American Idol Top 12

Last night was definitely not the contestants' best show. It sounded like there were audio problems of some kind ... but I like that no one blamed anything on song choice (I'm looking at you, Jordan Dorsey) or monitor problems.  But now on to my first annual rankings!

No Chance Whatsoever

12.  Karen Rodriguez - She seems like such a sweet girl and I loved her mom but all of her performances leave me bored.  Plus, we get it, you can speak Spanish. And you like J Lo. And you pick strange outfits.  It's been fun, but it's probably time to go.

11.  Thia Megia - I'm not sure she could have chosen a worse song last night.  Of all the fun, upbeat songs at her disposal she picks one from Pocahontas .... not the best moment for the little robot. I can't figure her out - she obviously has mad talent but no charisma whatsoever.

Interesting, But No Thanks

10.  Naima Adedapo - I think she has found her sweet spot as an artist/performer, unfortunately it's not a good spot for this contest. She rocked Umbrella last week and although "What's Love Got to Do With It" was a horrible song choice I could tell she had a lot of fun and she seems to have a great voice. I wish she would pick songs that have more actual singing and less pitchy talking.

9.  Haley Reinhart - Was anyone surprised to see that she was from Chicago? Me neither. The judges nailed it last night - she seems to be flailing around trying to find a style that will please the judges and ends up missing each time. Her talent is undeniable but she needs to find a groove and stick to it. And what was Jimmy Iovine saying about work ethic last night? Has she been lazy? Very confusing.

On The Outside Looking In

8.  Stefano Langone - I love this little guy.  He has a big voice and seems like he brings it every time. His song choice last night was great and he sang the fire out of it.  However, I just don't get a winning vibe from him. Not sure if America will vote for him but I see the judges possibly using a save on him if he can last a few more weeks. I'm rooting for him (and he's my wife's favorite - she cheers whenever he's on the screen, so that counts for something!).

7.  Paul McDonald - I'll admit, I'd watch a whole show of just this guy. I'm not sure if he's as interesting in real life as he is when he sings, but he's mesmerizing.  His voice clearly isn't as strong as some of the others, but his quirkiness makes him memorable. He's picked great songs, too.  That being said, I'm afraid he won't be able to make it beyond top 7 or 8.  But I'll bet Jimmy Iovine can't wait to sign him to a deal and record a record or two with that crazy voice and drunken marionette dancing.

Against My Better Judgment

6.  Jacob Lusk - He sounded great last night and I love that Heart song (actually downloaded it on iTunes this morning). I would have put Jacob in his own category (Really Loud Singers that I Never Want To Hear Again) before last night, but he toned down the Christina Aguilera theatrics and just sang a really good song really well. His interviews about his mom were pretty funny as well.  I don't think he's going to win, but he'll be fun to have along for the ride.

5.  Scotty McCreery - I'll be the 1,000,000,000th person to bring up that Scotty is a one trick pony. He's pretty good at that trick, and I thought last night he sung a sneaky-tough Travis Tritt song very well, but I just can't imagine listening to "Baby, Lock those doors and shut the blinds" or whatever that song is that he sang for the first 3 months of the show.  Plus, what's with the weird faces and holding the microphone like someone from the Lawrence Welk Show? He looks normal until he starts singing, then suddenly becomes Creepy McCreeper.  He sounds like every country singer on the radio so I'm sure he'll have a good career, and I think we should let him get started ASAP by voting him off this show!

4.  James Durbin - I loved his song choice last night but he never really seemed to hit the notes right. On a side note - these kids were born in some great years for music!  I love how J Lo was jamming with them on most songs. I'm surprised she didn't come out in stonewashed tight rolled Guess? jeans. I think on a few songs her desire to have fun and jam with the songs got in the way of her actually listening to the person signing right in front of her, but she was having a great time! Back to James - I've never really liked him in this contest for a lot of reasons, but I can't deny that he was as likeable last night as ever. Unfortunately, I thought he sang his worst song of the contest ... even if J Lo was thinking too hard about crimped hair and friendship bracelets to hear it.

The Best of the Best

3.  Lauren Alaina - I think Lauren is a little like a more talented, more charismatic Scotty. She doesn't seem to have a lot of range to her singing styles but she's really good at her style and she's so fun to listen to that you forget about all of that. Do I think she'll win? No. But I could definitely see her in the finals.  Really, the only issue with her last night was her mom's wardrobe in the family interviews.  Did she get attacked by some backwoods version of Forever XXI on the way home that day?  And Janet Jackson called from the set of "Poetic Justice" and she wants her hat back.  (look it up - that's a great call.)

2.  Pia Toscano - I'm amazed that she's where she is. I didn't think she would even make the top 13 and on the strength of "I'll Stand By You" she's a favorite to win it all! Last night during the show I asked my wife if she thought Pia was more attractive in person or less attractive and she quickly replied "Less." Could she be a contestant that women won't vote for?  If so, that could sabotage her chances pretty quickly. I hope she wins just because she reminds me of my original pick - Julie Zorilla. She has an awesome voice and picks some great songs. She seems to get how the contest works better than anyone else.

1.  Casey Abrams - What can you say about this guy? He looks exactly like Fozzie Bear, has sung songs from the 60's, 70's-80's, and 90's, he's as versatile as any contestant I've ever seen (but I've only watched last year and this year, so ...), he goes for songs no one else would even consider, and his parents are pretty hilarious. I think last night we really saw his confidence. Even though he didn't sing his best - J Lo was spot on in her critique, he got a little screamy at times - he brought confidence and I think that quality makes everyone listen to whatever he does. I don't know if he'll be a great record seller but he's definitely fun to listen to and if there's any justice, he'll win this contest.

So what do you think? Am I on track with these rankings?  Are you voting for Scotty? (stop it!) Who's your favorite?