Carrie Underwood and Kellie Pickler Nominated for CMA Awards

It's not a country music award show with Carrie Underwood racking up some nods!

The nominations were announced yesterday for the 42nd Annual Country Music Awards, and the American Idol winner picked up two of 'em -- Best Female Vocalist and Album of the Year.

Fellow Idol alum Kellie Pickler also grabbed a nomination, for Best New Artist.

CLICK HERE for the full list of nominees.

Underwood, Pickler and Clarkson Nominated for CMA Awards

Three American Idol alum made the cut this morning when the nominations for the 43rd Annual CMA Awards were announced.

Carrie Underwood picked up a nomination for Best Female Vocalist, where she'll compete with Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Taylor Swift and LeAnn Rimes.

Kellie Pickler, meanwhile, was nominated for Best New Female Vocalist alongside Taylor Swift and Sarah Buxton.

Finally, Kelly Clarkson grabbed a nod for Vocal Event of the Year for her duet of "Because of You" with Reba McEntire. Their competition includes Tracy Lawrence With Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney, Kenny Chesney With George Strait, Bon Jovi Featuring LeAnn Rimes, and Vince Gill With Sheryl Crow.

For a full list of CMA nominations, click here.

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 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: 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 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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American Idol Best-Of Lists

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IDOL MADNESS: THE GAME

IDOL MADNESS: Sunday 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!

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
Chris continues to chip away at Kelly's lead, but the original Idol is still way out front.
Today: Kelly 64%-36%
Yesterday: Kelly 65.5%-34.5%
Jan 25: Kelly 67%-33%.

#2 Ruben Studdard vs. #10 Kellie Pickler
The Velvet Teddybear is trying to rally, and he's making up some ground -- he gained 8% since yesterday.
Today: Kellie 59%-41%
Yesteray: Kellie 67%-33%
Jan 25: Kellie 66%-34%

#3 Tamyra Gray vs. #6 Jasmine Trias
Jasmine's lead continues to diminish -- she's lost 8% since Friday! Could Tamyra be staging a comeback?
Today: Jasmine 67%-33%
Yesterday: Jasmine 72%-27%
Jan 25: Jasmine 75%-25%

#4 Jennifer Hudson vs. #5 Bo Bice
After a minor setback yesterday, Bo continues to lead the Oscar winner.
Today: Bo 58%-42%
Yesterday: Bo 54%-46%
Jan. 25: Bo 55%-45%

Seacrest Bracket
#1 Taylor Hicks vs. #9 Constantine Maroulis
The Soul Patrol has come roaring back, boosting Taylor's take by 5% and making this match with Constantine a real horse-race.
Today: Constantine 56%-44%
Yesterday: Constantine 61%-39%
Jan 25: Constantine 75%-25%

#2 Clay Aiken vs. #7 RJ Helton
I saw Spamalot this afternoon (read my review here), but it looks like some of the Claymates were voting for their boy -- they've lifted his lead over RJ to 40%!
Today: Clay 70%-30%
Yesterday: Clay 58%-42%
Jan 25: Clay 52%-48%

#3 Melinda Doolittle vs. #6 Vonzell Solomon
In this battle of the divas, Melinda stays out on top.
Today: Melinda 66%-34%
Yesterday: Melinda 66%-34%
Jan. 25: Melinda 64%-36%

#5 LaKisha Jones vs. #13 Bucky Covington
No change here -- Bucky is still on track for his second straight upset and a show-down with Taylor in the next round.
Today: Bucky 71%-29%
Yesterday: Bucky 71%-29%
Jan. 25: Bucky 72%-28%

Abdul Bracket
#1 Fantasia vs. #9 Ace Young
Fantasia gained back a few % points, but it's not going to be enough if she's going to defeat Ace.
Today: Ace 66%-34%
Yesterday: Ace 68-32%
Jan. 25: Ace 69%-31%

