Guide to Your Season 7 Top 12

By On 03/11/2008 · 30 Comments · In Uncategorized

Here’s your Top 12. Are these kids the best evah? Show mouthpieces keep saying it over and over again, as if saying it will make it true. I think we’re off to a good start, with break-out performances already from David Archuleta, David Cook and Jason Castro. However, it still remains to be seen if this crew will deliver once they hit the big stage this week.

Some interesting factoids:

Seven of the 8 teenagers who comprised the Top 24 were eliminated during the semi-finals. Two 25 year-olds, a 26, 28 and 29 year old round out the ages of the rest of the eliminates. Ten of the Top 12 contestants ages run between 20-25. The cast is bookended by a 17 and 29 year old. Roughly, the youngest and oldest contestants of the original Top 24 were eliminated during the semi-finals.

Past season have traditionally had a heavy representation of contestants from the Southeast. This year, the South is represented by 2 Floridians, and a contestant who claims part-time residency in Georgia. There are 6 West-coasters, including contestants from Arizona and Utah. Two contestants hail from the central South–Texas and Oklahoma. And, there is one Midwesterner, from Indiana.

Read my analysis of the Top 12 after the jump…

David Archuleta 17, Salt Lake City, UT – Auditioned in San Diego – Has there ever been such a clear front-runner so early in the competition? I don’t think so. But, as every student of Idol history knows, front-runners come and front-runners go. Will young David continue to wow the judges and TV audiences with his performances? Or will his nerves and/or vocal chords give out? If David’s performances become predictable, could there be a backlash? TPTB appear to be hot on David succeeding, at least for now.

David has a mature vocal style that can seem too studied and rehearsed for my money. He’s been singing since he was a little one, and the danger with child performers is that it’s difficult for them to quit pretending adult emotions. Kids like David, who seem to have been raised in a sheltered environment have a particularly hard time. David still hasn’t learned to emote from the gut. Purchase David’s semi-final performances at iTunes (and help support mj’s!): “Shop Around”, “Imagine” and “Another Day in Paradise”.

Jason Castro 20, Rowlett, TX – Auditioned in Dallas – Jason is one of the break-out stars of Season 7. Amazing, considering we didn’t even get so much as a glimpse of him until the Top 24 was revealed. Jason knocked out the judges with his charming and effortless performance of “Daydream” during 60′s week. They were a little less enthused when bandzilla drowned out his quirky version of “I Just Want to Be Your Everything”, but they were right back on the love train when he performed his absolutely stunning version of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”, 80′s week. The judges weren’t alone. Jason’s performance rocketed the Jeff Buckley version of the tune to #5 on iTunes overnight.

Right now, Jason is one of my favorites. It’s awesome to finally have somebody with a folk sensibility as a real Idol contender. As long as he’s able to keep bandzilla at bay, Jason can continue to shine and could go deep into the competition. Jason claims that before Idol, he only sang before live audiences a handful of times. Wow. He truly is a natural. Purchase Jason’s semi-final performances at iTunes: “Daydream”, “I Just Want To Be Your Everything”, and Hallelujah”.

David Cook 25, Tulsa, OK – Auditioned in Omaha – David Cook is the other breakout star of this season. There wasn’t anything remarkable about his audition, which he claims to have attended only to keep his little brother, who also tried out (but didn’t advance) company. Bragging that he “studied” Chris Daughtry’s audition the night before, and then subsequent comparisons from the judges left me with the impression that David was a wanna-be clone.

Boy, was I wrong. His first performance on the semi-final stage, “Happy Together” went by unnoticed. Although, I think it’s one of the underrated performances of the semis. He displayed great rock phrasing and showmanship this first time out. His Top 20 performance “All Right Now”, where he slung a guitar for the first time and owned the stage like a rock stah, went considerably better with the judges. But, it was Top 16 week, where he rocked up Lionel Richie’s 80′s sap-fest “Hello” with his gritty rock vocals, that folks really took notice.

