East Hanover, N.J. (Mar. 2, 2010) – Dunking Oreo cookies in milk is a time-honored tradition, but when it comes to Oreo Cakesters, the Oreo of snack cakes, the question remains “to dunk or not to dunk.” The dilemma has sparked a “dunker’s debate” among Oreo fans on Facebook who are declaring their dunking or non-dunking allegiance. Singing idols Anoop Desai and Matt Giraud, no strangers to friendly competition, have teamed up with Oreo Cakesters to feed the debate and encourage America to take a side the best way they know how – through song.

Desai, a dedicated Dunker, and Giraud, a diehard Non-Dunker, recently recorded their own a cappella versions of a new Oreo Cakesters jingle as part of the first-ever Oreo Cakesters Jingle Contest. Now through April 5, 2010, Oreo fans can do the same for the chance to win a trip to professionally record their jingle to air on national radio and meet Desai or Giraud.
“Choosing the Dunkers side was an easy choice because I don’t know any other way to eat an Oreo than to dunk it in milk,” said Desai. “An Oreo Cakester tastes like the cookie with the soft delicious Oreo crème, so you’ve just got to dunk it, too.”

His former competitor disagrees. “You dunk cookies, not snack cakes,” said Giraud. “Oreo Cakesters taste awesome on their own – no dunking for me! I had a great time singing for my side and recording the Non-Dunker jingle. I’m looking forward to seeing the creative entries my fellow non-dunkers submit.”

Taking Sides Through Song
Fans can visit Facebook.com/Oreo to choose their side and download the Dunker or Non-Dunker jingle lyrics. Groups of up to four people are invited to create a video of themselves performing the jingle in their own, creative way. Entries must include the Oreo Cakesters product and fans are encouraged to show how they dunk or don’t dunk their Cakesters within the video.

Three finalists will be selected to represent each side of the debate and posted online for America to help choose their favorite. One Dunker and one Non-Dunker entry that receive the most votes will win a trip to record their jingle professionally and meet Desai or Giraud. Their jingle will then air on a national radio show for all of America to enjoy!
Double Your Dunking (Or Non-Dunking) Pleasure
No matter what your dunking preference, Oreo Cakesters come in four delicious varieties including ALL NEW Double Stuf Oreo Cakesters with double the soft Oreo crème sandwiched between two luscious chocolate cakes. Other varieties include Original, Peanut Butter and Golden Oreo Cakesters. For more information on Oreo Cakesters, the jingle contest, or just to become a fan, visit the www.facebook.com/Oreo page. You can also follow us on Twitter @TheRealOreoMan.

About Kraft Foods
The combination of Kraft Foods and Cadbury creates a global powerhouse in snacks, confectionery and quick meals. With annual revenues of approximately $50 billion, the combined company is the world’s second largest food company, making delicious products for billions of consumers in more than 160 countries. The combined company’s portfolio includes 11 iconic brands with revenues exceeding $1 billion – Oreo, Nabisco and LU biscuits; Milka and Cadbury chocolates; Trident gums; Jacobs and Maxwell House coffees; Philadelphia cream cheeses; Kraft cheeses, dinners and dressings; and Oscar Mayer meats. Another 70+ brands generate annual revenues of more than $100 million. Kraft Foods (www.kraftfoodscompany.com; NYSE: KFT) is a member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Standard & Poor’s 500, Dow Jones Sustainability Index and Ethibel Sustainability Index.

Didi Benami
Siobahn Magnus
Paige Miles
Casey James
Tim Urban
Lee Dewyze

In the “intermission”, Matt Giraud and Scott MacIntyre played “Tell Her About It”. Matt was one of my favorites from last season. Too bad he couldn’t have played with Billy Joel. Or just by himself. I mean, Scott’s okay, but I just found him distracting tonight.

That left us the final six:

Crystal Bowersox
Michael Lynche
Lacey Brown
Aaron Kelly
Andrew Garcia
Katie Stevens

I know a lot of people are really disappointed about these results. Two out of three of my favorites are still in it, so I can’t complain TOO much. How about you?

