It's American Classics Week on Idol!

Well, our picks say that Sundance goes out this week. Since he didn't even make the top 12, we thought it was high time Phil Stacey gets his own pic.

Ideas for what Phil Stacey looks most like in this picture? I think it's some weird mix between this


And this


Yes or no? Ideas for Phil Stacey lookalikes? We're tired of picking on the freakshow. It gets tiring. So, new meat Phil Stacey is fair game this week. Anyone have any Phil limericks?

Our weekly "this performance is better than anything that Sanjaya has ever sang ever" comes from Bjork! Amazing.


Tony Bennett hosts the master class this week for "American Classics" week. Idol Pool HQ has been buzzing about this week as we all love our Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, George Gershwin, and Richard Rogers & Hammerstein/Hart songs.

Of course, we were also excited in Season 3 for Big Band week, and we got a real mixed bag that episode - We got some great standards like "Someone to Watch Over Me" and "Cheek to Cheek" and "The Way You Look Tonight", some trite standards like "What a Wonderful World", some arguable big band songs like "Don't Rain on My Parade" and some songs that definitely don't fit the bill like Queen's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love".

"Crazy Little Thing Called Love"?!?! If that's a big band song, it makes us very scared what the American Classics are......



One person who would have been very strong with American Classics would have been Chris Sligh. Unfortunately, he got the boot, and has been playing too-cool-for-school since then. Has anyone seen this? Turns out he just wanted to make the top ten:

"I never came into this wanting to win it," Sligh told The Greenville News on Thursday. "I made the Top Ten. That was my goal."

Sligh said he decided not to quit because the top 10 contestants participate in an "American Idol" summer tour that comes with a nice paycheck.

"I wanted to make the tour," he said. "I wanted to be able to make music for my living, so I don't have to work at the marketing company that I was working at."

Way to reach for the stars, Sligh! I'm sure when you made it to the top 24 you said to yourself, "Alright! Now I can reach my life's goal of making the top 10 and then tank!". Whatever. Go back to Bob Jones.


American Classics could mean scary things for people like Gina, maybe LaKisha, and obviously Sanjaya, while we're sure performers like Melinda, Blake, and Jordin should all have very strong performances.

That could mean good news for people like Damian, Jaime, Lisa Bags, Liz, Missy, and Team Zach & Sarah who all have Gina out this week and bad news for people like Jen, Milly, and Paul F. who all have Blake out this week.

Here's what the pool picked going out this week -
8 people had Sundance, 8 people had Sabrina (she would have been awesome this week), 7 people had Brandon, 6 people have Gina, 3 people have Jordin, 3 people have Phil, 3 people have Blake, 3 people had Jared, 3 people had Stephanie, 2 people have Sanjaya (well done), 2 people had Chris S., 2 people have Chris R., and 1 person had Antonella.

Like last week, if you are one of those 32 people who has someone already out going out this week, you want one of the people still alive who's not in your top 9 to go home.....for the majority of you, this means Haley, Sanjaya, or probably Phil.

You people with Blake or Jordin or Chris R. going home would be pumped if you call that correctly (especially the Blake people)!

Looking at the standings, Lisa Wagner can go 7 for 8 if either Haley or Phil goes out. Matty can also go 7 for 8 if Sanjaya or Haley goes. Those are the only 2 who can go 7 for 8.

Everyone else - you can't afford to lose anymore people that you already have out. If you have a "dead" person going home this week, you need to have somebody not in your top 9 to go. It's still very early in the season, but almost everyone's picks have been hurt by the shocking results so far this season. If another favorite goes home this week, your picks could get very ugly.

Happy viewing!

The Master

It's pop week. And "pop" goes so many entries.

I mean, really people? This is a good idea? And this is better than Chris Sligh?!






Before we get into a recap of the shows, when something rocks the pool like the pool's #4 overall contestant going out 10th, it's time to put some things in perspective.

This time last year (when we had 51 contestants like we do this year), 46 people were still able to max out at 300 points or more.

After losing Chris Sligh tonight, there are only 8 people left who can max out at 300 or more!! So, congratulations to Lisa W. (333), Kendra (324), Marybeth (314), Meredith (310), Jennie (308), Will (306), Jen (305), and Missy (301).

Something tells me this is going to be all time low scoring season for us!



OK, back to the show, where ponytail mohawks are cool as are tie & apron combos....did anyone else see Paula tonight? Did she just come from a sous-chef interview?

Did anyone see this little tidbit about Gwen Stefani & her trying to get Sanjaya to not sing one of her songs? We saw the article here (under a great title called "Is Sanjaya Singing Making Gwen Stefani B-A-N-A-N-A-S?" although we would have chosen B-A-N-A-N-A-ANNAS instead).

