Poll of the week: Pickler picked once again among sixth-placers

In what had to be the most competitive round of IDOL LIVE's 2010 edition of the poll of the week champion series, Season 5's Kellie Pickler ruled her fellow sixth-place finalists.

Kellie nabbed 13 votes, or 35% of all 37 votes cast, compared with Season 7's Carly Smithson's 12 votes (32%) and the club's newest member, Siobhan Magnus of Season 9, at nine votes (24%). These three independent women were the only ones who really excited IDOL LIVE readers, and it's easy to see why when considering their not so popular comrades from the six other seasons.

In the next round, readers will be asked which 5th-place finalist is their favorite of all nine seasons. Voting will be open for exactly one week.

Christina Christian 0 (0%)
Carmen Rasmussen 1 (2%)
John Stevens 0 (0%)
Constantine Maroulis 0 (0%)
Kellie Pickler 13 (35%)
Phil Stacey 0 (0%)
Carly Smithson 12 (32%)
Anoop Desai 2 (5%)
Siobhan Magnus 9 (24%)

Total votes: 37

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Was the Top 10's performance on GMA this morning a joke?

In case you missed it, Season 9's Top 10 finalists took a break from their busy Idols Live! tour (in fact, they even moved a show for it) this morning on ABC's Good Morning America. Following solo performances by Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox, it was time for all 10 finalists to take the stage for a medley of Bon Jovi's "It's My Life" and Kelly Clarkson's "My Life Would Suck Without You." Below is how it all went down:

I don't think there's ever been less of a reason to attend an Idol concert as this one. It was like George Stephanopolous and Robin Roberts raced up and down 42nd Street and grabbed the first 10 young people they saw, rushed them to Central Park, pushed them up on stage and forced them to sing on the spot.

Now, I'll give them the excuse that the cramped stage minimized their ability to move around, so dancing in place a la Aaron Kelly was pretty much the only other option. But c'mon, that was an embarrassment to group performances. The sloppy harmonies, the awkward poses the cameramen caught, the rampant out of tune singing, it never ends. In fact, it's more sad than anything, because they seem like a great group of people.

So as the show cancelations keep a'comin', is anyone really surprised why the tour is flailing around? I would not pay to see this on stage, and apparently many others feel the same.

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'Idol' odds 'n ends: Anoop Desai's album is out? Already?

The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:

>When did this happen? Apparently Anoop Desai's debut album, All Is Fair, is already released. Anoop was on his local NBC alliliate chatting about the disc, which features the single "My Name," and can be watched below:

All Is Fair is courtesy of The Industry Connect and is available to purchase on iTunes for $6.99.

>It was announced on Monday that Jordin Sparks will be the latest Idol alum to star in a Broadway musical, as she will make her debut on the Great White Way in The Heights on Thurs., Aug. 19. According to an article on BroadwayWorld.com, Jordin said:

"It's always been one of my dreams to perform on Broadway," says Jordin Sparks. "This is a brand new experience for me. I look so forward to spending time in New York City and joining this talented cast and my favorite new musical."

Jordin will play the role of Nina Rosario, who happens to be the female lead. Her run will end on Sun., Nov. 14.

>Another Season 8 finalist, Scott MacIntyre, has been keeping busy on the promo trail in support of his post-Idol album Heartstrings. In an interview that took place at Pittsburgh's 100.7 FM, Scott chatted about his experience on the show and the Idol tour. Watch the interview below:




Scott talked about how he's dealt with kidney failure and kept the story from being revealed until after he left the show. Scott also talked about his favorite moment of the season, "Pants On the Ground" man, and proceeded to sing the two most famous lines of the song. He followed that with a backhanded compliment of the remaining Season 9 finalists.

>Bo Bice treated fans to a free download of his latest song, "Coming Back Home," off his forthcoming release 3. Per an e-mail that was sent out to fans:

Bo's got a surprise gift just for you! Check out this track from 3 and let us know what you think on Bo's Facebook page!

The song can be downloaded via Bo's page on the music social media site BandBox.com. 3 is set for a Tues., May 18 release and can now be pre-ordered at Amazon.com. The album's single, "Good Hearted Woman," is now available to purchase at iTunes.

>Siobhan Magnus was the latest Season 9 alum to make the talk show rounds following her exit last week, and as usual, the most awkward appearance was on Monday night's episode of CBS's The Late Show with David Letterman. Watch Letterman interrogate Siobhan about her fondness for glass blowing below:




As likable as Siobhan is, she has a habit of talking a minute a mile, especially when she's trying to explain something. But no matter, once Siobhan opened her mouth to reprise "Paint It Black" (aside from "the scream") nothing she talked about before was important anymore.

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Special commentary re: Siobhan Magnus

I'd like to take this opportunity to say that I've been wrong on a lot of my predictions this season. In fact, I think I've only called two boots correctly in the Top 12 so far, which is especially bad for me. But for someone who pegged Siobhan Magnus to win the whole thing at the outset of the Top 12, tonight's results are even more disappointing than usual.

