Poll of the week: Michael Johns keeps the S7 streak alive

Season 7 ruled supreme for the second week in a row as its entrant in the most recent round of IDOL LIVE's 2010 edition of the poll of the week champion series was victorious.

Michael Johns garnered the most votes of all Idol alums that placed eighth, with 17, or 60% of all 28 votes cast for the week, No other alum came close to this take, with Season 8's Scott MacIntyre grabbing four votes (14%) and Season 9's Katie Stevens three (10%).

In the next round, readers will be asked which 7th-place finalist is their favorite of all nine seasons. Voting will be open for exactly one week.

A.J. Gil 0 (0%)
Rickey Smith 0 (0%)
Jon Peter Lewis 1 (3%)
Nadia Turner 1 (3%)
Bucky Covington 1 (3%)
Haley Scarnato 1 (3%)
Michael Johns 17 (60%)
Scott MacIntyre 4 (14%)
Katie Stevens 3 (10%)

Total votes: 28

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Was the Top 10's performance on GMA this morning a joke?

In case you missed it, Season 9's Top 10 finalists took a break from their busy Idols Live! tour (in fact, they even moved a show for it) this morning on ABC's Good Morning America. Following solo performances by Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox, it was time for all 10 finalists to take the stage for a medley of Bon Jovi's "It's My Life" and Kelly Clarkson's "My Life Would Suck Without You." Below is how it all went down:

I don't think there's ever been less of a reason to attend an Idol concert as this one. It was like George Stephanopolous and Robin Roberts raced up and down 42nd Street and grabbed the first 10 young people they saw, rushed them to Central Park, pushed them up on stage and forced them to sing on the spot.

Now, I'll give them the excuse that the cramped stage minimized their ability to move around, so dancing in place a la Aaron Kelly was pretty much the only other option. But c'mon, that was an embarrassment to group performances. The sloppy harmonies, the awkward poses the cameramen caught, the rampant out of tune singing, it never ends. In fact, it's more sad than anything, because they seem like a great group of people.

So as the show cancelations keep a'comin', is anyone really surprised why the tour is flailing around? I would not pay to see this on stage, and apparently many others feel the same.

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Poll of the week: Katie Stevens favorite Top 9 contestant (Pt. 2)

How ironic is it that the finalist who went home in eighth place tonight was IDOL LIVE readers' favorite Top 9 contestant in part two of the Top 9 edition of the poll of the week? Well, regardless, it happened.

Katie netted 31 votes, totaling 23% of all votes cast, which was two votes ahead of Siobhan's 29 votes (21%). Siobhan finished second in the poll of the week for the first time in four weeks.

The finalist who garnered the third-most votes for the week was none other than Lee, as he took in 20 (14%), which was ahead of Crystal's 17 votes (12%). Andrew, who left the show in ninth place tonight, only took in three votes (2%).

In the latest edition of the poll of the week series, readers are asked who their favorite Top 7 contestant is. Voting will be open for exactly one week.

Aaron Kelly 10 (7%)
Andrew Garcia 3 (2%)
Casey James 8 (5%)
Crystal Bowersox 17 (12%)
Katie Stevens 31 (23%)
Lee DeWyze 20 (14%)
Michael Lynche 2 (1%)
Siobhan Magnus 29 (21%)
Tim Urban 14 (10%)

Total votes: 134

Running total for Season 9:
24th - Haeley Vaughn (0 votes)*
21st (tie) - Janell Wheeler (2 votes)*
21st (tie) - Todrick Hall (2 votes)*
21st (tie) - Paige Miles (2 votes)*
19th (tie) - Joe Munoz (3 votes)*
19th (tie) - Jermaine Sellers (3 vote)*
17th (tie) - Tyler Grady (4 votes)*
17th (tie) - Michelle Delamor (4 votes)*
15th (tie) - John Park (6 votes)*
15th (tie) - Ashley Rodriguez (6 votes)*
13th (tie) - Lacey Brown (9 votes)*
13th (tie) - Michael Lynche (11 votes)
12th - Katelyn Epperly (10 votes)*
11th - Lilly Scott (14 votes)*
10th - Alex Lambert (22 votes)*
09th - Tim Urban (48 votes)
08th - Didi Benami (56 votes)*
07th - Andrew Garcia (58 votes)
06th - Casey James (60 votes)
05th - Aaron Kelly (75 votes)
04th - Katie Stevens (93 votes)*
03rd - Lee DeWyze (133 votes)
01st (tie) - Siobhan Magnus (158 votes)
01st (tie) - Crystal Bowersox (158 votes)

*indicates contestant has been eliminated

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IDOL LIVE predix: Top 9 Results [Pt. 2]

The music of Elvis Presley was alive and well at CBS Studios in Hollywood last night, which was actually a nice change for this season. Even though Adam Lambert didn't deserve to be the Top 9's mentor, he met expectations and was able to actually give targeted advice to some of them (whether or not they took the advice was another issue).

