Bad Mood

It's been one of those days. The kind where you're irritable and stressed out and not so proud of yourself for your behavior. The kind of day where you want to give yourself a 35-minute time-out on the naughty step. Twice. The kind where you just want to go to bed and start over the next day.

But you can't yet. Because you still have a stinking audition show to watch. And we're still not done yet! Oh, the humanity! This is not helping my mood. In fact, this would be the complete opposite of helping my mood. Ellen and Hollywood cannot come fast enough.

The good thing is I've been told that people like my AI reviews better when I'm grumpy. So, today is apparently your lucky day.

Where to start? This. This is why I'm not in bed yet.

I stayed up to watch another annoying intro where Randy pretends to not know which city he's in. We get it, Randy. You're so funny. Ha. Ha.

I stayed up to watch Posh Spice dress and do her hair like an alien from outer space and to wonder if she ever eats at all.

I stayed up to watch four shallow adults who haven't ever quite outgrown high school try to manufacture a sob story where there really isn't one.

And then I stayed up to watch Kara fawn all over every sob story like it's a freaking Lifetime special. "This was very moving." Which part, Kara? That, *sob*, she has been singing karaoke for 3 years? Or the part where that one kid says he lived in Maui (or maybe North Carolina. Potato. Patata)? Or was it the one where the one girl cried when she fulfilled her lifelong dream of meeting Simon? Someone get a screen writer, stat!

I stayed up to fast forward image after image of the Colorado Rockies and gigantic crowds of people chanting what I can only assume was "No, I'm the next American Idol!"

I stayed up to watch Simon call someone lippy and mock her for being a single mother and for wearing a wig.

I stayed up to watch some guy who thinks he looks like Jack Black but didn't really.

I stayed up to hear about twenty "Yes or No, Randy?"s.

I stayed up to watch Dudley Do-Right try out for American Idol. Because you know if that strangely-conceited football player had dressed like a Mountie, he would've looked just like this:


I stayed up to watch some guy with the personality of Bucky Covington do a strip-tease-on-demand for the judges.

I stayed up to watch some kid sing as "community service." A service of what kind, I do not know.

I stayed up to find out that some girl wants to be the "first black pop country mainstream" artist. What? That's about the equivalent of saying you want to be the first Asian rock jazz alternative.

I stayed up because the producers made me think there would be someone naked on the show. Gasp! But no, instead, we got that disturbing bikini boy, not that we had to watch him make out with Ryan. And honestly? In the previews, they had the courtesy to blur out the image. It would've been less nightmare inducing if he'd been naked. I pray I don't remember my dreams when I wake up.

I'm going to bed.

Because they're there.

Idol thoughts. Dancing around my head. They must come out. Because that's how I roll.

Here we go, stream of consciousness style . . . my mind gives a key word or phrase and then my mind answers it. All of this is interspersed with random outbursts, also courtesy of my mind. Kind of like Tourette's, but not exactly (and no reference to the contestant who really has Tourette's, nor is any kind of offense intended or implied).

Random Tourette-like outbursts are not labeled. All other keywords are indicated. We're starting with an outburst.

TEDIOUS! TEDIOUS! Audition weeks are so TEDIOUS! Two more weeks of this crap and then we get to the bridge between SUPER TEDIOUS and NOT TEDIOUS AT ALL (to me), that bridge being ONLY A LITTLE TEDIOUS (because I kind of like it a lot) -- Hollywood week.

Avril Lavigne: Useless, giggly, and don't even get me started on how much she ticked me off with telling that one guy no because she thought he couldn't balance family and work life. That is so not her call. Her call is "yay" or "nay" on their singing talent. That's it. He's there to audition, so obviously he has chosen to pursue it, at least for now. Oh, and her horned hoodie looked stupid.

Katy Perry: I liked her. She has her own thoughts independent of MissIMustHaveBeenSoPopularInHighSchoolThatIThoughtGirls
AlwaysAgreedWithGirls. I loved that. I'll take that to the Kristin Chenoweth Estrogen Fest. Gag.

