TVSquad

It's getting closer. On Wednesday, America will crown the next Idol winner. Which David will it be? Of course, these two polar opposites have sparked some debate online as to who will win the competition.

Okay, is someone holding down Jeff Archuleta? According to E! Online, the oddmakers at BetCRIS.com have chosen David Cook to take the title Wednesday night. As per the online bookies, Cook has a 74% chance of winning this season of American Idol.

But E! Online makes a good point about Archuleta's young quick-dialing fanbase: "Of course, last we checked, Gambling 101 was not a part of a grade schooler's course load, meaning the actual voting demographic might not jibe with the oddmakers' pick and it still could be anybody's contest."

So, who are you voting for? Who do you think will win American Idol? Better yet, who do you think deserves to win American Idol this season? Check back with TV Squad for our review of the big night.

Welcome back to our weekly American Idol polls round-up. Each week we look at various online polls that were conducted from the end of last week's results up to the performance show Tuesday. And then a few that were conducted after the performance show, but before the results were revealed.

This way we can analyze how the week's performances affected a contestant's overall popularity, which turns out to be not very much except in a few select cases anymore. Of course, it's all come down to the inevitable finale everyone expected. Unfortunately, it turned out to be rather anticlimactic though it would have been a lot of fun to see our girl Syesha sneak her way into the finale. What it does accomplish is setting up a finale that's almost impossible to predict. Both Davids have been at the top of the polls for weeks now, so it may come down to what they do Tuesday. We'll be back next week on Wednesday before the results to analyze the available polls at that time and see if we can predict the ultimate winner.

(S07E40) This is it, the penultimate episode and possibly the most tense and contested results of the whole season. Based just on the comments here, fans of each contestant are passionate, so you can expect the world to erupt in chaos tonight, especially if David goes home. Syesha has been the comeback queen, but I don't know if she has what it takes to break through into the Finals, and after last night's performances I certainly don't think she did enough there. Join us here for our live chat and live out the excitement with billions (give or take billions) of other Idol fans and see who's going to vie for the title of American Idol in next week's finale!

You can join the chat by following this link. Look for the full episode review right here later tonight.

American Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe has come out in confirmation that finalist David Archuleta's dad has been effectively banned from participating in David's rehearsals, though he stops short of saying Jeff Archuleta's been banned altogether from the backstage area. In an interesting choice of words, Lythgoe said, "He has been asked not to participate in the choice of music with David or be in the room when David is working out his routines that he wants to sing. He's fine to be in the studio -- nothing wrong with that. We just want David to be able to be free like everybody else to get on and do what they want to do." I find the use of "free like everybody else" very interesting.

Later Lythgoe said they were concerned about giving everyone an equal opportunity and taking away "some of the pressure" that David was under. It's certainly an interesting comment in that you wonder if Idol should even take on that role of reducing parental pressure. He did stop short of declaring Jeff Archuleta a "stage dad," instead saying only that a stage mom or dad is only "someone who's protective."

First, the good news: each of the final three American Idol contestants are guaranteed record deals and a music career. The bad news? I have this awful feeling in my stomach, the way I sometimes feel after eating too many potato chips, that David Cook is going to win the whole thing. That would be a shame.

I know that there are a lot of Cook fans out there, but I'm wondering: have you noticed that he sings just like 88% of the bands you hear on the radio right now? I don't want to call him a poseur, but I'm curious if he has that voice and style because that's how other successful, current singers sing. Don't we already have a Chris Daughtry?*

(S07E39) It only took until the Final Three, but finally the contestants are going to be able to sing at least one song that is entirely their own choice. No themes, no specific artists just whatever their little hearts content. Expect David Cook to do a rock song, Syesha to do a Whitney song and David Archuleta to do a ballad he's been singing his whole life. After that, the judges get to select a song for each and the producers get to do the same. Traditionally these Top 3 episodes have featured some pretty amazing performances, as the songs are better suited for the kind of vocalists we have left. Now, this may not be your favorite Top 3 (it's certainly not mine), but stop by anyway in our live chat during the episode and talk about how they're doing.

You can join the chat by following this link. Look for the full episode review right here later tonight.

Reports are now circulating that Jeff Archuleta, father of American Idol favorite David, has been banned from any rooms where his son is learning or rehearsing his songs. Nobody official is talking about it yet, but the anonymous sources have tales to tell. TMZ's source tells them that Jeff has caused problems with producers, the band, vocal coaches, and other contestants.

The tipping point seems to have been David's version of "Stand By Me." It's said that Jeff insisted on inserting a verse from Sean Kingston's "Beautiful Girls" and the unauthorized change cost the show money. Now, I balk at anyone from Idol worrying over money, considering how much the show makes, and how little they pay the contestants, but I can see how a meddling stage parent could be a headache. And it does seem like a reasonable offense to help justify the bringing of the banhammer. Jeff will still be allowed to watch the live show from the audience, but will no longer be involved in any of the backstage preparations. The more interesting question is whether or not all of the bad press will have an effect on voting.

