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American Idol 9: The Finale


Wednesday night was Simon Cowell’s last moment with American Idol, and the night belonged to him much more than the two contenders for the ninth Idol crown. and performed ably on Tuesday night, but only the votes would determine which would walk away with the winning title. The show will undoubtedly crash and burn now that Cowell is walking away…but that is talk for another time.

The Top 12 Idols - including Crystal and Lee, of course - danced out on stage to deliver “School’s Out for Summer.” While Orianthi jammed out on the guitar, Casey James suddenly announced a surprise appearance - Alice Cooper. This was an exciting guest star, but honestly, he sounded quite bad. And I’m a fan.

The evening started out with a fairly lackluster vibe…but there was much, much more to come.

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Why was Scott MacIntyre Cut from American Idol Finale?

Scott MacIntyreBilly Joel

Days after the American Idol finale, there’s one question still lingers. (No - not whether Adam Lambert should do ballards or Broadway.) What really happened to Scott MacIntyre’s performance?

The answer to that mystery depends on who you believe: MacIntyre or Billy Joel’s camp.

According to a post on Scott’s MySpace page, his featured performance was cut due to an absent celebrity. The finalist had apparently been scheduled to play the piano opposite Matt Giraud in a “Tell Her About It” face-off. Unfortunately, a last-minute cancellation by Joel meant pulling the number altogether.

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American Idol 8: Matt Giraud’s Peaceful Elimination

Matt Giraud

“I never imagined myself the ,” admitted after his exit from the show Wednesday. “I was kind of at peace with the whole thing,” he said of ousting from the show, which occurred a mere two weeks after he was saved from the elimination noose by the new judges’ save.

Giraud is looking forward to joining the Idol tour this summer, and thinks perhaps he’ll start a band when all his roadwork is said and done. “Maybe something like The Fray,” he suggested. “I’d love to go in that direction.”

(You can find all the American Idol 8 posts here.)

Read More | CNN

American Idol 8: Top 5 Results

The eighth season of is winding down, which means the competition is heating up. “I have your results!” Ryan Seacrest promised at the top of the hour, touting 47 million votes and an evening filled with drama.

“Everybody was good,” said of the preceding performance round, which occurred the night before the results show.

The same could not be said of the terrible Ford music video, which was again marked by bad choreography and poor cinematography. The Top 5 then performed a medley of “I Don’t Mean a Thing” and “I Got Rhythm.” I still didn’t get to hear “Swingin’ on a Star.” The Top 5 group performance was, in a word, awful. It was boring, the song choices were bad and the choreography was decidedly lackluster after last week’s highly entertaining performance.

The Idol contestant clip of the week showed the Top 5 in the kitchen, who attempted to make birthday cakes for celebrants Allison Iraheta and Danny Gokey. A horrendous mess ensued. then gave Gokey a gift - a bill from Best Bets Maid Service, LLC. They charged $6,000 for the disaster in the kitchen. “You mean American Idol doesn’t take care of that?” Danny quipped.

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American Idol 8: Top 5 Perform

American Idol 8 Top 5

The Top 5 performance night of 8 was all about the Rat Pack - that collection of music from five friends which will live on in the memories of all those who enjoyed Big Band classics. Naturally, I expected this round to be very, very boring indeed.

The Idols certainly looked the part when they stepped out onstage, the men wearing suits and Allison Iraheta in a very age-appropriate dress. The “mystery” mentor for this week was Oscar winner and successful recording artist . His clip showed him to be incredibly charming during his first meeting with the contestants.

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American Idol 8: Simon Cowell’s Prediction

Description “I would put my money on Adam and Danny,” Simon Cowell, ’s notoriously hard-to-please judge, was open about his predictions for the finale (scheduled to air May 19).

The competition has been narrowed down to five: Allison Iraheta, Kris Allen, Matt Giraud, Adam Lambert and Danny Gokey. “It is going to be Adam and somebody,” Cowell predicted for the finale. “I would like to see Adam and Danny, because I think they are the best two singers, and at the end of the day that is what should happen.”

