Regular Juice readers realize that I've been known to take shots at American Idol from time to time. I've been silent on the show this year, as this is the first season of AI that I've actually felt compelled to consistently watch past the Gong Show episodes that begin each year. This year has had the best depth and diversity, with five or six singers possessing real talent.

From the beginning of this season, Chris Daughtry has been the star of the show. He has one of the best rock singer voices I have ever heard, despite his often bad choices in musical selection. It seemed like a Bush Administration (my new way of saying no-brainer) that he would be in the finals, but last night Daughtry was dumped. I bet even Last Comic Standing winner Dat Phan was shocked. I can just imagine the "hilarious" routine Phan has written about the decision, with his mom saying, "What you mean, Chris Daughtry lose to that girl?"

Watching Daughtry and Katherine McPhee's faces after the announcement reminded me of Roy Jones Jr. being screwed in the 1988 Olympic boxing finals. I was waiting for the shocked McPhee to lift Daughtry's arm up in celebration of the true champion, like the South Korean fighter did for Jones.

McPhee is a gorgeous young woman who the camera loves, but she is at best a broadway musical type singer, not a pop star. Seventeen-year-old Paris Bennett was the best female vocalist on the show this season. Bennett reminds me of an NBA draft choice who might have come out one year too early, as she could have used more maturity. I wouldn't be surprised, though, if she ends up having the longest career of this year's contestants.

Outside of McPhee, the other two singers left are Taylor Hicks and Elliott Yamin. Hicks has a good personality and does a fair Michael McDonald impersonation, but his career will follow Clay Aiken's, performing for 50-year-old women at State Fairs. Not a bad thing, overall, but not what American Idol is seeking in its champion.

Lost in the Daughtry controversy has been that Yamin has gotten better and better each week to the point where I think he's had the best performances the past three weeks. While I don't think he has the kind of fanbase to win the competition, he has been the most versatile singer on the show. His vocal style has a Donnie-Hathaway-meets-the-Rat-Pack sensibility, which, properly marketed, could make him the Jaime Cullum of the U.S. If Yamin wins or not, it's his CD I would buy first from the 2006 American Idol show.

A final note on Daughtry. By losing a fight he so obviously should have won, Roy Jones, Jr. came out of the 1988 Olympics a bigger star than if he had won Gold. I would think that being crowned American Idol champion would have been a negative in regards to obtaining street cred in the rock world, so this is blessing. Being mentioned in the same breath as Fantasia or Carrie Underwood is not exactly going to create instant comraderie backstage at Ozzfest.

I will be interested to hear Daughtry's first album, as he's someone who could go either way. His instincts seem to go more towards the Nickelback world, which might sell records, but is music for the messes. When he explores his Ed Kowalczyk side (Live's lead singer), Daughtry has more substance. It will be vital for him to pick the right producer (See: Rick Rubin) who can help him stay away from AOR-balladeer that many will push him towards. Sure he's got a great voice, but so do singers in bands like Train, Goo Goo Dolls, and Tonic. It's the songwriting for him that will make the difference between rock stardom and opening for Poison at the Burlington Steamboat Days in 2010.