TODAY IS......

25 May - Towel Day and American Idol finale competition day...both! American Idol needs no further explanation from me, other than a sigh of extreme relief that it'll soon be over. Towel Day might not be as well-known in the USA (or maybe it is?) Wikipedia will explain.

I can't allow this 25 May to go by without remembering one of my favourite authors: Douglas Adams on his special day, created by fans in 2001, a couple of weeks after his untimely death.

"A towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value. You can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapors; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a miniraft down the slow heavy River Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand-combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (such a mind-boggingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can't see it, it can't see you); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough"(Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)

Douglas Adams had Sun in imaginative Pisces, Venus in Aquarius, and Aquarius's ruler: whacky Uranus right on his ascending degree in Cancer, the strongest point in the chart. His whacky imaginings knew no bounds!

How to amalgamate these two entities though? American Idol and Douglas Adams? I feel certain he'd have found a way to do it, and would've been able to write a whole book about the manic wonderland that is American Idol.

Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyse compete for the crown tonight. Crystal has led the field from the start, Lee has come up from way outside, spurred and whipped on by judges and producers. In previous posts, accessible by clicking on American Idol in the Label Cloud (sidebar @ right), I've looked at their natal charts and assessed their chances. It's impossible to guess tonight's outcome, bearing in mind some obvious manipulation by the programme's producers. So.... "Break a leg, y'all."

Crystal has Sun in Leo, and Lee has Sun in Aries (if Wikipedia is correct on both counts), both Fiery Suns, both competitive and wanting to lead. Both have a planet close to an angle of the chart for tomorrow night's announcement of the winner - they are well-matched.




In honour of Towel Day, I'll bring in Douglas Adams, via quotation, to leave messages for American Idol:

"Everybody has their moment of great opportunity in life. If you happen to miss the one you care about, then everything else becomes eerily easy."

"And all dared to brave unknown terrors, to do mighty deeds, to boldly split infinitives that no man had split before--and thus was the Empire forged."

To Casey James So long - and thanks for all the fish!(the message left by the dolphins when they departed Planet Earth just before it was demolished to make way for a hyperspatial express route). And see below for more on
Casey who is all set to zoom along that express route to success, unfettered by the Idol crown.

Lee: He felt that his whole life was some kind of dream and he sometimes wondered whose it was and whether they were enjoying it.
Everything was ready, everything was prepared. He knew where his towel was.

Crystal: She had a look at herself in the mirror in the elevator lobby while she was waiting. She looked cool and in charge, and if she could fool herself she could fool anybody. If life had taught her anything it was this: Never go back for your bag.
"There," he said. "Three-leaf clover. Good luck you see." He peered at it closely to check that it was a real three-leaf clover and not just a regular four-leaf one that one of the leaves had fallen off.




To the judges: "Shee, you guys are so unhip it's a wonder your bums don't fall off."

And at the end of the finale results show - tomorrow night, when Ryan Seacrest is about to announce the winner:

There was a long silence, during which they thought they could feel the Universe age a little.

More from Casey James:



And before American Idol

Music Monday (& Tuesday) ~ Casey James + UPDATE

Music Monday is usually about already famous, or legendary but long-gone, singers and musicians. For a change I'm being self-indulgent and posting about my current American Idol favourite Casey James.

Casey has survived the Idol obstacle course of having to sing on some themes foreign to him, and now stands as one of the final 3 contestants. He can do no worse than being second runner-up, even if voted off this week. He can't lose. In some ways it could be more helpful for him not to win the competition. He'd be more free to follow his own course rather than being bound by an Idol winner's contract.

It would be surprising if Casey beat Crystal Bowersox, who has led the field from the start. He has been mauled by the judges, but survived, presumably due to his strong fan base. Those judges can be obtuse at times, for reasons best known to themselves. Casey could (and in my opinion should) quite easily beat the other finalist, Lee DeWyse, to become runner-up. It's not easy to pick the order of the final three from their astrology (see last Tuesday's post). All three charts contain at least one helpful factor when compared with the chart for the 26 May finale.