American Idol’s eighth season has been marked by changes. This year, the Wild Card round was reintroduced, the judges’ save was used and a fourth judge has been added to the panel. The media is convinced that Kara DioGuardi is on her last leg with the show…but what does say about it?

“I like Kara. The more I get to know her, the more I like her,” Cowell told reporters. “You can’t make the same show for ever. You have got to make changes, because people will get bored.”

(You can find all the American Idol 8 posts here.)

Read More | Entertainment Tonight

American Idol 8: iTunes Stats Revealed

American Idol iTunes

In case you somehow missed the massive promotion, iTunes is partnered with . Every week, you can download tracks as sung by the contestants themselves, studio versions of the ditties they sing on the big Idol stage. The iTunes data, however, isn’t (supposed to be) released during the Idol season - doing so might reveal too much about who’s hot and who’s not on the show.

But iTunes has slipped up in the past and “accidentally” released these stats. Predictably, it’s . Of the current crop of competitors, it seems that Adam Lambert is resoundingly the most downloaded, with Kris Allen coming in at number two.

Matt Giraud is currently in the lowest position as far as iTunes standings go.

(You can find all the American Idol 8 posts here.)

Read More | Vote For the Worst

American Idol 8: Top 7 Results, the Sequel

American Idol Top 7

For the second Top 7 results night of , there was a grim feeling in the air. Two, rather than the usual one, would sing their final Idol note at the end of the evening. But which of them would it be?

It is not the first double elimination Idol has ever done; nor is it the first late-season double elimination to occur. The show pulled a similar stunt for the first year of Idol Gives Back.

The first clip of the night featured the Top 7 with , who taught them the choreography for their group number this week. They all wore sunglasses and weird fashions, but this was actually one of the better group numbers I’ve seen. The choreography was quite good - and never has it been said that I’m a fan of Paula Abdul. We have to give the devil her due on this one - Abdul did a better job than all the others who have choreographed the group numbers this season. “I’m so proud of you guys!” She smiled when it was all said and done.

The Ford video featured different occupations - pastry chef, construction worker, dog groomer - and was as poor as I’ve come to expect.

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American Idol 8: Top 7 Perform - Again!


The second Top 7 performance round of 8 opened with a tribute to Matt Giraud and the judges’ save. Now, two performers from Tuesday’s songfest will be sent home on the following results night.

spoke of this and not much else as he made quick introductions. He then stepped aside and left the stage to the evening’s first performer.

It was disco night on Idol, and Lil Rounds kicked it off with Chaka Khan. She sounded a little off right at the start, but soon enough Lil found her stride. This song has been performed on Idol in the past and it’s almost always a mistake. I’m not sure Lil’s placement and vocal performance will help her when it comes to the results show. However, she looked absolutely stunning.   thought she “got the party started” but felt Lil sounded “a little wild.” Kara DioGuardi agreed with Randy. Paula Abdul jumped to Lil’s defense, pointing out that only the day before the performance she was on vocal rest. “It was a remarkable recovery,” she enthused. “Oh, Lil, you look so sad,” Simon Cowell sighed. Lil grinned back that she “had fun tonight.” “I think this is gonna be the last week we’re ever going to see you,” Cowell voiced a grim prediction.

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American Idol 8: Top 7 Results

American Idol logo

The Top 7 results show of opened with a movie trailer-like collection of clips, set to rousing music while an announcer narrated.

“I think America’s going to have a tough call…but I think I know who’s going to leave,” Quentin Tarantino, the week’s mentor, told the camera.

announced an “all-star” line-up for the night’s performances, which included pre-recorded performances from Disney’s golden child Miley Cyrus and Oscar-winning Idol alum Jennifer Hudson.

The Ford video featured the song “Freeze Frame” and showed Idols on faux magazine covers, a concept I’m pretty positive we saw back in Season 6. These videos are becoming almost unbearable. The Top 7 then sang “Maniac,” each making a big entrance from various places in the theater. This was one of the better group performances of the whole season. For once, the number seemed polished and practiced - at least, more so than it has seemed in weeks past.

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