AI - Top 4 Results

Okay. I'm fast forwarding most of it. And here is your spoiler alert, if you don't want to know who was eliminated. Or maybe you just don't care. :)

Fantasia needs to stick to musical theater, in my opinion.

Fast forwarded to the first result, and I have to say I'm slightly shocked that Casey is in the top 3. Another Vote for the Worst victory. I'm sure they are thrilled. Unfortunately, this means someone I like is going home.

Daughtry. I liked him. Glad he's found some success that really works for him.

Lee DeWyze is also in the top 3. Good. I like him. Further bummed that Michael or Crystal will be going home.

No group performance tonight! Nice.

Crystal is the final top 3 member. I like her, but it's lame that Michael is going home. Lame, lame, lame.

Should have been Crystal, Lee and Michael.

Testing...testing...

....is this thing on?

I am still here. First, let's address the blatant lack of American Idol posts this year.



I'm totally bored with it.

I've been thinking the last few days to try and figure out why. I think my boyfriend Harry Connick, Jr. hit it right on the head last week when he was mentoring - it doesn't occur to these contestants that they are singing lyrics that mean something. And they just don't have the performance skills to be interesting.

Maybe it's Adam Lambert's fault. I was so interested in watching him last season. Just to see what he would do. (And then he releases his album and starts performing and goes COMPLETELY over the top at the AMA's, and I haven't paid attention to him since.)

There's no one like Adam this year.

I had hope for a couple people, but...nope. I like Crystal a lot. I like Big Mike. Lee DeWyze has been the only surprise for me this season - I didn't have any idea who he was and didn't care a bit about him, but he's gotten better. Unfortunately, as individuals, they're just a bit boring. The fact that the duets were the best performances tonight says a lot.

Truly, the stars this year have been the mentors. Adam Lambert was great. Harry Connick, Jr. was completely amazing. I mean, he actually arranged the music for the contestants! And Jamie Foxx was fantastic tonight. The rumor mill has Jamie as a frontrunner to replace Simon next season. And it will take someone of that caliber, talent, and personality to replace Simon.

If you have time, the AI producers are actually running a survey where you can comment on the current season. Click here to take it.

On a positive TV note - I can't wait for SYTYCD (Mia is the new permanent judge with Nigel and Adam! There's only a top 10 - not a top 20! The top 10 are dancing with all-stars from past seasons!) Lost is great this season, 24 is awesome, and Glee is fabulous. (Thanks to Hulu, I can actually keep up a bit while I edit photos.)

-------------------------
Best line from Glee so far tonight:

Puck: I feel like that guy that lost all his hair and lost all his power.
Santana: Sampson?
Puck: Agassi.

Lamest moment from Glee so far tonight:

When I realized they named Rachel's boyfriend Jesse just so Finn could sing "Jesse's Girl" at some point this season. It was a great performance, and Finn rocked the drums, but a bit corny.

But since the corny song was immediately followed by the AWESOME rendition of "The Lady is a Tramp" by Puck and Mercedes, I'm good.

American Idol Redux - Top 10

A week late, but here we go!

Performances:
Siobhan Magnus ("Through the Fire") - That was rough for her. She never found a good placement. (Even more sad to watch in the recap. They chose her bad notes to highlight.)
Casey James ("Hold On I'm Coming") - I didn't hate him for the first time ever.
Michael Lynche ("Ready for Love") - I love him.
Didi Benami ("What Becomes of the Broken Hearted") - That was so awful I wanted to cry for her. Hated her voice for that song.
Tim Urban ("Sweet Love") - I really like this song, and thus, couldn't watch him sing it. Because if I had, I would now hate it.
Andrew Garcia ("Forever") - I really liked this.
Lee DeWyze (I forgot the name - Treat Her Like a Lady) - That was fantastic. I've hated him and kind of thought he was a waste of space until right now. But that was awesome.
Crystal Bowersox ("Midnight Train to Georgia") - I'm so impressed with her musical sense and ability to choose perfect songs for herself. That was great. I can tell she's nervous standing alone in front of the piano, but she's pushing herself, which is awesome. Good for her.
Aaron Kelly - I didn't really listen. The 14 year olds are voting for him, so he'll be around for a while.

Results:

I love Usher, but he needs to hit the gym so he can work on dancing and singing at the same time. The singing suffered a bit, but props to him for singing live.

For a brief moment, I thought Big Mike was going to crush Seacrest between his pectoral muscles. It made me giggle with glee...

P. Diddy? Really?

And Didi is going home. That's too bad. I wish it were Tim.

American Idol - Top 11 Redux

Disclaimer - I'm late watching these shows again. I'm not going to watch the entire episode. For the remaining shows this season, I can only promise that I will watch Crystal, Michael and Siobhan. I really wish they'd cut everyone but those three and just finish the season early, but I'm not in charge. So I'll just suffer through the season until the top 3 show and hope they are the final 3 left.

If I can watch live, I'll twitter my comments and post them here. If I can't watch live, I'll write a short blog post. Cool? Ok!

And now, some notes from the performance show....

Dear Miley:

I'm pretty sure you don't get to criticize anyone's pitchyness. (New word! Whee!) Ever. Since I've never heard you sing well live. You're cute though. And you obviously have show biz savvy. But ease up on people's musicianship.

Thanks!

Macy

Dear America:

Paige Miles is ridiculously awful. Can't sing her way out of a wet paper bag. I can't think of a contestant in recent memory that was so pitchy. Please send her home.

Sincerely,

Macy

Dear Aaron:

You don't have a crush on Miley. That's all I'm going to say about that.

Sincerely,

Macy

Dear American Idol:

Entertainment Weekly had a really great article this week about how you can save your show. You should read it. I really loved two of the suggestions: 1) once a song has been sung two times on the show, it's out of the songbook for the Top 12. No one else can sing it. We're bored. I don't want to hear "Don't Want to Miss a Thing" or "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" again. And 2) Kill the swaybots. That's my favorite suggestion ever.

Sincerely,

Macy

Dear Crystal:

You're awesome. Thank you for trying out for this show. You're saving the season.

Love,

Macy

Dear Michael:

I LOVE you. Love your voice, love your personality, love your confidence. You are the bomb.com. Loved the orchestra on the stage. It actually fit.

