Ranking the ‘Idol’ Top 12
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- March
- 11
1. David Archuleta—Sure, he’s the best of the guys, but it’ll be interesting to see how he fares the first week he’s head to head with Carly, Syesha and Co.
2. Carly Smithson—Ms. Consistency continues to impress.
3. David Cook—If it weren’t for Archuleta’s resonant “Imagine,” Cook’s rock rendition of Lionel Richie’s “Hello” would be the most buzz-worthy performance of Season 7.
4. David Hernandez—Overcame his first week of the kind of adversity that has nothing to do with his excellent singing. But is he any viewer’s absolute favorite?
5. Syesha Mercado—Despite providing the best female vocal last week, she’s probably praying she’s not closing the show this week. Why turn down such a coveted spot? Last week, the judges barely got to praise her with time running down on the show clock.
6. Brooke White—“You’re So Vain” was pitch-perfect, but “Love is a Battlefield” got mixed reviews from the judges and bored me to tears despite solid vocals. Remember: Better to take chances and be memorable (good example: Cook, David; bad example: Overmyer, Amanda) than be boring and forgettable (see: Whitaker, Alaina; Malloy, Kady).
7. Chikezie—Probably involved in viewer discussions about the second-best pure vocalist among males—with David Hernandez also being considered after Mr. Archuleta—but he’s going to have to continue to bring the flair he brought to his Donny Hathaway cover if he has any shot of sticking around.
8. Jason Castro—Despite receiving last week’s Meh Award—which I bestowed upon Colton Berry and Robbie Carrico the week of their dismissals—Castro sang a mostly decent “Hallelujah” in the style of Jeff Buckley and lived to tell about it. And while I didn’t think it was particularly fantastic, there’s something to be said if Buckley’s version catapulted to No. 1 over the weekend. Castro might have more mojo than I thought.
9. Kristy Lee Cook—Hot. Curious to see how she countrifies the Beatles tonight.
10. Michael Johns—If this guy’s the 10th-best singer remaining in the competition, give the producers—and voters—their due. I don’t think I’ve enjoyed at least some aspects of 10 out of the Top 12 in the history of the show. But he’d better nail a song soon if he wants to stick around.
11. Ramiele Malubay—Vocally, last week’s “Against All Odds” was her best since America started voting for Season 7 contestants. Lyrically and fashionably, it was her worst as she mangled the lyrics and looked like she picked the first few articles of clothing from a laundry bin.
12. Amanda Overmyer—She doesn’t look like Sanjaya Malakar, but she’s probably the most polarizing contestant remaining in the competition. Want proof? VoteForTheWorst.com has encouraged visitors to vote for her until otherwise advised.
(Photo by Kevin Winter/FOX.)
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, March 11th, 2008 at 2:50 pm by Chris Serico.
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