After this week's horribly long and drawn out Top 24 selection, I'm left feeling positive about the vocalists left but negative about the personalities that will be representing Idol's ninth season from here on out. Don't get me wrong, there are some great candidates among this batch as evidenced by performances during Hollywood Week, but no one is screaming "wow!" yet. Who knows, that could always change come Tuesday and Wednesday as we all know, but that's just the impression I'm left with right now.
Regardless, it is not too early to start predicting a Top 12 out of who we're left with, so here it goes:
The Top 12 of American Idol: Season 9
Aaron Kelly
Aaron has already wrapped up the tween girl and grandma vote because he's apparently "cute." Trouble is, he seems to have problems remembering lyrics as shown during Hollywood Week, but I guess Simon thought it wasn't enough to disbar him from making the semifinals. Aaron is this season's David Archuleta, but he will not make it as far as Arch did because 1) his voice isn't as good and 2) it's not a guy's year. Still, he will probably at the very least make it to the Top 7 or 5 based on voting trends over the past eight seasons, and he's got a good amount of air time to this point.
Andrew Garcia
The guys' front runner by default. That said, he is most likely going to place second (or maybe third) when all's said and done. Danny Gokey made it that far, after all, and everyone and their mother is dubbing Andrew this season's Gokey. A big difference is obviously the styles of music the two sing, although Danny was pretty much an R&B/Soul singer before he decided country music would be a better career choice. Add in a dash of sob story with Andrew's "father trying to provide for his family" theme and those trademark glasses and we've got ourselves a hot one (as Randy Jackson will probably say to him at least once during the competition).
Ashley Rodriguez
Ashley would probably be the producers' dream winner. She's a very attractive girl, insanely marketable and Hispanic, which is combination the show has never seen. The 22 year-old Berklee student's Achilles heel will probably be the fact that her voice is suited better for the studio and not for live performances, which are a big part of being on this show. Still, she should do well enough to at least make it to the Top 8, with an outside shot at finishing in the Top 4, which would be good news for her home state of Massachusetts, which has never seen one of its residents make it to the finals. But in not overlooking this season's selection of female candidates, it wouldn't be odd to wake up one day in late May to find out she won. Ashley's definitely worth keeping an eye on.
Casey James
Casey's voice is nothing special, but he has some unexplainable appeal with girls (especially Kara). He has a good deal of hype going into next week and considering he's more on the unique side than any of his male counterparts (with the exception of probably
Tyler Grady, who will not make it to the finals), he's a good bet to make a strong showing this season. In fact, it wouldn't be out of the question to suggest he might be standing next to Katie Stevens on finale night when the results are being read. But at this moment, it's safe to say he will be in the Top 12 at the very least.
Crystal Bowersox
If you just took one look at Crystal, you'd scoff at the idea of her being a finalist on this show. But upon listening to her soulful, heartfelt vocal performances, it's enough to make you think twice of laughing at her chances to do well here. She definitely has a unique appeal, and probably needs somewhat of a makeover if she wants to actually win (because let's face it, Americans usually go for the pretty face over the not so pretty face), but her vocals will get her far on their own. Add to this the fact that her baby son will probably be flashed before, during and after every performance of hers and she won't have too much to worry about when it comes to making the finals.
Didi Benami
Didi is without a doubt a front runner going into the semifinals. Probably the best evidence of this is her effect on the iTunes chart, as
Katharine McPhee's version of the song she sang, "Terrified," launched into the Top 50 of the chart following her performance during day one of Hollywood Week. Add to this her emotional "best friend dying" sob story (a la Danny Gokey) and her innate ability to cry on cue and Didi will make it very far in this competition, with heavy odds to take the whole thing in this "girl's year." The only thing that will work against her is the fact she's from LA.
Idol is notorious for rewarding the title to someone from backroads America, not the dirty streets of Hollywood. Maybe that will change this season?
Janell Wheeler
Janell had some good showings in Hollywood, specifically on day one. But her less than stellar take on Taylor Swift's "Love Story" was not a good note to end on before making the Top 24. Still, she has been heavily featured during the auditions rounds and has an All-American girl appeal, so that will definitely play to her strengths. Look for her to be the
Melissa McGhee/
Haley Scarnato of Season 9, with her most likely taking the spot of a "more deserving" contestant like
Lilly Scott.
Joe Munoz
Joe will be this year's unexpected Top 12 contestant (see
Kris Allen). However, unlike Kris, Joe will not make it too far. Even though he's been barely a blip on the radar in episodes up till now, Joe does have a strong voice as evidenced by some of his pre-
Idol material. Still, considering there are some more high profile guys that will have to fill up their six allotted spots, they will most likely make it farther as girls begin to outlast them as the weeks pass, and Joe will be seen as being on the expendable side. But I guess you can never really count someone out when it comes to this show (again, see Kris Allen).
Haeley Vaughn
Haeley is this season's dark horse, despite what many people might be saying about her at the present. She has all the features of a commercially viable artist, including youth (she's 16 years-old), the fact that she's a country artist (Simon recently said they're looking for the next
Taylor Swift this season) and her appealing personality. Her biggest threat to the crown will be Katie Stevens because they're close in age, but Haeley will able to carve out her own path to victory.
Katie Stevens
At this time Katie is the girl to beat, and considering the fact that a girl will win this season, that makes her the overall person to beat. She has a powerhouse voice as displayed during Hollywood Week when she sang "For Once In My Life" and she is very cute. Besides her age and gender, things the make Katie the probable winner at this point are her
JoJo-esque, R&B-tinged voice and her "grandmother with Alzheimer's" sob story. If Katie can withstand fellow teenager Haeley and more experienced performer Didi then she'll be a shoe-in for the Top 3, and most likely our next American Idol.
Lee DeWyze
Even though he mumbled and fumbled his way through Hollywood Week, Lee has a very marketable image and his voice is one of the standouts among the Top 24's males. He is somewhat of a cross between Kris Allen and
David Cook, which bodes well for his chances of making it far. What will be working against him is the fact that Aaron Kelly and Casey James already have well established fan bases, and they are most likely the best bets among the guys this time around because their collective field is really weak. Look for a finish somewhere between 8th and 5th place.
Michael Lynche
Michael, or "Big Mike," will have no problem sail through to the Top 12 thanks to his newborn baby girl's birth. That's pretty much all it comes down to, since even though he does have a somewhat good voice, he is really no more remarkable than
Matt Rogers or
Michael Sarver. Still, his near constant airtime is hard to ignore, and if does indeed make it into the finals, expect an early departure around 11th or 10th place.
What's the best part about this Top 12? There's no
Todrick Hall! (sorry, but Todrick is a bona fide scam artist and has no business being on this show). Hopefully America sees this, too.
What do you think? Is this the Top 12 of Season 9 or what? (All photos courtesy of
AmericanIdol.com).
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