Mac and MJ compare American Idol 13 Top 3 power lists! Share YOURS in comments!
MJ 1) Jena Irene – I’m moving Jena into first place. Maybe I’ve given her the pole position once before, but Caleb or Alex have mostly been in first place on my list. One of the main reasons she’s finally number one, is that it appears that the producers really really really want her to win, and will give her every advantage to advance. I’m not exactly complaining. I think she’s a talented songwriter and singer. Rocker girls never make it far in the competition. It would be cool to have one as a winner. She’s very marketable. If Interscope, or 19 or whoever is doing Idol music these days makes an effort, she could have a successful recording career. The drawback is that she’s been inconsistent throughout the competition. It could hurt her. But for now, she’s number one.
MAC: 1) Jena Irene– I’m now reminded of Season 8, where Kris Allen did that awesome cover of Heartless right near the end of the competition, and the goodwill from that carried him across the finish line. Jena just SLAYED Can’t Help Falling In Love and by overwhelming majority in every poll I saw, she’s now the clear leader. I realize the other two appeal more to the Idol core audience, but Jena’s going to reprise Creep next week. That’s a strong reprise. Her Idol single is co-written by Felicia Barton, also SEASON 8. I think Jena might just overcome Alex and win this thing.
MJ: 2) Caleb Johnson – Caleb’s crass use of a slur against his fans didn’t hurt him one bit. Mostly because the news really didn’t travel far. Most casual fans voting for Idol are completely unaware. I believe the producers would like Caleb in the final. And with good reason. He’s not the most original talent Idol has produced, but he knows how to entertain. He’s an excellent vocalist and knows how to work the stage and please the audience. At this point, TPTB want finale ratings to be as unembarrassing as possible. The risk here, is that Caleb COULD win if he makes the final. He’s consistent, he’s fun. He’ll no doubt pull out all of the stops. If Jena has an off night? Whoopsie doodle. The producers are left with a winner stuck in the 80s and very little prospect of being a successful winner.
MAC: 2) Alex Preston– I feel like Caleb doesn’t take risks, and both Alex and Jena do. Caleb will sing 3 songs this week, probably really well, but without rearranging them or bringing anything new to the table. That’s the problem with Caleb, is that all the songs sound the same… as the original. Alex conforms the songs to him, which causes (at times) radical rearrangements of songs. Sometimes, the song is close enough to Alex’s wheelhouse that he doesn’t need to rework the song, and other times he does. I’m betting at least 1 rearrangement from Alex this week. And I think he’s still gonna get into the finale.
MJ: 3) Alex Preston – It really irks me that the bus is about to be run over Alex Preston. I’m even more annoyed after bearing witness to his very excellent 9 song set at his homecoming concert at University of New Hampshire. I would really like to see the TWO REMAINING ARTISTS in the finale. And before you think I’ve got some WGWG bias. NO. Adam Lambert and Fantasia are two Idol alums I consider gifted ARTISTS. Their instrument is their voice. Nothing karaoke about either. Ugh. I know Caleb puts on a better “show” than Alex, but for me, it’s the principle of the thing. The two left standing should bring some artistry to the proceedings. Caleb has amazing pipes, but he doesn’t bring originality or the element of surprise. I don’t care about the way Alex looks, or his pee pee dance, or weird rolled up pants. I’m going to be sad when he’s inevitably eliminated at Top 3.
3) Caleb Johnson– The time has come to separate the singers from the artists, and Caleb is the last singer left. As I already said, Caleb doesn’t rearrange the songs. He just sings them. He also doesn’t play an instrument, and while Candice never played an instrument, all the male winners before her played an instrument. Voters like their men holding guitars, it’s just a proven fact.