I am digging me some David Cook, for sure. If he continues to turning out surprising and entertaining performances, he could also go very deep into this competition. I hope so. Purchase David’s semi-final performances at iTunes: “Happy Together”, “All Right Now” and “Hello”.

Kristy Lee Cook 24, Selma, OR – Auditioned in Philadelphia – Kristy is one of the so-called “plants” of Season 7. She was signed by Arista when she was 17, but was dropped before she had the chance to release a record. For a “plant” she sure doesn’t appear to have a lot of experience. Her semi-final performances have run the gamut from horrifying (“Rescue Me”) to lackluster (“You’re No Good” and “Faithfully”), but the judges criticisms have been soft–except for Simon, who thinks she suffers from a lack of personality.

She’s blond, long and lean. That alone could carry her far enough to make the tour. To really make an impact, however, Kristy is going to have to step it up quite a bit. There have been hints that she’s been ill throughout the semis. If so, perhaps we haven’t seen Kristy at full-steam and more will be revealed. But, judging on her Hollywood performance, where she had to rely on singing her audition song, “Amazing Grace” a few times in order to power herself through to the Top 50, I’m not holding out much hope. Purchase Kristy Lee’s semi-final performances at iTunes: “Rescue Me”, “You’re No Good”, “Faithfully”.

Chickezie Eze 22, Inglewood, CA – Auditioned in San Diego – Chikezie is lucky to have made it into the Top 12. The laws of demographics may have been his saving grace–Chikezie was the only African-American male in the Top 24. His vocals are hit and miss. His best week in the semis was Top 20, when he answered Simon’s mispronouncing his name (Jacuzzi, hilariously, the week before) with a balls-to-the-wall performance of Donny Hathaway’s “Know My Name”. Simon was duly impressed.

His other two semi performances were both corny and bland. That, and a tendency to seem arrogant and cocky, particularly with Simon, has cost him some points with viewers. Chikezie needs to put away the tired R&B ballads he favors, and come out swinging with some gritty soul. He could carve out a nice little niche for himself in this competition is he manages to play his cards right. Purchase Chikezie’s semi-final performances at iTunes: “More Today Than Yesterday”, “I Believe to My Soul” and “All The Woman I Need”.

David Hernandez 24, Phoenix, AZ – Auditioned in San Diego – He’s another contestant whom we didn’t get a good look at until Hollywood. There, he impressed with Stephen Stills’ “Love the One Your With”. During the semis he performed a nervous “Midnight Hour” that didn’t impress the judges, and could have gotten him kicked off. Lucky for David, the group was padded with some major fodder who were doomed to go first.

The following week, David came back swinging with “Papa Was a Rolling Stone”. Simon finally gave him his props. The following week, despite being outed as a gay stripper in the media, David’s strong vocals on Meatloaf/Celine Dion’s, “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” carried him through to the Top 12.

If David keeps up the strong performances, he could give the rest of the guys a run for their money. Purchase David’s iTunes performances: “In the Midnight Hour”, “Papa Was a Rolling Stone”, “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now.

Michael Johns 29, Los Angeles/Atlanta – Auditioned in San Diego – Back when Michael Johns was just a rumor on a spoiler list, I checked out his MySpace page and was impressed by his bluesy rock vocals. His audition and Hollywood performances suggested that he’d be a real contender.

Unfortunately, Michael seems to have peaked already. His semi-final performances have been less than awe-inspiring. He seems to be going through the motions at this point. So far, he’s been out-sung and out-performed by both Jason Castro, and David Cook. David, is currently the rocker to beat in this competition.

Maddeningly, the judges have been critiquing him on his past-performances and potential, which, can’t be much of a motivator. TPTB still name-check Michael as a front-runner in interviews, but something tells me the viewers aren’t buying it. Unless he’s content with being a middle-packer, Michael has got to throw himself into this competition now that the show has moved to the big stage. Purchase Michael’s iTunes performances: “Light My Fire”, “Go Your Own Way”, “Don’t You Forget About Me”.

