‘Idols’ can be divided into pets, cannon fodder

Two of Lewis’ partners also made it through to the semis, and the afterglow of that one performance is probably enough to tag Rudy Cardenas as a pet as well.

As for Chris Sligh, “Idol” couldn’t love him more if he brought home straight As and then mowed the lawn. He came on strong in his audition, winning the judges over with his confident, self-deprecating sense of humor. Happily, he could also sing, and if you didn’t know him by the time he made the semis, then you hadn’t been paying attention.

Gina Glocksen got much the same royal treatment. More, actually, if you consider the exposure she got during her ultimately unsuccessful run last season. In a year when the show acknowledged the number of repeat auditioners, Glocksen was treated like their queen. Even in her tiff with vapid Shakira knockoff Perla Meneses, the show painted her as being in the right. And, considering who pulls the strings, her crush on Simon certainly couldn’t have hurt.

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Glocksen’s vindication after her previous rejection is one of the show’s favorite “Idol” arcs. Professional backup singers Melinda Doolittle and Brandon Rogers allows the judges to write another — the blossoming of a performer who doesn’t realize how good he or she really is — without actually risking them not being able to sing.

Philip Stacy, on the other hand, missed the birth of his baby girl to audition for the show, priorities that Simon clearly endorses.

Then there are the pets who serve as potential correctives for failed contestants of the past. Lakisha Jones is Mandisa 2.0, all shouting passing for soulfulness, while frizzy-haired professional teen Jordin Sparks could spark rumors that Lisa Tucker is trying to sneak onto another season. And Sanjaya Malakar, who also benefits from a cute backstory (he auditioned with his older sister), covers this season’s teenaged boy requirement. After last season’s Will Makar, Kevin Covais and David Radford, one is plenty.

Just being a judges’ pet is no guarantee of making the finals, of course. Nor will all the cannon fodder be culled by then. (Covais, anyone?) Such is the risk of handing the reins over to the audience. Time will tell if the voters have their own ideas.

Marc Hirsh is a writer in Somerville, Mass.

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