#2 Jordin Sparks vs. #7 Anthony Fedorov
Last year's champ is still in serious trouble -- she's totally lost her lead to Anthony, and is down almost 7% from yesterday. Not good!
Today: Anthony 56%-44%
Yesterday: Anthony 52%-37%
Jan. 25: Jordin 58%-42%

#3 Elliott Yamin vs. #6 Nikki McKibbin
In this battle of the third place finishers, Elliott has lost about 5% points since Friday, but is still way out on top.
Today: Elliott 76%-24%
Yesterday: Elliott 77%-23%
Jan. 25: Elliott 81%-19%

#4 Kimberley Locke vs. #5 Blake Lewis
Blake still has the slight lead, but this remains one of Round 2's closest contests.
Today: Blake 51.7%-48.3%
Yesterday: Blake 51.5%-48.5%
Jan. 25: Kimberley 50.2%-49.8%

Jackson Bracket
#1 Carrie Underwood vs. #9 Mandisa Hundley
Carrie has lost 8% since Friday, but she still holds a commanding lead.
Today: 72.4%-27.6%
Yesterday: Carrie 76%-24%
Jan. 25: Carrie 80%-20%

#2 Chris Daughtry vs. # 7 Josh Gracin
After leading early, Daughtry has fallen way behind Gracin. If Chris' fans don't start voting harder, we're going to have a huge upset on our hands.
Today: Josh 58%-42%
Yesterday: Josh 50.3%-49.7%
Jan. 25: Chris 55%-45%

#3 Latoya London vs. #11 Anwar Robinson
Latoya still maintains a healthy lead.
Today: Latoya 58.5%-41.5%
Yesterday: Latoya 57%-43%
Jan. 25: Latoya 62%-37%

#4 Katharine McPhee vs. #12 Gina Glocksen
Katharine continues to struggle with Gina, in fact losing 3% and falling even deeper in the hole. Where are the folks with McPheever?
Today: 55%-45%
Yesterday: Gina 52%-48%
Jan. 25: Katharine 53%-47%

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IDOL MADNESS: THE GAME

IDOL MADNESS: Round of 32 Match-Ups (All Brackets)

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

Here are the Round of 32 match-ups in all divisions. Vote away!

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: Friday 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 1/25 at 3:30PM EST) of the Round of 32 match-ups in all divisions. Click on any match-up to vote!

Cowell Bracket
#1 Kelly Clarkson vs. #9 Chris Richardson
Clarkson has her hands full with Richardson, but currently leads 67%-33%.

#2 Ruben Studdard vs. #10 Kellie Pickler
Pickler is trying to pull of her second straight upset; she leads Studdard 66%-34%.

#3 Tamyra Gray vs. #6 Jasmine Trias
Jasmine's fans have come on strong, propelling her to a 75%-25% lead over Tamyra. Where are Tamyra's fans??

#4 Jennifer Hudson vs. #5 Bo Bice
Today's featured match is a nail-biter, with Bice currently leading Oscar winner Hudson 55%-45%.

Seacrest Bracket
#1 Taylor Hicks vs. #9 Constantine Maroulis
Constantine's fans have certainly mobilized, but where is the Soul Patrol? Constantine is currently ahead 75%-25%.

#2 Clay Aiken vs. #7 RJ Helton
Perhaps the Claymates are too busy going to see their boy in Spamalot, because he's struggling with RJ, holding a slim lead of 52%-48%. Could an upset be brewing?

#3 Melinda Doolittle vs. #6 Vonzell Solomon
In this battle of the divas, Melinda is currently on top, 64%-36%.

#5 LaKisha Jones vs. #13 Bucky Covington
Bucky pulled off Round 1's biggest upset by sending Diana Degarmo packing; with a 72%-28% lead, will he do the same to LaKisha?

Abdul Bracket
#1 Fantasia vs. #9 Ace Young
Fantasia fans, where are you? Your girl is currently losing to Ace Young, 69%-31%!

#2 Jordin Sparks vs. #7 Anthony Fedorov
Last year's champ is ahead of Anthony Fedorov, but just by a bit; Jordin currently leads 58%-42%.