Love,

Macy

Dear Glee:

Thank you for the new commercial. The fact that you'll be back three weeks from tonight makes me so happy today I can hardly stand it.

Love,

Macy

Dear America,

I really liked Katie Stevens at first, but she can go home too.

Thanks,

Macy

Dear American Idol:

Siobhan is not from Cape Cod, MA. Cape Cod is not a town. She's from Marston Mills.

Thanks,

Macy

Dear Siobhan,

You have one of the coolest voices I've ever heard, and I think you're awesome. Thanks for rocking out one of my favorite songs.

Love,

Macy

Results Show Notes -

Dear American Idol:

Please don't make me suffer through any more lip-synced group "performances." I have better ways to spend my time. Thank goodness I have a Tivo. Unfortunately, my two year old "likes the girls and the boys singing," so let's just take those group numbers away. Entertainment Weekly agrees with me.

Thanks,

Macy

Dear America:

Thanks for putting Tim and Paige in the bottom 3. Good call. It's too bad we only send one person home.

Thanks!

Macy

Dear Miley:

The onstage convulsions with your hair made me think you fell down while you were singing. (Yelling. Let's be real.) And I had to stop my Tivo, and I'm not happy about that. No more convulsing, okay?

Thanks,

Macy

Dear American Idol:

Is this Disney Channel night? What's happening here? Oldest Jonas Brother and one of those brunette Miley replacement girls? Why are you inflicting all of your tween stars on us in one night?

Not cool, American Idol. Not cool.

Macy

Dear America,

Good choice. Paige needed to go. Such bad singing. So annoyed that she was in the Top 12 instead of Katelyn.

Macy

American Idol - Top 12

Going to have to do the show and the results in the same night. I didn't get to watch the girls' results last week, and I was SO upset to see the girls that were left. I really liked both Lilly and Katelyn. Bugged.

Why is Kara borrowing Paula's wardrobe?

Michael - Love him. LOVE. A-

Didi - She has a fantastic voice, but I'm SO bored right now. No Grade. The judges liked her a lot. I think that was one of those performances that read well in the studio, but not so much through the TV.

Casey - I must be in a bad mood right now. I didn't like that either. C

Lacey - I'm slightly angry she's in the top 12. No Grade.

Andrew - I'm more and more disappointed in him every week. No Grade.

Katie - She's a little pitchy. Especially at the beginning. C

Tim - I really hated that. A lot. F.

Siobhan - She's amazing. Loved the beginning, loved when she went to uptempo. The end was a little screamy, but still amazing. A

Lee - This is literally the first time I've even noticed this guy. I liked the arrangement. He has a good voice. B+

Paige - That was decent. I haven't liked her at all until tonight, and I was irritated she made it through to the top 12. But I'm not upset about her. B

Aaron - He sang one note and I fast forwarded it. I just don't like him. No Grade. The judges liked him, but I was to irritated to stick around for it.

Crystal - Not sure about her entering through the big sliding screen, but I love this song for her. She's awesome. I love her twist on this song. A.

It's the Crystal and Siobhan show, as far as I'm concerned. With Michael sticking around for as long as possible.

Results:

Didn't miss the group number. It might be coming later, but I didn't miss it. I like David Cook.

New GLEE commercial!!! I literally could not be more excited about the show starting again.

That was a decent Ford commercial. I actually liked that one.

Bottom 3:

Paige

Tim

Lacey

Totally on board for those three.

We fast forwarded through all the performances.

Lacey is going home. Fantastic. Couldn't be more thrilled about that. And obviously, they aren't going to save her. Bye, Lacey!

AI - Girls Top 8

We're almost to the Top 12! Almost to the big stage!!

Katie Stevens ("Breakaway") - Poor thing. She's trying so hard. And so mature in taking criticism. But vocally, a C.

Siobhan Magnus ("House of the Rising Sun") - Starting a'cappella! Atta kid! I think she's my favorite vocally. I don't love this song, but she was great. A.

Lacey Brown - (I don't know the song and I didn't want to rewind it or look it up to figure it out.) I can't stand her voice. Sounds like she's been sucking on helium, and she has sheep-bleat vibrato. I also don't think her voice matches her look. No Grade. The judges seem to be happy though.

Katelyn Epperley ("I Feel the Earth Move") - She's my second favorite. I think she's cute, and I love her voice. The judges are going to find something wrong though. B+.

Didi Benami ("Rhiannon") Love it. She has not been on my radar much, but I like the sound of this and love her performance too. And I did take the time to look up the name of this song, because I liked it. A-.

Paige Davis ("Smile") As a general rule, I don't think people should sing this song on American Idol. They don't usually have the chops or the stage presence to pull it off. She started too low, and she's kind of shaky. No grade. I boo-dooped her and checked back in to see if it got better, and it didn't. Got worse.

Crystal Bowersox ("Give Me One Reason to Stay Here") This is a perfect song choice for her. She has Simon tapping along - nice! I loved the second verse. Nothing like a good 12 bar blues song. Crystal is awesome. The end was great. A.

Lilly Scott ("I Fall to Pieces") Her little warbly vocal style sounds like she's out of tune to me. I'm still undecided on her. The studio audience seemed to like it. B.

I think Paige and Lacey are going home on Thursday.

AI - Top 20 Results Show

Tonight's Group Song: "I Got a Feelin'" by the Black Eyed Peas.

This is going to be awful. I may not even be able to watch long enough to make fun of their lip synching. Seriously, people! Hold the microphone like you hold it when you are actually singing!

And I can't even talk about the "choreography." Why am I still watching this?

The one great thing about results shows at this point, is that I can basically watch the whole show on fast forward.

My friend Michael is safe. That's all I care about.

First eliminated: John Park

That's a good call. He was awful.

Does anyone else hate the way they make the parents of the eliminated contestants stand on the upstairs balcony and watch their child perform? Or is it just me?

Second eliminated: That Jermaine kid that wears the footie pajamas.

Danny Gokey! I like this song! Go Danny!

Third eliminated: Michelle Delamor

That's a good choice too. She was kind of boring.

And the last elimination of the night is between Lacey and Haeyleyeyey Homemade Headband.

Fourth eliminated: Haeyleyiei-ei-oh Vaughn

I was going to say something about her terrible, terrible extensions, but I wasn't sure they were extensions until the highlight reel they showed of the initial auditions and Hollywood week.

