We’re heading into Week Two of the American Idol season 8 semifinals — DVR alert: Performance night falls on Wednesday this week! — and there’s been a shakeup at the top of EW.com’s American Idol Power List. Last week’s No. 3, Ann Marie Boskovich, has fallen out of the top 20 (ouch!) while four brand new contestants enter the countdown. Read on to see where your favorite ranks, then vote in our handy-dandy poll to propel him or her to the top of the EW.com reader chart.
20. Jeanine Vailes: (Last week: Unranked) Idol producers haven’t shown the California beauty (pictured, center) singing a single note during the first six weeks of the season. So whether or not she’s a Ricky Braddy-esque revelation, she earns a spot on this countdown — if only for fairness’ sake.
19. Nathaniel Marshall: (Last week: 19) Season 8’s resident drama queen proved he’s got actual chops by winning a sing-off against Jackie Midkiff. And while copious crying footage won’t help his chances, the lack of a male standout in Group 3 won’t hurt, either.
18. Matt Breitzke: (Last week: Unranked) Likeable welder dude has displayed decent (if not entirely memorable) chops (especially on his "Ain’t No Sunshine" audition). But since Michael Sarver already won Simon’s "In This Economy" endorsement, he’ll need a flawless vocal to advance.
17. Arianna Afsar: (Last week: Unranked) As David Archuleta proved last season, voters like adorable teenage contestants. That said, her "adopt a grandfriend" campaign was more memorable than her "Put Your Records On" audition — and her Group 3 draw pits her against the season’s most hyped female contestant.
16. Anoop Desai: (Last week: No. 1) Everybody loves (saying) "ANOOOOOOP!" His drowsy semifinal "Angel of Mine," however, left him at the mercy of the Wild Card, and he’ll need a killer song choice (and performance) to avoid being this season’s Asia’h Epperson — the early front-runner who doesn’t crack the finals.
15. Jesse Langseth: (Last week: No. 15) Won her sing-off against Frankie Jordan but nonetheless got dissed big-time by Simon. We disagree — her big, smoky voice is one of the best thus far on the women’s side — but can she really get past Lambert, Giraud, Corkrey, and Murray from Group 2?
14. Scott MacIntyre: (Last week: No. 16) He’s probably the most recognizable guy in Group 3, and his success in spite of his visual impairment is one of the season’s most memorable backstories. Still, his performances to date — Daughtry’s "Home" and Billy Joel’s "And So It Goes" — betrayed a bit of vocal wobbliness.
13. Kristen McNamara: (Last week: No. 13) Simon implied she wasn’t attractive, but her rendition of "I Will Always Love You" was lovely, and let’s be honest: If this woman isn’t considered good-looking, then most of us shouldn’t be leaving the house without a strategically placed grocery bag.
12. Michael Sarver: (Last week: No. 18) Laid-back ”roughneck” scored a trip to the top 12 perhaps more on the strength of his winning personality and blue-collar backstory than his vocal performance of "I Don’t Want to Be." Does anyone really think he’s a contender for the whole ball of wax?
11. Megan Corkrey: (Last week: No. 11) Tattooed beauty delivered a fine, jazzy "Can’t Help Loving That Man of Mine" at her Salt Lake City audition, but has been ignored by producers ever since. That said, Group 2 women are a bit of a mystery right now — she’s as likely as any of ‘em to crack the top 12.
10. Lil Rounds: (Last week: No. 12) Has received more screen time and hype than any other woman in season 8, but keeping it really real (Randy style!), her Whitney Houston cover was so shouty, it could have drown out Gordon Ramsay. Will she live up to the hype? Will viewers drink the Kool-Aid? Awaiting Group 3 performances for answers.
9. Alex Wagner-Trugman: (Last week: No. 10) Idol loves sending geeks to the top 12 (see Stevens, John; Aiken, Clay), and Alex has the big voice and endearing eyebrows to follow in their footsteps. But we preferred his ”Baby Come to Me” audition to his sappier top 36 sing-off.
8. Ricky Braddy: (Last week: Unranked) What’s that? The handsome soul singer (pictured, right) didn’t survive the Group 1 viewer vote despite his terrific "A Song for You"? That’s okay; we’re confident Paula will do the right thing and give a Wild Card performance slot to the one male contestant who scored no singing screentime before the top 36.
