Well, we now have our Season 9 American Idol TOP 24! And it looks like the Top 24 leaked ‘spoiler list’ that was in circulation was pretty accurate, with 23 of the 24 proving to be correct. The only change was Chris Golightly being ‘disqualified’, much like Joanna Pacetti was last year, and being replaced at the last minute by Tim Urban. More on Chris’s situation later….
Here is the breakdown of the TOP 24 for Season 9 and my thoughts: (Contestants in CAPS and RED are those I picked in the early auditions for the TOP 24, and as you can see, I did MUCH better with the girls than I did with the guys!)

Top 12 Guys

· AARON KELLY- 16 years old, Sonestown, PA….one of two 16 year olds in the TOP 24. The judges obviously agree that this kid has some serious talent! How else do you get into the TOP 24 when you forget the lyrics not once but TWICE during Hollywood Week!? I said it early on and I’ll say it here….if he can remember his lyrics, this kid’s going deep in this competition!
· Alex Lambert-19 years old, North Richland Hills, TX….I’m sorry, but I’m not a big fan at all of this kid. Don’t think he’s TOP 24 worthy. Pack a light bag Alex, you’re no Adam Lambert!
· ANDREW GARCIA- 24 years old, Moreno Valley, CA….My Danny Gokey Look-Alike (DKLA) for 2010….but unlike DK, I love this kid’s style! He’s real, he’s genuine and he has a ton of talent! If I had to pick a favorite on the guy’s side, this kid’s the one, along with Aaron Kelly.
· Casey James-27 years old, Fort Worth, TX…..He did surprise the judges (and me!) once he got to Hollywood Week, but I think he’s here more for his looks than his voice! He’s eye candy for the girls and Kara just loves this kid……but he won’t go too far in the competition. Sooner or later, the voice will outweigh the looks and he’ll be back in Texas, or signing a modeling contract with somebody.
· Tim Urban- 20 years old, Duncanville, TX……Good looking kid with an OK voice who was a last-minute replacement for Chris Golightly. Very little face time in Hollywood or the early auditions. Could he be the next Kris Allen? Doubtful…..but let’s see. I just haven’t seen enough of this kid to make a call yet.
· JERMAINE SELLERS- 26 years old, Joliet, IL…..The church singer with an awesome final performance in Hollywood doing MJ’s "Man In The Mirror", and did it very well! This kid has some serious pipes, and he’s a dark horse for the Top 10 as far as I’m concerned.
· John Park- 21 years old, Evanston, IL…..OK, so we have our ‘Asian’ influence on Idol…..but really folks, this kid has not impressed me at all…..maybe he’ll surprise me, but I seriously doubt it.
· Joe Munoz- 20 years old, Huntington Park, CA….Once again, very little face time in early auditions or during Hollywood Week, but based on his rendition of "Man in the Mirror" (how many folks sang this??? UGH!!), I’m not a fan of his.
· Lee DeWyze- 23 years old, Mount Prospect, IL…….another kid who’s new to me that didn’t get much face time. Judges put him in the TOP 24 but didn’t seem overly complimentary of him. Based on the one performance I heard, I’m not either.
· Michael Lynche- 26 years old, Astoria, NY….Big Mike makes it in, but there’s still some controversy over him and the fact that his dad told a FL paper that he made the TOP 24 before it was announced, and from what I’m reading, he may still be kicked out of the TOP 24. If he is, please don’t let crybaby Thaddeus Johnson take his spot! Even if he stays, Big Mike’s not going that far in the competition.
· TODRICK HALL- 24 years old, Arlington, TX….I liked this kid early in the auditions, wasn’t blown away by him, but I thought he had some talent. Not sure how far he’ll go, because I think Jermaine Sellers and others in the competition have considerably more talent….so we’ll see.
· Tyler Grady- 20 years old, Nazareth, PA…..Part of me wants this kid to do well because he’s from nearby Nazareth, PA, and I like the fact that he has ‘that 70’s look’ and rock-star charisma, influenced musically by Roger Daultry and Robert Plant, but he’s missing something. Think he may be just a bit too cocky and flamboyant, and that may get him in trouble, plus the fact that he looks like he’s ‘high’ all the time!

