April 16 Standings

Before the standings, check this out from Idol Pool participant Amy York:

Dear Idol Pool Master,

I am in LA for two weeks on a photo shoot.

I was hoping to run into some Idols, or possibly Simon, but I got one better....
We shot at Capitol Records on Saturday. While in the recording studio I wondered over to the baby grand in the corner, which was covered with sheet music. I picked up one and it was for Over the Rainbow and next to the song title it said "Jason", the next one was for David A., then David C., etc. I was in the room where the idols practice for the week! Of course I took one for the team and stole all of the sheet music - 5 of the top 7 contestants. Maybe one day there will be an Idol Pool museum and I can donate these.

1. Jennie L. - 199 points (322 max) – no change

2. Ryan – 198 points (338 max) – up from 4th

3. Stephen - 195 points (335 max) – down from 2nd

4. Meredith - 191 points (314 max) - up from 5th

5. Julie H. - 190 points (322 max) - up from 6th

6. Amy Y. - 189 points (308 max) – up from 8th

7. Lisa S. - 189 points (291 max) - up from 9th

8. Amy L-P. - 188 points (320 max) – up from 10th

9. Jane - 186 points (326 max) – up from 24th

10. Stephanie - 186 points (318 max) – up from 11th

11. Aneesha - 186 points (299 max) – up from 12th

12. Julie R. - 186 points (288 max) – up from 14th

13. Dave L. - 185 points (317 max) – down from 3rd

14. Jan W. - 184 points (307 max) – up from 15th

15. Kara - 184 points (297 max) – up from 16th

16. Karen - 183 points (288 max) – down from 7th

17. Lisa B. - 182 points (314 max) - up from 19th

18. Don - 181 points (294 max) – up from 22nd

19. Cathleen - 179 points (294 max) – down from 13th

T-20. Alieda - 179 points (292 max) - up from T-26th
T-20. Kristin - 179 points (292 max) - up from T-26th

22. Brian - 179 points (281 max) - up from 29th

23. Denis - 177 points (300 max) – up from 31st

24. Yvonne - 177 points (282 max) – down from 17th

25. Jaime - 176 points (316 max) – up from 33rd

26. Corona - 176 points (289 max) – up from 34th

T-27. Marcia - 176 points (278 max) - up from 35th
T-27. Suzy M. - 176 points (278 max) – down from 18th

29. Damian - 175 points (315 max) - up from 37th

30. Marybeth & Lucy - 175 points (280 max) – down from 20th

31. Mandy - 175 points (260 max) – down from 21st

32. Suzanne - 173 points (267 max) – down from 24th

33. Mike L. - 172 points (312 max) – up from 39th

T-34. Katie K. - 172 points (304 max) – up from T-40th
T-34. Michelle - 172 points (304 max) - up from T-40th
T-34. Scott - 172 points (304 max) – down from 25th

37. Jan M. - 172 points (285 max) - down from 28th

38. Liz - 171 points (303 max) – down from 30th

39. Jen S. - 171 points (284 max) – up from 43rd

40. Will B. - 170 points (283 max) – up from 44th

41. Rich - 170 points (272 max) – up from 46th

42. Matty - 169 points (263 max) - down from 36th

43. Team O'Brien - 168 points (281 max) - down from 38th

44. Andy - 163 points (278 max) – down from 32nd

45. Cindy - 163 points (276 max) – no change

46. Team 'Tini - 163 points (265 max) – up from 47th

47. Jean Claude - 162 points (294 max) - up from 48th

48. Melissa - 162 points (275 max) – up from 49th

49. Stacie - 161 points (276 max) - up from 51st

50. Missy - 160 points (275 max) – up from 52nd

51. Team Ringey - 160 points (250 max) – up from 53rd

T-52. Anh - 158 points (281 max) – up from T-54th
T-52. Matt - 158 points (281 max) - up from T-54th

