IDOL MADNESS: Final Results and a Statement About the Game

What a crazy ride it's been.

IDOL MADNESS is now over, and the winner has been determined.

Before we get to that, however, a note about the game.

The idea for this game originated from an Idol Thoughts reader, and we determined that I would host it on my site. The hope was that we would be able to have a fun, spirited NCAA bracket style tournament among the Idol finalists, and determine who the Idol Thoughts readers thought was the best Idol contestant ever. Perhaps naively, we did not imagine how word would spread and the different fanbases would mobilize to support their favorites.

At first it was exciting -- in addition to bringing new readers to my blog, I thought it might be an interesting experiment in determining which finalists still had the largest fanbases. And for the first several rounds, voting turned out to be interesting. There was only one major upset in the first round (Diana Degarmo losing to Bucky Covington), and several surprises became clear, like the size of Constantine Maroulis, Bo Bice and Anthony Fedorov's fanbases. Voting was fair, results were interesting, and, by most accounts, everyone was having a good time.

As we got into the Elite 8 and Final Four, however, a bit of shadiness started to happen. Numbers started to look strange. I received word from polldaddy.com and Vizu.com, who were hosting the respective rounds, that illegal scripting had taken place. Polls were restarted; numbers were watched; warnings were issued. Everything was done in the interest of fairness.

I have no vested interest in any of these contestants -- I considered myself an anthropologist of sorts, interested only in seeing how several years of Idol history would play out in a competition like this. I did not care who won. I mean, if I was going to be pulling for anyone it would have been Kelly Clarkson, and she was upset early on. Again -- I had no interest in rigging the votes one way or another -- I did not care who won.

Most of you did not cheat, but those who did really put a damper on the fun of those who did not.

I tried everything I could to keep the game as fair as possible. If you feel like I could have done more, I apologize. I tried to determine, best I could, who to move on to the finals, based on the corrupted scores. If I made a wrong decision in not just canceling the game completely at the point I realized people were cheating, I apologize. But I was trying to finish the game for those who were playing fairly and had invested time in voting. If you voted and you feel like you wasted your time, I am sorry.

So, the winner of IDOL MADNESS is Clay Aiken, with Elliott Yamin coming in a close 2nd place, Bo Bice in 3rd and Carrie Underwoodin 4th. I have to admit, very sadly, it's a bit of a hollow result, since there is no doubt the game has been corrupted by fans on ALL sides (this has been confirmed to me by polldaddy.com.)

But I will say this -- Clay, Elliott, Carrie and Bo would be proud to know they have some extremely passionate and loyal fans, and even aside from the cheating, these four definitely did have the most total amount of fans vote. I believe Constantine Maroulis, Anthony Fedorov, Kelly Clarkson, Josh Gracin, Jasmine Trias, Kellie Pickler, Ace Young and many more would be pleased to know there fans are so devoted as well.

What I bet they would not be proud of is the cheating that took place for, let's face it, a fairly meaningless result (there's no prize involved, after all). Like I said, most of you did not cheat, but those who did really put a damper on the fun of those who did not. Clay, Elliott, Carrie and Bo would also likely not be proud of the level of vitriol you addressed each other and, quite frankly, me.

So there it is...the end of IDOL MADNESS. I wish it would have ended on a more celebratory note, but I thank those of you who committed to the game and participated fairly, and I hope if you've like other parts of Idol Thoughts you'll come back and check out what's going on here.

IDOL MADNESS Elite 8: Wednesday Report

Voting in this round ends Sunday February 17 at 11:59PM EST

The newly started Clay/Constantine match-up (please click here to read a note about this match-up, which has been re-started due to voting irregularities) is heavily going toward Clay at the moment, while all other Elite 8 matches are still separated by less 3%. Keep on voting for your faves!

All numbers as of Wednesday 2/13 at 5:00PM EST.

Click on any match-up to vote.

Cowell Bracket
#5 Bo Bice vs. #6 Jasmine Trias

Jasmine 51.4%-Bo 48.6%

Feb. 12: Jasmine 50.4%-Bo 49.6%

Feb. 11: Jasmine 52.6%-Bo 47.4%
Feb. 10: Jasmine 50.4%-Bo 49.6%

Seacrest Bracket
#2 Clay Aiken vs. #9 Constantine Maroulis

Clay 71%-Constantine 29%

Abdul Bracket
#3 Elliott Yamin vs. #9 Ace Young

Elliott 50.5%-Ace 49.5%

Feb. 12: Elliott 50.7%-Ace 49.3%
Feb. 11: Elliott 50.5%-Ace 49.5%

Feb. 10: Elliott 52.6%-Ace 47.4%

Jackson Bracket
#1 Carrie Underwood vs. #7 Josh Gracin

Josh 51%-Carrie 49%
Feb. 12: Josh 51.9%-Carrie 48.1%

Feb. 11: Josh 52.2%-Carrie 47.8%

Feb. 10: Josh 51.5%- Carrie 48.5%

CONSOLATION ROUND: Determining the 9th and 10th place finshers
#1-Anthony, #2-Kelly C, #3-Bucky, #4-Kellie P

IDOL MADNESS Sweet 16 Results -- Upsets Galore

Voting for the Sweet 16 round of IDOL MADNESS is now over, and the results are in!

Let's be honest -- this is a fan club war. To be fair, each of the contestants' fan communities seem to have been alerted to the contest, so it is an equal playing field in that respect, and who wins is determined by how actively their fan club is working to get out the vote. However, it should be acknowledged that were the general public voting on these match-ups, the results might be different.

Having said that -- several shockers in the Sweet 16, leaving us with some very interesting Elite 8 match-ups. Voting starts later tonight or tomorrow, so keep an eye on Idol Thoughts and get ready to vote!

Here are the results...

Cowell Bracket
#5 Bo Bice def. #1 Kelly Clarkson

51%-49%

Shocker! In a match that easily could have gone either way, the original Idol barely lost out a victory by just 2%. She was down 4% as of yesterday, and actually pulled ahead for much of today, but even with the power of the Kelly Clarkson Express behind her, she couldn't finish on top. Kudos also to the folks at BoBice.com and BonafideBice.com for putting up a good fight.