7. Jasmine Murray: (Last week: No. 7) She’s button-cute, possesses a booming voice, and (as Randy will surely remind us) is only SIXTEEN. If she can stay poised once the high-pressure live performances begin — and scrubs off the troweled-on makeup — she might prove more Jordin Sparks than Lisa Tucker.
6. Adam Lambert (pictured, left): (Last week: No. 
His renditions of "Some Kind of Wonderful" and "Believe" bordered on strident — despite the judges’ overenthusiastic feedback. Still, it’s hard to imagine he won’t be among Group 2’s top three, considering he does have actual talent — and more importantly, the endorsement of the Idol Machine.
5. Ju’Not Joyner: (Last week: No. 6) Unassuming Dad rocked "Hey There, Delilah" in Hollywood Week — the best male performance to date among Group 3’s male contestants. Some might say his story lacks drama, but isn’t that a plus in a season where Tatiana and Norman have been hogging the early buzz?
4. Danny Gokey: (Last week: No. 4) Sent Kara, Paula, and Randy into squealing fits of adulation after a decent semifinal cover of "Hero," but the disproportionate hype — plus his relatives’ decision to display a photo of his deceased wife for the cameras (!) — has resulted in a growing Internet backlash. Lucky for Danny, he’s got two weeks of hibernation till his next performance.
3. Felicia Barton: (Last week: No. 5) Won a last-minute spot in the top 36 after Joanna Pacitti was DQ’d. Could be a case of "dead contestant walking" given her lack of airtime, but her YouTube clips look solid, and it doesn’t hurt that she’s become the contestant of choice for viewers who abhor semi-pros in the competition.
2. Alexis Grace: (Last week: No. 9) Okay, so there’s a chance she might merely be a really good choice to front an Aretha Franklin cover band. But the pink-haired young mother’s quiet confidence is appealing, and her results-show "I Never Loved a Man…" was stronger than her performance-night rendition. Perhaps Simon’s comparison to Kelly Clarkson was apt?
1. Matt Giraud: (Last week: No. 2) Scored enough early screen time to win fans (especially that soulful "Georgia on My Mind" during Hollywood Week) but not enough to get labeled a producer pet. Could be the next Justin Timberlake or the next Chris Richardson, but the dueling pianist leads the pack — at least for this week.
Comments (1-30) of 186 Add your comment
You were so off last time, why bother. How about you wait til we have actually seen everyone?!
You forgot Tatiana. She WILL be back!
I am rooting for Ricky Braddy. May the underdog have his time in the sun! Viva le revolucion!
Regarding your comment in #17 about voters liking “adorable teenage contestants” (talking about Archuleta), I for one voted for him because of his amazing voice and how any song he sings has depth and a great tone.
wow slezak, anoop going from number 1 to 16? that’s low even for you. with all the media talking about how anoop should’ve made it through (even celebrities like ellen degeneres!), anoop still has staying power somewhere in the top 10. he’s being set up to be the comeback kid, and you know how that turned out for cay aiken. also, you actually thought asia’h epperson was a front runner last year? i thought you were an american idol expert. i knew she had zero chance of winning after i heard her audition. i am, however, thrilled that you listened to me and put alexis higher than number 9.
A couple of comments –
Matt Giraud — no, his Georgia on My Mind was not good. At all. At all.
Farther up the list — so far Jesse Langseth is a shouter not a singer. Perhaps there is something there, but it hasn’t shown up on TV yet.
I can’t even watch Nathaniel! He’s weird looking and is also an emotional wreck a huge crybaby!
Ricky Braddy is hot!
Slezak, please comment on Kris Allen since the producers have shown all of about 20 seconds of him thus far. Here’s a youtube clip of him: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ob-7iVMcfLk
also, I agree with nl, archuleta is an adorable teenager and i’m sure that didn’t hurt, but his talent got him the votes.
U GO GOKEY-U THE MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!A REAL TALENT!
What about Kris Allen…have you all just forgotten him??…he’s wonderful!!!
i don’t really agree with Matt for number 1, but at least you didn’t give the spot to Gokey. Ugh.
