Who would you most like to see as a celebrity mentor on Season 7?

Nigel Lythgoe has admitted that there was too much celebrity on Season 6 of Idol, to the detriment of the actual Idol contestants themselves. I couldn't agree more. Look, you've already had your 15 minutes! The show is called American Idol, for Pete's sake....not "Let's Rake Another 15 Minutes for Ourselves" Idol! I will never forget (nor forgive) Mary J. Blige totally attempting to steal the stage from it's rightful owner Elliot Yamin during Season 5's finale....their joint rendition of U2's "One" could have been soooo much better without her hamming and upstaging him.....Hmmmph.

Anyhow, I was very glad to read that the show has already signed 2 celebrity guests. However, Nigel has promised not to go overboard with the mentors this year. While I do enjoy seeing the mentors and believe in the concept, I want to see the focus remain on the contestants themselves, continuing through the finale.


That being said, who would YOU most like to see as a celebrity mentor this season? MSNBC.com posed this question and out of 20 possible answers, the following celebrities garnered the most votes:


Dolly Parton (29% of votes). I'd have to agree here! With country music more popular than ever, and with former Idols Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler, and Bucky Covington making serious country yee haw in 2007, this makes awesome sense! Bring her on!

Chris Daughtry (9.7%). Yes, I think that would be weird to have a former contestant coaching Idol wannabees...but given how stone-faced he was during last year's show, maybe we might see some personality when the pressure is off? Also since he auditioned for Rock Star: INXS before Idol and was dropped, he does bring some serious music reality show experience to the table.


Gene Simmons (8.7%). I'm not sure what to make of this. I have one image in mind when I read his name, and it's not pretty. I mean, the man (the self-dubbed "alpha male" ) claims to have slept with over 4,800 women. I'm not sure primetime TV is ready for Gene! Course, his AARP membership might help widen Idol's demographics....


Micheal Jackson (6.1%). A great way for MJ to jumpstart his inevitable (IMO) comeback. Put him in front of millions of 18-32 year olds who either don't know who he is, or have forgotten him or written him off. His influence on pop music and dance cannot be ignored. I think he would be a surprising, gracious and influential celebrity mentor.


Robert Plant (5.4%). Ummmmm......this didn't occur to me, but what a great suggestion... according to Wikipedia, [Plant] is "often credited for his wide range of musical taste and his ability to perform an eclectic range of songs in a refined manner". A-Hem! Just what Idol needs :) (Note to Gene: see the word 'refined' reference here?)

So, who would YOU choose this season?