I ran across the top 24 American Idol list this morning and was immediately disturbed. Was it the breadth of talent. No. My hometown girl Denise "The Crack Baby" Jackson didn't make it. Not really, she was a bit weak for a church singer. Was it the fact that all of the guys are either fugalicious or gay? A little.

After all of that, the overwhelming disappointment was seeing some 29-year-olds on the list. I thought the cutoff was 28, making me too old for Idol. Now I'm kicking myself a bit for not schlepping up to the great north and trying out in Minneapolis. Would I win? Not likely. But I think I would have made it to Hollywood week and lasted long enough to smack the fake tan off of one of the bitchiest sets of finalists I've ever seen. Antonella and Gina, I'm talking to you. And all the colorful hair styles and formal shorts in the world will not help you, so you best bring your A-game.

OK, down to the good stuff, trying to pick a pony during Hollywood week is a bit difficult since the production doesn't make it easy. But I do have a few favorites based on the people who received camera time with their names attached. I did miss last night for Singles Awareness Day, but I'll give my full pony-picking report when everyone sings a song with the dreaded accompaniment next week.

I like Sligh, but I think he's too ugly to win. The guys I like and think are cute enough to win are: Sanjaya, Blake Lewis, and, if memory serves, Mr. Cotter. The ladies I was not revolted by include Lakisha and Leslie. I will make and revise my pony pick after the first round of solos.

So why should you care what I think? I've picked 3 of the Idols - Ruben, Fantasia and Taylor (from the very first day). I also have a strong vocal music background, have performed in a number of groups for the past 15 years and reviewed music for a variety of Web and print publications over the past decade.

Full list:

Guys	Girls
Chris Sligh, 28, Greenville, SC	Alaina Alexander, 24, West Hollywood, CA
Sanjaya Malakar, 17, Federal Way, WA	Melinda Doolittle, 29, Brentwood, TN
Brandon Rogers, 29, Los Angeles, CA	Gina Glocksen, 22, Naperville, IL
Phil Stacey, 29, Jacksonville, FL	Haley Scarnato, 24, San Antonio, TX
Blake Lewis, 25, Bothell, WA	Jordin Sparks, 17, Glendale, AZ
Rudy Cardenas, 28, Los Angeles, CA	Stephanie Edwards, 19, Savannah, GA
Paul Kim, 25, Saratoga, CA	Leslie Hunt, 24, Chicago, IL
A.J. Tabaldo, 22, Santa Maria, CA	Sabrina Sloan, 27, Los Angeles, CA
Nicholas Pedro, 25, Taunton, MA	Lakisha Jones, 27, Flint, MI
Chris Richardson, 22, Chesapeake, VA	Nicole Tranquillo, 20, Philadelphia, PA
Jared Cotter, 25, West Orange, NJ	Amy Krebs, 22, Federal Way, WA
Sundance Head, 28, Porter, TX	Antonella Barba, 20, Point Pleasant, NJ

Until next time, keep their heads ringing.