This is my second season of going through Hollywood Week (and first for Group Round... drama!!!). This Season has been harder to get a sense of who the best competitors are, and it has to be considered what little we’ve been shown compared to all the dramatics. Last season’s freak-out was Dan-jaya. This season it’s a triple-freak out with Nathaniel, Nick/Norman, and of course, Tatiana. They were purposely included for the drama factor.
For that, I’m hesistant to name my picks for Top 12. I will say that Danny and Lil Rounds seem assured for Top 12. My two favorites are, for the men, Danny, and for the women, Jasmine. With this new format of eliminating nine of twelve in the three groups, it’s a huuuuuuge benefit for the ones who have had exposure and near impossible for those with little exposure (they have no chance now to build an audience base over the weeks as before). I really really don’t like this change.
Here is the list of 36 semifinalists on American Idol Season 8 (updated for the Joanna Pacitti disqualification)...
Name: Adam Lambert
Age: 26
Hometown: Los Angeles
Audition City: San Francisco
(CCC’s take on) Top 12 prospects: Fair (exposure)
———
Name: Alex Wagner-Trugman
Age: 19
Hometown: Los Angeles
Audition City: Phoenix
Top 12 prospects: Unlikely (lack of exposure)
———
Name: Alexis Grace
Age: 20
Hometown: Memphis, Tenn.
Audition City: Louisville, Ky.
Top 12 prospects: Questionable (lack of exposure)
*Group 1
———
Name: Allison Iraheta
Age: 16
Hometown: Los Angeles
Audition City: San Francisco
Top 12 prospects: Unlikely (lack of exposure; other 16 yr olds with more exposure)
———
Name: Anne Marie Boskovich
Age: 22
Hometown: Nashville, Tenn.
Audition City: Jacksonville, Fla.
Top 12 prospects: Unlikely (lack of exposure)
*Group 1
———
Name: Anoop Desai
Age: 21
Hometown: Chapel Hill, N.C.
Audition City: Kansas City, Mo.
Top 12 prospects: Fair (exposure)
*Group 1
———
Name: Arianna Afsar
Age: 16
Hometown: San Diego
Audition City: Phoenix
Top 12 prospects: Fair (exposure; young and cute)
———
Name: Brent Keith
Age: 28
Hometown: Blanchester, Ohio
Audition City: Louisville, Ky.
Top 12 prospects: Unlikely (lack of exposure)
*Group 1
———
Name: Casey Carlson
Age: 20
Hometown: Minneapolis
Audition City: Kansas City, Mo.
Top 12 prospects: Fair (exposure; cute)
*Group 1
———
Name: Danny Gokey
Age: 28
Hometown: Milwaukee
Audition City: Kansas City, Mo.
Top 12 prospects: Excellent (great exposure and talent)
*Group 1
———
Name: Felicia Barton
Age: 26.
Hometown: Virginia Beach, Va.
Audition City: Louisville, Ky.
NOTE: replaces Joanna Pacitti (age 23: audition city: Louisville, Ky.)
Top 12 prospects: Unlikely (lack of exposure, last-minute entry)
———
Name: Jackie Tohn
Age: 27
Hometown: Los Angeles
Audition City: New York
Top 12 prospects: Unlikely (lack of exposure)
*Group 1
———
Name: Jasmine Murray
Age: 16
Hometown: Starkville, Miss.
Audition City: Jacksonville, Fla.
Top 12 prospects: Fair (some exposure; cute, young and talented)
———
Name: Jeanine Vailes
Age: 27
Hometown: Sherman Oaks, Calif.
Audition City: San Francisco
Top 12 prospects: Unlikely (lack of exposure)
———
Name: Jesse Langseth
Age: 25
Hometown: Minneapolis
Audition City: Kansas City, Mo.
Top 12 prospects: Unlikely (lack of exposure, limited range)
———
Name: Jorge Nunez-Mendez
Age: 20
Hometown: Carolina, Puerto Rico
Audition City: San Juan, Puerto Rico
Top 12 prospects: Questionable (modest exposure; may benefit from ethnicity)
———
Name: Ju’Not Joyner
Age: 26
Hometown: Bowie, Md.