Um, they are extensions. And that is some terrible hair.

Sorry. That was catty. I really do feel sorry for her that she has to sing after crying through that highlight reel.

Yikes. Can't watch this.

What did you think? Did the right people go home? Is anyone out there reading this? :)

AI - Top 20 Girls Performance Show

We're a day late, but here it is....

• Kara is awkward for me right now. And that ponytail is awful.

Singing: (Again, if I can't stand to listen to them through the end of the song, they get "No Grade" and I boo-doop boo-doop them. Which means I fast forward on the Tivo for those of you that are new around here.)

Crystal Bowersox - Clearly her illness wasn't vocal-related. Great rendition. A-

Haeley Vaughn - Clearly, if you have pitch problems, you should sing a Miley Cyrus song. No Grade.

Lacey Brown - I do not like anything about her voice. That was a pretty good choice, but she's got an awful sense of pitch and she's kind of boring. No Grade. And listening to the judges comments, I have to say if that is her tone they fell in love with, I'm questioning their ears.

Katie Stevens - Her shoes might be the cutest thing I've seen. I really like her. Sad she had that little crack at the end, but I thought it was a good performance and I don't love that song. B

Didi Benami - I like her a lot too. And she's connecting better with the audience instead of standing and singing pretty like last week. B+ Clearly the judges and I don't agree. Wow. It must sound bad in the studio tonight.

Michelle Delamor - If you're going to sing slowly at the beginning of a song, you should sing in tune. No Grade. When Randy compliments your outfit a'la Paula, you should worry.

Lily Scott - Pretty sure you shouldn't sing a song that Adam Lambert sang last season. I don't hate this, though. She sounds a little too much like Duffy and Estelle, but I don't hate it. B+

Katelyn Epperly - I really like listening to her. I'm kind of impressed. A-

Paige Miles - Dear Paige, please don't go Mariah Carey on us when you're that vocally tired. That falsetto run was painful. Sincerely, Macy C.

Siobhan Magnus - Aretha. Brave. And this little Cape Cod girl can SING! Wow. WOW! Holy cow! That ending!! A

P. S. I just read a plot spoiler about Neil Patrick Harris' (NPH) upcoming guest spot on Glee this May. It kind of made my day.

AI - Top 20 Guys Performance Show

• The judges are in a different seating order every week. It bugs. I need them to keep this arrangement. Randy, then the girls, then Simon.
• Dear Kara, the 1980s want that hairstyle back. And I'm annoyed she's acting like Paula.
• I really like Ellen.

Now, some singing:

(I'll be shortening comments and giving each performance a grade. Unless they bore me so much I can't make it past the first 20-30 seconds and I fast forward the performance. In that case, it will say "No Grade.")

Michael Lynche - Some pitch issues at the start, but I really like him. I thought he sang it well and it was a great performance. A-

John Park - I hate his hair. No Grade because I fast forwarded through the performance because I was bored.

Casey James - He's cute, but his guitar intro was too long. Dead eyes. Unnecessary vibrato. And, it isn't Guitar Idol. Though he plays really well. Ellen is right on with the stage presence stuff. C+

Alex Lambert - Ugh! I hate his hair too! I'm having a hard time getting past his hair to like and listen to his voice. More dead eyes. He does have a good voice though, so...B+

Todrick Hall - I think he's the best performer. So creative and I like him a lot, but he does too much with the songs. Boring performance at the beginning. No Grade.

Jermaine Sellers - I think it's weird that he wears a onesie. He needs to go. No Grade.

Andrew Garcia - WHY so many ballads tonight? Did they announce ballad night, and I missed it? This wasn't so good. Dead eyes. So pitchy. No Grade. Couldn't do it. I'm sad, because I really like him a lot.

Aaron Kelly - Pooka shell necklace? Really? He must get beat up at school every day. Okay. I'm glad isn't ballad night. His vibrato is a little machine-gunish, but he's got a good voice. And looks far more comfortable on stage tonight. Last week, he looked like he was going to vomit, so I guess anything is an improvement. B+

Tim Urban - I do not like his hair or his voice. No Grade.

Lee Dewyze - His voice is alright. Still pitchy. I really get annoyed when people can't sing live. Plus, there is a rumor that AI may have auto-tuned his performance last week...Since he looks like he's going to vomit, B-

Michael Lynche. All the way.

Who are you voting for?

AI - Girls Top 12

First, my comments this year are going to be a lot more brief. And I'm not sure I'll be able to post on the night the show airs. I've decided I need to sleep.

But I'll share a few thoughts....

- Randy and Kara are duplicating each other. Neither of them bring anything unique to the table in terms of comments. That's a shame.

- Ellen is fabulous. And the little sequence with Ellen and Simon at the beginning of the show was fantastic.

- I love Simon. I'm not sure how I feel about him being gone next season.

And about the singers:

- Janell should not have chosen a Heart song. She doesn't have the chops to mess with that. That would be like me trying to sing Heart. I can't pull that off.

- My favorites are Crystal and Katie. I thought both of them were pretty great. I liked Didi Benami, Lilly Scott and Katelyn Epperly too. Kaeley Vaughn was awful for me. In general, I was underwhelmed.

Any early favorites for you?

AI Thoughts...

I finally had a chance to watch the Hollywood Week episodes.

(photo via Rickey.org)

First, I love Ellen. I think she's going to be awesome.

Second, why don't we have the Coke drinking glasses anymore? Vitamin Water Zero? What's that about?

Also, the first round is brutal. And I hate group day. Hate.

And finally, Andrew Garcia's version of "Straight Up" was one of my favorite things I've seen on AI. Ever.

One more week, and we're into the real episodes!

American Idol - Final Results

SPOILER ALERT - If you don't want to know who won until you watch the show, stop reading.

Also, this blog post is REALLY long. I apologize in advance.

To quote The Seacrest, we've finally made it. The last night. The crowning of the Idol. Adam and Kris are dressed in white for what I can only assume will be an inspirational opening number. We're guaranteed at least one all-white outfit song in every finale. They typically close with it, but I guess you have to change things up a bit.

