Semi-Final Week 3

Get your towels ready, kiddies.  It's about to go down.

Every semi-final week it seems like there is a clear guy and girl that the  Idol producers have destined to send through and this week it was definitely Scott and Lil.  Lil killed it, she is really, really talented and knows exactly who she is as an artist.  The only one last night to pick the perfect song, no matter what Simon says.  I don't care for Scott but he did a good thing by picking that song and he didn't butcher it too bad.  Like I said, he's destined to sail through, though.  Also, though I know it's horrible to say, I am hoping that his style makeover includes a pair of sunglasses because I get a little creeped out watching him.  Seems like a sweet guy but his voice doesn't cut it for me.  He needs some polishing.

As for the third this week, that one is a lot harder to peg because I think there are several contenders.  First is Jorge.  Although I think that song needs to be officially retired from  Idol, he did a good job with it and has a great personality.  Both always count on Idol.  Always.  I don't know how much of the Idol audience is latino, but if it's any sizeable chunk, he will get that third spot easily.

But there are a couple others that could sneak in there.  Kendle was the first country-esque performer this season to not terribly misstep and, as we have seen before (especially last year with Kristi Lee Cook), that voting demographic is fiercely protective of its own.  Now that  Nashville Star is no longer around to distract them, they may be back to annoy Simon (who hates country music) in full force.

Another possibility, and I hate to say it, is this week's  votefortheworst.com bait Nathaniel. Like Tatiana Del Toro and Nick Mitchell before him, he didn't do a terrible job.  The boy can sing.  That aside, neither of his predecessors did enough to outshine the rest of the actual talent on their respective nights, but their respective nights had more memorable performances than last night did.  Nathaniel has more of an actual shot, I think, than Tatiana or Nick did for that reason.  The rest of the night was so mind-numbingly bland that his sparkly headbands and interesting yet not wholly surprising choice of Meat Loaf are bound to stand out.

Personally, if I could will the results my way, I would send through Lil, Jorge and Ju'not.  All three have something that is both marketable in a contemporary pop market and something that is different from the six who have already been put through.  You know I do not believe in affirmative action picks, there is no place for them after Hollywood, but these three would bring a diversity of musical genres to the table that are not being covered already.  That is the kind of diversity I like in my Top 12.

Think about what we have already:

Alexis: The big-voiced, soulful little white girl.  (Eg. Kelly Clarkson, Katherine McPhee)
Michael: The hometown-looking, decent-but-not-great singer that will make it farther than he should because he's such a nice guy (Eg. Josh Gracin, Phil Stacey)
Danny: The big-voiced white guy who can cover the classics in a way that pays homage but is still fresh and modern. (Eg. Taylor Hicks, Chris Sligh) [Note: this is why Scott is not necessary, this is the spot he would otherwise have filled and Danny will do it better]
Kris: The token pop singer. Hott. Decent, but unremarkable. (Eg. Ace Young, Chris Richardson)
Allison: The cooler than you rocker girl you would love to got out drinking with some night. (Eg. Gina Glocksen, Carly Smithsen)
Adam: Well... there's never been a artist like Adam before on Idol but that's why he must be there in the Top 12.  He's like this weird hybrid of David Cook and Clay Aiken (with a hint of Constantine Maroulis thrown in) that will be fascinating to watch.  I can't wait.

Now think about what I would add (and we'll throw my fantasy wild-card picks in here, too):

Lil: The super-talented, big-voiced black girl with a motivational story. (Eg. LaToya London, Vonzelle Solomon, LaKisha Jones)
Jorge: The latin heartthrob. (who unfortunately is not hot) (Eg. A.J. Gil, David Hernandez)
Ju'not: The velvet-voiced R&B singer. (Eg. Nikko Smith, Chikezie)

Matt Giraud: Semi Week 2: Viva La Vida - The soulful blues man. (Eg. Elliot Yamin, Michael Johns)
Megan Joy Corkrey: Semi Week 2: Girl Put Your Records On - The Starbucks special. (Eg. Paris Bennett, Jason Castro)
Kendle Beard: Semi Week 3: This One's for the Girls - The token country blond. (Eg. Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler)

I know it will never happen, (if, for no other reason than there are 7 guys and 5 girls) but this is the top 12 I would really like to see go through. They would bring a diversity of taste and talent to the top 12 that might, finally, make season 8 worth wasting three hours of your life a week to watch.

After we see who gets in tonight, I'll put some actual thought into realistic wild-card picks but until then, this is what I'm going with.