Talk about the top 24 here!!

Here is a breakdown of the Chris Golightly-less top 24.

Talk about all of the top 24 here!

2010 Official Rules and Payout Information

GENERAL RULES

During the period of March 9 and 10th the top 16 performers will compete. On March 11, 2 men and 2 women will be eliminated and the top 12 will be announced.

By 3PM EST on Thursday, March 11th, you MUST email me your picks for the season. Your picks must be ordered from #1 to #12. #1 is your American Idol. #2 is your runner-up.


When that night's American Idol airs, you will receive 1 point for every correct finalist in your top 12.

On Wednesday, March 18, one person is eliminated. Accordingly, for every person you have correct in your top 11, you get 2 points.

The next week, for every person you have correct in your top 10, you get 3 points....so on, and so forth until the finale where, if you named the American Idol correctly, you will get 12 points.

The person with the most points wins!




DOUBLE ELIMINATION SCORING/JUDGES SAVE SCORING
This is how your entries will be scored during a double elimination episode. These are the same rules we used during the double elimination week during Idol Gives Back Week 2007 and during the first elimination episode in 2009 and the judges' save episode of 2009.

There are conceivably two ways the show will kick off two people:

1. The show eliminates two contestants at different points (e.g. - kick somebody off half way through the show and then the 2nd person at the end, or kick somebody off towards the end of the show and have him/her sing his/her song, and then kick out the other to end the show)
2. The show eliminates two people off together simultaneously (e.g. - at the end of the show, there are three people on stage, and the judges tell one person he/she has advanced meaning the other two have been kicked out)


If #1 happens, this is how we score it:
We run the scores as if the first person was eliminated in the previous week and the 2nd person was eliminated in the current week.

If #2 happens, this is how we score it:
Since it's impossible to tell who would have gotten kicked off first, we will score your sheet as if your lowest selected contestant who was eliminated was voted out in the previous week. Then, we will resume normal scoring.



PAYOUTS FOR FINISHING IN THE TOP 12
1st Place - $350
2nd Place - $200
3rd Place - $150
4th Place - $100
5th Place - $50
6th Place - $40
7th Place - $35
8th Place - $20
9th Place - $20
10th Place - $20
11th Place - $15
12th Place - $15


TIEBREAKER
If there is a tie in the final standings, this is the tiebreaker we have used for multiple seasons - when looking at two tied entries, the person who had called the most recent elimination correctly will win the tiebreaker.

So, if two people are tied at the end of the season, and person #1 correctly guessed the contestant who went out in Week 6 (when the field goes from 7 contestants to 6), and person #2 correctly named the contestant who went out in Week 3 (when the field goes from 10 contestants to 9), then person #1 hold the tiebreaker. That person called the more recent elimination correctly. Make sense?


SIDE POOL #1 - THE LOSER
To incentivize returners, we award the last place finisher $15.


SIDE POOL #2 - GUESSING THE AMERICAN IDOL RIGHT
There is a side pool of $200 for the person(s) who guess the American Idol correctly. If more than one person correctly guesses the American Idol, the pool $ is split evenly between/among them.

The side pool becomes void if more than 20 people correctly guess a contestant who ends up winning American Idol. This year, the pool is open for everyone who guessed their American Idol was anyone but Crystal and Mike.

This is no small feat:
In 2009, 2 of 106 entrants picked Kris Allen.
In 2008, 7 of 78 entrants picked David Cook.
In 2007, 0 of 51 entrants picked Jordan Sparks.
In 2006, 1 of 51 entrants picked Taylor Hicks.
In 2005, 2 of 17 entrants picked Carrie Underwood.



If you have any questions about scoring, please feel free to comment below or send and email to idolpool@gmail.com.

Final 2009 American Idol Pool Standings!!

Ties are broken this way - if two entries are tied, the entry that has guessed the highest contestant correctly wins the tie. If both entries had the same highest correct guessed contestant, the entry with the next highest correctly guessed contestant would win the tie.

If there were ties, I listed all of the correctly guessed contestants for both entries. For example:

53. Marybeth & Lucy - 239 pts. (Allison 4th)
54. Lauren - 239 pts. (Michael 10th)
55. Amy L-P. - 239 pts. (none)

These three contestants finished with 239 points, but Marybeth wins the tiebreaker because she had Allison 4th, and that is better than the best guess Lauren and Amy Larsen Pond had. Lauren finishes 54th because she had Michael 10th, and Amy finishes 55th because she didn't guess anyone correctly.

Or check this out:

36. Denis - 250 pts. (Adam 2nd, Allison 4th, Jorge 12th)
37. Cathleen - 250 pts. (Adam 2nd, Megan 9th)
38. Kristin M. - 250 pts. (Adam 2nd, Jorge 12th)

All 3 of these guys had Adam 2nd, but Denis finishes 36th because his next best correct guess was Allison at 4th which is better than Cathleen's (Megan 9th) which is better than Kristin's (Jorge 12th).


