"Welcome to the Boy's Club"

For the first time in the Idol history we have an all male Top 3 (three white dudes to be exact!) Are you shocked? You probably shouldn't be...

We've had the Judges pimping the guys before the season even starts in every interview imaginable! Add in the fact that chicks (and gay dudes) make up like 98.2% of the Idol voting block and a Top 36 format where the 3rd vote-getter's gender is chosen by said voting block. So we get a Top 13 with 8 males and 5 females (two of which the judges picked). Females which included Jasmine, Megan and "allusive pitch" Lil... yep, they should have conceded week 1!

Before we dive into a Top 3 analysis... a look back at the first ever TOP 13!

13. Jasmine Murray: Modeling, acting? maybe? she'd get swallowed up in the music industry
12. Jorge Nunez: Endearing sure, but he was a throw back to Idol's of Old... the Puerto Rican Clay Aiken
11. Alexis Grace: "Dirtied" herself right out of a spot on the tour... I blame Kara (this should have been Megan's spot)
10. Michael Sarver: Road the "Dad" coat tails into a spot on the tour... good for him
9. Megan Joy Corkery: HOT vote + talentless = "package artist"
8. Scott MacIntyre: dude was blind... how could he not make at least 8th!
7. Lil Rounds: Never lived up to her OWN hype... she was the queen of 2nd rate karaoke
6. Anoop Desai: Noop Dawg never found his footing after Beat It, but he's still got a special place in my heart! Check out his studio recording
5. Matt Giraud: Stupid hat, stupid scarves.... couldn't get it together on the stage, but he's also got some great studio recording
4. Allison Iraheta: Talent chick, really grew through-out the season... I'm interested to see if in a land of Pinks and Kellys how much play she'll get...

So that brings us to Adam, Danny & Kris!

ADAM LAMBERT
I will be genuinely surprised if anyone other than Adam wins this season of American Idol.
Strength: incredible range, interpretation and overall stage presence
Weakness: believability and "production"
Best Live Performance: Mad World or Tracks of My Tears
Best Studio Performance: Mad World (the only one I listen to regularly)
Worst Live Performance: Ring of Fire
Worst Studio Performance: Play That Funky Music or Born to Be Wild
Adam had amazing technically skill... he sings notes that I didn't existed and he owns the stage every moment he's on it! But my draw back with Adam (besides the creepy tongue thing) has always been the believability of it all. I always feel like I'm watching "Adam: The Musical" ... whether it's the glamed out theatrics or the tender balladeer; the moments don't feel real or organic! It's the lights or the entrance or the outfits, it all seems so over produced! He's got to let all that go and get real if people outside the Idoldome are going to embraced his music. Needless to say if Lady Gaga stays as popular as she is right now... Adam's definitely got a place on the Top 40 scene.

With that said the real fight is going to be for this year's runner-up. Danny or Kris? Kris or Danny? They have similar backgrounds, vocal styling and ideals, but honestly couldn't be more different than night and day...

DANNY GOKEY
Riled up Allison fans could push Gokey into a 3rd place finish or maybe that's just wishful thinking!
Strength: vocal power and intensity to carry a song
Weakness: pitch issues and song interpretation
Best Live Performance: Come Rain or Come Shine
Best Studio Performance: Come Rain or Come Shine & What Hurts the Most
Worst Live Performance: Dream On (by a comfortable mile) then Jesus Take the Wheel
Worst Studio Performance: Dream On (even with auto tune!!)
Danny has a voice that really soars on the big notes, but gets lost in the tender moments. When he hits the stride of a song the intensity of his vocal pulls it through and tends to make you forget the pitch issues. While the power of his voice makes him seem emotional connected, I think Danny lacks the skills to justly interpret a song through the beginning, middle and end. It again makes the performance seem like an ACT... an emotional ploy to get votes. Where as, Adam relies on a theatrical background to pull from to make his "act" more believable, Danny doesn't have the luxury and comes off a bit out of his depth. Plus there seems to be this smug, arrogance masked as self-deprecating humor with Danny that has always turned me off (and apparently the writers over at Entertainment Weekly!) Now where is Danny gonna fit in today's music is the real question... is Michael McDonald still making records? I actually see him as Contemporary Christian artist before I'd ever hear him having a hit on Top 40 radio.

KRIS ALLEN
*This will be a little biased because I absolutely adore Kris Allen and think he deserves a spot in the finally more than just about any other person in the competition!!
Strength: musician, humility, song interpretation & connection
Weakness: subtle range, seen as less flashy and boring
Best Live Performance: She Works Hard for the Money, Falling Slowly, Ain't No Sunshine... I could go on...
Best Studio Performance: Falling Slowly... it heart-breakingly beautiful
Worst Live Performance: All She Wants to Do is Dance (but I love the studio version)
Worst Studio Performance: She Works Hard for the Money (the strings took all the originality out)
Beside Allison strumming the guitar once, Kris is the only contestant in the Top 4 to play an instrument this season (a stark contrast to Season 7). Add in the fact that we barely saw the kid during the auditions and Hollywood, a placement in the toughest semi finals group and not to mention performing in the top half of the show 6 out of 9 times this season... I'd have to say Kris Allen is the hardest working man in Idol-land! He may not have the vocal range of Adam or the showmanship of Danny, but what he lack in those areas Kris makes up for with an amazing ability to really feel and inhabit the songs he chooses. His phrasing is so uniquely "Kris Allen"(haha, now I sound like Paula!) that it always adds an interesting layer to his performance. While Kris very rarely gets his dues for song arrangements, he has continually stayed humble and appreciative... even in the face of Simon's mocking! The biggest criticism of Kris is his "boring, laid-back" performance style... and next to a performer like Adam that could be seen as a weakness. But it's working out pretty well for John Mayer... to each his own I guess. I could definitely see Kris in the Matt Nathanson, John Mayer, Jason Mraz vein of music and doing just fine!

Danny & Adam definitely have the Judges support behind them and I'm already preparing myself for poor Kris to get pummeled with sandbags tonight...but all I can do is vote thousands of times and remember my track record...
I have "correctly" supported
- two winners (David Cook and Carrie)
- four runners-up (Justin G., Clay, Diana and Kat)
- of course there was the Season 6 miss-step with Chris Rich... I blame the green eyes...

3rd place just doesn't do it for me... so I implore you America... make the right choice!
A vote for Kris Allen is a vote for puppies.. and rainbows... and all things sweet and simple!

Until tomorrow....