Top 12 Girls

· ASHLEY RODRIGUEZ- 22 years old, Chelsea, MA….I knew early on this girl had ‘IT’ and it would be very, very easy to proclaim her the front-runner right now….but she’ll have a fight on her hands from a talented girl’s lineup! She’s definitely TOP 10, and could win it all!
· CRYSTAL BOWERSOX- 24 years old, Elliston, OH……’Momma Sox’ as Randy called her is awesome! I could listen to this girl sing all night. She has an excellent voice, and a seemingly unflappable, folksy stage presence. She’ll go deep in the competition…..TOP 10….and on a side note to FOX’s makeup crew, someone needs to get her some Crest Whitening Strips too!
· Haeley Vaughn- 16 years old, Fort Collins, CO……I thought she had an outside shot of making the TOP 24 because she kept pushing the fact that she wanted to be the first black pop-country girl singer in America, but seriously, she’ll get eaten up in this competition! And for the judges to pick her over Angela Martin and Tori Kelly was a joke! They were far more talented than this girl is.
· KATELYN EPPERLY- 19 years old, West Des Moines, IA….I liked her early on and think she’s deserving of a Top 24 spot, but there’s something phony about her. I just don’t get the warm and fuzzies from her; she’s a little bit fake. I don’t think she’ll stack up well against a talented field of girls for Season 9.
· JANELL WHEELER- 24 years old, Orlando, FL….Liked her early on in auditions, and despite being sick in Hollywood, she battled through it all to make it into the TOP 24. She’s got a raspy voice, plays guitar, and has good stage presence. Plus, she’s a Wine Sales Rep, so I like her that much more! Dark Horse for the TOP 10!
· KATIE STEVENS- 17 years old, Middlebury, CT…..I really, really like this girl! Love her look and her family story; think she’s very genuine and super talented for 17 years old. TOP 10 for sure!
· LILLY SCOTT- 20 years old, Littleton, CO…. Her cover of "Lullaby of Birdland" was the single best performance shown in all the Idol clips. She’s super talented and does her own thing, very unique, not at all fake or trying to do more than she can. She may lack some lung power, but if she picks the right songs, she’ll go deep in this competition. I like her in the TOP 10!
· LACEY BROWN- 24 years old, Amarillo, TX…..I said TOP 12 for this girl early on. Her unique rendition of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" in her first audition and then her amazing version of "It’s a Wonderful World" stand out as some of the best I heard. She could win it all, she’s THAT GOOD!
· Michelle Delamor- 22 years old, Miami, FL…..Never seen in the early auditions and very little face time in Hollywood. She’s a mystery to me; I just don’t know anything about her to give a constructive opinion.
· Paige Miles- 24 years old, Cypress, TX….read Michelle Delamor’s….ditto for this girl!
· Siobhan Magnus- 19 years old, Barnstable, MA…….this girl came out of nowhere to surprise the judges and she really grew on me through Hollywood Week. If she can come out of her shell a bit more and push the envelope a bit, she could continue to surprise and go deep in this competition.
· DIDI BENAMI- 23 years old, Hollywood, CA….Has always been one of my favorites! Awesome final song in Hollywood singing "Angel", and dedicating it to her deceased friend who she’s using as motivation to do her best in this competition. Another super talented girl with a great personality lots of potential. She’s in my TOP 10!

And the rest of the story…..Chris Golightly said a misunderstanding over a previous recording contract led to his forced exit. His former manager informed 19 Entertainment that he was still under contract, but explained that his contract ran out a month prior to his audition for AI.
After a series of mix-ups, it was established that he was in fact free from his previous contract, but by that point Idol producers had already replaced him with Urban to fill the expected vacancy.

Who got screwed? Angela Martin for sure! She was the singer with the most at stake, and her loss was just devastating to her. This was her third try on Idol, and her personal life in recent years has been a string of troubles: Her father died, her daughter has had terrible medical problems and, last heard in the Idol news wire, her mother had gone missing! She was crying before she even reached the judges. Kara sat down with her, in her chair, to tell her ‘it was a no’, but that she was a great singer.
This girl should be in the TOP 24! And so should Tori Kelly, who was not quite as talented as a singer, but certainly is a better all around package than Haeley ‘I wanna be a black Taylor Swift’ Vaughn!

Bottom Line…..There are no Adam Lambert’s in this group, but maybe there’s a Kris Allen or two hiding in the group for the guys. But the girls will rule this season! They have far deeper talent, and as I’ve said before and I’ll say it again here…..this year’s Season 9 winner will be a girl!

Fast Idol Facts…Are you ready for 5 HOURS of Idol this coming week?
Tuesday night’s show airs 8-10 PM, with the TOP 12 Girls performing; Wednesday night’s show airs 8-10 PM with the TOP 12 Guys performing; Thursday night’s show airs 8-9 PM with the first results show, when two girls –and- two guys will be eliminated. Season 8 winner Kris Allen performs live on Thursday night’s show as well.
So…..what do you think of Idol’s Top 24? Who do you think will do well? Who are your favorite gals and guys in the competition this year? Were you surprised with any of the eliminations? Let’s here what you think before Tuesday’s show!