#3 Elliott Yamin vs. #6 Nikki McKibbin
In this battle of the third place finishers, Elliott is way out on top, 81%-19%.

#4 Kimberley Locke vs. #5 Blake Lewis
In Round 2's closest match, Kim and Blake are in a dead heat, with Kimberley enjoying an oh-so-slight lead of 50.2%-49.8%.

Jackson Bracket
#1 Carrie Underwood vs. #9 Mandisa Hundley
Carrie continues to roll, enjoying an 80%-20% lead over Mandisa.

#2 Chris Daughtry vs. # 7 Josh Gracin
Daughtry is having a surprisingly difficult time with Gracin -- right now he's only up 55%-45%.

#3 Latoya London vs. #11 Anwar Robinson
Anwar knocked off Paris Bennett in the first round, but as of now he's having trouble getting the best of Latoya. The Season 3 fourth place finisher is currently ahead 62%-37%.

#4 Katharine McPhee vs. #12 Gina Glocksen
After barely squeezing out a win over Jon Peter Lewis in the first round, Kat has her hands full with Gina -- she's barely leading 53%-47%.

See all of today's Idol Thoughts Headlines

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IDOL MADNESS: THE GAME

IDOL MADNESS -- Cowell Bracket Round of 64 RESULTS!

Round of 64 voting for the Cowell Bracket of IDOL MADNESS is now closed, and the results are in!

The draw above reflects the results. Round of 32 voting for the Cowell Bracket begins next weekend, so keep checking back to vote for your favorites.

There's still time to vote in the Seacrest Bracket -- click here!

And click here for the just-released Abdul Bracket!

COWELL BRACKET ROUND OF 64 RESULTS:

#1 Kelly Clarkson def. #16 Melissa McGhee
No surprise here, are the original American Idol demolished Season 5's 12th place finisher 89% to 11% in the bracket's most one-sided contest.

#2 Ruben Studdard def. #15 Stephanie Edwards
Play-in winner Edwards put up a good fight, but the Season 2 champ preailed, 63% to 37%.

#3 Tamyra Gray def. #14 Chris Sligh
Chris' fans made a last-minute push, but Season 1's fourth place finisher was able to home them off, 70% to 30%.

#4 Jennifer Hudson def. #13 Haley Scarnato
Haley's got great legs, but Jennifer's got an Oscar, and she showed how much that was worth by defeating last season's eighth place finisher 77% to 23%.

#5 Bo Bice def. #12 Lisa Tucker
Lisa never had a shot, falling behind early and losing to Season 4's runner-up 82% to 18%.

#6 Jasmine Trias def. #11 Rickey Smith
Riokey held an early lead, but Jasmine came roaring back, ultimately defeating Mr. "Hercules Hercules" 79% to 21%.

#10 Kellie Pickler def. #7 George Huff
In one of only two upsets and the closest match of the bracket, Pickler pickled Huff 64% to 36%.

#9 Chris Richardson def. #8 Scott Savol
Savol may have gotten to #5 back in Season 4, but he was knocked out in the first round by Chris, 72% to 28%.

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IDOL MADNESS: Wednesday 1/16 Report

Voting for the Cowell and Seacrest brackets of IDOL MADNESS is underway, and there continues to be huge response, and some very close match-ups that may come down to the wire.

Remember, Cowell Bracket voting ends Thursday at 11:59PM EST and Seacrest Bracket voting ends Saturday at 11:59PM EST. The Jackson bracket will be posted on Friday morning.

Cowell Bracket Report -- Click for drawsheet and first round match-ups

Most of the favorites continue to cruise in the Round of 64 voting, with Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Tamyra Gray, Jennifer Hudson and Bo Bice all headed for relatively easy victories.

The last two match-ups, however, look like they will end in upsets -- #10 Kellie Pickler is currently enjoying a 63.7% to 36.3% lead over #7 George Huff, and #9 Chris Richardson is dominating #8 Scott Savol, 70.5% to 29.5%.

