American Idol is my favorite show on television. Now that we’re down to the top seven, here are my predictions as to who will be voted as the top three finalists and eventually be our American Idol! When I was in Los Angeles recently, I had the opportunity to speak with the top 13 contestants. Here’s what my picks for top three had to say…
Allison Iraheta will come in third. Her voice is outstanding for a 16 year old and she’ll definitely represent the ladies now that there’s only two left on the show. Here’s what she had to say when I spoke to her in LA:
On the Idol experience:
“This has been surreal. I can’t believe I’m here really. It’s too crazy, I can’t even explain it, I can’t.”
On being compared to Kelly Clarkson:
“I’ve been compared to her a lot. I’ve gotten the whole, ‘you’ve got the round face of Kelly Clarkson, you look like her.’ It’s crazy, now that I’m on the show that she was first on and that got her introduced to the whole world. It’s crazy. It’s a good compliment. I’ll take it.”
On what her friends think of her being on Idol:
“My friends are stoked. They think this is so awesome; they’re loving this and they support me so much.”
Her favorite judge:
“I like Randy. He’s dope. He’s a dope dawg.”
I love Danny Gokey, but I think he’ll be in second place this season. Here’s what the Milwaukee native had to say:
“Chicago and Milwaukee are next door neighbors. I’ve driven through Chicago and I’ve turned on B96. I’ve jammed in my car to it. It’s a great station. Chicago is a great city. I mean there’s no denying that. I love Milwaukee…don’t get me wrong. But Chicago, they got it going on.”
What do you do in Chicago?
“I go to all the tourist spots. Weird, right? I’m right next door, but…I try to go to all the spots. It’s funny, when I go with my friend, he’ll give me tours of the different sides of towns. I’ve seen the Aquarium and been on the lakefront out there. Downtown, beautiful place.
“They’re beautiful cities [Chicago and Milwaukee]. I think Milwaukee for instance is an underrated city. It’s a beautiful place. I’m very proud to say that I’m from Milwaukee. We need some investors from Chicago to go into Milwaukee and build up some nice tall skyscrapers like you guys got. Investors, please invest in Milwaukee…it’s good ground! You can get a lot of money back.”
On his competitors:
“I love the competition that’s here. It’s very healthy competition. And it’s bringing the best out of all of us.”
On the pressure of being a frontrunner:
“It is. It’s good. I’m glad they did it, but I think it can hurt me at the same time because it wasn’t my choice to be that but they did highlight me, there’s no denying it. I just hope I can keep bringing it every week and keep people pleased.”
On what he wants to say to his wife who passed away just a few weeks before he auditioned:
“I believe she can see; I believe she can hear. She knows I love her. I thank her for my success. You’re a sum of the people you hang around with. I was with her for 11 years and she brought the best out of me.”
Adam Lambert has got this competition in the bag. He’s in a league of his own. He’ll be our next American Idol!
On how much eyeliner he owns:
“Just one stick of it. It’s black.”
Do you own a flat iron?
“I do own a flat iron.”
On how long it takes him to do his hair:
“A couple minutes.”
Is he afraid of people finding out about his personal life?
“I’m not afraid. No, you know, it comes with the territory. We’ll see what they turn up. It kind of makes me laugh…..Because it’s me. I’m not surprised at anything that I’ve done so why should they be?”
Keep on the lookout for Matt Giraud. While he has been in the bottom three this season, he’ll make a comeback for sure. He was my favorite contestant to chat with…just an all around nice, genuine guy.
On whether or not he’ll ever play Piano Man on the show:
“I don’t think you’re going to hear me do Piano Man ever on this show. No matter how much you tip me.”
On the experience:
“I’ve been preparing for this since forever. A couple years I would just stay up at night worrying about what I would sing and how great it would feel to make it to Hollywood or something like that. And it’s like here I am at the top. This is crazy.”
How he picks his songs:
“Pick the songs you’ve been doing forever and everyone’s like ‘Yea! I love it when you sing that!’”
What he does in his free time:
“I’m a mentor, Big Brother Big Sister. I play at my church. I have a snake. I take care of my python. I’m a pretty simple guy really. Not too exciting. I like Disney way too much.”
His favorite Disney movie:
“Alice in Wonderland. Don’t tell anybody! Don’t tell anybody! I’m like the manliest, girliest guy ever.”
On the name of his pet python:
“Ka, from The Jungle Book. He chills with me, man. Randy was like, ‘Are you going to bring your snake on the show?’ I was like, ‘I’m not going to be that guy. No.’ I refuse to be the snake guy on American Idol.”
Is he single?
“I have a girlfriend back home. She’s so excited, you know what I mean? She’s been nothing but support and nothing but good advice this whole time….she’s been nothing but great.”
Does his girlfriend help pick his songs?
“Yea, from an outside point of view. She’s not really a huge musician type. But she knows about music and she knows what she likes and she’s usually right.”
On listening to people about his song choice:
“It’s kind of bad to listen to people at home because when you pick something good and then you talk to them and then they say, ‘I don’t like that song’ then it makes you really uncomfortable and you get really nervous. So you need people to say, Matt, whatever you pick, you got it. I don’t even want to talk to my family anymore about my songs. I’m just going to tell them, look it’s a surprise. Just watch the show.”
Who he’s close with on the show:
“I’m really good buds with Kris Allen. We’ve been roommates since Hollywood week, my first day. To be here together is amazing. Adam Lambert is one of the funniest people I’ve ever met.”
Keep watching and keep voting!
Spring is one of the best times to be in Chicago! Here’s some things to look forward to this Spring season:
Tulips on the Magnificent Mile takes place April 1-May 31st. View the tulip gardens that line the Magnificent Mile and also view the creative public art featured on the street as well.
The newly renovated Buckingham Fountain is open! Since April 1st you can catch the impressive water display that happens every hour for 20 minutes. The fountain runs daily from 8am-11pm.
Celebrate Polish heritage on Saturday, May 2nd as Chicago hosts the 118th Polish Constitution Day Parade. Honoring the historic document, crowds along Columbus Drive recognize the first European democratic constitution of its kind. 250,000 spectators are expected.
Mary Poppins is back in Chicago this spring! Beginning March 11th and running through May 11th fans of the original Broadway hit can view a performance at the Cadillac Palace Theatre.
This May, the Mayor’s Office of Special Events and Country Financial present the 30th anniversary of Chicago Farmers Markets. Open markets can be found on the Daley Plaza, Federal Plaza, Lincoln Park and additional locations in the metropolitan area through October.
Check out www.ShowbizShelly.com and www.B96.com for more gossip and info! You can hear Showbiz Shelly on 96.3FM, B96 Monday through Friday mornings 5:30-10am.
Now that the sun’s staying out later these days, we thought it was about time break out of our funk and meet up with some friends after work for some great food and cocktails. 
This fusion of modern style and asian influence is a careful reflection of the menu offered at Spring. Chef Shawn McClain would call their menu “New American with strong Asian influences,” but we’ll just call it delicious. Their drink menu is as well thought out and as surprising (in a good way) as the food, all made with premium ingredients, like fresh juices and house-made tonic. 