[Thanks Johari]

Just when some people are saying that American Idol should shake things up a bit comes this bit of news from one of the judges: they might lower the age for contestants.

Right now the youngest a performer can be on the show is 16 (fan favorite David Archuleta is 17) and the highest limit is 30, which is really old in pop music terms I guess. But judge Simon Cowell tells Extra that the FOX show might drop the lowest age from 16 to 14. Then, if that works out well, the plan is to eventually have contestants audition directly from their mother's womb. That would be fantastic television, having fetuses go up against 25 year-olds.

Cowell also suggests that potential contestants, especially the girls, cry a lot more to get sympathy and get more votes from viewers. FOX should get ready for some phone calls from the L.A. chapter of NOW.

[via TV Tattle]

At this point an argument can be made for any of the Top 3 to win the whole thing. In fact, that's just what we're going to do. Now that we've said goodbye to so many other hopefuls we're down to a Final Three every bit as strong as Season Two's Kimberly Locke, Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard, though drastically different. All three have proven that they have great voices. All three have proven that they have tremendous fan support. And all three seem to tap into a very different fan-base.

But who's the most deserving of the win? David Archuleta has wowed the judges and audience week after week with his polished vocals, but lacks a commanding stage presence. Syesha Mercado has played the role of the underdog throughout this competition, but has been coming on strong these past few weeks with passion and conviction. David Cook quickly emerged as a front-runner with his powerful rock vocals and innovative arrangements, but is he too limited to be the next Idol?

Welcome back to our weekly American Idol polls round-up. Each week we look at various online polls that were conducted from the end of last week's results up to the performance show Tuesday. And then a few that were conducted after the performance show, but before the results were revealed.

This way we can analyze how the week's performances affected a contestant's overall popularity, which turns out to be not very much except in a few select cases anymore. Well, Syesha managed to take all those last place poll positions right into the Top 3 while Jason's miscues and forgotten lyrics made his fans forget to call in for him. It's been building toward a David-David finale, but if we believe that Jason has never placed number one in the votes, then that means Syesha has proven herself capable of beating the Davids head-to-head. Will the inevitable play out or will a David go home? We'll see next week.

(S07E38) Tonight, Maroon 5 joins in the fun as we narrow down the remaining finalists to the Top 3. Where did Brooke's voting constituents go? If they went to Jason Castro then maybe he can pull of a huge upset and supplant a David or Syesha. If they went Syesha's way, it may be the end of the road for Jason Castro. If they all swung my way, who knows what will happen because Ryan forgot to give out my numbers ... again! Chime in through the show and critique the amazing Ford commercials, sound off on the amazing live viewer call-in feature (*cough*crap*cough*) and let us know who you think is going home.

You can join the chat by following this link. Look for the full episode review right here later tonight.

(S07E37) Finally, the plethora of mentors is gone and we have a potentially more expansive theme with "The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame." I'm not sure what it means exactly but if it means music by artists in the Hall that's a lot of good songs to select from, and artists that better suit the individual contestants than some of the mentors. I like the idea of mentors, I just don't think it should be limited to their specific body of work on those weeks. What do you think? Chime in about that, the performances tonight or whatever's on your mind in the live chat tonight.

You can join the chat by following this link. Look for the full episode review right here later tonight.

Welcome back to our weekly American Idol polls round-up. Each week we look at various online polls that were conducted from the end of last week's results up to the performance show Tuesday. And then a few that were conducted after the performance show, but before the results were revealed.

This way we can analyze how the week's performances affected a contestant's overall popularity, which turns out to be not very much except in a few select cases. After a fairly lackluster night in which he deserved at least a Bottom Two slot, Jason skated into the Top 4. The question now is can the comeback queen break into the axis of testosterone and keep her hopes alive. Syesha has been at the bottom of these polls for over two months now and despite occasionally Bottom Three/Two finishes she's still alive and in the Final Four. Has her time finally run out? She's the last woman standing; does that stand for anything? We'll see next week.

(S07E36) What an underwhelming evening for the most part. In fact, I'd like to scrub that first round of songs from my memory banks completely. The contestants should be ashamed that they took a good catalog of songs (Neil Diamond's catalog) and made it so interminably boring. As Simon said, luckily they had second songs to redeem themselves, and a few of them even managed to do so. Only Syesha had two strong performances with true heart and emotion, so we'll see how that plays out. Is it the end of the road for Jason? Brooke? Neil Diamond and Natasha Bedingfield are performing. Won't you join our live chat and let us know what you think, starting just before 9:00 PM ET? There's virtual cookies and milk.

You can join the chat by following this link. Look for the full episode review right here later tonight.

(S07E35) Hey look, another mentor that's a solid hundred years older than every single contestant. But Neil Diamond's still a cool cat so I forgive him. Oh and what do you know? Neil has an album, Home Before Dark, coming out next week. I'm sure that's just a coincidence. He really did the show because he enjoys it and truly wants to help the contestants. Not to promote an album. That Neil he's a swell guy. Why don't you drop by tonight and chat us up about it in our live chat?

You can join the chat by following this link. Look for the full episode review right here later tonight.