An End of an Era

Yes indeed it was a Simon love fest tonight on the final results show, and why not? The man made American Idol, and now the show will certainly decline without the two original star judges at the helm. I was happy to see the usual cadre of stars, and the getting together every previous Idol except David Cook was a nice touch too. Paul Abdul still cannot put together a coherent sentence, which is just sad. And speaking of sad, the results were clear from DialIdol that I was mistaken and the underdog had overtaken the longtime favorite. The only justification I can think of is that Lee had done nearly as well as Crystal in the 3-4 weeks leading up to the final, so she could not turn the momentum of him overachieving and her being just OK the past few weeks. She's way better than he is, but the best one never seems to win this contest. When they do, you get a blockbuster star like Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood. When they don't, you get Taylor Hicks and Fantasia.

So I fell beneath .500 for the season, which stinks but what can you do? With the exception of trying to send Casey and Tim home too soon, I was pretty much spot on in the finals until tonight. Here;s the final tally.

THIS WEEK: 0/1
FINALS: 7/12
OVERALL: 11/24

Also, I hate to make this announcement, but with the exit of Simon, I will also be taking an exit stage right. It has been a blast following Idol weekly the past three seasons, but every season has shown the decline of the show and I just do not see that changing anytime soon. There's still a lot of talent out there and a show like this is good, but I'm not going to religiously follow it and blog it anymore. For my two readers out there, I'll try to pitch in some insight a couple times next season, but there will not be weekly entries and I won't be keeping score anymore. In Season 7 I was rewarded with a David Cook upset, and I'll never forget the days of Archuleta, Glambert, and Momma Sox. So thanks for reading and check me out on my other blogs if they interest you. Until the next great thing comes along, safe journeys.

American Idol 9 - The Cut to 2

And in this penultimate results episode, we lose Casey. Which is no surprise, considering he's been due to go the last two weeks and has been saved by a good vote following (and congratulations to Idol voters to having some taste). However, the Lee and Crystal final was predetermined by the idol fix weeks ago and now we have it. You still have to handicap Crystal as the favorite but the judges will love Lee more to make it close.

THIS WEEK: 1/1
FINALS: 7/11
OVERALL: 11/23

America Idol 9 - The Cut to 3

This week we will have the Idols coming to their hometowns, which means somewhere near me Crystal will return home. Perhaps I should go watch the spectacle? In any event, tonight we lose a truly good contestant for the first time all year, but at this point, someone had to go. And that someone, surprisingly, was Mike. Making the save actually worth it this year, Michael definitely deserved to be in the top 4 and just caught a bad break of not having good voter support throughout. Well wishes Michael, I highly doubt you'll need to rely on the personal trainer gig anymore.

THIS WEEK: 0/1
FINALS: 6/10
OVERALL: 10/22

American Idol 9 - The Cut to 4

And the final four is here. Aaron is out and Lee is in, but really this was the top 4 we have expected with just one simple substitution for an overachiever. Casey was surprisingly saved, so hopefully he reminds us why he was so good and plays a guitar in the Final Four. I'm cheering for him to come in second at this point, as there's no denying Crystal should win. So mu streak is over, ahh well. Still got a good finals going.

THIS WEEK: 0/1
FINALS: 6/9
OVERALL: 10/21

American Idol 9 - The Cut to 5

So lots of performances and one of the better serious ford music videos ever done on Idol results night. I don't know about the Shakira and Rascal Flatts combo, but at least it was not atrocious like some of the other superstar performances this year. And totally shocked Shania Twain did not perform or appear after being such a focal point Tuesday night. Ahh well. The results were not too surprising, except Aaron being in the top 3. At this point everyone is in jeopardy because we are down to the predictable top 4 in the finals and Lee, who has impressed overall. Other than calling Tim going home way earlier than he did, I'm keeping my nice finals streak alive. It will like get tougher from here though.

THIS WEEK: 1/1
FINALS: 6/8
OVERALL: 10/20

American Idol 9 - The Cut to 6

After tonight, we've cut the chaff from the finals and gotten down to a solid six. Yes indeed, that means the true chaff of the semifinals and finals is gone in Tim. I do have to congratulate him for going out much much later than he deserved to, but it will be nice to have him gone from performance nights before it becomes awkward to have him paired with someone like Casey or Crystal in a duet in a couple weeks. I will not opine on the two-hour waste of time, but I hope they make a lot of money to do something other than line the producers pockets.

THIS WEEK: 1/1
FINALS: 5/7
OVERALL: 9/19

American Idol 9 - The Cut To 7

Well tonight we remembered what makes this season so much more disappointing when Glambert took the stage. He puts on quite a show even if his single is kind of crap. I nabbed a two for two finish on double elimination week for the second straight year, which makes me happy. The first mid-range contestant goes home in Andrew, which leaves us with 4 frontrunners, 1 mid-range contestant, and 2 longshots. Although the longer it goes, I'm beginning to think Lee is stronger than both Aaron and Mike. Nevertheless, if this season does nto come down to Casey and Crystal we got robbed.

