and everything, he plays fun music and talks to everyone. At one point, he had two brothers, Max and Jack, come onstage and dance. The boys ended up ratting out their mom, who won't let them vote. So, Cody gave the boys a brand new AT&T cell phone.

Also during commercial breaks, all of the judges get up and leave. We don't know where, we don't know why. But on the show, the judges are only in their chairs for like, 12 minutes.

Another funny thing about Idol is the makeup girl. She is about a foot around and she carries this bag around her waist that is just as big as she is, if not bigger. She carries about every makeup brush, puff and brand known to man.

The studio is very small. There are only about 25 rows of seating. We were in the seventh row behind Randy. The pits (the people standing by the stage) are constantly moving to put in a new piece of stage or to light something up. People were dressed kind of casually and just walked around and talked.

The Idol studio and the people within are very fond of rules and regulations. Like, no electronics of any sort in the studio. They take your cell phones, cameras, iPods, anything that could possibly record something or look bad on TV. While on the subject of looking bad, the Idol producers and stagehands do not want the audience to be unattractive. So, their brilliant solution is to pass a gum cup. For those of you who have never heard of a gum cup, it is a cup passed around the entire studio in which people dispose of their gum. I personally found it disgusting.

After Idol, we went over to this restaurant called Wild Ranch. As our food was being served, my mom screams 'Oh my gosh! It's Katie!' We had already met her mother, so, she kind of recognized us. They walked over and Katie seemed genuinely happy to meet us. She has a very good sense of humor and is very talkative.


Lacey was at Wild Ranch as well.


Also during this dinner outing, I discovered my mother’s slight stalker side. Casey James showed up at the Wild Ranch, too. He immediately headed towards the bathroom, which was right by our table. Almost instantly, my mom tells me to watch the door until he comes out. It was a little weird. Eventually, Casey came out and we got our picture.


We met Big Mike and his wife (Idol Central!) outside of the restaurant. We got a picture with him and soon retired to our hotel. I think my mom is still a little star struck.



Week 6 Standings

American Idol Double Elimination Viewer's Guide

Idol's producers really grabbed our attention here at Idol Pool headquarters when they announced that Adam Lambert would be this week's mentor. Just what kind of job can we expect of such a young star? Will his advice offer contestants a boost or the kiss of death?

Thinking about these questions led us to larger musings on the nature of mentorship itself. As someone who was first an Idol Pool Apprentice, then an Idol Pool Journeyman, before becoming the Idol Pool Master, I know about mentorship from both sides. Though the Idol Pool Internship Program has now folded, old-timers in the Pool will no doubt remember Debbie the Intern, author of innumerable emails and blog posts during Seasons 3 and 4.

Many of you have probably wondered what happened to Debbie. What has she done with the last five years of her life? Where did she go after her auspicious start here at Idol Pool Headquarters?

Well, we're happy to report that Debbie has been in a grad program studying statistics since she left Headquarters, and all that education is finally paying dividends. Debbie's dissertation, "Performance Order as Destiny: An Empirical Study of the Determinants of American Idol Success" is nearing completion, and she wrote to share some of her early findings. Apparently, we've all been fooled this whole time. As it turns out, on Idol, mentorship doesn't matter. Song choice doesn't matter. It doesn't even matter whether you can sing. (That's the good news, Tim Urban.) The ONLY thing that matters is the order in which the contestants perform. Here's Debbie's proof:


For those who don't understand statistics, can't follow graphs, or are colorblind, Debbie summarizes: "America hates contestants who go first or fourth. They are doomed to failure."

Frankly, we find this hard to believe. Doesn't Debbie's own story prove that good instruction and careful mentorship makes anything possible? If that's not true, why would we have spent $17.95 worth of your Idol Pool entry fees on "What's Up Dawg?: How to Become a Superstar in the Music Business"?

For that matter, why would we have have spent the rest of this year's pool money on an hour lesson with Randy and Kara?

No--we still believe in mentorship here at Idol HQ. If mentorship didn't work, there wouldn't be any hope at all for slashing sugar, hearing the music in our lives, or--most importantly--singing the Elvis songbook.

We'll see you on the Comments Board tomorrow night.

American Idol Viewer's Guide - Lennon & McCartney

As Ryan announced last week, we’re back to the Lennon/McCartney songbook. I guess no Taxman. Would have been topical…

Two seasons ago provided some heroics, especially David Cook’s coming out party with Eleanor Rigby.


It also brought along some disasters, like David Hernandez’s swan song with “I Saw Her Standing There”


At IPM Headquarters, we’re expecting the same this time around. With so many songs to choose from, I can already imagine Kara’s condescension and Simon’s exasperation as they wonder how the contestants might not choose the right one of 400 songs.

