Australian Idol....yeah, lame, I know...

Howdy hey hey hey!

What a hectic year I've had so far; it's gone so terribly fast. I am now officially an adult; I now know there's no such thing as a school night; and university, and college particularly, has opened me up to so many amazing people and places.

But amongst all this, I've still managed to find some time this year to have a squiz at Australian Idol.

Yes, Australian Idol. That musical institution known for blandness and mediocrity; heavily criticized by "real musicians", and perhaps with good reason. No Idol anywhere in the world, other than Kelly Clarkson and Leona Lewis (who is actually an alumnus of British spin-off "The X-Factor") have achieved what you could call genuine worldwide success. I'll admit to having more than a soft spot for last year's winner, Natalie Gauci; but as yet, she's not released any kind of follow up album, almost a year after her victory.

Nevertheless, it's Australian Idol. It is trashy, bogan, mind-numbing, glorious television. And hasn't it produced some fabulous moments.

At college I am currently sans regular access to the TV - and certainly if I did want to go down and watch the box, there's no way I would make it out of the room alive if I announced I wanted to watch Australian Idol. Thankfully, most of the show is posted on the website, and in between readings on global diaspora and the French Revolution, I've been catching up on this year's crop of auditionees. Surprisingly, there actually appear to be some talented musicians out there who are still convinced that the Idol franchise is an avenue to musical success.

From the auditions I've seen, here are three guys and three girls that have stood out to me as favourites so far. Bear in mind that the early auditionees are not always the best. Last year, my favourite audition was Brianna Carpenter's. Enough said.

Boys:

Wes Carr (Sydney): Wore a hat, which I find nauseatingly bogan, and was hidden under a mound of shaggy head and facial hair; but surprisingly, this guy "who's been gigging around forever" sounded good. Busted out the Jimi H to devastating effect (he even made Marcia Hines say "Jimm-ehhh!", which TOTES made my day), and Dicko graced him with a hug. The favourite to win already.

Mark Spano (Melbourne): Another one of those "gigging around forever" guys. Has had problems with his vocal chords and such but now he's ready to rock. His style's not what I'd go for; he sounds like he could potentially front one of those bland bands like Hinder or Nickelback, but I did like the song he sang. Another unbackable favourite for top 12-hood.

Tom Williams (Adelaide): I wasn't going to mention this guy, but he's all the rage already so I thought a comment was needed. Just to set the record straight for all those hyperventilating fifteen year old girls, he's not anywhere near as good as Matt Corby, who he's already receiving slightly too-favourable comparisons to. He looks like he's about eleven years old, and I'm undecided as to whether that will work for or against him. Nevertheless, he admittedly did show that he could carry a tune rather well; but all is set for a photoshoot at Dolly and a run on next year's season of Neighbours if his musical career doesn't work out.

Other guys that were reasonable enough were Vietnamese-Australian Thanh Bui, a former boy-bander who I'm sure could sing Celine Dion with his eyes closed; Matthew Parsons, who had possibly the worst hair ever seen, but sung the Goo Goo Dolls and Michael Buble and could play the didgeridoo (now that's versatility); and David Crump, a guy who won a cruise-ship karaoke contest and then decided to audition for Idol, and, surprisingly, actually had a half-decent voice.

Girls:

Bianca Long (Perth): She apparently suffers from bipolar, but seemed like the blandest, most nondescript girl I've ever seen. That was until she started singing, and I was genuinely impressed, possibly more than I have been for any other audition this season. Whether she can sing anything other than jazz and blues remains to be seen, but if this girl can write a song, she could potentially be Australia's answer to Adele. Watch out kids.

Sophie Paterson (London): Now, I know this girl only played an excerpt from one song, but I'll go out on a limb here and say that she's possibly one of the best songwriters the show has ever seen. Having said that, songwriting skills aren't exactly a guarantee for Idol success; Bobby Flynn and Marty Simpson are exhibits A and B. Nevertheless, this was a sublime audition, and Tina Arena was rightly impressed. Whether she can tackle disco is another matter.

Chrisalyn Hamilton (Brisbane): If you don't know her, she's the one from the ad. You know, the one from the ad. The big girl, who says "Can you feel it in your booooooooooooooones". She's got pipes, she's a total Aretha clone, but what I worry about is whether that's really marketable in 2008. Who actually releases records in the style of Aretha Franklin anymore? Blew Tarisai out of the water, in any case. She's young and it will be intriguing to watch her develop.

Other ones to watch include Roshani Priddis, an adopted Sri Lankan who sung some John Legend nicely, Nicole Banks from Melbourne, who, despite saying the word "like" far too many times for my liking (yeah, that was a pun), had an actual personality, a rarity on idol. Finally, keep your eye on Casey Freeman, from Nowhere Creek, who could barely string a sentence together. I wonder about her longevity in Idol and whether she can sing a rock or disco song, but in sitting on the floor with her guitar, she matched it with the best of them.

So that's a wrap, kids. I'll post again very shortly; I'm compiling a "Ten Great Australian Idol Performances List". Comment and debate please; until then, listen to Vampire Weekend and MGMT, go Cats and I'll see you soon.

Peace/love/ya/ya/ya

me.