I can’t decide whether I liked or hated Alex Lambert singing “Trouble”. Is it all wrong, or so wrong it’s right? No jumping up and down for Randy on this one. Ellen thought he was a mushy banana– take that for what it’s worth. I kind of don’t get what the judges love so much about him. I’m always borderline over whether I even like him.

I really like Tim Urban. And he definitely seemed a bit more relaxed tonight. And he definitely seems more confident when he plays the guitar. “Hallelujah” could have been a disaster. It wasn’t. It wasn’t the best I’ve ever heard. But it was okay. Ellen actually got up and ran over to give him a hug. All of the judges were okay with this performance.

What’s up with Andrew Garcia singing “girl” songs. Tonight it was “Genie in a Bottle”. Maybe singing a song by a woman just frees him up to pursue his own thing. Randy may have a point with the song sounding kind of limited. I’m kind of ready for them to shut up about “Straight Up”.

Casey James is kind of the opposite of Lee Dewyze. Whereas Lee delivers consistent performances, and you always kind of know what kind of song he’s going to sing, Casey sings a different genre every week it seems. So, what would an album of his sound like? Granted, he’s still plenty pretty. The judges were pretty underwhelmed by this performance.

Ouch. That’s all I can say about Aaron Kelly singing “I’m Already There”. Please, America, please put me out of my misery. The judges were all over the place with their feedback.

Todrick Hall decided to tackle Queen’s “Somebody to Love”. I was a little afraid for him tonight. I really still like Todrick. I’m not sure I’d still put him in my top three, overall. However, he was SO much better than so many others tonight. He certainly doesn’t deserve to go home. The judges thought the performance was a bit inconsistent but good.

Okay, the judges flipped out and cried over Big Mike singing “This Woman’s Work”… I, on the other hand, just truly didn’t like seeing a man sing this song. I can’t hear anyone other than Kate Bush singing this song. Whatever, judges. I reserve the right to disagree with your namby pamby crying selves.

Alright, that’s it for tonight. You may have noticed I didn’t review the girls top 8. That’s because my dvr didn’t record. Don’t you hate that? I’ll catch up on Fox later tonight.

Lee– safe
Aaron– safe
Alex– safe

That brought it down to Andrew and Jermaine.

Andrew was safe!! Yea!! I like Jermaine, but I wasn’t crazy about his singing. I thought his attitude was GREAT, though.

Danny Gokey sang. Of course, now he’s a country singer. Who knew?

Lilly– safe
Paige– safe
Katie– safe

It came down to Didi and Michelle.

Didi– safe
Michelle– going home

Katelyn– safe
Crystal– safe
Siobahn– safe

Which meant Haeley and Lacey were up for elimination and that I wouldn’t really care which goes home. I really thought Lacey would probably go home. But, no…

Haeley went home. She seems like an incredibly sweet girl, but she was a little grating.

Okay, Haeley Vaughn can’t help that she’s shiny, happy people. But she could try to be a little less shiny. Oh, I just realized what somewhat annoys me about her. She has a bit of a lisp that makes her sound like she’s baby talking sometimes when she sings. She definitely has a good voice, even singing “The Climb”. I can’t imagine that I would ever be interested in owning any album that she made though. Unless she went all Britney Spears bad girl at some point in time. Not that I own any Britney Spears albums. I don’t. I’m not just saying that. I really don’t. Randy hated this performance, and no one else was crazy about it, either.

Is everybody from Texas this year? Lacey Brown is the, what, fifth? Sixth? I really feel like America let me down by making me listen to her one more time this week because I REALLY did NOT like her last week. This week she sang “Kiss Me”. Was it better? Maybe a smidge, though I thought she was going to try to bore me to death again when she first started singing. Something about her is irksome. Ellen thought she was adorable. Maybe that’s what I find irksome. Not big on the adorable factor. Or maybe it’s her “unique tone”, as Kara said.

Katie Stevens is adorable. In a good way. She cracks me up. She’s singing “Put Your Records On”. When I see American Idol and this song, I always think of Ayla Brown (now- Senator Brown’s daughter). I have to say Katie blew that away. Katie can probably blow away just about anybody, given the right song. She does remind me a bit McFever. Except SHE was NOT adorable. Randy: “Know what I’m saying?” No, Randy, not really. Apparently Ellen wants her to be sucking a thumb and wearing a diaper. I don’t get the judges’ reaction to this performance.