I’ll just pray that no one sounds like Steven Tyler last night.


Maybe we should add an extra side pot for the person who identifies the woman he won’t take his hands off of during the song.

I try to be forward-looking in these previews, but I can’t help but go back to Didi’s elimination. She was the first contestant to leave that really put a dent in a significant number of pool members’ picks (with apologies to the Alex Lambert fans). Was Ryan too pushy on Tuesday night? Was Didi too visibly irritated? Didi clearly didn’t want to tell her story, but she has since said her friend was on her mind. Would it have helped Didi had she told the story on stage and gotten some extra sympathy votes? Would she have seemed too fragile? We’ll never know. But it’s clear that Ryan is intent on making himself more central to the show this season, perhaps to try to make up for some of the missing excitement in the show overall.

Back to looking forward, here are the results from the IPM supercomputer’s predictions for this week’s performances (again, no order):

Sanja…I mean Tim Urban: I said “Michelle” (reggae style) last week, and the computer agrees. Though it sure would be fun to see Simon’s inevitable reaction if he did “Ticket to Ride”.

Aaron Kelly: Seems like he has “Yesterday” written all over him. It will be boring but solid, and he’ll move on. As usual.

Casey James: I know he said acoustic this week, but I’m betting he won’t be able to resist “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”.

Katie Stevens: I’d love to see her do something interesting, like “Norwegian Wood”. She’s not going to win anyway, but the wanna-be diva stuff is getting a bit tiresome and it would be nice to mix it up.

Siobahn Magnus: Seems like a pretty good bet that she’ll move back to some the more haunting songs (House of the Rising Sun, Paint it Black) that she’s thrived on. She would either do an incredible “Day in the Life”, or it will totally bomb.

Michael Lynche: Maybe an R&B version version of “Lovely Rita”? This week could be tougher on him, but, to play Kara for a moment, he seems to know who he is.

Crystal Bowersox: She could go in a lot of directions, but a “Blackbird” cover not so different from Sarah McLachlan’s would be fun to see and would work well with her style.

Lee Dewyze: Am I the only one who thinks his raspy vocal would make for a really good rocker version of “Day Tripper”? I could see that being a highlight.

Andrew Garcia: Finally got back on track last week. Is he building momentum or was it just a flash in the pan? It would be funny to see him sing “Nowhere Man”, but the computer thinks he’ll bring back the guitar on “Here Comes the Sun”.

With so many possibilities, I would guess that all of these are wrong. Please chime in in the comments with your predictions.

Idol Pool Standings Week 4

American Idol Viewer's Guide - R&B

Two completely unrelated events crossed over in the Idolverse this week: the debut of the Anderson Cooper 360 special on childhood obesity with Jamie Oliver & Ryan Seacrest discussing it with him, and the use of Usher as this week's mentor on Idol. We've seen pics of Ryan as a kid on the show and while he definitely had glasses straight out of The Facts Of Life, he wasn't obese - connection anyone?

Unfortunately, this season hasn't promoted itself out of IPM's DVR gallows and I've been tempted to maybe even dial in the whole season and just tune in to the final. It's still a great show but this season has been lackluster. Despite the criticism, Ellen Degeneres has added a much needed spark and glow of positivity to this season and while she's not adding a polish of unboringness (that is sooooo a word) to the show, she's chillin with Usher, on a rollercoaster, y'know … just chillin

Usher himself is on the cusp of promoting and touring for his new album Raymond vs Raymond - this is the start of him trying to hang with Stella and get his groove back. But he has to coach the final 10 through a dizzying array of top songs in the R&B category. The full list is available on iTunes here, and it features everyone from Aretha to Barry White to Aaliyah to Alica Keys to The Supremes. Most interesting will be how Usher communicates his connection with the music and how the Idol-wannabes should try to connect with the songs. Here's the IPM supercomputer predictions, in no particular order:

Crystal Bowersox - who cares what she picks. Simon is going to say it's in a league above the rest yet she is still going to somehow sound like every other coffeehouse singer you ever stumbled upon when you were hungover, driving back from that wedding in Scranton

Aaron Kelly, 16 going on 60, and he's totally going to do something anachronistic for his age - think Otis Redding "I've been loving you too long"

Casey James will wear his hair down because he's afraid of losing the cougar contingency and do his best to rock out to Curtis Mayfield or Chris Brown

Andrew Garcia will be destroyed, unfortunately, by the dizzying array of confusing non-advice coming from every judge. No, Paula Abdul songs are not on the R&B list. He's good, but every week is getting more and more painful

Didi Benami will continue to ensnare the young and hormonal male vote and sing about Los Angeles, because she's a waitress there and lives there too and can't not talk about it EVERY episode and because LA is so culturally rich with R&B history… NOT!!!

