Season 10 Judges

Well, I'm sure by the time you read this you will have heard the news that Ellen is out for Season 10. Randy Ricco could not console me.

Will Idol even be worth watching with no Simon and now no Ellen? I looked forward to people like Tim Urban performing just so I could take a lesson in how to make fun of someone without sounding mean (I still don't have the hang of it, btw). And I liked her snappy little ties.

J-Lo is apparently close to signing a contract. But what is the point of having J-Lo AND Kara? Don't they serve the same purpose? Rumor has it that Jessica Simpson is also being considered. Now we're talking. But, I think they should sign Jessica Simpson only if Nick Lacky agrees to join her. Because Newlyweds was some quality tv.

Who else would be good? Harry Conick Jr. did a heck of a job as a mentor--he would be a great choice. What about Bill Cosby? Jerry Seinfeld? Larry David?

WANDA SYKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for Playing!

I was honestly sort of surprised when Lee pulled it off last night. He had lost a bit of the momentum he had picked up over the past several weeks. The worst part about him winning is that now my dream about Lee joining the MPA program at NKU and us having a class together will never come true (yes, I dreamed that). If he had placed second, it might have happened.

So Brad blew the bracket out of the water. Jennie came in a not-so-close second. Susan's third place is also admirable because she built it from the beginning and didn't even need the big points at the end. Here are the final standings:

1. Brad (53 points)
2. Jennie (27 points)
3. Susan (22 points)
4. Un Jin (20 points)
5. Dan (18 points)
(Composite 13 points)
6. Janet (12 points)
7. Don (8 points)
8. Kayla (7 points)
9. Donnie (4 points)
10. Ida/Linda (2 points)
11. Patrice (0 points)

It was fun--hope to see you all again next year!

Love, Kayla

The Finale

Lee (The Boxer): I did not like being able to see the spit in Lee’s mouth. It looked like a white retainer. Gross. This version was okay, but I was a bit distracted. Simon had the perfect analogy about this rendition being a kiss on the cheek when we needed a kiss on the lips.

Crystal (Bobby McGee): Good energy, but the song is hard to relate to. She should have picked something more universal, because I don’t know this Bobby guy.

Round 1: Lee sang a big song kinda small and Crystal sang a small song kinda big. I’ll call it even.

Lee (Everybody Hurts): This is another big song… Lee got a little lazy in the middle, but picked it back up. The choir stole the final note right out from under him, but overall this was much better than the first song. Kara really found the right words when she called Lee “emotionally accessible.”

Crystal (Black Velvet): Great pick, Mr. Fuller. If Siobhan had sung (sang?) this song she might have stuck around another week or so. The thing that’s off about Crystal tonight is her wardrobe: her skirts are falling at the wrong place. Still, she killed it.

Round 2: Goes to Crystal.

Lee (Beautiful Day): Uh oh. Mumble mumble. Off key. Other parts were muffled where he was singing into his hand. He had all the elements (back up singers, orchestra, light show) but he choked. He shuffled around the stage like it was his first performance! Is the pressure just too much for him to handle?? Or maybe he realizes that Crystal needs this more than he does and is handing it to her like the sweet guy he is.

Crystal (Up to the Mountain): You can tell how badly she wants to win. It really came across in that song. VERY NICE.

Round 3: Well, Crystal again. I wonder if I liked her more in this round because I have no idea who originally sang this song so to me it sounds like she wrote it? Whereas Lee’s “single” felt cookie cutter.

If I didn’t heart Lee I would say that Crystal will win. But I know lots of girls out there REALLY heart Lee and my guess is girls make up the bulk of the idol voting population.

Updated Standings

Did anybody else tear up when Lee went back to the paint store? How about when the little kid at the end said, "Casey James I want to shake your hand?"

Also, I've never seen Justin Bieber preform but didn't he look like a bad little boy? Especially when he started playing the drums. I wanted to send him to his room to think about his behavior.

And finally, who does Crystal NOT have a crush on? Poor Flag Pants.

Some major changes this week in our standings... Dan has fallen out of the lead and Brad has emerged from the bottom. Several people got streaks and reverse streaks for putting Casey and Michael close together. Lots of people also put Casey in position 3, so they earned some points for that. Brad's major lead comes from getting 15 points for having the top 2 (Un Jin also got those points).