Slezak really! Anoop going from #1 all the way to #16 doesn’t make sense at ALL! So what if he didn’t make the Top 3 last week? The fact that you dropped him so low really dumb! I mean, just a few days ago your fellow EW colleague wrote that Anoop has a chance of winning the whole thing, and all of a sudden he’s at the BOTTOM of the list?! Really Slezak, I agree with the comment by “john t.” – that’s LOW! Anoop is just about the perfect blend of talent, personality, charisma, and awesomeness… and for you to rank him so low really makes me sad (I used be a HUGE fan of you Slezak, but not anymore!).
Just you wait, Anoop with come back with a bang come Wildcard round, and when he does, he’ll win it all!
I will forgive you for “forgetting” Kris Allen one last time.
I’m ready for Ricky Braddy to be my American Idol!!!!
I like to turn it around and send a hate vote for lil rounds, for nathaniel and for everytime Danny Gokey pointed his hand towards the camera, misused the memory of his late wife, was heralded the second coming by the judges and showed images of his dead wife. his screen time to me was as appealing as a tampon commercial.
Ricky Braddy has an exceptional voice, but he’s not an “American Idol”. He has what it takes to be Chris Daughtry – successful without the AI title. Ricky’s voice may be good, but he’s pretty blah if you ask me. There’s absolutely nothing special about him, and it’s about time we got someone that’s different, someone who can bring something different to the table. And that’s surely not Ricky Braddy. I still think he deserves a wildcard, but I don’t want another boring blah to win American Idol. We need someone fresh and unique!
who are these idiots voting for Danny Gokey? Seriously. Do they really like mediocre over-hyped singing that much?
Slezak I love you but I don’t quite get this list. Anoop all the way to 16 from 1 last week. Now I agree that last week wasn’t his best but it was great compared to most of the rest. I think he is a lock for wild card! Also, what about Kris Allen? I think he has a great voice and sadly has had like 20 seconds of airtime from his group performance with Matt Giraud. Other than those two I agree with a lot of the others!
Ricky is great. You say his is blah because they’ve shown 0.00 seconds of him. Editing is CRAP!
Ricky Braddy is blah? Does anyone recall that Simon made the same “no personality” comment about David Cook when last season began? Look at David’s pictures from start to finish and see how he changed. Give Rick that chance – he deserves it.
Jorge Nuñez gonna win it all!!!!
Gokey’s backlash was created by Michael Slezak, MJ, and Rickey. I’d hardly call that growing internet backlash, Slezak.
Matt Griards performance was amazing. Adam Lambert is horrible. And why in the world did you put Felicia Barton ahead of danny? are you crazy. Lil rounds must be higher.
Slezak, I love you but you are officially off my Christmas card list.
Besides all that Ricky, Danny, Matt and Michael all blend together in my mind as the Carbon Copy White Boy Soul Singers with little to seperate them vocally (although Michael IMO is the weakest). Out of that group Matt Giraud is my favorite, but AI won’t subject us to 4 of the same for the top 12, will they? My ear holes might just up and go on strike.
Alex at 9? Lil at 10? And Anoop at 16? I’m hoping the Noop Dog comes on strong and kicks some a** in the wildcard round to make you eat your words.
MEEEE: Ricky IS blah. Like I said, I love his voice, and i’ve seen his interviews, etc.; a LOT of things that I could find on the internet of him (because I really am a big fan of his, and because he got NO screen time, I took the liberty of finding out about him myself), so I could find out what he’s like. And I still don’t find any appeal to him. He’s a great singer, but that’s about where it ends. I just want someone unique and different that I can say “Look, he/she really has the whole package!”
I’m still hoping Anoop comes back and shows you and America what he can do. He’s got the talent and the “it” factor to win it all.
I agree with Danica. Ricky, Danny, Michael, and Matt are your typical “white boy soul singers”. We have too many of those already.
Wait. HOLD UP! Is Kris Allen a worship leader at his church, too? Seriously? NFW, man. That gives us Okely Gokely, Sarver, Kris Allen and who else as churchy pastor types? Dude, that’s just wrong. I hope any of them make it to the top 12 mansion they don’t try to pray the gay away for those contestants who play for the other team. Sheesh.
Denise – it is pretty wide spread actually.