With that said, read my predictions for how tonight will go below:

Bottom 3
Katie, Andrew, Tim

Eliminated (9th)
Andrew

Eliminated (8th)
Tim

If all goes according to plan, tonight should be fairly easy to call. A predictable bottom three of Katie, Andrew and Tim should be in store (even though Katie and Tim were too good to be grouped with Aaron based on last night's performances). While Katie will merely be subjected to another scare after having a stress-free week, she shouldn't sweat it just yet.

Andrew on the other hand should finally bite the dust tonight, as he was just inches away from exiting last week, and he delivered another underwhelming showing last night, with nowhere to go but up or out. By ditching the guitar and opting to go on a world tour around the Idol stage, he showed that with nothing but a mic in his hands, he really can't hold a candle (figuratively, anyway) to his peers.

And then there's Tim, who actually surprised a lot of people these past two weeks. He will probably finish in eighth because his fans will have assumed he was safe and that Aaron was in danger (whom many of them also like) so if they didn't waste the rest of their night watching Glee, they probably dedicated it to helping Aaron out. Therefore, Tim will be the "shocker" that really wasn't a shocker, and even though his time shouldn't be up yet considering others that are still on the show aren't nearly as much fun, he can look back and say he went out on a high note.

In my original predictions I have Aaron and leaving in ninth-place (just like I did last week) and Lee leaving in eighth-place, so I probably won't be right on either count but hey, why start winning now?

Since the Top 24 I have correctly predicted 5-15 eliminations and since the Top 12 I have correctly predicted 1-3 eliminations.

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Poll of the week: Siobhan Magnus favorite Top 10 contestant

For the second week in a row, Siobhan was selected as the most popular remaining Idol finalist on the show per IDOL LIVE readers.

Siobhan took on 23 votes, which was easily enough for the top spot in the poll (27%). Sort of close behind was usual front runner Crystal with 16 votes (19%). And Lee DeWyze placed third for the week thanks to 13 votes (15%).

Didi actually gained eight votes despite being eliminated tonight, which was tied with Katie's eight votes for fourth place for the week.

In the latest edition of the poll of the week series, readers are asked of who their favorite Top 9 contestant is. Voting will be open for exactly one week.

Aaron Kelly 7 (8%)
Andrew Garcia 2 (2%)
Casey James 3 (3%)
Crystal Bowersox 16 (19%)
Didi Benami 8 (9%)
Katie Stevens 8 (9%)
Lee DeWyze 13 (15%)
Michael Lynche 0 (0%)
Siobhan Magnus 23 (27%)
Tim Urban 4 (4%)

Total votes: 84

Running total for Season 9:
24th - Haeley Vaughn (0 votes)*
21st (tie) - Janell Wheeler (2 votes)*
21st (tie) - Todrick Hall (2 votes)*
21st (tie) - Paige Miles (2 votes)*
19th (tie) - Joe Munoz (3 votes)*
19th (tie) - Jermaine Sellers (3 vote)*
17th (tie) - Tyler Grady (4 votes)*
17th (tie) - Michelle Delamor (4 votes)*
15th (tie) - John Park (6 votes)*
15th (tie) - Ashley Rodriguez (6 votes)*
14th - Michael Lynche (8 votes)
13th - Lacey Brown (9 votes)*
12th - Katelyn Epperly (10 votes)*
11th - Lilly Scott (14 votes)*
10th - Alex Lambert (22 votes)*
09th - Tim Urban (27 votes)
08th - Casey James (48 votes)
06th (tie) - Katie Stevens (49 votes)
06th (tie) - Andrew Garcia (49 votes)
05th - Aaron Kelly (52 votes)
04th - Didi Benami (56 votes)*
03rd - Lee DeWyze (85 votes)
02nd - Siobhan Magnus (94 votes)
01st - Crystal Bowersox (116 votes)

*indicates contestant has been eliminated

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Poll of the week: Siobhan Magnus favorite Top 11 contestant

After impressing many with her performance of "Paint It Black" last week, Siobhan seemed to gain the most momentum among IDOL LIVE readers as reflected in the latest poll of the week asking which Top 11 contestant was their favorite.

