So what's keeping everybody from your mother to your manicurist hooked? ''It's the only year there hasn't been a front-runner,'' says Cowell, whose Idol contract runs through 2010. ''You could argue the ones who should do well would be Kellie, Taylor, and Chris. Based on technical merit, you'd have to give it to Chris and Katharine. It's a strange year and because of that, I'm enjoying it more.'' Shockingly enough, judge Paula Abdul agrees with Cowell: ''It's exciting that Simon can't say who's going to win on the first day, like when he predicted Carrie Underwood.... I always hear, 'I like the bald-headed guy,' 'I like the gray-haired guy.' Even if you don't know their names, people know the personalities.''
Jackson won't commit to naming his pick, but he will go so far as to predict that a boy will win. Considering the fact that Bucky, Ace, and Elliott have been shaky from the start, we'll assume he's expecting Taylor or Chris to take home the title. ''I don't think anyone has it in the bag yet, and I hope none of them think that. They're all confused. They read too much of the press and they think they have it. Any one of them could go home any week.''
He's got a point — just look at what happened to onetime favorite Mandisa. Her weak version of Shania Twain's ''Any Man of Mine'' got her a swift but unexpected cowboy boot. Cowell's theory? ''The audience is much more savvy than they ever were before, and I don't think they're judging the show this year like previous shows. They're listening very, very carefully — and rewarding and punishing accordingly each week.'' Or maybe viewers are just responding to the singers' sneaky maneuvers. ''The contestants have become politicians,'' says host Ryan Seacrest, who's gotten more serious (and more brunet) this season. ''They learned very quickly when to look surprised or sad or happy, how to work the audience. There is a real formula to winning American Idol and they're all trying to figure it out.''
You Might Also Like
- Television Commentary Coming to America
- Television News A new judge for 'Idol' | Shirley Halperin
- TV Watch ''Idol'' recap: A happy ending | Michael Slezak
- TV Watch 'Idol' recap: The final match | Michael Slezak
- Review American Idol | Ken Tucker
- Stage Idols on Broadway! We grade 'em
