You’ve waited a long time, so I won’t make you wait any longer. It’s time to unveil the 12 American Idol finalists just in time to enjoy watching them perform on the big Hollywood stage Tuesday evening. So without any further delay, here is your chance to meet the twelve kids who are going to entertain us for the next several months:
David Archuleta has been considered the odds-on favorite to be crowned the next American Idol since his first audition earlier this year. The 17-year-old Utah native has wowed the judges, the studio audience, and the voting public each and every week singing such classic hits as John Lennon’s “Imagine” and Phil Collin’s “Another Day in Paradise”. The only thing keeping us from handing this young talent the title is the fact that in past years the early favorite hasn’t won—can anyone say Chris Daughtry? Or Melinda Doolittle? David’s going far in the competition and he will be a star one day regardless of how the votes go this season.
Originally from Australia and now calling Buckhead, GA home, Michael Johns (29) brings a seasoned professional style to the contest. Michael has made a name for himself with his covers of the Doors’ “Light My Fire” and Simple Minds’ “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” from “The Breakfast Club”. If not for David A., Michael would be the clear favorite.
The top lady is another foreign-born contestant named Carly Smithson (24). Carly hails from Ireland, but makes her home in San Diego where she owns a tattoo parlor with her inked husband. Carly has got serious pipes and should go far in the competition—provided she doesn’t make every song a power ballad. She has performed songs by Celine Dion and Heart quite well, but she’ll need to lighten it up a bit to build up a fan base especially against some of the more personable singers.
I think Syesha Mercado (21) could be a real sleeper this year. She has a big voice, model looks, and tons of charisma to win votes. Song selection is going to be her biggest challenge as she has thus far selected songs that don’t exactly fit her style the best—example: “Me and Mr. Jones”. She should sail through the early rounds of the competition and could very well be around at the end if things break her way.
Another talented sleeper is Jason Castro. The painfully shy, dreadlocked 20-year-old from Rockwall, TX has a wonderful voice and will pick up a lot of female votes with his sheepish smile and piercing blue eyes, but his personality is going to have to change (as in he is going to have to develop one) in order to get enough votes to last deep into the show. Jason impressed the judges as well as the viewing and voting public last week with his interpretation of “Hallelujah”, the Leonard Cohen classic that has been covered by a number of hit makers including Jeff Buckley.
Brooke White from Mesa, AZ is another talented singer who is developing into quite a good performer. Early in the audition process, it was almost painful watching Brooke (24) perform because she just seemed so unsure of herself despite a lovely singing voice. But as the weeks has come and gone, she has shown a spicier side to her personality—even sparring a bit with Simon Cowell (aka Judge Crabby Pants!). Brooke’s shining moment thus far in the competition was her take on the Carly Simon classic, “You’re So Vain”—a not so veiled homage to the aforementioned Simon.
Twenty-year-old Ramiele Malubay from Miramar, FL is trying to become the first Pilipino-American to win the coveted Idol crown. Ramiele stands about five foot high (with heels!), but has a huge voice. Like most of the contestants, Ramiele is going to have to be very careful with song selection. The other thing you need to know about Ramiele is that she cries during EVERY elimination—regardless of who’s getting the boot from the show.
You may have heard about our next contestant, David Hernandez. David is from Glendale, AZ where he shook his money-maker for tips at an adult dance club prior to auditioning for Idol last September. So far this revelation hasn’t hurt the 24-year-old who has a powerful voice and has impressed with “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” a couple of weeks back. If he can maintain that level of performance, he could make quite a run during the show.
As with just about every past season, there is a single-named contestant that makes it to the Final 12—and this year’s version is a young R&B singer named Chikezie. Simon can’t seem to remember how to pronounce his name, so the 22-year-old, Inglewood, CA native sang the Donny Hathaway classic “I Believe to My Soul” which has the famous line: “Last night you were dreaming and I hear you say ‘Oh, Johnny’ when you know my name is Chikezie!” It was a nice touch, but he lost a bit of that luster last week when he opted for a Whitney Houston number (“All the Man That I Need”—of course he changed the lyrics to “Woman”, but that didn’t really help much). Chikezie can sing, but he likely won’t last long in the competition.
The resident Rocker in the Final 12 is David Cook from Blue Springs, MO. David has both irritated and wowed Simon and in the process may have won a few extra votes along the way. He is a capable singer, but he does lack the elusive “X”-factor. But if he is able to maintain the magic he created with his edgy version of Lionel Richie’s “Hello”, he might surprise a few people.
To balance out the male rocker, I offer you Amanda Overmeyer. Dubbed the “Rock’n’Roll Nurse” by the judges, Amanda is a less talented version of Janis Joplin. In addition to her interesting combination of “nurse by day/Harley rider by night”, she also mixes a bit of Pepe LePew in her hairstyle. I don’t anticipate Amanda lasting very long once the Idols move to the big stage.
Rounding out the Final 12 is Selma, Oregon’s own Kristy Lee Cook. Kristy represents the Country side of the musical spectrum and, as long as she can put a country lilt to her song choices, she is OK—at least she was up to this point. As much as I would like to seem KLC last a few weeks on the show, I wouldn’t recommend she completely unpack her bags the first couple of shows.
So that is how the Idol Final 12 stack up. As we are reminded every show, before every commercial break, and as the show closes, this is the most talented group of singers ever to grace the Idol stage. Do yourself a favor and tune in to hear these young kids sing songs that were hits when their parents were kids!
Until we meet again (is tomorrow too soon?), I will continue watching TV so you don’t have to.
Charlie
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