Siobhan had a total of 24 votes cast in her favor, totaling 26%. This was just four votes ahead of usual top vote-getter Crystal Bowersox, whose 20 votes (21%) put her in second for the week. Lee DeWyze brought up the third wheel with 14 votes (15%).

Surprisingly, this week's casualty Paige Miles did not reel in a single vote this week and only garnered two in all since polling began in Top 24 week.

In the latest edition of the poll of the week series, readers are asked of who their favorite Top 10 contestant is. Voting will be open for exactly one week.

Top 12
Aaron Kelly 13 (14%)
Andrew Garcia 2 (2%)
Casey James 4 (4%)
Crystal Bowersox 20 (21%)
Didi Benami 5 (5%)
Katie Stevens 5 (5%)
Lee DeWyze 14 (15%)
Michael Lynche 1 (1%)
Paige Miles 0 (0%)
Siobhan Magnus 24 (26%)
Tim Urban 3 (3%)

Total votes: 91

Running total for Season 9:
24th - Haeley Vaughn (0 votes)*
21st (tie) - Janell Wheeler (2 votes)*
21st (tie) - Todrick Hall (2 votes)*
21st (tie) - Paige Miles (2 votes)*
19th (tie) - Joe Munoz (3 votes)*
19th (tie) - Jermaine Sellers (3 vote)*
17th (tie) - Tyler Grady (4 votes)*
17th (tie) - Michelle Delamor (4 votes)*
15th (tie) - John Park (6 votes)*
15th (tie) - Ashley Rodriguez (6 votes)*
14th - Michael Lynche (8 votes)
13th - Lacey Brown (9 votes)*
12th - Katelyn Epperly (10 votes)*
11th - Lilly Scott (14 votes)*
10th - Alex Lambert (22 votes)*
09th - Tim Urban (23 votes)
08th - Katie Stevens (41 votes)
06th (tie) - Casey James (45 votes)
06th (tie) - Aaron Kelly (45 votes)
05th - Andrew Garcia (47 votes)
04th - Didi Benami (48 votes)
03rd - Siobhan Magnus (71 votes)
02nd - Lee DeWyze (72 votes)
01st - Crystal Bowersox (100 votes)

*indicates contestant has been eliminated

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Poll of the week: Crystal Bowersox favorite Top 12 contestant

Now that thew two polls of the week have been condensed into one for the finals, this week's bragging rights of "favorite contestant among IDOL LIVE readers" go to Crystal Bowersox.

Crystal nabbed 14 votes, or 21%, just one vote over her chief rival Lee DeWyze's 13 votes (18%). But Siobhan Magnus was nipping at their heels, taking in 12 votes (18%).

In the latest edition of the poll of the week series, readers are asked of who their favorite Top 11 contestant is. Voting will be open for exactly one week.

Top 12
Aaron Kelly 8 (12%)
Andrew Garcia 2 (3%)
Casey James 1 (1%)
Crystal Bowersox 14 (21%)
Didi Benami 4 (6%)
Katie Stevens 3 (4%)
Lacey Brown 2 (3%)
Lee DeWyze 13 (20%)
Michael Lynche 1 (1%)
Paige Miles 0 (0%)
Siobhan Magnus 12 (18%)
Tim Urban 4 (6%)

Total votes: 64

Running total for Season 9:
24th - Haeley Vaughn (0 votes)*
21st (tie) - Janell Wheeler (2 votes)*
21st (tie) - Todrick Hall (2 votes)*
21st (tie) - Paige Miles (2 votes)
19th (tie) - Joe Munoz (3 votes)*
19th (tie) - Jermaine Sellers (3 vote)*
17th (tie) - Tyler Grady (4 votes)*
17th (tie) - Michelle Delamor (4 votes)*
15th (tie) - John Park (6 votes)*
15th (tie) - Ashley Rodriguez (6 votes)*
14th - Michael Lynche (7 votes)
13th - Lacey Brown (9 votes)*
12th - Katelyn Epperly (10 votes)*
11th - Lilly Scott (14 votes)*
10th - Tim Urban (20 votes)
09th - Alex Lambert (22 votes)*
08th - Aaron Kelly (32 votes)
07th - Katie Stevens (36 votes)
06th - Casey James (41 votes)
05th - Didi Benami (43 votes)
04th - Andrew Garcia (45 votes)
03rd - Siobhan Magnus (47 votes)
02nd - Lee DeWyze (58 votes)
01st - Crystal Bowersox (80 votes)

*indicates contestant has been eliminated

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IDOL LIVE predix: How the Top 12 will place (and who will win)

Just as I put my neck on the line last season, I am ready to set myself up for failure by predicting how each Top 12 finalist will finish in the current season. Yes, people are still recovering from the shock that Alex Lambert and Lilly Scott are no longer contenders for the title (I'm not one of them), but there's never been a better time to throw your hat in the ring and predict away.