Even though she was never one of my favorites, I respected Siobhan's fearlessness and the way she was able to switch up her performance styles from week to week. It was also cool that a fellow Massachusetts resident was able to make it as far as she did. And then she just seemed like an all around cool person to hang out with. Sadly, however, it was not her title to earn, but it's really frustrating that the likes of Aaron Kelly and Mike Lynche have now outlasted her. They are two of the most overrated contestants of the season, and the fact that they're still there is inexplicable.

Regardless, Siobhan should go on to bigger and better things, most likely on Broadway, and Randy Jackson was right to tell her to be herself. If she does just that, things should go quite well for Season 9's spunky firecracker with a distinguished screech.

P.S. this season blows big time.

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Poll of the week: Siobhan Magnus favorite Top 6 contestant

In what was a surprising premature exit, Siobhan Magnus ended up garnering the most votes in a cruel case of irony on IDOL LIVE"s poll of the week for the Top 6 edition of the poll.

Siobhan took in 38 of the 129 votes cast, good for 29% of the total take. Lee DeWyze was next with 22% of the vote thanks to 29 votes in his favor, while Casey James was right behind with 28 votes (21%).

Onetime favorite Crystal Bowersox slipped to fourth place with 16 votes (12%), while Aaron Kelly was next with 12 votes (9%) and Big Mike Lynche was dead last with six votes (4%).

In another case of irony, the season to date rankings show that Siobhan is now IDOL LIVE readers' finalist of choice, as she leads with 218 votes to second-place contestant Crystal (198 votes).

In the latest edition of the poll of the week series, readers are asked who their favorite Top 5 contestant is. Voting will be open for exactly one week.

Aaron Kelly 12 (9%)
Casey James 28 (21%)
Crystal Bowersox 16 (12%)
Lee DeWyze 29 (22%)
Mike Lynche 6 (4%)
Siobhan Magnus 38 (29%)

Total votes: 129

Running total for Season 9:
24th - Haeley Vaughn (0 votes)*
21st (tie) - Janell Wheeler (2 votes)*
21st (tie) - Todrick Hall (2 votes)*
21st (tie) - Paige Miles (2 votes)*
19th (tie) - Joe Munoz (3 votes)*
19th (tie) - Jermaine Sellers (3 vote)*
17th (tie) - Tyler Grady (4 votes)*
17th (tie) - Michelle Delamor (4 votes)*
15th (tie) - John Park (6 votes)*
15th (tie) - Ashley Rodriguez (6 votes)*
14th - Lacey Brown (9 votes)*
13th - Katelyn Epperly (10 votes)*
12th - Lilly Scott (14 votes)*
10th (tie) - Michael Lynche (22 votes)
10th (tie) - Alex Lambert (22 votes)*
09th - Didi Benami (56 votes)*
08th - Andrew Garcia (58 votes)*
07th - Tim Urban (60 votes)*
06th - Casey James (92 votes)
05th - Katie Stevens (93 votes)*
04th - Aaron Kelly (97 votes)
03rd - Lee DeWyze (178 votes)
02nd - Crystal Bowersox (198 votes)
01st - Siobhan Magnus (218 votes)*

*indicates contestant has been eliminated

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IDOL LIVE predix: Top 6 Results

So that was interesting. No one really did horribly performing in front of Shania Twain, although I thought Mike Lynche and Siobhan Magnus were very overpraised by the judges (and Lee DeWyze might have got a smidge too much praise as well). That said, Siobhan got the abundant praise because she really needed it, coming off a few rough weeks and being the owner of the esteemed pimp spot last night played large roles in the judges' critiques of her. As for Mike's overpraise, I'm not really sure what that was about, but in the end it might end up doing him more harm than good.

With that said, read my predictions for how tonight will go below:

Bottom 3
Crystal, Aaron, Mike

Bottom 2
Aaron, Mike

Eliminated
Mike

Yes, that's Crystal Bowersox you see included in the Bottom 3 grouping. Something about last night's performance, especially when matched up against her five competitors, just didn't help her stand out from the crowd. In fact, she didn't even have the best vocals of the night, which is a distinction she almost always has. Therefore, even though she has a huge fan base, it might take the night off due to complacency whereas the younger fans of the likes of Siobhan, Aaron and Lee will be dialing and texting their fingers off, which will result in a SURPRISE! B3 visit for Crystal.

Obviously she won't really be in danger, though, while Aaron Kelly will feel the heat much more despite delivering a mostly on point performance of Shania's "You've Got a Way," but the idea of him dedicating the song to his mom, as sweet as it may seem to some, might have been viewed as a ploy for votes by others. What it comes down to at this point is the fact that Aaron's fan base just isn't as big as the majority of the others' and he's not really one to appeal to the casual voters. Expect a bottom two placement, nothing more, nothing less.

At that leaves us with Big Mike. There probably isn't a better week for Mike to go out on than country/Shania Twain, because let's face it, most of his fans are probably not likely to also be fans of the genre or the Queen of Country herself. Couple this with Mike's history of being in the bottom group and what should have been his elimination back in Top 9 week and you've got yourself a recipe for disaster. This isn't to say Mike would have gone a lot farther had there been a friendlier theme for his vocals, like Luther Vandross' songbook, but the odds are even tougher for him.

