American Idol to add 13th boy, will it be Johnny Keyser?
American Idol Top 24? Not so fast. American Idol pulls another boy out of their hat. Will it be JLo's favorite, Johnny Keyser?
American Idol judge Jennifer Lopez reacts to a joke in Pasadena, Calif. last month. Thursday night it was announced that one of Jennifer's favorite contestants, Johnny Keyser, has a chance to make the semifinals.
Danny Moloshok / AP Photo
This American Idol article serves as a cautionary tale and aims to teach readers two important lessons.
1) Never fast forward through the final moments of American Idol, especially when millions depend on you to analyze and report all things Idol. (OK, so maybe a million is stretching things but it never hurts to put it out into the universe, haven't you ever read The Secret?) If you are a bit fast-forward trigger-happy you might have missed the shocking announcement that it won't be the top 24 but the top 25. (Well, perhaps not shocking, since I predicted last week that they wouldn't be content with just 24. I told you you'd be amazed by this humble Idol analyst's predictions!).
2) Never trust Nigel Lythgoe, the Machiavellian producer of American Idol.
Last night at the end of the show, American Idol announced that one of four rejected boys will return to the show next Tuesday to compete for America's vote. Of the four boys the show might regurgitate, is Jennifer Lopez's favorite, Johnny Keyser. Those who have read this Idol critique in the past know that the elimination of Johnny Keyser was celebrated from the rooftops. That being said, it is highly likely that Johnny will be the boy chosen to be the 25th thorn in this writer's side. That's just the way fate works.
But let us not forget there are three other contenders that fate must toy with come Tuesday.
- David Leathers, Jr.: David's voice is so like a young Michael Jackson, and the nation has a soft spot for Michael since his early passing. Certainly Idol would love to take advantage of that sentiment by showcasing David and touting him as the next Michael Jackson. Well, that would no doubt cause a backlash, they would probably just heavily imply it. You know how good Idol can be with subtle innuendo . . .
- Jermaine Jones: Jermaine is the gentle giant of Season 11 and it was kind of heartbreaking to see his dreams crushed Thursday night and watch a grown man sob on his mother's breast. But Jermaine's deep reverberating voice will probably not be mainstream enough to compel viewers to pick up the phone. Idol knows this too, so while adding him to the running makes sense because the audience is still feeling sorry for him, they aren't likely to waste the final spot on a contestant who won't last very long.
- Richie Law: If Idol wanted to fill the void left by the recent cancellation of soap operas, All My Children and One Life to Live (as if anything ever could) they could further exploit the tensions between Cowboy Richie and Heejun. It certainly would be entertaining to watch Heejun give voice to what so many other contestants who deal with Richie are thinking but not saying. In the end though, like Jermaine, chances are voters will not rally behind Richie.
The prediction is that Johnny Keyser and his super-sized ego will return to the stage. That alone would be enough to inspire throwing things at the television and that's just the kind of reaction Nigel was hoping for. Another prediction is that they will announce a "surprise" 13th girl to the competition as well and Lauren Gray will definitely be in the running and probably the chosen one.
What do you think? Who do you think will return? Who do you WANT to return?