#6 Jasmine Trias def. #10 Kellie Pickler

50.4%-49.6%

Kellie had actually pulled ahead on Wednesday, thanks in large part to the folks at KellieFans.com, but Jasmine has some very loyal supporters, and they managed to propel her to a very slight victory.

(Please note, there was a technical glitch with the closing time of this poll.

I have checked with the folks at vizu.com, who run the poll, and they have confirmed that this was the accurate result as of Feb 7 11:59PM EST. They, and I, apologize for any confusion).

Seacrest Bracket

#2 Clay Aiken def. #3 Melinda Doolittle

57.9%-42.1%

Never underestimate the Claymates! Clay had the lead from the get-go and never let it up. The next chanllenge for the vast number of Aiken-maniacs out there? Constantine Maroulis and his devoted followers. Should be an interesting battle!

#9 Constantine Maroulis def. #13 Bucky Covington

76.1%-23.9%

This one was never a contest, despite the hard work of the country singer's fans at Buckymania.blogspot.com -- Constantine's Greek posse is just too powerful! They better be revving up for a big fight with the Clay fans in the Elite 8!

Abdul Bracket

#3 Elliott Yamin def. #7 Anthony Fedorov

55.5%-44.5%

This one was a nailbiter right from the start, with Anthony actually pulling ahead on Tuesday in the match-up that received far and away the most amount of votes (more thank 11K). Thanks to anthonyfanclub.com, Anthony put up a good fight, but yaminions.com, etrainstation.com and others pulled their boy Elliott to the finish line on top.

#9 Ace Young def. #5 Blake Lewis

51%-49%

Though Ace never gave up the lead, he was only up by 0.4% with less than three hours of voting remaining, and finished up by just 2%. That he pulled out the victory despite the combined efforts of teamplaid.com, blakelewismultimedia.com, and others is a true testament to Ace's fans, especially the ones at youngville.com and clubace777.com. A battle with Elliott in the next round should be very interesting indeed.

Jackson Bracket

#1 Carrie Underwood def. #12 Gina Glocksen

58%-42%

Who knew Gina still had so many fans? She put up a fair fight, but superstar Carrie waltzed easily to victory.

#7 Josh Gracin def. #3 Latoya London

66.4%-33.6%

After taking out Chris Daughtry in the round of 32, Gracin had no problem with Latoya in the match that received the lowest amount of votes. Carrie Underwood, however, poses a slightly more daunting challenge.

IDOL MADNESS Wednesday Report -- Only One More Day to Vote in the Sweet 16 Match-Ups!

Voting for all Sweet Sixteen matches ends Thursday February 7, 11:59PM EST.

It looks like it's going to come down to the wire for several Sweet 16 matches.

Kelly Clarkson has lost her lead to Bo Bice -- she's now down by 4%! Elliott Yamin and Jasmine Trias, meanwhile, have managed to crawl back after falling behind yesterday in their matches against Anthony Fedorov and Kellie Pickler, respectively. Ace Young has gained .3% since yesterday -- will he manage to hold onto that lead and upset Blake Lewis?

Elsewhere, Clay Aiken, Constantine Maroulis, Josh Gracin and Carrie Underwood held onto their significant leads.

Here are the results for the Sweet Sixteen match-ups as of Wed. Feb 6 at 3:30PM EST.

Click on any match-up to vote!

Cowell Bracket
#1 Kelly Clarkson vs. #5 Bo Bice

Bo 52%-Kelly 48%

Feb. 5: Kelly 50.5%-Bo 49.5%

Feb. 4: Kelly 52.6%-Bo 47.4%

Feb. 3: Kelly 54.2%-Bo 45.8%

#6 Jasmine Trias vs. #10 Kellie Pickler

Jasmine 52.4%-Kellie 47.6%

Feb. 5: Kellie 50.7%-Jasmine 49.3%

Feb. 4: Jasmine 55.5%-Kellie 44.4%
Feb. 3: Jasmine 54.7%-Kellie 45.3%

Seacrest Bracket
#2 Clay Aiken vs. #3 Melinda Doolittle

Clay 59.4%-Melinda 40.6%

Feb. 5: Clay 58%-Melinda 42%

Feb. 4: Clay 60%-Melinda 40%

Feb. 3: Clay 53.8%-Melinda 46.2%

#9 Constantine Maroulis vs. #13 Bucky Covington

Constantine 76.3%-Bucky 23.7%

Feb. 5: Constantine 76.2%-Bucky 23.8%

Feb. 4: Constantine 76.1%-Bucky 23.9%

Feb. 3: Constantine 76.9%-Bucky 23.1%

Abdul Bracket
#3 Elliott Yamin vs. #7 Anthony Fedorov

Elliott 54.2%-Anthony 45.8%

Feb. 5: Anthony 50.2%-Elliott 49.8%

Feb. 4: Elliott 51.4%-Anthony 48.6%

Feb. 3: Elliott 50.2%-Anthony 49.8%

#5 Blake Lewis vs. #9 Ace Young

Ace 51.2%-Blake 48.8%

Feb. 5: Ace 50.9%-Blake 49.1%

Feb. 4: Ace 51.6%-Blake 48.4%

Feb. 3: Ace 53.3%-Blake 46.7%

Jackson Bracket
#1 Carrie Underwood vs. #12 Gina Glocksen

Carrie 58.4%-Gina 41.6%

Feb. 5: Carrie 57.3%-Gina 42.7%

Feb. 4: Carrie 58.1%-Gina 41.9%

Feb. 3: Carrie 56.6%-Gina 43.4%

#3 Latoya London vs. #7 Josh Gracin

Josh 68.8%-Latoya 31.2%

Feb. 5: Josh 70.1%-Latoya 29.9%

Feb. 4: Josh 73.1%-Latoya 26.9%

Feb. 3: Josh 72.6%-Latoya 27.3%

Visit the IDOL MADNESS Main Page

IDOL MADNESS Tuesday Report: What a Difference a Day Makes!