Some Jonas Boy: Useless. He said, what, maybe 3 words? He just sat there looking what I can only assume is "pretty" to the teeny boppers of today. I spent the whole time wondering if he was the Jonas brother who publicly proclaimed, after returning from his honeymoon, "Sex isn't worth the wait." I kept wondering if his wife would think he was pretty enough to look at that she'd get over starting their marriage off on that insulting foot.

Neil Patrick Harris: Doogie did a pretty good job. But what's with the seating arrangement? He was the first guest judge to not sit by Simon. They even had annoying Kristin Chenoweth (who so totally reminds me of someone who shall rename nameless) sit near him and she was totally irritating him. I think Simon is a homophobe.

What the heck was with the Barney girl turned dominatrix? Was she that scarred by being on that kiddie show with the big, purple dinosaur? Okay, so maybe . . . Either way, her voice wasn't that great. I predict she won't be making it past Hollywood.

All right. So I guess this is more about the guest judges than anything else. Oh well. None of the contestants jump out at me as that memorable. Off the top of my head right now, I like the different sounding contestants who have personality -- like the Portuguese girl, the guy who was on Broadway with Fantasia, the kid whose parents were in gangs . . . yeah, that's about it. Bring on Hollywood. Oh wait. 2 more episodes of crap first.

ARGH!

Did he??

I'm sorry?

Did Randy say, to the girl with the half paralyzed face, "That was wild. When you walked in, it was like you were a little scared of us. And we were a little scared of you??"

Did he? Did he??

Yeah, I thought so.

Idiot.

I hate AI Auditions

I hate them so much that I don't usually blog about them. But I need to vent. I'd avoid these episodes all together, but I want to see the good singers. I want to form some kind of attachment to them and their stories before I see them in Hollywood. But A.I. producers continue to thwart our good intentions with their nonsense.

I hate the waste of time that is stupid-person-getting-airtime auditions on American Idol.

I hate the endless clips of rising suns, rain, seas of umbrellas, rolling clouds in fast motion, setting suns, mass transit, various historical statues, and crowds of thousands chanting, "I'm the next American Idol!" instead of, oh, I don't know, PEOPLE SINGING WELL!!

I don't want to be entirely negative, so let me add that I love Tivo and the ability to fast forward through said waste of time.

Back to the negatives. Because that's what this post is about. I hate that the producers air a 2-hour program, show us 3 decent singers, 147 crappy ones, and then wrap it up at the end with a 30-second montage with the voice over telling us that "19 other hopefuls got that golden ticket." 19 people we didn't see. Because we had to watch girls dressed as guitars, tirades we can't even hear because they're covered up by loud, annoying beeping sounds paired with strategically-placed blue American Idol ovals, and hokey dramatizations mocking decent back woods people from the South or Appalachia, which I'm sorry but is just so totally over the top rude and so very, very politically INcorrect, that I don't know how they don't have yearly lawsuits from the ACLU.

I hate that they let Paula Abdul get away. Loopy or not, she was the saving grace of that show.

WHERE IS ELLEN?? I am so ready for Ellen.

And my biggest beef of all beefs, as I've mentioned before maybe once or twice, Randy Jackson gets on my last nerve. Paula they let go. But Dumb Ass they keep. Let's just call him D.A. for short.


Let's proceed with some of the reasons I don't like him.


D.A. has the inability to think for himself.

After Simon says, "Let's vote. I say yes." D.A. says, "Uh yeah, I say yes, too." But confusion strikes when Simon defaults to D.A. first. We get a series of uhs and ums and nervous laughter followed by stupid questions like, "You want to know what I think?"

And they pay him millions of dollars to do this, Ladies and Gentlemen.


D.A. is a total follower.

Simon likes them, then so does D.A.
Kara likes them. Big surprise! So does D.A.
Simon gets up to take a smoke break. Randy gets up even though he doesn't even smoke.


D.A. makes tons of veiled insults that he doesn't recognize as totally transparent and, on top of that, really believes are compliments.