Seacrest Bracket Report -- -- Click for drawsheet and first round match-ups

This bracket features the tightest match-up so far, between #4 Diana Degarmo and #13 Bucky Covington. They've gone back and forth over the past two days, but as of this writing Bucky has a slim lead, 53.7% to 46.3%, over the Season 3 runner-up. This one is going to be a battle to the finish.

Top seeds Taylor Hicks, Clay Aiken, Melinda Doolittle and LaKisha Jones all look headed for expected victories, but #9 Constantine Maroulis looks bound to pull of an upset win over #8 Trenyce -- he's currently leading by more than 70% of the vote. #7 RJ Helton and #10 Sanjaya Malakar are also locked in a bit of a battle, with RJ currently holding off Sanjaya 57.4% to 42.6%.

To vote in any of the match-ups, click on the links in the right side navigation bar.

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IDOL MADNESS: Cowell Brackets Seeding and First Round Match-Ups

Voting for this round ends Thursday January 17 at 11:59PM EST

We have seeded the candidates based both on their performance on the show and their accomplishments since then. Most of the finalists are seeded within 3 spots of their rank on the show (i.e. if a finalist was 3rd on the show, they can’t be seeded lower than 6th in the bracket) and we have made sure candidates from the same seasons can not face each other in the first two rounds.

Other than that, it’s pretty subjective and we have tried to keep it interesting and balanced. Now it’s up to you to vote! Polls are now open!

COWELL BRACKET

1st round match-ups:

#1 Kelly Clarkson vs. #16 Melissa McGhee
#2 Ruben Studdard vs. #15 Stephanie Edwards
#3 Tamyra Gray vs. #14 Chris Sligh**
#4 Jennifer Hudson vs. #13 Haley Scarnato
#5 Bo Bice vs. #12 Lisa Tucker
#6 Jasmine Trias vs. #11 Rickey Smith
#7 George Huff vs. #10 Kellie Pickler **
#8 Scott Savol vs. #9 Chris Richardson

**Featured match

We tried to keep all the brackets pretty even but if there was a “Bracket of Death”, it would be this one. #1 seed is the first ever American Idol, multi-platinum, 2-time Grammy Award winner Kelly Clarkson, who starts off the action against play-in winner Melissa McGhee from Season 5. Barring any upsets, she could face the only Oscar winner in the competition, #4 seed, Jennifer Hudson, in the Sweet Sixteen.

In the other half of the bracket, Season 2 winner Ruben Studdard could face tough competition from the likes of #15 seed Stephanie Edwards (Season 6), country favorite #10 seed Kellie Pickler (Season 5), and #3 seed Tamyra Gray just to get to the bracket finals. Whoever wins this bracket will definitely be a force in the Final Four!

Check back for my predictions on who will be victorious in their first round match-ups.

And remember, voting starts now!

Seed Name Season / Place
1 Kelly Clarkson 1 / 1
2 Ruben Studdard 2/ 1
3 Tamyra Gray 1 /4
4 Jennifer Hudson 3 / 7
5 Bo Bice 4 / 2
6 Jasmine Trias 3 / 3
7 George Huff 3 / 5
8 Scott Savol 4 / 5
9 Chris Richardson 6 / 5
10 Kellie Pickler 5 / 6
11 Rickey Smith 2 / 8
12 Lisa Tucker 5 / 10
13 Haley Scarnato 6 / 8
14 Chris Sligh 6 / 10
15 Stephanie Edwards 6 / 11
16 Melissa McGhee 5 / 12

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Which Former Idol Had the Best 2007?

Now that 2007 is coming to a close, I thought it might be interesting to try and figure out which former American Idol contestant had the best year -- was it Carrie, with all her awards success? Chris, with his huge-selling album? Fantasia, who took Broadway by storm?

I think we can all agree that the best year was had by Jennifer Hudson -- an Golden Globe, Oscar, and SAG award; a role in the Sex and the City movie; a role opposite fellow Oscar winner Forrest Whitaker in Winged Creatures; IT girl status; an album on the way; and now the news that she will star opposite Queen Latifah in The Secret Life of Bees. Yeah, pretty hard to top that.

