American Idol Top 24 Preview

Now that we know the Top 24 I thought I'd take a look at them and try to give some thoughts and predictions about each one. I'll be honest, the people I found the most interesting didn't make it (I totally would've voted for Kyle Ensley), and conspiracy theories are already abounding that some of these contestants are in the competition under false pretenses. Several of them have had previous record deals and many fans feel that these people have an unfair advantage because they're already experienced in the industry. I personally don't like the "plants," and I'm planning to find some underdogs to vote for this year.

Here are the Top 24, along with my thoughts. I've watched the interview videos and read the profiles on the "Idol" website, and I'm taking into account what I see to decide if I want to vote for these contestants. The profiles appear to be incomplete, since they aren't nearly as long as the ones from past seasons, so perhaps they'll be expanded later. Right now, I'm just going by what I see.

Top 12 Women

Joanne Borgella

We know she's a plus-sized model and she says she's had trouble making it in the industry because of her size. Based on the clips they showed of her she's a pretty good singer, but I would hardly say she's anything special. She seems fairly humble and likable in her interview, but I'm not sure if it's enough to make me want to vote for her. Ever since "Idol" went to the Top 24 format the last person of each gender to make it into the Top 24 has been eliminated just before the Top 12. If that trend continues Joanne will only get three performances.

Kristy Lee Cook

One of the "plants," Kristy (or is it Kristy Lee?) once had a major label deal and was managed by LeAnn Rimes' manager. She can definitely sing, but there's nothing about her singing that stands out to me. I sort of want to like her, since she seems somewhat wholesome, but there are certain things about her I don't like. Besides that, she's already had her chances to make it. I'm not sure what effect the internet will have on this year's voting. It's possible that there'll be backlash against these plants or it's possible that most voters will like them because they don't known about their plant-ness. Personally, I hope the plants either give poor performances or just don't connect with the audience. That way they can get voted out on their own merits, because I feel like a jerk for rooting against some of these people.

Amy Davis

We saw her audition, but I barely even remember it. After consulting YouTube, I can say that this girl's another one who's "just OK." I remember reading on the internet that she's a model as well. Basically, she's a good-looking girl with an OK voice, but nothing much stands out about her. Even her name is undistinctive. They didn't show much of her in Hollywood, so I'm assuming the powers that be don't have high hopes for her. I won't be surprised if she's one of the first to go.

Asia'h Epperson

Ah, yes. The girl whose father died two days before her audition. She's had to deal with a lot to get to where she is. She's another with a decent voice who seems likable enough, but I don't know if I care enough about her to vote for her. She comes across as a little too cheerful in her interview video, and that stud in her nose annoys me. Granted, Jordin Sparks had one and I voted for her in last year's finale, but that was more because I didn't want Blake Lewis to win. Unless her performances just don't measure up, she'll probably stay in the competition for a while because of her back story.

Alexandrea Lushington

Another where they showed her audition, but not much of her in Hollywood. Going back to YouTube just to remember her, I'd say she's pretty good. She might stay in this thing a while. At this point, I've noticed that I keep saying the same things about these women. I guess I could make a blanket statement that male singers tend to be more interesting than female singers, at least on this show. All these R & B, pop, country and even rock singers seem like a dime a dozen to me. If you want to impress me you need to show me something different either in your voice, personality or musical style. I'm not seeing that from many of these girls.

Kady Malloy

This is the girl who could do vocal impersonations, and Simon called her audition the best he'd heard all year at the time. They didn't show her much in Hollywood. Based on her interview and profile she seems to have an interesting personality, but if she's just another country blonde I won't be voting for her. I have a feeling she could either go really far or be eliminated within the first few weeks due to blending in too much. We shall see.

Ramiele Malubay

Here's a girl that's somewhat different. She's Filipino and proud of it. She wants to be the first Asian American Idol. She seems like just another diva, but she's definitely good enough for this competition. I suppose I'm spoiled after watching Melinda Doolittle last year, but her voice does seem to have a few flaws. Hopefully she won't try to overdo it and she'll pick songs that she can pull off. There's some talk that she might last a while because Filipinos tend to be extremely proud and supportive of their own. I guess she's a nice alternative to some of these nondescript girls. Perhaps I'll cast some votes for her.