The final night is filled with crazy and cool musical pairings that we have to sit through until the last two minutes of the show where we find out who won. We also get LOTS of video montages that I'm sure you'll see on the 50 city tour if you choose to attend. And the final night is always filled with cutaway shots of celebrities and former Idols in the audience. I'll be updating you with those as I see them. Like this:

Kimberley Locke!
Patricia Heaton with Paris Bennett right behind her!
A woman who looks kind of like Janice Dickinson, but I can never be sure if it's her!

Almost 100 million votes last night. Randy's rockin' a killer velvet bow tie. They're showing judge montages from the season. Randy's is hilarious. "Not my best performance for me for you for me tonight." Love it. Kara's earrings are huge. Kara's montage is also funny. Paula has the biggest heart in showbiz? And the biggest vocabulary? What? That was pretty funny too. Short clips of all the big words she has used this season - further confirming my belief that she has a ghost writer that works on her comments. No way she knows all those words. Simon's montage was very funny too.

Carrie Underwood!

Microphone issues for Kris & Adam. They throw to Mikalah Gordon (former Idol contestant - proving that you don't have to win to have a career, though her makeup is horrible) in Conway, Arkansas. Carly Smithson is in San Diego with Adam's fans.

Top 13 singing "So What" by Pink. Uh oh. Awkward dancing from Scott is back. He tries so hard to do their stupid little moves. I'm not sure what Allison just did with that pelvic thrust to the camera. Jasmine Murray just cracked out on her little vocal ad lib. Poor girl. Not sure the all white outfits matched that song. I'm just sayin'.

David Cook is singing a song called "Permanent" which I think is about his brother who just died of cancer. Great song, actually - and I haven't loved his singles. He's singing really well too. Go, David! The performance is going to be sold on iTunes to raise money for cancer research.

I wish they would give up on this stupid award things they do every year. It's just another excuse to trot out the embarrassing auditions. At least we're going to see Norman Gentle again. He's absolutely hilarious. He's in a sweatshirt and jeans, but I'm sure the Norman clothes are underneath. I love when I'm right. He's totally flat on the big note again, but totally brings down the house. Ryan's wearing the headband and glasses.

Lil Rounds & Queen Latifah are singing Queen Latifah's new single. They sound great together. I like Lil's hair too. Wish I could see who the dancers are. Last year, some of the former SYTYCD kids were the backup dancers.

Anoop and Alexis sing the first part of Jason Mraz' song "I'm Yours" and then Jason comes out and sings with them. I love Jason Mraz. He's a ridiculously talented songwriter and singer. Here come the rest of the Idols - minus Kris & Adam. That was a fun performance. I'm completely not hating the

Awww, Kris' wife looks super cute. Here is Kris' season montage. Followed by a duet with Keith Urban. COOL! This is a cute song. I haven't listened to much country lately. Is that Jerry Springer playing drums for them? I forgot how much I like Keith Urban. I'm pretty sure I'm going to go re-load my iPod as soon as the show is done tonight.

Justin Guarini!

Okay, I just rewound and watched the Wendy's Twisted Frosty boy band commercial. That was completely hilarious. And have I said how happy I am that SYTYCD starts tomorrow? I haven't? Well, I'm excited.

The girls are singing "Glamorous" by Fergie. And here comes Fergie singing "Big Girls Don't Cry". Ah, a medley. Loved Allison knowing the "choreography" when no one else did. Now the Black Eyed Peas are performing their super catchy new single. Evidently Fergie had an issue with the tape delay. These guys are amazing performers - their tour is going to be amazing. That was awesome.

More Idol awards. This time to bring bikini girl back onstage in a bikini. Of course. Love that Seacrest made fun of the new implants. Wow. She's going to sing. Ouch. Kara is joining her onstage. AWESOME! Girl can sing! You go, Kara. The song you wrote for the Idol winner completely sucked, but that was great. Oh! Wow! Dress removal by Kara! There's a bikini underneath. That was gutsy. And evidently she won a bet and they're donating money to her favorite charity.

David Cook!
Ryan Seacrest's Dad!
David Archuleta!

Allison Iraheta and Cyndi Lauper are going to sing "Time After Time" together. Cyndi is playing some kind of cool zither while they sing. That was a fantastic performance. They sound great together. Cyndi was kind of bloated and not looking good on "30 Rock" the other day, but she looks fabulous tonight.

Seacrest interviews Kris' parents and Adam's parents. Adam's mom is wearing a total rock glam outfit. And there is a single boy that doesn't look like Adam's brother there with Adam's parents...hmmmm.... :)

Danny Gokey sings "Hello" by Lionel Richie. I love me some Lionel. First concert I attended at the tender age of 13. I know. I'm so cool. It was the "Dancing on the Ceiling" tour, and he did, in fact dance on the ceiling. Lionel comes out to sing a song I don't recognize. It's apparently called "Just Go" and it's a new single for Lionel. Awww, yea! "All Night Long!" Nice. Admit it - you're up and dancing like Paula right now. Danny's pulling out some sweet harmonies, but he needs to cut out that crazy dancing. I must admit, I heard the list of performers for tonight and I was feeling like there would be a lot of clunker performances, but I've liked all of them so far.

Ruben Studdard!

Here's Adam's highlight reel. Glad they got some skin help for him. Wow. Those early shots are rough. He's got some kind of crazy studded jacket with wing shoulders on. Wow. Looks like something Meatloaf would wear. Well, since he's performing with KISS, the outfit totally makes sense now. Nice. They enter from the ceiling with fireworks. Perfect. Adam would have to wear a jacket and crazy boots like that to fit in with them. Adam sounds so much better than they do. "I Wanna Rock and Roll All Night" actually sounds great with him singing it. That was very fun. Seriously, who gets to sing with KISS?

Carlos Santana is going to perform with the Top 13. Santana is going to be at the Hard Rock in Vegas for the next couple years. That would be fun to see. Matt Giraud opens "Black Magic Woman" and then we go medley style into "Smooth"

Heather Locklear!
Camryn Manheim!
Janice Dickinson, again. (Seriously? Don't we have other people we could show?)

Awesome Ford commercial that ends with Kris and Adam getting new cars from David Cook.

Steve Martin is performing on banjo with Michael Sarver and Megan Joy?! Fantastic! I love this. Cute little bluegrass duet. The song is called "Pretty Flowers" and Dolly Parton and Vince Gill sing it on Steve Martin's new album. He writes songs too? Talented dude. Talk about a renaissance man.