But who comes next?

Of course I want to know what you think as well, so please take the poll below!

Here are my picks:

1. Carrie Underwood
This is the year Carrie Underwood went from successful Idol alum to complete and total superstar. Her music crossed over from country to pop; she picked up every award imaginable; she dated high profile, very goodlooking guys; and she released a second CD without skipping a beat. There was no topping Ms. U. this year.

2. Chris Daughtry
His album is, as of now, the biggest seller of 2007 (despite the fact that it was released in '06), and he recently picked up 3 American Music Awards and 4 Grammy nominations. Yeah, he's rockin' it.

3. Fantasia
'Tasia didn't just appear on Broadway this year -- she took it by storm. Totally rejuvenating The Color Purple, she also released her sophomore CD, had a couple of hit singles on the R&B charts, and picked up 3 Grammy nods in the process. Not too shabby.

4. Kelly Clarkson
Sure, My December didn't have nearly the success of it's predecessor Breakaway, but it was just certified platinum and spawned a Top 25 single in "Never Again." She also released a duet with Reba McEntire of "Because of You" that went to the top of the country chart and earned her a Grammy nomination, and embarked on a sold-out tour this fall. All in all, not quite the disaster of a year some pundits would have you believe.

5. Kellie Pickler
Surprising just about everyone, Kellie released a CD that people actually wanted to listen to, and she's produced three chart-ing country songs, in addition to touring. Throw in a couple of award nominations, and all of a sudden this dumb blonde seems pretty smart.

6. Elliott Yamin
At this time last year it wasn't clear Elliott would even release a CD, but now that he has, he's become the second most successful alum from '05. The album has gone Gold, and debut single "Wait for You" was a Top 5 smash.

Outside the Top 6:
Katharine McPhee (disappointing CD sales, but will make movie debut early next year)

Clay Aiken (where are ya, Clay?)

Tamyra Gray (getting good reviews for her work in the Broadway musical Rent)

Taylor Hicks (very disappointing CD sales)

Bo Bice (released a sophomore CD to very little fanfare)

Poll closes December 31, 2007 at 11:59PM








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Daughtry, Underwood, Clarkson, Hicks, Pickler, Fantasia, Yamin, McPhee and Covington All Finish in the Top 200 Year-End Album Chart

While Jordin Sparks and Blake Lewis haven't seen much traction with their newly released albums, former Idol contestants Chris Daughtry and Carrie Underwood are doing just fine, thank you very much. Daughtry's album Daughtry was the number one selling album of the year according to Billboard, moving 3.2 million albums, while Underwood's Some Hearts (released in 2005!) was the year's #5 album.

Outside of the top 20, Underwood's sophomore album, Carnival Ride, finished at #56; Kelly Clarkson's My December took the #66 spot; Taylor Hicks' debut grabbed #74; Kellie Pickler's Small Town Girl was #95; Fantasia's self-titled second disc was #105; Elliott Yamin finished at #114; Katharine McPhee grabbed #159; and Bucky Covington took #187.

Here are the year's Top 20:

1. DAUGHTRY Daughtry
2. KONVICTED Akon
3. THE DUTCHESS Fergie
4. HANNAH MONTANA Soundtrack
5. SOME HEARTS Carrie Underwood
6. ALL THE RIGHT REASONS Nickelback
7. FUTURESEX/LOVESOUNDS Justin Timberlake
8. HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2 Soundtrack
9. NOW 23 Various Artists
10. MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT Linkin Park
11. B'DAY Beyonce
12. GRADUATION Kanye West
13. ME AND MY GANG Rascal Flatts
14. LOVE The Beatles
15. THE SWEET ESCAPE Gwen Stefani
16. HANNAH MONTANA 2 (SOUNDTRACK)/MEET MILEY CYRUS Miley Cyrus
17. AWAKE Josh Groban
18. NOT TOO LATE Norah Jones
19. TAYLOR SWIFT Taylor Swift
20. KINGDOM COME Jay-Z

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Will Daughtry, Clarkson, Fantasia or Pickler Snag a Grammy Nomination?