THIS WEEK: 2/2
FINALS: 4/6
OVERALL: 8/18

American Idol 9 - The Cut to 8 (or not)

Well this was a shocking week of results. Not only did Katie and Tim escape the bottom three, but the man with the lowest amount of votes was a near lock for the top 3. Big Mike took a big hit and somehow ended up at the bottom below Andrew (also surprising) and Aaron. But this was the most predictable save ever, and now we will cut from 9 to 7 next week. Normally that would be death knell for sure for the only terrible contestant left, but Tim was not even in the bottom three! Only time will tell if the season will continue to shock like this week did. Total change from the finals up to this point and apparently everyone is vulnerable.

THIS WEEK: 0/1
FINALS: 2/4
OVERALL: 6/16

American Idol 9 - The Cut To 9

Now that the tour is set and chock full of losers, it is time to take some hacks out of the competition. Nobody in the bottom three was a huge surprise or would have been much of a loss, as Katie I did not have but has been consistently worse than Siobhan. It was clearly between Teflon Tim and Didi, and I tried to take out Tim a week too soon. So Didi gave a good save performance, but it will never be used on a fringe contestant this early because she would just go home next week.

THIS WEEK: 0/1
FINALS: 2/3
OVERALL: 6/15

American Idol 9 - The Cut To 10

Well today is all about cutting to the tour top 10. The loser in this round joins the likes of Amanda Overmyer, who also just missed out on the tour. However, this year we have some real baddies so it does not matter who goes home, as the tour will be full of suckiness. Miley Cyrus is just not that good a singer, all things considered. Which makes it even better for her to be a mentor on this season of all seasons.

No real surprises in the results. Katie instead of Didi in the bottom 3, but clearly Paige and Tim were the no-brainer bottom two. And I am now two for two in the finals thanks to America voting the worst singing girl in the top 11 home. Adios Paige, you have sucked it up ever since the shows went live.

THIS WEEK: 1/1
FINALS: 2/2
OVERALL: 6/14

American Idol 9 - The Cut to 11

Well I'd speak more about tonight's episode, but I hit it right on the head. This never seems to happen this season, but I was dead on both with each of the bottom three and Lacey going home. No save, but no surprise other than the contestant picks a song of choice to sing for the save rather than the poor song that got them booted. David Cook is awesome, the rocker chic was OK, but the last star performer was terribad and god-awful. Ick if that's music now.

THIS WEEK: 1/1
FINALS: 1/1
OVERALL: 5/13

American Idol 9 - The Cut To 12

The vicious cuts come and go. And what do we have here, but both worsters are through. Paige going through was a huge shock as I thought she's sucked ever since she stepped into Hollywood. So we lose Katelyn, which is not a massive loss but still surprising. I was hoping my Lee pick proved America follows good logic, but unfortunately Todrick (who got one of only two A grades in the entire semifinals this week) goes home. Casey James was the other who got an A, so watch out now.

In the second half of the show, no surprises as Alex and Katie made their way out the door. I loved when after THREE WEEKS of major exposure, apparently we haven't seen all The Mullet can do. Ahh, goodbye Mullet. We'll miss you, but not much. OH WAIT...no no no, I wrote that last line too early. As America shocked even more than saving Paige by saving Katie. Are you serious America? Is this who you want to listen to every week? Good lord, we have at least six-eight weeks left of getting rid of chaff, and that's if everything goes right. Adieu creepy homeless chick and todrick the dancer, you did not deserve your fate.

THIS WEEK: 1/4
SEMIFINALS: 4/12
OVERALL: 4/12

American Idol 9 - The Cut to 16

Well tonight we got the shocker out of the way first with Tim staying, but then I was immediately vindicated by John Park going home. Sorry dude, you just have to do better. But have fun with Purple Haze. Jermaine went home, so I really should take half a point for that cal in the bottom 3. I guess Tim is too cute for people, which sends Jermaine home a week early.

On the girl side, the first elimination went exactly as I thought with Didi and Michelle duking it out. I made the right call, and it was all about like-ability because they were pretty equal in performance. In the second elimination it was again two weaklings with Haeley and Lacey, and the right girl finally went home. So I'll claim 3.5 out of 4, and really nailed the picks this week. Whew, it's back to normal on Idol (except for the good talent).

THIS WEEK: 3/4
SEMIFINALS: 3/8
OVERALL: 3/8

American Idol 9 - The Cut to 20

A brutal first week overall comes to a close with 4 of our top 24 going home. The Vote For The Worst crowd had their choices clear-cut for them, and while it was not a huge shock Haeley went through, I cannot fathom why Tim made it through. Allison Iraheta turned out to be nothing special with her hit and man is she annoying, but she's still a tween-tard when she's not using her voice. Then Kris Allen came on and sang let it be for haiti, which is so bleh...sorry Idol you missed the boat on that tragedy and now it just looks bad. We'll have to endure another Idol Gives Back sometime this year, which is an excuse to not tune in. Thanks Ryan for the week off in advance.

