For American Idol lovers only

This is the first year I've watched American Idol right from the beginning.  Oh, what a difference that makes in addicting you.  I've got to admit, I'm totally into it.  And I'm totally opinionated about everything even though I have no judging credentials whatsoever.  Except that I can sing in tune and I was in a musical my senior year of high school and I was in band for like 10 years.  So there.  I'm qualified.  And here are my rankings and commentary.

1.  Casey Abrams.  This guy is nothing short of a musical genius.  He is friggin awesome, in a league of his own.  Wouldn't it be great if he actually won?

2.  Pia Toscano.  This girl's got pipes!  She busted out All By Myself like she's the next Celine; I think she actually is.

3.  Jacob Lusk.  Man, can he sing!  Still, I guess I have a little trouble imagining what an album of his would be like...

4.  Scotty McCreery.  I'm not the biggest fan of country music, but Scotty could convert me.  Of all the contestants, he's the one I think could put out a record right now and be successful.  That angelic voice of his is all he needs.  He can sing pretty much any country song and make it sound better than the original.

5.  James Durbin.  He's got some friggin pipes, too.  He's a little bit of an oddball, but he's talented for sure.

6.  Lauren Alaina.  I wasn't a fan of her performance last night -- sounded like she was winded the whole time and took breaths in all the wrong places.  Still, she's a cutie pie and I still kinda think she's going to win it all.

7.  Naima Adedapo.  I like this girl, but don't always find her singing to be the strongest.  I didn't love her song choice, as I am absolutely not a Rihanna fan, but when she broke out the reggae!?  That was hott!  If Naima keeps going that route, she could climb right up my charts.

8.  Haley Reinhart.  You know, I just like this girl's voice.  Randy's always critical, but I always disagree.  I think she has a really beautiful quality; not sure why she's not higher on my list, but I can't go back now.

9.  Paul McDonald.  He's got a pretty unique voice, and I like his music style, but I wasn't the biggest fan of his performance this week.  The chicken arm dance is kinda amusing, but maybe not in the right way. (Btw, seriously, J-Lo, you've never even heard of Ryan Adams?  And I love how Randy follows up that comment with everything he knows about R.A. as if to prove that he knows more about music than Jennifer.  And while we're talking about the judges, let me say that Steven Tyler is hilarious.  I was worried that Idol would suck without Simon, but Steven is great.)

10.  Stefano Langone.  I kinda understand why the judges love him so much, but I kinda don't.  I dunno, I'm pretty much ambivalent about this guy I guess.

11.  Karen Rodriguez.  She's ok.  Sucks up to J-Lo a little too much, but she does seem genuine about it, so, whatever.  Still, she's easily in my bottom three.

12.  Thia Megia.  First off, who in their right mind would name their daughter Thia Megia?  That's like if my parents decided on Theplant LaPlante.  And as much as I dislike her name, I think I might dislike Thia's personality even more.  I really don't get why the judges love her voice so much; to me it's good, but nothing special.

13.  Ashthon Jones.  If she doesn't get voted off this week I am going to lash out.  For realsies.  I cannot stand this chick.  Her voice is just plain awful.  Her personality is annoying.  All she has going for her is her fro.  And that ain't redeeming a thing.

I didn't vote, so I guess I shouldn't complain if one of my faves gets voted out tonight, but I will anyway.