An average-looking kid walks in and sings like a superstar and D.A. says with a look of awe and a sound of utter surprise, "Wow! I'll tell you what, Dawg. When you walked in here, I did NOT think you would sound like that, but you can really sing!" Which roughly translates to, "Dude, you are so ugly that I thought you would suck" while also conveying the message, "I am totally shallow and pre judge based on outward appearances, because I'm just that fly."


D.A. is a total math idiot (and in 9 seasons, they have yet to clue him in).

I mean he sounds like such a dope and no one stops him.

Simon says, "100% yes."
D.A. follows up with, "1 billion trillion gazillion percent yes!"

Kara says, "100% yes."
D.A. follows up with, "Five hundred thousand percent yes!"

Mary J. Blige says, "100% yes."
D.A. follows up with, "200 percent yes!"

(Not that Mary J. has much on Mr. Jackson. I do believe she said that one of the contestants had won a congeal-iality award. Unless there is a prize in Miss America for the ability to solidify or coagulate of which I am unaware, she could use some clueing in as well).

D.A. has next to nothing intelligent to say.

It all sounds something like "Yo, I mean, dope, dawg. I mean, Dude. That was . . . what?!?! What was, I mean, that was, you know. I don't know, you know? Yo."

He drives me crazy. Seriously, God bless the inventor of Tivo. 2 cities down and 6 to go.

It's a twofer

Yesterday

I went into this finale not as hyped as I usually feel. I think it's because I felt sort of apathetic about the results. I like both of them and they're simply very different styles, so may the man with the most votes win, you know? Three years ago, we hooked up the power dialer for Elliott. This year? Not so much.

I hated the stupid montage of video clips of the two finalists. They were way too contrived. Because no way did Kris, of his own accord, say, "I'm the voice in the crowd that needs to be heard" or "I am ready." And no way did Adam, of his own accord, say, "I am 1 of 100,000" or "I am a dreamer" or "I'm a superstar in the making." Okay, maybe Adam. But not Kris.

And then they cut to Ryan standing on a podium holding a mic and all I can think is, "Is that rotating American Idol tower going to fall?" I blame this show for my newly acquired stage PTSD.

And don't you love it when Idol gets all clever? Acoustic Rocker vs. Glam Rocker. Conway vs. California. And my personal favorite: The Guy Next Door vs. The Guyliner.

What on earth was Randy wearing (I could repeat that question for tonight as well)?? And are plaids and strips and polka dots now considered matching? I've noticed this trend recently, and frankly, it disturbs me. Kara work black. Paula wore . . . is there a name for that color? Lime? And Simon wore a jacket. Fancy.

Kris won the coin toss and decided to go second. Brave when you're up against Mr. Over the Top himself. I mean that in a good way since I like Adam. I just think going second after him might sound weak.

Round 1

We learned that Adam used to scream as a baby. And that he was hyper. All the pieces fall into place. And after the Coke bubbles take over his face on the video screen, we are treated to his pick of the season, Mad World. Smart choice. I love it. And he mixed it up from his other performance. Plus he dressed up like something out of Twilight and there was more fog.

I've liked Kara this season but watching her over the past few months has been like observing a steadily building human crescendo. Her use of superlatives is, to borrow one of her favorite terms, ridiculous. She's been steadily peaking and now she can't quite go any higher so she just looks like she tapped into some stash of crazy drugs while she starts screaming extreme adjectives at the contestants. And I keep wincing awaiting the explosion.

We then learn that Kris didn't like to sing in front of his family (something our son feels he has in common with Kris . . . perhaps we have a future Idol in our midst?) but gave his mother coupons for free Kris singing. Awwwwww. Then we got treated to Kris behind the piano singing Ain't No Sunshine, which was awesome. Falling Slowly is still my favorite on Kris, but this was a wise choice. For an underdog, he came across as extremely confident tonight. Brilliant.

Simon gives Round 1 to Kris after admitting that he might've been wrong in assuming Danny would win. Okay, well not in so many words, but we all know what it meant.

Round 2

This was the round of socially conscious lyrics. Adam sang A Change is Gonna Come and it was excellent. Kris sang What's Goin' On and it was very good but a little cheesy for me in arrangement. I do totally agree with Kara that these kinds of songs suit Kris quite well.