In my original predictions I had Mike going home 6th, so hopefully everything goes according to plan.

Since the Top 24 I have correctly predicted 6-18 eliminations and since the Top 12 I have correctly predicted 2-6 eliminations.

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Poll of the week: Crystal Bowersox favorite Top 7 contestant

There were no surprises on the Top 7 edition of the poll of the week, as IDOL LIVE readers opted for Crystal Bowersox over Siobhan Magnus this week.

Crystal's 24 votes (26%) were just enough to edge out Siobhan's 22 votes (23%). No one else came close, as Lee DeWyze's 15 votes (16%) were next followed by newly departed Tim Urban's 12 (13%).

Crystal is also now in the lead overall, as she has 182 votes to Siobhan's 180 total.

In the latest edition of the poll of the week series, readers are asked who their favorite Top 6 contestant is. Voting will be open for exactly one week.

Aaron Kelly 10 (10%)
Casey James 4 (4%)
Crystal Bowersox 24 (26%)
Lee DeWyze 15 (16%)
Michael Lynche 5 (5%)
Siobhan Magnus 22 (23%)
Tim Urban 12 (13%)

Total votes: 92

Running total for Season 9:
24th - Haeley Vaughn (0 votes)*
21st (tie) - Janell Wheeler (2 votes)*
21st (tie) - Todrick Hall (2 votes)*
21st (tie) - Paige Miles (2 votes)*
19th (tie) - Joe Munoz (3 votes)*
19th (tie) - Jermaine Sellers (3 vote)*
17th (tie) - Tyler Grady (4 votes)*
17th (tie) - Michelle Delamor (4 votes)*
15th (tie) - John Park (6 votes)*
15th (tie) - Ashley Rodriguez (6 votes)*
14th - Lacey Brown (9 votes)*
13th - Katelyn Epperly (10 votes)*
12th - Lilly Scott (14 votes)*
11th - Michael Lynche (16 votes)
10th - Alex Lambert (22 votes)*
09th - Didi Benami (56 votes)*
08th - Andrew Garcia (58 votes)*
07th - Tim Urban (60 votes)*
06th - Casey James (64 votes)
05th - Aaron Kelly (85 votes)
04th - Katie Stevens (93 votes)*
03rd - Lee DeWyze (148 votes)
02nd - Siobhan Magnus (180 votes)
01st - Crystal Bowersox (182 votes)

*indicates contestant has been eliminated

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Poll of the week: Katie Stevens favorite Top 9 contestant (Pt. 2)

How ironic is it that the finalist who went home in eighth place tonight was IDOL LIVE readers' favorite Top 9 contestant in part two of the Top 9 edition of the poll of the week? Well, regardless, it happened.

Katie netted 31 votes, totaling 23% of all votes cast, which was two votes ahead of Siobhan's 29 votes (21%). Siobhan finished second in the poll of the week for the first time in four weeks.

The finalist who garnered the third-most votes for the week was none other than Lee, as he took in 20 (14%), which was ahead of Crystal's 17 votes (12%). Andrew, who left the show in ninth place tonight, only took in three votes (2%).

In the latest edition of the poll of the week series, readers are asked who their favorite Top 7 contestant is. Voting will be open for exactly one week.

Aaron Kelly 10 (7%)
Andrew Garcia 3 (2%)
Casey James 8 (5%)
Crystal Bowersox 17 (12%)
Katie Stevens 31 (23%)
Lee DeWyze 20 (14%)
Michael Lynche 2 (1%)
Siobhan Magnus 29 (21%)
Tim Urban 14 (10%)

Total votes: 134

Running total for Season 9:
24th - Haeley Vaughn (0 votes)*
21st (tie) - Janell Wheeler (2 votes)*
21st (tie) - Todrick Hall (2 votes)*
21st (tie) - Paige Miles (2 votes)*
19th (tie) - Joe Munoz (3 votes)*
19th (tie) - Jermaine Sellers (3 vote)*
17th (tie) - Tyler Grady (4 votes)*
17th (tie) - Michelle Delamor (4 votes)*
15th (tie) - John Park (6 votes)*
15th (tie) - Ashley Rodriguez (6 votes)*
13th (tie) - Lacey Brown (9 votes)*
13th (tie) - Michael Lynche (11 votes)
12th - Katelyn Epperly (10 votes)*
11th - Lilly Scott (14 votes)*
10th - Alex Lambert (22 votes)*
09th - Tim Urban (48 votes)
08th - Didi Benami (56 votes)*
07th - Andrew Garcia (58 votes)
06th - Casey James (60 votes)
05th - Aaron Kelly (75 votes)
04th - Katie Stevens (93 votes)*
03rd - Lee DeWyze (133 votes)
01st (tie) - Siobhan Magnus (158 votes)
01st (tie) - Crystal Bowersox (158 votes)

*indicates contestant has been eliminated

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Poll of the week: Siobhan Magnus favorite Top 9 contestant

For the third week in a row, Siobhan has is the favorite Season 9 contestant among IDOL LIVE readers, as she pulled in 35 votes (26%) for the Top 9 edition of the poll.

