My Idol Views

American Idol has some of their best singers yet this season; so many were so good that it was really hard to choose favorites from the final 36 (and frankly, I'm still disappointed they didn't put Cody Sheldon through to the finals).

The Wild Card competition was just as difficult - how can you choose just 3 out of 8 really great singers? Apparently the judges couldn't do it either, because they opted for 4 out of the 8, making it the first ever Top 13 in the finals.

Here's the line-up:

Kris Allen

Megan Corkrey

Anoop Desai

Matt Giraud

Danny Gokey

Alexis Grace

Allison Iraheta

Adam Lambert

Scott MacIntyre

Jasmine Murray

Jorge Nunez

Lil Rounds

Michael Sarver

Although strange things have happened each year on Idol, I'm predicting Lil Rounds and Adam Lambert will be in for a long time - but that's not going out on much of a limb, is it? They're both outstanding singers with great stage presence and they already look like stars.

As for my personal favorites - well, that vote goes to Anoop Desai and Jasmine Murray. Neither is as polished as Lil or Adam, but they're both bursting with talent and personality, and that X factor that makes you want to keep watching.

Just curious - Tatiana Del Toro. The girl can sing, no question. But could you have handled her histrionics every week if she'd made it through?

In Search of Mr./Ms. Right?

Then you definitely want to join us at this week's Be(e) You Sunday at Gulfstream Park.

In addition to our lite yoga class and lite brunch, our inspirational speaker will be Ann Robbins of Lifeworks Matchmaking. Ann is more than just a matchmaker. She's a relationship coach, a career coach and a life coach, and has great insight on how to make all kinds of relationships work.

It's all free, beginning at 10:30 a.m. at Sport of Kings at Gulfstream.

No green thumb required

From this ... To this ...

A new recycling concept - save things like pet hair, dryer lint and tea bags for compost.

Check out www.greenissexy.org.

Cheesey but Irresistible

I have to admit, with all the hype surrounding the release of the movie, "Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Expeirence", I've actually become a fan of the boys. After catching them on a pre-release visit to The Letterman Show, I was taken with their intelligence and personality. And hey, if they were my kids, I'd sure be proud of them selling out Madison Square Garden.

In case your teenage daughter needs more Jonas Brothers after seeing the movie every day since it opened, Kraft Singles is offering special free downloads.

Of course, if your musical taste runs to a band closer to your own age, well U2's new album, "No Line On the Horizon" is out today, and in their own version of hype, they're performing on Letterman every night this week. Yes, every night. And on Good Morning America Friday.

She's no Apprentice

Yes, Carolyn Kepcher sat by Donald Trump's side in The Apprentice Boardroom - but she's a leader in her own right, founding Carolyn & Co. business consulting firm and authoring 'Carolyn 101'.

She'll be offering her business insight as one of the keynote speakers at this year's 5th Annual Work Life Balance Educational Conference for Women, teaching 'Lessons for Career Success'.

Also lined up as a keynote - James Arthur Ray, one of the teachers of 'The Secret', speaking about 'The Secret of Attracting the Life You Want'.

It's one of the best networking opportunities you'll find. Everyone I know who's attended the Conference has walked away inspired and empowered, and applied the lessons learned to really improve their lives..

You can register online at http://www.balancemagazine.com. I suggest registering soon - this event always sells out.

By the way - Carolyn will be our guest on Be(e) You Radio Sunday night, March 8th - tune in at 10 p.m.!

Nature's Art

I don't know a lot about photography, but I do know when I see a picture that takes my breath away.

When I was on vacation this weekend, I stumbled on a store filled with works by Thomas Mangelsen, a biologist turned photographer, whose pictures are stunning - you know, the kind that make you feel like you're right there seeing the trees, the birds, the bears, etc., in person. I had no idea, but Tanzania is beautiful - this picture, 'Jewel of the Serengeti', taken in Tanzania, was the one that first caught my eye. (By the way - I know it's listed as 'out of print', but it's still available as an art poster.)

Need a vacation?

Actually, according to Joe Robinson, author of 'Work to Live', we all need vacation - and more of it than we're usually allotted - so we can function more effectively in the rest of our life. Robinson is spearheading a movement to have a minimum amount of paid vacation time become a legal mandate, as it is in other countries (it's true - in most other developed nations, workers get at least 4 to 6 weeks paid vacation a year).

You can take his Burnout Survey to find out just how badly you need to get away.

You'll also hear him talk more about the importance of taking time off when he's a guest on Be(e) You Radio, Sunday, March 8th, 10 p.m. on 101.5 LITE FM.

Barockin' Kendall

Well, here's a side of Barack Obama's economic stimulus plan that I hadn't thought of - Obama lookalikes will be well-employed for at least the next few years.

I was at West Kendall Toyota this weekend, looked up and flipped, thinking the president had come to visit. He approved of the LITE FM Money Machine as a way to stimulate the economy, one winner at a time.