From the Top 24 until now I've correctly predicted four out of 12 eliminations, so I'm batting .250 to date. When looking at who would make the Top 12 at the outset of the Top 24, however, I pegged 8-12 finalists correctly. Last season, I did not correctly pick a single finalists' placing among the Top 13 at the outset of the finals, which kind of stings. Hopefully this time around it goes better.

After giving the scenarios careful thought, you can read my predictions below.

The Top 12 of American Idol: Season 9 (ordered by predicted place of elimination)

12th-place finalist
>Lacey Brown

Lacey has made it here thanks to her southern, country appeal, because her vocals sure didn't earn her a spot among this group. Add to this the fact that she will have to take on something originally sung by The Rolling Stones this week and Lacey has a recipe for disaster. She does have a cute personality and seems really sweet but sweetness doesn't always cut it in this competition.

11th-place finalist:
>Tim Urban

Tim made it into the Top 12 thanks to a really strong performance this past Wednesday, but now that he's accomplished the all important goal of making it into the finals, his days on the show are numbered. Tim and Aaron cannot remain in this competition while the other one is still in contention, and Aaron's country twang will beat out Tim's "looks" faster than you can say "hallelujah." He might get lukewarm praise for his first two performances but the critiques won't do much for Tim because unlike Kris Allen last season, his fan base isn't going to get much bigger. Still, 11th place ain't half bad for a last minute replacement.

10th-place finalist:
>Paige Miles

Paige managed to evade elimination throughout all three semifinal rounds despite my consistent predictions to the contrary. After using her rock edge to pleasantly surprise America on one of The Rolling Stones' tracks, she will get lost in the shuffle and by Top 10 week she will not be able to stand up against a wave of strong competition, especially from the remaining girls. Think of her as this season's Lisa Tucker.

9th-place finalist:
>Aaron Kelly

Aaron is a nice kid and all, but he can't compete with the majority of these guys. His age works against him and his lower register isn't fully developed, not to mention he lacks a good sense of pitch (I'm starting to sound like Randy here). What he has going for him is the whole country thing, which many Idol voters love, but unless he gets to really shine on country night (assuming it happens prior to Top 9 week), the thin ice he's skating on will shatter.

8th-place finalist:
>Lee DeWyze

Lee is a hard one to call, because he's certainly giving off a dark horse vibe, but at the same time he could be overlooked fairly easily. His main competition is Andrew Garcia, since they're on a similar playing field when looking at the rest of the guys' field (Casey James is head and shoulders above the rest of the guys). If he doesn't go out by Top 8 week, he will probably go all the way to Top 4 because he'll pick up a lot of other guys' votes. But he is pretty polarizing for some reason, so eighth place seems like a perfect place for Lee to bow out at.

7th-place finalist:
>Katie Stevens

Once one of this season's favorites to take the crown (and my personal pick to win at the outset of the Top 24), Katie has unfortunately now been relegated to third string on the girls' team. Despite majorly disappointing showings to date, Katie still has time to turn it around, but considering she lacks a few attributes that some of the more established artists like Didi Benami and Crystal Bowersox have (like guitar playing skillz), Katie has a big hill to climb before she can get back into contention. You can tell Kara and Simon really want her to stick around for as long as possible, but they can only do so much before her fan base becomes overwhelmed.

6th-place finalist:
>Michael Lynche

Big Mike has been wowing everyone as of late (and by "everyone" I mean the judges and Ryan) and seems like the guy to beat at this point. His touching sob story still gets mentioned every week, and his vocal showings have been pretty solid. Therefore, he will surely jump the hurdles at the beginning of the finals, but once the finalists get down to the nitty gritty at the halfway point, he will have to stand out as a marketable, viable recording artist, not just a performer with a big voice. This is nothing against Mike, because he is undeniably talented, but he just won't be able to have the success that other finalists could have if given a record deal. Therefore, sixth place seems like a very fitting spot to depart on.