Casey James, born in a tiny Texas village called Cool, lives for his music. From numerous bits and pieces on line it seems that he's been singing from the time he was in the crib. One article tells that his mother, a singer herself, was worried about him being late learning to speak, yet he hummed when in the crib. A friend pointed out to her that he was humming the theme from MASH, a household favouriteTV series! Casey has said in interview that making music is all he has ever wanted to do. He was married for three years, 2005-2008. His ex-wife has said, in a National Enquirer interview, that single-mindedness about his music and his will to succeed put stress on their marriage. She had nothing worse to say, however, so National Enquirer had to make do with that as "gossip" instead of anything more salacious. Casey admits to his single-mindedness, though adds to his love of music, a love of all animals and especially his two dogs, Basset Hounds, with whom he shares the house he built himself. He freely admits, too, to rather wild teenage years when he spent time in jail following a series of driving offences. A serious accident later left him wheel-chair bound for 6 months, unsure whether he'd be able to play guitar again. This, he says, was the learning experience which set him straight.

Casey's musical style blends rock and blues. He writes songs, is an expert on guitar and mandolin, plays both electric and acoustic guitar with equal aplomb, and often seems uneasy when forced to sing without an instrument. With his band, which includes his brother, he has been playing in pubs, clubs and small venues in his current base, Fort Worth for many years, as well as in venues around Texas and Oklahoma. It's possibly because of his years performing on small stages that Casey seems reluctant to use the massive stage now available to him - or perhaps this is just who he is. Surprisingly, he had never seen a single episode of American Idol before his mother persuaded him to attend the auditions.

He's a good-looking guy, but he doesn't swagger like some other good-looking guys. If he was as intent and focused on his "job" in some other area I guess he'd be termed a geek! It's endearing to see such a good-looker so seemingly unaware of what he's got! When asked how he'd react when the Idol fashion sylists got hold of him he replied, "as long as I'm comfortable with whatever it is, I'm going to let it roll because I know nothing about style. That's kind of obvious." Is it an act? I doubt it. Let's look at his natal chart.

Chart shown is a 12 noon version. ascendant will not be accurate as a time of birth isn't available. The Moon was somewhere in Leo though, whatever time Casey was born.



Sun in Capricorn - not a particularly musical sign, it's a cardinal sign, sign of a doer, a practical go-getter, a sign that knows how many beans make five and how to get 'em. Casey knows what he's about: music, and he knows how to make it....but he also built his own house - remember?

Venus, planet of the arts including music is also in Capricorn, but in the last degrees of the sign and conjunct Mercury in neighbouring Aquarius, along with Mars. These two planets in Fixed sign Aquarius relate to his strong determination to succeed, even when this has meant the break-up of his marriage. Fixed signs can be ridiculously stubborn and single-minded. Airy Aquarius traits, though, do lighten that Earthy Sun and Venus of his. He'll be glad of that Earthy anchor if he is dragged into the great whirlpool of national and international show-biz, it'll tie his feet firmly to the ground.

Neptune, with Uranus and Jupiter conjoined, are all in Sagittarius, with Uranus/Jupiter in helpful, blending sextile to Mecury/Venus. Uranus, the rebel planet, hooked up to his personal planets clearly connects to Casey's wilder early years. His now maturer Sagittarian side helps counteract any overly serious traits from Capricorn/Aquarius. I recall a clip from an Idol episode when the contestants were asked to describe one another, and the thing they all mentioned about Casey was his very loud laugh - that's pure Sagittarius!

Saturn in the first degrees of Scorpio is conjunct Pluto in the last degrees of Libra. I'll guess that this conjunction, of Saturn's limitations and Pluto's dark and sometimes deathly reputation, reflects the road accident which almost cost Casey his life.

Moon in Leo is easy to translate for a person like Casey whose life's work is appearing in the spotlight - whether that spotlight is big or small matters not a lot - as long as it's shining for him, and he's making music.

UPDATE: A kind commenter has let me know that the date of birth I used, supplied by Wikipedia, might be incorrect. Apparently Casey said in interview recently that he's about to turn 28 on 31 May (which makes his d.o.b. 31 May 1982). That's quite a difference! I felt a bit wary of a Sun in Capricorn for him to be honest.

Here's the alternative chart which shows quite a lot more Air - Gemini and Libra, with Venus, planet of music in its own sign Taurus, which is a nice fit. His build and good looks do fit Gemini/Libra too.

Without going further into the chart for now (I will if he survives this week) I'll just say that the planet he has near an angle in the Finale chart is Uranus in the first degrees of Sagittarius. So he does still have a helpful indication.






Here he is, during the Lennon/McCartney theme week singing "Jealous Guy".



