GOT BUTTERMILK? 

So...one day I'm baking a cake.  I'm no chef.  Don't be fooled.  But, it's a new recipe, but it's a good one - a great one, actually.  I've creamed my butter and sugar, added the eggs and vanilla flavoring.  And now, according to the recipe,  it's nearly time to start alternately adding the flour mixture and buttermilk.  Buttermilk?  Huh?  I don't have buttermilk! 

Now, good little bakers would have measured out everything and made sure that they had all of the ingredients before they started.  But...I told you I'm no chef, not even remotely so.  I panic and call my mother.  She's the next best thing to Betty Crocker, you know.

"Mom, I don't have buttermilk!"

"So?  Neither do I.  Drink whole milk.  It's better for you anyway." 

"Mom, I need buttermilk!"  Keep in mind, I've got this cake mixing all the while.

"Go to the store and buy some buttermilk, then.  It's right down the road!"

"Mom, it's 11 o'clock at night.  Stores are closed." 

"If it's 11 o'clock at night, then I should be sound asleep!  What are you thinking, calling me at this crazy hour?!"

"Mother, I'm baking a cake.  I need buttermilk.  I-"

"You should always measure you ingredients before-"

"Mom!" 

"Fine!  Mix a teaspoon of vinegar with a cup of milk and let it stand for five minutes.  It's in the back of the cookbook I gave you!"

Duh!  I slammed down the phone, concocted my quick fix and threw the cake in the oven.  Needless to say, an hour later, I produced something...pretty delectable.  And...no one had to know that I combined some supposedly plain-Jane, unlikely ingredients to get the final, palatable result. 

Somehow, I get the same feeling as we look at this masterpiece called the American Idol Season 7 Top 24 Contestants.  The outcome was a pretty decent piece of work.

Yes, I do declare that this looks like one of the most diversely talented group of singers and musicians since Season 5.  Yes, I will admit that I've been serenaded by the likes of Michael Lee Johns, David Cook, Amanda Overmyer, David Archuleta, and Asia'H Epperson.  Yes, I concur that while I resist the bitter taste of too many helpings of Carly Smithson that I'm being force-fed, I admit that she sounds enough like Celine Dion that I actually (grudgingly) admire her.

However, I felt a teeny bit slighted when I saw familiar face after familiar face receive the great news from the judges that they had made it to the 12/12.  Some were my favorites, and some were not, but so goes the show.  Then, BAM!  Here they come.  Garret Haley.  Who?  Jason Yeager.  Who?  Jason Castro.  Who?  Luke Menard.  Who?

What is it about these people that makes them so "unimportant" that they don't even deserve two minutes on our television screens?  I mean, c'mon, even Colton "Simon-wanted-Kyle-instead-of-you" Berry got two minutes.  Even David Hernandez (thank goodness!) got two minutes!

I'm well aware that a quick Google search (among other sources) will get me information on some of those guys if I needed it.  But, it's a singing competition.  Is it too much to ask to see them singing?  Sure, it's impossible to show every single contestant's audition.  Time only allows for so much.  But, these are four of the Top 24.  That means that out of tens of thousands of auditions, they are among the best.   Besides, I've heard some of these backstores so many times that I'm practically quoting them in my sleep!

They could actually be hidden ingredients that no one knows about that actually help to make this the best season ever.  They are underdogs.  Maybe they didn't have the backstories that make for great television.  Maybe they aren't the repeats who tried once before, failed, and came back for a second chance.  Maybe they aren't the child prodigy whom everyone holds in awe and is guaranteed to light up the phone lines every single night.  (I love David Archuleta, by the way.) 

No.  They come on vocal chops alone.  For that reason, I'm hoping that with the first notes out of their mouths, they totally rock the boat, create the biggest upset, make the best singers work harder, and make the greatest musicians strive to further perfect their craft. 

Come Tuesday night, I'm rootin' for ‘em, in the name of every Idol underdog who has ever walked that stage.  Hopefully, they'll help to make this season one we'll never forget!!