Local Experts Weigh In On "Idol"

Fox reporter Stacy McCloud with Mansfield, Kennedy and Freeman

For all you American Idol junkies, Nashville’s Fox 17 is hosting a panel of music biz experts each Tues. night after the show to weigh in on what happened that evening. On the panel each week until the end of the season are MusicRow Chart Director Jon Freeman, USA Today Nashville correspondent Brian Mansfield and Cherry Heart Sr. VP Shelby Kennedy, all returning for the second year in a row to offer thoughts and analysis. See the clip from week 1 here, and tune in tomorrow night (3/30) during the 9 PM news.

Mansfield, who also writes USA Today’s Idol Chatter blog, posted an interesting thought over the weekend: “The doomsday scenario: How Tim Urban wins ‘American Idol'”

By all rights, this ought to be the week that Tim Urban finally goes home. The dreamy-eyed, questionably talented 20-year-old from Duncanville, Texas, who owes his American Idol spot to Chris Golightly’s dodgy interpretation of contract questions, has made the bottom three the first two weeks of the finals. The other contestants in the initial trio — Lacey Brown and Paige Miles — already have sung their farewell songs. Logic says, then, that this should be the week Tim’s luck finally runs out.

But what if it’s not?

What if Tim’s repeated brushes with obscurity have served only to energize his fan base? And what if a week of Disney Channel stars on Idol actually expanded that base?

What if 12-year-old girls — you remember, the ones that supposedly mass-texted Kris Allen to victory last season — actually exist in the numbers Kris’ detractors imagined? And what if they’ve formed some unholy alliance with a more-powerful-than-expected Vote for the Worst faction?

What if Tim can ride that bottom-three wave all season long, managing to eke out a few more votes each week than just one other contestant until, finally, there are no other contestants left?

Finish reading.