Let me cut right to the point. Oh, but before I do that, you should know that "Spoiler" means the person who posted it didn't want to give out the name of the song, so instead of "Bathwater", he/she wrote "Spoiler" instead:

"Sanjaya Malakar - He wanted to sing "Spoiler". She tried to get him to sing some 80's song. He said he was a big fan and he really wanted to do one of her songs. Gwen was upfront with him and told him she didn't think he could pull it off but gave him the benefit of the doubt. Today after seeing how rehearsals were going, she didnt' see any progress. She went to Nigel immediately and told him she does not want Sanjaya singing one of her songs whatsoever. Sanjaya didn't have many options at that point. He kind of got stuck with "Spoiler". This caused a big scene at the studio and was the talk all afternoon."

Wow.

How awesome would it be to suck so bad that your master class instructor tried to forbid you from doing one of her songs the night the show airs?!

I'm trying to imagine what's going on inside Sanjaya's head right now.....it's got to be something like "I must really suck if Gwen forbids me to sing her song. But America is voting for me, so maybe I don't suck at all. I'm so confused....I wonder what I should do with my hair tonight. I like the number 7, and I like ponytails....I wish there was a way for those two things to work together...Chris Richardson sure is cute....I wish Mom-jaya was here...." I think I nailed it.

Sanjaya pretty much sucks at everything



By the way, all nasty comments about Sanjaya should also be directed towards Chris Serico, Lisa Wagner, Chris Fitzgerald, and Julie Rollauer. They are actually benefiting off Sanjaya as they are the only 4 people to still have him alive. They are moving higher and higher in the pool by rooting for the suckiest contestant in the history of Idol. For shame!

So, here we are with 9 contestants remaining, 3 of whom are our pool's #12, #15, and #16 picks overall. Yes, I'm talking about you Phil, Sanjaya, and Haley. I mean, how pitiful is it when Phil Stacey had one of the best performances of Tuesday night?

With so many unlikely contestants still in it, many peoples' pools suffer. The loss of Chris Sligh hurts a lot of people a lot, but nobody more so than Brooke and Matty. They were both Sanjaya-ed tonight as they had Chris S. #1 overall....They are the first two people to lose their #1 pick (and poor Brooke has been double Sanjaya-ed. She's now lost her #1 and her #2).

However, in this topsy-turvy pool, Brooke and Matty were so far up in the standings that they both actually forced a tie for first place overall. But at what cost, guys? At what cost?

And it would be unfair to point out just Matty and Brooke being hurt with Chris S.'s departure. Also hurt badly are Brian, Lisa W., Mike, Rich, and Team Zach & Sarah (they all had him at #2), and Amy Larsen, Serico, Jane, both Pauls, and Suzanne (they all had him at #3). Sanjayaed. All of you.


So, looking really quickly at the top 6 - not much has changed, but it probably will next week:

Lisa Wagner lost her #2 overall, but she's still in first place (mostly by reaping the rewards of having Sanjaya still alive). And not only is she still in 1st (with 80 points), she also has the highest max score out of all 51 contestants at a robust 333! Lisa is 7 for 9, but can go 7 for 8 next week if Haley or Phil leaves.

As mentioned earlier, Matty and Brooke are right there with Lisa. They also have 80 points, but their entries took a big hit with the loss of Chris Sligh. Matty can now max out at a still respectable 276 while Brooke can max out at 220.

In 4th place sits Kendra. She's lurking, and she's dangerous. Kendra has 76 points and can max out at 324 and has every contestant from #1 to #6 alive.

In 5th is Team Zach & Sarah also with 76 points and a max of 279. Team Z&S took a hit tonight when they lost their #2 overall, but at this point, 279 is right in the thick of things.

And in 6th and right on the heels of Kendra and Team Zach & Sarah is Jane LeBlanc. Jane also has 76 points and can max out at 272.



Finally, in the cutest incident in the standings this week, Grant and Martha Gosselin have ended up right next to each other in the pool! Martha's currently 43rd with 60 points and a 269 max, and Grant's in 44th with 60 points and a 264 max. You two are just adorable.

Oh, last thing - mad props go out to the Limericist, The poem form know-it-all, Limericky Bobby, The Idol Pool Laureate, Anonymous, Rainbows McGay, Legs Galore that I Adore, and Will for contributing such awesome limericks!!! Really, really well done! And we should also mention the efforts of Matty and I'm in Omaha Right Now and I Can't Sleep for writing those haikus! Poems are very very encouraged!

See you next week when Melinda gets the Sanjaya. I mean, what if the top 3 are Phil, Sanjaya, and Haley? I know who I'll be voting for (and I'm not talking about Freaky McGee or Gollum).