Next up was Lee and his 28 votes, good for 21% of all votes cast this week. These numbers could end up going even higher based on last night's showing. In third place this week was the onetime front runner in the poll, Crystal, as she took in a still strong 25 votes (18%).

Surprisingly, Michael actually pulled in another vote (yes, vote as in singular) this week, so maybe that's a sign that the judges were supposed to waste their save on him tonight?

In the latest edition of the poll of the week series, readers are once again asked who their favorite Top 9 contestant is. Maybe the result will be different this time? Voting will be open for exactly one week.

Aaron Kelly 13 (9%)
Andrew Garcia 6 (4%)
Casey James 4 (3%)
Crystal Bowersox 25 (18%)
Katie Stevens 13 (9%)
Lee DeWyze 28 (21%)
Michael Lynche 1 (0%)
Siobhan Magnus 35 (26%)
Tim Urban 7 (5%)

Total votes: 132

Running total for Season 9:
24th - Haeley Vaughn (0 votes)*
21st (tie) - Janell Wheeler (2 votes)*
21st (tie) - Todrick Hall (2 votes)*
21st (tie) - Paige Miles (2 votes)*
19th (tie) - Joe Munoz (3 votes)*
19th (tie) - Jermaine Sellers (3 vote)*
17th (tie) - Tyler Grady (4 votes)*
17th (tie) - Michelle Delamor (4 votes)*
15th (tie) - John Park (6 votes)*
15th (tie) - Ashley Rodriguez (6 votes)*
14th (tie) - Lacey Brown (9 votes)*
14th (tie) - Michael Lynche (9 votes)
13th - Katelyn Epperly (10 votes)*
12th - Lilly Scott (14 votes)*
11th - Alex Lambert (22 votes)*
10th - Tim Urban (34 votes)
09th - Casey James (52 votes)
08th (tie) - Andrew Garcia (55 votes)
07th - Didi Benami (56 votes)*
06th - Katie Stevens (62 votes)
05th - Aaron Kelly (65 votes)
03rd - Lee DeWyze (113 votes)
02nd - Siobhan Magnus (129 votes)
01st - Crystal Bowersox (141 votes)

*indicates contestant has been eliminated

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Poll of the week: Siobhan Magnus favorite Top 10 contestant

For the second week in a row, Siobhan was selected as the most popular remaining Idol finalist on the show per IDOL LIVE readers.

Siobhan took on 23 votes, which was easily enough for the top spot in the poll (27%). Sort of close behind was usual front runner Crystal with 16 votes (19%). And Lee DeWyze placed third for the week thanks to 13 votes (15%).

Didi actually gained eight votes despite being eliminated tonight, which was tied with Katie's eight votes for fourth place for the week.

In the latest edition of the poll of the week series, readers are asked of who their favorite Top 9 contestant is. Voting will be open for exactly one week.

Aaron Kelly 7 (8%)
Andrew Garcia 2 (2%)
Casey James 3 (3%)
Crystal Bowersox 16 (19%)
Didi Benami 8 (9%)
Katie Stevens 8 (9%)
Lee DeWyze 13 (15%)
Michael Lynche 0 (0%)
Siobhan Magnus 23 (27%)
Tim Urban 4 (4%)

Total votes: 84

Running total for Season 9:
24th - Haeley Vaughn (0 votes)*
21st (tie) - Janell Wheeler (2 votes)*
21st (tie) - Todrick Hall (2 votes)*
21st (tie) - Paige Miles (2 votes)*
19th (tie) - Joe Munoz (3 votes)*
19th (tie) - Jermaine Sellers (3 vote)*
17th (tie) - Tyler Grady (4 votes)*
17th (tie) - Michelle Delamor (4 votes)*
15th (tie) - John Park (6 votes)*
15th (tie) - Ashley Rodriguez (6 votes)*
14th - Michael Lynche (8 votes)
13th - Lacey Brown (9 votes)*
12th - Katelyn Epperly (10 votes)*
11th - Lilly Scott (14 votes)*
10th - Alex Lambert (22 votes)*
09th - Tim Urban (27 votes)
08th - Casey James (48 votes)
06th (tie) - Katie Stevens (49 votes)
06th (tie) - Andrew Garcia (49 votes)
05th - Aaron Kelly (52 votes)
04th - Didi Benami (56 votes)*
03rd - Lee DeWyze (85 votes)
02nd - Siobhan Magnus (94 votes)
01st - Crystal Bowersox (116 votes)

*indicates contestant has been eliminated

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Poll of the week: Siobhan Magnus favorite Top 11 contestant

After impressing many with her performance of "Paint It Black" last week, Siobhan seemed to gain the most momentum among IDOL LIVE readers as reflected in the latest poll of the week asking which Top 11 contestant was their favorite.

Siobhan had a total of 24 votes cast in her favor, totaling 26%. This was just four votes ahead of usual top vote-getter Crystal Bowersox, whose 20 votes (21%) put her in second for the week. Lee DeWyze brought up the third wheel with 14 votes (15%).

