Philippine Idol Updates' Day-before Analysis

With two days to go before the broadcast of the round of 12 female on Philippine Idol, we at Philippine Idol Updates admit that even fansites like us can get our information in a loop, so while we try to get our bearings, let's confirm those song lists once again (with correct names, so you'll know what to text to 2339 come Saturday):

1. Philippine Idol semifinalist Ira Marasigan - Mr. Melody
2. Philippine Idol semifinalist Jeli Mateo - Bridges
3. Philippine Idol semifinalist Stef Lazaro - Home
4. Philippine Idol semifinalist Mau Marcelo - Sweet Love
5. Philippine Idol semifinalist Arms Cruz - Superwoman
6. Philippine Idol semifinalist Suey Medina - Almost Over You
7. Philippine Idol semifinalist Apple Chiu- Rhythm of the Street
8. Philippine Idol semifinalist EJ Bautista - Paalam Na
9. Philippine Idol semifinalist Ynah Pangan - Halik
10. Philippine Idol semifinalist Pow Chavez - Ikaw Lamang
11. Philippine Idol semifinalist Tin Otero - Come In From the Rain
12. Philippine Idol semifinalist Gail Blanco - What’s Love Got to Do With It

Our Predictions on Paper (POP, predictions made on song choice):
With the mixup over Suey's and Cherry's songs, and taking into account new information on SMS and landline voting, we are going to revamp our choices as follows:

We predict, on paper, a final four finish for the following:
Gail Blanco (What's Love Got to Do With It). A different song choice, a strong vocal, and telegenic looks make this Philippine Idol semifinalist stand out.
Ira Marasigan (Mr. Melody). Ira gets points for her confidence on stage, her pretty face, and a seasoned vocal. We're also going out on a limb here and betting that what worked for Jan Nieto - a strong Atenean following with plenty of cash to spare - may rocket this Philippine Idol semifinalist into the top 4.
EJ Bautista (Paalam Na). EJ topped the Philippine Idol Updates poll, and we're sticking by our guns and betting that this half-deaf Philippine Idol semifinalist has generated a solid fan base and selected a song popular enough to win enough votes to make it into the Top 4.
We're predicting a tight race for the final slot between:
Suey Medina(Almost Over You) and Apple Chiu (Rhythm of the Night). Suey has generated a lot of positive buzz over the week with her appearances on I Love Philippine Idol, and her choice of Almost Over You is an impeccable and smart decision. Also, we can't deny Apple's popularity and runner-up status on Philippine Idol Updates, but her decision to go with the name Apple instead of Cherry may cost her votes.

The other Philippine Idol semifinalists have just as good a chance as any, but we're a little concerned:
Mau Marcelo. Great vocal and awesome song choice, but can she overcome the Philippine bias towards plus-size women? Nasty comments about her looks are circulating on the Net - can the Philippines look beyond base looks?
Stef Lazaro. Lazaro's fan base in Australia - another mighty foreign currency - can certainly vote her into the Top 4, but her song selection of the gentle Home for her otherwise powerful vocal is distressing.
Pow Chavez. Odd woman out selects a Filipino ballad. Can Paw's personality shine through with this song choice, or will she end up a victim of image vs. song choice, similar to American Idol 3's Briana Ramirez-Rial?
Arms Cruz and Ynah Pangan are contest veterans, so these ladies can pull off a surprise. Where does that leave Jeli Mateo and Tin Otero? Hey, they can surprise us come contest night - Jeli's looks have gotten her a good fan base with people who think she looks like Jennylyn Mercado, and Tin Otero can be this season's Latoya London, unnoticed until show night, when she blew people away.