Voting for all Sweet Sixteen matches ends Thursday February 7, 11:59PM EST.

What a difference a day makes!

In the course of just 24 hours, two match-ups have had leader changes, and a couple of large leads have seriously shrunk.

Kellie Pickler picked up over 6% since yesterday, and she now holds a slight lead over Jasmine Trias, while Anthony Fedorov's fans have propelled him to a very narrow 0.4% lead over Elliott Yamin.

Meanwhile, less than 2% separates Blake Lewis and Ace Young, and Kelly Clarkson and Bo Bice are in a heated battle, with just 1% between them.

Constantine Maroulis, Clay Aiken, Carrie Underwood, and Josh Gracin continue to lead in their matches against Bucky Covington, Melinda Doolittle, Gina Glocksen and Latoya London, respectively.

Here are the results for the Sweet Sixteen match-ups as of Tue. Feb 5 at 3:00PM EST.

Click on any match-up to vote!

Cowell Bracket
#1 Kelly Clarkson vs. #5 Bo Bice

Kelly 50.5%-Bo 49.5%

Feb. 4: Kelly 52.6%-Bo 47.4%

Feb. 3: Kelly 54.2%-Bo 45.8%

#6 Jasmine Trias vs. #10 Kellie Pickler

Kellie 50.7%-Jasmine 49.3%

Feb. 4: Jasmine 55.5%-Kellie 44.4%
Feb. 3: Jasmine 54.7%-Kellie 45.3%

Seacrest Bracket
#2 Clay Aiken vs. #3 Melinda Doolittle

Clay 58%-Melinda 42%

Feb. 4: Clay 60%-Melinda 40%

Feb. 3: Clay 53.8%-Melinda 46.2%

#9 Constantine Maroulis vs. #13 Bucky Covington

Constantine 76.2%-Bucky 23.8%

Feb. 4: Constantine 76.1%-Bucky 23.9%

Feb. 3: Constantine 76.9%-Bucky 23.1%

Abdul Bracket
#3 Elliott Yamin vs. #7 Anthony Fedorov

Anthony 50.2%-Elliott 49.8%

Feb. 4: Elliott 51.4%-Anthony 48.6%

Feb. 3: Elliott 50.2%-Anthony 49.8%

#5 Blake Lewis vs. #9 Ace Young

Ace 50.9%-Blake 49.1%

Feb. 4: Ace 51.6%-Blake 48.4%

Feb. 3: Ace 53.3%-Blake 46.7%

Jackson Bracket
#1 Carrie Underwood vs. #12 Gina Glocksen

Carrie 57.3%-Gina 42.7%

Feb. 4: Carrie 58.1%-Gina 41.9%

Feb. 3: Carrie 56.6%-Gina 43.4%

#3 Latoya London vs. #7 Josh Gracin

Josh 70.1%-Latoya 29.9%

Feb. 4: Josh 73.1%-Latoya 26.9%

Feb. 3: Josh 72.6%-Latoya 27.3%

Visit the IDOL MADNESS Main Page

IDOL MADNESS: Monday Report

Voting for all Sweet Sixteen matches ends Thursday February 7, 11:59PM EST.

No major changes in the voting today, but three of the matches are separated by less than 6%. Kelly Clarkson continues to struggle with Bo Bice, while Anthony Fedorov/Elliott Yamin and Ace Young/Blake Lewis are still separated by just a few votes. While Jasmine Trias and Kellie Pickler barely budged since yesterday, Clay Aiken seems to be making some serious ground in his battle with Melinda Doolittle, and Constantine Maroulis and Josh Gracin don't seem to be having any troubles with Bucky Covington and Latoya London, respectively.

Here are the results for the Sweet Sixteen match-ups as of Mon. Feb 4 at 3:00PM EST.

Click on any match-up to vote!

Cowell Bracket
#1 Kelly Clarkson vs. #5 Bo Bice

Kelly 52.6%-Bo 47.4%

Feb. 3: Kelly 54.2%-Bo 45.8%

#6 Jasmine Trias vs. #10 Kellie Pickler

Jasmine 55.5%-Kellie 44.4%
Feb. 3: Jasmine 54.7%-Kellie 45.3%

Seacrest Bracket
#2 Clay Aiken vs. #3 Melinda Doolittle

Clay 60%-Melinda 40%

Feb. 3: Clay 53.8%-Melinda 46.2%

#9 Constantine Maroulis vs. #13 Bucky Covington

Constantine 76.1%-Bucky 23.9%

Feb. 3: Constantine 76.9%-Bucky 23.1%

Abdul Bracket
#3 Elliott Yamin vs. #7 Anthony Fedorov

Elliott 51.4%-Anthony 48.6%

Feb. 3: Elliott 50.2%-Anthony 49.8%

#5 Blake Lewis vs. #9 Ace Young

Ace 51.6%-Blake 48.4%

Feb. 3: Ace 53.3%-Blake 46.7%

Jackson Bracket
#1 Carrie Underwood vs. #12 Gina Glocksen

Carrie 58.1%-Gina 41.9%

Feb. 3: Carrie 56.6%-Gina 43.4%

#3 Latoya London vs. #7 Josh Gracin

Josh 73.1%-Latoya 26.9%

Feb. 3: Josh 72.6%-Latoya 27.3%

Visit the IDOL MADNESS Main Page

IDOL MADNESS Elite 8: Sunday Report

Voting in this round ends Sunday February 17 at 11:59PM EST

With the first couple of days of voting in the Elite 8 round underway, results are closer than ever, with all four matches separated by less than 5%! Jasmine, Constantine, Elliott and Josh currently have the leads, but Bo, Clay, Ace and Carrie are far from out of contention, especially with over a week of voting in this round still to go. Anthony is currently running away with the consolation round, but Kelly Clarkson, Bucky Covington and Kellie Pickler are taking a stab at those 9th and 10th places as well.

