From Anoop to... poop.

Darn. So in the end, it was Lil and Anoop booted off Idol. Alison was in the bottom two? And lucky Justin..um, I mean Matt G., was saved? Whatever.

Ultimately I suppose it doesn't matter as it's clear the final will be between Danny and Adam, unless Chris brings our some serious juice in the next few weeks. (Btw, is it just me, or is his spouse really annoying? I'm sure she is really lovely in person.. )

I was definitely sad to see Anoop-dog leave the Idol stage. He was a class act to the end and made me (and I'm sure all of us Indo-Americans) proud. I hope his career is from here to Bollywood and beyond...and I hope Chapel Hill will give him a ticker tape parade or something. (Ya hear me, Dan Niblock? Throw him some damn ticker tape when he drives in front of your office.. )

Now for the story behind the headline of this post: Just as I was turning off my DVR with misty eyes about my Indo-Idol reject, the promo for the local news came on. Turns out some family in Yakima was emptying out their son's backpack after school and found a smelly surprise in it. Rhymes with Anoop. I swear -- here's the story.. The teacher sent it home with a post-it note that read "This little turd was found on the floor in my room."

?????????

P.S. I am still gonna watch Idol and root for Adam!

Idol scoop: Will it be Anoop? And some really good fries.

I am writing this quickly at 9 p.m. on Wed. For those of you on the East Coast who already know what happened on Idol tonight, Shhhhhhhh. Us West Coasters are about to get cozy on the couch to watch. (I personally like to let my DVR start recording for a bit so I can zip through the 'mercials.) That said, a quick recap from last night, which I've been meaning to do all day:

Lil Rounds' outfit. Wow. Hair darling. Judges hated her, but did you see the way her Mama was defending her? Loved that.

Chris Allen pulled a total Jason Mraz, who I happen to love, so he is gradually growing on me.

Allison -- she is freakin' 16! Top Three for sure.

Danny Gokee -- he is just safe. Killer voice. Sad background story, yeah. But personality-wise, just safe.

Adam, Adam, Adam...you totally expected him to get all funky, and then he sings a ballad. the dude is great. I don't recall a contestant who consistently gets kudos from all the judges, week after week.

Matt Geraud -- yeah, he can sing. But all anyone talks about is how he looks like Justin Timberlake. Ultimately, that's all that he leaves you with.

Anoop -- rough night vocally in a few spots (especially the end, which he knew.) But he looked preppy-fab -- loved the pink and the second-day scruff. I think he went to the waxer AGAIN! Three of four judges gave him props, so maybe, just maybe... (P.S.: I am trying to get a split screen of his mother and my mother, so you can appreciate how they were separated at birth.. the resemblance is uncanny!!)

Upshot: If the people voted on what actually happened last night, then Lil and Matt are going home and Anoop sneaks into top 5.

Ok, gotta go watch. Meanwhile..

My boy and I had an afternoon date today as his sis had a playdate and school got out at noon. Since he is on a major growing spurt, he needed a second lunch, so we hit Kidd Valley in Kirkland [5910 Lake Washington Blvd NE]. They do burgers and shakes. Yum. Best of all, they have sweet potato fries to die for! What fast food place has those?? They also may have the friendliest server in fast food history -- Tina, who knows most of the customers by name and has a chat for everyone. (I noticed she won Employee of the Quarter recently.. way to go Tina!) We will be back -- great summer spot to grab lunch and then picnic across the street at Houghton Beach Park, overlooking Lake Washington.

Anoop-Dog Is (Still) In Da House!!!

After years of watching American Idol, sometimes more passionately than other times (loved the seasons with Kelly & Justin, Taylor & Catherine, David & David; hated Clay &.. what was his name?, and Carrie & Bo)-- this season I am not only riveted, I've actually voted. And of course it has been for my fellow Indo-American peep Anoop Desai! And he is still hanging in there, this week in the Top 7!

This kind of ethnic-based support is a result of years of hearing my parents make a big deal when an Indian has done something newsworthy outside of India. But back in the day, the names were few and far between. Tennis players Vijay Amritraj and Ramesh Krishnan; director Mira Nair (for great flicks like Mississipi Masala and Monsoon Wedding). In more recent years, Leander Paes made it big in tennis, as has Sonia Mirza. And it was a huge deal when Parminder Nagra of Bend It Like Beckham fame made it as a regular on ER -- and then she even got a gig as a spokesmodel for some makeup company and was actually in magazines!

The thing is, while I have always rooted for the Indian, most of these were people who grew up in India.

It wasn't until I read I-A author Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake, the ultimate book about the Indo-American experience, written in the voice of a first-generation Indian American, and saw the movie (directed by Nair) that I started to relate to a whole new breed of the I-A celebrity. These are people, who, like me, grew up with Indian immigrant parents in this country. We are very American in the way we live, the friends we have, the way we talk, the way we dress, the way we eat. But we are inextricably tied to our parents' mother country.

In recent weeks it seems the I-As have been making a celeb splash in all sorts of fields. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal was on the shortlist to become John McCain's veep candidate. Sanjay Gupta, the CNN Medical Reporter, was Obama's first choice for Surgeon General. (He eventually turned it down.) Padma Lakshmi (who moved to the US as an adolescent, so I will count her) just got naked in the recent issue of Allure and is all over the Food Network and TV ads. (I have plenty to say about her clothing-challenged magazine shoot, but will save that for another post.) Obama has even added a few I-As to his administration -- actor Kal Penn (of Harold and Kumar fame) is now Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Liaison, while the country's Chief Technology Officer is Aneesh Chopra (who happens to be the college roommate of a former newspaper colleague of mine).

It's not that I am surprised by all this I-A success. Just pleased to see my own face looking back at me in so many high profile venues. (Ok, I am not saying Padma Lakshmi looks like me. I am not saying that at all.)

Here's to hoping that Anoop makes it through another week. Since they're kicking two Idols off this week, that would vault him to the Top Five.

And that sure would be something to sing about.