1. Brad (23 points)
2. Susan (22 points)
3. Un Jin (20 points)
4. Dan (18 points)
Composite (13 points)
5. Janet (12 points)
6. Don (8 points)
7. Jennie (7 points)
7. Kayla (7 points)
9. Donnie (4 points)
10. Linda and Ida (2 points)
11. Patrice (0 points)

Hometown Week

Funny story... last week on vacation I watched Idol with my Aunt Leesa and my cousin and when it was over Aunt Leesa got out her cell phone and voted for every single contestant. Twice. I started to argue that she might as well not vote for any of them but she said they “all did a good job.” Haha—I love her!

Casey (Okay It’s Alright With Me): Who sings this song? I’m not sure, but Casey looked like he really enjoyed himself. Eh. He hit some good notes, pretty boring though.

Crystal (Come To My Window): Good song choice. I used to really like this song and when she said what she had chosen it felt so right. Donnie said the arrangement was awkward but I think she sounded cool. BTW Randy just said exactly what I wrote.

Lee (Simple Man): Okay, when he first sat there with Ryan I wrote something stupid about his hair but I’m going to leave that out and just say that was incredible. From the first note I could tell he was about to have a moment. Now he knows he is about to win.

Casey (Daughters): I’d rather hear Lee sing this song, but Kara is right about Casey needing to know his audience. The instruments were WAY TOO LOUD in this song: kind of drowned him out. I liked his guitar solo at the end, but he never brought it vocally.

Crystal (Maybe I’m Amazed): I thought Crystal said she was going to be singing “Baby I’m Amazed,” which I think is a country song. This was better. Really good, actually. How cute would she look if she cut her dreads and had a shaggy little bob?

Lee (Halleluiah): Sold! To the lady with the sunburn.

The Top Four Sing

This was the week of Jamie Foxx. I liked the whole T-shirt shtick, but I think that instead of “contestant” or “artist” the shirts should have said “won’t sell” and “marketable.” Isn’t that what this all boils down to? Big Mike might agree with me on that. I know Lily Scott would agree with me.

Overall, I would categorize this week as really mediocre. Mediocre mentor. Mediocre Ford commercial. Mediocre song choice. And then there was Bon Jovi…

Crystal and Lee’s duet wasn’t mediocre. Following the aforementioned duet Kayla texted me the following: OMG!!!! I <3 LEE and Crystal they were sooooooooooo gooooooood!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [Text Exceeds Maximum Characters]

What I thought about Crystal and Lee:

These two have chemistry—too much chemistry. Definitely one of the best performances of the year, but I still think Mike’s “A Woman’s Work” was the best. I feel bad for Crystal’s boyfriend, not only did he have to watch his girlfriend get wooed on live Tv, he also had on those flag pants. Tough break.

Michael and Casey:

The judges were positive about this. I thought it was fine. Honestly, I was watching the Cavs and Celtics at this point.

But what about the solo performances?

Lee:

This was over before it started. Horrible, horrible song choice. This was really forgettable. I’m not going to deny that this guy has a shot to win, but that’s kind of like the Spurs winning the NBA title. Sorry Kay Kay.

What Kayla would have written about Lee: OMG I <3 Lee! His shirt was sooooo cute. He has great style. I could totally see him opening up for Dave Matthews.

Casey:

Here’s to you Mrs. Dioguardio (sp)—what a gimmick! This performance showed me that Casey is desperate. Maybe he’s running out of shampoo and conditioner? Hopefully Bon Jovi is the mentor next week.

Mike:

When Mike picks the wrong song, he doesn’t have many redeeming qualities. Tonight, he picked the wrong song. Even Jamie Foxx knew it wasn’t going to happen for Big Mike this week. Too bad they didn’t have one more clip about his baby.

What Mike should have performed: “A Woman’s Work,” which was actually the final song of a Kevin Bacon movie. Can you sing the same song three times?

Crystal:

Really, Kenny Loggins? Really, Caddyshack? Am I the only one who didn’t know that there was music in Caddyshack? How hard is it to make the song your own when nobody has ever heard it? Of course, when you’re the best you can get away with this stuff.

The Final Three....

So, Kayla is out of town on a beach vacation. That means I, Donnie, am guest blogging. This week I had the undesirable task of calculating scores. I started as soon as the show ended last night and, 10 hours and 12 twelve cups of coffee later, I think I have it right. Dan remains in the lead, but the most notable change this week was Brad's emergence from the basement--does anyone want to compete in a bracket competition to predict who will win our bracket competition? My money is on Brad: he's the only person who had the top 3.