5th-place finalist:
>Didi Benami

Didi was one of the early favorites to win, and unlike Katie it seems she still has a fighting chance to succeed in this goal. But her chances of being victorious hinge on whether or not she can make songs her own. Didi is one of those contestants who thrives on personalizing her performances, and if she is weighed down by comments from the judges claiming she "played it too close to the original" or "didn't spice it up," she won't make it too far. I do believe Didi will continue with "Terrified"-like performances, though, so that should be enough to get her to the halfway point. But once again, the competition is just stacked too high and she probably won't be able to outlast finalists like Crystal or even Andrew.

4th-place finalist:
>Andrew Garcia

As mentioned earlier, Andrew is a wildcard. He could either drop out around Top 8 where I'm thinking Lee will end up, or he could go as far as Top 4 thanks to his early strength. If he can avoid the mention of his now annoying "Straight Up" performance from Hollywood Week and if he can start picking the right songs, Andrew should be just fine for a Top 4 finish. Andrew will have help now that real themes are on us, so he will have more guidance of what kinds of songs he should be taking on, so it's unlikely we'll have to be subjected to another "Genie In a Bottle." He won't win (no guy will), but he'll finish just fine for an early favorite.

3rd-place finalist:
>Crystal Bowersox

And then there was Crystal. It's no surprise that Crystal is supposed to win this season, and she very well could. But what I've learned from past seasons is rarely does the early front runner win the whole thing (Season 4 was the exception to the rule). Therefore, it's usually one of the "very good but still has potential to grow" contestants who wins, and Crystal is certainly not one of those. She is a bona fide artist and could go out on her own right now and attract good size audiences on a tour if she wanted to. She's like a caged canary with nowhere yet everywhere to go (and judging by her attitude and general demeanor last night, she wasn't too thrilled about making it into the Top 12). Thus, Crystal will finish as second-runner-up and not runner-up, because as Season 3 showed us, audiences do not like female-female finales. This will be more than enough for her to be considered a "real" artist and yet still have a shot at doing will with an album.

Runner-up:
>Casey James

Casey is more than the guy of Kara's fantasies. He is a rough yet smooth vocalist and is the most believable artists among the guys. He has all the ingredients to be both a solo artist or the lead vocalist of a band a la Chris Daughtry. And despite all of these factors, the best Casey can hope to finish is second place. That may not seem fair, but really is a girls' year, and Casey is anything but a girl. He will seem more appealing as runner-up anyway, even though predecessors like David Cook and even Kris Allen have made winning Idol "cool" for guys. But as long as he sticks to performances more like "Heaven" and less like his indulgent showings, Casey should sail through to the finale.

Winner:
>Siobhan Magnus

Siobhan Magnus will win Season 9 of American Idol. That's all it comes down to. She has wide appeal, gaining fans in all demographics thanks to her quirky yet friendly personality. She has youth, which is always a plus. She has a unique name, something more winners have had (Ruben, Fantasia, Taylor, Jordin, Kris) than didn't have (Kelly, Carrie, David). And most importantly, she has a killer voice. Siobhan doesn't come off as a polished professional, nor does she come off as an immature karaoke singer, and the producers are definitely looking for someone (some girl) who will fit this bill. Siobhan in her wildest dreams probably doesn't think she has a shot at the title, but she will get the hint sooner or later when she sees her friends picked off one by one as the weeks go by. At this point, it seems wrong that anyone but her will win this season, but stranger things have happened as we all know. For now, take this prediction to the bank.

And there we have it. Each week I will compare my original predictions with how things turn out in reality in addition to making revised predictions depending on the circumstances each week. (Photos courtesy of AmericanIdol.com).

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IDOL LIVE predix: Top 16 Results

In the final hurdle before making it to the coveted Top 12, four more contestants must bite the dust tonight when their Idol journeys come to an inevitable end. Similar to the past two weeks, it seems like those leaving tonight among each sex will be more clear cut than not, although traditionally anything can happen during this week. Therefore, I have reasoned that the following four contestants will be departing tonight.

The final two guys of the semifinals to be eliminated are:

>Todrick Hall and Aaron Kelly

Todrick has been a marked man since the semifinals begin, so him going will be expected. His performance of Queen's "Somebody to Love" was mediocre at best, too theatrical and extremely overpraised by the judges, the latter factor being the result of a reverse psychology of sorts to make sure his fans feel he's safe. The second-to-last spot is also traditionally a danger zone, and Mike Lynche's better than expected performance of "This Woman's Work" clearly overshadowed Todrick. Aaron, on the other hand, will fall victim to another young guy with a lot of appeal to tween girls and grandmas - Tim Urban - whose "Hallelujah" was great last night. Tim has slowly been siphoning votes away from Aaron over the past few weeks along with Alex Lambert, so Aaron will most likely feel the full effect of this tonight when he's sent packing.