Amanda Overmyer 23, Mulberry, IN – Auditioned in Atlanta – So far, Amanda has only been able to impress when she’s singing blues rock. Her performances are hit-and-miss, because her vocal ability is limited. She’s great singing Janis (although she comes off a bit clone-like in these performances) or Jim Morrison. She was impressive Top 24 week, performing the blues standard “Baby Please Don’t Go” and “I Hate Myself For Loving You” was right in her element. But she faltered when forced to carry a melody, crashing so spectacularly singing “Carry on my Wayward Son”, that Vote for the Worst made her their female pick afterward.

If Amanda is to stay in this game, she’s going to have to choose her songs very, very carefully. Another bad performance could finish her off completely. She’s unique to this competition and an entertaining performer. It would be a shame if she didn’t make it far enough to secure a spot on the tour. Purchase Amanda’s iTunes performances: “Baby Please Don’t Go”, ““Carry on My Wayward Son”, “I Hate Myself for Loving You”.

Ramiele Malubay 20, Miramar, FL – Auditioned in Miami – Cute as a bug in a rug is tiny Ramiele. So far, she has distinguished herself on big ballads, her big voice belying her size and squeak of a speaking voice. She also appears to be one of the more emotional contestants–she pretty much has a meltdown every elimination show.

The danger for Ramiele is that once she hits the big Idol stage, she could be completely swallowed up by it. She already seemed a little jittery in the smaller confines of the semi-finals studio. Hopefully she finds her mojo. Ramiele’s unique phrasing and tone could set her apart from this pack.

She’s a Filipino-American, and she’s the pride of that community. Good performances, plus their support could help take her far into this competition. Purchase Ramiele’s iTunes performances: “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me”, “Don’t Leave Me This Way”, “Against All Odds”.

Syesha Mercado 21, Miami, FL – Auditioned in Miami – There’s gotta be one every year–a big belter that is–and Syesha is it. She’s the type of Idol contestant who confuses “loud” with “good”, and unfortunately the judges–particularly Randy who loves him some diva screamers–enable the attitude. In Hollywood, she lost her voice, but managed to belt out a big number that wasn’t too hard on the eardrums to advance to the semis.

Her Top 16 performance of Whitney’s “Saving All My Love for You” was practically a note-by-note rip off, except not as good as Whitney. Ouch. I thought she fared better with a subtler rendition of “Me and Mrs. Jones” but the judges were all “We like you when you scream! Back in your box!” I’m not expecting anything out of the ordinary from Syesha in the Top 12. That could hurt her with the viewers who vote. Purchase Syesha’s iTunes performances: “Tobacco Road”, “Me and Mrs. Jones”, “Saving All My Love For You”.

Carly Smithson 24, Dublin Ireland/San Diego – Auditioned in San Diego – Set aside the judges hype and the attendant controversy around her Big! Record! Deal! that went wrong when she was a teenager–cut through all that crap–and there is no denying that Carly can sang. Too bad for Carly it’s obviously a boy’s year this season. However, I’m pretty confident she’ll be the highest placing female in this season’s race.

Carly needs to focus on song choice. And she needs to STFU about her failed deal. I know reporters are asking about it, but a simple “that was a tough time in my past” will do. Changing her excuse for failing every time she’s asked just looks bad. The record company imploded? Not really. Her record was released the day after 9/11? Uh, no it wasn’t. The internet, Carly. It will screw you every time. That’s where all the trouble started, no?

In any case, I expect Carly to possibly make it to the Top 2 if she stays on top of her game. Purchase Carly’s iTunes performances: “The Shadow of Your Smile”, “Crazy on You”, “I Drove All Night”.

Brooke White 24, Van Nuys, CA/Mesa, AZ – Auditioned in Philadelphia – Brooke is the other folkie in this competition. She’s in the same boat as Jason. As long as she can keep bandzilla at bay, highlighting her delicate, subtle phrasing, she could do very well in the competition.