Katie Stevens will teleport into the future and sing a song from Aretha's unreleased album which is coming out in 2025, because she too is 18 going on 80, or she'll sing Diana Ross

Lee Dewyze will project himself through that commercial and radio-ubiquitous voice of his to rasp his way into a Rob Thomas version of any Al Green song. Even the IPM supercomputer is busy calculating all those variables…

Michael Lynche will sing about a woman and sing with a falsetto of the small boy he squeezed into his biceps. He has Brian McKnight written all over himself this week

Siobhan Magnus will sing any song she can scream at the end. Expect a karaoke-ish version of anything from the James Brown repertoire to come alive when she's on

As for Tim Urban and his beautiful blue eyes which we get lost in everytime he's on stage, does it matter what he'll sing? You know you'll say "That's totally from High School Musical" even though you've never even really seen High School Musical, but you think he wants to hold the mantle of Mini Me next to Zac Efron. We think he'll try Cruisin by Smokey Robinson and maybe do something on a slip-n-slide on stage

With that said, farewell and adieu you fair spanish ladies.

Peace out!
IPM

Idol Pool Standings Week 3

Week 3 Standings:

American Idol Viewer's Guide - Not Teen Idol!

I bet you thought it was Teen Idol week. So did I. We were wrong. Americanidolnet.com is confirming a theme change for this week from teen idols to “Billboard #1 hits”.

I find this kind of disappointing since “teen idol” week was going to be new territory for idol. I am assuming that they changed the theme because neither Britney Spears nor Frankie Avalon were available for guest mentoring. There remains, however, a rumor that Miley Cirus will sing this week on the results show. Party in the USA!!


I think many people were pretty surprised last week when Lacey went home, which goes to show that the person that doesn’t do as well often gets votes because people fear they will be sent home, and then the people who did well get forgotten. With that in mind, I think this week has the potential to get a little crazy solely because with a theme as huge as “Billboard # 1’s”, picking the right song is a real challenge. If you want to get a taste for how many songs we’re taking about, here is a list of the Billboard #1 hits from the 60s alone.

I dare Andrew Garcia to do an acoustic guitar version of TLC’s “No Scubs” – Billboard #1 hit from 1999. Just in case you had finally gotten that song out of your head:


The mentor for this week is a secret, though again, with this theme the choices seem endless. Perhaps they will try to go with someone that has had a long of Billboard hits. The Beatles have the most #1 hits of all time, but we can assume they are out for obvious reasons. Guess who #2 is, though? Mariah Carey! No one loves to show up for stuff more than Mariah Carey, so my money is on her. The full list is here.

Idol Pool Standings Week 2

Standings for Week 2

American Idol Viewer's Guide - Rolling Stones

Greetings from Idol Headquarters! We were thrilled to dust things off and prepare for Season 9. We’ve aired out HQ, turned on our computers and fed the go-go dancers. It’s going to be a great season! See below for a look at the passion and excitement that surrounds us here at Idol HQ.


Before we get into this week’s lineup, let’s address some pressing news in the world of Idol. We’ve already had a dramatic start with the most unidolesque contestant in Idol history – Crystal Bowersox. Crystal was hospitalized for complications due to diabetes or “her beetus” as she refers to it, but was able to stay in the competition. After persevering and making it through to the Top 12, you would think she would have been able to crack a smile. In the end it seemed like she was on to the fact that Lilly wasn’t making it through. We can understand that she might have lost a friend in Lilly – I mean, we can’t really picture her giggling in her jammies with Katie Stevens, or comparing hard times on the street with Aaron Kelly. But, she could have shown some excitement since she is one of the favorites to win. We hope she lightens up to her moderately cheerless self because we are looking forward to what she will bring this season –except in the group numbers where she looks so out of place it’s like watching Donny Osmond on stage with Kiss, or Jason Castro perform “Memory.”


In other Idol news let’s turn to the super tense, totally real feud between Ellen and Simon….let’s not.

Finally, there has been some controversy over Alex Lambert’s elimination last week. Even Demi Moore has gotten involved with a petition to bring him back. Insert cougar joke here.

Now on to this week’s show. The Top 12 will tackle Rolling Stones songs. We should be prepared for some amazing interpretations along with some toe-curling disasters. If Mick Jagger is a guest mentor this week, we wonder if they will show the tape of him deflowering Katie Stevens and doing mushrooms with Siobhan…

Here are our predictions:
Didi Benami – Angie
Siobhan Magnus – Paint it Black
Paige Miles - Wild Horses
Casey James – She’s a Rainbow
Tim Urban – Beast of Burden
Lee Dewyze – Lady Jane
Crystal Bowersox – Mother’s Little Helper
Michael Lynche – Sympathy for the Devil
Lacey Brown – Ruby Tuesday
Aaron Kelly – Honkey Tonk Women
Andrew Garcia – (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction
Katie Stevens - You Can’t Always Get What You Want

Happy viewing!