This Tuesday the final 3 will each sing a song chosen for them by the judges, then one of their own choice. The song judges have chosen for Casey to sing is Daughters by John Mayer. Crystal's song is Maybe I'm Amazed (Paul McCartney), and Lee's is Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen). I suspect Casey drew the short straw there with the least-known song of the three, but I reckon he's good enough to overcome that!

Fingers crossed !

Idol Indications.... continued from last week

I'm making an attempt to discover whether natal astrological positions and current transits might translate into a helpful astro-atmosphere for American Idol's remaining 5 contestants. Left to right below: Aaron Kelly, Siobhan Magnus(eliminated), Michael Lynche, (Ryan Seacrest, presenter) Casey James, Crystal Bowersox, Lee DeWyse.



Following last Tuesday's post, I searched for information to help pinpoint the exact time to use in an astrological chart representing annonucement time of this year's American Idol, on 26 May. The conundrum, connected to time zones, throws up a bit of a fog. As far as I can discover, the show goes ahead live in Los Angeles, starting at, I assume, 5:00PM, ending just after 7:00PM. However, it isn't broadcast there until start time 8:00PM, ending around 10:00 PM. But it's aired live at 8 to around 10PM in eastern time zone, and an hour earlier in central time zone (still live).

I've used 7:00 PM, Los Angeles for the finale chart, which is the central chart of both images below. This is when the winner will actually be announced, live.

The first image contains planetary positions for Crystal, Lee and Casey working through the rings outward; Aaron and Michael's planets appear in the second image, again working outward from the center.

Blog buddy and commenter Shawn Carson suggested last week that it'd be interesting, and significant to note any of the contestants' planets falling near the finale chart angles (ascendant, midheaven and opposite points). This is the reason it's important to have the chart set for the correct time, because the chart angles change rather quickly.

The ascending degree of the finale chart will be at around Scorpio 25.08 degrees. Crystal's natal Saturn is at 21.33 Scorpio. Mustn't overlook Casey's natal Jupiter at 1.19 Sagittarius, just over the cusp, but well within orb (limits). Michael's Jupiter is a bit wider at 5 Sagittarius, not quite as strong. It's interesting that the Moon in the finale chart is close to the ascendant too - in horary astrology I think Moon represents the public. It's the votes of the public (allegedly) which decide the winner. The only other planet near the ascendant is Aaron's natal Pluto, which is a generational rather than personal planet, so I think it has to be less important than Crystal's Saturn (representing work/career), and Casey's and maybe Michael's Jupiter (luck?)

There's no planet close enough to midheaven or descendant to be significant here.
That leaves the 4th angle, the nadir at 4.25 Pisces, opposite midheaven: Lee's natal Jupiter at 9.35 Pisces is close, so in a strong position.







Conclusion: Not conclusive! Crystal, Casey and Lee all have planets near angles. Michael has one but with a little wider orb, and Aaron has only a generational planet near an angle. It'll be interesting to watch how events unfold from here on.

Tonight's theme is Songs of Sinatra, with Harry Connick Jnr as mentor. Who might fare best singing those old but beautifully written standards ? So much depends on their song choices. This is where good judgement enters into this singing contest. Some of them may not be as familiar with Sinatra's vast repertoire as they are with contemporary music, so it could be tricky for them....but interesting.

Idol Indications

Last week a commenter suggested taking a look at an astrological chart of planetary placements for date and time of the announcement of this year's American Idol. It could be interesting to compare it with natal charts of current leading contestants, to see whether there are clues to success, and if so whether those clues work out in real life.

The finale, with results of the the competition's last round, will take place on Wednesday 26 May 2010, in Los Angeles. The show begins at 8:00/7:00 PM central and will last, according to FOX, 127 minutes. The winner is usually announced during the last minutes of the show.

Chart below is for Wednesday 26 May, Los Angeles at 10:05 PM (allowing 2 mins for the closing razamatazz.) Trouble is though: the time zone thing! Here in central time zone the show will run from 7:00 to just after 9:00PM. In eastern and Pacific (western) time zones it'll start at 8:00 PM. In Los Angeles though, when it's 7:00pm central it'll only be 5:00 PM. How does that work out? It's live (allegedly). I can only assume that it's recorded and broadcast at 8:00 PM in the Pacific time zone. I might be wrong about this though. Anybody know?

As an initial experiment I'll use a chart for 10:05 PM, Los Angeles.