The boys are performing. All of them are in black suits, black ties and white shirts. Nice. They're singing "If You Want My Body" by Rod Stewart. And here comes Rod Stewart singing "Maggie May". He seems to be having a hard time walking to his mike stand. Man, he's old The morning sun shows your age, indeed. They're showing a lot of people in the audience - I'm assuming so they don't have to show him.

One more Golden Idol. Here comes crazy Tatiana. Pretty funny bit - or is it a bit? Security is chasing her around the stage while she sings.

Kris and Adam are singing "We Are the Champions." Queen is backing them, plus the Idols, plus a gospel choir, plus fog. Now, that's a production number! Adam is completely KILLING this song. Kris sounds fine, but Adam is fantastic. And they look like they are having such a blast singing this song. They're just looking straight at each other and singing. Awesome.

Glad I followed The Seacrest's advice and extended the Tivo recording.

And the next American Idol is:
Kris Allen!

What?! Wow! And Kris gets a little trophy. And now Kris has to sing Kara's song for the next four months. Maybe they'll let him sing it in a different key on tour. How cute that he pulled all the Idols out in front of the judges with him and went to shake the judges hands. I like Kris. Awww...his cute wife just came onstage and gave him a big hug.

And in keeping with Idol tradition, the best singer didn't win. But now Adam has some freedom to do what he wants with his career since he didn't win.

It's been fun, everyone! Thanks for reading! I'll start recapping SYTYCD shows once the Top 20 hits the stage. In the meantime, enjoy the auditions.

American Idol - Afterthought

Jeanne kindly pointed out that I offered no prediction or favorite in my post last night. Total oversight. There was a lot going on in the room when I was blogging last night. I missed a lot of my friends' comments too. It's a shame I couldn't get my fingers to type faster - their comments were insightful and hilarious.

For the record, my favorite performances last night were the first two that Adam and Kris picked for themselves. The producers could have picked better songs for Adam and Kris. They weren't as bad as Paula's pick for Danny last week, but they could have been better. I really couldn't hear the words to Kara DioGuardi's song very well. (I'm sure they were awful lyrics. I just wanted confirmation.) I don't think Adam or Kris could hear when they sang the last song. They were both pitchy, and Adam isn't usually pitchy. I don't think they could hear themselves. I think Adam could have sung it better and I strongly suspect it was written to suit Adam's voice because the producers were planning on Adam being in the finals. Kris was great, though vocally tired at the end when he had to sing in a ridiculous key. He's very consistent, fun to watch and easy to listen to. Adam was great - he really has outrageously great technique. All my performing friends completely geek out over his skill and mastery over his voice. It's awesome to watch someone do something that well as you work so hard to perfect it in yourself. And if I were going to watch a concert, I'd much rather go see Adam in concert than Kris.

I know I'm totally fence sitting. And honestly, I'd be happy if either of them win. I can't think of many AI finals where I can say that. On vocal talent, Adam deserves to win. On overall musical talent, Kris deserves to win. On performance, Adam deserves to win. And they're both just as nice as can be. Very gracious and respectful of each other.

That said, I think Kris is going to win. But I think it's going to be close.

Why Kris? The biggest reason is Danny's voting block. Danny is a music worship leader in his church. His fans aren't going to vote for Adam. Kris is cute, young, married to an adorable wife, and is a music worship leader in his church. If Danny's fans vote, most of them will vote for Kris. Also, I think Kris did a better job overall last night. And I think it was a bit too apparent that the producers of AI want Adam to win. Did you notice on Kris' last song he didn't get any comments about how he sang? Just how proud he should be to be up there in the finals and that he did well. Also, (and I thank Professor Chan over at VFTW for pointing this out) Adam's arrangement of the crappy Idol ballad had more instruments in the arrangement and backup vocals. Kris' didn't. That's lame. It made his tired voice sound more exposed. And Kris has the VFTW voters behind him. Not that this has mattered all season, but they might push him over the top.

Plus, I just checked on Dial Idol. They pick Kris.

I'm interested to see what happens. And follow Seacrest's advice and extend the time on your Tivos and DVRs. It's pretty horrible when you commit to two hours of TV to find out who wins only to have this happen:

"And the next American Idol is..."

Boo-doop!

See you tonight!

*Edited to add: "Glee" was awesome. The closing performance of "Don't Stop Believin'" gave me chills several times. That Lea Michele can SING! Great arrangement, great voices. It's going to be a fun show. Can't wait until it comes back in the fall.

American Idol - THE FINALE!

Woo hoo! I'm watching tonight with Tarryn, Merrit, Lori, Dana and Carolyn. Coming to you from the Kodak Theater tonight. All the judges are spiffied up. Kris won the coin toss, and chose to go second.

I really should have a video on my friends. They're shouting out to all of you right now. I'm having a difficult time typing all the things they want me to right now. Just know they love you.

Adam Lambert - "Mad World" (Personal pick)
Smart move, dude. Open with your most popular song. (According to Rickey.org, this performance was the most searched for American Idol content on Google. This is due in part to getting cut off by the Tivos, but even if you factor that out, it's still the most popular performance this season.) Fog machine is in full effect, green lights and a Matrix leather coat. I know a lot of you commented that you didn't want to listen to an entire Adam Lambert album - in response, I give you this single. :) That was beautiful. I think I liked the performance better the first time, but this was still beautiful. Merrit is thrilled that Kara's hair finally looks good. Paula hit the tan spray a little too hard. Simon feels it was a little too theatrical with the fog and the long coat.
1-866-IDOLS-01, -03 or -05

Kris Allen - "Ain't No Sunshine" (Personal pick)
A little flat on the first long note at the beginning, but he recovers. Dana is wondering if this was Kris' most Googled song. I'm checking. (It's not - "Apologize" and "Heartless" were his most popular.) A quick aside - Lori is thrilled she's beating me at cards....I'm not playing, but she is beating me. (As usual, Tarryn is kicking everyone's trash.) That was a beautiful performance. He's fantastic.
1-866-IDOLS-02, -04, -06

Simon declares that Round 1 went to Kris. We agree.

Adam Lambert - "A Change is Gonna Come" (Producer's Choice)
Nice choice for Adam. Blues guitarists on each side. That was a great performance. Fantastic. The judges are gushing. Paula - wear a bra!! Ouch. NO ONE WANTS TO SEE THAT! And you forgot mascara. Simon declares he is back in the game.