Audition City: New York
Top 12 prospects: Unlikely (lack of exposure)
———
Name: Kai Kalama
Age: 26
Hometown: San Clemente, Calif.
Audition City: San Francisco
Top 12 prospects: Questionable (lack of exposure)
———
Name: Kendall Beard
Age: 23
Hometown: Austin, Texas
Audition City: San Juan, Puerto Rico
Top 12 prospects: Unlikely (lack of exposure)
———
Name: Kris Allen
Age: 23
Hometown: Conway, Ark.
Audition City: Louisville, Ky.
Top 12 prospects: Unlikely (lack of exposure)
———
Name: Kristen McNamara
Age: 22
Hometown: Napa, Calif.
Audition City: Louisville, Ky.
Top 12 prospects: Fair (exposure; sympathy factor)
———
Name: Lil Rounds
Age: 23
Hometown: Memphis, Tenn.
Audition City: Kansas City, Mo.
Top 12 prospects: Excellent (exposure; judges favorite)
———
Name: Matt Breitzke
Age: 27
Hometown: Bixby, Okla.
Audition City: Kansas City, Mo.
Top 12 prospects: Fair (exposure)
———
Name: Matt Giraud
Age: 23
Hometown: Kalamazoo, Mich.
Audition City: Louisville, Ky.
Top 12 prospects: Unlikely (lack of exposure)
———
Name: Megan Corkrey
Age: 22
Hometown: Sandy, Utah
Audition City: Salt Lake City
Top 12 prospects: Unlikely (lack of exposure)
———
Name: Michael Sarver
Age: 27
Hometown: Jasper, Texas
Audition City: Phoenix
Top 12 prospects: Fair (exposure)
*Group 1
———
Name: Mishavonna Henson
Age: 18
Hometown: Irvine, Calif.
Audition City: Phoenix
Top 12 prospects: Fair (modest exposure)
———
Name: Nathaniel Marshall
Age: 18
Hometown: Malone, N.Y.
Audition City: New York
Top 12 prospects: Fair (exposure; will the drama queen attitude help?)
———
Name: Nick Mitchell (a.k.a., Norman Gentle)
Age: 27
Hometown: Brookfield, Conn.
Audition City: New York
Top 12 prospects: Questionable (much exposure, but too clownish? And won’t get Simon’s vote)
———
Name: Ricky Braddy
Age: 25
Hometown: Nashville, Tenn.
Audition City: Louisville, Ky.
Top 12 prospects: Unlikely (lack of exposure)
*Group 1
———
Name: Scott MacIntyre
Age: 23
Hometown: Scottsdale, Ariz.
Audition City: Phoenix
Top 12 prospects: Fair (exposure; sympathy factor)
———
Name: Stephen Fowler
Age: 26
Hometown: Beachwood, Ohio
Audition City: New York
Top 12 prospects: Questionable (messed up last performance)
*Group 1
———
Name: Stevie Wright
Age: 16
Hometown: Phelan, Calif.
Audition City: Phoenix
Top 12 prospects: Fair (exposure; young)
*Group 1
———
Name: Tatiana Del Toro
Age: 23
Hometown: Los Angeles
Audition City: San Francisco
Top 12 prospects: Questionable (huge wildcard; vote for the worst?)
*Group 1
———
Name: Taylor Vaifanua
Age: 16
Hometown: Hurricane, Utah
Audition City: Salt Lake City, Utah
Top 12 prospects: Unlikely (lack of exposure)
———
Name: Von Smith
Age: 22
Hometown: Kansas City, Mo.
Audition City: Kansas City, Mo.
Top 12 prospects: Questionable (odd style)
Group 1:
Top Male: Danny
Top Female: Casey
Number 3: Michael
Wildcard: Stevie (or Tatiana just to irritate us)
Anoop might miss out having to face Danny and Michael.
Don’t know the Group 2 & 3 breakdowns yet.