I’m not sure “Lean on Me” was the best choice for Didi Benami, although she did do a good job of mixing it up. It just seems like a bit of an odd choice. I still like her a lot, though, and right now would put her in my top five-ish. Randy didn’t like her choice, either. Okay, I again don’t know what the judges are hearing. My husband didn’t like this number, either, but I thought it was pretty good. Or at least well performed, even if an odd choice of song. I have never heard the judges say that they’re frustrated as often as they have this year. Aww, they made poor Didi cry…

Speaking of weird song choices… Michelle Delamor. “With Arms Wide Open”? Creed? Really? It’s not that it was horrible (although my husband just muttered that he hates it). It’s kind of like Whitney Houston singing Creed. Yeah, like that. It’s a little bizarre. I’m going to start counting how many times they say frustrated. Yeah, everybody channeled Paula and gave fashion advice. Kara and Simon liked it. Okay, clearly I’m in an alternate reality from the judges tonight. I happen to know I’m not the only one.

Well, isn’t Lilly Scott the musical one? She plays a whole bunch o’ instruments. Tonight she played the twelve string guitar to Sam Cook’s “A Change is Gonna’ Come”. Yeah, I kind of missed Lilly right along with Casey James. How did that happen. But tonight’s performance was excellent. And FINALLY I got to be on the same page with the judges.

Katelyn Epperly also chose to play an instrument. She played piano while singing Coldplay’s “The Scientist”. Kara’s probably still not going to like her style tonight. It was a bit slow. But generally well sung. This does happen to be one that I would call a bit indulgent. There were some mixed opinions from the judges.

I don’t remember Paige Miles being this good last week. She did a great job with “Walk Away” (written by Kara). The shame of it all is that two girls are still going to have to go home tomorrow. Can’t we just send home four boys? Well, actually I have two girls I could send home. But then next week… we’ll see. Mixed reviews from the judges on this one, as well.

Siobahn Magnus IS a funny little thing. She’s really, really good. And she just cracks me up. She actually reminds me of someone I know, but I just can’t think who. The judges loved this.

So, who do you think is going home tomorrow night.

Michael Lynche performed “It’s a Man’s World” by James Brown. It went well. The judges liked it. I’ve liked Michael Lynche all along. I thought it was really sweet when his baby girl was born during Hollywood week.

Next up was John Park, whose primary language is Korean– who knew? He sang John Mayer’s “Gravity”. I still wasn’t that fond of him. It’s not that he’s horrible. It was just kind of boring. He’s just not very “into” the music. The judges thought it was much better than last week but still not that good. Simon called it a “so what” performance.

Casey James is a favorite of several people I know– you know who you are. He has a secret pre-show ritual that he won’t share but might if he makes top ten, so everybody better keep voting for him. He played the electric guitar and sang Gavin DeGraw’s “I Don’t Want to Be”. His fans will not be disappointed. Have to admit. I thought Casey James made it through Hollywood on his nice disposition and good looks. But he was really good tonight. He received mixed reviews from the judges. Randy really liked it, but the other judges weren’t really a fan of the performance.

Stage fright is a problem for Alex Lambert, who admitted to throwing up before the show last week. He has his own language that he made up in the 6th grade. He is a sweet kid, but this seems like this would be torture to him. He took on John Legend’s “Everybody Knows”. He was a million times better this week than last week. I think he should play his guitar every week. That last note was a little rocky. The judges agreed that he’d improved a lot. Ellen said her unripe banana had ripened.

I really liked Todrick Hall’s rendition of Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got to do With it”. I did think he could have danced more. He seemed like he was fighting against wanting to dance. I still think he’s one of my favorites, and I still think he could be an r&b star. The judges hated his performance. Simon thought he should just dance and stop singing, comparing it to a theme park performance. I haven’t figured out what’s going on with them and him. They keep saying he’s changing up songs too much, but there’s never been an issue in the past. So, apparently they just don’t like his arrangements.