1. Dan (18 points)
2. Susan (16 points)
(Composite 13 points)
3. Janet (10 points)
4. Kayla (7 points)
5. Un Jin (5 points)
5. Brad (5 points)
5. Don (5 points)
5. Jennie (5 points)
9. Donnie (2 points)
10. Patrice (0 points)
10. Linda/Ida (0 points)

I don't know what the theme is next week, but I have an idea. What if everyone picked a song that they knew they could sing really well?

Rankings After Elimination

This week Patrice got 3 points for putting Aaron in position six. Un Jin got a reverse streak worth 2 points for putting Siobhan and Aaron back to back. Things moved a little bit in the middle:

1. Dan (13 points)
1. Susan (13 points)
1. Composite (13 points)
4. Janet (7 points)
4. Kayla (7 points)
6. Un Jin (5 points)
6. Don (5 points)
6. Jennie (5 points)
9. Donnie (2 points)
10. Patrice (0 points)
10. Linda/Ida (0 points)
12. Brad (-5 points)

Next week I'll be on vacation and Donnie will be your guest blogger. The theme is "Songs from the Movies" and I REALLY hope someone (Lee) sings the Titanic song.

The Top Five Sing

Frank Sinatra… oh groan. Oh my god, Harry Connick Jr. looks just like a giant version of Ryan Seacrest. Look at them next to each other in their matching suits.

Aaron: Well that kind of reminded me of that Michael Buble guy. Corny as heck. Simon said it best: it didn’t have conviction.

Casey: Neither Casey or Aaron looks very good in their Sinatra outfit. The vest is not cool. I have to say, though, that this is the first time I liked Casey in a long time. The last line in his song was sweeeet. Oh my goodness, though—what’s with Randy saying it was the worst performance yet? Ellen’s dogging him, too. Now Kara? What? Oh well, what do I know?

Crystal: Harry said “The more obscure your references are the more personal it is for the audience?” What does that mean? I thought she showcased her voice at the end and brought her own style to a classic look. But Donnie has a problem with her back talking: he said she was “so brazen.”

Michael: It started out really good—I thought I was watching an old movie or something. Love the hat. But then… it got kind of boring. The judges loved it, and they were right about it being much better than the other three.

Lee: He get could get up there and sing the alphabet and it would be rock star. Lee is sooooo good. I can’t wait to buy his record and play it in my car. I Heart Lee.

Harry Connick Jr. wins the award for being the best mentor so far this season. He really put the most effort into it and took his role very seriously.

Best to Worst: Lee, Michael, Crystal, Casey, Aaron.

Goodbye, Siobhan!

I realized that people who liked Siobhan when she was dark and moody and screeching would not like Siobhan when she was "punk country" or whatever Randy called her. This will really throw off a lot of brackets because when we posted our entries she was on a streak and we expected it to continue. Oh well.

Did anyone notice the dirty looks that Michael was shooting when he was hanging out in the crows nest with the bottom three? He is a bad sport if I ever saw one.

Un Jin was the only one who got any points this week (3 for having Siobhan in position 6). So here are our standings:

1. Dan (13 points)
1. Susan (13 points)
1. Composite (13 points)
4. Janet (7 points)
4. Kayla (7 points)
6. Jennie (5 points)
6. Don (5 points)
8. Un Jin (3 points)
9. Donnie (2 points)
10. Ida/Linda (0 points)
11. Patrice (-3 points)
12. Brad (-5 points)

This is going to get interesting in about two weeks because the people who did not include Siobhan in their top three are Ida/Linda, Un Jin, Patrice, and Brad. And the top three is where you can earn the most points.

The Top Six Sing

A paint Salesman: Classy Lee. I loved it. He let it build at the intro and at the end he kind of slowed down. It was an arrangement with some trajectory. And Ellen’s right, he couldn’t have looked cuter. Donnie has recently modeled his facial hair after Lee, and I think he’s on the right track.

A Father: Not a fan. He just seems very rehearsed. Plus he had a bad attitude when he almost got eliminated, which was inappropriate. Sorry.

A Construction Worker: Wow. He really is singing tonight. For some reason Casey sounds better when he’s sitting on a stool. But I kind of disagree with the judges--I think he is still removed and sort of aloof.

