American Idol - And the Winner is...

Tonight's American Idol finale was probably the best ever. Here are my personal highlights:

BEST DUETS - Allison & Cyndi Lauper - It was great to see a still-quirky but appropriate Cyndi sing a soulful version of Time After Time with young Allison.

Kris & Keith Urban - Two strong male voices, two guitars... what's not to like?

FAVORITE SURPRISE MUSICIAN - Steve Martin - Michael and Megan sang a sweet little duet, written by the banjo playing Martin, and accompanied by his band. Loved the song and loved Steve. I may even buy his album: The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo.

BEST GAG - Kara versus Bikini Girl - When what's her name came out, she was sporting a new bikini and a new pair of breasts. Apparently, she got augmented since the last time we saw her. I really didn't want to hear her try to sing again. But then they raised the wall behind her, and I thought, Oh good, Mariah's going to put her to shame. But NOOOOO, it was even better than that. It was Kara! Not only did she show off a great set of pipes, but at the end she briefly flashed her own totally tone bikini clad bod. Good for you, Kara!

AND NOW, THE WINNER... Kris Allen! Yeah, I know, I've been an Adam Lambert fan all this time. And I still am. But over the last few weeks, I've become a Kris fan, too. Going into this show, I really didn't care which one won. And when Kris's name was called, I actually shrieked with glee. I'm thrilled for him and his family. And I know I'll still get to hear more from Mr. Lambert in the near future.

So that's it. Another season, another winner. Thanks, American Idol, for a great show. See ya next time!

American Idol - Could Kris Be In The Final Two?

Tonight, we get down to the final two. From the beginning, I've been saying that Danny and Adam will be in the finale. But last night, Kris kinda blew my mind. He's been the quiet, come from behind guy. I didn't even notice him the first few weeks. But he's been growing on me, and last night, I think he sailed past the other two. Adam and Danny both had one song that was great, but another that didn't quite hit the mark. But both of Kris's performances were solid, entertaining, and engaging.

So I find myself with a bit of a dilemma.

I find myself having a hard time picturing a finale without Kris.

And even though I still love Gokey, I find myself really wanting to see a Kris/Adam finale.

At this point, I'm thinking it could go any way: Danny/Adam, Kris/Adam, Kris/Danny... It's sure going to be fun finding out.

Added Wednesday night: Wow, it really happened. It's a Kris/Adam finale! Congrats to them, and to the talented Danny Gokey. I'm sure all three will have successful recording careers. That's all I can say now, cuz my mind is still blown from the season finale of LOST. Whoa!

American Idol - Musical Guests Are Everywhere!

Yesterday's American Idol results show had so many musical guests in you'd have thought it was the Grammy's.

First, Slash did his guitar thing while the final four sang School's Out. Once more, poor Danny looked totally uncomfortable and out of place. As for Slash, with his saucy top hat and his black hair obscuring most of his face, he looked like a rockin' version of Cousin It.

Next to hit the stage, Paula Abdul premiering her new song I'm Just Here for the Music. Apparently, she was also here for the lip syncing. There's no possible way Abdul could have done all that dancing and not be completely out of breath. Also, I don't think that synthesized voice thing goes over all that well in a live performance. But it was nice to see her bust a move.

Even though they don't have a new album, quirky group No Doubt hit the stage. Gwen may be a mother of two, but she's still full of spunk and vinegar. And she was sporting a very cool lime green bra (I know this because the straps were sticking out from under her white tank top). Now she was quite obviously singing live, as evidenced by her lack of breath in certain spots (which just supports my above theory about Paula).

Finally, Daughtry rounded out the parade of guests, debuting a song off a new album. The group's got a nice sound, but I don't remember a whole lot about the performance. Hmmm... wonder what Simon would say about that?

Finally, we got down to the real reason we were all tuned in... the Big Goodbye. Sadly, this was Allison's last night. Ironic that she'd go after a show where she really excelled, but that's the way this contest goes. Unless there's a BIG upset - and there's always room for that - I'm still predicting Danny & Adam in the top two. As long as Danny stays away from those monster-movie-scary high notes!

Reality Bites - What's Up on AI and DWTS

I love Tuesdays because I get to watch a new episode of American Idol, and then watch the results show for Dancing With The Stars. It's always fun, but tonight contained more than one surprise, as well as one downright shocker.


AMERICAN IDOL

Being that it was rock 'n' roll night, I wasn't particularly concerned for any of the contestants. There are all kinds of levels of rock, and I figured each singer would pick a song that worked for them. Not so much.