Syesha Mercado

We know that Syesha was on a failed reality show called "The One." She lost her voice in Hollywood and had to save it all to belt out her performance. She's got some pipes and is definitely an attractive young woman. She comes across as a little "overconfident" in her interview video, so that attitude could either make people like her or turn them off. I don't think I'll be voting for her, but I imagine she'll probably get pretty far in the competition if she doesn't have vocal problems.

Amanda Overmyer

Now here's a girl who really stands out to me. She's a nurse by day and a rock star by night. Her voice sounds like a cross between Janis Joplin and Grace Slick. I'm normally not into "rocker chicks," but this girl seems like something different that I could get into. She's also from Indiana, a state that's been underrepresented on this show. Simon expressed a (legitimate, in my opinion) concern that her voice is somewhat one-dimensional, and perhaps it'll hurt her if her performances are always the same thing. Still, I like her. For now I think I'll be supporting her.

Carly Smithson

Ah yes, the queen of the plants. Carly, as most people who follow the competition on the internet know, had a major label deal back at the turn of the century. The record company spent over $2 million on her, but the album sold less than 400 copies. She's also from Ireland and has a huge tattoo on her arm. She has a good voice, but I don't think she's as great as the judges seem to think she is. She has these weird eyebrows that give her a sort of sinister look. Even though she apparently really wants to win this competition, I can't support her at all. She's had her chance already, she may or may not be an actual American citizen, I don't like her image, and to top it all off, her voice is really nothing unique minus the Irish accent. I'm sure she's probably a nice person, but I hope she's one of the first to go (though she'll probably be heavily pimped and last a long time).

Alaina Whitaker

Another bland blonde with a country bent. I have a feeling she'll be one of the first to go, since she'll have to compete with Kristy and Kady for the same voters and she's only 16. There's really nothing much else to say about her.

Brooke White

We've reached the end of the girls and we now have a grand total of three that I actually have some interest in voting for. Brooke is a Mormon singer-songwriter who works as a nanny and has never seen an R-rated movie. She seems incredibly nice and wholesome, and doggone it, we need more people like that. I'm not totally thrilled by her musical style, but I like her as a person. After watching her interview video I liked her even more, because she seemed genuine and down-to-earth. I'm supporting her, and with the amount of airtime she's gotten I imagine she'll last a while.


Top 12 Men

David Archuleta

You wouldn't know it from watching the show, but David won "Star Search" when he was 12. The only thing they tell us about him is that he once had a paralyzed vocal cord. The boy can sing, but I personally don't find him all that interesting. As Simon said though, he's talented, good-looking, and likable. Throw in all the pimpage he seems to be getting and I think we have another one who's in it for the long haul.

Colton Berry

They barely showed this guy, but he was the last male to make the Top 24. He's a theater geek, and as such he doesn't come across as the most masculine contestant. From what little we saw of him he seems like a decent singer, and I imagine girls would find him good-looking. Again, based on the "last one in" curse, he should be eliminated in the final cut before the Top 12.

Robbie Carrico

This guy used to be in a teen pop group, and according to the internet he actually used to go out with Britney Spears. Now he's a Chris Daughtry-esque rocker. He's pretty good from what I heard, but as I'm not a fan of Chris Daughtry's style (I refer to it as "bore-rock") I have no reason to vote for this guy. I predict he'll go moderately far, but I'm not sure if he'll make it to the "home stretch" of the competititon.

Jason Castro

He was the white guy with dreadlocks that you kept seeing in the background but whose performances never got shown. It seems like a lot of girls think he's good-looking, but his lack of screen time will probably hurt him. He seems like a pretty laid-back guy based on his interview, and he's apparently only been singing for a few years. The dreadlocks might set him apart enough that he'll make it past some of the people who got more hype than him, but unless he's really good I have a feeling that the best he can hope for is to make it just past the Semifinals.

David Cook

Another rocker guy who got a good bit of screen time. He's OK, but like Robbie Carrico, he appears to be another bore-rocker. He seems to have slightly more personality than Robbie based on his interview, but that's not saying much. He'll probably get far based on the initial hype, but I doubt I'll be voting for him. He has the same last name as Kristy Lee Cook, and we all know what they say about too many Cooks...

