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Now that we have a complete list of American Idol's Top 24, it's time to try to predict who will make the Top 12. I'll admit it's a bit early to make educated predictions. After all, how do we judge contestants we've never seen sing? Honestly, this initial list is really just a compilation based on "gut feelings" or "first impressions." Let's face it, we're totally judging books by their covers.
I feel sorry for those contestants (like last year's Melissa McGhee), who once again lacked exposure early on and thus are fighting an uphill battle against some of their higher profile competitors. But truth is that America is going to vote for contestants with personality. If you didn't stand out and make an impression early -- chances are, you aren't going to. Reality TV is all about creating likable, loveable, interesting, quirky, and entertaining characters. And you can't just have talent, you need to play the game.
Right now, a lot of people already love the always-witty Chris Sligh, but are saying "Who the heck is Stephanie Edwards?" Hopefully, after everyone has had a chance to sing next week, we'll be able to make a more educated prediction of the Top 10. But for now, let's have a little fun.
My predictions for Top 12 (in no apparent order):
1. Gina Glocksen
2. Melinda Doolittle
3. Alaina Alexander
4. Lakisha Jones
5. Stephanie Edwards
6. Nicole Tranquila
7. Chris Sligh
8. Sundance Head
9. Sanjaya Malakar
10. Rudy Cardenas
11. Brandon Rogers
12. Paul Kim
Regarding the girls: Gina seems to have the strongest personality right now for the girls, and I think she'll hold her own in the next couple of weeks. Even though we haven't really met Nicole, I'm putting her on my list anyway to mix things up. I think Antonella may have been "overexposed" and negative backlash will send her home early. Especially since many of her performances have seemed "shaky" at best, and I'm not sure she'll keep up once competition begins. I think Alaina and Haley are interchangeable in this slot. They will appeal to a certain segment of the audience, just not me. There's something about Jordin Sparks I simply like. And I obviously only saw two seconds of Leslie "dimples' Hunt, Sabrina Sloan, and Amy Krebs, but nothing immediately grabbed my attention. Stephanie reminded me of Fantasia, so she could make a lasting impression next week.
Regarding the boys: I'm actually frustrated that some of the guys have advanced because I've been unimpressed with their generic personalities and performances. The ones I won't miss include, Chris, Nick, or Phil. I can't really judge A.J. or Jared, but I'm keeping them off my list for now. Chris and Sundance are sure things. Brandon has failed to impress me singing-wise, but he's very photogenic and likable. Sanjaya and Paul certainly stand out in the crowd enough to get them to the Top 12, even though they may not last long once they get there. And Rudy could really surprise us. Finally, Blake has seemed like a novelty act this whole time with his "beatboxing." I don't think he's advancing much farther.
That's my list. I'm probably wrong. I usually am. I have no idea how America is going to vote. And my crystal ball is broken. It's way too early to determine who is going to come out of the gates strong or become America's next sweetheart. For now, it's just fun to guess.
What do you think? List your Top 12 in the comments section. And let's try to play nice. No need to bash each other in the comments because we have different lists and different preferences.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
2-15-2007 @ 4:50PM
Jeremy said...
1. Gina Glocksen
2. Melinda Doolittle
3. Antonella Barba Haley Scarnato
4. Alaina Alexander
5. Haley Scarnato
6. Jordin Sparks
7. Chris Sligh
8. Sundance Head
9. Blake Lewis
10. Brandon Rogers
11. Rudy Cardenas
12. A.J. Tabaldo
Reply
2-15-2007 @ 5:06PM
Porchland said...
You have 7 girls and 5 guys. Wait, never mind. Sanjaya is apparently a dude. My bad.
Reply
2-15-2007 @ 7:55PM
Harry said...
My Prediction
1. Sanjaya Malakar
2. Gina Glocksen
3. Nicholas Pedro
4. Chris Sligh
5. Antonella Barba
6. Alalina Alexander
7. Haley Scarnato
8. AJ Tabaldo
9. Brandon Rogers
10. Melinda Doolittle
11. Nicole Tranquillo
12. Jared Cotter
Reply
2-15-2007 @ 8:55PM
Matt said...
My Prediction
Throwaway Contestants (these guys are only in the top 24 to allow the better singers to shine):
-Alaina Alexander
-AJ Tabaldo
-Haley Scarnato
-Leslie Hunt
-Nicole Tranquillo
-Nick Pedro
-Stephanie Edwards
Possible Contenders (these kids either A. may have an amazing voice, but we've yet to see enough of them to judge or B. have had a decent amount of screen time yet not the best voice):
-Sanjaya Malakar
-Amy Krebs
-Chris Richardson
-Sabrina Sloan
-Jared Cotter
-Melinda Doolittle (could be locked in)
-Rudy Cardenas aka Bolivian Clay Aiken
-Paul Kim aka Stank-ass feet
Almost Locked in due to fanbase/airtime (only way to not make top 12 is a serious frakk-up in the first 3 weeks):
-Blake Lewis
-Gina Glocksen
-Antonella Barba
-Brandon Rogers
-Jordin Sparks
-Chris Sligh
-Lakisha Jones
-Phil Stacey
-Sundance Head
-(Possibly) Melinda Doolittle
That leaves one male slot open and one/two girl slots open.
