Idol Worship.

I finally caught my first episode of American Idol yesterday. Here are my impressions:

Katharine McPhee: Initial thought was “she’s going to win this competition.” Not necessarily because she’s the best, but she’s the archetype of the kind of person that wins American Idol.

Kellie Pickler: God-awful. Your superior was chosen last season. Next!

Elliott Yamin: This guy can sing. But…he’s not an Idol.

Paris Bennett: She’s got the pipes! However, and this is only because on Scatterbrain I tell it like it is, she’s not Christina Aguilera, Mary J Blige, or Kelly Clarkson. This goes for the men as well (wait ‘till Taylor) – I don’t believe that vocals alone are enough to grab the idol crown. The performer has to have sex appeal. And Paris is just too…cute. But not in a good way.

Taylor Hicks: I like him. He is a great performer, but like Paris, I just don’t see him going yard. He seems like he'd appeal big-time to the mid-30's - mid-60's demographic, but that doesn't seem to be Idol's target audience. However, I do think he’ll have moderate success on the lounge singing circuit after the competition, regardless of how far he goes.

Chris Daughtry: Please, for the love of God, let this guy win! He rocks, he has passion, and his voice is killer; he lacks the spit-and-polish the others have, and actually feels somewhat organic, which I like. Then again, his skills and “product” remind me a lot of Bo Bice.

I’m calling McPhee over Daughtry in the final.