All numbers as of Sunday 2/10 at 5:45PM EST.

Click on any match-up to vote.

Cowell Bracket
#5 Bo Bice vs. #6 Jasmine Trias
Jasmine 50.4%-Bo 49.6%

Seacrest Bracket
#2 Clay Aiken vs. #9 Constantine Maroulis
Constantine 51.1%-48.9%

Abdul Bracket
#3 Elliott Yamin vs. #9 Ace Young
Elliott 52.6%-Ace47.4%

Jackson Bracket
#1 Carrie Underwood vs. #7 Josh Gracin
Josh 51.5%-48.5%

CONSOLATION ROUND: Determining the 9th and 10th place finshers
#1-Anthony, #2-Kelly C, #3-Bucky, #4-Kellie P

IDOL MADNESS Sunday Report

Voting for all Sweet Sixteen matches ends Thursday February 7, 11:59PM EST.

Sweet 16 voting is underway, with almost every match separated by less than 100 votes. The closest battle right now is between Elliott Yamin and Anthony Fedorov (just 0.4% between them), but matches between Kelly Clarkson and Bo Bice, Carrie Underwood and Gina Glocksen, Clay Aiken and Melinda Doolittle, and Blake Lewis and Ace Young are all too close to call at this point, and with five days left of voting, anything could happen.

Here are the results for the Sweet Sixteen match-ups as of Sun. Feb 4 at 10:30AM EST.

Click on any match-up to vote!

Cowell Bracket
#1 Kelly Clarkson vs. #5 Bo Bice

Kelly 54.2%-Bo 45.8%

#6 Jasmine Trias vs. #10 Kellie Pickler
Jasmine 54.7%-Kellie 45.3%

Seacrest Bracket
#2 Clay Aiken vs. #3 Melinda Doolittle

Clay 53.8%-Melinda 46.2%

#9 Constantine Maroulis vs. #13 Bucky Covington

Constantine 76.9%-Bucky 23.1%

Abdul Bracket
#3 Elliott Yamin vs. #7 Anthony Fedorov

Elliott 50.2%-Anthony 49.8%

#5 Blake Lewis vs. #9 Ace Young

Ace 53.3%-Blake 46.7%

Jackson Bracket
#1 Carrie Underwood vs. #12 Gina Glocksen

Carrie 56.6%-Gina 43.4%

#3 Latoya London vs. #7 Josh Gracin

Josh 72.6%-Latoya 27.3%

Visit the IDOL MADNESS Main Page

IDOL MADNESS Round of 32 RESULTS!

Click on the draw above to see final percentages.

The voting is now closed for the Round of 32 of IDOL MADNESS, and the results are in!

There were quite a few surprises in this round, with four former champs and last year's most successful alum going down.

A word about the game -- Yes, some of the votes are shocking, but since only one vote per computer is allowed, the results are as fair as possible. It seems that the contestants that are having the most success are the ones whose fans are spreading the word to vote for their contestsant.

Back to the results...

#1 seed Fantasia got beaten pretty handily by #9 Ace Young, while fellow #1 seed Taylor Hicks had an epic battle with #9 Constantine Maroulis that didn't go his way. #2 Jordin Sparks fell to a surprisingly strong Anthony Fedorov, while fellow #2 Ruben Studdard didn't have a chance against Kellie Pickler. They weren't the only #2 seeds to fall -- Chris Daughtry was shockingly upset by Josh Gracin.

#4 Katharine McPhee got down early to Gina Glocksen and never came back, #6 Jasmine Trias fought off an early deficit to come back and win decisively over #3 Tamyra Gray, and while #5 Bo Bice had a tight contest with Jennifer Hudson, he led most of the way. The tightest match of the round was definitely the struggle between #4 Blake Lewis and #5 Kimberley Locke, with Lewis eeking out a win by just .4%.

Other winners include #1 Kelly Clarkson (over #9 Chris Richardson), #2 Clay Aiken (over #7 RJ Helton), #3 Latoya London (over #11 Anwar Robinson), #3 Melinda Doolittle (over #6 Vonzell Solomon).

Match-ups in the Sweet 16 to look forward to include #1 Kelly Clarkson vs. #5 Bo Bice and #2 Clay Aiken vs. #3 Melinda Doolittle.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE MATCH-UPS AND VOTE IN THE ELITE 8

IDOL MADNESS Wednesday Report -- Only One Day Left to Vote in the Round of 32 Matches!

There's only one more day of voting in the Round of 32, so spread the word to vote for your faves!

Voting for all Round of 32 matches ends Thursday January 31, 11:59PM EST.

Here are updates (as of 1/30 at 5:00PM EST) of the Round of 32 match-ups in all divisions. Click on any match-up to vote!

There look to be several upsets underway, and with only one day left of voting, there's very little time for some favorites to rebound. Among those in trouble: Taylor Hicks, Fantasia, Jordin Sparks, Chris Daughtry, Ruben Studdard and Katharine McPhee!

Matches to keep an eye on:
#4 Kimberley Locke vs. #5 Blake Lewis
#2 Chris Daughtry vs. # 7 Josh Gracin
#1 Taylor Hicks vs. #9 Constantine Maroulis
#2 Jordin Sparks vs. #7 Anthony Fedorov
#4 Katharine McPhee vs. #12 Gina Glocksen
#2 Ruben Studdard vs. #10 Kellie Pickler

Cowell Bracket
#1 Kelly Clarkson vs. #9 Chris Richardson
Today: Kelly 65.7%-34.3%
Jan. 29: Kelly 65.1%-34.9%
Jan. 27: Kelly 64%-36%
Jan. 26: Kelly 65.5%-34.5%
Jan 25: Kelly 67%-33%.