The Master

Standings for Week 4 Here (Oh Boy).....

Week 3 Viewing Guide - It's Pop Week!!!

The wisdom of our crowd says Gina goes out this week, so she gets the picture for the post. But since Sanjaya is still in the competition, I think we should all pray that Gina remains safe. It's for the good of humanity.

Plus, this week is pop week with Gwen Stefani, and if there's one person who we all know is going to SUCK on pop week, it's Sanjaya. I say this for two reasons - 1. Because I can't think of a song currently on the pop charts that he could sing well, and 2. Because he sucks.

In keeping in with the tradition of last week's email, we have scoured the internet and found another performance that we would like to substitute for Sanjaya's. Last week, we lobbied for this girl. This week, we would like to submit these guys. Please, anything other than Sanjaya.

While we're on the topic of other people singing, did anyone see the article about "Inmate Idol" where prisoners perform to see who is the most musically talented in the joint? It's quite the con test (I wish I thought that pun up myself). Anyway, read about and watch the video of those guys here. Alice Cooper judged the final!


OK, back to Gwen Stefani. Word is that she's going to sing "The Sweet Escape" with Akon on Wednesday night's show. Don't know who Gwen Stefani is? Never heard the song before? You're showing your age......Here's the video - Gold chickens rock!




Our final thought on pop week is this: the judges seem to be unpredictable this season when contestants do a song that has been on the pop charts recently. For Stephanie, they were luke warm to warm on her passable rendition of Beyonce's "Dangerously in Love" (go 3 minutes into it)....Randy was especially critical of her inability to copy Beyonce.

But, when Blake destroyed (yes, destroyed - he went falsetto through the chorus which is the only time in the song you're supposed to go full voice. And his falsetto sucked) Keane's "Somewhere Only We Know", the judges liked it - Randy "kinda dug it"and Simon praised his song choice and called it "by far the best performance" up to that point of the night. I mean, that was a poor imitation of Keane, and Randy liked it. Stephanie's was a decent imitation of Beyonce, and Randy called her on it.

The lesson here, I think, is to do pop songs that aren't at the top of the charts which could spell bad news if/when Chris R. pulls out a JT song on Tuesday.....either that or boys get preferential treatment. Or the judges are wildly unpredictable with their critiques. Or Blake has paid them off. Regardless, during pop week, it will be interesting to see who the judges call on cheap imitations and who they like.


ON TO THE POOL!

As we're entering week 10, it's now becoming more important to look at the pool's picks a little more in depth.

This week 8 people had Brandon out, 7 had Sundance, 7 had Antonella, 6 have Gina, 5 have Phil, 5 had Jared, 4 have Jordin, 3 had Stephanie, 2 have Chris R., one person had Sabrina, one person has Haley, one person had Blake, and Lance has Sanjaya going out (well done Lance).

If you are one of the 31 people who have Brandon, Sundance, Antonella, Jared, Stephanie, or Sabrina at #10, what you want is for one of the people you don't have in your top 10 that's still alive to go out. That means either Sanjaya or Haley for the grand majority of you.

If you're one of the people who has a person still alive out at #10, you really want that person to leave this week. That way you'll be maxing out your point potential.....Could Darby and Heather be sitting pretty? They're the two people who called Chris R. out this week, and his being in the bottom 2 last week despite the fact that the judges really liked him might be a bad omen.


Looking at the leaderboard, Lisa Wagner, currently tied for first had Stephanie going home this week. That means she'll prosper if someone that's still in it that's not in her top 10 goes home - and that's Haley or Phil.

Matty, also tied for first, had Sundance going out this week, so he's in the same situation as Lisa....root for someone not in his top 10 to go out - that's Sanjaya or Haley.

So, if Sanjaya goes home, Matty will take over first place by himself. If Phil goes, Lisa W. will have sole possession for first. And if it's Haley, there'll still be a tie. If it's someone else, we'll have craziness!!!

Those two can go 8 for 9 if one of their two go out. But, there is one other person who can go 8 for 9, too - Brooke Stafford, currently in 6th, can go 8 for 9 if Sanjaya or Jordin go out.

Looking at the rest of the leaderboard, Kendra (in a tie for 3rd) has Haley going home this week, but wouldn't be hurt too badly if Sanjaya or Jordin leaves. The Zach & Sarah team (also in 3rd) has Phil going home this week, but would also be OK if Sanjaya or Haley left. And, in 5th, Jane LeBlanc has Gina going home, but, like a lot of others, she would be OK if Sanjaya or Haley left.


That's it! Happy viewing and enjoy Pop Week!!!!

PS - whoever posted the limericks last week, well done! Everyone, let's see your Limerick skills in action this week in the comments section! We'll also be looking for your haikus....