SEASON 5 IDOLS : WHO ARE THE GOOD AND BAD INFLUENCES ?
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/commentary/0,6115,1186982_3_0_,00.html
KELLIE PICKLER
ROLE MODEL Dolly Parton
BAD INFLUENCE Jessica Simpson
PROFESSIONAL PLAYBOOK With her pleasingly twangy vocals, eye-catching fashion sense, and impeccable comic timing (''When all else fails, you better have great shoes, right?''), it's not hard to envision Kellie emulating Parton's success on the country-pop charts or on the big screen. What Kellie can't afford to forget, though, is that Parton's multi-decade career — not to mention her Dollywood theme park — weren't built solely on the basis of a larger-than-life persona. Indeed, Parton's always delivered the genuine musical goods, whereas fellow cartoonish blonde Simpson remains best-known for her tabloid exploits. Oh, and while we're on the subject of avoiding Simpson's missteps, is it too much to ask that Kellie's grandpa never be subjected to the sight of his pride and joy lathering up a convertible in a pair of Daisy Dukes?
PARIS BENNETT
ROLE MODEL Billie Holiday (artistically speaking, of course — we're not suggesting Paris pick up a heroin habit)
BAD INFLUENCE Beyoncé
PROFESSIONAL PLAYBOOK Heaven help us for turning to Paula Abdul for sage advice, but as Idol's loopiest judge pointed out during Rod Stewart week, Paris could cut an album of standards tomorrow and find herself on top of the charts. Indeed, when she channels old-school chestnuts like ''Take Five'' and ''These Foolish Things,'' Paris gives us the tinglies like no other season 5 singer, her jazzy phrasing and pitch-perfect vocals a thrilling throwback to another time and place. Conversely, though, when Paris aims for urban sexiness (like that hyperactive version of Beyoncé's ''Work It Out''), the results are downright creepy — kind of like watching a Kewpie doll perform a drag show as Jessica Rabbit.
CHRIS DAUGHTRY
ROLE MODEL Bono
BAD INFLUENCE Scott Stapp
PROFESSIONAL PLAYBOOK We've seen Chris' million-dollar smile during interviews and in footage with his adoring wife and kids, so how come he never seems to flash it during performances? As Bono and his U2 bandmates have proven for decades now, you can be earnest as heck without sacrificing a sense of fun — it's rock & roll, after all. Likewise, the Irish superstar never lets his hard-rockin' sensibility devolve into tuneless howling — an erreur fatale that resulted in Chris' worst performance of the season: a cover of ''What If,'' by Scott Stapp's old band, Creed. Not only that, but Stapp's unsavory off-stage antics (a sex tape with Kid Rock, an arrest for public drunkenness) don't exactly measure up against Bono's global humanitarian efforts. Just sayin'.
ELLIOTT YAMIN
ROLE MODEL John Legend
BAD INFLUENCE Justin Timberlake
PROFESSIONAL PLAYBOOK No doubt about it, Elliott's a convincing blue-eyed soulster — as long as he never tries to imitate a certain former boy-bander's hip-hop intonations and hip-grinding choreography. (Note to self: We don't need to see that!) Instead, Elliott should look to inspiration from Legend, a rising neo-soul star who doesn't get carried away with the vibrato — and who serves as proof positive that when you've got great songs brought to life by a powerful instrument, no gimmicks are necessary.
KATHARINE McPHEE
ROLE MODEL Christina Aguilera
BAD INFLUENCE Kelly Clarkson
PROFESSIONAL PLAYBOOK With her well-trained voice and cover-girl looks, Katharine is probably the Idol contestant who's most likely to go platinum — as long as she doesn't try to follow in the footsteps of season 1 champ Clarkson. Maybe that's because the polished, power-ballad Kat who scored big with ''Someone to Watch Over Me'' and ''Since I Fell For You'' was a lot more convincing than the rocker-grlll version who emerged on ''Bringing Out the Elvis'' during country week. And anyhow, with Whitney on the sidelines and Mariah working more of an R&B vibe, somebody's got to keep Xtina on her toes (although perhaps not in the ''Dirrty'' leather chaps department).
TAYLOR HICKS
ROLE MODEL Bonnie Raitt
BAD INFLUENCE Ray Charles
PROFESSIONAL PLAYBOOK Taylor's brand of southern-fried music has been a refreshing change of pace for Idol's fifth season. But make no mistake: There is only one Ray Charles, and no amount of swaying, humming, or self-hugging will turn the gray-haired dude into Ray 2.0. Thankfully, though, in recent weeks, Taylor seems to have backed away from his not-quite-flattering imitation of the blind soul legend, gravitating toward a style that's all his own (loved the dancing on ''Crazy Little Thing Called Love,'' by the way). In fact, if Mr. Hicks needs an artist to look up to, might we suggest Raitt, who's topped the charts, racked up Grammys, and won the admiration of her fellow artists without ever compromising her swampy blues-rock sound.