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:

May 14 Standings

1. Ryan – 279 points (MAXED OUT) – no change

2. Stephen - 276 points (288 max) – no change

3. Lisa B. - 275 points (287 max) - up from 6th

4. Dave L. - 275 points (MAXED OUT) – down from 3rd

5. Amy Y. - 273 points (285 max) – up from 9th

6. Jennie L. - 272 points (284 max) – down from 4th

7. Suzy M. - 266 points (278 max) – down from 5th

8. Meredith - 264 points (276 max) - down from 7th

9. Julie H. - 263 points (MAXED OUT) - down from 8th

T-10. Jan W. - 257 points (269 max) – no change
T-10. Jane – 257 points (269 max) – up from 11th

12. Jaime - 256 points (268 max) – no change

13. Katie K. - 254 points (266 max) – up from 13th

T-14. Don - 254 points (MAXED OUT) – down from T-13th
T-14. Michelle - 254 points (MAXED OUT) - up from T-13th

16. Mike L. - 253 points (265 max) – no change

17. Liz - 253 points (MAXED OUT) – no change

18. Amy L-P. - 251 points (263 max) – no change

19. Denis - 250 points (262 max) – no change

T-20. Aneesha - 249 points (261 max) – no change
T-20. Marcia - 249 points (261 max) – no change
T-20. Stephanie - 249 points (261 max) – no change

23. Kara - 247 points (259 max) – up from 24th

24. Damian - 246 points (258 max) – up from 25th

25. Cathleen - 244 points (256 max) – up from 26th

T-26. Alieda - 242 points (254 max) - up from 28th
T-26. Matt - 242 points (254 max) – up from 40th

28. Corona - 239 points (251 max) – up from 29th

29. Karen - 238 points (250 max) – up from 30th

30. Julie R. - 238 points (MAXED OUT) – down from 23rd

31. Jenny M. - 237 points (249 max) – no change

32. Suzanne - 236 points (248 max) – up from 33rd

33. Cindy - 236 points (MAXED OUT) – down from 32nd

34. Scott - 235 points (247 max) – no change

35. Jean Claude - 235 points (MAXED OUT) – no change

T-36. Brian - 233 points (245 max) – no change
T-36. Jon - 211 points (245 max) – up from 52nd
T-36. Rich – 233 points (245 max) – no change
T-36. Will B. - 233 points (245 max) – no change

40. Kristin - 233 points (MAXED OUT) - down from 39th

41. Lisa S. - 232 points (MAXED OUT) - down from 27th

42. Anh - 231 points (243 max) – down from 41st

43. Marybeth & Lucy - 230 points (242 max) – down from 42nd

T-44. Brooke - 226 points (238 max) – down from T-43rd
T-44. Jan M. - 226 points (238 max) - down from T-43rd

46. Stacie - 226 points (MAXED OUT) – down from 45th

T-47. Jen S. - 225 points (237 max) – no change
T-47. Melissa - 225 points (237 max) – no change

49. Matty - 224 points (236 max) – no change

50. Yvonne - 223 points (235 max) – no change

51. Team O'Brien - 222 points (234 max) – up from 53rd

52. Mandy - 221 points (233 max) – up from 54th

53. Dina - 216 points (MAXED OUT) – up from 55th

54. Team 'Tini - 215 points (MAXED OUT) – down from 46th

55. Paul F. - 214 points (MAXED OUT) – up from 56th

56. Team Ringey - 212 points (MAXED OUT) – down from 51st

57. Kathryn - 211 points (223 max) – no change

58. Michael W. - 210 points (222 max) – no change

59. Andy - 209 points (MAXED OUT) – no change

60. Sean - 207 points (219 max) – no change

61. Emily - 206 points (218 max) – no change

62. Missy - 206 points (MAXED OUT) – no change

63. Peter - 204 points (MAXED OUT) – no change

64. Katy L. - 202 points (214 max) – no change

T-65. Cristina - 200 points (212 max) – no change
T-65. Lance - 200 points (212 max) – up from 66th

