American Idol Semis Week 2 – Who Stays? Who Goes Home?

I know!   It’s Wednesday, and we’re still waiting for this week’s first performance show!   Thanks to President Obama’s big speech last night, the entire Idol schedule got pushed back a day.   We’ve got the performance show tonight (Wed), and the results tomorrow night (Thurs)

Tonight, an entirely new crop of of contestants take the stage to vie for your votes.     Three more contestants will head straight to the Top 12 once the results are in tomorrow night.

Check out my analysis of each contestant’s chances to advance to the next round.

Make sure to click on the profile links–they lead to the individual write-ups I posted recently.   I’ve updated all of them, adding links to every American Idol performance, plus any pre-Idol music found on the ‘net…

This week just has to be better than last Tuesday’s suck-fest.   I’m counting on being entertained by Adam Lambert, Kris Allen, Matt Giraud, Megan Corkrey, Mishavonna Henson and, of course, Nick Mitchell

  • Adam LambertProfile –     Adam, who has appeared in various theater productions including Wicked in LA, had a fan base coming to Idol, and it’s been growing ever since.   His highly theatrical style, even in a tamped down version for middle America (check out the vids on his profile page!) will make him a polarizing contestant from the get go, I suspect.   The producers love that, so I predict they’ll advance him to the Top 12 as a wild card if he doesn’t win the popular vote this week.

More after the JUMP…

  • Allison IrahetaProfile –   Her audition, which I didn’t remember and had to rewatch, was just a few seconds and her segment during the chair episode didn’t offer much more of her singing.   She needs a knockout performance to rise above the pack.   She’s no stranger to TV singing competitions.   Click on her profile to watch her compete in a Telemundo talent show.   I’ll just say she has to sing better than that to make it through to the next round.
  • Jasmine MurrayProfile –   Jasmine has had tons of screen time with lots of love from the judges throughout the competition.   I predict she’ll be given a good performance slot, and if she doesn’t sing well, Simon will plead with the audience to give her a second chance, or some such pimping. She’s got a good shot at being highest female vote-getter this week.
  • Jeanine VailesProfile – Poor, poor Jeanine.   She’s the only one of the 36 we haven’t heard sing.   I don’t think she has a chance in hell to advance to the Top 12.
  • Jesse LangsethProfile – Jesse is the sister of blues guitar genius, Jonny Lang, but I don’t think it’s going to help her here.   Not only have we heard little of her singing, but the last impression we had was a dubious singoff with Frankie Jordan during the chair episode. She’s going to have to wow the viewing audience this week if she hopes to get through
  • Kai KalamaProfile -Kai’s initial audition was pretty good, and his sick-mother backstory pulled at the heart strings, but we’ve barely heard about mom since then.   And the most lasting memory of Kai at this point is butchering some lyrics in Hollywood.   With so many talented guys who’ve had way more positive screen time to compete against, Kai is going to have a hard time advancing to the Top 12.
  • Kris AllenProfile -Listen to Kris’s brief audition clip, it’s obvious the guy has singing talent. He was also part of the popular “White Chocolate” singing group during Hollywood. If he nails his song this week, he could possibly advance as a dark horse.
  • Matt Breitzke Profile –   I think the working-class soulful white guy dude spot has already been taken by Michael Sarver.   And I don’t think Matt has the chops or the charisma to rise above the pack.
  • Matt GiraudProfile –   Matt has been steadily gaining a fan base since his initial audition in Louisville.   He sealed the deal with his soulful interpretation of “Georgia” in Hollywood.   I would not be surprised if Matt headed straight to the Top 12 this week.
  • Megan Joy CorkreyProfile – The judges adored Megan’s unusual, quirky vocals during her audition. But will her talent translate onto the Idol stage?   If she picks the right song, and sings it well, she could be a dark horse contender for the Top 12.   Or she could flop spectacularly and head back home to Utah.
  • Mishavonna HensonProfile – Mishavonna has been barely seen, but she’s young, fresh and has a great recording voice.   If she takes the Idol stage with a great song this week, she could be a dark horse contender.
  • Nick MitchellProfile –   I predict Normund Gentle will perform this week, get a good laugh, and then lose the popular vote. But, not to worry–the producers will bring back his lulz-worthy act to perform once more for the wildcard, at which point Nick’s strange Idol trip will be over. Until the finale, of course. It’s been interesting to watch TPTB advance a joke act–one that wouldn’t have made it past auditions in prior seasons–nearly all the way to the Top 12.   With so much cannon fodder present in this huge group of semi final contestants, I don’t mind.   He’s not boring me. At least. Normund has fans!
About mj santilli 34832 Articles
Founder and editor of mjsbigblog.com, home of the awesomest fan community on the net. I love cheesy singing shows of all kinds, whether reality or scripted. I adore American Idol, but also love The Voice, Glee, X Factor and more!