>>And now there are six.
>>
>>Any predictions, folks? I should be out of the prediction business with this show after Mandisa finished 9th (HELLO?!) but I just can't help myself.
>>
>>I think Elliott and Paris will be next to go, and then it will be down to the four serious contenders (alphabetically): Chris, Katharine, Kellie, and Taylor.
>>
>>They are all great singers. Kellie and Taylor have the most winning personalities. Kellie was a bit off this week but she still had the charm going -- "I'm sorry!" No parents, positive attitude, great voice, how can you not like her? Chris is a rocker and Katharine can melt you with torch songs until dawn. I honestly won't be disappointed if any of them wins. They are all deserving.
>>
>>In order of preference I will go with Katharine, who has knocked me out ever since the auditions, Taylor, Kellie, and Chris. If I had to bet money I think I would go with Taylor.
>>
>>Thoughts?
>
>I've been too busy these last few w/es to catch it. Thanks for the update. We are in accord on Katherine - I predicted her from the start. Should be very interesting.
>
>Could you quickly remind me of which the others are?


Elliot(t?) is the kinda dorky looking guy with a scruffy beard and a great voice. Randy about had a fit when he was in the voters' bottom three last week, saying in so many words that he thought the voters were nuts.

Paris is young and black, the sole remaining black contestant. Great voice -- they all have great voices at this point -- but too young to win IMO. She cries every week when someone is voted off. Very likable.

Chris is the shaved-headed guy, another great voice (yawn), rooted in arena rock. Apparently lots of female fans think he's quite the hot enchilada. He is Entertainment Weekly's pick to win the competition.

Taylor is 29 and has prematurely gray hair. Lots of fun has been had about that, including last weekend's "Saturday Night Live" from what Ryan said. Super voice, super personality, not full of himself at all. I will not be disappointed at all if he wins. This week he took on Sam Cooke's "You Send Me", not a choice for the faint of heart, and made it his own. He's from Alabama and is a good old boy in the best sense of the phrase. Last week they did a "postcards from home" segment and the part about Taylor was from his bandmates, evidently out of work until he comes back.

Kellie -- well, I defy anyone not to like Kellie. At first I took her as a lightweight sweet-looking blonde type. She has proven herself to be much more than that. She has been coming on strong, including a stunning leather biker chick performance the week Queen's music was featured. This week she was a little off, hit some wrong notes doing "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered", but IMO she has enough credits in the bank to survive it. When the judges criticize her she smiles winningly and says "I'm sorry!" What a great kid, or should I say young woman. I was confused at first by the back-home segment; the one about her featured, in addition to "Pick Pichler" signs all over her town back in North Carolina, interviews with her grandfather and kid brother, who looked to be about 7. I didn't get that. My daughter told me her parents died in a car crash. All the more reason to admire her sunniness. You go, girl.

Katharine, my favorite. You know all about her already. She knocked me out right from her audition. She doesn't do tricks, she doesn't spin in circles, she just stands there and lets her voice soar. If she can stay close to her strength of torch songs, ballads, she can win this thing. My only caveat is she can come across as a bit too calculated. She looks directly into the camera sometimes with a little too much calculated sincerity. Her mom, a voice coach who taught Katharine most of what she knows about singing, gives off a faint vibe of being the stage mom from hell. Still, I've got "the McPheever." It's a pleasure listening to her sing.

It's hard to imagine myself being too disappointed at this point. They're all terrific.