American Idol 8: The Third 3 Finalists and WILD CARD!

Jebus, I'm good. So there's 9 of the top 12... Danny, Alexis, Michael, Kris, Adam, Allison, Jorge, Lil, and Scott. I'll do a full assessment once the complete top 12 is done... but for now, I'll look at it in terms of the wild cards.

A couple obvious notes:

• With only 3 girls so far, the girls have a better chance of snagging 2 of the 3 wild cards. The judges have stated (I can't find the link right now) that gender parity is not required, but that doesn't mean they won't give a slight nudge one way.
• Only 3 people of color. That means that Jasmine, Anoop, and Tatiana have a leg up. Yeah yeah, there's no aff-ac per se, but the producers aren't going to just let this slide.

In order, here's who I think have the best shots:

THE SURE THINGS:
Anoop. Duh. He barely missed out on a legit selection. Turns out the economy is hotter right now than Slumdog Millionaire (yeah, I went there).
Megan. The judges love her to pieces. Hula-girl brings a completely different sound with her, which is what will hurt Matt and Ricky.

A CLUB TO THE KNEE MIGHT HELP:
Jasmine. She stands to benefit the most by the double aff-ac going on. I'm a little peeved that her wild card chance didn't go to Anne Marie or Felicia, but her Disney-ready persona must be giving Simon a semi.
Matt. He's had the most favorable early round screen time... which also led to a sourpuss face when he lost to Kris. Kris's win hurts both him and Ricky because they all fit the "soulful white guy" role. If Matt can tweak it and get more piano-man-y, and less folksy, I think he has a chance. He'll need a bit of a face-plant by Jasmine to help his chances.

FOD. DER.
Ricky. Poor guy. He gets talked up by Paula. Then loses his slot to Kris. He has a name ripe for a fan base a la Soul Patrol or McPheever. Then has his website shut down by the producers. Now he has to compete against Matt, who has the blessing of the producers, in a round where the judges choose.
Von. What do the judges see in him? HE HAS NO UPPER LIP.
Tatiana. Ratings gold! I can't tell if it's symbiotic that she and the show are using each other or if she's just that stupid.
Jesse. The judges said it themselves, she was a last minute switch. Megan is prettier, jazzier, and more likeable. Thanks for playing.

The judges are going to be making insta-decisions, and I can't watch the show live, so no pre-results wrap-up here. Ah, well. I'm looking forward to the top 12 finally being done, so we can see how the show choreographers will continue to work around the fact that Scott can't see. Did you know he's blind? AI will remind you, just in case you decide to actually listen to his crappy singing.