Surprisingly, this week's casualty Paige Miles did not reel in a single vote this week and only garnered two in all since polling began in Top 24 week.

In the latest edition of the poll of the week series, readers are asked of who their favorite Top 10 contestant is. Voting will be open for exactly one week.

Top 12
Aaron Kelly 13 (14%)
Andrew Garcia 2 (2%)
Casey James 4 (4%)
Crystal Bowersox 20 (21%)
Didi Benami 5 (5%)
Katie Stevens 5 (5%)
Lee DeWyze 14 (15%)
Michael Lynche 1 (1%)
Paige Miles 0 (0%)
Siobhan Magnus 24 (26%)
Tim Urban 3 (3%)

Total votes: 91

Running total for Season 9:
24th - Haeley Vaughn (0 votes)*
21st (tie) - Janell Wheeler (2 votes)*
21st (tie) - Todrick Hall (2 votes)*
21st (tie) - Paige Miles (2 votes)*
19th (tie) - Joe Munoz (3 votes)*
19th (tie) - Jermaine Sellers (3 vote)*
17th (tie) - Tyler Grady (4 votes)*
17th (tie) - Michelle Delamor (4 votes)*
15th (tie) - John Park (6 votes)*
15th (tie) - Ashley Rodriguez (6 votes)*
14th - Michael Lynche (8 votes)
13th - Lacey Brown (9 votes)*
12th - Katelyn Epperly (10 votes)*
11th - Lilly Scott (14 votes)*
10th - Alex Lambert (22 votes)*
09th - Tim Urban (23 votes)
08th - Katie Stevens (41 votes)
06th (tie) - Casey James (45 votes)
06th (tie) - Aaron Kelly (45 votes)
05th - Andrew Garcia (47 votes)
04th - Didi Benami (48 votes)
03rd - Siobhan Magnus (71 votes)
02nd - Lee DeWyze (72 votes)
01st - Crystal Bowersox (100 votes)

*indicates contestant has been eliminated

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The dreaded "judges' save" gimmick returns

I must say I was a little surprised tonight when at the beginning of the Top 12 results show, Ryan asked Simon to explain how the "judges' save" tool works. For a second I thought we were accidentally warped back in time to a year ago, because no one had brought up part of last season that no one wanted to remember because of its sheer stupidity. When I realized this was not the case, I was both sad and confused: why would the producers bring back an option that was widely panned by fans and critics alike?

At the completion of Idol's eighth season, this is what I had to say about the gimmick:

Perhaps the chief rival to Kara being added as a judge for the biggest fumble of Season 8, the infamous "judges' save" option was threatened to be used for weeks before it was finally exhausted in one of the most inexplicable moments of the season. The save was introduced in the Top 13 to keep a "shocker" from happening (i.e. Chris Daughtry, Tamyra Gray). Or at least that's what Ryan and the judges stated.

However, the transparency of the gimmick was so blatant that each week when the results were read, many people couldn't help but roll their eyes at the sight of the judges' "deliberating" while the unlucky contestant "sang for their life." If the whole thing wasn't thought to be phony based on the image of Paula dancing while they were supposed to be talking things over, Simon's hollow "sorry, it's the end of the road" spiels were the icing on the cake for this mess of a gimmick.

The whole time it was easy to see that the save was nothing more than a safety net for TPTB's favorite contestants in case they went under prior to the Top 5, mainly Adam and Danny (Lil at the beginning of the season but not in her last few weeks). After they realized that none of the above were going anywhere for a while, the judges decided to waste it on Matt. Really? Yes, they used it on Matt. It's not like he was a bad guy, but he was one of the last contestants of those remaining that should have been granted the honor.

One cosmetic side effect of the save was that it damaged the suspense factor for half the finals. Even though it was a good guess the option would not be put into effect on a given night, just the idea that the vote was revealed and that contestant still did not know his or her final fate was both annoying to the contestant and anticlimactic to the audience. Therefore, it would be a complete and utter mistake for this cheap shenanigan to return for Season 9.

Needless to say, I still feel the same way. I don't think the judges would use the save on anyone other than Crystal Bowersox, Casey James or Siobhan Magnus. But then again they used it on Matt Giraud last season, so maybe they would waste it on a Didi Benami or Andrew Garcia?

Either way, the decision to invite the save back is foolish to say the least.

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Poll of the week: Crystal Bowersox favorite Top 12 contestant

Now that thew two polls of the week have been condensed into one for the finals, this week's bragging rights of "favorite contestant among IDOL LIVE readers" go to Crystal Bowersox.

Crystal nabbed 14 votes, or 21%, just one vote over her chief rival Lee DeWyze's 13 votes (18%). But Siobhan Magnus was nipping at their heels, taking in 12 votes (18%).

In the latest edition of the poll of the week series, readers are asked of who their favorite Top 11 contestant is. Voting will be open for exactly one week.