Jermaine Sellers wears footie pajamas (well, without the feet) and uses a steam mask to open his voice. He sang “What’s Going On”. I thought it was still a bit too “old”. And a little bit boring. The judges were also less than impressed. Kara gave the best advice, telling him to concentrate on the meaning of the song, instead of trying to impress with technical tricks.

Breakdancer Andrew Garcia has been one of my favorites all along. Actually, I picked him in Hollywood week to go all the way to final three. He’s sang James Morrison’s “You Give Me Something”. This seemed like such an odd choice for him- it was a little light and elevator music to me. Randy said he was pitchy. I didn’t pick up pitchy, but I thought he just seemed like he wasn’t that into it. Ellen really liked it, though. Simon took issue with his song choice, as well.

Aaron Kelly chose “My Girl”, which seemed like a really good choice. It was a little high school talent show for me– and not necessarily the winner of the talent show. Overly sincere. Too… I don’t know, just too. The judges really liked it. So, I’m not sure. Are my ears broken? Yea, Simon!! Simon didn’t like it. I mean, I don’t want bad things for Aaron. I just thought it was eww.

Hey, Tim Urban is one of ten kids. As the Mom of six, I really appreciate that kind of big family. I didn’t initially recognize the song he was singing “Come on, Get Higher”. He was another one who was much better this week, although I think he still seemed a little stiff at the beginning of the song, in particular. I’m not sure that he has a strong enough voice to make it to end, but hey I thought the same thing about Chris last year. Of course, Randy gave him the dreaded “karaoke” tag. Ouch. Ellen thought he should be on Glee because he could be an actor who sings, but just not a singer. Simon thought it was a marked improvement. Go figure.

I have a friend who refers to Lee Dewyze as Danny Gokey’s cuter brother or Gokey Lite, which cracks me up. I can see that. He sang “Lips of an Angel”– really hate the lyrics of this song. So, it was hard for me to get past that. But, yes, it was a good performance. I don’t even remember Lee at all from Hollywood. So, he’s been a dark horse for me. He just came out of nowhere. The judges really liked him, although Simon thinks he ought to get more self confidence.

Alright, who were your favorites tonight? I liked Casey James and Gokey Lite. Oh, and Michael Lynche. I want Todrick and Andrew to stay because I think they can both be great, so come on America– give them another shot.

But who I am to say… they’re the ones running the best rated show on tv. I just hope they find a way to use Ellen’s comic talent in a way that doesn’t take away from the music. I felt like “So you think you can dance” didn’t do that when she guest hosted it. Time will tell…

Kris Allen!

Well, just as I predicted (I don’t usually get these right), Kris Allen won the 2009 edition of American Idol.

I think that a combination of Kris Allen fans and Adam Lambert haters put Kris over the top. I am not sure Kris could have won if it weren’t for the fact that there are about as many people who absolutely HATE Adam as there are who like him. That actually should mean really good things for Adam’s music career.

This was the first year that I can remember not caring who won. Every year prior to this year I had a clear cut favorite, but this year I thought both finalists were good singers and neither of them really moved me like some of the past contestants.

So what do you think? Should Kris Allen have won or was Adam Lambert ripped off?

Will it be Adam Lambert or Kris Allen?

I am personally leaning towards Kris, but I think it’s going to be very close. It really depends on whether or not the Kris Allen fans and the Adam Lambert haters have bigger numbers than the Adam Lambert fans.

Both of them are very talented. So who do you think will be the 8th winner of American Idol?

Good luck to both of them… it should be a close final.

Much like my wife, I would never have pegged Kris as my favorite contestant come final 3 time, but right now he is definitely my favorite, followed by Adam Lambert and Danny Gokey. Early on my favorites were Danny and Allison. I still wish Allison were in it, because she was my favorite contestant watch.

So, who do you think is going home? I think it’s a close call because all of them are pretty evenly matched talent wise. If I had to bet on it I would say Danny is going home, but I wouldn’t be surprised by Kris or even Adam going home. We will know soon enough…

So who will be the final 2? I am thinking it will be Danny and Adam, but it could easily be Kris and Danny or Kris and Adam. Time will tell…

Who do you think is going home tomorrow?