So far, she’s one of Simon’s favorite contestants. His praise the last two weeks helped her to sail right into the Top 12. I’m glad. It’s about time that the Jasons and Brookes of this world are given a spot on the Idol stage.

Her fate depends on whether she’s able to pick the right songs and arrange them the way she likes. So far the band and the vocal coaches have been very accommodating to Brooke’s style. It remains to be seen how long that lasts–I’ve heard stories about the band and vocal coaches suddenly making suggestions that run contrary to the artist’s instincts. Purchase Brooke’s iTunes performances: “Happy Together”, “You’re So Vain” and “Love is a Battlefield”.

 
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
Reddit Facebook Twitter Delicious Mixx StumbleUpon Digg
  • primeminister

    Thanks for the guide. Some details to fix:

    This year, the South is represented by 2 Floridians, and a contestant who claims part-time residency in Georgia

    Jason’s from Texas!

    And the number of contestants you have eliminated (by age) is 13!

  • http://myspace.com/girlgeek mj

    Jason’s from Texas!

    Texas ain’t the south. :)

    At least by my calculations. I specifically mention the Southeast in that sentance.

    Later on I mention 2 contestants who hail from the central-south–OK and Texas.

    And, 7 2 1 1 1 = 12. Am I missing something? Admittedly, math isn’t my best subject.

    ETA: I get it! I counted Micheal twice–he claims Atlanta and California as home. At this point, he’s probably more of a Californian than anything else.

  • GwendolynD

    I am digging me some David Cook, for sure. If he continues to turning out surprising and entertaining performances, he could also go very deep into this competition.

    I think I’ve totally jumped on the David Cook bandwagon. He’s awesome, and some of his pre-Idol stuff is absolutely phenomenal.

    Thanks for this. I envy your insight.

    Gwen

  • primeminister

    And, 7 2 1 1 1 = 12. Am I missing something? Admittedly, math isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t my best subject.

    Admittedly reading is not my best subject- I rushed through the paragraph and didn’t read some of the important words. haha. Sorry about that. You’re right.

    Same with the Texas being in the South point.

    Thanks for the handy guide!

  • JSG

    Thanks for this MJ.
    Interesting there is only one teenager left, and I forsee some real issues with the way DavidA has been pushed vovcally beyond his natural limits.
    They could raise the age limit to 21 and that would be fine with me.
    Every year there are some talented singers who do not make the top 10 simply because they lack experience and maturity.(i.e. Kady and DannyN)
    If only they had waited.

  • primeminister

    Posted this in the Today Show video thread, but thought I would post here too (it fits!).

    Grouping the Top 12:

    Clear shot at winning:
    David A., David C. (I’ll be rooting for him at the finale!)

    Potential to win, if they step it up:
    Michael, Carly

    Should go far, but hard to see taking the whole thing:
    Jason, Brooke, Ramielle, Kristy, David H.

    No chance in hell:
    Chizeke, Syesha, Amanda

    Tinawina: Everybody had Jason as a contender, but I just canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t se him doing any other style besides Stoner Folkie. I love him, but the winner? I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t know. Hmmmà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.

    I have to agree with part of this. I don’t think Jason will win, but he could get up to as high as 3rd. Have you been to the AI boards lately? He’s by far the most popular (or his fans are most obsessed- and obsession can’t be a bad thing. Look at how Clay and Taylor faired).

    It looks like Jason picked up key fanbases; I tried to do a poll at the AI boards, but as with everything there, it got confusing after a while. From the clearly non-scientific or objective results that I got, fans from Taylor (quirky and unique), Elliott (underdog), Blake (cool?), Bo/Constantine (again unique), and Clay (camera love) trickled to his camp. The good news for Jason: these are fans who vote and buy.

  • calimari

    I’d put Kristy in the no chance in hell bucket.

