American Idol Top 12

So...a couple of surprises...some thoughts:

Starting with the women...yes it was a bit of a surprise to see Sabrina go and a bit of a disappointment to see Haley stay...but...I can kind of see it. I mean clearly you have Lakisha and Melinda as the cream of the crop in the R&B/soul sort of genre...that leaves Stephanie and Sabrina lumped together at the back...and neither one stood out or made a sort of *wow* impression...at least not wow enough (or the *yo*, as Randy says). You have Gina...the only rocker in the *entire* competition...which in and of itself could probably propel her into the top 3...but she also has the *yo*...and *that* makes her a major player. That leaves Jordin, Haley, & Antonella as the more youthful 'pop' type singers. Some people simply prefer that genre of music...so it stands to reason those people are more likely to vote for the contestants who fit into it. Clearly, Jordin and Haley were the best of that type...so in a way it makes sense that Haley got in and Sabrina didn't. Yes, Sabrina is the better singer...but she got drowned out by *even better* singers of her type. I don't really like Haley, but I can definitely understand how it happened. At least America was smart enough to pick the better one between Haley & Antonella...lol.

As for the men...ok seriously...how much does it really matter? You have Blake who puts off a sort of alternative vibe...and Chris Richardson who puts off a sort of boy band vibe. Clearly they are the best of the guys...with Chris Sligh being a close 3rd. If Chris Sligh is smart enough to stick to the bluesy/soul sound, he'll probably go a lot further (again...b/c he will be fitting into a different genre...allowing himself to stand out more). The rest of the guys...come on...do they even have names?!! It's too bad Sanjaya got in over Sundance...but hey...I felt Sundance never even deserved to make top 24 based on his performances in Hollywood...and well...ok...choosing to sing Pearl Jam was a massive mistake on his part. He's not putting a solid identity out there...so he wouldn't have made it far anyhow. Besides that...at his very best he was too much like Taylor Hicks. I think America will be looking for something different this year. So yah...big time boo for putting Sanjaya through...but it doesn't matter anyhow. The girls are gonna eat this group alive.

Identity is crucial from here on out. If you think about all 5 prior AI winners...a solid identity is the one thing they all had in common from the start. They all knew who they were and were able to choose songs to showcase their identities. Anyone who doesn't have one at this point (or can't find one quickly) may as well kiss it goodbye.