I like all four of them, but I didn’t agree with the judges tonight. I thought that Kris had the best performance of the night. That said, I expect Kris to be the one going home.

My personal favorite of the final 4 contestants is Allison. She is pretty amazing for a 17 year old.

So who do you think will go home?

One of the changes was fewer train wrecks. If last night was any indication, then the rumors are greatly exaggerated. There were plenty of “iffy” contestants last night. Personally, I’m not a fan of the dreadful auditions. I know that the exploitation (um, I mean, viewing) of the American Idol equivalent of sideshow freaks has its fans– I just don’t happen to be one of them.

I’m not suggesting that the auditions should only show those who make it. But there are plenty of good people who don’t make it through. Showing more of those people would serve a couple of purposes. One, it would provide exposure and a potential break for some singers who don’t make it to Hollywood. Two, there would be more drama. With most of the auditions, you can tell within the first five seconds whether the person is going to make it through or not. With some, you can tell before they ever sing a note.

My favorites are those that could have gone either way. Will they? Won’t they? They’re good, but are they good enough? An okay singer, but really entertaining. A great voice with the presentation skills of dried moss. To me, those are the auditions that interest me and help me see all the components that really go into making a star.

So, what do you think? How is American Idol 8 so far? Do we need more train wrecks, fewer train wrecks, or is it just right?

DAVID COOK!!

I’ll try to write more on the finale tomorrow night, assuming I don’t have a baby tonight.

The coin flip last week went to David Archuleta, who chose to sing second (smart call). Both singers’ first songs were chosen by Clive Davis. David Cook was given “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”, and David Archuleta was given “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me”. I thought both did a decent job. David Cook added in a little flair, but you really don’t want to mess with the U2 classic too much. Clive Davis really did right by David Archuleta, choosing a song that already has a lot of the runs and drawn out notes that he likes. Because they were already written into the song, David didn’t feel the need to overdo the song.

The second songs were from the song writing competition. Unlike previous years when both singers have been saddled with singing the same song, no matter whether it suits them both or not, this year the Davids were allowed to choose their own songs from the top ten vote getters. David C. chose an upbeat number that I thought was a little “pop” for him but still at least entertaining. David A. chose a sappy ballad– exactly the kind of song that the producers would usually choose for the finalists to sing. Exactly the kind of song I really don’t enjoy. Simon thought it was more in keeping with the tone of the night. Really? Given the boxing them, wouldn’t that be “Eye of the Tiger”?

The final song of the evening was contestants’ choice. David C. chose to tackle a new song– Collective Soul’s “The World I Know”. It was good, more of a sensitive low-key performance from him. Simon thought he should have returned to “Hello” or “Billie Jean”, but he said he preferred to show progression by singing a new song, rather than something he’d sung before. David A. chose to sing my favorite song of the year (not really) “Imagine”. Frankly, I was talking on the phone during the performance, so I’m not absolutely sure whether it was better or worse, but I think it was about the same. Since I thought it was hideously oversung to begin with, his comments about giving it more sent shivers down my spine.

So, that was it. As expected, the judges favored David Archuleta. Randy said he was exactly what “American Idol” is about. And he’s right. American Idol is about turning out a very mainstream pop singer. David Archuleta will be perfect for that. I had to keep reminding myself, though, that I don’t want David Cook to win because it’s in his best interest to come in second. Still, part of me can’t help but wish…

What about you? Who was your favorite tonight?

Fantasia performed, and her red hair and wild dancing were about the most exciting part of the evening. We could sure have used some of her energy and animation this season.

There were home visits. David Archuleta visited Murray City, Utah and was overwhelmed by the response. Syesha returned home to Sarasota, Florida and was overwhelmed by the response. David Cook visited Kansas City and Blue Springs Missouri and was overwhelmd by the response. We did find out that David Cook originally didn’t even plan to audition– he just went to the auditions to support his younger brother.

Finally, the final two were revealed. Again, it was no surprise. The finale next week will be between the two Davids, as has been expected for weeks. It could be an interesting show. Or it could be another fairly predictable, somewhat boring week.

What do you think of the final two?