#2 Ruben Studdard vs. #10 Kellie Pickler
Today: Kellie 60.4%-39.6%
Jan. 29: Kellie 60.3%-39.7%
Jan. 27: Kellie 59%-41%
Jan. 26: Kellie 67%-33%
Jan 25: Kellie 66%-34%

#3 Tamyra Gray vs. #6 Jasmine Trias
Today: Jasmine 66.6%-33.4%
Jan. 29: Jasmine 65.1%-34.9%
Jan. 27: Jasmine 67%-33%
Jan. 26: Jasmine 72%-27%
Jan 25: Jasmine 75%-25%

#4 Jennifer Hudson vs. #5 Bo Bice
Today: Bo 56.8%-43.2%
Today: Bo 55.8%-44.2%
Jan. 27: Bo 58%-42%
Jan. 26: Bo 54%-46%
Jan. 25: Bo 55%-45%

Seacrest Bracket
#1 Taylor Hicks vs. #9 Constantine Maroulis
Today: Constantine 60%-40%
Jan. 29: Constantine 58.9%-41.1%
Jan. 27: Constantine 56%-44%
Jan. 26: Constantine 61%-39%
Jan 25: Constantine 75%-25%

#2 Clay Aiken vs. #7 RJ Helton
Today: Clay 73.4%-26.6%
Jan. 29: Clay 74.1%-25.9%
Jan. 27: Clay 70%-30%
Jan. 26: Clay 58%-42%
Jan 25: Clay 52%-48%

#3 Melinda Doolittle vs. #6 Vonzell Solomon
Today: Melinda 66.7%-33.3%
Jan. 29: Melinda 66.6%-33.4%
Jan. 27: Melinda 66%-34%
Jan. 26: Melinda 66%-34%
Jan. 25: Melinda 64%-36%

#5 LaKisha Jones vs. #13 Bucky Covington
Today: Bucky 69.8%-30.2%
Jan. 29: Bucky 69.3%-30.7%
Jan. 27: Bucky 71%-29%
Jan. 26: Bucky 71%-29%
Jan. 25: Bucky 72%-28%

Abdul Bracket
#1 Fantasia vs. #9 Ace Young
Today: Ace 67.4%-33.6%
Jan. 29: Ace 67.2%-33.8%
Jan. 27: Ace 66%-34%
Jan. 26: Ace 68-32%
Jan. 25: Ace 69%-31%

#2 Jordin Sparks vs. #7 Anthony Fedorov
Today: Anthony 57.9%-42.1%
Jan. 29: Anthony 56.5%-43.5%
Jan. 27: Anthony 56%-44%
Jan. 26: Anthony 52%-37%
Jan. 25: Jordin 58%-42%

#3 Elliott Yamin vs. #6 Nikki McKibbin
Today: Elliott 78.1%-21.9%
Jan. 29: Elliott 77.7%-22.3%
Jan. 27: Elliott 76%-24%
Jan. 26: Elliott 77%-23%
Jan. 25: Elliott 81%-19%

#4 Kimberley Locke vs. #5 Blake Lewis
Today: Blake 51.2%-48.8%
Jan. 29: Blake 51.1%-48.9%
Jan. 27: Blake 51.7%-48.3%
Jan. 26: Blake 51.5%-48.5%
Jan. 25: Kimberley 50.2%-49.8%

Jackson Bracket
#1 Carrie Underwood vs. #9 Mandisa Hundley
Today: Carrie 71.5%-28.5%
Jan. 29: Carrie 71.7%-28.3%
Jan. 27: Carrie 72.4%-27.6%
Jan. 26: Carrie 76%-24%
Jan. 25: Carrie 80%-20%

#2 Chris Daughtry vs. # 7 Josh Gracin
Today: Josh 54%-46%
Jan. 29: Josh 53.9%-46.1%
Jan. 27: Josh 58%-42%
Jan. 26: Josh 50.3%-49.7%
Jan. 25: Chris 55%-45%

#3 Latoya London vs. #11 Anwar Robinson
Today: Latoya 56.7%-43.3%
Jan. 29: Latoya 57.5%-42.5%
Jan. 27: Latoya 58.5%-41.5%
Jan. 26: Latoya 57%-43%
Jan. 25: Latoya 62%-37%

#4 Katharine McPhee vs. #12 Gina Glocksen
Today: Gina 54.9%-45.1%
Jan. 29: Gina 55%-45%
Jan. 27: Gina 55%-45%
Jan. 26: Gina 52%-48%
Jan. 25: Katharine 53%-47%

See all of today's Idol Thoughts Headlines

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IDOL MADNESS: THE GAME

IDOL MADNESS: Tuesday Report

Spread the word to vote for your faves!

Remember, voting for all Round of 32 matches ends Thursday January 31, 11:59PM EST, so there's plenty of time to still vote!

Here are updates (as of 1/27 at 7:00PM EST) of the Round of 32 match-ups in all divisions. Click on any match-up to vote!

Chris Daughtry appears to be making a last minute push in his battle with Josh Gracin; Jordin Sparks and Katharine McPhee are still struggling with Gina Glocksen and Anthony Fedorov, respectively; Blake Lewis and Kimberley Locke continue to meet each other vote-for-vote; and Taylor Hicks and Constantine Maroulis' fanbases continue to spar.

Matches to keep an eye on:
#4 Kimberley Locke vs. #5 Blake Lewis
#2 Chris Daughtry vs. # 7 Josh Gracin
#1 Taylor Hicks vs. #9 Constantine Maroulis
#2 Jordin Sparks vs. #7 Anthony Fedorov
#4 Katharine McPhee vs. #12 Gina Glocksen
#2 Ruben Studdard vs. #10 Kellie Pickler

Cowell Bracket
#1 Kelly Clarkson vs. #9 Chris Richardson
Today: Kelly 65.1%-35.9%
Today: Kelly 64%-36%
Yesterday: Kelly 65.5%-34.5%
Jan 25: Kelly 67%-33%.