Katie Holmes & Suri are in the audience!! We had to rewind it three times so Carolyn could see Suri.

Kris Allen - "What's Goin' On" (Producer's Choice)
Nice arrangement. I like already. This is an awesome song. Can't wait to buy it. Randy - you're wrong. That was awesome. Simon, you're also wrong. I thought he absolutely made it his own. Dana feels Simon is baiting the audience by hacking on Kris' performance and choosing Adam as the winner of Round 2.

All the Idol kids are in the audience. Anoop and Megan are evidently dating. They look a little cozy.

The New Single Round:
Both contestants are going to sing the same inspirational ballad. It's called "No Boundaries" and it was co-written by Kara Dioguardi, naturally.

Adam Lambert
This song is pretty well suited to him. Much more so than past rockers who end up in the top two. (see: Blake Lewis) Kind words from the judges. Not so much for the song. Kara loved it, of course. Adam is very gracious. And I really appreciate that he manages to balance confidence and kindness.

Kris Allen
His voice is tired. Or at least it sounds tired in his low range. And he looks nervous. We're talking about how we like Kris' voice better in terms of a full CD to listen to. His voice is on the verge of crapping out on him. That key was ridiculously bad for him. They should have changed it. They're giving Kris some really nice comments and props for ending up in the finals. Which he deserves.

Here's Carrie! She's singing live! Carrie, you're so pretty.

Here's the consensus in the room tonight -
Carolyn: Kris Allen
Dana: Would vote for Adam, will buy Kris' CD, and would have bought Danny's CD. They all have a place in her music heart.
Tarryn: Kris Allen (based solely on tonight - this is the first episode she's seen)
Lori: Kris Allen (again, based solely on tonight)
Merrit: On talent, Adam Lambert. On "I like him better," Kris Allen

American Idol - Top 3 Results

I just got off a plane and got to my house. I still have baggage sitting in my car, but I have been really excited to see this results show. The bags can wait.

88 million votes last night. Less than 1 million separating the top two. That will make next week particularly drama filled. Excellent.

Very interesting article in USA Today - they followed the top three for the three days before the performance show. It's worth a read. Click here.

Extra lame Ford commercial this week. I can see the concept they were going for, but it didn't work for me. Totally excited about the homecoming packages for each contestant. This is one of my favorites parts of this episode. I may or may not have cried all the way through David Archuleta's homecoming footage last year. Danny drew some huge crowds in Wisconsin. Interesting that he is out on the stage first. He's either the first of the top two, or he's the first in the bottom two. Or, he evidently gets to wait until Kris sees his homecoming footage. Kris had some great crowds as well. So much fun for them to get to go home and see everyone.

While we watch Kris and his cute wife in their Arkansas parade, let's look at Dial Idol, shall we?



That's what we call "too close to call." It's going to depend on the text messages.

Jordin Sparks performs her new single written by the piano dude from One Republic. Kind of a catchy tune. She's done reasonably well for herself. I hope the second album does okay. I like her.

And now, Adam's homecoming footage. He's on the cover of the Entertainment Weekly that arrived while I was gone. I don't think that has ever happened before - they've had all the Idols on the cover while the show was still going on, but never just one. While we watch Adam visit his hometown of San Diego (he totally had the easiest travel schedule, by the way) Let's talk about Adam. I loved reading everyone's comments about him. Those of you that said you didn't like listening to the loud rock songs - I see your point. I would point out in return, that his falsetto acoustic performances are beautiful and quite easy to listen to. The beginning of "One" last night was gorgeous. And, along with Stacie, my love for Adam is pure technical admiration. Vocally and performance wise. He's brilliant on both fronts. That's why I love him. That, and he's a theater boy that actually has a shot to have a pop career. That's rare. But seriously - the fact that he can sing his face off like that and still be able to talk, let alone sing the next week, is amazing.

I hate Katy Perry. HATE. Her cape is hilarious. Too bad she can't sing live. I give her props for being a brilliant performer/showman, but I hate her music.

Four minutes left. I hope the Tivo makes it.

The top two are:
KRIS ALLEN!!! (The judges look shocked/excited about this. I yelled for joy!)
and
ADAM LAMBERT!!!

What?! That is AWESOME!

Danny is going home. I'm actually thrilled at this result. I like Danny and all, but he was the weakest last night. Next week's show is going to be completely amazing. And he will have a fabulous career on the country/Christian music circuit.

American Idol - Top 3 Performance Show

It's anybody's game tonight, I'm thinking. They're performing two songs tonight - one chosen by the judges, one by the contestant.

Danny Gokey - Dance Little Sister (Paula's pick)
I don't know this song either. This could work for him or against him. People tend to like familiar songs. Interesting that Danny is first tonight. He might be pitchy on the chorus. It's not a particularly hard melody and he's kind of yelling at us up until the sax solo. I didn't love the song or the performance. Randy likes it. Kara doesn't like the dancing. Paula is irrelevant here. (She's always irrelevant. What am I saying...) "Sign Your Name" would have been a much better choice for him. Good call, Simon. And though Danny is singing a ballad later (which was Paula's excuse for choosing this song), "Sign Your Name" has enough of a beat to it that it would have worked I think. I digress...

Kris Allen - Apologize (Kara & Randy's pick)
NICE. Excellent choice for him. Hope he kills it. He's sitting at the piano - excellent. I like that he's doing the chorus in falsetto and full voice. That's a cool little change. He's full voice through the second chorus and second chorus. Liked it a lot. Randy likes it. Kara was underwhelmed and wanted him to change it up. Paula - you aren't allowed to comment on bum notes or poor vocals. Simon calls Kara out for giving him the song and then criticizing him for singing the song the way it was originally recorded. It would have been cool on acoustic guitar. They should have suggested it. Wow. Kara is a little bit crazy tonight.

Adam Lambert - One (Simon's pick)
Again, I think it's unfair for Simon to pick for Adam. Simon got clearance from Bono for him to sing this. Pared down with just piano. Diggity doesn't take kindly to people messing with U2 songs, but I think he might even like this. Holy crap. That was amazing. Fantastic arrangement, great vocals. Fantastic. Randy likes it. Kara says it was unbelievable. Paula throws down some more analogies. I don't think I've heard this much of Paula all season. Diggity usually zips through her comments. Simon thought his song choice was brilliant. I love Simon.