The Grammy nominations will be announced this Thursday, and the question on Idol fans minds is -- which former contestants will make the cut?

Since Kelly Clarkson broke the Grammy barrier by first snagging a nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Miss Independent," and then actually taking home two awards (for "Since U Been Gone" and Breakaway), the Academy seems to be okay with rewarding contestants from the talent show. Ruben Studdard has also been nominated (for "Superstar"), as has Fantasia (for her debut album), and, of course, Carrie Underwood, who took home two awards last year, including the coveted Best New Artist prize.

So, which former Idols will hear their names announced this year? The likeliest candidate would appear to be Chris Daughtry, whose debut album with his band, Daughtry, is currently the second biggest selling album of the year (behind the High School Musical 2 soundtrack), and has produced hit single after hit single. Will Daughtry land a spot in the Best New Artist category? How about the rock categories? I'm guessing he'll pick up two or three nominations, including Best New Artist, but I can't imagine he'll end up taking home the award.

What about former Grammy darling Kelly Clarkson? Her My December obviously created a stir when it was first released, but it hasn't been selling well (just over 700K copies so far), and has yet to produce a true hit single. Still, she is likely to get a nod for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals (for her duet on "Because of You" with Reba McEntire). A couple of Idol Thoughts readers alerted me to the fact that her record label has submitted My December in the rock categories, so she could end up grabbing a nomination for Female Rock Vocal Performance (for "Never Again") and even possibly Rock Album, although any other nominations are unlikely.

The R&B categories seem to be a bit easier to crack, so Fantasia could definitely sneak in, either for her self-titled album or for one of her singles ("When I See U" or "Hood Boi"). Could Jennifer Hudson possibly land a nomination for her work on the Dreamgirls album? It's certainly possible. Kellie Pickler, meanwhile, who was nominated for Best New Artist at the Country Music Awards last month, is, I'd imagine, unlikely to be nominated this year, while Taylor Hicks and Katharine McPhee don't stand a chance for their debut releases.

What do you think? Keeping in mind Carrie Underwood's sophomore album, Carnival Ride, is not eligible for this year's awards, will any of these former Idols make the cut?

UPDATE: The nominations are in, and the Idols got 13 (!!) nominations. Click here to find out what they are.

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IDOL MADNESS (Cowell) Sweet 16: #6 Jasmine Trias vs. #10 Kellie Pickler

Opinion Polls & Market Research

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

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Youtube Video of Kellie Pickler Embarrassing Herself on TV

I was most definitely not a fan of Kellie Pickler when she appeared on Season 5 of American Idol. I was underwhelmed by her singing voice, and quickly grew tired of her "ditzy blonde" shtick. But, in the past year or so, as she has toned down the stupid act, shown some real emotion (weeping as she sang "I Wonder," about her estranged mother, in various performances of that song) and begun to gain some credibility as a country musician (including picking up a few award nominations), I've actually become quite fond of her.

Then she has to go and do something like this.

Watch the video above of Kellie appearing on the Fox television show Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?, and try not to cringe. She tries to play off her absolutely inane comments by pouring on the charm, but, unfortunately, her dense-ness doesn't appear to be an act.

Maybe stick to singing, Kel?

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IDOL MADNESS: THE GAME Round of 64 (Cowell Bracket) -- #7 George Huff vs. #10 Kellie Pickler

Opinion Polls & Market Research

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OTHER COWELL BRACKET ROUND OF 64 MATCH-UPS:

#1 Kelly Clarkson vs. #16 Melissa McGhee
#2 Ruben Studdard vs. #15 Stephanie Edwards
#3 Tamyra Gray vs. #14 Chris Sligh
#4 Jennifer Hudson vs. #13 Haley Scarnato
#5 Bo Bice vs. #12 Lisa Tucker
#6 Jasmine Trias vs. #11 Rickey Smith
#8 Scott Savol vs. #9 Chris Richardson

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