Here are the final standings:

FINAL STANDINGS
Top 10
1. Stephanie B. - 293 pts.
2. Jonathan - 272 pts.
3. Mark K. - 271 pts. (Adam 2nd, Scott 8th, Michael 10th)
4. Jane G. - 271 pts. (Adam 2nd, Scott 8th)
5. Amy Y. - 271 pts. (Danny 3rd, Scott 8th, Megan 9th, Michael 10th, Jorge 12th)
6. Stephanie S. - 270 pts.
7. Adele - 269 pts. (Adam 2nd)
8. Dave S. - 269 pts. (Danny 3rd)
9. Katie - 269 pts. (Michael 10th, Jorge 12th)
10. Jess - 268 pts. (Adam 2nd)

The Clarkson Contenders
11. DeDe - 268 pts. (Danny 3rd, Matt 5th)
12. Brian - 267 pts.
13. Julie R. - 265 pts. (Adam 2nd)
14. Tom L. - 265 pts. (Megan 9th)
15. Joelle - 263 pts.
16. Meredith - 261 pts. (Adam 2nd, Matt 5th)
17. Emily - 261 pts. (Allison 4th)
18. Michael F. - 259 pts. (Allison 4th)
19. Lindsay - 259 pts. (Michael 10th)
20. Youssef - 258 pts.

Carrie's Underworld
21. Jan M. - 257 pts.
22. Tiffany - 256 pts. (Allison 4th, Matt 5th, Michael 10th, Jorge 12th)
23. Jenny M. - 256 pts. (Matt 5th, Lil 7th, Scott 8th, Michael 10th)
24. Team Wich - 254 pts. (Allison 4th, Matt 5th)
25. Carol - 254 pts. (Matt 5th, Michael 10th, Jorge 12th)
26. Melissa - 253 pts. (Adam 2nd)
27. James - 253 pts. (Danny 3rd, Megan 9th, Jorge 12th)
28. Ian - 253 pts. (Allison 4th, Scott 8th, Jorge 12th)
29. Kara - 253 pts. (Jorge 12th)
30. Sue T. - 252 pts. (Adam 2nd, Danny 3rd)

Hudson St.
31. Jon - 252 pts. (Matt 5th, Anoop 6th)
32. Team 'Tini - 252 pts. (none)
33. Tom R. - 251 pts. (Danny 3rd, Matt 5th, Michael 10th)
34. Janene - 251 pts. (Scott 8th, Michael 10th)
35. Mandy - 251 pts. (Megan 9th, Michael 10th)
36. Denis - 250 pts. (Adam 2nd, Allison 4th, Jorge 12th)
37. Cathleen - 250 pts. (Adam 2nd, Megan 9th)
38. Kristin M. - 250 pts. (Adam 2nd, Jorge 12th)
39. Ryan - 250 pts. (Allison 4th, Matt 5th, Scott 8th)
40. Jan W. - 248 pts.

Aiken's Alley
41. Anne - 247 pts. (Adam 2nd, Danny 3rd, Megan 9th)
42. Julie H. - 247 pts. (Danny 3rd, Michael 10th, Jorge 12th)
43. Elizabeth - 247 pts. (Allison 4th, Michael 10th)
44. Suzy M. - 246 pts.
45. Cory - 245 pts. (Michael 10th)
46. Lance - 245 pts. (Jorge 12th)
47. Stephen - 243 pts. (Adam 2nd, Michael 10th, Jorge 12th)
48. Brett - 243 pts. (Megan 9th)
49. Paul P. - 242 pts.
50. Matty - 241 pts. (Matt 5th)

Daughtry's Decile
51. Scott - 241 pts. (Scott 8th)
52. Will - 240 pts.
53. Marybeth & Lucy - 239 pts. (Allison 4th)
54. Lauren - 239 pts. (Michael 10th)
55. Amy L-P. - 239 pts. (none)
56. Sheila - 238 pts. (Adam 2nd, Lil 7th, Megan 9th)
57. Team Ringey - 238 pts. (Adam 2nd, Lil 7th, Jorge 12th)
58. Mike L. - 237 pts.
59. Jaime - 236 pts.
60. Lisa B. - 235 pts. (Adam 2nd, Danny 3rd, Allison 4th, Michael 10th, Jorge 12th)

McPhee's Phearless Phenominal Phreaks
61. Kevin - 235 pts. (none)
62. Lisa S. - 234 pts. (Adam 2nd)
63. Jennie L. - 234 pts. (Anoop 6th, Megan 9th)
T64. Jhonmar - 234 pts. (none)
T64. Team Menlis - 234 pts. (none)
66. Becky - 233 pts. (Adam 2nd, Danny 3rd, Jorge 12th)
67. Karen - 233 pts. (Megan 9th)
68. Todd - 232 pts. (Adam 2nd, Danny 3rd, Matt 5th)
69. Kirk - 232 pts. (Megan 9th)
70. Corona - 230 pts.

