Pre-Hollywood Picks Compiled

Most of you got your Pre-Hollywood Picks in. If you didn't and you still want to play (I believe there are a few of you) - don't worry. Most of us aren't going to get any points from this anyways. Now is the time to jump in because once next week rolls around the GAME IS ON. But I will get to the great Top 24 later. Now is the time to post all of the "pre"-Hollywood picks if for no other reason than to have them somewhere I won't lose them.

ASAIH EPPERSON (Shivers / Simonsays)
Of course this girl has a compelling story. Her dad died like the day before her first audition. Unfortunately, that will only mean something the first few weeks. She has a very good voice - but if I remember correctly, she is the girl who kind of forgets to sing the beginning consonants of words starting a phrase. It sounds as if she is singing through the drive through speaker at Krystal's. "Ood you like eyes with at?" I would be happy if she made it far, but her days are numbered based on previous contestants like her - which I will go into more in my "Meet the Contestants" post. Something to look forward to.

CARLY SMITHSON (PaulaTics / JC)
I liked this girl in the initial audition and am a sucker for that Irish accent. My only reservation was her tattoos. Not that there is anything wrong with them, but she will be singing in front of the same national audience that championed Sanjaya, Clay Aiken, John Stephens, Anthony Federov and Kevin Covais. Not exactly hard-core people.
When she started singing in Hollywood I was sure we had picked the wrong person. She was good but not great. Then she hit the chorus ... "How do I get you alone" ... and I remembered why we picked her.

DAVID COOK (profB)
I know Melinda Doolittle was Belmont University's ambassador to American Idol. I know David Cook probably has no official ties to Belmont. However, I think he is a better representative for Belmont's music school than Melinda - only because he looks like 60% of the "rockers" that go to school there. He easily fails my hair threshold test (which means we could never be great friends). Surely profB knows that rockers (posers) like David (Constantine) end up as TV actors (daytime soaps). I guess Mr. Cook must have had some sort of rodeo background to lasso the vote of "Country" ProfB.

BROOKE WHITE (Team 35 / Sanjaya Rocks)
Rated "R" girl made it! She has a good shot because she seems really nice. She supposedly opened for Phil Vassar on tour which either means she is good or that Phil thought she was hot. That is what Country music is all about. I can already see that she took facial reaction lessons from our good friend Ms. Doolittle - and that might work against her.

SYESHA MERCADO (Team Hasselhoff / Badnewz)
Oh Syesha. She definitely has a good voice. She looks cool. She seems nice. I bet she loses her voice again with the hectic performance schedule she will have if she makes it to the top 12. She was a contestant on a similar show on ABC called The One. That show went under. There just might be a connection.

KRISTY LEE COOK (The Indiananans)
I was surprised that the Indiananans were the only ones taking the "front runner". I figured everyone would take the cage fighting horse girl. Based on how well Carrie Underwood did, I think Kristy will probably go really far in the competition. She used to be signed to a country label (Arista) so that could work for or against her.

JOSIAH LEMING (Seacrest Out)
Oops. Weepy McWeeperson got voted out of the top 24. I was kind of sad about it (not as sad as he was) because he actually seemed to have a special "artist" quality that other folks didn't have. Sure he might have been overconfident, but I think there is a fine line between overconfidence and trying to follow artistic instincts. I think Josiah will definitely be making music for a while and it is probably better for him not to be in this competition. He already got lots of face time. Maybe he could just find someone from the Seacrest Out Agency to book him some shows.

AMANDA OVERMEYER (Fire and Ice)
This girl has quite a voice. But I find it hard to believe that we are going to want to hear Janis Joplin sing a latin song in the inevitable Gloria Estefan week. Then again, I would be afraid to vote her off. She might run me over with her motorcycle.

MICHAEL JOHNS (The Smiths)
Michael was another one of our favorites from the initial auditions. He has the total package. Ok, I am never writing that phrase again. But it is true. And he is Australian which means that he could probably beat up Amanda Overmeyer.

DAVID ARCHULETA (Bessie Moo / American Midol)
This little Mormon boy won star search when he was twelve. I watched the video. He was good back then. When this week's episodes ended, I was kind of wishing that we had picked him. His voice is really good and he has that good old mormon niceness about him. However, Mitt Romney was voted off early because this country isn't quite ready to fully support anyone who believes in magic underwear.