"Idol" Poll Reveals Carrie Underwood "Most Popular," Jason Castro "Most Overrated"

According to a recent poll, Carrie Underwood was voted the all-time most popular American Idol winner, grabbing 54 percent of the vote to beat out second-place finisher Kelly Clarkson. The poll also focused on the current season of AI, which will wrap up this week. If you're looking at this poll to predict this season's American Idol winner, you're out of luck: both David Archuleta's version of "Imagine" and David Cook's Chris Cornell-ified cover of "Billie Jean" tied for the season's best performance with 35 percent of the vote. On the flip side, Jason Castro's half-baked version of Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man" was voted the season's worst performance, while the recently dismissed Castro also won the award for this season's "Most Overrated Contestant." Michael Johns was voted losing contestant most likely to still have a successful career, and a whopping 63 percent felt that Idol contestants with a previous record contract (a la Carly Smithson) should not be allowed to compete on the show.

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Song Stories

“Time to Pretend”

MGMT | 2008

Listening to MGMT’s breakthrough song, one might interpret it as being about the excesses of rock stardom, but it’s actually about the duo’s pet praying mantis. Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden told Rolling Stone they got the idea from the insect's jerky movements. The mantis died, but the two bandmates kept the egg sack and allowed the hundreds of eggs to hatch. “We tried to name them all, but they died after a day,” said Goldwasser, with VanWyngarden chiming in, “But the praying mantis dance inspired us.”

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