#2 Ruben Studdard vs. #10 Kellie Pickler
Today: Kellie 60.3%-39.7%
Jan. 27: Kellie 59%-41%
Jan. 26: Kellie 67%-33%
Jan 25: Kellie 66%-34%

#3 Tamyra Gray vs. #6 Jasmine Trias
Today: Jasmine 65.1%-34.9%
Jan. 27: Jasmine 67%-33%
Jan. 26: Jasmine 72%-27%
Jan 25: Jasmine 75%-25%

#4 Jennifer Hudson vs. #5 Bo Bice
Today: Bo 55.8%-44.2%
Jan. 27: Bo 58%-42%
Jan. 26: Bo 54%-46%
Jan. 25: Bo 55%-45%

Seacrest Bracket
#1 Taylor Hicks vs. #9 Constantine Maroulis
Today: Constantine 58.9%-41.1%
Jan. 27: Constantine 56%-44%
Jan. 26: Constantine 61%-39%
Jan 25: Constantine 75%-25%

#2 Clay Aiken vs. #7 RJ Helton
Today: Clay 74.1%-25.9%
Jan. 27: Clay 70%-30%
Jan. 26: Clay 58%-42%
Jan 25: Clay 52%-48%

#3 Melinda Doolittle vs. #6 Vonzell Solomon
Today: Melinda 66.6%-33.4%
Jan. 27: Melinda 66%-34%
Jan. 26: Melinda 66%-34%
Jan. 25: Melinda 64%-36%

#5 LaKisha Jones vs. #13 Bucky Covington
Today: Bucky 69.3%-30.7%
Jan. 27: Bucky 71%-29%
Jan. 26: Bucky 71%-29%
Jan. 25: Bucky 72%-28%

Abdul Bracket
#1 Fantasia vs. #9 Ace Young
Today: Ace 67.2%-33.8%
Jan. 27: Ace 66%-34%
Jan. 26: Ace 68-32%
Jan. 25: Ace 69%-31%

#2 Jordin Sparks vs. #7 Anthony Fedorov
Today: Anthony 56.5%-43.5%
Jan. 27: Anthony 56%-44%
Jan. 26: Anthony 52%-37%
Jan. 25: Jordin 58%-42%

#3 Elliott Yamin vs. #6 Nikki McKibbin
Today: Elliott 77.7%-22.3%
Jan. 27: Elliott 76%-24%
Jan. 26: Elliott 77%-23%
Jan. 25: Elliott 81%-19%

#4 Kimberley Locke vs. #5 Blake Lewis
Today: Blake 51.1%-48.9%
Jan. 27: Blake 51.7%-48.3%
Jan. 26: Blake 51.5%-48.5%
Jan. 25: Kimberley 50.2%-49.8%

Jackson Bracket
#1 Carrie Underwood vs. #9 Mandisa Hundley
Today: Carrie 71.7%-28.3%
Jan. 27: Carrie 72.4%-27.6%
Jan. 26: Carrie 76%-24%
Jan. 25: Carrie 80%-20%

#2 Chris Daughtry vs. # 7 Josh Gracin
Today: Josh 53.9%-46.1%
Today: Josh 58%-42%
Yesterday: Josh 50.3%-49.7%
Jan. 25: Chris 55%-45%

#3 Latoya London vs. #11 Anwar Robinson
Today: Latoya 57.5%-42.5%
Jan. 27: Latoya 58.5%-41.5%
Jan. 26: Latoya 57%-43%
Jan. 25: Latoya 62%-37%

#4 Katharine McPhee vs. #12 Gina Glocksen
Today: Gina 55%-45%
Jan. 27: Gina 55%-45%
Jan. 26: Gina 52%-48%
Jan. 25: Katharine 53%-47%

See all of today's Idol Thoughts Headlines

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IDOL MADNESS: THE GAME

IDOL MADNESS Abdul Bracket Results

The results are in from the Abdul Bracket of IDOL MADNESS!

View the results of the Cowell and Seacrest Brackets and vote in the Jackson Bracket Here

There was only one upset in the Abdul bracket, with #9 Ace Young soundly defeating #8Phil Stacey. Ace will next go up against #1 Fantasia, who was less than convicing in her battle with #16 EJ Day. Her fans are gonna have to turn up if she's going to continue to advance.

The top 7 seeds of the Abdul Bracket cruised pretty easily into the Round of 32, with #5 Blake Lewis and #12 Nadia Turner having the tightest battle (60.4% to 39.6%). Blake will next face off against #4 Kimberley Locke, who gave AJ Gil a resounding beating. #2 Jordin Sparks will next play #7 Anthony Fedorov, with #3 Elliott Yamin taking on #6 Nikki McKibbin. Check back this weekend for those matches.

In the meantime...

Vote in the IDOL MADNESS Live Matches:
#1 Carrie Underwood vs. #16 Brandon Rodgers
#2 Chris Daughtry vs. #15 Camile Velasco
#3 Latoya London vs. #14 Corey Clark
#4 Katharine McPhee vs. #13 Jon Peter Lewis
#5 Justin Guarini vs. #12 Gina Glocksen
#6 Paris Bennett vs. #11 Anwar Robinson
#7 Josh Gracin vs. #10 Nikko Smith
#8 Christina Christian vs. #9 Mandisa Hundley

Abdul Bracket Results:
#1 Fantasia def. #16 EJ Day 69.4%-30.6%
#2 Jordin Sparks def. #15 Jim Verraros 75%-25%
#3 Elliott Yamin def. #14 Julia DeMato 89%-11%
#4 Kimberley Locke def. #13 AJ Gil 82.4%-17.6%
#5 Blake Lewis def. #12 Nadia Turner 60.4%-39.6%
#6 Nikki McKibbin def. #11 John Stevens 68.1%-31.9%
#7 Anthony Fedorov deg. #10 Carmen Rasmussen 74.8%-25.2%
#9 Ace Young def. #8 Phil Stacey 63.2%-36.8%

SPOILER: American Idol Top 50 Finalists Photos and Myspace Pages

Read 'Shocker: More Good Auditions Than Bad in San Diego! Ranking the Six Best

Read 'The Ten Best Initial Auditions Ever'

