Oh whatever, who cares? But just for today let's pretend that there isn't much else going on in the world. Who's gonna win? Who should win? According to TradeSports, Bo Bice is the favorite, with his contracts asking 69 to Carrie Underwood's 35. He's certainly a better singer and performer. I wonder how the votes tend to break down? Do female viewers vote for cute male contestants, and male viewers vote for cute female contestants? If anything, I'd say that women are less likely to vote for an attractive female than are men to vote for an attractive male, so on that basis alone I'd give the victory to Bo. But, of course, I have no idea how the demographics of the viewers are spread.
If you really crave more Idol news, check out Judge Jru's top 10 Idol performances. The AZ Reporter has an American Idol News and Results blog that will fill you in on the timeline of this season, in case you can't remember when so-and-so was voted off. I'd keep an eye on American Idolblog also, even though their most recent post is from last week....
"If anything, I'd say that women are less likely to vote for an attractive female than are men to vote for an attractive male"
Why do you think that? I don't think I would be unlikely to vote for an attractive female and I see no reason why other women would be.
I don't know about the demographics or who "gets through" to vote, but I think that Bo will win. I do disagree with you about who the better singer is. Bo has better stage presence, but he does not possess the range and texture and potential that Carrie has. I believe that he is quite a bit older...like five or six years...which accounts for his stage presence. Simon said the most poignant thing of the season about six weeks ago when he said, "I don't know who will win, but Carrie will sell the most records."
RC: Just intuition. It's my experience that appearance is a source of conflict among women. Likewise, a man might be less eager to vote for a millionaire.
Craig: I didn't consider the age difference... so you think Carrie will become a better performer as she gets older? That makes sense. Still, at this moment, I think Bo is a better singer and performer. Carrie may very well out-sell him. That's one of the interesting things about American Idol... even the losers can make it big.
I have to go with RachaelC's intuition here. Ever noticed how women like to watch beauty contests more than men do? How many men do you know who would even consider watching a male beauty contest?
We tend to admire people who have attributes that we desire. As a general rule, women desire good looks far more than men do so they tend to admire good-looking women. By contrast, men tend to desire power and physical ability so they admire chief executives and sports figures.
Of course some women are put off by jelousy over an attractive woman. But every one who is, there are probably two men who are put off by creepiness over an attractive man.