54. Peter - 158 points (254 max) – down from 42nd

55. Kathryn - 157 points (280 max) – up from 57th

56. Jon - 157 points (272 max) – up from 58th

57. Michael W. - 155 points (270 max) – up from 59th

58. Jenny M. - 155 points (249 max) – down from 50th

59. Brooke - 153 points (285 max) - up from 60th

60. Emily - 152 points (265 max) – up from 62nd

61. Dina - 151 points (266 max) – up from 65th

62. Paul F. - 151 points (214 max) – down from 56th

63. Judy - 146 points (204 max) – down from 61st

64. Lance - 145 points (260 max) – down from 63rd

65. Dave S. - 145 points (191 max) – down from 64th

66. Will A. – 144 points (259 max) – up from 72nd

67. Jill - 144 points (249 max) – down from 66th

68. Paul P. - 144 points (240 max) - down from 67th

69. Julie K. - 144 points (232 max) - down from 68th

70. Sean - 142 points (236 max) – down from 69th

71. Kendra - 141 points (237 max) – down from 70th

72. Julie W. - 139 points (212 max) – down from 71st

73. Katy L. - 137 points (252 max) – no change

74. Cristina - 135 points (240 max) – no change

75. Chris F. - 124 points (209 max) – up from 77th

76. Neisha - 119 points (146 max) – down from 75th

77. Mark - 118 points (126 max) – down from 76th

78. Mike & Suzy - 115 points (211 max) – no change

American Idol Viewer's Guide - The Final 7

With teenie-boppers, Idol Pool friends from the Georgia area, and just about any female Idol-fan above the age of 16 still reeling from the surprise exit of Michael Johns, American Idol seems to be missing that male-fashionista-flair that Michael and his ascots brought back with flair. If you're still heartbroken you can join the underground movement to bring MJ back that's going on at the AI forums or even let the world know that you heart Michael Johns.

For what reason MJ received the least # of votes we shall never exactly know, perhaps it's because he didn't fully replicate Steven Perry's (Aerosmith's lead singer) creepy eye shadow.



Having said that, we're on to the week of the Final 7 and it's time again for some song predictions. Mariah Carey joins the idols as the mentor and will expect, nay, DEMAND that they sing her songs. Given the huge number of songs, what will happen and who will pick what songs?

The Idol grapevine has Carly Smithson's song choice as "Without You", preview Mariah's version here.

Preview Bulgarian Idol's version here:



But who will tackle Mariah's "#1s" CD and with it, the numerous elephants in the room?

Will Jason Castro do "My All" singing about giving everything and coming away with nothing all in a super-breathy tone?

Will Syesha Mercado tackle another BIG song that she can sing but can't master a la her rendition of Whitney and Fantasia songs? We here at Idol HQ have been actively crunching the statistics and probabilities with huge number-crunching supercomputers to come up with "Always Be My Baby". You can prevew it here.

Does anyone want to know what that's going to be like? Here's a visual preview:


In case you have fat fingers, be careful this week kids when you cast your votes on the telephone - is America really dyslexic when they dial?? Are people getting caught up by the passion for their favorite picks? This article from the New York Times seems to think so!


Having said that, Brooke/Carly Simon has crashed our systems because we have no clue what she could choose from Mariah's catalog - maybe All I Want For Christmas Is You and the stagehands will break out the smoke machines and paper shreds to recreate a foggy and snowy ambiance while also setting her up for the most anachronistic Idol performance ever.

David "Archie" Archuleta will continue to wow the judges with a soulful performance of "I Don't Wanna Cry" while simultaneously staring at Mariah's size 11 feet that dwarf her 5'9" frame.

Kristy Lee Cook seems poised to do a song like Dreamlover keeping her alive for one more week while managing to keep the predominant majority of the male Idol-viewing audience still watching. After all, if Dave Cook and David Archuleta make it to the final two as most pool entries have predicted, we can expect the male contingency to be completely eradicated.

Last but not least, say a prayer that Mariah doesn't flash our boy David Cook and he isn't rushed to the hospital. Look for him to rock out a version of To The Floor from the hospital stretcher.

