Australian Idol: Rock on, or be gone
Australian Idol 
/ Vin Lowe / 18 September 2009 / Leave a comment Bet Now View Market
This years Australian Idol showcases its usual selection of unexpected stars - Toby Moulton a shy school teacher from Adelaide, bubbly Kim Cooper a shop assistant from Townsville, but the hands down favourite is the raw talent of showman Scott Newnham, a brick layer from Sydney, writes Jayme Jenkins.
Last week's elimination lined up Casey Barnes, Ashley Toole and Tim Johnston against each other, but Australia voted and schoolgirl Ashley Toole from Tamworth was sent home, leaving the remaining 11 idol hopefuls to launch into Rock night.
The stand out for the night was Stan Walker singing "Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica, but from listening to the judge's comments everyone is fantastic.
I am not sure where the fire has gone from the judges this year. Marcia continues to be overly nice, Dicko has trouble saying a bad word and even Jay Dee struggles with it. As much as everyone hates Simon Cowell, having the honest opinion of an industry expert certainly helps to make your weekly picks much easier.
But judging aside, the remaining idols are a mixed bag and at this early stage in the competition it really is anyone's game.
The early favourites are a line up of boys with Scott Newnham at the top followed closely by Stan Walker and Nathan Brake.
The girls are really taking their time to shine and with only four girls left in the competition they are all sitting evenly in the middle of the pack.
Pint sized Sabrina Batshon has the training, experience, and personality to take on any music style and if she can keep her mouth closed during the judge's comments, I think she could go far in the competition. Her rendition of 'Numb' by Linkin Park this week really demonstrated her ability to listen to feedback and work harder and the audience and judges agreed it was a great performance.
At the bottom end, this week's picks for elimination is also a line up of boys, Casey Barnes and Tim Johnston look likely to return to the elimination stage accompanied by Toby Moulton.
Stay tuned to see who lives another day and serenades us in the upcoming 'Top 10 Hits' night.
