Eight Most Wanted American Idols

It’s the time of the year once again when we can forget about our dinner date or the shows we are hooked on just so we won’t miss a single episode of the popular reality talent search in the world. Better mark your calendar on Jan. 17 and 18 for the two-night premiere of American Idol (AI) Season 6 on ABC 5.

Now that another season of AI will start again this month, a fan like me just couldn’t help but reminisce the past seasons of AI and hope that I will witness a more astounding batch of hopefuls this year.

I’m looking forward to see more rockers and jazz singers and hopefully not another Southerner win the competition, not that I have anything against Southerners (actually some of my previous bets were from the South), it’s just that every season they dominate AI. Give others a chance. I can’t also wait to hear what acerbic judge Simon Cowell has to say to the wannabes.

What I like to see more in a contestant is pretty much like my Top 8 choices as American Idol finalists from Season 3 to 5. And so you ask why I started to have favorites only in Season 3? Well, because I didn’t get to see the Seasons 1 and 2. Sadly, these two seasons were only shown in the US. Though of course everybody knows Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken from Season 1 and 2, but I never really got to see their performances in the show. I didn’t see their transformation from nobody to somebody so it would be unfair for those whom I really got to know.

Here are my Top 8 (not necessarily in order) most wanted American Idols of all time. I wish this year’s contestants had learned something from all of them so the new season will be exciting and interesting.

Bo Bice. Bo Bice and Constantine Maroulis (more on him later) were the first two rockers who tried their luck in AI or at least that’s what the staff of the singing competition wanted to project. What I like about Bo is his knack for choosing good songs (that’s right for his voice) all the time. Whenever he performs on stage, he exudes confidence but not arrogance and he appeals to any age bracket. That’s the kind of singer we want to see in AI. By the way, if you’re wondering what Bo is up to these days, I heard he is busy promoting The Real Thing debut album. He’s also recovering from intestinal surgery. And he’s happily married to his longtime girlfriend Caroline Fisher with whom he has a son named Aidan Michael.

Carrie Underwood. Carrie is my favorite AI winner. I’m glad that she’s been able to surpass past winners Ruben Studdard and Fantasia Barrino in terms of post-Idol success. I think when it comes to album sales, she’s second to the most successful AI winner Kelly Clarkson. Carrie has won a number of awards and endorses several products. Last year, Carrie got two nominations at the American Music Awards and won the Breakthrough Artist of the Year beating Pussycat Dolls and Chamillionare. December last year, Carrie received two Grammy nominations for Best New Artist and Best Female Country Vocal Performance for Jesus, Take the Wheel, while that same single received nominations for Best Country Song and Song of the Year. And since her debut album proved to be a hit, it’s only right for her to make a second album soon. This season’s hopefuls should emulate Carrie because this girl has been true to herself and has stuck to her roots ever since.

Katharine McPhee. Beauty and talent, that’s McPhee. She is the kind of singer you don’t just want to hear. You also want to see her sweet yet seductive face while she’s singing. Katharine is runner-up to Taylor Hicks in the fifth season of AI but many still believe that she should have won the title. Katharine is vocally well-trained, added to the fact that she’s a natural singer. I also like the way she picked her songs. Even if most themes last season were dominantly for males, she was able to pull off good performances. McPhee is busy recording an album.

Anwar Robinson. Many have sung Stevie Wonder’s hit songs but only Robinson matched Stevie’s powerful voice. Who can forget his first audition in AI4 where he sang You Are The Sunshine of My Life and made the three judges say yes right away? And remember how he made Moon River his own? That was indeed one of best performances in all seasons. Many were disappointed when he was eliminated early in the competition because according to the judges his performance weakened. This should serve as a lesson to all the new hopefuls that one should always perform as if it were his/her last.

Constantine Maroulis. One of the reasons why my favorite season of all is AI4 is because of Constantine. Don’t you just love him whenever he looks at the camera and pouts? This heartthrob rocker is also one of the reasons why Season 4’s ratings skyrocketed. Constantine knows he has the X factor and he took full advantage of that. No wonder even after AI, he only made more followers. If you want to know what’s up with Constantine, I read (in the Net) he’s performing in Broadway and off-Broadway productions after his ABC sitcom project fell through.

Chris Daughtry. Chris is one of the best things that ever happened in AI5. I didn’t like him at first but as the show moved on I began to root for him (and Katharine as well). He has an acquired taste but once you felt him, you wouldn’t settle for anything less. Chris is also original. Remember how he would arrange the songs he sang in Idol to make them his own? Everybody likes originals, and that’s what Randy, Paula and Simon are really looking for in an Idol. Anyway, did you know that Chris is now promoting his debut album in the US and enjoying a new $690,000 North Carolina home with wife and kids?

Jennifer Hudson. When Jennifer was eliminated from AI3 many believed that it was not yet her time to go. Although she only landed seventh, her victory is beyond that. She is the talk of the town in the US being included in the (soon-to-be-released) Dreamgirls starring Beyoncé Knowles and Jamie Foxx. She finished 2006 with a sold-out concert at New York Hammerstein Ballroom. Indeed, there’s life after Idol.

Elliott Yamin. He was the underdog in AI5 who managed to get to Top 3 beating early favorites Chris Daughtry and heartthrob Ace Young. Everybody wants to hear a good underdog story and Elliott gave the audience just that plus the fact that he really could sing. Just like Bo and Katharine, I also admire Elliott’s choice of songs. Elliot may not have received the much-coveted crown but he has more reasons to smile nowadays. The buttery-voiced singer has received a $50,000 dental makeover to fix the unfortunate crossbite that plagued him during the run of the show and prevented him from smiling fully in photos, reports People.

So, who are your personal favorites? Don’t you just miss all of them? Fret not because a new breed of singers will come our way this month so brace yourself for the much-awaited adventure of the year you can only get in American Idol 6.