And we're back...

We hear it every single season.  "This year the talent level is so high, it really is the best we've ever seen."  After watching the Hollywood week rounds, I beg to differ.  While there were some talented performers, only one stood out to me in any kind of special way and that Casey James because he is ridiculously-smoking-hottt.  Last season, I remember being so impressed with some of the finalists who made it to the top 36 round that I looked them up on youtube to learn more about them.  Nobody struck me as special in that way this year, though I was awful tempted to google pics of Casey James...


So after a month of boring, manufactured drama, we finally have a top 24 for the 9th season of Idol.  Personally, I will miss the top 36 rounds (including the wild-card and judges' pick round) from last year, though I know I am almost alone in that one.  I like the idea of allowing the judges to select the final contestants to make it into the top 12, thereby allowing for more of a diversification of style, talent and (because this is, after all, reality television) personal stories.  I think we will see something wanting in the makeup of the 12 finalists because of it.  Oh well, it's not like the show is going to bomb because they took out the wild card rounds again.


Even though I wasn't super-pumped about any of the contestants, there are some I am definitely looking forward to watching this season.  I hate to call anyone a front-runner before anyone has even had a chance to actually perform, but based on what we've seen so far, here are the ones I think it will be fun to watch:


Casey James - Not only is he super gorgeous, his voice is actually really strong and has that raspyness that is actually kind of unique in Idol history.  And he plays guitar.  Unless he bombs it the first couple of weeks, he'll be around for awhile.
Didi Benami - You probably remember her as the girl whose best friend died recently.  I think of her as that girl who won't stop crying, but that's because I am, if you recall last season, heartless. That said, she is cute, incredibly talented and has a heartwarming story to back her up.  That, folks, is the Idol version of a black AMEX card.
Andrew Garcia - It takes a man who is very confident in himself to get on stage with a guitar and rock out to Paula Abduhl's Straight Up, but that is exactly what Garcia did in the first Hollywood round.  It was the kind of incredibly memorable performance that stays with you weeks after it is over and will likely catapult him into the top 12.
Michael Lynche - Big Mike.  Huge (literally) talent PLUS his wife delivered their first child in the middle of Hollywood week.  That alone will get him more than halfway through the competition, even if he doesn't hit one correct note the first six weeks.  


(Side Note - Anyone else feel bad for his wife?  Not only did she have to deliver a baby on her own, but Fox insists of playing that video of her holding the baby post-labor every chance they get.  Nobody looks good post-labor and nobody should be subjected to having a video of themselves in that state replayed over and over again on national television.)


There are also a few other interesting characters that will be well worth paying attention to.


Crystal Bowersox - It takes a special kind of woman to rock dreadlocks and she is in desperate need of a box of Crest Whitestrips.  Crystal is going to be a polarizing contestant, to be sure, but I don't think you can honestly deny she is talented.  
Lilly Scott - She, too, is incredibly talented, but history has shown us that it doesn't matter how talented you are, America doesn't vote for girls with rock voices and hard, edgy looks.  Carley Smithson may have been one of the most talented women to ever perform on Idol, and she came in seventh.  Allison Iraheta last season was incredibly talented, and did come in 4th, but she was in the bottom 3 for half the season.
Aaron Kelly - This is the little Justin Bieber clone who, though not the most talented singer in the top 24, is endearing.


As for the rest of them, we'll have to see what happens this week.  I haven't heard if there are going to be themes for the semi-final rounds this year.  I really hope not.  They have done that in the past I think it bombs every time.  The semi-final rounds should be a time to let the contestants tell America who they are in their own voice and in their own style before they are asked to tackle something completely foreign to them. 


It should be a good season...