If you ever doubted that "American Idol" is a soap opera disguised as a talent contest, it will be obvious this year. Even without overwrought Tatiana Del Toro making the cut, season eight's 13 finalists promise plenty of drama and emotion. There is an abundance of story lines with a widower, two single moms, a married mother of three, a blind man and a Puerto Rican college student who bursts into Spanish whenever he gets emotional. Here is a look at the "Idol" finalists, with our early predictions of how they might finish. 1. ADAM LAMBERT
26, theater actor from Los Angeles
Our take: Poised and theatrical, he has a boffo voice and more personality than most musical-theater performers (sans script). If he doesn't go over the top, he is a good bet to be the next American Idol.
2. DANNY GOKEY
28, church music director from Milwaukee
Our take: He sings with his heart and soul. He'll be a sentimental favorite because his wife died four weeks before his audition last year. Voters will remember the dude with the cool eyeglasses.
3. JORGE NUÑEZ
20, college senior from Carolina, Puerto Rico
Our take: He has a gorgeous voice and good instincts on how to make a song his own. He could be a dark horse.
4. LIL ROUNDS
23, customer-service rep from Memphis
Our take: She has the voice of a champion, but does she have the musical savoir faire to stamp her personality on famous tunes?
5. ALLISON IRAHETA
16, high school student from Los Angeles
Our take: She has a strikingly big and potent voice, but will her youth and naivete -- she chose Heart's "Alone," which Carrie Underwood did on "Idol" four years ago -- hurt her or help her?
6. ALEXIS GRACE
21, musician from Memphis
Our take: With her Memphis roots, she's able to pull off the vintage soul/Aretha bit with panache. Now what else can she do?
7. SCOTT MACINTYRE
23, singer/songwriter/pianist from Scottsdale, Ariz.
Our take: If and when he can accompany himself on piano, this blind man will win the hearts of America with his warm and soulful ways.
8. MATT GIRAUD
23, a dueling piano player from Kalamazoo, Mich.
Our take: His strength is interpreting tunes the way Ray Charles -- or Taylor Hicks -- might have. But how much range does this hammy piano man have?
9. ANOOP DESAI
21, graduate student from Chapel Hill, N.C.
Our take: Does he have the vocal chops? Charisma and personality will carry him only so far.
