My Current Obsession

Hey, all! We're back home and starting to get back into the swing of things. I thought I should write, since it's been a while. And I realize people may want to hear about my trip (maybe . . maybe not . . ). But I usually write about whatever's on my mind at the moment --

And right now, that's American Idol.

I'm not sure how I got so obsessed with American Idol this season. Well, no, I do know -- Leslie's to blame. She got me started. But once I was started, I jumped in full-force. The girls and I were religious about being back at our hotels to watch each episode while we were traveling. Luckily, the Redekers are almost as obsessed as we are, so they watched with us in Virginia. And we all heaved a collective gasp when Adam was put in the bottom three last week.

Anyway, I'm on pins and needles waiting for tonight's results show. Because I really think all four of these kids remaining are incredibly talented and deserve to stay on. But that's not how the game works: someone has to go.

So here's my take on last night (for any of you who might care). Everyone knew going in that this was Adam's night. The boy's incredible, and rocking with Slash is his element. (For my musically inclined friends who are not following the show, you HAVE to go to americanidol.com and view the videos of Adam's past performances. Best one: "Mad World". He's phenomenal.) And everyone knew that Alison was the only one who could give him a run for his money. (Love her, too. Check out her stuff while you're there. Especially "Papa Was a Rolling Stone".) So that left Kris and Danny competing for third place and safety.

Here's the thing: I think tonight is going to boil down to what the fans of Matt Giraud (the one eliminated last week) do. Each of the final four has their own fan base that isn't going to change their mind after last night. But Matt's folks need a place to go now. And they're more likely to side with Danny or Kris than with Adam or Alison, just based on style preference.

So, it depends on which approach to last night they respect the most. Kris played it safer -- picked a song that he could be mostly himself on. A base hit, and he made it to first . . . but that's just not good enough for last night. Danny knew a base hit wouldn't be enough, so he swung for a home run -- and was tagged out at home. (I thought the beginning of his song was good, but the shriek at the end was, unfortunately, just horrific.) So, will Matt's people like Kris for being true to himself, or Danny for taking a big risk and stepping out of his comfort zone even though he crashed?

Personally, as much as I love Kris (a very original artist -- see "Ain't No Sunshine" and "She Works Hard for the Money" on the website), Danny has guts to try to pull off the song he attempted. And he has a more unique voice. I would vote for him.

Of course, I didn't actually vote, though. I'm not that obsessed. Yet.