Idol Fever

I normally don't like to comment on my picks for any given Idol season until we have a set top twelve. This is in part because from year to year it's always hard to know what the voting audience is going to do. Sometimes it seems that the voting truly does speak for all of us and other times it leaves you scratching your head (i.e. Chris Daughtry) ....So I try to withhold my thoughts until I can get a feel for what I think can realistically be the outcome. BUT... this season is a little different, in that for some reason the judges I feel have been sort of off their game. A great deal of talent graced the stage, but a large group of potential winners were sent home during Hollywood week and more than a handful of duds were given to us to choose from... So this season, I feel, can be narrowed down pretty easily early on...

By all impressions at this point I feel pretty confident to say that this is a girl's year. With that said, here's my picks...

In Order...

1. Didi Benami: I LOVE her voice and she's been my girl pick from her first audition. Vocally she is to me the female equivalent of Andrew Garcia, who I think could essentially be the dark horse in this whole thing and has a special spin on the sound I love.

2. Crystal Bowersox: Loved her doin' some Tracy Chapman and although she has been a frontrunner and a judges fave (which normally annoys me to no end) I think she has a lot of potential and possesses the wowing performance quality that can carry her into the final rounds.

3. Lilly Scott: She's got a different kinda thing goin' on and is super talented.. Always make me excited to see what she's gonna do each week and that my friends is the master key of stardom.

However, if the guys pull one outta the hat and take the gold this year it'll be either:

1. Andrew Garcia: Aforementioned my FAVORITE of the whole show and my pick to win it all from the very beginning.

or

2. Casey James: He's got all the goods; good voice, good body, good hair, good guitar playin', good smile, and great eyes... He's a hunk and let's face it, that could take him pretty far.