Natal charts of Crystal Bowersox (clear favourite as things stand now); Lee DeWyse, Siobahn Magnus and Casey James, the four contestants currently favoured by bookmakers are below. Two of these contestants, though, will have been eliminated before this final performance on 25 May.



THE FINALE:


As I don't have a birth time for any of the four, this isn't going to be an ideal experiment, but it will throw up any good or bad aspects between transiting planets and some personal planets. Without exact Moon position and rising sign degree we could be missing something crucial. Still - let's see how this works out:



CRYSTAL BOWERSOX



Crystal's natal Moon could be anywhere from 20 Pisces to 3 Aries - that is the area transiting Uranus and Jupiter are around right now: Uranus = change, Jupiter is thought of as helpful and lucky. Transiting Saturn is opposing Uranus/Jupiter though, and therefore also likely to be opposing Crystal's natal Moon. This isn't necessarily bad for her chances of winning, but is probably indicative of the hard work and challenges facing her (as a single mother) if she does win.





LEE DE WYSE



Lee had Jupiter transiting his natal Mercury in the weeks leading up to the finale, giving him a helpful boost. At the time of the announcement of the winner (if my assumption on time zones is correct) Capricorn will be rising at around 5 degrees with Pluto right on the ascendant and conjunct Lee's natal Mars/Neptune conjunction. I cannot guess whether this is fortuitous or not. Pluto = transformation. Mars/Neptune = energy and creativity. Something is going on here.




SIOBAHN MAGNUS



Her Sun/Mercury at 24/21 Pisces are close enough to transiting Uranus/Jupiter to be thought significant. This is similar to the transit to Crystal's Moon, indicating change and some helpful luck, but affecting Sun/Mercury rather than Moon. Again though, Saturn is in opposition to the transiting planets and Siobahn's natal Sun, indicating some challenges to come. Additionally, transiting Pluto is within a few degrees of her natal Uranus in Capricorn - again, not sure whether this is significant or not, but it's worth a mention.



CASEY JAMES



Casey, I think, has the least help from the planets. His natal Sun at 10 Capricorn is within a few degrees of the finale's rising degree, but I doubt that's enough to predict him as winner. Even so, his chart is least affected by the transiting Saturn-Uranus opposition - could this be a good thing ? We shall see.



CONCLUSION : Crystal and Siobahn's charts seem most helpful of the four, but with the Saturn opposition and Uranus involved, an unexpected event could still upset the proverbial apple cart.

Idols Inspired ~ Crucial Astro Transits

This week American Idol is doing its bit for charity with Idol Gives Back. The special segment, with performances by The Black Eyed Peas, Annie Lenox, Jeff Beck, Joss Stone, Mary J. Blige and Sir Elton John will air tomorrow night. Tonight the remaining 7 contestants will compete on a theme of "Inspirational songs", with Alicia Keys as mentor.

Still in the running are the two Aries Suns: Aaron Kelly and Lee DeWyse; Taurus Sun: Tim Urban; Gemini Sun:Michael Lynche (saved by the jury from elimination 2 weeks ago); Leo Sun: Crystal Bowersox; Capricorn Sun: Casey James; and Pisces Sun: Siobahn Magnus.


Left to right: Tim, Siobahn, Crystal, Katie (eliminated), Michael, (host Ryan Seacrest), Casey, Andrew (eliminated), Lee, Aaron.

Natal charts for Crystal, Siobahn, Casey, & Michael are at my post of 29 March. I noticed then that Crystal and Siobhan are the two most likely to be affected by current astrological transits, especially the coming T-square astrologers are talking about a lot this year, and Jupiter, often thought of as planet of luck, now transiting Pisces, heading for Siobahn's Sun and (possibly) Crystal's Moon in the late degrees of the sign. Crystal's Moon degree depends on time of birth, and could be anywhere from 21 Pisces to 3 Aries, but within orb for these transits to be relevant.

Uranus, now in late Pisces is opposed by Saturn in late Virgo, both will shortly square up to Pluto in the early degrees of Capricorn, by that time Uranus and Saturn will have slipped into cardinal signs Aries and Libra to form a cardinal T-square. Crystal's natal Moon and Siobahn's natal Sun could link into this challenging circuit, as it takes shape. Uranus (change) is a big part of the picture, a change of lifestyle for Crystal or Siobahn could be on the cards, but not without its attendant problems and challenges (via Saturn and Pluto). I read this week that Crystal is already feeling the strain. She was about to leave the show but Ryan Seacrest persuaded her to stay (article at E-Online.)