April 11 Standings

1. Jennie L. - 164 points (322 max) – up from 2nd

2. Stephen - 160 points (335 max) – down from 1st

3. Dave L. - 157 points (332 max) – up from 6th

4. Ryan – 156 points (338 max) – up from 10th

5. Meredith - 156 points (314 max) - down from 3rd

6. Julie H. - 155 points (322 max) - up from 11th

7. Karen - 155 points (288 max) – down from 4th

8. Amy Y. - 154 points (308 max) – up from 16th

9. Lisa S. - 154 points (291 max) - up from 14th

10. Amy L-P. - 153 points (320 max) – down from 5th

11. Stephanie - 151 points (318 max) – down from 8th

12. Aneesha - 151 points (299 max) – up from 22nd

13. Cathleen - 151 points (294 max) – down from 9th

14. Julie R. - 151 points (288 max) – down from 7th

15. Jan W. - 149 points (307 max) – down from 12th

16. Kara - 149 points (297 max) – up from 29th

17. Yvonne - 149 points (282 max) – down from 13th

18. Suzy M. - 148 points (323 max) – down from 15th

19. Lisa B. - 147 points (314 max) - down from 17th

20. Marybeth & Lucy - 147 points (280 max) – down from 18th

21. Mandy - 147 points (260 max) – down from 19th

22. Don - 146 points (294 max) – down from 21st

23. Suzanne - 145 points (267 max) – no change

24. Jane - 144 points (326 max) – up from 43rd

25. Scott - 144 points (304 max) – up from T-26th

T-26. Alieda - 144 points (292 max) - down from T-24th
T-26. Kristin - 144 points (292 max) - down from T-24th

28. Jan M. - 144 points (285 max) - down from T-26th

29. Brian - 144 points (281 max) - down from 28th

30. Liz - 143 points (303 max) – no change

31. Denis - 142 points (300 max) – up from 32nd

32. Andy - 142 points (293 max) – down from 31st

33. Jaime - 141 points (316 max) – no change

34. Corona - 141 points (289 max) – down from T-33rd

35. Marcia - 141 points (278 max) - down from T-33rd

36. Matty - 141 points (263 max) - down from 20th

37. Damian - 140 points (315 max) - up from T-38th

38. Team O'Brien - 140 points (281 max) - down from 37th

39. Mike L. - 137 points (312 max) – up from T-45th

T-40. Katie K. - 137 points (304 max) – up from T-45th
T-40. Michelle - 137 points (304 max) - up from 47th

42. Peter - 137 points (288 max) – up from 48th

43. Jen S. - 136 points (284 max) – up from 50th

44. Will B. - 135 points (283 max) – up from 56th

45. Cindy - 135 points (276 max) - down from 36th

46. Rich - 135 points (272 max) – up from 52nd

47. Team 'Tini - 135 points (265 max) – up from 53rd

48. Jean Claude - 134 points (294 max) - down from T-38th

49. Melissa - 134 points (275 max) – down from T-38th

50. Jenny M. - 134 points (249 max) – down from 41st

51. Stacie - 133 points (276 max) - down from 42nd

52. Missy - 132 points (275 max) – up from 61st

53. Team Ringey - 132 points (250 max) – down from 44th

T-54. Anh - 130 points (281 max) – up from 66th
T-54. Matt - 130 points (281 max) - down from 49th

