Rubbertoe's Top 16 rankings

OK....so I've been a little out of it. Still on vacation for 2 more days, so the last two weeks of Idol have been hit and miss for me trying to catch in online.

I'm so out of it, I started this column thinking we had our top 12....so I'm jumping the gun a little on rankings..but since I've already spent a good 1/2 hour on this...I'm gonna post it anyways....and we'll revise next week!!!

So...we have our top 16. Time for all our predictions. (This is the spot last year where I picked Kris Allen to go home first and thought perhaps Scott might challenge Gokey in the finale. So much for Rubbertoe's judgement).....

Anyway...here are my picks. What are yours?

16) Lacey - For some reason she seems too "old" for the competition. She doesn't come across young and fresh.

15) Katelyn - Just not enough talent to make it far. She's got a pretty face, but that can only take you so far.

14) Tim Urban - Lucky to have gotten this far. Could make it further on the underdog factor and just because I'm sure a lot of people think he's cute.

13) Toddrick Hall - Although I wished my guy would go higher, I think ultimately bad judgement is going to derail him. I love this guy, he's a great performer and so cute....but unless he can kick it up, he's not going to make the top 12

THE TOP 12

12) Katie Stevens - Again...cute girl but lacks the talent to back it

11) Aaron Kelly - The new Chicken Little. Could go higher based on cuteness factor.
He's good, but he's no David Archuletta. Although Lil David's voters could propel this guy higher.


10) Didi Benami - Remember when I picked her to win it all a few weeks back? What was I thinking? She has been a major let-down the last two weeks and I'm beginning to think that one GREAT performance was a fluke. I still think she has enough talent to get half-way through the competition if she kicks it up, but I think she lacks the confidence to win and the judgement to make the choices that are going to propel her higher. Its a shame though, I saw so much more potential in her.

09) Siobhan Magnus - She's got enough talent and cuteness factor to get her this far. Ultimately, unless there is something more there, I don't see her going further.

08) Lily Scott - This is a tough one for me. She could go much sooner in the competition but I don't think she will make it much higher. She has talent, but she has a strange look that is going to hinder her. She looks so much older than 20.

07) Andrew Garcia - Personally, I think he should be voted off sooner, but a lot of people seem to like him. I do like him, I just dont LOVE him. He doesn't have the depth that the others have. He was great with the "Straight up" acoustic, which could be a top 10 hit today if they released it. But THAT was his peak.

06) Lee Dewyze - He's got enough David Cook going on to get somewhere in this range, but he lacks the David Cook depth and charm to go further. He's not as talented as Cook and his voice isn't as good.


The TOP 5

05) Alex Lambert - The Dark horse of the competition. He's also the one who has made the most improvement. A couple of weeks ago, I didn't like him, now I really do. He's got the Kris Allen "sincerity" and small town charm that AI voters love. I also think that AI wants to propel him into the top 5 by the comments that have been made, especially Simon telling him, you need to know and believe that you have a shot at winning this competition.

04) Michael Lynche - He's the Ruben Studdard of this year. He's got some talent, but he's definitely not the best in the competition. He should probably get voted off earlier, but he's got that stale "family man" story that Idol pushes every year and people like him. Every year someone goes much further than they should (aka, Taylor Hicks, Josh Gracin, Phil Stacey....this year its going to be big Mike)

03) Paige Miles - Simon has already branded her the Best voice in the competition. I'm not so sure that I agree, but she is good. She doesn't have the whole package though. Her personality is going to have to shine more in order for her to go this far or any farther.

FINALE

02) Crystal Bowersox - Can this granola chick make it this far? I'm not so sure, but she is the one with the talent to do so. I imagine with a makeover and some experience she is going to do well.

The Next Amercan Idol:

01) Casey James - I know its a girls year. The guys have won it the past two years, but I don't see anyone stopping this guy....except perhaps himself.