Simon calls Round 2 as Adam's (anyone else sensing a pattern year after year?)

Round 3

This is the round we all dread. Unless we're stupid enough to believe that they'll actually write something good for these contestants to sing. They're always looking at clouds and chasing rainbows and climbing mountains and reaching for stars and flying. And it's all a bit gaggy. Adam did okay with it. Kris didn't fare as well. I had hoped he'd "make it his own" (sorry, Greg) and go acoustic on it or something. But no matter what either of them did, the song was awful. Poor guys. That's just cruel. And one of them has to sing it tomorrow while confetti flies and fire sparkles rain down. Ugh.

It's anybody's game. I like them both. I really don't care who wins. Potato. Potata. I predict Kris will win because I imagine he's getting Danny's votes. Plus I heard something about the Christian right voting pro-Christian or anti-gay or something. And the GOP hasn't won anything in a while, so Palin may be mobilizing the voters. Heaven help us all. It really doesn't matter who wins. They'll both do fine. The lines were jammed. Go Adam. Or Kris.

Tonight

Or last night if you're being technical (hey, we got a late start watching it). I love finale nights. I love all the extra fun stuff they do -- funny skits, awards, famous guests . . . it's a party! Oh and they all dress in white and there are gospel choirs . . . I love finales! I'm giddy from the opening.

100 million votes. Sweet Frances. The GOP did rally indeed.

I loved the hilarious judge intros. LOVED them. For me for you, sweetie, it was uncompromising, distinctual, masterful brilliance. What was that?

Talking to the Idols at the onset with nonfunctioning microphones was a little anticlimactic.

But yay, the Top 13 entered in full force dressed in white! It was a little West Side Story meets Grease for me (for them), but I like seeing them all again. And I love that Matt had a matching fedora for every number tonight.

I read a very moving article about David Cook and his brother's passing a couple of weeks ago and, no lie, I cried. Hearing him sing that song tonight was very tender. I was amazed by his maturity and composure singing that haunting melody to those poignant lyrics. I love David Cook and thought what they did with that song was great. Nice guy, great rocker. Love him.

Our first Golden Idol Award goes to Norman Gentle. Raise your hand if you didn't see that one coming.

Then we listened to Lil butcher yet another song, only this time she did it while singing with Queen Latifah. Why she got to sing with a famous person, I don't know. They usually do that with the top 3. Wasn't she like 6th place? It, unsurprisingly, wasn't good. I don't understand the air time.

Loved Jason Mraz's group number. That guy rules. Plus he was wearing a peace t-shirt, cool hat, and was barefoot. He's like a total frat boy hippie. I like it. Choosing Alexis and Anoop was wise and having all 13 join in was great. I really enjoyed it.

Kris sang a duet with Keith Urban. Surprising combo, but I liked it. I dig Kris on the guitar. "I Wanna Kiss a Girl." I thought it would've been cute if he could've actually kissed his wife after that number. Mark noticed that they didn't have Adam sing this song. Enough on that. Was it me or did Kris sound better than Keith?

We were subjected to more crap that is the girls of this season. Glamorous, they sang (and spelled even). But glamorous they were not. They all looked hideous. What the ?? But then Fergie came out and sang. She has the face of Kirstie Alley but the body of, well, not Kirstie Alley. Ahem. Then they brought out the Black Eyed Peas. Holy hell, what was that?? Disturbing, but yet you couldn't help but watch those walking optical illusions. Boom, boom, boom. What on earth were they saying when the FCC imposed its 2-second rule and cut out part of the performance? Because if you listen closely, it should've been imposed twice. And it wasn't. Boom Boom that.

Ryan said, "Boom Boom Pow." I don't know how he stays employed.

I could've done without the return of Bikini Girl. Except for the part where they totally mocked her and new ladies (which were totally double sided taped, by the way). And the part where Kara came out and totally mopped the floor with her. LOVED that. And I love that Kara totally whipped open her dress for charity, too. At least she bares all for a good cause.

