The NGH Report

Well, we are finally done with all of this auditioning! Now it’s up to us!

But, before we move on next week with the performances and my quasi witty banter, I’d like to take a moment and sit right there so I can tell you how I become the Prince of a town called Bel-Air.

Wait, whoops.

I’d like to take a moment to finally look at all these contestants and size them up since we have FINALLY seen all of them.

Let’s begin; alphabetically!

Alaina Alexander

So, I’ve gone over all of the bits and clips we’ve seen of Alaina… and let’s look at her for a second. As far as the look, she has it. She’s a very attractive young woman. Fantastic. Let’s crown her American Idol! What’s that? How’s her singing? I don’t know. Leave me alone.

Well, to be fair, when I first saw her at auditions I saw a very limited vocal pattern. Her tone had a unique wispy flair to it but where she lacks is the breath control to push more power into her voice. This leads to a very flat, unsupported pattern which has consistently appeared, albeit lightly, throughout the competition. We’ll see how she does when she sings with an accompanient, but I’m concerned about her staying power…

Prediction: Top 16-Top 20

Antonella Barba

Wow. Why even vote? Let’s just turn this show into a wet t-shirt contest and let the girl win it right away. Seriously. If this isn’t an example of eye candy, I don’t know what is. My predictions about Antonella have been right since day one! I said she was “hot” and I stood by that prediction while naysayers told me I was a fool, well, guess what? She’s “hot”… therefore I win. Vocally? Like Alaina before her, Antonella has an interesting aspect to her voice. It sounds very foreign, very different than most pop singers, but she is not well trained. I’m interested to see how the vocal coach at Idol will transform her, because if she can get some serious lessons under her belt, Antonella has a shot at being that really hot girl who finishes 12th place!

Prediction: Top 8 – Top 16

Rudy Cardenas

Rudy is very interesting. He’s a good looking guy with what seems like a winning personality. He takes criticism incredibly well, and when it comes to his voice, well, I would say that Rudy has some of the best control over his vocal gymnastics then most of the other Top 24 contestants. He’s going to be a crowd pleaser, and with a voice as strong and confident as Rudy’s, I can definitely see him going rather far in the competition.

Prediction: Top 5 – Top 16

Jared Cotter

Well, Jared seems to me like a nice enough guy with a nice enough voice, but, nothing else seems to stand out. Which is his big problem. The Top 24 is less about your performance and more about finding a way to define yourself. Last year, Taylor Hicks practically locked up the competition when he performed Levon and really showed America WHO he was. Most people that get out of the semi-final rounds are successful because they have established a fanbase. I’m having trouble seeing Jared making an impression when his personality is calm, cool, and collected.

Prediction: Top 20 – Top 24

Melinda Doolittle

Ah, the Animal Doctor. Melinda is in the top tier of the women this year. In fact, after what I’ve seen there are only a handful of people who could stop her from getting into the Top 6. Melinda is a woman with a perfect story. She used to be this little shy back up singer, but now she has beaten all of her doubt and is becoming a star! Seriously. People eat this stuff up. She’s sweet, cute, and is one of the best technical singers this show has. Her problem is going to come down to the unique/original factor. Yes. She’s amazing. But, is this what American wants this year? Maybe.

Prediction: Top 3 – Top 8

Stephanie Edwards

Well, this Edwards girl is interesting. I see her as a potential strong talent. She reminds me of a blend of Latoya and Fantasia as far as appearance goes, but her voice, while a strong talent, doesn’t seem like it’s going to be enough to mobilize a fanbase to get her through the next three weeks. Well, barring a fantastic Latoya London performance. That being said, she really needs to pick a song this week that will make Simon say these words, “I think you are probably one of the strongest voices in this competition”. Because, if she gets any sort of endorsement, she might pull into the finals. Otherwise…

Prediction: Top 20 – Top 24

Gina Glocksen

Gina is going to be around for a while. Here is why… 1. She has colored hair 2. She has flair 3. She stands out 4. She is a success story; FINALLY making it to this point 5. Her voice has “something” when it is singing the right song.

In fact, vocally, Gina really needs to pick smart songs to sing, otherwise her voice sounds lackluster. Glocksen really needs to “get into” her music and come out fighting. She is potentially a front runner with a few great performances and comes into the semi-finals with two seasons worth of exposure and an established fanbase.