  • cheese

    I think Jason or Brooke will end up in the top two with David A. They both have huge fanbases and they both seem ideally situated to stink up a coronation song and cement a David A win. (I like them both a lot, but glory notes are really not their thing)

    As much as I love David C, I don’t think he has any chance of winning. He doesn’t seem to be picking up much of an on-line fanbase. I think he’ll go between 8th and 6th unless he manages to be a standout every single week. He’s not “cute” enough to appeal to the younger fans and how can he possibly compete with Michael’s “charisma” for the “older” woman vote? *sniff* He’d better at least make the tour. I can imagine him having male fans who don’t post on the boards (or vote), but who would probably buy his music.

  • primeminister

    Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d put Kristy in the no chance in hell bucket.

    I would like to too, but she’s the closet thing to country this year, and the producers, for some reason or another, keep throwing her lifelines. My guess is that she’ll make the tour, and possibly outlast more worthy contestants.

  • http://myspace.com/saltwatercures pj

    I went over to AI.com to check out the fanbases and found this. Apparently they are holding a songwriting contest again this year for David Archuleta’s coronation song.

    And umm… I was definately getting a SP vibe from the Dreadheads. Yikes!

  • tinawina

    Kristy has coasted this far JUST on a fanbase generated by her audition. She’s pretty in a way that appeals to tween girls AND horny men, and she’s the only country contestant. I think that girl just has to improve a little to make the tour, and if she shakes off her illness and starts knocking them out of the park she could be a real contender. But I know I’m alone on that. LOL.

  • MaryS-NJ

    Very good profiles MJ. I concur almost entirely.

    Predictions for elimination? Change by the day for me.

    My personal top 5 (at the moment): Jason, David H., Brooke, David C. and Amanda. The only one of these 5 who I think has a chance to win is Jason (only if Archie suffers the backlash of the obvious frontrunner or voice problems).

    Jason, Brooke and Amanda bring something different to the show this season. None of the three are the best vocalists in the competition, but I’ve found them pleasing and/or entertaining and hope they’ll stick around for a while.

    While Davids H and C are singing in more genres/styles that have been done before on the show, I like their voices and performances. I think David H is the one most vulnerable to an early departure so I hope he steps up his game. He’s not a pimped one and beyond his “scandal” he’s only got his voice and performance style to keep people’s attention.

    I will be happy if all these 5 make the tour.

    David A will probably win. He’s “new” in the sense that he’s a teen male with a big voice (and teenie-bopper appeal), but personally I think his performances have been somewhat over-rated. There, I said it. He’s got a great voice for 17 years old, but he still sounds like he’s not quite ripe yet – and he’s not the best performer either. My daughter disagrees with me, unsurprisingly. ;)

    The rest are various shades of “heard it before and done better” or “meh”. That’s going to be a problem for all of them this season if the song choices are so limited (by what the PTB can get the rights to for iTunes downloads).

    I’m underwhelmed by Judges’ favorites Carly and Michael. Musically speaking, I don’t understand how they are “relevant” (which = this year’s “commercial”) beyond the show.

    I think Kristy is the weakest singer and a wooden performer (although her other…assets are surely not lost on certain demographics).

    I think Chickesie, Syesha and Ramiele are all good singers who don’t really stand out beyond the moment of the performance. There have been predecessors to all of them.

  • Ladybug

    Very enjoyable analysis, MJ. I agree about the gentle twosome of Jason C. and Brooke. They are unique to Idol and, since I don’t have anyone annoying to back, I certainly will back those two because I know we will get something a bit different with them each week. Sure HOPE so, at least.

    I am less enthused about David Cook but mainly because, like Daughtry was to me, he is derivative. That said, he has genuine vocal talent so I hope he hangs in there.

    This year is SO much better than last year, but best evah??? Not to me. Watching Season 2 brought home what an amazing year that was vocally. Not really a bad one in the bunch then, even Corey and Carmen were talented and they, like Season 5 were diverse and interesting.

