At the start of the American Idol season, I was interviewed by USA Today about the ratings for Season 6, why the talent wasn't as good as in Season 5 and what needs to happen for Season 7.

I said and preached and proclaimed and cried from the mountaintop that it was imperative for this crop of singers to either be significantly better vocally or at least significantly more interesting.

We fans have definitely scored on the latter.

And we might have a score on the former.

Season 7's Top 12 will likely be the most interesting group of 12 the show has ever produced. A casting director could not possibly have dreamed up a better group.

The problem is: We don't know who's in that Top 12 just yet. For my proclamation to become reality, though, a handful of Idols must be in this final dozen.

1. David Archuleta. This is a no-brainer, and there are no worries. He's in. He's the kid. The prodigy. The aww-shucks guy. The overwhelming favorite to win. He licks his lips strangely. He closes his eyes, and Michael Jackson weeps.

2. Brooke White. Again, this is a no-brainer. Brooke has gotten better artistically each week, this time singing an acoustic version of Pat Benatar's "Love Is A Battlefield." She's the folkie. She's a musician. She's a serious sleeper. She looks like she's 40.

3. David Cook. I wasn't sold until Tuesday night, but his emo version of Lionel Richie's "Hello" was by a mile the rockin-est thing on the show this season. It was like Radiohead made an appearance. He's not Daughtry. He's more like the love child of Ryan Adams and FallOut Boy. He's from Oklahoma.

4. Carly Smithson. She's good but I'm not hearing the greatness. Nevertheless, the Irish girl is interesting. If Melinda Doolittle and her weird smile could blow 'em away in 2007, then Smithson and hers could do the same this year. She's the female favorite. She's the second chance. She's a shoo-in for the Final 5. But she's probably your shocker at No. 4.

5. Danny Noriega. Call me crazy, but I think this kid might be the most fascinating contestant the show has ever had. More fascinating than Sanjaya and 30 times the voice. He has a great voice potentially, but he's got no control or vocal discipline. On the other hand, he's swishy, confident and underage. It's highly creepy, but should he get into the Top 12, I think a path toward stardom is in the cards for this kid whether he wins or not. And, he won't win. And, he's TMTH. And, he simply must be in the Top 12. Ish.

6. Jason Castro. Personally, I'm not a fan of this guy musically. However, there is something appealing about this kid. Given that he plays the guitar, wears dreads and sings Jeff Buckley, there's a place at the industry table for the Texas native. Let's put it this way: His upside is much bigger than most of the other singers. Whether we ever see that upside is a whole other conversation. He's like Anwar but more commercial. He's like Anwar but not as talented vocally. He's like Anwar in that he won't win. But he needs to be in the Top 12.

7. David Hernandez. A colleague and I discussed this today. Relative to music we listen to, this cat might be the most up our collective alley. The Arizona native is soulful, centered in pop and at times theatric. He's the "controversial" gay club stripper. But he's an underrated voice so far this season. I think both he and Noriega should channel Sam Harris, if they can. And he should be in the Top 12.

8. Ramiele Malubay. I've referred to her as "The Muppet" for a few weeks now, but she's growing on me aesthetically. Unfortunately for her, I loathed Jasmine Trias from Season 3. Fortunately for her, she has more of a soulful voice. She's got a big voice. She's a small girl, teeny-tiny in fact. She would look quite natural beside David Archuleta in the finale. It's not a prediction; I'm just saying. They're small'ns.

Not one of the rest of the bunch does a thing for me. And this show has not been about music, for me, for a long, long time. If it were, I would have already declared Archuleta as the de facto winner and quit watching last week.

However, this is supposed to be an entertainment show. To that end, it's the water-cooler show of a generation. American Idol in one week this season, not even a big week, drew more than 90 percent of the viewership of the Academy Awards.

People don't watch this each week because of music; I promise you. You're beyond crazy if you even remotely think that. The critics don't get this show because it has less to do with music than bowling does with bowling. (Bowling is about beer.)

People watch this show because their peers watch it. And they talk about it at work. And they talk about it at lunch. And it's talked about on the news. And on Web sites. And on the radio. It transcends television into this thing that's parallel to events like the Oscars. Like March Madness. Like the Super Bowl.

So, at this stage, I'm not rooting for the best singers. I'm pulling for the best possible cast and that eventually, down the road, the best singer possible emerges from the pack.

And in the interest of casting, those eight simply must be in the Top 12.