Fare thee well, David Hernandez. Even the shameless Jim Carrey cameo on last night's "Idol" couldn't help your pitchiness, your blahness and your possibly-a-male-stripper-allegation-ness. (And what was up with the vest and tie? Sooo 2006.)

Though it's down to just 11 hopefuls, here's where the show tends to grind to a halt (until the top six or so). The TV groundhog is peeking his head out of his hole, and there isn’t a shadow in sight. Looks like 6 million more weeks of “American Idol”!

The judges picked the best of all the auditions, you voted off all of their mistakes and now we can settle down for a few months of theme nights, celebrity cameos and comically bad Ford commercials. Here’s where they separate the pop stars from the kids destined for VH1 celbreality. It could be said that it’s still anybody’s game, but it totally isn’t.

Here’s how we think it will all play out.

The good, the bad and the pitchy

The frontrunners: As Simon has already made quite clear, this season is David Archuleta’s to lose, but after this week's lyrical stumble, David may be his own worst frenemy. And don’t count out Carly, Ramiele and Syesha. They all have the voice and womanly charm to pull a win out of the hat—especially if David’s goofy grin reaches the point of Melinda Doolittle-esque saturation. 

The dark horses: Taylor Hicks may have won just two seasons ago, but who really remembers him? “Idol” could seriously stand for a dynamic dude to take the title and give that omnipresent Chris Daughtry a run for his money on the charts. If it isn’t Archuleta, it’s totally feasible that Michael Johns could rise to the occasion. And the singer-songwriter appeal of Jason Castro could also gain momentum if he opens up and starts picking better tunes.  

Who’s going next: Simon’s prediction that Kristy Lee Cook will place tenth seems a bit generous. She’ll be gone next week, though we'll miss watching her performances with the sound turned low. Brooke White seemed like a frontrunner in the beginning, but those affected performances are wearing thin. If she doesn’t shape up, she’ll end up right on Kristy’s heels. Amanda Overmyer can’t last that long either. (Let’s face it, America loses patience with “rocker chicks” the second they put them in the top 12.)

Then again… what do we know? America is a strange and fickle country, and all the handicapping in the world can’t predict how season seven will play out. Game on, "Idol"!

You will be prompted to register or log in when posting.

Comment

Please note that by clicking on "Post Comment" you acknowledge that you have read the Terms of Service. Be polite. Inappropriate posts may be removed by the moderator.