    I find this year definitely diverse and that is cool.

  • jpfan

    After the lock that is David A, it’s hard to figure who’ll join him in the finals. Let’s start with those who won’t: Syesha, Chiceze, Amanda, Kristy, David H, Ramiele. Those who might: David C. Micheal, Jason, Carly, Brooke. I guess Jason could make it all the way through if he has the biggest fan base. Being different always helps and he and Brooke are “different” on the show although not very different in the “real world.”

    I’m still surprised the back stories are so weak this year. The show would have benefited from Josiah or Kyle just to bring some “character” to it. The 12 already eliminated were mostly unmemorable fodder so I’m a little surprised they didn’t go for more “human interest.”

  • dusty

    Enjoyed your write up as usual, MJ. You have a talent for writing!

    Here’s my prediction for the top 12:

    Top 4: Michael J, David A, Carly S, David C

    I think we have much, much more to see from each of them.

    Each of them has vids out on the web that show how talented they are… and two of these have not “connected” with the “right song” yet. Is this by design? I am ready for those two to rise to their true potential.

    Mid pack 4: Jason C, Brooke W, Amanda O, Ramiele

    I think we have seen what these 4 have to offer and will see more of it but not necessarily rise-to-a-higher-level more. Totally agree with the Asian connection for Ramiele helping her place decently while I think Amanda gets the rocker/outsider vote to help her place decently, too. Jason and Brooke are breaths of fresh air for season 7, particularly after a diva-heavy season 6.

    Bottom 4:

    Syesha, Chikeze, Kristy Lee, David H

    I think these 4 are the fodder of the top 12. Some may be interchangeable with the mid-pack 4, but I would be really surprised to see them go any higher than that. Kristy Lee is no Carrie U. David H is a diva-lite. Syesha and Chikeze have already had their shot at pimp spots; I don’t think they have galvanized the voters.

    I like one of the comments that Randy made in an interview–something like the winner needs to be able to sing the heck out of anything. Saying that song selection should not really matter. I don’t think these 4 can sing the heck out of anything.

    This is not the year of the diva, unless David A could be construed as diva-ish. I subscribe to the he is peaking early theory. He could be in the final 2, but I think someone else will best him. Michael, David C, or Carly. They all have the chops.

  • dusty

    David A will probably win. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“newà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  in the sense that heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a teen male with a big voice (and teenie-bopper appeal), but personally I think his performances have been somewhat over-rated. There, I said it. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s got a great voice for 17 years old, but he still sounds like heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not quite ripe yet – and heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not the best performer either.

    ITA. He got a lot of kudos for Imagine, but if someone just listened to his vocal and did not watch the performance/lighting/pimping, would they still be so wowed by him? Ai’s pimping of him has gone a long way into having early buzz for the program, reeling in the teen texters, etc. I just think there will be more. Remember LaKisha and Melinda? Early buzz on them last year, only to come in 3rd and 4th. It is a long season and AI doesn’t want viewers to get bored. IMO there is more to come. I hope much more.

  • http://www.xanga.com/werwanderflugen Preston

    Texas ainà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t the south. :)

    Tell that to any Texan and see what they say.

    Texas is DEFINITELY the south! Until Jordin’s win, all the winners were touted as “southerners,” which includes Burleson, TX native Kelly Clarkson.

  • longsong

    Hmmm…..I can’t imagine a Texan saying “fiddle-dee-dee!”. To me, “the south” are those states that fought against the yanks in the civil war. Then again, history’s never been my strong point.

    I concur with everyone who puts Jason as a finalist! That said, JPL had the strongest fanbase on the “scary site” and left relatively early. Hope that’s not the case with Jason.

  • IGetCranked

    Speaking of pimping, did anyone catch that Kristy got her dance clip changed when they announced the top 12? Good thing too, that first clip made me hate on her. She also got sympathy two nights about being sick but from reports, David A had strep when he performed last.