67. Paul P. - 199 points (211 max) – no change

68. Julie W. - 194 points (MAXED OUT) – no change

69. Judy - 192 points (204 max) – no change

70. Dave S. - 191 points (MAXED OUT) – no change

71. Jill - 190 points (202 max) – no change

72. Mike & Suzy - 188 points (MAXED OUT) – up from 73rd

73. Kendra - 187 points (MAXED OUT) – up from 74th

74. Julie K. - 182 points (MAXED OUT) – up from 75th

75. Will A. – 179 points (MAXED OUT) – down from 72nd

76. Chris F. – 167 points (MAXED OUT) – no change

77. Mark - 126 points (MAXED OUT) – no change

78. Neisha - 119 points (MAXED OUT) – no change

American Idol Viewer's Guide - Top 3

First of all, this week's Viewer's Guide needs to dedicate a large chunk of space to our favorite Danny Bonaduce lookalike, Jeff Archuleta. For those of you who have been hiding under a rock this week, Jeff (who is David's father), is a terrible stage dad and American Idol has had enough. The producers banned Jeff from all rehersals or backstage activities starting this week.

As I mentioned earlier this season, rumors have been flying around all season that the guy is just a nightmare. Well, I guess the straw that finally broke the camel's back was that Jeff "urged" David to include lyrics from Sean Kingston's "Beautiful Girls" during his performance of "Stand By Me" last week. Little did we all know that when a performer sings the lyrics from a 2nd song into a 1st one, the publisher of the 2nd song is due some sort of compensation. That is obviously great news to Sean Kingston's publishers. Even less well known....American Idol is so strapped for cash that this is a big deal.

Of course the Archuleta camp is now calling this completely unfair and that Jeff just "happens" to be there because David is a minor and needs a guardian to be with him. I mean, if he repeatedly blurts out to his son that the lyrics to "Stand By Me" need to be changed, he can't help it.

The reason this stupid argument is completely unfounded is because Entertainment Weekly ran a piece about what it was like behind-the-scenes for the song selection and arrangement process for Neil Diamond week, and they specifically mentioned Jeff's meddling in the process. For example, and I quote:

There's been a lot of speculation over whether 17-year-old David Archuleta's father Jeff is an overinvolved stage dad. This Thursday morning, Papa isn't doing much to dispel the rumors as his son rehearses the Neil Diamond anthem ''America.'' ''There's too many 'Todays,''' he tells associate musical director Michael Orland of the climactic, repeated lyric, while pacing around the room. The comments continue throughout the rehearsal: ''Neil Diamond's voice is a fifth lower than his'' and ''The edit to do is 8 to 10 seconds before 'My country 'tis of thee''' and ''The beginning needs to have a U2 vibe.''

That doesn't sound like someone who's getting a bad rap because he just happens to be there. It does sound like someone who doesn't know the most awesome part of "America" is screaming "Today!".

Speaking of that EW piece and the comments about David A., I found this interesting:

He (David Archuleta) then methodically went through the Diamond song catalog...before eventually settling on ''America'' and ''Sweet Caroline.'' ''I don't want to be singing about partying all night with a woman, and a lot of his lyrics were talking about that kind of stuff,''

Two thoughts -
1. Does this mean that we won't hear "Why Don't We Get Drunk and Screw" Tuesday night?
2. Is he implying that he'd much rather sing about partying all night with a man? Because that's what I'm taking away from this.


This week we're going to see each contestant sing 3 songs - a song of their choice, a son of the judges' choice, and a song of the producers' choice. We're also going to see what kind of events happened when all went to their hometowns for a few days. Fortunately, youtube is going to give us some hints.

For example, David Archuleta sang the National Anthem at a Utah Jazz game. He also cried like a girl:


And Syesha sang the National Album at a Tampa Bay (don't call them the Devil) Rays game:


And David Cook sang the National Anthem at a Kansas City.....oh wait. Turns out that David Cook was asked to sing the National Anthem at a Royals game, but there were a bunch of snot nosed kids already scheduled to sing it. Partly because of that, and partly because he couldn't find a pseudo-emo version of the song, a sharpee for his palm, and a pick to throw into the crowd, he decided to poorly sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" instead. Plus he forgot how many strikes there are before you're out at the old ball game. Way to drop a lyric:


I'm sure we'll see all sorts of other clips from their visits home. I'm willing to bet they all get keys to their respective cities. I'm also willing to bet they all made an appearance on their hometown Fox affiliate morning show. I hope to God Syesha spent her time home in FLA in a bikini on the beach.


Final thought before I leave you for the week - do you all know whose album just dropped? No, I'm not talking about Chris Sligh's. I'm talking about Clay Aiken!!!! Check out a little video about that here and listen to the title track here.