The Semi-Finals, 2005 After three weeks of semi-finals (and nine AI episodes in all), I feel like we've already watched the competition. But no... only on Wednesday, March 9th, were the Top 12 chosen. NOW it begins? Okay, okay. Well, I'm actually pleased this year with the Top 12, save for one. Hey, see if you can guess who that "one" is...? "Hi, I'm contestant seven, I have seven fingers, and I'm friggin annoying, how's it going?!" Why!? Why, every damn year, must there be that ONE contestant who I want to bop upside the head? This year it's Mikalah, last year it was Camille, the year before it was Kimberly C. I am not a hateful person, well sometimes, but eegah, this girl just gets on my nerves. But enough about her. Over the last three weeks, the show lost twelve people: *David Brown, 20 -- I really liked him in the audition rounds, but during the two weeks he got to sing in the semi-finals, he didn't do so well. I will miss him. *Judd Harris, 27 -- He was okay. Really. But... not a favorite. *Joseph Murena, 26 -- Pretty darn cute, this guy. I was sad to see his departure, but he wasn't one of the best. *Nikko Smith, 22 -- Good, but not good enough, I guess. *Travis Tucker, 21 -- The boy with the adorable smile... he just really didn't shine, vocally. *Jared Yates, 18 -- He went the first week, and I'd voted for him, too, darnit! Bleh. *Amanda Avila, 23 -- She was a favorite of mine until this final week, when she just chose a horrible song. She has a great voice but I don't think she ever really found the right venue for it. I still voted for her. I shall miss her as well. *Janay Castine, 17 -- I dunno, she just... kinda... didn't... work for me. *Melinda Lira, 19 -- Poor Melinda, went in week one and I never got to hear her sing well. I'm sure she can, but... oh well. *Sarah Mather, 22 -- A victim of those first-week jitters, I suspect, Sarah wasn't as strong as she could have been, and was one of the first women to go. *Aloha Mischeaux, 18 -- I loved her personality... loved it. But her singing... while not bad or anything... left something to be desired. *Celena Rae, 29 -- Aw, Celena... you were good! What happened!? This whole competition is getting entirely too tragic. Okay, so who's left? That would be, well... everyone else... *Anthony Fedorov, 19 *Constantine Maroulis, 29 *Bo Bice, 29 *Anwar F. Robinson, 25 *Scott Savol, 28 *Mario Vazquez, 27 *Lindsey Cardinale, 20 *Mikalah Gordon, 17 *Jessica Sierra, 19 *Vonzell Solomon, 20 *Nadia Turner, 28 *Carrie Underwood, 21 I asked my friend GG to pick her four favorites (two guys, and two girls) and I picked some as well. GG's Favorites: Girls: **Carrie** "She's got a really versatile, pretty voice. She's a Country girl all the way and I love that. She's not all full of herself, she doesn't have an obnoxious voice or personality (like a certain finalist who I can't stand... not to name names... {cough, Mikalah, cough}) She doesn't always choose the best songs, but she can sing just about anything... I'm interested to see how far she'll go & I'll be voting for her as long as she's on." **Lindsey** "I love her smokey voice. It's sultry and smooth... plus it's soothing, too. Again, even when she doesn't make the best song choices, she does her best to make it work. I'll continue voting for her every week she's on, too." Guys: **Anthony** "He's CUTE! He's a lot like Clay Aiken, which gives him definite points in my book. He's got an awesome voice, too. I think it's really great that he overcame a doctor's prognosis of not being expected to talk, let alone sing. I think he sends a really good message to others, who are told they might never be able to do something. Like sing, walk, etc... he proves that sometimes doctors are wrong. :) And sometimes he starts off kind of shaky, like during Tuesday's performance... but he typically pulls it off in the end and has a great finish. He'll get my vote every time." **Mario** "He's CUTE! He looks like Justin Guarini and Justin Timberlake... hello, hotness! ;) I love his voice... he knows how to have fun when he does the upbeat numbers. He's nice, funny, and all the girls, including Paula, really like him. :D I'll vote for him every time, too." My Favorites: Girls: **Nadia** I just like her a lot and I don't even know why. But I've voted for her every week and she's fun, she's beautiful, she can sing. (What am I saying? Of course she can sing. Otherwise whe wouldn't even be here. I think I just earned myself 3000 dork points for that statement. Goodbye.) **Carrie** I'm going to have to echo GG's sentiments. I mean, Carrie's singing is as great as anyone else's, but what sets her apart is how sweet she is. If Anthony is Clay: The Sequel, then Carrie is Kelly: The Sequel. And that's fine by me. Guys: **Anwar** My love for Anwar is huge. HUGE. I love that he's a music teacher. I love his voice. I love his sweet personality. I love his hair. Every week he makes me cheer... well, except for that week he sang Moon River all wacky, but otherwise, I've loved his performances. I just want to hug him. No, I'm not weird. **Bo** Okay, so I don't love his hair, but I do love his style. While Constantine does the whole "look, I can sing loud and shut my eyes and look all intense" bit, Bo just rocks it. He's not a showman, but he's true to the music, and I love that about him. Want to tell me who you like best? Email me here and I can post your thoughts alongside mine in the next entry. That is, assuming you aren't the president of the Mikalah Gordon fan club or something... 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