Cook's Class
71. Peter - 227 pts.
72. Laurie - 226 pts. (Megan 9th)
73. Brooke - 226 pts. (Michael 10th)
74. Stephanie H. - 225 pts. (Adam 2nd)
75. Cindy - 225 pts. (Scott 8th)
76. Team O'Brien - 224 pts.
77. Harvey - 223 pts. (Adam 2nd, Danny 3rd, Anoop 6th, Megan 9th)
78. Dave L. - 223 pts. (none)
79. Josh - 219 pts. (Kris 1st)
80. Marcia - 219 pts. (Adam 2nd)

Constantine's Tony Nominated Smoldering Brooders
81. Jabbar - 219 pts. (Danny 3rd, Jorge 12th)
82. Joey - 216 pts. (Adam 2nd, Alexis 11th)
83. Paul F. - 216 pts. (Scott 8th, Megan 9th)
84. Shira - 216 pts. (Michael 10th)
85. Andy - 215 pts.
86. Don - 214 pts. (Jorge 12th)
T87. Chris - 214 pts. (none)
T87. Jean Claude - 214 pts. (none)
89. Suzanne - 211 pts. (Matt 5th, Jorge 12th)
90. Derick - 211 pts. (Matt 5th)

Tatiana Town
91. Damian - 211 pts. (Anoop 6th, Michael 10th)
92. Yvonne - 211 pts. (none)
93. Shelly - 208 pts.
94. Missy - 207 pts.
95. Mylisa - 206 pts.
96. Barb - 205 pts.
97. Mark N. - 203 pts.
98. Madison - 202 pts.
99. Caroline - 200 pts.
100. Anh - 199 pts.

Sanjayaville
T101. Jen S. - 196 pts. (Same exact picks as Kendra)
T101. Kendra - 196 pts. (Same exact picks as Jen S.)
103. Marie - 185 pts.
104. Kristin & Taylor - 182 pts.
105. Jane L. - 175 pts.
106. Judy - 137 pts.

American Idol Final Viewer's Guide!

America is about to make a big mistake. His victory is all but a foregone conclusion, but Adam Lambert should not be the NEXT American Idol. Think about it: the genre that he is absolutely perfect for (80’s) is yesterday’s news and he is about 20 years too late to the scene. Over the past couple of months, Adam has excelled at covering other people’s songs and taking advice from music legends like Quentin Tarantino. His voice is certainly impressive and his range is Steve Perry-esque . But what about when you have to come up with your own tunes and make your own mark? How will his voice and style translate to a studio album? The amazing thing about Adam is that he can hit those insane notes live. He can actually do it. The problem is, in the studio, anyone else can too (see Sugar Ray’s single “Every Morning"). How will Adam differentiate himself on the radio where he can’t leverage his rock star costume and ridiculous range?

Yes, that’s right. I said costume. Adam Lambert is less of a person and more of a contrived rock-god character.

To prove my theory, I have reverse-engineered and deconstructed Adam and will spend the next two days of my life at work and at home living and breathing as if I am Adam. I would like to take this opportunity to ask—no–DARE you to join me. Do you have what it takes? Are YOU the next American Idol?

If you choose not to join me and your answer is no, do not read beyond this sentence.

If your answer is yes, you are my best friend and I have provided the instructions below to guide you on your journey. First, you must dress the part.

1) Ask your mother if you can borrow a pair of her combat boots (black).
2) Grab a sharpy (black) with an extra wide tip (eyeliner).
3) Ask 2005 if you can borrow a pair of her skinny jeans. Black.
4) Swing by Spencer Gifts and buy a T-Shirt (black) with the word “Rock” somewhere on it.
5) Bedazzle said T-Shirt with rhinestones, ideally fully covering the word “Rock” so it sparkles with hard-core rockness.
6) Pick up some “Just for Men” hair dye. Color: Joan Jett Black.

Now that you have dressed the part, it is equally important that you act the part. Follow these instructions very closely. For every sentence you say, start in your normal range and over the course of the sentence gradually slide up three full octaves. Once you arrive at the last word in your phalsetto, hold it for 5 seconds, open your mouth wide, wiggle your tongue back and forth, and hold your hand out in a passion pose (note: the aforementioned passion pose is the most diffucult item to pull off effectively and may take two or three dry runs in the mirror. Ideally this pose shows the typical rock fan that you are alone in this world and no-one understands you except your only friend, rock music. This pose, however, must simultaneously tell the tween crowd that you are a frog prince waiting to be kissed. Execution of the optimal mix is critical).

Once you have completed the steps above, you ARE Adam Lambert. You can do no wrong. Everything you touch is half rock, half amazing. As you bump into your boss at work on the way to the copier, be sure you say “EXCUSE YOU” in a sustained high E with and end it with a “YEAH!”. When your friend asks you to pass the ketchup, say “WOULD YOU LIKE THE RELISH TOO?” in a soft, sweet, high, controlled tone just because you can. Your charm is hypnotizing like Jerry Lewis. You’re not really sure why people like you, but they do. They just do. You are the next American Idol. You have fooled America.

ENJOY THE FINALS IDOL POOL!!!!

Hope we get something like this Wednesday night