American Idol - Finals Preview - Page 3

Fantasia Barrino

Not only does Fantasia look and sound the part of the next American Idol, she's got an incredibly positive attitude and outlook on the competition. In her interview on the official site, she claims Simon is her favorite judge because "he is real." When asked which professional singer she sounds most like, she replies: "No one. I try to be Fantasia." As Paula said after Fantasia's rousing rendition of "Something To Talk About," this competition needs Fantasia. If she doesn't stumble, she could go all the way. Current odds: 3:1

LaToya London

After a stand-out performance in Group 3 that brought the first standing ovation of the finals that included the judges, LaToya is the one to beat. The only potential problem I see at this point is her stoicism. The audience likes to see contestants get excited when they win and cry when they lose (hence, the many lingering shots of Leah LaBelle when she didn't make the cut on her first try). When we get to the finals, LaToya can't continue to be as stoic as we've seen her so far. Current odds: 2:1

Season 3 is shaping up to be every bit as entertaining as the first two installments. Expect the media blitz to kick into high gear very soon. We're going to be seeing these 12 faces everywhere before too long, and the frenzy will only continue to build as the field is narrowed week by week. The two-hour special kicks off the real start of this contest Tuesday night.

Note: The odds above represent my views alone as to the chances for any given contestant to win the competition and are not intended as a solicitation to wager on the outcome of the show.

Portions of this article were previously posted at scottpepper.blogspot.com.

Article Author: Scott Pepper

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