When I heard that Allison was going to duet with Cyndi Lauper, I was not excited. In fact, I was annoyed that they hadn't arranged a better match for our rocker girl. I recently heard Cyndi Lauper and it was decidedly NOT good. But I take it back. I liked it a lot. Cyndi is odd and plays the sitar. That's kind of cool. And they had a cool Indigo Girls sound about them. It was a really cool duet and the dynamics and harmony were fantastic. Allison is seasoned. You have to remind yourself that she hasn't yet graduated high school. Excellent.

Ryan does brief interviews with Kris's parents (why don't they ever talk to his wife??) and Adam's parents. I love that Adam's mom was singing along to EVERY song performed tonight.

Danny did a duet with Lionel Richie. Tonight I noticed how many songs Lionel has sung that have to do with playing as a way to avoid work. Chill. Just go. Party. Karamu. Fiesta. Forever. All night long. Raise the roof and have some fun. Dance on the Ceiling.

They did Adam's montage and I'm sad to say that they emphasized how Randy Travis didn't like Ring of Fire but failed to add how stupid he and Simon were on that one since THAT was a B-R-I-L-L-I-A-N-T performance. One of my very favorites. I LOVE that Adam rocked out with KISS complete with black and white face make up and wagging tongue (KISS, not Adam). It was AWESOME. KISS both scared me and impressed me when I was a kid. Not much has changed. It was so freaking awesome. And I loved the spiral-y fire rain in the background, even if the KISS guitarist is too old to smash his guitar the first 4 tries.

They then brought out Carlos Santana (I LOVE IDOL FINALES!!) and Matt Giraud joined him on stage with a black fedora and a shirt to match the guitar. It was AWESOME. And then all the idols in black and red came out to jam along to Smooth. Very nice.

Cool Ford commercial with Adam and Kris singing a nice tribute to all of the top 13. Very sweet.

Then David Cook presented them with what wasn't really that much of a surprise at all--new Fords! I see Kris driving that. Adam, not so much. Not sure what I see him driving though.

And then, in tonight's "What the . . . " moment, as if to totally parody the messes that are Michael Sarver and Megan Corkrey in one fell swoop, they had them sing songs about going out to dinner and walking by the river (la la la la la la la la) together 30 years ago while Steve Martin played the banjo. It was all a bit . . . bizarre. And horrendous. I mean really, really awful.

The boys came out looking smashing in their dark suits. And unlike the girls, who didn't look one bit glamorous, the boys did look sexy (well, some of them) as they sang, "If You Like My Body and You Think I'm Sexy." Rod Stewart came out and actually sounded all right for an older dude. He's still got it.

And then again, not surprisingly, Tatiana "graced" the stage. I called that before the finale even started. I called that during her tedious auditions and all the horrible camera time they've invested in her. Yuck.

The treat of the night for me was . . . I got my wish!! Adam did Queen!! WITH Queen! He is Freddy Mercury reincarnated! You could tell the band was LOVING him and eying him with a "I hope you lose so you can come be our new lead singer" look. That. Was. AWESOME.

While they sang, the gospel choir filed out, since there are like a hundred of them. And you just knew that, gods help us, one of them was going to have to sing that terrible No Boundaries song again, this time with gospel choirs.

And, as promised, Idol went over and the winner wasn't announced until after the initial 2 hours. Simon said a bunch of cheesy positive stuff, sounding a bit like Paula to be honest. Incredibly nice people? Both of you should be very proud? The future is all yours? Who's dipping into Paula's stash now?

Poindexter walked out, blocked the Top 2, and announced that he had a secret envelope. Ryan opened it up and announced Kris Allen as the winner. Adam looked genuinely happy for him (and I'm betting he is) and Kris was speechless. He kept trying to talk about Adam and the others while Ryan perpetually interrupted him (seriously, how is he still employed at what he does?).

He sang No Boundaries better than he did yesterday. It was so fun to see him sing it again, surrounded by the Idols, and then seeing it all hit him as he hugged his wife and cried. I knew he'd win (see, I AM clairvoyant) and I'm fine with it (though our son is not). I think we've mostly felt like whoever wins, wins. They'll both do fine.