Chikezie Eze

The only black male contestant in the Top 24, Chikezie was cut in Hollywood last year. I liked his audition, and I think he could be a good alternative to these uninteresting girls and bore-rockers. I don't see him getting especially far, but I won't be completely surprised if he does. After watching his interview video I think I may vote for him. He's an old-school soul singer, and he seems likable.

Garrett Haley

There's not much to say about this guy, since we never saw him during the auditions or Hollywood. Nothing in his interview stood out to me. He looks a bit like Kalan Porter from Season 2 of "Canadian Idol." Unless he's really good, his lack of screen time means he'll probably be one of the first to go.

David Hernandez

His audition was shown retroactively during Hollywood. He's got some talent, but Simon told him he really needed to step up his game if he wanted to have even the slightest chance of winning. My father walked by when they were showing him and he casually said: "He's good. He'll make it." I don't know if David (one of three contestants with that name) is distinctive enough to make a big splash, but like Kady Malloy, I could see him either being one of the first to go or making it really far.

Michael Johns

This guy has a lot in common with Carly Smithson. He's not originally from America (he's Australian), he once had a record deal, and he's getting tons of screen time. A lot of girls seem to like him because of his looks, even those who know he's a "plant." There's a story about him allegedly stealing a song from a band he used to be a member of, but he claims the band is making the situation out to be worse than it is. He considers himself a blue-eyed soul singer, but Simon seems to like him a lot more than Taylor Hicks. There's some speculation that he's this year's "chosen one," but I won't be voting for him because of his plant status. I will admit though, that he's really good, so rooting against him might be futile.

Luke Menard

Another guy they didn't show at all during auditions or Hollywood. Based on what we know through the internet, he was part of an a cappella group called Chapter 6. I've heard their stuff, and it's actually kind of cool. After watching his interview I really like him. He wants to be the next American Idol so that he can be a positive role model, which is something you don't hear enough from these hopefuls. A lot of girls seem to find him attractive (he looks a lot like Patrick Dempsey), so perhaps that'll help him overcome his lack of screen time. Still, I don't see him making it very far based on his unfamiliarity.

Danny Noriega

This kid made it to Hollywood last year. He seems a bit light in the loafers, but he's got a pretty good voice. He's gotten some screen time so far, and Vote For the Worst seems to consider him an early favorite due to his somewhat idiosyncratic style, so perhaps he'll be around a while. I have a feeling he won't make it to the home stretch, but I could see him getting into the Top 12.

Jason Yeager

Finally, one more guy who was shown for the first time when he made the Top 24. Apparently he was once on the show "Making the Band." I haven't heard him sing, but based on his interview I actually like him. He seems to be a Christian based on his profile, and he's one of the few contestants who gives props to Taylor Hicks when asked about which past Idol he'd compare himself to. I think I may vote for him, but I don't know if it'll be enough to save him from being one of the first people cut.

To sum up, if I had to venture a guess as to how this season will go it'd look something like this:

First week of Semifinals:

Amy Davis
Alaina Whitaker
Garrett Haley
Jason Yeager

Second week of Semifinals:

Alexandrea Lushington
Kady Malloy
David Hernandez
Luke Menard

Third week of Semifinals:

Joanne Borgella
Amanda Overmyer
Colton Berry
Chikezie Eze

12. Jason Castro
11. Asia'h Epperson
10. Danny Noriega
9. Robbie Carrico
8. Ramiele Malubay
7. David Archuleta
6. Kristy Lee Cook
5. Carly Smithson
4. David Cook
3. Syesha Mercado
2. Brooke White
1. Michael Johns

Now, this list could easily change once we see some of these contestants on the "Idol" stage. Some of them might be better or worse than we think. Some might have to sing through a cold or forget the lyrics. At this point anything can happen, and it usually does. While I'm not too keen on the plants this year, hopefully this season will still be entertaining and not feel like a sham. I hope to post recaps and predictions on this blog over the course of the season, and maybe somebody somewhere will actually read and enjoy them.