THE first elimination round of ?American Idol Season 8? had 13 young comers. Initially, the show?s producers had hoped that its finalists would be evenly matched in terms of gender. But the lineup has clearly ended up in favor of the boys?eight of whom have landed in the final 13, as opposed to only five for the women.

This suggests that the ultimate winner this season could be male, duplicating last season?s outcome and its two-male finals (runner-up David Archuleta and winner David Cook).

Here?s a comparative study we did before the elimination night of the chances of each of the eight male finalists to end up as season 8?s top Idol:

Backtrack

In our opinion, the male singers most likely to survive are Adam Lambert, Anoop Desai, Jorge Nuñez and Danny Gokey.

Lambert is a clear front-runner because he has a wide vocal range that both astounds and captivates. Too, he?s an experienced performer who knows how to ?work? an audience. And, his looks are dramatic and ?interesting,? easily making him stand out in the field of finalists.

On the down side, Adam could prove to be controversial because some people are hinting at his similarly ?interesting? sexuality. It?s unclear if this will come to official public attention, or if it will rob him of enough votes to seriously limit his chances of winning.

In addition, Adam?s musical theater background could become a liability, because some viewer-voters could find his performances too ?big? and strong for comfort.

Also a comer due to coming across as ?different? is Anoop Desai, whose swarthy looks are belied by his all-American singing style and disposition. The bottom line is, Anoop is a good singer; all else is dish, diatribe or decoration.

Having said that, we must note that with his Indian ethnicity, Anoop is the closest to an American-Asian to have made it to the popular talent tilt?s finals. That?s some comfort to us Pinoys who miss having an AI ?representative? this year.

Also welcome is the fact that Anoop is the antithesis to last year?s Indian-American finalist, Sanjaya, who gave ethnic singers a bad rep and rap with his eminently spoofable look and performance style.

Jorge Nuñez is another ethnic finalist, this time of the Latin-American sort. He adds flavor and zing to the tilt?s sometimes bland proceedings. Most importantly, he could be a vote magnet for all of the Latinos out there, who, like Filipinos, are known to vote passionately as a block.

For his part, Danny Gokey is regarded as one of the best male singers this year. He?s also versatile enough to do well from week to week, as the types of song challenges change. That advantage could take him up to the show?s last few eliminations?or better.

If we had our druthers, either Lambert or Gokey could go the distance?which is not to pooh-pooh away the other four male finalists? Donny Osmond look-alike Kris Allen; pianist-singer (in that order) Matt Giraud; Michael Server, family man and representative of blue-collar workers; and Scott MacIntyre, who?s made it to the finals despite being blind.

What a dramatic backstory, and it isn?t the only one making this AI season one of the most potentially eventful in the talent tilt?s history.

And we haven?t even talked about its five female bets. They may be in the minority, but we can?t ignore them, either.

But as per last Thursday?s first elimination, Jorge Nuñez and Jasmine Murray were booted out and Anoop Desai managed to survive. Double-oops, both Jasmine and Jorge were among our early faves. Just goes to show, for self-styled prognosticators, it?s definitely win some, lose some.

?12 Rounds?

The high-adrenaline action film, ?12 Rounds? will have its invitational screening on March 20 at the Gateway complex. John Cena stars as a beleaguered cop who must complete 12 dangerous traps by an international criminal to save his kidnapped girlfriend. ?12 Rounds? starts its regular run on March 25.

?Dragonball Evolution?

From action-thriller director James Wong comes ?Dragonball Evolution,? the exciting adventure of a boy named Goku (Justin Chatwin) who embarks on a dangerous journey of self-discovery as he tries to save the world from obliteration. The film is replete with sensational battles, martial arts and dazzling visual effects.