Okay, let me see… Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, David Cook.  Seven American Idol champions, almost evenly split, with the girls winning four seasons.  Judging from their performances, the girls have been more successful, with all four female Idols getting successful albums and successful careers outside of the show.  As for the guys, well, we know what happened to Ruben and Taylor, and it's too early to judge whether David will buck the trend.

Last year, however, was a treat, seeing two guys on the final two—something which never happened before.  Does this mean we should expect the guys doing some catch-up, and maybe in the upcoming eighth season of American Idol, they'll have a considerably better run that previous seasons?  Judging from new judge Kara DioGuardi's statements, it could be the case.

We've got less than a week before we can take a glimpse into who could possibly make this year's top 12 (and, outside of that list, become a laughingstock for thinking they've got talent when they don't), although the auditions have wrapped up long ago.  Kara, who's written songs for many pop artists as well as Idol graduates, observes that she's spotted many stand-out performers among the men.  But that doesn't guarantee, however, that the men will dominate this year's search.

“They may have been great at the beginning but as the season goes on they have to keep upping it,” she said, reminding everyone that they can throw in an underdog to the mix, with the return of the wild card round for this season.

Male dominance, however, isn't exactly the case on the judges' table.  Paula Abdul used to be the only female judge, and her opinions have been trounced, to say the least, by those of Randy Jackson's and Simon Cowell's.  Now with Kara around, though, things have changed, and not for the worse.  For one, there hasn't really been a struggle between Paula and Kara; in fact, the newcomer credits Paula for giving her a shot at the industry.  “[We] co-wrote my first international hit, [Kylie Minogue's ‘Spinning Around',]” she said.  “I feel indebted to her for that, and I've never been of the thinking that women should drag each other down.”

As for Simon's claims that the girls have begun ganging up on him? "There's definitely times Paula and I voice our opinion and it's of the same ilk,” Kara explained.  “And if that's not what Simon thinks, then there's a little bit of tension there.  But it's all fun.  Nobody's going back to their room crying.”

American Idol returns next week with a four-hour premiere, starting this Tuesday, January 13, from 8pm on Fox.  By then, we'll be able to have a glimpse into whether the guys will really make it big this year.  Oh, nevertheless, if he or she is a good singer, I hope so.


-Henrik Batallones, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: AP
(Image courtesy of Fox)