A Mother: She sounds like Jewel! I didn’t realize it until tonight, especially in her little yodel-ish high notes. She hit some good ones. It wasn’t powerful, but it was cute.

A High School Student: Aaron’s voice is really made for songs like this. This is my favorite Shania song so far tonight, and Aaron pulled it off. Simon is right, Aaron was sincere and believable for the first time in weeks. That doesn’t mean I like him, though.

A Glassblower: I changed my mind, this is my favorite Shania song. Who knew I liked so many Shania songs? Anyway, this was really a confusing performance for me. Was she trying to make it country or not country? I kept going back and forth. Finally, I realized she was singing it too close to the original and just not able to compete with Shania. Then it felt like she realized she needed to get a scream in there or else she was going home, and so she threw it in at the end.

Best: Lee
Worst: Michael or Siobhan (Donnie thinks Crystal is at risk of going home. If so, the judges are really going to regret using their save on Michael!!!)

Standings Week 4

The only points that anyone received this week were for reverse streaks. Dan, Susan, Janet and our composite each got 2 reverse streaks for putting Tim, Andrew, and Katie all in sequence. Patrice, Don, Jennie, Un Jin, and myself each got one reverse streak for putting Tim next to Andrew or Tim next to Katie. Things got a little hairy because of last week's double elimination--Andrew and Katie could swing up or down one place in the sequence and it would still count. If you want to see my spreadsheet, let me know.

1. Dan (13 points)
1. Susan (13 points)
1. Composite (13 points)
4. Janet (7 points)
4. Kayla (7 points)
6. Jennie (5 points)
6. Don (5 points)
8. Donnie (2 points)
9. Linda/Ida (0 points)
9. Un Jin (0 points)
11. Patrice (-3 points)
12. Brad (-5 points)

The Top Seven Sing

Casey: I thought it was pretty flat. He didn’t do a whole lot to shake it up. One of the judges said that no one would be talking about that performance tomorrow and they are absolutely right—nothing special. Casey sure has pretty eyes. Who is voting for him? I don’t really understand his target audience.

Lee: Lee’s tone is just beautiful. And he’s feeling some emotion tonight for the first time, which I think may have thrown off his pitch. Look at me pretending like I know what tone and pitch mean. I think Simon’s word “sincere” captured it best. FYI, Donnie was cringing, but I think the judges proved him wrong.

Awww, Captain Sully!

Tim: Eeeeccchhhh!!!!!!! He basically threw in the towel. Why was Simon so sweet? Out of all the judges, only Ellen really told it like it was. Go E.

Aaron: A-Hole is still around? Once I read this book called “Not Buying It” about a woman who tried not to spend any money for a whole year. Afterwards D and I went around saying NBI for anything sort of ridiculous. NBI, Aaron.

Siobhan: Wow, that was a tough song. Her pitch was way off. I think she was trying to hit some notes that were too high—she sounds better in her lower register (haha did that make sense?). I think her responses to the judges’ comments are helping to keeping her in this show.

Big Mike: Whoa. Mike’s white jacket is HUGE. When he said he was singing “Hero” I was really hoping it would be Mariah Carey’s “Hero.” I was disappointed that it wasn’t, but I liked the intro anyway. The guitar was neat. After that, eh, but better than Tim, Aaron, and Casey.

Crystal: Ohhh, I’m excited that she’s not going to use an instrument. WOW!!!!!!!!!!!! Her voice is gorgeous. She just put herself WAY on the other side of Siobhan. WOW. I think this was the best performance of ANYONE ALL SEASON! I don’t know what Kara and Simon said because the recording stopped after Ellen but in my book she just demonstrated that she will win.

Worst: Tim (Siobhan was pretty bad, too)
Best: Crystal (followed by Lee, but it wasn’t even close tonight)

Rankings After Elimination

I didn't think much of this week. Except for Lee, it was pretty lackluster.

Here are our standings (welcome Un Jin and Brad!)

1. Dan (9 points)
1. Susan (9 points)
1. Composite Ranking (9 points)
2. Kayla (5 points)
3. Janet (3 points)
3. Jennie (3 points)
3. Don (3 points)
4. Donnie (2 points)
5. Linda and Ida (0 points)
6. Un Jin (-2 points after handicap)
7. Patrice (-5 points after handicap)
7. Brad (-5 points after handicap)

Lots of us put Katie and Andrew in positions #8 or 9, which could swing up or down either way on a 2 person elimination night. Dan, Susan, and our composite get 3 additional points for having both Katie and Andrew in those positions (streak of 2). Donnie and I each got a reverse streak for putting Didi in the bottom 3 with Andrew.

