by Kimberly Grams
By the time this is posted, American Idol’s Top 12 will soon become the Top 10.
I’ve watched enough Idol, that I get kinda bored. I know what the judges will say, before they say it (my kids think this is a cool trick). Slow songs make my eyes glaze over. On Survivor, you can’t sit out the same person in back-to-back challenges; AI should have a rule: you can’t do two slow songs in a row. Hey, that’d be a GREAT theme week – only upbeat songs!
So, why don’t I quit? Well, once, I skipped season of Survivor. It was a great one. I missed it. And then, I didn’t know all the players on “All-Stars” or “Fans vs. Faves”. I don’t want to miss a crucial Pop Culture moment! Plus, how many shows can I watch and discuss with my daughters AND my mom?
Here’s my take so far. (FYI: we give them nicknames at the beginning to tell them apart):
Carly Smithson (Irish rocker chick) – Amazing voice, memorable. Sang well Week 1 (with bronchitis) and was best female of Week 2. She’s the top female contender.
Syesha Mercado (Big hair, big voice girl) – Some say she shouts, but I’m not hearing it. Has stage-presence. I hate the song she sang Week 2 (“Me and Mr. Jones”). I’d like to see more of her, but she needs to pick non-boring songs.
Brooke White (Carly Simon blonde) – Cute, sweet, and the blonde who stands out most. Sooner or later the power vocalists’ll knock her out.
Ramiele Malubay (Cool hair girl) – Great voice, but I remember her hairdo more than her singing.
Kristy Lee Cook (One of the other blondes) – She was clearly ill Week 1, so she gets some slack. But she hasn’t done anything amazing since “Amazing Grace”. The others will leave her in the dust.
Amanda Overmyer (Nurse rocker chick) – LOVE her, and she’s never boring. Unfortunately, her Week 2 song was atrocious. I’ll give any of my favorites a pass if they are sick/have a bad week. She can’t afford to be bad again. I hope she sings great and stays awhile.
Kady Malloy (The Brittney blonde) – Since the actual Brittney doesn’t seem to care about her career, maybe she could have it. THAT would be entertaining.
Asia’h Epperson (Girl whose dad died) – My kids: “Which one is that?” Me: “The girl whose dad died.” We could re-name her “raspy voice girl”. Like her OK, but can’t figure out if her raspy-ness and clipped consonants are stylistic, or a vocal problem.
Michael Johns (Aussie rocker) – Sometimes strains for those top notes, but pulls it out. Charismatic enough to sell out stadiums. If he doesn’t win Idol, some band will scoop him up as front man.
Jason Castro (Dreadlock dude) – He got NO airtime before the Top 24, but his unique look and interview (about how he hates to talk in interviews) are charming. I’ve still got his version of “Daydream” from WEEK 1 in my head (and not in a bad way). He proves that talent trumps TV time.
Luke Menard (Orlando Bloom’s brother) – He looks like Orlando Bloom’s brother and…he looks like Orlando Bloom’s brother. Sorry, bro, but you can’t get by on looks this season. By the time this article is posted, you’ll be bye-bye.
Danny Noriega (Snap! Snap! Snap!) – THE funnest thing to happen to Idol in awhile. His “some people weren’t likin’ it” (with the head bop), and “ish” (without) – were classic. Although Simon wasn’t likin’ his Elvis song, WE were (especially my daughters). Time for him to pull out the vocals I know he has. (I will be SO depressed if he’s voted out early).
David Herandez (the Latino guy we like) – During Hollywood week we wondered, “why haven’t they shown him more – he’s fantastic”! Week 1 he didn’t stand out enough. He didn’t have that problem Week 2 with his take on “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” (He changed it up 9 ways from the over-played radio version). He has the voice, but will have to work to compete with the others’ charisma.
Chikezie (Jacuzzi) – Awful week 1, and only OK week 2. Memorable more for his name and wardrobe than songs. Not good enough.
David Cook (other rocker dude) – I like Michael Johns better. But, since rockers are fun, I want him to stay as long as possible.
David Archuleta (the little guy) – All right, he’s adorable and can sing like an angel. The camera loves him. And, he took a song that I HATE (John Lennon’s “Imagine”) skipped the offensive verse (about there being no heaven) and made me LIKE it. He hasn’t made any mistakes – yet. I’ll be shocked if he’s not in the top 2.
My perfect Top 10:
Carly Smithson, Syesha Mercado, Amanda Overmyer, Asai’h Eperson, Michael Johns, Danny Noriega, David Hernandez, David Cook, David Archeleta, Jason Castro
Who should go next:
Girls – Kady Malloy, one of the other blondes, don’t care which one
Guys – Luke Menard, Chikezie
Ideal Final four:
Carly Smithson, Michael Johns, David Archuleta and ??? (I’m not ready to call the last spot – gotta see who makes transitions well to the big stage and who gets eaten alive).
Who will win:
CAN a rocker win? If so, this might be the year, with even odds (so far) going to both Carly and Michael. The main Idol demographic seems to skew the other way, which is great for David Archeleta. He seems to be the one to beat, but it’s still VERY early. Will there be “cuteness” backlash? Will he make mistakes? Are there enough rock-fan viewers to counter-act the tween girl/grandma vote?
There’s too many weeks until the end; I haven’t picked my ultimate favorite yet. In the meantime, I want to be ENTERTAINED. So, America, for the love of Idol, PLEASE boot the boring and voted for the varied!
Kim Grams is a writer and pastor’s wife who lives in Scottsbluff, NE. A dancer and an avid reality TV viewer, she has also written Diary of An American Idol Junkie.