ADAM - Whole Lotta Love - This was an absolutely perfect song for him. As usual, I'll be downloading it from iTunes tomorrow. The only problem for Adam is that when he's decked out in all his rock glory, he just might scare some people. I think part of the reason he goes so far with the hair and the eyeliner is because he really has a cute, almost baby face look about him. Check him out without makeup. Don't you just want to pinch those cheeks?

ALLISON - Cry Baby - A strong performance from Allison, who again looked great. A visit to Adam's hair gal gave her some nice low lights. And her personality is really starting to come out. I guess hitting the ripe old age of 17 has upped her confidence level.

FIRST DUET - KRIS & DANNY - Renegade - Neither one of these guys is what you'd call a hard rocker, so I thought this was a good choice for them. Together, their harmonies sounded great. But separately, they seemed to struggle. Danny looked uncomfortable and later implied that it was hard to hear himself sing, and Kris sounded rushed and out of breath. Still, an okay performance.

KRIS - Come Together - Again, I thought this was a good choice for Kris. His voice had a nice tone and he got to work the guitar. Not the most exciting performance, but good.

DANNY - Dream On - Ouch! I've been a Danny fan from the beginning, and have always said I expect to see him in the finale. But tonight was not good. At all. When he tried to hit that big monster note at the end, I cringed. A big, pull-my-ears-to-my-shoulders type cringe. I don't like it when Simon constantly compares everybody to Adam. I don't think it's fair to any of them. BUT, you do need to know your competition. And when you're competing against someone like Adam who can hit those crazy high notes, you have to think twice before tackling it. Danny took a risk, but I don't think it paid off.

SECOND DUET - ADAM & ALLISON - Slow Ride - I don't know how they decided who got to sing with who. Hat draw? Rock, paper, scissors? A hand from the programming higher-ups? But Adam and Allison were the perfect pairing for this song, and for the night in general. Not only did they sound great, but they were a lot of fun to watch. After tonight, it's pretty obvious Allison is determined to make it to the final show. Good for her.

WHO WILL GO? At this point, I like all four of them, and I think they can all have music careers, no matter what order they go in. Tonight, I really think Danny was the weakest, but I don't think he'll go. I believe we're going to say goodbye to Kris.


DANCING WITH THE STARS

I love Ty Murray, the professional bull rider who is also married to singer, Jewel. He got into this competition because he would be competing against her, but then Jewel had to pull out after an injury. But did Ty follow her off the competition? No way! Arguably one of the stiffest dancers ever to hit the floor, Ty has worked like crazy to improve, and it shows. He shines in power dances like the tango and paso doble. But he still has a problem with anything where he has to move his hips. Which is why it was such a shock tonight that Lil Kim, not Ty, was voted off. While Kim is the better dancer, I think Ty's personality (and the talent of his partner, Chelsea) is what's keeping him around. I'm happy to see him stay, but at the same time I'm sad that the better dancer had to go. It'll be interesting to see what he does next week.

American Idol Visits the Rat Pack Era

Ah, the Rat Pack era. Those long ago days in Vegas when the crooners really knew how to croon. And who would the mentor be on this nostalgic day? As Kris said, "All those guys in the Rat Pack... they're dead." True. So it was a little surprising when who should walk through the mansion door but... Jamie Foxx???

At first, he seemed like an odd choice. Yes, he won an Oscar portraying Ray Charles, but when it comes to his own music, he's an R&B artist. Well, Jamie pleasantly surprised me. The comments he had for the contestants were right on and seemed to help. And here's how things went...

KRIS - The Way You Look Tonight - When Kris started out, all I could think of was "smooth." He's got such a rich, mellow tone to his voice. And I love the way his jaw juts off to the side when he hits the power notes. I wasn't crazy about the tempo change in the middle of the song. I would have preferred if he kept it in a slow groove, but he still did a great job.

ALLISON - Someone To Watch Over Me - This may have been my favorite Allison performance to date. She hit just the right combination of being true to herself and catching the vibe of the song. And she looked fabulous! In my opinion, the now seventeen-year-old nailed it last night.

MATT - My Funny Valentine - Oh, Matt. I expected so much from you. And you almost delivered. But some of the runs fell flat. Even though it was a good performance, it didn't stand up against everyone else.

DANNY - Come Rain or Come Shine - Finally, the Danny we know and love is back! Even though his performances have been very good, they've lacked a little something the last few weeks. But last night, Danny crooned with the best of them. I particularly liked the end of the song. In this case, upping the tempo worked in a big, big way.

