Shmuel's Soapbox: American Idol Annex

Season 8: Finale!

Y'know, I honestly have no idea which way this is going to go. Last week, all three contestants were separated by only one million votes. This week, by all accounts, all the lines were jammed, suggesting that the winner may be determined by text votes and more random factors. This may be season two all over again.

Personally, I cast a few dozen votes for Adam... but I've gotta hand it to Kris. I counted him out early on, and he really stepped up. Yes, he's benefiting from the "anybody but Adam" vote, but that in itself wouldn't come close to sufficing; he's given people legitimate cause to rally around him.

Over in my pool... whatever happens, kudos to Mo Pie for leading the pack most of the way (she's the only one of us not to go a week without scoring so far) and for sportsmanship; to Pam for sticking to her guns regarding Adam; and to TeKay for almost pulling off the gutsiest strategy of any of us. As for Jesse and I... we didn't suck, and there's always next year.

Finally (before getting to the show), Snark of the Week goes to "American Idol virgin" Ed Masley, a music critic for the Arizona Republic who's watched Idol all this season for the first time. It's been fun getting his take, and I'll be interested in seeing whether he decides to come back next year. Anyway, with regards to the single, he notes that Kris "stripped it of its roots in silly, lighter-waving, '80s power balladry and gave it some substance and soul just by virtue of not being Adam or Kara." Heh.

(All of that said, I still think Adam is way better. So there!)

Anyway. On to the finale!

Top 2: Performances

This is it: Adam vs. Kris! And I'm thinking the performances are actually going to matter this time...

State of the Pool

Current standings:

Mo Pie: 25.00
TeKay: 19.75
Jesse: 18.50
Shmuel: 18.50
Pam: 16.25

Spoilers after the jump!

Top 3: Results

I've long maintained that one reason for the long string of successful artists to come out of Idol is that they essentially go through boot camp in the course of the show. USA Today has a good article about that, with this year's top three.

Meanwhile... if the top three end up being Adam, Danny, Kris -- in that order -- TeKay's gonna wipe the floor with the rest of us. I haven't run all the math, but at first glance I think Mo stands to win if it's Adam, Kris, Danny. If Danny actually wins this thing, Pam should as well. I'm not really sure what would happen if Kris pulled an upset, though I actually find that more likely than the Danny scenario; it'd probably depend on the order of the other two.

This should all be much more clear cut after we find out who leaves tonight. Read on!

Top 3: Performances

It's episode #300! And we're down to the top three! Who will be singing... two songs apiece. Hmmph.

So, which judge doesn't get a pick? Are two going to share? This... is American Idol!