Danny Gokey - You Are So Beautiful
He did a fantastic job with that song. Great liberties with the melody. Great vocals. He really did a good job. Simon called it a vocal masterclass. That's a pretty great compliment.

Kris Allen - Heartless
Not sure about Kanye West as a choice for Kris. Never mind. I like it. I love it! That was great. I can see why he went with piano on the first song. Randy and Kara are gushing. Paula is stupid, but she liked it. Simon likes it too. Kris is a total stud. That's why he's still here, kids. That performance right there. 1-866-IDOLS-02 or 08

Adam Lambert - Cryin'
This is a great choice for him. We'll see how he does. Okay. He ROCKED that out. Especially after Danny atrociously screamed Aerosmith last week. That was great. Everyone loved it and Simon reminds us to vote for Adam.

Watching the video recap back, here's who did the best job (in my humble opinion):

1. Adam
2. Kris
3. Danny

I don't know who will actually go home. I really have no clue. I hope it's Adam and Kris. I like Danny a lot, but I really think Adam and Kris were the best tonight.

Who did you like?

American Idol - Top 4 Results

Results time! I'm interested to see how this will go down. Dial Idol has Kris and Allison as the bottom two with less than a percentage point separating them.

I would hate to be the person that comes up with the treatments for the Ford commercials every week. How do you think of a new commercial every week? I think they've done this billboard thing already. Maybe it was magazines. I don't remember.

The Idols perform "School's Out" with Slash on guitar. Thankfully, it's going to be live. Rock just doesn't work for Danny or Kris. Blues, country, pop, yes. Rock, not so much. Allison and Adam sound SO cool together.

Diggity keeps dry heaving every time Seacrest announces that Paula is singing tonight. I want to sing, "One of these things is not like the others..." Daughtry! No Doubt! Paula Abdul!

Recap of last night: Kris is told not to be humble anymore. Adam is a total pro. Totally on message. Way to work in the Led-Zepplin-first-time-on-Idol thing again. Have to say, Danny is handling the awful note thing quite well. Very cool spin on it.

Wow. Paula's performance gets a video package? Wow. And she's lip synching and has a processor on her voice. There are all these weird references to her leaving idol on the video screens and int he dance. It's a stupid song with not great choreography and I think she worked every possible thing into the performance - wind machine, fireworks, flips. I don't even know what that was for or about. And I think it was pre-taped. The No Doubt performance was pre-taped after yesterday's show. And whoever mixed the audio did a lame job. I love Gwen Stefani and this is such a great song. She's running too much to sing well, but she's a blast to watch. But I digress.

So, we're more than halfway through and no results until now. I hate that. We're told that the three stools tonight are for the top three, not the bottom three and they will be announced in random order. The top three get to go home and be heroes in their town for the day. Seacrest goes through all of them one by one like usual.

First person that is safe is: KRIS!!! Yes! This makes me happy.

Daughtry is going to perform. We get reminded that Chris Daughtry got eliminated this week during his year. They're debuting their new single. This kid has serious pipes. He's amazing. They get their super huge platinum record plaque on stage. I'm glad they've done so well.

Second person that is safe is: ADAM!!!

Allison and Danny are left. Dial Idol says it's clearly Allison. But Dial Idol doesn't include text messages...

The final person in the top three is: DANNY!

Allison is going home. She's getting a great response from the audience. Cute girl. She'll have a great career. An all male top 3. I think that's a first.

American Idol - Top 4 Performance Show

Check out Diggity's pre-show comment -
"Well, I hope Allison is going home, but this week's theme favors her, I guess."

That's right, grasshopper. It sure does! It's rock & roll week! And Ryan just shocks us (well, me) by letting us know that the Idols will sing solos and will pair up for a duet tonight. COOL! Slash is the mentor tonight. I don't feel he will have the same impact as Jamie Foxx. Just a hunch.

Adam Lambert - Whole Lotta Love
Diggity likes this. Me, I have no idea. I'm not the rock aficionado in our house, so I'm deferring to him. When we thought the song ended, Diggity said, "That was kind of boring." Then when Adam did the little tag at the end, he said, "Hard to outdo Robert Plant and Led Zepplin, but that ending was better." And this is the first time a Zepplin song has been done on Idol. Nice. I just told Diggity I'd never heard that song, and he has decreed that I am going to be going on a Zepplin diet. Kara dressed in the theme again. *sigh* And she's a little crazy tonight.

Allison Iraheta - Crybaby
I like this song. Never heard it before. Diggity is probably preparing a playlist for me to remedy my lack of exposure to classic rock. I have to say, Allison's high notes are the cleanest they've sounded in weeks. I'm kind of impressed with her vocals tonight, and I'm not usually impressed with her. Evidently the dress rehearsal got cut short earlier because of falling set pieces. I think it helped in her case to not have to sing so much today.

Kris & Danny - Renegade
I like the fact that they are doing duets instead of singing two solos tonight. Much more interesting. (Carly Smithson and Michael Johns did a duet in the finale last year and on tour that was hugely popular - I'm sure that inspired this idea.) Unfortunately, this duet wasn't so interesting to watch, but the harmonies were FANTASTIC. I feel like Kris was a little pitchy, though I'm hoping Randy confirms it. Okay, I'll take confirmation from Kara. I can't believe they are letting them sing with a band that loud onstage and they don't have in-ear monitors. For the hearing protection alone, they should have them.

UPDATE: Diggity IS preparing a playlist for my iPod. That's hilarious.

Kris Allen - "Come Together"
Quotes from Diggity:
"Does he only sing out the side of his mouth?"
"I would have gone high on that note so he's not singing the song note for note like the Beatles."
"He just reminds me of Enrique Iglesias too much. It wasn't ferocious enough."
Enrique Iglesias? Wow. Diggity is rough.
Kris did change up the bridge and the ending a bit. I liked that. Diggity's right on the lack of ferocity especially. Randy was very cool and complimentary. Kara didn't like it. Paula thinks he's an artist that needs more energy. Simon doesn't like it and compares it to eating ice for lunch. What? I feel like they're setting him up to get voted off.

