Idol Challenge Update: Paul's In The Lead...

Melissa McGhee was the first finalist eliminated from the Top 12 this week on Idol...as I predicted! Heather was close, picking Melissa to go out at #11...so I only picked up one point. Melissa's elimination also means that I am guaranteed to outscore Heather on the Bucky Covington elimination. She has him at #12 and I have him at #11...so I'm guaranteed to pick up another point there. Now the bad news for me - It looks like I may be in serious trouble with my Ace Young pick! Bottom three already in the first week??? He better get his act together if I have any chance of cashing in on my 3rd place prediction for him!

To see what Heather has to say about our American Idol Challenge, CLICK HERE!
For the complete list of our picks click here!

Click on COMMENTS below to let us know what YOU think about IDOL!

American Idol Challenge - Phase II !

Heather DeLuca and I tied in the first phase of our annual American Idol Challenge. Now that we're into the Top 12, Phase II begins! Here's how it works. Heather and I both listed the contestants in the order we think they'll finish - numbering them from #12 (first eliminated) to #1 (winner). Each week, when a contestant is eliminated, we'll compare the spot they finished at to the spot where we predicted they'd finish. The difference between the two equals the number of points scored. We'll tally points each week so we can see who's winning. Just like golf, whoever has the LOWEST score at the end will win our Challenge. Here are some examples: Paul picks Chris Daughtry as #1. He actually finishes #3...Paul gets two points. Heather picks Ace to finish #9. He actually finishes at #5. Heather gets 4 points. Got all that? Get your calculators ready! Here are our selections...Keep in mind we made our picks BEFORE last night's performances!

PAUL

#12 Melissa
#11 Bucky
#10 Kevin
#9 Mandisa
#8 Elliott
#7 Lisa
#6 Paris
#5 Kellie
#4 Taylor
#3 Ace
#2 Katharine
#1 Chris


HEATHER

#12 Bucky
#11 Melissa
#10 Kevin
#9 Ace
#8 Kellie
#7 Paris
#6 Elliott
#5 Lisa
#4 Katharine
#3 Taylor
#2 Mandisa
#1 Chris

As you can see, we both pick Chris Daughtry to win. Outside of that, the only other pick we agree on is Kevin finishing at #10. Most of the others are close...but there are BIG differences on how we picked Mandisa, Ace, and to a lesser extent, Kellie. So it the winner will likely be the person who has those contestants pegged correctly. And that person is ME (sorry Heather)!

What do YOU think? Whose list looks better? What's YOUR list? Click on COMMENTS below to let me know what you think!

Don't Touch My Dog !

I'm not talking about canines here - I'm a cat person. I'm talking about something near and dear to any red blooded American male's heart - HOT DOGS!

Something happened to me tonight that's become a pet peeve of mine - and if you work at WaWa...take heed! For the uninitiated, when you buy a hot dog at WaWa (as I did tonight), you're afforded the opportunity to load it up with free condiments and toppings - mustard, ketchup, relish, onions - before you go to the counter to pay..which is a beautiful thing. You load it up any way you want, and then you close the lid on its little clear plastic container and you're ready to roll. So I'm at the register with some other items...and my dog. Here's where the pet peeve part comes in. The cashier puts my items into a plastic bag and then tosses my dog in there with them. Before the bag is even in my hands, my hot dog is on its side. Toppings are falling off. Condiments and smearing against the clear plastic container like some horrible amatuer painting. By the time I go to eat it, it's a mess. How hard is it to either put the dog in its own bag, away from the other items, or NOT bag it at all? Doesn't common sense tell you that a hot dog loaded with toppings cannot be placed on its side? From this point on, I'm taking my dogs into my own hands!

Damn You Kevin Covais !

Well, I had a two person lead over Heather DeLuca in our American Idol Challenge heading into last night's elimination show. I had Mandisa, Will, and Gideon. She had Bucky. The only way I wouldn't win our challenge was if three of my people were sent home versus her one...or two of my people versus her none. If you saw the show, you know what happened! I lost two, Heather lost none, and our Challenge ended in a tie.

I figured Mandisa was a lock to get through to the next round, so I wasn't worried about her. I thought Will was a definite to go...but as long as America didn't vote out Gideon I'd be OK. After seeing Kevin Covais lisp his way through another song this week I thought this might FINALLY be his time to go home. America felt differently! I'm not sure why people are voting for Kevin. Yes - he's likeable - I like him. He seems like a genuinely good kid. But he's NOT a great singer...nor is he a very good performer. He usually stands motionless behind the microphone. So who's voting for him and why? Do people feel bad for him? Is he getting votes because he's "cute"? I'm not sure. But I wouldn't be surprised to see him ride this wave of undeserved popularity well into the Top 10 and beyond - which would be a real shame for some of the better singers in the competition who might get eliminated in his place.

So where do we go from here? Heather and I TIED in our Challenge...so the Challenge continues - with a clean slate, new picks, and a new set of rules. More on that in the next blog entry!

American Idol CHALLENGE !

Heather DeLuca and I are battling it out again in our second annual American Idol Challenge! Here's how it works: Once the Idol contestants were whittled down to 24, Heather and I each selected our Top 12...6 guys...6 gals. Whoever gets the most correct...wins! Heather won last year - but this time I'm out to an early lead. Here's who we've selected!

Paul's Picks
Paris Bennett
Mandisa
Katherine McPhee
Becky O'Donahue - (OUT)
Kellie Pickler
Lisa Tucker

Chris Daughtry
Patrick Hall - (OUT)
Taylor Hicks
Will Makar
Gideon McKinney
Ace Young


HEATHER'S PICKS
Paris Bennett
Katherine McPhee
Becky O'Donahue - (OUT)
Kellie Pickler
Stevie Scott - (OUT)
Lisa Tucker

Bucky Covington
Chris Daughtry
Taylor Hicks
Sway Penala - (OUT)
David Radford - (OUT)
Ace Young