I'm thinking Lakisha will outshine Melinda as an R&B Diva and knock her out of the top 24. Meanwhile Amy Krebs and Sabrina Sloan will shine with their voices and/or personalities. Sanjaya Malakar will remind everybody of Kevin Covais ("Chicken Little")since he's young and has an average voice and Chris Richardson will be a hottie and the girls and gays will love his JT-fake-like qualities. With all that said - this is how I see the top 12:
-Gina Glocksen
-Lakisha Jones
-Jordin Sparks
-Amy Krebs
-Sabrina Sloan
-Antonella Barba
-Chris Richardson
-Chris Sligh
-Sundance Head
-Phil Stacey
-Brandon Rogers
-Blake Lewis
I'm never 100% right - last year I got about 9/12 when I predicted before any semi-final performances. Let's see how I do this year!
Reply
2-15-2007 @ 9:23PM
Charles said...
1. Gina Glocksen
2. Melinda Doolittle
3. Chris Sligh
4. Sundance Head
5. Blake Lewis
Beyond that, who knows. Based on what little I've caught of the pre-voting stages so far, and based on internet buzz, I'd say that these five are a shoe-in. (But that doesn't mean we don't vote for them still!) Other than that, I'll wait to see who can step up to the plate next week.
Reply
2-15-2007 @ 9:35PM
FIREDOC said...
I run an easy, random American Idol final 12 pool along with others. If your interested you can see it at www.funwithpools.com --enter tvsquad for referred by
Reply
2-16-2007 @ 12:28AM
Carl said...
-Antonella Barba
-Blake Lewis
-Chris Richardson
-Haley Scarnato
-Lakisha Jones
-Sanjaya Malakar
-Sabrina Sloan
-Rudy Cardenas
-Alaina Alexander
-AJ Tabaldo
-Nicholas Pedro
-Nicole Tranquillo
Reply
2-16-2007 @ 3:00AM
Preston said...
While I liked Blake Lewis' unique beatboxing style, and he's quite good, how is he going to handle singing an entire song in the Idol competition? He might do the beatboxing if he makes an album someday. His singing sounded average to me, nothing really exciting.
Reply
2-16-2007 @ 6:50AM
Florence Powell said...
Here's my pick I think they maybe in the top twelve hopefully.
1. Melinda Doolittle
2. Gina Clocksen
3. Lakisha Jones
4. Amy Krebs
5. Stephanie Edwards
6. Leslie Hunt
7.Chris Sligh
Reply
2-17-2007 @ 8:22AM
vincent said...
my top 12 finalists
girls
1.lakisha jones
2. jordin sparks
3.gina glocksen
4.melinda doolitle
5. aleina alexander
6. leslie hunt
boys
1. chris richardson
2. blake lewis
3. phil stacey
4. rudy cardenas
5. chris sligh
6. aj tabaldo
Reply
2-21-2007 @ 10:07AM
Aomi said...
my top 12:
1. Blake Lewis
2. Chris Sligh
3. Chris Richardson
4. Jared Cotter (Yay New York!)
5. Phil Stacey
6. Sanjaya Malakar
And as for the girls, I'll have to see them tonight but my guess for a few that will make it would be:
1. Antonella Barba
2. Lakisha Jones
3. Jordin Sparks
4. Melina Doolittle
5. Haley Scarnato
As for the last one i have no idea so we'll say Sabrina Sloan.
Reply
2-21-2007 @ 10:28AM
Cody said...
Nobody needs to predict the top 12 because all you need to remember is one name...Chris Sligh. He is winning it this year and that is final. There's my top 1 for ya. Thats all you need.
Reply
2-21-2007 @ 11:21AM
XOXDancer4Life said...
I dont care aboout the all other places like duh who gives a care about o yea this person is comin in 5 place its not like that person geets a prize yea they get noticed and MIGHT like produce a CD but the person that i want and is GOING TO WIN is
CHRIS SLIGH!
Reply
2-21-2007 @ 11:30AM
cassie said...
Blake Lewis is soooooo hott and hes very talented.....i love his voice, he better make it to the final twelve
Reply
2-21-2007 @ 11:42AM
Aly said...
My Top 12:
Boys:
1. Blake Lewis-I think people need to give him a chance. They showed him beatbox most of the time, but his voice is really different and I think he could be really amazing!