Prediction: American Idol – Top 9

Sundance Head

This is a toughie. Sundance had probably one of the top three intial auditions of the competition… then, he gets to Hollywood and falls apart. I’ve heard rumors of nerves, sickness, alien abduction, whatever. The point remains, Idol has taken an initial pimped frontrunner and depimped him, which will make sense towards the end of this article. But, my theory, the knocked him down, because they thought they built him up too early. Watch for him to knock everyone’s socks off this next week a la Bo’s “Whipping Post”. His voice is soulful, passionate, and strong… as long as he watches his behavior and chooses the right choices of song, we’ll see him for a while…

Prediction: American Idol – Top 6

Leslie Hunt

Leslie is another contestant we have only seen rarely, but she DOES in fact come into this competition with a rather large fanbase. They’re quiet, but they do exist. Leslie is a girl who will shine next week. Her voice is almost Janis Joplin like. Now, the key for her is where she falls style wise. I think we are going to see her coming out with a rock edge. I have a feeling she will fight Gina Glocksen for votes. Almost a Constantine vs. Bo showdown. Something tells me that Leslie is the Bo of the group and Gina is more of a “pretender”. No, being a pretender isn’t bad, but one of them might have to back off a shared theme in the semi-finals. Just a feeling…

Prediction: Top 6 – Top 16

Lakisha Jones

Lakisha is almost a mold of three or four past idols. A mix of Hudson, Barrino, and Mandisa. Obviously Lakisha is very talented, but like Mandisa before her, I see her leaving somewhere midway during the finals. Here’s the deal, folks! As much as you might love Lakisha here, she isn’t going to be the Idol. Her voice is simply too much like those before her. If we didn’t crown Hudson or Mandisa, we aren’t going to crown Lakisha. People are craving this whole “unique” over “typical” quality now. Frankly, Lakisha has a type of voice we have heard before. Look for her to sail through the semi-finals until votes get bored and lazy…

Prediction: Top 6 – Top 12

Paul Kim

I think Paul is a much stronger contestant than people realize… His voice is unique while still being commercial; though I personally didn’t see him having much of a grasp on singing acapella. Fortunately for Paul, that part of the show is over. Once we see him take control of the stage and the accompaniment of the song, we are going to see something different. Paul certainly is the anti-Hung. Good for him. But, my worry is that he will fade too quickly due to the inability to really expand his musical tastes during theme nights. He might appear a one trick poney; but, he’s really up in the air.

Prediction: Top 4 – Top 16

Amy Krebs

Well, first off, Amy is one of the few we hadn’t seen AT ALL up until this point. Why not? This girl is bubbly, cute, and very talented. A very strong female contender. She knows who she is, knows how to control her voice, and seems confident as a stage performer. Well, with the little known about Amy, I can really only state what I said earlier. Fanbase, fanbase, fanbase. She won’t last too long if she can’t immediately make an impression next week. She’s got potential to go rather far.

Prediction: American Idol – Top 16

Blake Lewis

Well, I personally think American Idol spent too much time showing Blake beat-boxing and not enough time singing. He HAD to sing to get through. No one likes beat-boxing that much; I mean, to put him in Top 24 because of his beat-boxing skills? No. Something else happened that week that led to this. I think we are going to see Blake come out swinging. After watching all of his footage I think he realizes he needs to prove he has what it takes. One huge thing Blake has going for him is his fanbase. I see it carrying him for at least two bad performances. But, we’ll see, vocally he has potential but has a tendency to hit some notes and then fall sharp…

Prediction: Top 8 – Top 16

Sanjaya Malakar

Every season has one; the young teen boy with a killer smile. Or at least, with an adoring fanbase. Sanjaya, as I have mentioned before, has a sweet voice and a winning personality. He appears real and grateful; this is definitely a Cinderella story for him. We’ve seen a teen heartthrob every season, I don’t see this one as any different. Expect for him to just slip into the Top 12, maybe. His voice is very bright and colorful which makes for a hard sell to a pop crowd wanting a more mature sound, but to his fanbase, well, watch them vote him right into the final rounds.