Using Google Trends to Predict the Winner

So open a new window and copy and paste this into your browser:

http://www.google.com/trends?q=crystal+bowersox%2C+siobhan+magnus%2C+michael+lynche%2C+lee+dewyze&ctab=0&geo=all&date=2010&sort=0

(how do I make that a hyperlink???)

As you can clearly see from the graph, Crystal Bowersox will likely win this competition and Michael Lynche has little to no chance. It appears that Lee is overtaking Siobhan, which is good news for Jennie.

Standings after Elimination--Week 2

Big Mike has no chance of winning this competition, and I really can't believe the judges used their one save to keep him on the show. What if Crystal needs it? Siobhan? Lee???? Mike was good this week, and he's had a few good moments throughout the season, but he's not going to win. The save should be reserved for someone who has a real shot. So here are our standings after Week 2:

1. Kayla
1. Don
1. Donnie
1. Dan
1. Jennie
1. Susan
1. Janet
1. Linda/Ida
2. Patrice

Patrice joined late, and I had to handicap her 5 points. Sorry, Patrice! :-)

The Top Nine Sing

Aaron: Snooze. I almost like his outfit this week. The black wrist band seems a little out of character, but it helps. Nice last note.

Katie: I think she kind of nailed it.

Andrew: I want to be his friend so bad, but his performance reminded me of Elvis for some reason. What’s with the shirt buttoned up to his Adam’s apple?

Big Mike: I remember learning to sing Eleanor Rigby in 7th grade chorus. Mike’s version was way better than mine. I kept expecting him to start rapping the verses. And for once the band worked with the performance instead of against it. Friggin awesome.

Crystal: Predictable.

Tim: He looks like an original Beatle without his band mates. I’m not really into it. His song keeps going on and on and on and on.

Casey: For me, Casey’s best performance was the one where he sat on the stool and sang right to Kara. He has yet to recreate that. This one was dull. The judges liked it though, so maybe I’m wrong.

Siobhan: I love this song, but she kind of made it feel like Christmas. Eh. She’s so interesting. Ryan was right about Siobhan having sensory overload.

Lee: I love Lee. I love the bagpipe. I love his skinny black tie. I would be so happy if he won.

Best: Michael, Lee, Katie
Worst: Tim, Andrew, Aaron

Rankings after elimination

Didi's gone and none of us saw that coming.

We're all tied for first place (or is it last place?):

1. Kayla
1. Don
1. Donnie
1. Dan
1. Jennie
1. Susan
1. Janet
1. Linda and Ida

Our composite prediction is:

10. Tim (average ranking 9.00)
9. Andrew (8.25)
8. Katie (7.88)
7. Didi (6.75)
6. Aaron (5.50)
5. Casey (5.00)
4. Lee (4.88)
3. Michael (4.00)
2 and 1. Crystal and Siobhan tied (1.88)

The Top Ten Sing

Well... what did you think of last night?

My two cents:

Siobhan was kinda rough (sorry, Dan). My DVR was skipping the whole time she was singing so I was hoping she didn't sound as bad as she did... I didn't really get to hear her until the end when they did the review, but she was not great. Disappointing.

Tim cracked me up, and Ellen's comment was right on: he looked like he was creeping into somebody's bedroom to sing them that song. Ew. I know Ellen has not gotten the best reviews, but her comments to Tim are funny. I want Tim to leave so that my "bracket" doesn't get screwed up the first week, but I'll miss laughing at him.

Lee and Andrew were the standouts for me. Lee looked completely shocked that he was there doing as well as he was. Love him. And Andrew pulled through--finally. I've been rooting for him cause I dig his style and I love when he says, "come'on man."

Did Katie remind you of Kelly Clarkson? Donnie called her "K-Hole," which I thought was clever.

Well that's all I really remember. I was simultaneously reading a "Food Network" magazine that Donnie brought home from work.

So here's how this is gonna go. Every week I'm going to post a "scoreboard" showing everyone's points. That will come out on Thursdays. Also, I calculated the "average ranking" for each idol by combining the rankings of everyone who posted. We'll see if averaging the rankings can predict the winner better than any of us alone. I'll post that later, too.

