Territorial Bloggings

Well, here we are.

The third, and final, phase of the AI season.

The AI:7 Finals are upon us.

Yay!

America has given us what so many are calling (correctly, I think) the strongest group of 12 finalists ever. In fact, I have no real problems with the guys who were chosen, particularly as Danny got the old heave-ho. Listed alphabetically, David Archuleta, Jason Castro, Chikezie, David Cook, David Hernandez, & Michael Johns are top-notch.

On the girls’ side I’m not quite as pleased, as I think America made two mistakes. Alaina Whitaker certainly deserved to be in the Top 12 more than either Kristy or Amanda. She had definite potential for growth and improvement. Perhaps not quite as much as Jordin did last season, as I didn’t think Alaina could win, but she certainly was good enough. I also think that either Alexandrea Lushington or Asia’h Epperson were more deserving of a finals’ slot than either Kristy or Amanda. That all said, this group of six girls is stronger, top-to-bottom than any other top group of girls I can recall. I think that, before all is said & done, we’ll see some pretty good performances from (alphabetically) Kristy Lee Cook, Ramiele Malubay, Syesha Mercado, Amanda Overmyer, Carly Smithson, & Brooke White.

Ranking & handicapping the Top 12 is a difficult & doomed-to-fail thing, but I’m not going to let that stop me, at least from doing it on my terms, that is!

Top Guy: David Archuleta

Top Girl: Carly Smithson

The Dark Horses: Jason Castro & Ramiele Malubay

Too Flawed To Win: David Cook, Michael Johns, Syesha Mercado, & Brooke White

Worst Guys: David Hernandez & Chikezie

Worst Girls: Amanda Overmyer & Kristy Lee Cook

In an ideal setting, the worst guys & girls would be the first four eliminated, setting the stage for a fight-to-the-finish among those left. If, however, the past is a reasonably accurate guide, it’s safe to say that it won’t play out that way. There are always “upsets” and “outrages” as things play out, and this season will be no different.

In the end, however, I think it’s also safe to say that either David Archuleta or Carly Smithson will be the next American Idol. Unless both of them screw up so badly as to engender a backlash OR a dark horse of Jordin-esque proportions emerges from the pack, the final result shouldn’t surprise us.

At this point, when he’s rocking like he did last week, David Cook is my personal favorite. Carly is slowly emerging as my favorite among the girls, despite the hype & backing from the AI production machine. Michael, though, is having trouble living up to the AI hype machine, and if he doesn’t start doing better, the machine will turn on him. To be honest, I haven’t completely warmed up to David Archuleta yet, as he’s a bit too over-earnest for my tastes at times. Jason is oddly compelling, I think, and he could do some damage if he keeps proper focus. Ramiele is a potential breakout girl, as she’s got a huge voice in that tiny little body, as well as a possibly huge, albeit ethnic, fanbase. Brooke is likely a bit too narrow in her genre of expertise, and I don’t know how well she’ll translate across the different musical styles. If she can pull it off, she could surprise. Syesha is just too slick for me, as it’s never a surprise to remember that she’s an actress - it just slips out every so often, and it hurts her authenticity/sincerity. Bringing up the rear, David Hernandez, Chikezie, Amanda, & Kristy Lee are all just way too flawed, have no chance of winning, and don’t warrant any more of my time.

For the first performance show, we’re getting selections from the Lennon/McCartney catalog. Iconic songs, no doubt, but I fear at how some of them will get “freshened” and made more “relevant” by our Top 12. Hopefully, it’ll be more good than bad. We’ll see…

-ghp