What this show tells us is two things: first, the voters were so unpredictable they made me go an unprecedented 4 for 4. However, I'll blame it on the fact that any one of about 8 girls and 8 guys deserved to go home, so I'll just be happy that 4 terrible singers are gone and maybe someone will emerge as good. Too bad Adam Lambert or David Archuleta were not in this season. Second, America hates Latino singers. How else can you explain Joe and Ashley going home on the first elimination week? Ahh well at least Andrew made it. All in all, as usual this hour of television is so worthless.

THIS WEEK: 0/4
SEMIFINALS: 0/4
OVERALL: 0/4

American Idol 8 - And The Winner Is...

The audience! Wow, Fox actually spent some money or used some powerful influence, as the guest stars were more than appropriate for the television event of the year. Even the "meh" guests like Keith Urban and Queen Latifah weren't awful. In fact, the most awful thing was listening to poor Sarver and Cockring sing along with Steve Martin's fiddle playing. Screw comedy, fiddle is "serious business!" Kris won, but Adam was not disrespected by any means getting to be a lead singer with KISS and then sharing the stage with Kris and the remaining members of Queen. He's got so much vocal talent he could be the new Freddy Mercury or new lead singer for KISS. So perhaps this will turn out better for him, but the tweentards got their revenge for last season's Arculeta-fail. So congrats to the Dark Horse, the guy with less vocal talent than McBlind, Matt, Allison, Danny, and Adam to name a few.

Oh and even the cheesy Idol awards were good because they brought back the only three early-round contestants that mattered: Tatiana, Nick/Normund, and bikini girl. It's nice to see Idol appreciate what makes them so great while also doing it on their biggest stage for the real competitiors. Moment of the night goes to Kara dioguardi, who took a break from slobbering all over the sausage fest top 13 to show that she's got a tight bikini body and a better voice than "enhanced" bikini girl. Bravo Kara, bravo.

Oh and the Black Eyed Peas are back, which means no more solo Fergie awfulness on my radio for at least a couple years. Hallelujah!

THIS WEEK: 1/1
FINALS: 8/13 (61.5%)
OVERALL: 14/22 (63.6%)

Despite the upset, definitely looking forward to next season. Hopefully they learn from some mistakes this season and make it even better. After all, without Idol, just what the hell would I blog about? Have a good summer!

American Idol 8 - The Cut To 2

So another week, another terrible results show. Skipped through the retarded beg for money and African kid dance, and still don't understand why they cannot come in under 1 hour on a results show with 24 seconds of substance. Kris and Adam were close in the voting, which bodes very poorly for Mr. Lambert next week because the tweentards back Kris and the red states back Kris. But I knew Danny was gone.

THIS WEEK: 1/1
FINALS: 7/12
OVERALL: 13/21

American Idol 8 - The Cut to 3

So Allison continued the roller coaster in style, losing votes so much this week she went home. Surprised me but I guess people were comparing her directly to Adam thanks to duos or expected more out of her in her rock week. So it's officially sausage fest time, although a little later than expected and that's a good thing. Good luck to Allison.

THIS WEEK: 0/1
FINALS: 6/11
OVERALL: 12/20

American Idol 8 - The Cut to 4

We now have a Final Four, and I don't think anybody is really mourning the loss of Matt. He really did deserve to go home 2 weeks ago, but he was indeed slightly better overall than Lil and Anoop. Adam in the bottom 3 or 2 instead of Allison was a shocker, but I think they just revealed that information to let America know to not drop the ball. Still, DC was never in the bottom 2/3 until the finals...so mark another one up for Gokey fans.

Next week is Rock and Roll, which is too broad of a theme but I can hope for true rocking with Slash at the helm. Probably will not happen, but dare to dream of no Phil Collins...

THIS WEEK: 0/1
FINALS: 6/10
OVERALL: 12/19

American Idol 8 - The Cut To 5

Heavy cuts this week, but it didn't feel like it as Lil was gone in 60 seconds. Seriously Idol producers, way to make her feel terribad. But anyways, godbye pigment, and probably goodbye females next week if the bottom three is any indication. So it will be a sausage fest May on Idol. Oh well.

THIS WEEK: 2/2
FINALS: 6/9
OVERALL: 12/18

American Idol - The Cut to 6...NOT!

So they used the save in the next to last week. Hmmm. Guess they did not want to save Lil or Anoop. Makes sense, but Matt rightfully deserved to go home. Still chalking it up as a victory.

THIS WEEK: 1/1
FINALS: 4/7
SEASON: 10/16