Read 'Ranking Idol: Dallas' Five Best Auditions'

Read 'Ranking Idol: Philadelphia's Five Best Auditions'

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IDOL MADNESS: THE GAME

IDOL MADNESS -- Abdul Bracket, Seedings and First Round Match-Ups

See the winners of the first round of the COWELL BRACKET

Vote in the first round match-ups of the JACKSON BRACKET

Abdul Bracket First Round Match-Ups:

#1 Fantasia vs. #16 EJ Day
#2 Jordin Sparks vs. #15 Jim Verraros
#3 Elliott Yamin vs. #14 Julia DeMato
#4 Kimberley Locke vs. #13 AJ Gil
#5 Blake Lewis vs. #12 Nadia Turner
#6 Nikki McKibbin vs. #11 John Stevens
#7 Anthony Fedorov vs. #10 Carmen Rasmussen
#8 Phil Stacey vs. #9 Ace Young

IDOL MADNESS Main Page

Two more Idol champs appear in this bracket -- Season 3 winner, top seed Fantasia Barrino, and fresh-faced #2 seed Jordin Sparks from Season 6. Each of them will face a tough road to the Final Four. #3 seed Elliot Yamin potentially awaits Jordin in the Sweet 16, but not before he first has to face the winner of the match-up between #6 seed Nikki McKibbin and #11 seed John Stevens, two contestants who have found the votes to surprise people before.

Down the road, Broadway star and 4-time Grammy-nominee 'Tasia will have her hands full with Season 6runner-up Blake Lewis (#5 seed) and Season 2 second runner-up Kimberly Locke (#4 seed). Even before that, though, is a likely second round match-up with the winner of the contest between #8 seed Phil Stacey from Season 6 and #9 seed heartthrob Ace Young from Season 5. Should be interesting!

Seed / Name
1. Fantasia Barrino
2. Jordin Sparks
3. Elliott Yamin
4. Kimberly Locke
5. Blake Lewis
6. Nikki McKibbin
7. Anthony Fedorov
8. Phil Stacey
9. Ace Young
10. Carmen Rasmusen
11. John Stevens
12. Nadia Turner
13. AJ Gill
14. Julia DeMato
15. Jim Verraros
16. EJ Day

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IDOL MADNESS (Abdul) Sweet 16: #3 Elliott Yamin vs. #7 Anthony Fedorov

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Cowell Bracket
#1 Kelly Clarkson vs. #5 Bo Bice
#6 Jasmine Trias vs. #10 Kellie Pickler

Seacrest Bracket
#2 Clay Aiken vs. #3 Melinda Doolittle
#9 Constantine Maroulis vs. #13 Bucky Covington

Abdul Bracket
#3 Elliott Yamin vs. #7 Anthony Fedorov
#5 Blake Lewis vs. #9 Ace Young

Jackson Bracket
#1 Carrie Underwood vs. #12 Gina Glocksen
#3 Latoya London vs. #7 Josh Gracin

Visit the IDOL MADNESS Main Page

IDOL MADNESS (Abdul) Rnd of 32: #2 Jordin Sparks vs. #7 Anthony Fedorov

Division: Abdul Bracket

The Match-Up: #2 Jordin Sparks vs. #7 Anthony Fedorov

Idol Thoughts Prediction: The most recent Idol winner shouldn't have too much difficulty defeating the Season 4 fourth place finisher. I'm guessing the score will be 65%-35%.

Opinion Polls & Market Research

Round of 32 Match-Ups:

Cowell Bracket
#1 Kelly Clarkson vs. #9 Chris Richardson
#2 Ruben Studdard vs. #10 Kellie Pickler
#3 Tamyra Gray vs. #6 Jasmine Trias
#4 Jennifer Hudson vs. #5 Bo Bice

Seacrest Bracket
#1 Taylor Hicks vs. #9 Constantine Maroulis
#2 Clay Aiken vs. #7 RJ Helton
#3 Melinda Doolittle vs. #6 Vonzell Solomon
#5 LaKisha Jones vs. #13 Bucky Covington

Abdul Bracket
#1 Fantasia vs. #9 Ace Young
#2 Jordin Sparks vs. #7 Anthony Fedorov
#3 Elliott Yamin vs. #6 Nikki McKibbin
#4 Kimberley Locke vs. #5 Blake Lewis

Jackson Bracket
#1 Carrie Underwood vs. #9 Mandisa Hundley
#2 Chris Daughtry vs. # 7 Josh Gracin
#3 Latoya London vs. #11 Anwar Robinson
#4 Katharine McPhee vs. #12 Gina Glocksen

Visit the IDOL MADNESS Main Page

IDOL MADNESS Consolation Round -- Determine the 9th and 10th Place Finishers

The Elite 8 are all set, but we've still got to figure out who will finish in 9th and 10th place in IDOL MADNESS.

Choose your favorites from among those individuals who were eliminated in the Sweet 16. You may vote for up to TWO contestants.

Voting ends Sunday February 17 at 11:59PM EST.

Opinion Polls & Market Research

IDOL MADNESS (Abdul Bracket) Rnd of 64: #7 Anthony Fedorov vs. #10 Carmen Rasmussen

Opinion Polls & Market Research

Abdul Bracket First Round Match-Ups:

#1 Fantasia vs. #16 EJ Day
#2 Jordin Sparks vs. #15 Jim Verraros
#3 Elliott Yamin vs. #14 Julia DeMato
#4 Kimberley Locke vs. #13 AJ Gil
#5 Blake Lewis vs. #12 Nadia Turner
#6 Nikki McKibbin vs. #11 John Stevens
#7 Anthony Fedorov vs. #10 Carmen Rasmussen
#8 Phil Stacey vs. #9 Ace Young

Abdul Bracket -- Draw, Seedings and First Round Match-Ups

IDOL MADNESS Main Page

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Ten Best 'Top 4' Performances of All Time

Yep, it's time to rank the Ten Best 'Top 4' Performances of all time. There were actually fewer standouts than there were back in the Top 5, but the list still includes some classic performances, including four of the five winners, three runners-up, and two tunes from Elliott Yamin. I've also included some honorable mentions. Here we go...