I don't fully understand betting odds, so if I've transated wrongly....sorry!
Bookies have Crystal in the lead (2/3), with Lee, surprisingly next (7/2), Casey next (7/1), Siobhan (15/2), Michael (12/1), with Aaron at 25/1 and Tim at 50/1 as outsiders. Crystal has improved her position from how it stood 6 weeks ago, Casey remains the same, Lee has improved the most. The early leader, Andrew Garcia was eliminated last week. He proved to be like the horse who does an early spurt then falls way back.

Here's a 12 noon chart for Lee DeWyse, click on it to enlarge. Transiting Jupiter has been around his natal Mercury at 18 Pisces for the past week or so. Will his current boost last? Although he has a great voice I don't see him as "Idol-worthy" yet. He needs experience and confidence to bring about some stage presence. I think he'll be in the last 4 for sure though (Crystal, Casey, Siobahn and Lee?)

There's a list of inspirational songs from which the contestants can choose their number for tonight HERE. Some songs on that list seem less than inspirational to me! I'd like to hear my own favourite, Impossible Dream, but doubt anyone will choose to sing it.

Music Monday ~ American Idol's Top Ten & That T-Square

Dates of birth for American Idol's Top Ten finalists have surfaced. I can now take a look at some of the natal charts for signs of imminent triumph - or otherwise. Interestingly, a couple of the gals' charts are affected by the upcoming Cardinal T-square which will link Saturn, Uranus and Pluto in early degrees of cardinal signs Aries, Libra, Capricorn (with a hint of Jupiter thrown in, at times).

As mentioned in my previous Idol 2010 post in early March (here) bookmakers at that point had Andrew Garcia as favourite to win. Andrew's performances since then have proved to be somewhat inconsistent though; he isn't as well favored now. His place as male favourite has been taken by Michael Lynche.

From the gals, Crystal Bowersox remains a potential winner and has brought consistently good performances. A contestant who sneaked up from behind: Siobhan Magnus might prove troublesome to the favourite in time though.


Back left to right: Siobahn, Casey, Didi, Michael, Crystal, Tim. Front left to right: Katie, Andrew, Lee, Aaron.

Let's have a look at some charts, just those of contestants who I suspect will survive the next few rounds. All are set for 12 noon in the absence of birth times, so rising sign will not be accurate as shown. Click on images to enlarge.

Gals first:

Crystal Bowersox: Joplinesque and confident in her own talent - knows her niche and her strengths. Great voice, plays guitar and harmonica.
Sun and 2 personal planets in Leo - no surprise that a career on stage has always been her dream. If born before 7pm natal Moon would be in Pisces, later in the day she'd have Aries Moon. Either way, transiting Uranus will be hanging around the Pisces/Aries cusp for quite a while, and Uranus relates to changes and unexpected events. During much the same period transiting Saturn will be opposite Uranus, and therefore opposing Crystal's natal Moon, as Saturn relates to work and career, perhaps here is an indication of upcoming big changes for her in this area. Could the heavy T-square configuration manifest for Crystal in life changes and the realization of her dreams, but bringing with it some problems and stringent demands to this young single Mom?


Siobhan Magnus: Young, quirky, big voice, a vocalist who could likely sing absolutely anything and make you listen. Interesting gal! She's a combination of Pisces/Aquarius/Capricorn with Moon almost certainly in Scorpio. Significant here is that she'll have transiting Jupiter (benign, and often thought lucky, planet) close to her natal Sun during the rest of the competition. Also, transiting Uranus is joining her Sun, so she will be linked, though more loosely, into that T-square which could affect Crystal. Interesting!




Didi Benami : Good-looking gal, nice voice, not sure of her genre though, probably something along British singer Duffy's style. (Scorpio Sun with Leo or Cancer Moon).

Katie Stevens: Youngest gal still in the competition. Good voice but will struggle to stay in much longer. She needs time for her style to "gel".
(Sagittarius Sun with Moon in Taurus or Gemini).

Guys:

Michael Lynche: Big, big fellow (fitness trainer) with, I'd guess, a big heart to match. He seems such a nice guy. He's versatile in style, great voice, confident and best of all - very likeable. Sun/Mars in Gemini opposite Jupiter/Uranus in Sagittarius with Moon in either late Capricorn or early Aquarius.
Hmmm. I don't see any significant transits for him, he has no planets in early cardinal signs where the T-square will form. Maybe this is a good thing though -to be free of any looming potential surprise or problem? I'll be watching his progress, or lack of it, with interest, bearing that T-square in mind.



