Junto Boys

AMERICAN IDOL

It is season seven and I've never watched the show before but thanks to the combined influences of the writers' strike and my daughter's fascination with pop music, I am hooked. We love to watch game shows in general and the kids really enjoy Don't Forget the Lyrics, so we extended our reach to include the soap opera that is Idol Season 7. The kids are learning classic tunes while I get to play critic and comment on the performances before the judges have their say.

The judges winnowed the field to the top 12 males and top 12 females before handing off judging duties to the public at large. I just went searching the net to see if there was a Vegas line on the remaining contestants. Vegas doesn't publish a line until the field is down to 12 but here is a line that comes out of Ireland:

David Archuleta 6-1
Alaina Whitaker 8-1
Michael Johns 8-1
Chikezie Eze 10-1
Brooke White 10-1
David Hernandez 10-1
Kristy Lee Cook 10-1
Kady Mallow 10-1
Carly Smithson 12-1
Asai'h Epperson 12-1
Danny Noriega 12-1
Luke Menard 14-1
Ramiele Malubay 14-1
Syesha Mercado 14-1
Amanda Overmyer 14-1
David Cook 14-1
Joanne Borgella 14-1
Jason Castro 16-1
Robbie Carrico 16-1
Amy Davis 18-1
Garrett Haley 18-1
Alexandrea Lushington 20-1
Jason Yeager 20-1
Colton Berry 25-1

The names in red are the contestants that were eliminated this week. If you don't follow the show, as I expect you don't, then this post has no relevance, except for I want to get on the record early as to who my favorites are so I can go back and review my opinions upon the coronation of the next American Idol.

My favorite player at this point is Michael Johns. He's handsome, he's laid back, he's got a great quality to his voice, and he's very comfortable on stage. Here's a guy who's going to have a recording career whether he wins this competition or not. Same for Alaina Whitaker. She seemed a ditz in the interview but then took the stage and sounded like she's been singing for 30 years, yet she is only a junior in high school.

David Archuletta is a sweet kid who will be in the top four, barring collapse - he's a natural. I think Chikezie is ranked way too high. He may not even make the top twelve. Same for David Hernandez, who is kind of a plain vanilla tenor. I really liked this week's performances from David Cook and Jason Castro. They both sounded fresh with their versions of tired sixties songs. The rest of the male field is uninspiring. Danny Noriega has a good voice, but his rendition of Jailhouse Rock was abysmal and he's such a sassy flamer that his personality will likely be his downfall.

There are a lot of girls to like but none of them really stands out above the others. Whitaker was far and away the best of the bunch this week, so we'll see if she can carry that forward. Brooke White has a wholesome Carly Simon vibe to her that works fine but might not allow her to stand out in a crowded field. Amanda Overmyer is the most unique, with her crunchy Janis Joplin style, but unless she proves herself on a power ballad eventually, she will not rise to the top.

Ramiele Malubay has the powerful voice in a petite package, a winning combo for Clay Aikens a few years back. She sounds consistently great and should make the final six at least. Kristy Lee Cook was unimpressive this week and she may fall by the wayside with another uninspiring outing next week. I liked Alexandrea Lushington's schtick even though Simon didn't. She had the voice, the outfit and the attitude all working. The girls are harder to handicap because there are no easy eliminations, so it will all depend on consistency, which should make Joe Morgan happy. So now you are up to date.