All of the 2010 Idol Pool Entries!!!

Here is the legend describing what the coloring, etc. mean:


I have highlighted special accomplishments made by various people in the history of the pool - 2005 Top 3 finishers, 2006/2007/2008/2009 Top 10 finishers, Original Pool Members, people who guessed the American Idol right, and last place finishers. Top 3 finishers for each year are in bold.

In alphabetical order (teams are under "T"):
1. Adele - 2009 7th place
2. AJ
3. Allison
4. Amy P. - Original Pool Member
5. Amy Y. - Original Pool Member, 2008 7th place, 2009 5th place
6. Andy


7. Anh - Got 2008 American Idol (David C.)
8. Barb
9. Boop
10. Brett
11. Brian - Original Pool Member
12. Brooke - Original Pool Member, 2005 Last Place


13. Bruce
14. Carol
15. Caroline
16. Cathleen - Got 2008 American Idol (David C.)
17. Chris F.
18. Chris H.


19. Chris R.
20. Christina
21. Cindy - Original Pool Member, 2006 10th place
22. Corona
23. Cory
24. Dan


25. Dave L. - 2006 3rd place, 2008 5th place
26. Dave S. - 2009 8th place
27. David G.
28. Denis
29. Dina F.
30. Dina P. - 2006 5th place


31. Emily
32. Florencia
33. Harvey
34. Ian
35. Isa
36. Jabbar


37. Jaime
38. Jan
39. Jane C.
40. Jane G. - 2009 4th place
41. Jane L.
42. Jason


43. Jean Claude
44. Jen S. - Got 2008 American Idol (David C.)
45. Jennie L. - 2007 5th place, 2008 Idol Pool Winner, Got 2008 American Idol (David C.)
46. Jess D. - 2009 10th place
47. Jessica P.
48. Jhonmar


49. Joelle
50. Jonathan - 2009 Runner-Up
51. Jordan
52. Josh D. - Got 2009 American Idol (Kris)
53. Josh M.
54. Judith A.


55. Judy S. - 2009 last place
56. Julie H. - 2008 10th place
57. Julie R. - Original Pool Member, 2005 Idol Pool Winner, 2006 4th place
58. Kaitie
59. Kara
60. Karen


61. Karie
62. Kathryn
63. Kayte G.
64. Ken
65. Kristin M. - 2006 Runner-Up, 2007 4th place
66. Lauren


67. Laurie
68. Lisa B. - 2008 6th place
69. Lisa S. - Original Pool Member, 2005 Runner-Up
70. Mandy - Original Pool Member
71. Marcia
72. Marie G.


73. Marie L.
74. Mark F.
75. Mark K. - 2009 3rd Place
76. Mark N.
77. Mark S.
78. Marybeth - 2007 Runner-Up


79. Matty - Original Pool Member, 2006 6th place
80. Meredith - Original Pool Member, 2006 9th place, 2007 7th place, 2008 9th place
81. Michael F.
82. Mike L.
83. Minette
84. Missy - 2006 7th place, 2007 6th place, Got 2006 American Idol (Taylor)


85. Molly
86. Nancy
87. Nicole L.
88. Nicole T.
89. Noah
90. Paul F.


91. Paul P. - Original Pool Member, 2007 3rd place
92. Peter - 2006 Last Place
93. Regina
94. Rich
95. Ryan G.
96. Ryan S.


97. Ryan W. - 2008 Runner-Up
98. Sarah F.
99. Sarah V.
100. Sheila
101. Shelly G.
102. Stephanie B. - 2009 Idol Pool Winner, Got 2009 American Idol (Kris)


103. Stephanie H.
104. Stephanie S. - 2009 6th place
105. Stephen H. - 2008 4th place
106. Steve B.
107. Sue T.
108. Suzanne - 2007 Last Place, Got 2008 American Idol (David C.)


109. Suzy M. - 2008 3rd place, Got 2008 American Idol (David C.)
110. Team Brooklyn
111. Team Hitchcock
112. Team Mingey
113. Team O'Brien
114. Team Sweater Puppets


115. Team 'Tini
116. Team Wich
117. Terry D.
118. Tiffany
119. Todd
120. Tom


121. Will - Original Pool Member, 2007 Idol Pool Winner
122. Youssef
123. Yvonne - Original Pool Member, 2005 3rd place