American Idol Season 9 - Top 9

I have not been updating my Blog lately, but each time I do I will try to be as current as possible.

The truth is, I am sick and tired of watching Akademi Fantasia and incessantly complaining about the continuous lack of 'real' talents coming out from the show, with the exception of a few from the previous seasons. And Malaysia (i.e. 8TV in particular) has stopped producing Malaysian Idol for reasons we obviously know why (i.e. they had to swallow the mistake of producing the lamest Reality Show Winner ever - Daniel... Sorry bro, you are no Jacqueline Victor and you just don't deserve it).

So, being a Music Enthusiast like me, I am left with only American Idol to appreciate the new, up and coming talents in the music industry. Each week, I would be glued in front of the box set and be forced to succumb to the whinings and ramblings of Simon Cowell & Co. Nevertheless, this year, there is a pleasant new addition in the form of Ellen DeGeneres. So far, each time she spoke, she left us with a witty one-liner for us to enlighten ourselves in the midst of sometimes harsh criticisms and judgements.

As for the talents, now, as of today, they are down to just 9 Contestants. 3 girls had been booted out of the show i.e. Lily Scott, Paige Miles and Didi Benami. I was wrong in my earlier predictions when I trusted my arms with Lily and my legs with Didi. Both crashed out so early in the season much to our surprise. And yet, somehow, it felt slightly justifiable why they all left early. Collectively, they did not possess the upper edge to win the competition. And to win something as big as the American Idol, you need to have that extra edge...

Speaking of edges, the front runners for this season (if all goes well) certainly have that extra spark in them. The one to beat (personally, for me) is Crystal Bowersox. She has been the most consistent so far, and she continuously showed why she is by far the best bet to be crowned the next American Idol by staying true to herself. She tried changing her style a little bit during the 3rd Week, when instead of strumming her usual guitar, she went for a Piano and she even donned a skirt for a change. She has an extremely powerful voice and a unique thwang that easily identifies her as a unique performer par excellence. Her style even reminded me of Janis Joplin and a bit of Bonnie Raitt.
My prediction: She will be in the Grand Finale, and she will be hard to beat.

2 performers share the second spot, in my opinion. But with not too much difference in style and music genre. Casey James and Lee Dewyze. Casey reminds me of Bo Bice, with much less intensity, rockerisma and vocal range. While Lee tries hard to emulate Daughtry but comes nowhere near. Nevertheless, they both have great manly voices that go well with their song choices and style of rendition. And they have constantly improved themselves week after week. My problem with Casey is that he is sometimes too laidback. And that could prove to be vital if he were to stay in the Grand Finale. Crystal could easily win hands down. The thing about Lee is that he lacks that self-confidence which could pull him off if he's not in his element. But Lee has that capability of producing that 'magic' moment, although he may lack Casey's natural charm.
My prediction: Lee might just squeeze through and Casey lose out to Lee by just a few votes.

Next is Siobhan Magnus - the bizarre and quirky one. Her vocal prowess is second to none. And she hits the high notes with much applomb. and she dares to take the risk and be different from the rest. She is beautiful in a rather peculiar way, and she has a certain style when she speaks that makes you pay every attention to her. She is the dark horse in the competition. If anything goes wrong with Casey and Lee, Siobhan will go through to the Finals. The only setback is that Siobhan has become rather predictable lately with her style of singing (and shouting). The judges noticed this, and sooner or later, the fans will too.
My prediction: She will definitely be in the Top 4. There's no doubt about it. But what happens thereafter will depend largely on the songs they choose and how they decide to go about making the songs theirs... Simon said it well, "it's all about personality now"...

Personally, the Top 4 I mentioned remained in a league above the rest in this comepetition. As for the rest of them, here's my take...

The best among the rest is Michael Lynche a.k.a. Big Mike. Poor Mike, he was adjudged as the one with least no. of votes last week and was supposed to be kicked out if not for the Judges' Special Save. This giant chap has got a good soulful voice and performed rather well during the Beatles' week but he is no Rubben Studdard. And since he was saved last week by the Judges, there will be 2 contestants to be eliminated this week.
My prediction: Andrew Garcia and Aaron Kelly will be the 2 unlucky ones. Andrew... I don't know what to say. His rendition of Paula Abdul's "Straight Up" during the Hollywood Week Audition remained until now his best effort so far. A one audition wonder??? Whatever... Andrew is the biggest disappointment to me so far. As for Aaron, let's face it, girls may think highly of him, but he is no David Archuleta. Not even close... He shouldn't have gone this far. Lily Scott or even Didi Benami were much better. So, Aaron's run of good luck stops this week...

As for Katie Stevens and Tim Urban, both will continue to remain uncertain depending upon their performances during the week. My guess is that Tim will have the strong support from throngs of girls who adore his enduring smile and will enjoy a slightly longer stay than Katie or even Big Mike. While I don't have much to say about Tim's talents, I pity Katie because I personally think she has the kind of personality to thrive in the Music Industry (heck, she can even be picked to act in a movie or something with that sort of looks) but she needs to find her footing or genre of music. Right now, she is confused. She is uncertain whether to follow the path of Kelly Clarkson (i.e. Pop) or Carrie Underwood (i.e. Country). I would prefer if she were to have gone with Country along the likes of Kellie Pickler and Underwood. She might stand a better chance that way. But I am not the one designing her career...