2. Brandon Rogers-I think he just has the popstar look to him and he has a really good voice.
3. Chris Sligh-He's pretty obvious because everyone likes him since he's funny. He has a good voice, but I don't think he's the best.
4. Paul Kim-He has a really good voice and I think American Idol needs a male popstar to win this year. He has that popstar feel about him and he's different than any other contestant.
5. Rudy Cardenas-I wasn't going to pick him, but the more I see him, the more I like him. He has amazing stage presence even though he isn't the most fabulous singer. I think he could get better each week though.
6. Sanjaya Malakar-He is so adorable and his voice is outstanding for how young he is! Although he's a little boring, I think he's just nervous.
Girls:
1. Gina Glocksen-Everyone I've talked to loves her. She has a great personality and a great voice!
2. Jordin Sparks-She's only 16 years old and has a fantastic voice! Her audition when she sang Celine Dion gave me chills!
3. Melinda Doolittle-She's so adorable and she has the cutest personality. Her voice is so powerful and I think she will do really well.
4. Nicole Tranquillo-Of all the girls voices that are left, I think she has one of the better ones. The problem with a lot of these girls is that they didn't show them much, but Nicole is good.
5. Lakisha Jones-She has such a great voice and she really knows how to belt it out. She has a fun personality and she has a really cute 3 year old daughter!
6. This one is up in the air because like I said, they haven't showed many girls. I'm going to go with Antonella Barba because she does have a good voice. I think she's going to do a lot better without her best friend the huge bitch!
Reply
2-21-2007 @ 1:11PM
Sophie said...
These are th boy that i think will be in the top 12
1.Blake Lewis
2.Chris Richardson
3.Chris Sligh
4.Phil Stacy
5.AJ Tabaldo
6.Sanjaya Malakar- I hate his voice but he is so tottaly CUTE!!!!
Girls...
1.Alaina Alexander
2.Gina Glockson- LOVE THE HAIR
3.Jordin Sparks
4.Melinda Doolittle- She looks strange though
5.Sabrina Sloun
6.Lakisha Jones
Some people that i listed i didn't realy like but the wern't that bad!!! LOL
Reply
2-21-2007 @ 1:27PM
Amanda said...
Seriously the guys SUCKED last night..
The high light for me was seeing Chris Sligh slam on Simon and Simon genuwinely feeling bad about it..
I've never actually seen Simon feel bad..
It was refreshing to see that he has feelings..
All in all the top guys should be cut down from 12 to like 4 to allow for more girls who we haven't had the chance to see enough of yet..
However, that won't happen so my predictions for the guys are:
1. Chris Richardson- Sexy Justin Timberlake look alike w/ a decent voice.. Teen girls will go crazy!
2. Blake Lewis- He has a prescence about him and a unique style..
3. Chris Sligh- PERSONALITY!! (WILL take the title if a guy gets it this year..)
4. Brandon Rogers- He's cute w/ a descent voice..
5. Jared Cotter- (I just like his New York accent lol)
6. Phil Stacey- The story line American Idol keeps reminding us of w/ him missing the birth of his daughter and such will continue to touch people for at least 3 wks.
As for the girls..
We haven't saw them perform yet and therefore can't judge fairly but in my opinion..
1. Lakisha Jones- Shes soo genuwine and such a good singer..
2. Gina Glocksen- She has personality.. not a likeable one.. but personality none the less..
3. Antonella Barba- TV time and exposure will keep her here.
4. Melinda Dolittle- Again w/ the story line.. Background singer goes in the spot light.. all together now.. "AWWWE"
5. Leslie Hunt- I think she could surprise people.. Also American Idol has never had a successful red headed girl..
6. Haley Scarnato- Shes pretty.. I know my bf would vote for her..
Reply
2-21-2007 @ 1:34PM
Christa said...
Top 12
Chris Richardson
Nick Pedro
Blake Lewis
Phil Stacey
Rudy Cardenas/ Chris Sligh
Sundance Head
Gina Glockson
Lakisha Jones
Antonella Barba
Alaina Alexander
Melinda Doolittle
Nicole Tranquillo
The Boys last night were awesome especially Chris R. Blake, Nick, and Phil!! I can't wait til tonight to see the girls!
Reply
2-21-2007 @ 5:22PM
allo said...
ok, umm, Porchland, (he/she commented on #2) that gay little joke you made about Sanjaya is really retarded. Sanj is talented and soooo hott. so, yeah, you can go lay on the road and die.
Reply
2-21-2007 @ 5:30PM
allo said...
omg! Darryl, i COMPLETELY agree with EVERY THING you said! i lovvvvvveeeeeee sanjaya, i think sundance MUST go, antonella was great, and i dont like gina either. she DOES seem like a biotch.
Reply