    Another thing I noticed, David C got a lot of Lionel Richie pimping but it wasn’t mentioned on the show that Yoko called to rave about David.

    I said last week that I think that Jason C could take this. Like someone said above, he has tapped into a lot of different type fanbases. I could see that happening after his performance last week. Honestly, There are 6 contestants that I wouldn’t mind winning this year.

  • beesims

    As always Idol doth protest too much with the “best talent ever” refrain, but I do think this season has the potential to be very entertaining and I like the mix of musical styles (especially Jason and Brooke). I was wondering if anyone else had bothered to download the exl spreadsheet from the LA Times article that was posted in yesterdays headlines:

    http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-idoltracker10mar10,0,7303530.story

    The author tries to do a “scientific” comparison of how this season’s top 12 talent compares to the last 5 seasons (there was no Top 12 during Season 1) by assigning a raw singing talent score and a personality score to each of the contestants. The personality score is not meant to measure just likeability but rather whether the contestant projected a strong personality either positive or negative that impacted on their fate in the competition. Here are the last 3 seasons with the first score being singing talent and the second personality. The writer did admit that his ranking of season 7 are a bit skewed since we don’t know at this point who is going to be the early flame out and who is going to be the surprise late bloomer. Again this is totally subjective (Michael Johns is a 5 for personality and Chikezie is only a 2???), but I thought it was entertaining.

    Season Five
    Ace Young 2/ 3
    Bucky Covington 2/ 2
    Chris Daughtry 5/ 4
    Elliot Yamin 4/ 2
    Kat McPhee 4/ 4
    Kellie Pickler 2/ 5
    Kevin Covais 1/ 3
    Lisa Tucker 2/ 2
    Mandisa 4/ 2
    Melissa McGhee 1/ 1
    Paris Bennett 3/ 3
    Taylor Hicks 2/ 4
    TOTAL 32 36
    AVERAGE 2.7 3

    Season Six
    Jordin Sparks 4/ 5
    Melinda D. 5/ 2
    Blake Lewis 4/ 4
    Chris R. 2/ 3
    LaKisha Jones 4/ 2
    Gina Glocksen 3/ 2
    Hayley Scarnato 1/ 2
    Sanjaya Malakar 1/ 5
    Phil Stacey 2/ 2
    Brandon Rogers 2/ 1
    Stephanie E. 2/ 1
    Chris Sligh 1/ 2
    TOTAL 31 31
    AVERAGE 2.6 2.6

    Season Seven
    Amanda Overmyer 3/ 4
    Brooke White 3/ 3
    Carly Smithson 5/ 4
    Chikeze 4/ 2
    David Archuleta 5/ 5
    David Cook 4/ 3
    David Hernandez 3/ 2
    Jason Castro 4/ 5
    Kristy Lee Cook 2/ 3
    Michael Johns 3/ 5
    Ramiele Malubay 3/ 4
    Syesha Mercado 4/ 4
    TOTAL 43 44
    AVERAGE 3.6 3.7

  • dukesterathlete

    Um ya Beesmis that list couldn’t get any more subjective than it already is. What bright individual thought of that??

  • primeminister

    hmm. I still think Season 5 had stronger personalities. Who can beat Taylor and Pickler? Certainly no one yet this season.

  • http://myspace.com/saltwatercures pj

    Online fanbases are only part of the picture. Plenty of people vote who would never think of bothering to post to a website about the show. It’s one indicator, but there are others: iTunes popularity, dialidol, obvious pimpage, not-so obvious pimpage, song clearance, etc. etc. This year is shaping up to be pretty interesting. Looking forward to tonight’s show. Hope we get rehearsal spoilers.

  • jersey

    Yeah, those rankings are completely subjective, Phil got a 2 in vocal talent and Blake got a 4? I like Blake and all, but I definitely don’t think that he is a better technical singer than Phil. And season 5, Chris had the best vocal ability? Yes, he has a powerful voice, but better technically than Mandisa and Kat? Some may think so, others, maybe not.

