Let's break it down;
First off was Ashleigh, she's the teenager from Tamworth and tonight sang "Miss Independent".
You might remember her (or someone just like her) in season 1 as Lauren Buckley, season 5 as Lana Krost, or more famously in season 3, as winner, Kate DeAraugo.
Next we had brickie's labourer Scott singing "Come Together" - You might remember this unassuming country lad from season 1 when he was known as Shannon Noll and was equally wide-eyed and unassuming at the wonders of instant celebrity (and in need of a makeover).
Then there was Casey with "On my Mind". Casey is a generic - he's an everyman of sorts but with a slight disability to enable the crowd to tell him apart from the other generics (see Toby and Tim below).
Hayley is the 'rock chick' of the bunch - she sang "See the Light". Australian Idol has a strong history of rock gals. Season 1 = Kelly Cavuoto, season 2 = Emelia Rusciano, season 3 = Milly Edwards, season 4 = Klancie Keough (please also see country-gal Kate below) and season 6 = Amanda Grafanakis.
Young country-boy-at-heart James was next with "How to Save a Life". He has a bit of Milsy about him, a bit of Shannon, a bit of Ben McKenzie, a bit of Tom Williams (from season 6) ... and a few others that I can't remember the names of.
Next we have Sabrina, the migrant/ethnic element, you might remember her most famously as Cosima De Vito and to a lesser extent Natalie Gauci. Her performance tonight of Michael Jackson's "What About Us" was stellar - she certainly has a set of pipes on her and was the highlight of the night.
Nathan is another young lad with an emo fringe. He has a touch of Matt Corby about him without the killer baby-blues. He did a good job of "Stop and Stare" tonight and he's got a bit of that Thanh Bui (from last year) lovable-camp about him.
Next we have 'thank-the-lord-Jesus-for-everything' Stan. He's the kiwi/islander element - seen in past seasons as Joseph Gatehau (season 4) and Levi Keremea (season 1).
Teacher Toby could easily be mistaken for the aforementioned Casey. Again, he's an everyman - just your average Aussie bloke. He ruined Radiohead's "Creep" tonight by overpronouncing every word of it and turning it into a rock-opera. Some songs should NOT be given the karaoke treatment under ANY circumstance.
Next was Kim with "Best of You". She likes sitting down when she sings so you can tell her apart from the other girl with peroxide blonde emo hair (see aforementioned Hayley). Last year she was played by both Sophie Patterson (with a British accent) AND Amanda Grafanakis.
Then there was Tim. I have to say right now he's my favourite. I couldn't care less if he could actually sing of course. He sang Beyonce's "Halo" following the apparent trend of pretending to 'give it your own feel' by singing a song originally done by someone of the opposite sex. For the record, it's still karaoke. He did mention Jesus which certainly doesn't endear him to me - but he did it in a half-assed way that makes me think he's sheepishly gunning for the Guy Sebastian vote and isn't really a God-botherer at all.
Finally we have Kate, the country-hick element that is in every season in various guises. This year it takes the form of a burly lesbian who doesn't take off her cowboy hat ... ever. The last girl to don a cowboy hat was Klancie Keough (season 4) and it certainly didn't do her any favours. Kate "really loves astraya" (Australia) and tonight performed "Stuck in the Middle".
SO - They can all actually sing this year which makes watching the show like seeing a highlights reel of the previous 6 seasons. It's that same old cheesy Idol that we remember - completely fabricated for your enjoyment (there is NO way that the Australian public voted Kate in to the top 12 - I'm sorry, but she gets no reaction from the crowd and is hardly a character that 13 year old girls would go crazy about). Because that's what they are really - characters in a narrative constructed for your enjoyment.
Speaking of characters, there are a few missing this year; the cute ethnic boy (Mark Spano, Anthony Callea), the diva kiwi/islander girl (Paulini Curuenavuli, Emily Williams, Madam Parker) and the 'quirky kid' (Chanel Cole, Bobby Flynn, Lisa Mitchell).
Either way, as Marieke Hardy so accurately pointed out in The Age last week - it's just not the same without James Matheison.
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