We've been doing these American Idol Rewinds for the past week, and now that we're to last year's sixth season, I realized that we actually have a little perspective on season 6 now.  We can't really judge the alumni just yet (except for, sadly, Jordin Sparks), but we can grasp a little of what Idol 6's legacy will be.  Unfortunately, things look bleak.  In terms of the talent level for the finalists, American Idol 6 competes with American Idol 4 as the worst season yet.  I know this is still speculation, but seeing that I wrote about 12 million words on last season, hear me out: Out of the top 12 finalists on season 6, I don't expect to ever hear much of anything from five of them (Brandon Rogers, Stephanie Edwards, Gina Glocksen, Haley Scarnato, and Phil Stacey), expect one to live on only in infamy (Sanjaya Malakar), see two with niche potential (Chris Sligh and Chris Richardson), think two will have solid Broadway careers (Melinda Doolittle and Lakisha Jones) and believe Blake Lewis and Jordin Sparks have mild star potential, though nothing like a Chris Daughtry, Carrie Underwood or Kelly Clarkson. 

Top 12 Finalists:

#12 – Brandon Rogers
#11 – Stephanie Edwards
#10 – Chris Sligh
#9 – Gina Glocksen
#8 – Haley Scarnato
#7 – Sanjaya Malakar
#6 – Phil Stacey
#5 – Chris Richardson
#4 – Lakisha Jones
#3 – Melinda Doolittle
#2 – Blake Lewis
#1 – Jordin Sparks


Notable Season 6 Alumni:

It's impossible to know this early whose career will end up being the best.  Both Jordin Sparks and Blake Lewis's albums were disappointing in their record sales.  Jordin's CD quickly exited the Billboard top ten, as did Blake's.  Jordin is young enough to cultivate a musical style with potential but I think, in the end, she's too vanilla to sell hundreds of thousands of records.  Blake Lewis is a bit of a wild card, and I think when he gets around to pounding out a second album, he could do some interesting things.  He has the advantage of being a song writer, and will be able to control his destiny.

No other season 6 alumni has released an album yet.  Perhaps a surprise hit like Daughtry is in the offing, but from who? Chris Richardson is basically Blake Lewis-lite, who himself is Justin Timberlake-lite.  Melinda Doolittle was the best singer on Idol last year, but I don't see her making a hit pop record.  What kind of music is she going to make?  Ditto for Lakisha Jones. 

Someone like Chris Sligh, who is a talented musician, could turn his Idol opportunity into something big and unique, though I suspect it will have to come in the form of a band.  I know there are a boat load of you Sanjaya apologists out there, but there's no real precedent for someone that divisive and lacking in talent becoming a big star.  Sorry. 


Controversy:

The Sanjaya Situation

The big story of last season was Sanjaya Malakar and his overwhelming weirdness advancing much further into the season than logic would dictate.  His out-of-tune, weak voiced singing somehow made him a fan favorite (and also a favorite of VoteFortheWorst.com).  It never made sense to me, but adolescent ladies fawned over his non-threatening demeanor and voted him all the way into the final eight.  His performances gained nationwide interest, thus perpetuating the entire phenomenon.  We'll soon see if Sanjaya has any more of his fifteen minutes left in the tank.  He may just fade away.


Antonella Barba

Miss Barba, an attractive young lady from New Jersey, gained national attention for some racy photos which were released on the internet concurrently with her appearance in the top 24.  The situation was handled in a classy way by all sides, though there were a lot of fans who called for Barba's dismissal from the show, citing the precedent of Frenchie Davis.  Davis was excised from Idol after it was discovered that she posed nude for a website to help pay for school.  The difference, and it's a reasonable one, is that Frenchie took money for the pics, knowing they'd be published on the internet.  Barba took her photos in private, never intending them to be released and did not profit from them.  She still might, however, as I could realistically see a Stuff or Playboy Magazine spread in her future.

-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image Courtesy of FOX)