Danny Gokey - "Dream On"
It was fine until the end. The screaming was awful. AWFUL. That's all I'm going to say about that. I'm kind of embarrassed for him, and I think the audience is clapping so much because they don't know what else to do. Horror film, indeed Simon.

Allison & Adam - Slow Ride
I have to say, I think this is a bit unfair to put the two of them together. Though, they picked kind of a silly and boring song. They're sure trying hard and they sound good. I just wish they'd picked a better song. I liked the harmony part about 2/3 of the way through. They're fun together.

Wow. So, predictions -

Safe - Adam, Allison, Danny
Going Home - I'm not happy about it, but I think it's Kris.

Though there is an outside possibility that it could be Danny. They totally gave Danny the loser edit on the phone number recap. He hit some great notes in the song and they chose the screaming ending to show for the recap of his song. Poor kid. Are they trying to force him into the top? Also, Danny Gokey is the VFTW pick this week. They swore they'd never pick him unless he did something awful because they HATE him over there. The screaming at the end locked it in.

American Idol - Top 5 Results

Results night!

Ummm...Ryan? I Don't Mean a Thing? Try, "IT Don't Mean a Thing." You get paid to read a teleprompter, Seacrest. At least read it correctly.

On a happy note, we're singing live tonight and I'm enjoying this arrangement. I love Kris. I really hope Allison goes home. I would love to have these four boys as the top 4.

Video package of the kids making birthday cakes for Danny and Allison. It devolves quickly into a food fight - as you would expect. And I'll bet they didn't have to clean it up either.

Results:
All the kids are in the center of the stage and Ryan is sending them to the left and right of the stage to put them in different groups. Dial Idol has Allison, Kris and Matt as the bottom 3 with Matt going home. Ryan makes Adam choose which group he belongs in. Adam actually chooses, and chooses wrong. He's in the bottom with Matt and Kris. David Archuleta sitting down in the middle of the stage and refusing to choose last year when Seacrest pulled this (he does it every year) was my favorite. Danny and Allison are safe. Everyone's surprised that Adam is in the bottom, but it was going to happen at some point. He's a little divisive.

Natalie Cole is singing. She's a classy lady. Love her hair. Her voice doesn't sound great tonight on the high notes, but whatever. She's music royalty as far as I'm concerned and can do whatever she wants.

Taylor Hicks is back. He's got a lot of energy tonight. This is kind of loud for a blues/country song. And kind of boring. Boo-doop!

More Results:
They bring Kris, Adam and Matt out on stage. Kris is told he is safe. Adam and Matt are the bottom two. Interesting...

Championship mentor Jamie Foxx is performing. I hate when a song is allegedly popular and I've never heard it. It really does make me feel old and lame and out of touch. I hate that he has a filter on his microphone. It's a catchy little tune. Excellent hook in the chorus. Fun performance. He's a talented dude.

Final Results:
Seacrest tries to stir up controversy between the judges before announcing the results. And...Adam is safe. Matt is going home. I'll miss him.

I think Allison is next to go. Then, it gets a little tricky. If Kris goes out in third place, I think Danny will win. I don't think the people that vote for Kris will vote for Adam. If Adam goes out in third place, I think Kris might beat Danny. It's going to be interesting!

Rock & Roll next week with Slash as the mentor. Maybe Allison won't go home next week. The theme definitely favors Allison and Adam.

American Idol - Top 5 Performance Show

Rat Pack/American standards tonight. Nice touch to have the band onstage. The kids don't know who the mentor is this week, and they're anxiously awaiting the mentor's arrival. It's Jamie Foxx. Not gonna lie - that's impressive.

Just saw the first commercial for So You Think You Can Dance! YAHOO!!!! I will admit, I get a little giddy every year when I see the first commercials. I'm kind of a dork. Not as big of a dork as my sister, but a dork nonetheless.

Kris Allen - The Way You Look Tonight
Jamie loves Kris! Me too! Me too! That was beautiful and fun and awesome. Good rendition of a song that is done an awful lot. FANTASTIC note at the end. Killer. Awww...he made his mommy cry. Cool article about Kris in USA Today earlier today. The judges like it. I'd like to thank Paula and Kara for dressing and doing their hair to match the theme. Love that Kris' dad rolled his eyes when they cut to his parents. 1-866-IDOLS-01 or 1-866-IDOLS-06

Allison Iraheta - Someone to Watch Over Me
Jamie is one of the better mentors I've seen. Actually giving useful vocal and performance advice. She's singing it well, but I'm feeling like her performance is a little affected. She's closing her eyes for no reason at times where it isn't necessary. The studio audience loved it though. Randy thought it was dope. I'm more with Simon - I think she's been in the bottom so much because she's tough to relate to.

Matt Giraud - My Funny Valentine
He looks nervous. I'd be nervous. This is a HARD song to sing. I wish he'd stood up earlier in the song. It gave him some energy that I think was missing from the first half of the performance. Excellent job on the big note Jamie said he should sing.

Danny Gokey - Come Rain or Come Shine
Seriously - Jamie Foxx is the best mentor I've ever seen work with these kids. Any season. I always like Danny, but he's much better than usual. He's not oversinging, and he's a lot more genuine than usual. Genuine may be the wrong word, but it's the only one I can come up with. Tha blues stuff at the end was ridiculous. Awesome. He looked like he had more fun tonight than he has all season. 1-866-IDOLS-04 or 1-866-IDOLS-09

Adam Lambert - "Feelin' Good"
Adam's rocking a white suit and using the stairs. I love the Michael Buble version of this song. Kind of sounds similar to that version, actually. The arrangement anyway. Adam has more rock timbre in his voice, obviously. THAT NOTE at the end! That is just impressive. The dude can sing his face off. He's just an outstanding performer. 1-866-IDOLS-05 or 1-866-IDOLS-10

Jamie Foxx for the win!

Just kidding. Kind of. I think this is a week where the mentor actually made a difference in the performances. That's not usually the case, in my opinion.

------------------
Here we go - favorite performance to least favorite performance:

1. Danny Gokey
Adam Lambert (it's a tie. I tried to choose. I couldn't.)
3. Kris Allen
4. Matt Giraud*
5. Allison Iraheta

*Vote for the Worst pick this week

I think it's Matt or Allison going home this week. Probably Allison. If it is, this will be the first all male top 4, I believe.