The final two girls of the semifinals to be eliminated are:

>Paige Miles and Katelyn Epperly

Paige is a no-brainer (although to be fair I think I've said she'd be going the past two weeks as well). This time she really screwed up on "Smile," as it has been universally panned mich like Haeley Vaughn's "The Climb" was last week. Paige couldn't come up with a coherent explanation for the performance when asked about it by the judges, so she didn't win any sympathy votes. Although she showed promise, her time is up. Katelyn will be the "mini shock," because most people will expect Katie Stevens to leave. Unlike Katie, however, Katelyn does not have a built-in fanbase and has had to rely on giving great performances the past two weeks. Tuesday night was a real dud, so it makes sense that this support will evaporate in favor of some of the better performers like Crystal Bowersox and even Lacey Brown.

Last week I only got one out of three predictions right, so I'm now only 2-8 (really disappointing). Hopefully tonight I'm able to up my record with tonight's results.

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Poll of the week: Andrew, Katie favorite Top 24 semifinalists among respective sexes

The two semifinalists that received the most votes in the most recent edition of IDOL LIVE's poll of the week coincidentally were also the two contestants that performed last on their respective performance nights.

Leading among the guys was Andrew Garcia with 22 votes (33%), while Katie Stevens helmed the girls' top spot with 18 votes (30%). They also seem to be the two front runners among their respective genders, so it should be interesting to see if their statuses are reflected in the voting here in the coming weeks.

Other strong finishes for the week for the guys were Casey James (14 votes, 21%) and Aaron Kelly (7 votes, 10%), while Crystal Bowersox (12 votes, 20%) and Didi Benami (11 votes, 18%) rounded out the Top 3 for the girls.

In the latest edition of the poll of the week series, readers are asked of who their favorite male and female Top 20 contestants are. Voting will be open for exactly one week.

Top 12 guys
Lee DeWyze 3 (4%)
Andrew Garcia 22 (33%)
Tyler Grady 4 (6%)
Casey James 14 (21%)
Todrick Hall 0 (0%)
Aaron Kelly 7 (10%)
Alex Lambert 4 (6%)
Michael Lynche 0 (0%)
Joe Munoz 3 (4%)
John Park 4 (6%)
Jermaine Sellers 1 (1%)
Timothy Urban 4 (6%)

Total votes: 66

Top 12 girls
Didi Benami 11 (18%)
Crystal Bowersox 12 (20%)
Lacey Brown 1 (1%)
Michelle Delamor 2 (3%)
Katelyn Epperly 2 (3%)
Siobhan Magnus 2 (3%)
Paige Miles 0 (0%)
Ashley Rodriguez 6 (10%)
Lilly Scott 4 (6%)
Katie Stevens 18 (30%)
Haeley Vaughn 0 (0%)
Janell Wheeler 2 (3%)

Total votes: 60

Running total for Season 9:
21st (tie) - Todrick Hall (0 votes)
21st (tie) - Paige Miles (0 votes)
21st (tie) - Michael Lynche (0 votes)
21st (tie) - Haeley Vaughn (0 votes)
19th (tie) - Lacey Brown (1 vote)
19th (tie) - Jermaine Sellers (1 vote)
15th (tie) - Janell Wheeler (2 votes)
15th (tie) - Siobhan Magnus (2 votes)
15th (tie) - Michelle Delamor (2 votes)
15th (tie) - Katelyn Epperly (2 votes)
13th (tie) - Lee DeWyze (3 votes)
13th (tie) - Joe Munoz (3 votes)
08th (tie) - Tyler Grady (4 votes)
08th (tie) - Tim Urban (4 votes)
08th (tie) - Lilly Scott (4 votes)
08th (tie) - John Park (4 votes)
08th (tie) - Alex Lambert (4 votes)
07th - Ashley Rodriguez (6 votes)
06th - Aaron Kelly (7 votes)
05th - Didi Benami (11 votes)
04th - Crystal Bowersox (12 votes)
03rd - Casey James (14 votes)
02nd - Katie Stevens (18 votes)
01st - Andrew Garcia (22 votes)

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IDOL LIVE predix: Top 12 of Season 9

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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