  • bean99

    I think this group is stronger on pure singing talent. Kristy is the weakest singer imo and matches up with Haley and Kellie Pickler vocally although Kellie wins out on personality. They don’t have a Sanjaya or Kevin Covais who were weak singers and kept beyond their talent. I’ve liked the last 3 seasons so wouldn’t pick one over the other but this seems stronger as a group. There are individuals from previous seasons that are just as good.

    David A is getting way too much pimpage from the judges and the press. I’m tired of him already so will be interesting to see what happens over the next several weeks.

  • PattyP

    longsong, I had to register so I could reply to this: “Hmmmà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦..I canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t imagine a Texan saying à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“fiddle-dee-dee!à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ . To me, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“the southà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  are those states that fought against the yanks in the civil war. Then again, historyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s never been my strong point.”

    Texas was/is part of the South, and Texans indeed fought against the Yanks during the Civil War. Texas was one of the states that seceded from the Union and joined the Confederacy. Believe me, particularly in east Texas, the South is very much alive and part of our culture.

    Texas is often included in the definition of “Deep South.” We may not say “fiddle-dee-dee” (but then again, I don’t know many other Southerners who say that, either!), but we do say, “Yes’m” and “y’all” and like sweet tea, etc.

    Oh, and — go, Jason! He’s charming and seems genuinely nice and content with who he is. I hope he gets a nice little record deal out of all of this, because I’d like to buy his album.

  • jpfan

    Syesha Mercado gets the same 4 for personality that Taylor got. If Syesha left tomorrow, there would be five people on the planet who would remember her. Taylor already had the Soul Patrol roaring to go at this point. I’m also amused by the 5 that Micheal Johns got for personality The LA blogger must be smoking crack.

  • Ladybug

    Not to drill a subject into the ground, but to drill a subject into the ground. Texas is a unique state. No other state is anything like it. Because of its size, it has often been described as several regions, rolled into one: Deep South (East) American West (West) Midwest (North) Mixture (South).

    Ah well…..

    That LA Times “ranking” is not just ridiculous, but downRIGHT ridiculous. Say what????

  • daisy

    Interesting profiles MJ, loving the variety this yr, much more enjoyable to watch and listen to than last season
    Kristy Lee is a mystery to me for sure, pimping from TBTB for a rather mediocre singer/ pretty girl who could be one of many singing in the high school talent show, and later on the beauty queen circuit- do they need a country girl on the tour just to shake it up, and keep the country fans happy, not getting the love for her girl. Doesn’t have the voice of a Carrie or the spark of Kellie P- meh
    Am liking David H more and more each wk, no pimping, great performances, I am tempted to begin and vote again to reward his consistently good vocals and choice of songs. Loved his response to his past job as a stripper, and liking his authenticity as a person as well.

  • larrylegend

    mj, great piece as usual, but I think you’re being just a tad unfair with regard to Carly’s first album.

    Re: “changing her excuse” for its failure, I think reasonable minds (that have read the WSJ article) would agree that a confluence of factors led to its doom, and to expect her to either talk exclusively about one of those factors or speak exhaustively about all is just a bit much.

    As far as MCA Records is concerned, the artists on it were shuffled around to various labels when it was rolled into Geffen, and I’m not sure any of us are privy to how each artist was dealt with, artist retention rates, or anything of that sort.

    Finally, regardless of whether her album was released on September 12 or November 13 – or both (remember, the critics get advance copies, and those are certainly not the only ones floating out there before being released to the public) – the occurrence of 9/11 as being a contributing factor of the album’s failure for various reasons isn’t ridiculous to argue.

    You can see there’s a lot of uncertainty that can be spun both ways – and the impression of your take on Carly’s words is that she’s stretching the truth a bit – and I just don’t think there’s sufficient information available to reach that conclusion – or mine.

    Keep on doing your thing though, I love reading your page daily around this time of year!