1. Kelly Clarkson, "I Surrender"
Yes, I know this performance was not vocally perfect, and Kelly's voice sounded a bit ragged, but, to me, this is one of the most dramatic performances ever seen on the Idol stage, and the imperfections in Kelly's vocals make the performance that much more stirring. Simply stunning.

2. Diana Degarmo, "No More Tears"
Taking on the combined vocal talents of Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer is no easy feat, but Diana more than rose to the challenge back in Season 3, providing one of the most thrilling vocal performances of that season. This is the performance that propelled Diana toward the finals.

3. Elliott Yamin, "Trouble"
Most folks had written Elliott off coming into the Top 4, thinking Taylor, Katharine and Chris were locks to get to the next round. But with his rousing, soulful, attitude-filled version of this Elvis song, Elliott made clear he wasn't giving up that easily.

4. Justin Guarini, "Get Here"
Justin made Paula cry with this song in the Hollywood round, and he wisely saved it for the Top 4 to reprise it. Perfectly suiting his vocals, this was, in my opinion, Justin's strongest performance of the competition.

5. Taylor Hicks, "In The Ghetto"
It's no secret that I was not Taylor's biggest fan, but he won me over big time with his rendition of this Elvis Presley song, ditching many of his Taylor-isms to give the song some serious soul and gravitas. Easily my favorite Taylor performance ever.

6. Clay Aiken, "To Love Somebody"
Jordin got lots of praise for her rendition last week, but in my mind Clay's is the definitive Idol version of this song. Combine that soaring voice with the beautiful swell of the music, and how could you go wrong?

7. Carrie Underwood, "Sin Wagon"
Whenever you combined Carrie's spot-on vocals with contemporary female country singers, she hit it out of the park, and her rendition of this Dixie Chicks tune is no exception. This song allowed Carrie to show off her fun and flirty side, which no doubt helped her take the title over Bo Bice a few weeks later.

8. Vonzell Solomon, "Don't Leave Me This Way"
Vonzell must have been a disco queen in another lifetime, I have no doubt. As she wailed this 70's classic, she showed why she deserved a spot in the Top 3.

9. Elliott Yamin, "If I Can Dream"
Yep, it was Elliott's night during the Top 4 last season, as he injected this Elvis ballad with trademark Yamin vocal licks and soul. I'd take this version over the creepy Celine Dion/Elvis duet any day.

10. Ruben Studdard, "How Do You Mend a Broken Heart"
When Ruben just stood there, infusing the perfectly written 70's classic with his patented booming, soulful sound, he couldn't go wrong. This was a much better fit for Ruben than it was for Melinda this year (although, to be fair, Melinda did tear up the final notes).

Honorable Mentions:
Anthony Fedorov, "If You Don't Know Me By Now"
Diana Degarmo, "This is It"
Fantasia, "Holding Out For a Hero"
Josh Gracin, "To Love Somebody"
Nikki McKibben, "Mary Jane"
Ruben Studdard, "Nights on Broadway"
Tamyra Gray, "Feel the Fire"

Ranking the 4th Place Finishers

Now that we have gotten to the Top 4, rankings become much more subjective -- all of these contestants were great, it's now just a matter of personal taste. Remember, these rankings are determined on American Idol performances only, not on what the contestants have accomplished since their time on the show.

1. Tamyra Gray (Season 1)
Best Known For: Immersing herself in each week's theme; shocking elimination
Best Performance: "If I Were Your Woman," "A House is Not A Home," "Minnie the Moocher"
Worst Performance: Only one that was even remotely bad: "New Attitude"
Post-AI: Released a CD; appeared on "Boston Public" and in the movie The Gospel; appeared on Broadway in Bombay Dreams and will return as Mimi in Rent later this month



2. Latoya London (Season 3)
Best Known For: One of Season 3's Three Divas; soaring voice; shocking elimination
Best Performance: "All By Myself," "Somewhere"
Worst Performance: Nothing terrible, just a bit boring: "Ooh Baby Baby," "Love You Inside and Out"
Post AI: Released a CD; currently appearing in the Chicago production of The Color Purple as Celie's sister Nettie



3. Chris Daughtry (Season 5)
Best Known For: The show's first authentic rock contestant; shocking elimination
Best Performance: "Wanted, Dead or Alive," "Hemmorhage," "Walk the Line"
Worst Performance: "Innuendo"
Post AI: Debut CD still in the Top 10 nearly six months after it's release; joins Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood as one of the most successful former contestants



4. LaKisha Jones (Season 6)
Best Known For: Huge gospel voice; emotional backstory
Best Performance: "And I Am Telling You," "God Bless the Child," "This Ain't a Love Song"
Worst Performance: "Jesus Takes the Wheel"
Post AI: We'll see...



5. Josh Gracin (Season 2)
Best Known For: The show's first country contestant; being a marine
Best Performance: "I'll Be," "To Love Somebody"
Worst Performance: "Celebration"
Post AI: Released a successful country CD, featuring three Top 5 hits; new album in stores later this summer



6. Anthony Fedorov (Season 4)
Best Known For: His "born in Ukraine"/early childhood tracheotomy backstory
Best Performance: "I Surrender," "If You Don't Know Me By Now"
Worst Performance:
Post AI: Escorted Carrie Underwood to the ACM Awards; currently appearing Off-Broadway in The Fantasticks

Read Summer TV Premiere Info and More

Carrie Visits Anthony at The Fantasticks

Thanks to Broadway.com Editor-in-Chief Paul Wontorek's very entertaining "Stage Notes Blog," I learned that Carrie Underwood visited her friend, former competitor, and CMT Awards date Anthony Fedorov at The Fantasticks this weekend. As Paul points out, it's good to see some of these Idol friendships do, in fact, last.

*The above picture was taken by Bruce Glickas.