Kris moved behind the judges and avoided the raining fire cheese that usually is the final song. Cute kid. Nice guy. Good singer. I'm happy for them both. And I don't have that stupid No Boundaries song in my head. No, instead I have this in my head:

Go-Go-Gokey

Indeed. Let's get to it.

We start with Ben Stiller and company telling us that the American Idol desk is going to be in the Smithsonian. Smithsonian? Smithsonian! Hey, they're in a movie filmed at the Smithsonian! What an incredible coincidence.

And seriously? A desk? Who thinks that's a desk? It's more like a monstrous glitzy console. And I wonder, do the red coke glasses get to go to the museum, too? Because without them, it's just a table with the American Idol logo on it. Quite frankly, it's almost unrecognizable.

After that shameless movie plug and a little a lot of stalling on Ryan's part (Fringe viewers must be elated for that) so that Paula could get back from the bathroom, he introduced the judges.

We were then treated to the Ford video set to "Break My Stride." I proudly admit that I sang along to the whole thing and I remembered EVERY lyric. It's one of my favorites from growing up. All three contestants (top three male contestants - this is a first in Idol history and I like it!) exhibited their super powers in cartoon -- Adam can find secret walls that turn into grills with sizzling steak on them and save them from big dogs, Kris can get really big and blow ominous clouds away, and Danny can turn into Elastiboy and move traffic out of his way. Go buy a Ford.

And after Carrie Underwood's uncomfortably dreadful video appearance yesterday (“Have you ever had malaria?” No. “Good. Then the mosquito net’s working.” ), we got to hear something far more articulate from Alicia Keyes. Ryan asked the audience to give her a "warm welcome." Simon gawked like a dirty, old man. He's not one bit subtle. I gawked a little, too. She looked hot.

Then we got to hear a little Rwandan boy named Noah work the stage better than Jasmine Trias ever did. I think it's dang impressive that he learned the song in English in one week, but I just want to know if he was saying that his back was up against the law? I was unclear. My favorite part of his performance was when he danced up to the judges and shook their hands while dancing and singing. That's more coordination than Danny's ever been able to handle. And I love that Simon smiled and said, "Hello, Noah" while he sang. And Noah, ladies and gentlemen, is one of the first guest artists to not lip sync his performance, so he should get a prop for that.

Another thing I love about Top 3 week is getting to see the top 12 in the audience. I love the finale and the lead up excites me.

So, we also got to see their hometown visits. Danny returned to Milwaukee and got to see Jamar, be on the radio, pick Simon's nose on a weather map, and watch fans try to outrun his stretched out suburban. Ryan tells us several weeks ago that the studio uses earth friendly lights and other eco gadgets and then they blow it all on the emissions for that beast that holds one person plus the driver. Duh.

Kris returned to Conway, Arkansas. I hadn't really noticed that he's a good southern boy. That plays in his favor to win. Many an Idol comes from the South. So, Kris didn't just get a day in his honor. He got free cheese dip for life. Not sure what's better, that or the free Ford he'll get next week. I'm gonna have to go with the cheese dip. Kris got to go on the radio and tell caller 8 that he was a winner and then a loser. Then he got to see the enormous crowd that was waiting for him. I'm not sure what possessed him to jump into it, but he (and his three large bodyguards) did just that. Girls were grabbing him and tearing at his leather jacket. After that, his wife rode up front with him. Anyone else notice that his mom and his wife don't hug? Mother-in-law issues anyone? We hear from his parents, we hear from Kris, but nada from the wifey. During the parade, he got to see old ladies in pink dresses and green hair (they were confused and thought it was Adam's parade). And what on earth is with all the screaming 4-year-olds?? I thought teenagers and tweeners and maybe 8-year-olds were the types, but 4-year-olds? I don't care, though, because they played his "Falling Slowly" performance to the montage and I love that song. Kris is adorable and has quickly worked his way to the top of my list of favorites.