ADAM - Feeling Good - It'll just be redundant if I say I love Adam, so I'll control myself. This is one of those songs that you hear a million times during the audition process, so I wasn't all that excited when I heard he was singing it. BUT, as always, he put his own spin on it, making it fresh and unique. And has there ever been a better entrance down that staircase? I think not.

BEST LINE OF THE NIGHT - From Simon, in response to Randy saying that Adam was a little too theatrical: "That's like complaining that a cow moos. It's who he is."

GUESS WHAT I DID FOR THE FIRST TIME LAST NIGHT? I voted! Yeah, I know, as much as I write about this show, you'd think I was a voter, but I'm not. However, I felt strongly enough last night to pick up my cell and call in my vote for Adam. I only got through once, but at least I did my part :+}

WE BID A FOND FAREWELL TO... Matt. I think he and Allison will end up in the bottom two, but I believe Matt will be the one to go.

What do you think?

My Head's Killing Me but I Must Talk About Americian Idol!

I woke up this morning with a terrible sinus headache. All I wanted to do was tunnel further into the covers and go back to bed. BUT, I've got a To Do list, and it wouldn't leave me alone. So, I got up. I took a shower. I ate breakfast. And I felt a tiny bit better.

Did I accomplish anything? Some. I answered emails and wrote one page on a new chapter. I walked to the mailbox and found two red Netflix envelopes. One of the movies, Bedtime Stories, seemed perfect for today, so I crashed on the couch and watched it. I think the laughter helped. I've still got a headache, although not quite as intense.

You're probably thinking, what's the point to this post? Not much. Only that sometimes, our well thought out plans are derailed by things like headaches, and we have to give ourselves permission to adapt to the situation.

By the way, since I missed yacking about American Idol last week, I just can't let another week go by without commenting. So here I go...

THE DISCO NIGHT THAT ALMOST WASN'T
Yep, last night was disco night, but it was hard to tell. Out of the seven remaining contestants, only two, Lil and Matt, sang songs that remotely resembled disco. The other five sang updated versions of songs from the disco era... which was a good thing.

SHINIER THAN A DISCO BALL
As usual, Adam was my favorite of the night with a heartfelt version of "If I Can't Have You." To date, I've downloaded every one of his songs from iTunes. I'm making my own Adam album! Another standout was Kris, who did an acoustic version of "She Works Hard for the Money."

FASHION UPS & DOWNS
UP: Danny was wearing his glasses again.
DOWN: Allison's wardrobe. She's a great singer, but she needs a fashion consultant.
UNDECIDED: Anoop's pink shirt.
DOWN: Anoop's facial hair. I like smooth Anoop better.

WE BID A FOND FAREWELL TO...
Tonight we're losing two contestants. If Lil isn't one of them, I'll be shocked. Gotta admit, I'm feeling no Lil love anymore. It's almost like there's a wall between her and everyone else. Odd stuff. So, I think the bottom three will be Lil, Matt and Anoop. Lil will be one of the two going home, but I think it's a dead heat between the guys. We'll see.

Motown Night on American Idol

It was Motown Night on American Idol and surprises did abound. From Paula's prom dress to the very sad face job of a famous singer in the audience, you never knew what to expect. I was looking forward to tonight because, really, Motown offers something for everyone. Unfortunately, not everyone nabbed a song that was right for them. But others were awesome. Here are my weekly Idol thoughts:


ADAM'S THE MAN! People used to seeing over the top, theatrical Adam were surprised tonight by the clean-cut, suit wearing, non-eyelinered, natural finger nailed Adam. He delivered a rendition of Tracks of My Tears that even had Smokey Robinson giving him a standing O. Tonight we got to see just how much range this talented singer has. And is it just me, or did he look an awful lot like Dean Cain back in his Lois & Clark days?

IT'S STARTING ALREADY... Allison has a great voice. But one thing I've worried about is her starting to sound the same on every song. It happened tonight. The judges loved it, but to me it sounded like every other song she's sung. I hope she mixes it up a little next week.

WHAT'S HAPPENING TO LIL? She should have been great tonight. I mean come on... the woman's been compared to Mary J. Blige, so she should have rocked Motown night. Not so. Her Heatwave ended up being luke warm. She struggled to keep up with the the fast tempo which made her sound shouty and at times off-key. She'll make it through to next week, but this is two disappointing weeks in a row. Lil needs to up her game.

