Idol Chatter & Voice Views

So, an Idol fan tweeted me the other day, asking if I knew who made the final 24 on American Idol.

My response was that I didn’t. And while there are spoiler sites out there that claim they know, I won’t look at them.

It’d sorta spoil the surprise when the show airs.

That said, I’m not expecting too many shocks.

Especially not after what Nigel Lythgoe said during a conference call with the media last week.

A media rep noted that most of the audition shows this season tended to focus more on the good talent than the bad. Nigel said that was a choice producers made. In the past, he complained, there were too many occasions when the semifinals would arrive and viewers wouldn’t know who “50 percent of them are because we’ve never shown them.”

“I would prefer to follow up on the journey of people that we might be seeing later on than concentrating on a bunch of people that get kicked off the show that day,” he said.

So, I’d say the chances of seeing Brett Loewenstern, Jaycee Bardeaux, Lauren Alaina and Scotty McCreery in the semifinals are pretty darn good. Perhaps Robbie Rosen, Thia Megia and Melinda Ademi, too.  All were 16 or younger when they auditioned.

Let America’s Most Talented Kids — American Idol style — begin.

To that cast you’ll probably be able to add Naima Adedapo, Stefano Langone, Clint Jun Gamboa, Jordan Dorsey, Jacob Lusk, Julie Zorrilla, James Durbin, Casey Abrams, Carson Higgins and Chris Medina (the least deserving, based on his singing).

I’m holding out hope that Idol has kept some contestants around for entertainment value only. Those would include:  Hollie “Tearful” Cavanagh, Ashley “On the Verge of Breakdown” Sullivan, John Wayne “Famous Name” Schulz and Jovany “Gotta-Show-My-Abs” Baretto.  Seriously, they are not potential Idols.

Anyway, if it plays out that way, there won’t be a whole lot of suspense. Though I have a feeling Nigel will fall well short of his promise of giving us a semifinal where we’re familiar with all 24 contestants. Which is an inexcusable shame given all the airtime spent on the likes of Brett, Jaycee and Lauren Alaina.

Suffice to say my top 24 would be vastly different. In fact, several of my favorite contestants based on their pre-Idol music, are already gone (i.e. Mallorie Haley, Charity Vance).

Would would I pick for the top 24, if the selections were limited to the contestants still standing?

Glad you asked.

OK, you didn’t, but I’m sure you were wondering.

Guys:

Paul McDonald (of the Hightide Blues, now the Grand Magnolias), Caleb Hawley (singer-songwriter type, with a sense of humor), Tim Halperin (another singer-songwriter), Jacob Lusk (wow, what range), James Durbin (more range and more of a rocker), Jerome Bell (love his tone), Brett Loewenstern (he’s worthy), Scotty McCreery (the best male country singer we’ve heard), Clint Jun Gamboa (he wasn’t wrong about Jaycee on group day), Casey Abrams (Idol needs his personality), Carson Higgins (more personality, plus flamboyance), Jonathas Ojeda (aka Jonsense).

Gals:

Pia Toscano (wow), Ashthon Jones (already has a decent EP), Lauren Alaina (apparently fearless at 15), Sophia Shoria (great jazz singer), Julie Zorrilla (now there’s a back-story), Jessica Cunningham (we need a lady rocker), Kendra Campbell (aka Kendra Chantelle), Jacqueline Elliott (because she has a red-headed alter ego named Steely Nash who sings really well), Haley Reinhart (because she’s simply adorable), Casey Schuber (because she has a song called Dr. Kill) and Erin Kelly (because I’d finally like to hear the waitress sing).

Oops, I only have 11 gals.

Blame Idol. We’ve heard so little from so many of the female contestants — or nothing at all — that it’s ridiculous.

Editor’s Note: For those interested in hearing more on Idol contestants who survived Hollywood, go here. We’ve managed to find pre-Idol videos for nearly everyone. But I’ve found no video at all for Chrissy Feliciano, and only an Idol video for Natlaie Hanson. So, if anyone knows of videos that exist for those contestants and that are available on iTunes, please pass the tip along.

Also, for those interested in a spoiler list of the top 24, you might want to head to Joe’s Place. The blog  has a good track record of being accurate on these things.