Final 13 Contestants for Season 10 of "American Idol" Announced on March 4, 2011

Fox, Thursday, March 4, 2011, 8 PM (ET) The contestants for "American Idol" have been selected, some by audience voting, 3 "Wild Card" contestants via the judges having some contestants sing again.

Contestants Cut from the Competition:

As I predicted, "June Bug" was a no go. You just knew that, no matter how well he sang, his earlier antics in ousting Jaycee Badeaux, (highlighted on many previous shows), was going to come back to haunt him. The other "no go's" in the group included, surprisingly, Robbie Rosen, an early judges' favorite, Kendra Chantelle, and Jovanny Baretto, the ship-builder who seemed stuck on himself. All four bit the dust and, in the last paragraph, I'll discuss one reason why that may have been the case.

Final 13 Contestant for Season 10:

The final 13 contestants are as follows: (Girls) This Magia, Pia Toscano, Karen Rodriguez, Haley Reinhart, Lauren Alaina, and, (judges' picks), Ashthon Jones and Naima Adepapo. (The last 2 were selected by Judges Randy Jackson, Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez). (Boys): Jacob Lusk, Casey Abrams, Paul McDonald, James Durbin, Scotty McFedries and, selected by Wild Card, Stefano Langone.

During the final night, the votes of viewers at home were tallied and they totaled 40 million. The new online option for voting has made it easier to contribute. All the contestants pictures appear and you can easily vote for more than one favorite.

Sing for Your Spot

During the "sing for a spot" Wild Card competition, the judges called forth some---but not all---of those who were cut due to low at-home votes. A few were not asked to sing again. Those included the hair-tossing Brett Lowenstern of the clown-red hair, Evil Emperor June Bug", Jordan Dorsey, Tim Halperin, and Lauren Turner.

Those who did sing again did extremely well. It was probably Naimi Adepopo's breaking down in tears after singing "For All We Know, We May Never Meet Again" that touched the judges' hearts. She made it in. (I hope some of her wild-and-crazy wardrobe stays out.)

Song Choice Counts

I was just as impressed with Kendra Chantelle's rendition of "Georgia On My Mind," Ashthon Jones' "I'm Not Leavin'" and Stefano Langone's "This Is it." Point to remember, if you are a future contestant: It seems that, in order to make an impression on the judges, it is smart to select a song about how you either won't, can't or don't want to leave the competition. (*Short of chaining yourself to a stage prop, this would seem to be the best way to convey that message.)

Jovannny Baretto sang a John Secada song ("Angel") and lapsed into Italian at one point. One line was about "a spirit that won't let me go," but the concept of not leaving AT ALL did not come through loud and clear. And certainly "Georgia On My Mind," Kendra Chantelle's choice, and Robbie Rosen's "Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word" didn't carry the emotional weight of a song about not leaving or not ever meeting again. Future contestants: take note.

So kudos to Ashthon for selecting "I'm Not Leaving" from Dreamgirls, and Naimi for being smart enough to select "For All We Know, We May Never Meet Again" and to Stefano Langone for picking "This Is It."

Those who were cut didn't pick nearly so wisely because the performance quality difference amongst the group that did get to sing was miniscule.

A Sad Comment on Style Over Substance

One comment: it is sad that the "other" Lauren, Lauren Turner, was not called on to sing again. This would seem to confirm that looks are often more important in the selection process than pure vocal talent. The days of Ruben Stoddard's win seem to have disappeared. As I said in a previous posting, Lauren "sang her a** off." [Actually, if that were literally true, as a slightly heftier contestant without the hourglass figure and a bit Bette Midler-ish in appearance, she would have made the cut.]

Lauren's vocal talent was at least as great as Ashthon Jones' but it was style over substance. This, of course, is why Jaycee Badeaux was never going to make it to the finals (or, for that matter, why June Bug was probably doomed whether he behaved like the Evil Emperor or not). It's the old saying about how size DOES matter and you will be judged within the first few moments you are met, consciously and/or subconsciously. It would have been nice for the judges to have let the other talented Lauren take her turn at singing her way into the finals, because her talent was undeniable, but "c'est la vie."