Top 24 Selected

The top 24 have been selected. But so far I'm unimpressed. Usually by this time I have a handful of favorites that stick out from their brief audtions but this year none of them have captivated me. The few that did leave an impression were cut during the hollywood round.

Last night I wrote down the ones who made it and this morning I've looked over the sheet to see who I remember

1. Sanjaya Malakar - He stands out because I do remember his audtion with his sister (who was cut in hollywood) and he's also the first Indian-American to make it this far. He baby boy of the guys group. His sweet demeanor should get him into the top but most likely he won't go very far beyond that.

2. Melinda Doolittle - She's the back-up singer who's ready to take front stage. But she still lacks confidence and I expect the judges to point that out. If she gets over her nerves she may go far. She reminds me of Jennifer Hudson.

3. Gina Glocksen - This is her second year auditioning. Last year she was cut during Hollywood week but this year she stepped her game. I like her but I don't know if America will agree.

4. Philip Stacey - He missed his baby's birth to audition for Idol and that alone will get him through the first couple of weeks.

5. Chris Sligh - He's a shoe-in for the top 12. His voice may or may not be up to par but his sense of humor will take him far. He doesn't look like an American Idol but neither did Taylor HIcks.

6. Blake Lewis - His beat boxing is great but does his talent end there? We'll see. Right now he's the Ace Young of the group or as I like to say just another member of a boy band.

7. Paul Kim - The only thing that stands out is the fact that he's Asian American.

8. Jordin Sparks - The baby girl with the big voice. She could turn out to be this years Paris Bennett or Diana DeGarmo.

9. Lakisha Jones - The crying mother who sounds like Aretha Franklin. She could be the next Frenchie Davis or Mandissa. If her personality comes out she may go far. But I expect her biggest competition to be Melinda Doolittle. Whichever one goes first the other one will certainly go far.

10. Antonella Barber - Unfortunately she stand out for not so good reasons. She went to Hollywood with her best friend who she auditioned with. But during the Hollywood round she forgot her words and stumbled through the week. America may already dislike her.

11. Sundance Head - He impressed the judges in his first audition, but stumbled his way through Hollywood week. His biggest competition is Chris Sligh. One will go far the other won't. It remains to be seen which one makes it.

And so those are the ones I remember for various reasons. Some will surely make it to the top 24 and some won't. In my next blog I will explore where the contestants are from and how that affects the voting.