Top 12
Aaron Kelly 8 (12%)
Andrew Garcia 2 (3%)
Casey James 1 (1%)
Crystal Bowersox 14 (21%)
Didi Benami 4 (6%)
Katie Stevens 3 (4%)
Lacey Brown 2 (3%)
Lee DeWyze 13 (20%)
Michael Lynche 1 (1%)
Paige Miles 0 (0%)
Siobhan Magnus 12 (18%)
Tim Urban 4 (6%)

Total votes: 64

Running total for Season 9:
24th - Haeley Vaughn (0 votes)*
21st (tie) - Janell Wheeler (2 votes)*
21st (tie) - Todrick Hall (2 votes)*
21st (tie) - Paige Miles (2 votes)
19th (tie) - Joe Munoz (3 votes)*
19th (tie) - Jermaine Sellers (3 vote)*
17th (tie) - Tyler Grady (4 votes)*
17th (tie) - Michelle Delamor (4 votes)*
15th (tie) - John Park (6 votes)*
15th (tie) - Ashley Rodriguez (6 votes)*
14th - Michael Lynche (7 votes)
13th - Lacey Brown (9 votes)*
12th - Katelyn Epperly (10 votes)*
11th - Lilly Scott (14 votes)*
10th - Tim Urban (20 votes)
09th - Alex Lambert (22 votes)*
08th - Aaron Kelly (32 votes)
07th - Katie Stevens (36 votes)
06th - Casey James (41 votes)
05th - Didi Benami (43 votes)
04th - Andrew Garcia (45 votes)
03rd - Siobhan Magnus (47 votes)
02nd - Lee DeWyze (58 votes)
01st - Crystal Bowersox (80 votes)

*indicates contestant has been eliminated

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IDOL LIVE predix: How the Top 12 will place (and who will win)

Just as I put my neck on the line last season, I am ready to set myself up for failure by predicting how each Top 12 finalist will finish in the current season. Yes, people are still recovering from the shock that Alex Lambert and Lilly Scott are no longer contenders for the title (I'm not one of them), but there's never been a better time to throw your hat in the ring and predict away.

From the Top 24 until now I've correctly predicted four out of 12 eliminations, so I'm batting .250 to date. When looking at who would make the Top 12 at the outset of the Top 24, however, I pegged 8-12 finalists correctly. Last season, I did not correctly pick a single finalists' placing among the Top 13 at the outset of the finals, which kind of stings. Hopefully this time around it goes better.

After giving the scenarios careful thought, you can read my predictions below.

The Top 12 of American Idol: Season 9 (ordered by predicted place of elimination)

12th-place finalist
>Lacey Brown

Lacey has made it here thanks to her southern, country appeal, because her vocals sure didn't earn her a spot among this group. Add to this the fact that she will have to take on something originally sung by The Rolling Stones this week and Lacey has a recipe for disaster. She does have a cute personality and seems really sweet but sweetness doesn't always cut it in this competition.

11th-place finalist:
>Tim Urban

Tim made it into the Top 12 thanks to a really strong performance this past Wednesday, but now that he's accomplished the all important goal of making it into the finals, his days on the show are numbered. Tim and Aaron cannot remain in this competition while the other one is still in contention, and Aaron's country twang will beat out Tim's "looks" faster than you can say "hallelujah." He might get lukewarm praise for his first two performances but the critiques won't do much for Tim because unlike Kris Allen last season, his fan base isn't going to get much bigger. Still, 11th place ain't half bad for a last minute replacement.

10th-place finalist:
>Paige Miles

Paige managed to evade elimination throughout all three semifinal rounds despite my consistent predictions to the contrary. After using her rock edge to pleasantly surprise America on one of The Rolling Stones' tracks, she will get lost in the shuffle and by Top 10 week she will not be able to stand up against a wave of strong competition, especially from the remaining girls. Think of her as this season's Lisa Tucker.

9th-place finalist:
>Aaron Kelly

Aaron is a nice kid and all, but he can't compete with the majority of these guys. His age works against him and his lower register isn't fully developed, not to mention he lacks a good sense of pitch (I'm starting to sound like Randy here). What he has going for him is the whole country thing, which many Idol voters love, but unless he gets to really shine on country night (assuming it happens prior to Top 9 week), the thin ice he's skating on will shatter.

8th-place finalist:
>Lee DeWyze

Lee is a hard one to call, because he's certainly giving off a dark horse vibe, but at the same time he could be overlooked fairly easily. His main competition is Andrew Garcia, since they're on a similar playing field when looking at the rest of the guys' field (Casey James is head and shoulders above the rest of the guys). If he doesn't go out by Top 8 week, he will probably go all the way to Top 4 because he'll pick up a lot of other guys' votes. But he is pretty polarizing for some reason, so eighth place seems like a perfect place for Lee to bow out at.

7th-place finalist:
>Katie Stevens

Once one of this season's favorites to take the crown (and my personal pick to win at the outset of the Top 24), Katie has unfortunately now been relegated to third string on the girls' team. Despite majorly disappointing showings to date, Katie still has time to turn it around, but considering she lacks a few attributes that some of the more established artists like Didi Benami and Crystal Bowersox have (like guitar playing skillz), Katie has a big hill to climb before she can get back into contention. You can tell Kara and Simon really want her to stick around for as long as possible, but they can only do so much before her fan base becomes overwhelmed.