56. Paul F. - 130 points (214 max) – down from 51st

57. Kathryn - 129 points (280 max) – down from 54th

58. Jon - 129 points (272 max) – down from 55th

59. Michael W. - 127 points (270 max) – up from 60th

60. Brooke - 125 points (285 max) - up from 62nd

61. Judy - 125 points (204 max) – up from 63rd

62. Emily - 124 points (265 max) – up from 64th

63. Lance - 124 points (260 max) – up from 67th

64. Dave S. - 124 points (224 max) – up from 65th

65. Dina - 123 points (266 max) – up from 68th

66. Jill - 123 points (249 max) – down from T-57th

67. Paul P. - 123 points (240 max) - down from T-57th

68. Julie K. - 123 points (232 max) - down from 59th

69. Sean - 121 points (236 max) – up from 70th

70. Kendra - 120 points (237 max) – up from 72nd

71. Julie W. - 118 points (236 max) – up from 73rd

72. Will A. – 116 points (259 max) – up from 74th

73. Katy L. - 116 points (252 max) – down from 69th

74. Cristina - 114 points (240 max) – down from 71st

75. Neisha - 105 points (146 max) – no change

76. Mark - 104 points (160 max) – no change

77. Chris F. - 103 points (233 max) – no change

78. Mike & Suzy - 94 points (211 max) – no change

Marybeth Heyd: What It's Like to Attend the Taping of Idol Gives Back

I should start by saying that it was super fun and i am so grateful to the person who took me. We had a really great time. My friend jenn scored tickets to Idol Gives Back from a woman she knows who works at Fremantle Media. They were excellent seats, middle of the first balcony, about 4 rows from the front. There was a man sitting in front of us who I have to imagine can be seen from various camera angles as he was quite large and wearing a light green shirt. If the shot they show during Seacrest's opening is the same as what we saw on the jumbo screens at the Kodak Theater, then you can see where we were sitting right above Ryan's head and a little to the left. The big guy sitting in front of us waved his arms madly pretty much any time the camera looked like it was pointed vaguely in our direction, so you may get a glimpse.

Anyway, good seats, huge stage, crazy good lineup but we weren't sure who was going to be there live and who was going to be featured in one of those heartbreaking videos shot in Africa or Appalachia...it was a pretty crazy and somewhat random assortment of stars, but you know I am way hooked on this show when I am more excited about the American Idols being there than....Brad Pitt....who was there, and so gorgeous yes, but I was like ooh there's Michael Johns up in the balcony, clapping at Brad Pitt just like I am. Weird.

Just to go down the list, Robin Williams was there live and did an ENDLESS and not very funny spoof on "Russian Idol." It needed one of those cane things, you know to remove him from the stage? It was brutal. Celine Dion was just in a video which was fine with me. Forest Whitaker's video(s? i think he did 2) - brutal in a different way altogether from Robin Williams' brutality. Tearjerker for sure. Billy Crystal was there and proceeded to have a sort of cute, sort of awkward, very staged conversation with Miley Cyrus, who, i know, is like the hottest thing ever right now and I'm trying very hard to get it...it just came off as a little obnoxious. You'll see.

And you know Idol is reaching out to the younger crowds harder than ever when Miley Cyrus performed not once but TWICE in a 2ish hour show. I do have to wonder if they'll air both songs? They weren't one right after the other. It was a little strange. The girl has gorgeous hair, I will give her that, and she flails it around like nobody's business.

Dane Cook introduced an Alicia Keys video and had kind of a funny joke. I have to like him, is my feeling, since I'm from Massachusetts and so is he, but I kind of feel like his 15 minutes may be up. I hope I'm wrong. Kiefer Sutherland did a video and I wonder if he gets tired of having to mention the number 24 in every single thing he does? I didn't see Terri Hatcher in anything, but she may have been in that weird star montage singing thing - I can't even remember what song they were all singing but it was bizarre and featured Rob Schneider (who later made some awful joke about sending him $$ instead of to the charities?) and Eddie Izzard. hmmm. And when you watch that singing montage thing, can someone please tell me who the guy in the glasses was? You'll see what i mean.

Oh wait - I think they sing "I'm a believer" by The Monkees. I Think.

Ashley Tisdale and Vanessa Hudgens are also in a quickie video asking for donations. Jennifer Connolly's video is a little confusing until the very end. Elliott Yamin was in the audience, as was Jordin Sparks and Simon's girlfriend. They were all down on the floor, as you can imagine. Didn't see Fantasia or Amy Adams...

Bono has quite a few moments, interviewing the saddest people you can imagine, doing his thing and being Bono. He wasn't at the show though, much to my chagrin. As I mentioned, Brad Pitt was, and there was a funny thing where his mic wasn't working so they stopped (they taped it as close to a live show as they could, but had a cushion of time for things like mics not working) and the stage manager lady Deb came out and was redoing his mic and then said she just wanted an excuse to touch him. It was pretty funny.