One more thing, Maggie is about to get dq'd if she doesn't shake up her bracket. She has the exact same list as me, except she switched two people in the middle. She has had fair warning (written and verbal) and I love her to death, but come'on man.

Post Your Entries Here!

Please post your contest entries in the comments section of this post. In case you missed last night, here are the top ten (in the order in which they came to my head):

Tim, Michael, Aaron, Katie, Crystal, Siobhan, Lee, Casey, Didi, and Andrew

Here is how you earn points!

On the Spot = 3 points: You get 3 points for each rank you hit on the number. For example, if you put Aaron (aka A-Hole) in position #8 and he is eliminated that week then you get three points.

Streak of Two = 3 points: You get 3 points for each “streak of two.” For example, if you say that Michael will be eliminated the week right before Siobhan (no matter what their ranks) you get 3 points.

Reverse Streak = 2 points: You get 2 points for a “reverse streak.” For example, if you say that Michael will be eliminated the week right before Siobhan (no matter what their ranks) but Siobhan is eliminated the week before Michael, you get 2 points.

Streak of Three = 5 points: You get 5 points for each “streak of three.” For example, if you say that Michael will be eliminated the week before Siobhan and following her will be Lee, you get 5 points. You already earned 3 points for your streak of two, so you don’t get them again for the two streaks of two within the streak of three (for saying that Michael would go before Siobhan and Siobhan would go before Lee. Nice try, but sorry!).

Streak of Four or Five (or more)= 10 points each. You get 10 points for each “streak of four” or “streak of five.” Streaks build, so the following could happen:

10. Contestant A
9. Contestant B 3 points, streak of two
8. Contestant C 5 points, streak of three
7. Contestant D 10 points, streak of four
6. Contestant E 10 points, streak of five

= 28 points total

(On Word, I was able to create brackets to make that easier to understand, but they don't translate into Blogger. Shoot.)

Reserve Streak of Three = 0 points: There are no “reverse streak of 3’s” (or 4’s or 5’s).

Top 3 = 10 points: If you get the top three in ANY order, you get 10 points. For example, if you say that A-Hole, Katie, and Tim (wishful thinking, kiddos!) will be in the top three and they are, you get 10 points, no matter who comes in first, second, and third.

Top 2 = 15 points: If you get the top two in ANY order, you get 15 points. For example, if you say it will come down to Lee and Casey and it does, you get 15 points, no matter who wins and who is the runner-up.

Winner = 20 points: If you call the winner you get 20 points.

Top 3 In Order = 10 points: If you get the top three IN RANK ORDER, you get an extra 10 points, on top of the 10 points you already got for getting them in any order.

Same week elimination: If two contestants are eliminated in the same week (if, for example, there is a judge’s save or some other crazy thing) then your ranking can swing either way. For example, if A-Hole and Casey are eliminated in the same week and you have A-Hole as #4 and Casey as #5 then you can swing Aaron or Casey up or down for a “streak.”

That’s it!

You are welcome to keep score along with me. In fact, you might want to just in case my math is rusty or I can’t keep track of my own convoluted rules. If it’s all too confusing, just send me your ranking and sit back and enjoy the show.

Thank you for playing!

Love, Kayla

Kayla's American Idol April (and May) Madness

Welcome to my American Idol April (and May) Madness

1. Rank the top ten American Idols in the order you think they will be eliminated and post in the comments section of the post titled “Post Your Entries!” or send to Kayla at kaylacamp@gmail.com by 6:00pm on March 31st. Your #10 should be the person who you think will be eliminated FIRST and your #1 should be the person you think will win this season.

2. Earn points by getting “on the spots,” “streaks,” “reverse streaks” and naming the Top 3. See explanation of scoring in the post titled “Here is how you earn points…”.

3. If you don’t like the rules, or disagree with how I calculate the points, you may complain, but I reserve the right to settle all disputes. I will not change the rules during the game, but I may send out clarifying information if necessary.

4. The winner gets a five dollar bill in an envelope, paid for by your sponsor (me). If someone in my household wins the prize will be as follows: If Donnie wins, I will take him out to dinner and if I win he will take me out to dinner.

5. Entries are free, because I don't know the law about running a gambling operation and don't want to risk breaking it!