6th-place finalist:
>Michael Lynche

Big Mike has been wowing everyone as of late (and by "everyone" I mean the judges and Ryan) and seems like the guy to beat at this point. His touching sob story still gets mentioned every week, and his vocal showings have been pretty solid. Therefore, he will surely jump the hurdles at the beginning of the finals, but once the finalists get down to the nitty gritty at the halfway point, he will have to stand out as a marketable, viable recording artist, not just a performer with a big voice. This is nothing against Mike, because he is undeniably talented, but he just won't be able to have the success that other finalists could have if given a record deal. Therefore, sixth place seems like a very fitting spot to depart on.

5th-place finalist:
>Didi Benami

Didi was one of the early favorites to win, and unlike Katie it seems she still has a fighting chance to succeed in this goal. But her chances of being victorious hinge on whether or not she can make songs her own. Didi is one of those contestants who thrives on personalizing her performances, and if she is weighed down by comments from the judges claiming she "played it too close to the original" or "didn't spice it up," she won't make it too far. I do believe Didi will continue with "Terrified"-like performances, though, so that should be enough to get her to the halfway point. But once again, the competition is just stacked too high and she probably won't be able to outlast finalists like Crystal or even Andrew.

4th-place finalist:
>Andrew Garcia

As mentioned earlier, Andrew is a wildcard. He could either drop out around Top 8 where I'm thinking Lee will end up, or he could go as far as Top 4 thanks to his early strength. If he can avoid the mention of his now annoying "Straight Up" performance from Hollywood Week and if he can start picking the right songs, Andrew should be just fine for a Top 4 finish. Andrew will have help now that real themes are on us, so he will have more guidance of what kinds of songs he should be taking on, so it's unlikely we'll have to be subjected to another "Genie In a Bottle." He won't win (no guy will), but he'll finish just fine for an early favorite.

3rd-place finalist:
>Crystal Bowersox

And then there was Crystal. It's no surprise that Crystal is supposed to win this season, and she very well could. But what I've learned from past seasons is rarely does the early front runner win the whole thing (Season 4 was the exception to the rule). Therefore, it's usually one of the "very good but still has potential to grow" contestants who wins, and Crystal is certainly not one of those. She is a bona fide artist and could go out on her own right now and attract good size audiences on a tour if she wanted to. She's like a caged canary with nowhere yet everywhere to go (and judging by her attitude and general demeanor last night, she wasn't too thrilled about making it into the Top 12). Thus, Crystal will finish as second-runner-up and not runner-up, because as Season 3 showed us, audiences do not like female-female finales. This will be more than enough for her to be considered a "real" artist and yet still have a shot at doing will with an album.

Runner-up:
>Casey James

Casey is more than the guy of Kara's fantasies. He is a rough yet smooth vocalist and is the most believable artists among the guys. He has all the ingredients to be both a solo artist or the lead vocalist of a band a la Chris Daughtry. And despite all of these factors, the best Casey can hope to finish is second place. That may not seem fair, but really is a girls' year, and Casey is anything but a girl. He will seem more appealing as runner-up anyway, even though predecessors like David Cook and even Kris Allen have made winning Idol "cool" for guys. But as long as he sticks to performances more like "Heaven" and less like his indulgent showings, Casey should sail through to the finale.

Winner:
>Siobhan Magnus

Siobhan Magnus will win Season 9 of American Idol. That's all it comes down to. She has wide appeal, gaining fans in all demographics thanks to her quirky yet friendly personality. She has youth, which is always a plus. She has a unique name, something more winners have had (Ruben, Fantasia, Taylor, Jordin, Kris) than didn't have (Kelly, Carrie, David). And most importantly, she has a killer voice. Siobhan doesn't come off as a polished professional, nor does she come off as an immature karaoke singer, and the producers are definitely looking for someone (some girl) who will fit this bill. Siobhan in her wildest dreams probably doesn't think she has a shot at the title, but she will get the hint sooner or later when she sees her friends picked off one by one as the weeks go by. At this point, it seems wrong that anyone but her will win this season, but stranger things have happened as we all know. For now, take this prediction to the bank.

And there we have it. Each week I will compare my original predictions with how things turn out in reality in addition to making revised predictions depending on the circumstances each week. (Photos courtesy of AmericanIdol.com).

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Poll of the week: Lee, Crystal favorite Top 16 semifinalists among respective sexes

It was more of the same this week on IDOL LIVE's poll of the week, as we had repeat winners in Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox.

Lee took in 24 votes (30%), besting now eliminated Alex Lambert's 15 votes (18%) and Casey James's 12 votes (15%). He also holds a slim lead among all guys in the overall vote.

As for Crystal, her 23 votes (31%) were slightly ahead of Siobhan Magnus's 19 votes (26%) and Didi Benami's 3 votes (16%).

