Feeling blue because last night’s NCAA men’s basketball championship game brought an end to another year of March Madness?
Take heart.
I’ve rigged a tournament bracket for “American Idol’s” Elite Eight so the frenzied fire of competition can burn for one more day. The time to talk is over: We’ll settle this contest where it should be settled — no, not on the court … in the newsprint!
QUARTERFINALS
No. 1 Adam Lambert vs. No. 8 Scott MacIntyre
Scott has been getting lamer by the week, though this embracing of mushy melodies allowed Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are” to slide easily into his comfort zone last week. Not awful. Still, he gets blown out of water — almost literally — by the high-pitching wailings of the vocally deft Adam. Winner: Adam
No. 4 Allison Iraheta vs. No. 5 Lil Rounds
Blessed with a great voice, Lil has been dooming herself with miserable song choices. They aren’t just bad picks for her; they’re just bad, period. If Lil can’t turn things around, the talented and developing youngster Allison should blaze on by. Winner: Allison
No. 3 Kris Allen vs. No. 6 Matt Giraud
Kris has been steadily improving, and the girls seem to swoon (he plays the guitar AND the piano!), but I have ears for Matt’s music alone. Judges brought the hammer down on his attempt of “You Found Me” by The Fray; I rather liked it. They accused him of straying from his R&B strengths; I was impressed by his versatility. Winner: Matt
No. 2 Danny Gokey vs. No. 7 Anoop Desai
Poor Anoop. He abandoned his balladeer success to pursue his R&B dreams last week … with disastrously awkward results. The plucky underdog is out of his depth against the vastly superior Danny. Winner: Danny
SEMIFINALS
No. 1 Adam Lambert vs. No. 4 Allison Iraheta
Talk about a rock ‘n’ roll shootout. Allison has an edge and feistiness that are endearing, but Adam is a near professional at this point. She is outclassed. Winner: Adam
No. 2 Danny Gokey vs. No. 6 Matt Giraud
This great matchup pits two soulful crooners mano-a-mano. Matt has the blue-collar charm; Danny has the sweet smile and affable personality. In the end, Danny’s vocals are more polished and deserve higher marks. Winner: Danny
FINALS
No. 1 Adam Lambert vs. No. 2 Danny Gokey
Paula already predicted this finale, and it should be inevitable — were “Idol” inevitabilities actually real creatures. Though Danny is gifted and inherently likable, his vocals hit nine while Adam can dial it up to 14. Not only is Adam a step above, but his performances are unique every week. And fantastic. If there’s a star in this bunch, who else could it be? Winner: Adam
Scott Fuller’s Idol Chatter runs every Tuesday. E-mail [email protected].
On TV
“American Idol”
» 8 to 9 p.m. today, Fox
The remaining eight singers perform.
» 9 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, Fox
The finalists face elimination in a results episode.