Casey James: I've liked him from the start. He has the confidence in his skills honed from years of singing in small venues. Nice looking without appearing conceited. Style can vary from rocker to country to balladeer - good on guitar too. Casey's another contestant without clear linkage to the upcoming Cardinal T-square. He's a mix of Capricorn and Aquarius with Leo Moon, whatever time of birth. As with Michael, perhaps a lack of significant transits at this time will be a boon. We shall see.





Andrew Garcia: Suffers from bad song choices, but could pull back to the lead with better judgement in that department. Good judgement in choosing songs to suit the voice and importantly to please the audience, is essential, and something often absent in less experienced contestants. Andrew is experienced though - he had a big YouTube following before Idol, so this is puzzling in his case.
(Sun in mid-Libra, Moon in Cancer or Leo).

Lee DeWyse: Nice gravelly voice (Joe Cocker-ish ?) Lee lacks experience and confidence though, but is improving fast. (Sun 12* Aries, Moon in Capricorn or Aquarius).

Aaron Kelly : Youngest contestant in the Top Ten, amazingly mature sounding. Tweens will love his cute looks. Aaron is another who, though good already, could use a few more years to "gel" his talent into an individual style. Could go country, or straight pop, I guess. Huge potential. (Sun 12* Aries - same as Lee, Moon definitely in Leo).

Tim Urban: Another one for the Tweenies, difficult to know where he fits genre-wise though. I doubt he'll go much farther in the competition unless he comes up with something really special soon. (Sun in Taurus).

Idol's Best Hopefuls

As the astrology bloggers' friendly neighbourhood American Idol fan, I ought to report now and again on the progress of this season's Idol bandwagon.

Contestants have now been winnowed to 10 females and 10 males, two of each to be eliminated after viewers' votes following tonight's and tomorrow night's shows. Results will be reported on a show on Thursday evening. Phew! Another Idol marathon, like last week's coming up.

I took a look at the ephemeris to compare this season's outer planetary positions with those of this time last year. Uranus and Neptune are still in semi-sextile and mutual reception (in each other's rulerships), and in even tighter semi-sextile than they were last year. Saturn is retrograding back into Virgo, where it was for last season - so the "atmosphere" planet-wise is much the same. Creative and unexpected performances will go down well (Uranus/Neptune) but there could later be backlash against any who are not what the viewers and producers consider to be "squeaky clean" (Saturn in Virgo).

I've yet to find any birth dates of contestants. In the absence of being able to predict progress on the basis of natal charts I visited a betting website OLBG Sports to investigate their views.

As it happens their top three are mine too - though in a different order.

They report:

Andrew Garcia can be backed at 4/1. A young dad from Southern California, sports big neck tattoo and heavy specs; already well-known as a singer in his own locality and on YouTube. Seems to have the ability to re-work established arrangements and present fresh versions of songs.








Casey James at 7/1. Singer-songwriter type from Texas, nice looking with a natural charm about him. Some journalists parrot the term "cougar bait" - very annoying, both for him (I'm sure) and for viewers with a smidgen of discernment. The situation wasn't helped by silly judge Kara going all girly and ga-ga over him during auditions. Thank goodness for Ellen DeGeneres!







Crystal Bowersox at 7/1. Single mum currently from Chicago but a former country girl from Ohio, she sports blonde dreadlocks, plays acoustic guitar, can sound Joplinesque. Definitely different from the average female Idol contestant.



I'd venture to rank Casey James above Andrew Garcia. Casey is the one I'll be waiting to hear each week - in the way I waited to hear Adam Lambert last season. Casey has an extra "something", as well as being a seasoned performer, and professional musician. He has a rather colorful past, it seems. I do hope the strait-laced brigade don't come out in force against him. Apparently some 9 years ago he spent time in jail for driving offences. These were misdemeanors, not crimes. While not admirable in any way, they are long past. He hasn't offended since, and back then he paid his dues.

Andrew Garcia is a gifted singer, no doubt about it. He'll be in the last half dozen for sure. Crystal Bowersox is the least "plastic" of the 10 gals, a "real" performer, no glamor-puss but natural and hugely talented.