Prediction: Top 7 – Top 16

Nick Pedro

Nick is a wild card in my book. I think he is the closest Idol will ever get to accepting a “true” crooner. If her makes it to the semi-finals, he will certainly have to rely on what Elliott Yamin did last year. He needs to prove to America that his voice will sell him, and not the lack of “character” that has been pinned on him. Nick is an everyday guy… which is great. He’s real. But, like Elliott, he needs to have an incredible performance in the next three weeks to squeak him into the finals. If he achieves that, he might be able to go rather far…

Prediction: Top 3 – Top 12

Chris Richardson

A very untrained, raw singer. Chris is talented, no doubt, and girls, don’t claw my eyes out when I say this, but, Chris doesn’t have other qualities to counterbalance his lack of experience. He is rather quiet from what we’ve seen; very cool, stone cold even. And when he sings he focuses way too much on the speed of his vocal trills. Watch for him to get called out on this during the first week of semi-finals. If Chris can outsing either Phil or Nick, he has a chance, otherwise, I don’t see him lasting too much longer unless the female vote really propels him forward. He’s a heartthrob! Awww…

Prediction: Top 10 – Top 20

Brandon Rogers

Brandon is probably the best technical singer amongst the guys. He is trained, he is versatile, he is well practiced, and he is ready for a chance. This is a dangerous combination, but he has potential to leave everyone in his dust if he comes out of the gate running. His success will come down to the songs he picks and the strength of his personality in the first few rounds. Once we are familiar with him, things will become much easier with Brandon.

Prediction: American Idol – Top 5

Haley Scarnato

Well, Haley is in the same situation as Antonella… Her voice doesn’t seem strong enough to really warrant entry into the final rounds at this point, and I feel like Antonella will be able to just beat her out due to her constant attention throughout the season already. Haley has a pretty voice, but she is very much outranked by her fellow competitors. I see her falling in the semi-finals.

Prediction: Top 16 – Top 24

Chris Sligh

I really can’t handle having a contestant that is better at making fun of the show than I am, I mean, seriously, first Hasselhoff, and now, “I’m sure you’re wondering why I called you in for this meeting” He had me rolling. Chris has probably one of the top two strongest fanbases at this point and time and I would be shocked if he didn’t make the finals. His voice is rich, which is the best way to describe it. His performances will be strong due to his experience in the field, but at the same time, watch for a breakout performance early on and let’s see what he get. I see him as one of the best male voices at this time; a lot of you will probably say, “Really?!” Wait… I think you’re going to see something special…

Prediction: American Idol – Top 6

Sabrina Sloan

Sabrina is going to become that poor girl who everyone thought was rather good but never made the finals. Unfortunately, I don’t see much saving her, since we have just been introduced to her talent, and she has a problem with fading into the background. Her voice seems rather affected too, which will cause her to shrink even farther into obscurity with only mediocre comments from the judges.

Prediction: Top 20 – Top 24

Jordin Sparks

This girl can sing. No doubt about that. Now, the question comes down to her age… I see her picking some rather big songs, but, can she connect with them? Or will she fall back on some more Disney pickings? Each road could be fatal. People need to be reintroduced to her, and each performance needs to be perfect for her to get into the Top 12. I think many people are predicting an easy entrance into the finals for Jordin, but I believe we will see her just barely squeak in; maybe. I get a big Lisa Tucker vibe from her, though.

Prediction: Top 7 – Top 16

Phil Stacey

Phil Stacey is bald. No, it’s true. I honestly think we haven’t even seen close to the best of Phil, and the semi-finals is going to be a crazy battle between Phil, Paul, and Nick. One of them will make it. But, if Phil does make it, I see him progressing to a nice point in the season. He is also in the Navy, so watch for that angle to be played a little bit more as well. His voice is unique in that it feels effortless, but sometimes this causes him to fall short of some of the marks he sets for himself.

Prediction: Top 6 – Top 16

A.J. Tabaldo

Poor A.J. I keep getting voices in my head telling me “cannon fodder”. Unfortunately, someone has to go, and A.J. is good without being great. He isn’t too unique, nor does he stand out from the pack. He doesn’t even seem like friends with the pack, just a local guy who got close enough to be swept up into the action. I could be wrong, but I don’t see him advancing past the first week.

Prediction: Top 20 – Top 24

Nicole Tranquillo

First off, love the name. I see either her or Amy doing well, but not both. Nicole was of course not shown until this last episode, so I see her falling the way most good to great singers do in the semi-finals. Quick, and without a splash. I’d like to be proven wrong, though. I really enjoy her tone.

Prediction: Top 20 – Top 24

So, in conclusion, let me tell what I make of this years group of contestants. Now, I don’t know if everyone is with me here, but I am getting this huge feeling of a very even field. I feel like they picked singers this year opposed to characters. Sure, there are a few oddballs, but there are mainly just young adults sharing the same dream. It feels very Season 1 too me. I’m also not seeing any heavy pimping yet, with maybe an exception for Sundance who seemed to have been FORCED into the Finals based on one audition alone.

But, all in all, I’m excited to see what this season brings. It seems fresh and different.

Out.

~NGH