"God Bless the Child" on Idol?

I know, just sayin he is a player for real. Sure its mostly pop but its more then the other 2 ... a front man and studio created diva.

Samuel, after the 1st year I watched, the year Jordan Sparks won, I was disappointed because I really loved Melinda Dillon who I thought had the most talent. I quickly learned it isn't about the most talented. Other than David Cook the last two were real yawners for me. This year any of the top four were worthy in my estimation. I thought it would ultimately come down to James, Scotty and Lauren but all along Haley was my favorite. I really didn't think she would go as far as she did but she kept improving each week and in addition she definitely has the "It" factor. All of them have the talent and presence to have successful careers in the music industry. I firmly believe the voters really got it right this time. But don't they always get what they want? I have this vision of thousands of these 12 year old girls fast and furious on their phones voting for their favorites and competing with each other, via text messages on how many times they voted for their favorite (Scotty or Lauren). You have an 11 year old, is it my imagination working overtime or does it go something along those lines?

Yes, Tube, you about hit that one on all counts. My gripe is about weak, often annoying judging and the show's authenticity .. at least for this way-post-teen viewer. Oh, and the group sing-alongs and Ford commercials? The girls hide the remote so I can't fast-forward them.

:o)

I think the show did a better job overall coaching the rookie contestants in a more consistent manner week to week that yielded better results in the end, ie a large group of talented rookie singers delivering at a pretty high and consistent level towards the end. That as opposed to changing coaches week to week and stronger but diverging and often conflicting comments from the judges confusing things more. Yes, the judges were fairly easy this year and seemed satisfied with some lesser performances, but I think constructive criticism and its net effects were at a max for idol this year, and that is a good thing, regardless of the genre or specific appeal of the individual performers. Each performer was mostly coached and lead in a direction that elicited progress. That's the way these kinds of things are supposed to work.

PLus I found the judges entertaining for the most part, which under this new formula this year, woudl seem to be their main purpose, ie do your thing, be entertaining, and do your part to get more people to watch accordingly.

Plus I think all the judges, even Tyler, helped the contestants more this way by picking their opportunities for constructive criticism more carefully to add value. There was little negative criticism this year, and when it did come about it was not well received, which is how it should be.

Also I gotta mention that I thought Haley's duet with Tony Bennett was one of the high points of the grand finale for me. That came off extremely well, the older legendary crooner and the hot young bluesy siren interacting beautifully in perfect harmony. Really good stuff!