Reese Witherspoon also had some sort of microphone snafu, but she just gracefully redid it and it was all good and she is awfully adorable. Jimmy Kimmel and Sarah Silverman i was a little nervous about because you never know what's going to happen when it's the two of them and a room full of stars. It could have been "I'm f*%king Simon Cowell" being filmed for youtube for all I know but it wasn't and they were both funny. Jimmy sort of roasts Simon and he takes it quite well.

Mariah Carey sang a song. Not much else to say as I am not really a fan - is it really Mariah week next week? Ugh. Anyway, the Manning brothers were there and introduced a video of them somehow making the lives of kids in New Orleans better...but it's not really clear how they do it? They seem to play some sort of indoor throwing game with a bunch of teenage boys, to which my response is I'm pretty sure those teenage boys wouldn't mind going outside and playing, uh what's that game called again? Oh yeah- FOOTBALL? I think that would probably make them pretty happy. Maybe they do at the end, I can't remember, but I did find it weird that they were like throwing balls around inside in a circle when they have back-to-back superbowl qbs who happen to be brothers right there at their disposal...I digress.

The Beckhams were in a video. This will sound mean but it made me glad that their kids don't go to my school because I don't know if I could handle a parent conference with the two of them. Fergie got to sing not only with Heart but with John Legend as well - John Legend was phenomenal, and then Fergie came out and sang with him before doing Barracuda with Heart....amazing! I developed a small crush on Fergie during her performance. I think it was the one-armed cartwheel things she did that sealed the deal. I loved her way back when on Kids Incorporated, too!

Daughtry took his band I think to Uganda, so that was a video. I didn't know his band was called Daughtry. That's what I learned from his video. Annie Lennox made me cry - during her video and during her ridiculously beautiful live song. She is amazing. love love love her. Snoop Dogg was funny and I have to confess I have no idea who he performed with, but he brought up this cute little bunch of boys to be on stage with him. I don't think they were singing or anything but they were a cute little posse.

Maroon 5 was nowhere to be found...oh Adam Levine, wherefore art thou Adam Levine? Gloria Estefan sang "Get on Your Feet" with this superslow beginning...but of course sped it up so that we, the audience, would...get on our feet, of course. Carrie Underwood did indeed sing George Michael, in a lovely pinky greeny shimmery dress and sitting down the whole time - i don't know how such a big purdy voice can come out of someone who's sitting! It's remarkable.

The 3 presidential candidates each have a little video - I'm curious because the sound/light quality of McCain's was so bad that nigel who came out before the show to psych us all up said that they wouldn't use it the way it was, they were waiting for new film from the McCain camp. So I'm curious to see what they air. The British Prime Minister also has a little video where he pledges $200 million...i don't know if they'll count that in this year's total, which Nigel predicted will be over $100 million. That really is amazing.

Paula is glorious in red. Simon wears his standard suit/no tie/shirt undone to his navel. The idols wear regular clothes for the opening act, which has really good backup dancers. I think David Cook gets felt up by his, but he does not need to go to the hospital as a result. And then they wear all white for the ending, which I'm just going to say, works for the girls, not so much for the guys. There's something really awkward about Jason Castro all in white. Michael Johns and David Cook look ok I guess, while David Archuleta, true to form, looks a little like an angel all in white. Shocker. They sat up in a balcony for most of the show and just watched, and they were all pretty into it and standing and singing along and whatnot...Jason Castro was a little more hang-back-ish, but he still seemed to be enjoying himself.

I kept waiting though and there was no African choir like last year, and that was a little disappointing. I would say that in general last year's show is a tough act to follow, but they did a good job. I think the novelty of the whole thing last year really helped, as did the whole celebrity factor, like i remember watching and thinking - holy cow THAT star agreed to do this? and being all surprised and delighted. And I felt less of that this year. I don't know why. I'm sure they'll still raise a boatload of money and the truth is the people that they feature desperately need it. So it's all good.

I had fun, and I'm excited to watch it tomorrow (IPM note - she means tonight) and see how different it is from what I saw sunday night.

xoxo
mb (and lucy, who did not get to go to the taping, as it was a school night)