In the latest edition of the poll of the week series, readers are asked of who their favorite Top 12 contestant is. Voting will be open for exactly six days.

Top 8 guys
Lee DeWyze 24 (30%)
Andrew Garcia 5 (6%)
Casey James 12 (15%)
Todrick Hall 2 (2%)
Aaron Kelly 10 (12%)
Alex Lambert 15 (18%)
Michael Lynche 4 (5%)
Tim Urban 8 (10%)

Total votes: 80

Top 8 girls
Didi Benami 13 (18%)
Crystal Bowersox 23 (31%)
Lacey Brown 2 (2%)
Katelyn Epperly 5 (6%)
Siobhan Magnus 19 (26%)
Paige Miles 0 (0%)
Lilly Scott 7 (9%)
Katie Stevens 3 (4%)

Total votes: 72

Running total for Season 9:
24th - Haeley Vaughn (0 votes)*
21st (tie) - Janell Wheeler (2 votes)*
21st (tie) - Todrick Hall (2 votes)*
21st (tie) - Paige Miles (2 votes)
19th (tie) - Joe Munoz (3 votes)*
19th (tie) - Jermaine Sellers (3 vote)*
17th (tie) - Tyler Grady (4 votes)*
17th (tie) - Michelle Delamor (4 votes)*
14th (tie) - John Park (6 votes)*
14th (tie) - Ashley Rodriguez (6 votes)*
14th (tie) - Michael Lynche (6 votes)
13th - Lacey Brown (7 votes)
12th - Katelyn Epperly (10 votes)*
11th - Lilly Scott (14 votes)*
10th - Tim Urban (16 votes)
09th - Alex Lambert (22 votes)*
08th - Aaron Kelly (24 votes)
07th - Katie Stevens (33 votes)
06th - Siobhan Magnus (35 votes)
05th - Didi Benami (39 votes)
04th - Casey James (40 votes)
03rd - Andrew Garcia (43 votes)
02nd - Lee DeWyze (45 votes)
01st - Crystal Bowersox (66 votes)

*indicates contestant has been eliminated

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Poll of the week: Lee, Crystal favorite Top 20 semifinalists among respective sexes

Unlike last week, only one of the semifinalists that received the most votes in the most recent edition of IDOL LIVE's poll of the week was one of the two contestants that performed last on his performance night.

Lee DeWyze's 18 votes (25%) were enough to give him bragging rights as the most voted for contestant among IDOL LIVE readers, topping last week's favorite Andrew Garcia, who took in 16 votes (22%). Casey James was relegated to third place with 14 votes (19%).

Among the girls, Crystal Bowersox crushed her competition with 31 votes (36%), placing above Didi Benami's 15 votes (17%) and Siobhan Magnus's 14 votes (16%). As for who's ahead in the overall season vote, Crystal is now leading with 43 votes to Andrew Garcia's 38 votes.

In the latest edition of the poll of the week series, readers are asked of who their favorite male and female Top 16 contestants are. Voting will be open for exactly one week.

Top 10 guys
Lee DeWyze 18 (25%)
Andrew Garcia 16 (22%)
Casey James 14 (19%)
Todrick Hall 0 (0%)
Aaron Kelly 7 (9%)
Alex Lambert 7 (9%)
Michael Lynche 2 (2%)
John Park 2 (2%)
Jermaine Sellers 2 (2%)
Tim Urban 4 (5%)

Total votes: 72

Top 10 girls
Didi Benami 15 (17%)
Crystal Bowersox 31 (36%)
Lacey Brown 4 (4%)
Michelle Delamor 2 (2%)
Katelyn Epperly 3 (3%)
Siobhan Magnus 14 (16%)
Paige Miles 2 (2%)
Lilly Scott 3 (3%)
Katie Stevens 12 (13%)
Haeley Vaughn 0 (0%)

Total votes: 86

Running total for Season 9:
23rd (tie) - Todrick Hall (0 votes)
23rd (tie) - Haeley Vaughn (0 votes)*
21st (tie) - Paige Miles (2 votes)
21st (tie) - Michael Lynche (2 votes)
20th (tie) - Janell Wheeler (2 votes)*
18th (tie) - Joe Munoz (3 votes)*
18th (tie) - Jermaine Sellers (3 vote)*
16th (tie) - Tyler Grady (4 votes)*
16th (tie) - Michelle Delamor (4 votes)*
14th (tie) - Lacey Brown (5 votes)
14th (tie) - Katelyn Epperly (5 votes)
12th (tie) - John Park (6 votes)*
12th (tie) - Ashley Rodriguez (6 votes)*
10th (tie) - Lilly Scott (7 votes)
10th (tie) - Alex Lambert (7 votes)
09th - Tim Urban (8 votes)
08th - Aaron Kelly (14 votes)
07th - Siobhan Magnus (16 votes)
06th - Lee DeWyze (21 votes)
05th - Didi Benami (26 votes)
04th - Casey James (28 votes)
03rd - Katie Stevens (30 votes)
02nd - Andrew Garcia (38 votes)
01st - Crystal Bowersox (43 votes)

*indicates contestant has been eliminated

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