Then we got to watch Jordin Sparks perform. My, has little Jordin grown up or is it me? She was STUNNINGly beautiful. She looked fantastic. I think she's got great stage presence. Talk about passion. She flung her ring at the camera man! She's so comfortable up there and is dramatic and convincing in her presentation of lyrics. I don't know about you, but I ran out and bought some armor by the time she got to the first bridge. Move over Pat Benetar. Love is not just a battlefield. It's an all out war.

Adam got to go all the way to San Diego where he got to sign shoes, Guitar Hero guitars, and old men's polo shirts. He got to experience having a streaker rush him on stage. He also got to apply eyeliner to the anchor woman. Just a banner day all around. He then sang the national anthem at a military base. Don't ask. Don't tell.

Ryan then announced the next guest artist, Katy Perry, which got a big "who?" from me. It had slot machines. It had showgirls. It had raining money. She was wearing what I can only assume was an Elvis bathing suit. After seeing Alicia and Jordin on stage, the sequined bathing suit just wasn't doing it for me.

Then it was results time. I think I may have damaged a vocal chord when they announced that Kris was safe. YES! That announcement shocked two people on stage--Kris and Danny. Knocked the smugness right off of Danny's 5 o'clock shadowed face. It apparently shocked 4 people at "the desk," too. Oh well, my dears, over 88 million votes have spoken. And apparently, only 1 million separate Kris from Adam.

Gokey fans need not worry. You'll hear Danny on your favorite Christian Rock radio stations where he'll be using his husky, raspy goodness to sing about Jesus and rock-n-roll. That's what he wants to do and now he has the AI platform to launch it.

I am SO EXCITED for next week's finale. I like BOTH contestants. It really comes down to personal preference. I like them both for different reasons, but if I were buying CDs, it'd be Kris's, hands down. I like Adam a lot, don't get me wrong, but I don't think Adam is necessarily a slam dunk winner. They'll both do well (on the finale and in their careers) but it's anybody's game at this point. This past year, I thought for sure little Davie Archuletta was going to win and was thrilled to hear that David Cook beat him out. I don't know what will happen but I'm excited to watch!

Judges' and Contestants' Picks

This is going to be brief because I'm tired. We've been working our tail ends off around here and we're beat. Also, my inbox has grown to over 100 emails. I owe some of you emails. They're coming. We're mostly just swamped.

JUDGES' PICKS

Danny's 1st song - I think Terrence Trent D'arby was a good choice but that song, not so much. It was okay but nothing memorable. In fact, I already forgot it.

Kris's 1st song - Loved it. Those first two judges are sometimes deaf to talent and style. I heard his originality in the song and I love his voice and easy manner.

Adam's 1st song - I didn't like the arrangement. I was so excited when Simon named the song ("One" by U2) but it was too Broadway and too far from the original. You know on his second song, Adam said he didn't change it up much because the original is so good. I wish he'd thought the same of One. Love the song, didn't like the performance or arrangement all that much.

CONTESTANTS' PICKS (Clearly they're better at this than the judges)

Danny's 2nd song - Joe Cocker's "You Are So Beautiful?" Brilliant choice. Perfectly suited to Danny's voice. Well done. Loved it.

Kris's 2nd song - HOLY MOSES it was good. HOLY MOSES! I LOVED IT! I would buy his album in a heartbeat. Like Mark says, he's the most relevant of the 3. And I love that song 2 was a big "in your face" to Randy and Kara -- why didn't he do the first song with an acoustic guitar? That's why. Kris rules. He played sans band. Who does that?! And it was awesome. I loved it. And for those keeping score at home -- Kris played piano and then guitar. The other two did not play instruments. I know it's a singing competition, but I'm just sayin' . . .

Adam's 2nd song - AWESOME. True rocker. Love it. We have no one like him nowadays. Excellent. Well done.


Best to worst:

Kris's 2nd song
Adam's 2nd song
Danny's 2nd song
Kris's 1st song
Adam's 1st song
Danny's 1st song

Do you see a trend? I'm hoping for a Kris-Adam finale. :) And, as of right now, I think Kris may be my favorite.