American Idol Season 7 - Top 12

Tonight we see what happens to the top 12.

Okay, Sylvia and I have become hooked on this program. We've never seen any of the previous seasons, except for commercials and snippets here or there. To us this is all new, and we're thoroughly enjoying it. We both love music, so we should've realized earlier that we'd enjoy this show, but we never gave it a shot. Now that we're hooked, we've come to the final 12 with some expectations and with some predictions. So here are my (Jon's) predictions for the final 12 and their eventual exits from the show:

#12 Kristy Lee Cook
Kristy has gotten a bad rap from the judges for weeks, and I just haven't seen what they've seen. I think she's done a great job with her songs...until last night. Last night was laughable. Her country version of that Beatles tune was awful. She has shown herself for what she is: a girl who can sing well, but who has no musical talent. And to boot, she has released recordings previously, and has failed to become successful, being dropped from her label twice. I say she'll go home tonight.

#11 Ramiele Malubay
This little girl showcased a powerful voice early on, but has really petered out of late. Last night's performance was pretty bad, from start to finish. I have to completely agree with Simon - the stair view was bad to start out, and the entire performance was boring. She won't last, and I predict she'll go next week.

#10 Jason Castro
I have been predicting this guy would go home for weeks. I just don't see what they've been seeing. I think he's so boring every time, has no stage presence, and looks so uncomfortable on stage that I can't bear to watch him. Last week I finally thought his poor performance wasn't as bad as others and thought he'd stay. But I don't think he'll make it through the next three weeks.


#9 Syesha Mercado
I like her attitude and smile. Her singing is okay, but it just isn't great, and I think she'll go home in the next four weeks.





#8 Amanda Overmyer
I liked her early on, but she was downright awful for a few weeks in there. Last week she was back on her game, and last night she was okay, too. But her style is so repetitive, and her smile is fake, and she has some really bad nights. I think she's still here thanks to VFTW, and will go home in the next five weeks.


#7 David Hernandez
This boy can sing, and has a good stage presence. Maybe from all that time as a stripper. Good grief! With the gossip surrounding this guy, he won't last until the top 6. He was not good last night, but not really bad either. He's part of the bottom seven unless he has some stellar nights in the near future.



#6 Michael Johns
I thought this guy was great the first several weeks of the show. He can sing well, I like his voice, and he has musical experience (supposedly having time "in the studio" as he said). But in the last two weeks, when he "showcased" his musical talent, it was...well, not there. Why doesn't he add some life to these songs? Does he not know how? If he doesn't show a lot more spark, he'll be first to go in the top 6.

#5 Chikezie
I have liked Chikezie from the outset. From a return contestant who matured enough to make it into the top 24, to that smile on his face. He seems real. I have liked what he's done so far, until last night. I loved what he did last night! Last night when that Beatles song started, I thought it was neat, but different. But when he turned it into a great rock song, I thought he was phenomenal! He rocked! He showed musical talent! He owned that stage. And he will be there for weeks to come, because he is consistent. Whether he can make it into the top 4 remains to be seen. So for now, I'll put him at 5. Great job, Chikezie!

#4 David Archuleta
This Boy Wonder (as they call him) has an incredible voice. But two weeks ago, with the Phil Collins song, he seemed flat. He added no life to the song. Then last night, he truly showed he has some growing to do. Give him a break, though, he's what...12? Okay, 17 I think. He was born in the 90's? Man that makes me feel old. I think he needs to have some fantastic nights to move ahead of the top three.

#3 Carly Smithson
This girl has some pipes! I have loved her renditions of Heart and the Beatles song. She has truly nailed it the last few weeks. And unlike Simon, I think she's been singing the right songs for weeks - unlike some weird Carly video going around the net (ugh). Yes, this girl has released an album before, as she has admitted. I hear there is something fishy about her, that she's been planted in the competition, but I read one article too many on VFTW (and that's the only one I read). She will be in the top 4 for sure, and I suspect the top 3, but we'll see.

#2 David Cook
I would guess most people think he'll make top 8 or so, but no further. But watch this guy. He has talent. If you've seen what he's done with the last few songs, you can see he has a great mind for musical composition. He can make a rock song out of anything, I say. I love his voice. I love what he does with the tunes, and I think he'll be a surprise entry into the top 4 for sure, but maybe the top three. I'm only putting him at #2 because of the "controversy" surrounding Carly.

#1 Brooke White
Brooke, Brooke, Brooke. America loves you, Brooke. She is the genuine article. She is very talented musically. Guitar. Piano. Songstress. Slice-of-America looks and personality. Sylvia, my wife, - a pianist, mind you - spotted the bare feet after she played the piano last night, so we were rewinding on the DVR to see if it was so. Then as we played through, Ryan pointed out the bare feet. She is so normal! I put her here at #1 because I know she'll make top 3, and at number one because that is what I hope. Whether she'll make it to #1 remains to be seen.

That's all I have to say about American Idol Season Seven right now. We'll see if Kristy goes home tonight. I borrowed these pictures from americanidol.com, so check that site out if you want to see the real info. I may have to update my take (or create a new one if I'm all wrong) on the contestants in another month. Now this was fun!