‘American Idol’ showcases next big stars

MANILA, Philippines—It’s relatively early, but a number of the remaining “American Idol” finalists are already coming across like potential stars of tomorrow. Even if they don’t romp off with the title, they should have good careers in show business, like famous non-winners Jennifer Hudson and Clay Aiken.

Pia Toscano is the complete package, a near-perfect combination of looks, voice, likability, ambition and undeniable stellar potential. She’s only 20 years old, but she’s had her eye on a singing career for over a decade: She started taking voice lessons when she was only 11.

Trouble is, for years now, the top winner of “American Idol” has been a young, frisky, boy-next-door type. So, going by that winning profile practically chiseled in stone by the tilt’s dominant teen-female demographic, it’s likelier that either Stefano Langone, Casey Abrams, Scotty McCreevy or James Durbin could end up being voted in as this year’s Idol.

Unique contender

Scotty, at only 17, is a unique contender due to his strikingly deep, basso voice, and his love for country music. But, his uniqueness could end up as a liability, because it limits him quite severely in terms of breadth and range of musicality. So he may not go the distance.

Stefano is more like it as far as teen and tween Idol preferences go, because he exudes a fresh-faced appeal and a “frisky puppy” kind of charm. He isn’t the most musicality talented or vocally gifted male finalist in this year’s competition, but that hasn’t prevented past winners like Kris Allen from romping off with the top plum.

We hope, however, that the tilt’s outcome for its 2011 edition won’t turn out to be so safe, pat and predictable. Aside from Pia, another female bet, Karen Rodriguez, is coming on strong as a future star.

What about “our” Fil-Canadian bet, Thia Megia? She’s really young, at only 16, but she’s bowled the tilt’s judges over with her precociously mature voice and musicality.

Randy Jackson has gushed over her performance: “I loved the beginning—it was just golden to me.” Jennifer Lopez seconds the motion: “That beautiful voice is transcendent!” And, for his part, Steven Tyler sounds like a true-blue fan: “You sing so good! You have such a strong future in front of you!”

On the debit side, however, Thia has been plagued by poor choices in terms of the songs she sings. She also strikes some people as “too serious” for somebody so young. So, she’s got her work cut out for her to remain competitive. That’s ironic, because as the youngest finalist, she should resonate most with the show’s young demographic—but there it is.

Like many viewers here, we hope and pray that she’ll hang in there and keep doing her best. But, it breaks our heart to see her looking so scared at judgment time each week. She’s too young not to take all that pressure in stride—but we continue to wish her the very best!