MATT WON ME OVER - With his soulful rendition of Let's Get it On, Matt brought me all the way over into his corner. Which leads me to...

I'M CHANGING MY MIND - Early on, I predicted that the top three would be Adam, Danny, and Scott. I still think the top three will be men, but I'm replacing Scott with Matt. Matt consistently gets better and better, while Scott has been a bit of a disappointment. I love the guy, think he's got a great sense of humor, but I don't think his vocals are good enough to get him to the end.

So, who's going home tomorrow? Based on tonight, I would say Scott and Megan will be in the bottom two, and Megan will go home. It pains me to say it, because I think she's great, but tonight's performance was not good.

And here is my new, official prediction for the finale: Adam and Danny, with Adam coming out the winner. That's what I think, and I'm sticking to it.

What do you think?

American Idol: Who Are the Two to Go?

We finally got to see the top 13 tonight on the big stage. And it was quite an interesting show.





A MATTER OF TASTE - All these folks can sing. What it's going to come down to is personal preference. For example, I know lots of people who love Jasmine and Kris, but they don't do anything for me. And that's okay.

QUIRKY WINS ME OVER - The judges weren't crazy about Megan's rendition of Rockin' Robin, but I loved it. From her unusual vocal tone to her contradictory full arm tattoo and girl-next-door look, she's different. In a good way. I don't expect her to win, but I hope she stays around for a while.

AN UNFAIR ADVANTAGE? Don't get me wrong... I love Adam. In fact, he's in my personal top three. But I have to wonder if his experience in musical theater gives him an advantage over the other contestants. When it comes to mere stage presence, he's got everyone else beat.

AND SPEAKING OF MY PERSONAL TOP THREE... Now that we've gotten to hear all the contestants in one night, I'm ready to pick my top three: Danny, Adam, and Scott. That's right, I don't see one of the girls in the top three.

WHY NOT LIL? I think Lil is great. But Fantasia not withstanding, American Idol has historically not been good to powerhouse, African American women. Think about it... Tamyra Gray (season 1 - 4th place), Jennifer Hudson (season 3 - 7th place), LaToya London (season 3 - 4th place)... I don't know why this is, but it concerns me about how long Lil will last.

So, based purely on my personal preferences, I think Jasmine and Kris will go home tomorrow. What do you think?

American Idol - The Second Group of Twelve

While last week's show was a whole lotta bad sandwiched between some pretty good stuff, yesterday started off bad and picked up speed toward the end. There was lots of "You picked the wrong song" and "It was pitchy" from the judges (BTW, they did, and it was). Here's what I think...

KEEPING PARENTS IN THEIR PLACE - Thank heaven they went back to having parents in the audience rather than backstage on the couch! This is where they should be: sitting with everyone else, watching their little darling perform. It's a good thing.

PLEASE DON'T BEG! Lots of them do it, but Jeanine Vailes, AKA The Girl with the Beautiful Legs, took it to new levels. Not only did she promise to do better and pick better songs, she said something like "Please keep me... I'm 28... I've been doing this for 14 years... I'm so old!" Somehow, saying that no one has liked your singing for 14 years doesn't seem like a big selling point. More like it reeks of desperation.

BE GENTLE, NORMUND - I like Nick Mitchell/Normund Gentle. Nick is a cutie and Normund is a crack up. He gave one of the night's most entertaining performances singing that Dream Girls song. BUT, as much as I like him, I don't believe this is the right venue for him. If all is right with the world, last night was his last AI performance. Maybe he should try America's Got Talent next year. It worked for Terry Fator.

A WORD ABOUT VOTING - The first contestant, Jasmine Murray, said she voted for her fellow contestants. "I tried my hardest to vote for every single person." HUH? Well, that's just silly. If you vote for each person, you've just cancelled yourself out.

Last week, I nailed the top three. I think this week is going to be harder, but here's how I'd like to see it go down:
Top Male - Adam Lambert - His rendition of Satisfaction was awesome. Definitely satisfied me.
Top Female - Allison Iraheta - The 16-year-old sang Alone by Heart. She reminds me of David Archuletta - raw singing talent, but not so good with interviews. She can work on that.
Third overall - Megan Joy Corkrey - The girl with the tattooed arm made me forget how many zillions of times we've heard Put Your Records On.

And look for Matt Giraud to be the choice for the Wild Card show. The judges want to hear more from this guy. So do I.

Your turn. What are your thoughts or predictions?