2 Filipinos make it to the top 24 of "American Idol"

CEBU, Philippines - Two Filipino-Americans made it to the 24 semifinalists of “American Idol,” as the hugely popular US-based singing search opened the door this season to 15-year-old hopefuls although none of them made it into the semifinals.

Thia Megia, 16, of Redwood, California, consistently impressed the judges from the initial to the latest stages of the competition, with her big voice and soulful cum jazzy renditions of "Chasing Pavements" during her first audition, then classics "Summertime" and "What A Wonderful World," among others, during the Hollywood rounds. Thia is not =exactly a stranger to the limelight having been a semi-finalist in "America's Got Talent" when she was 14 years old. 

Clint Jun Gamboa, 26, of Long Beach, California, was a karaoke host prior to joining AI. In the first round of the auditions, Clint set the bar high in the San Francisco screenings singing “Billionaire.” But during the Hollywood auditions, he stood out for the wrong reasons. During the group week, his group “kicked out” round-faced charmer Jacee Badeaux, 15, of Lafayette, La., and the judges questioned the group’s sense of camaraderie and team spirit. 

Clint explained that it didn’t have anything to do with Jacee’s talent, but was because “his voice didn’t work with how we wanted the song to go.” His next solo performances, nevertheless, turned the judges to his favour after he sang “Georgia On My Mind” and “Hello”. Although, there are still expected bumps ahead as he will try to win over the rest of America, after leaving an already negative impression when they dismissed the endearing Jacee. 

Nevertheless, he said on AI, “I work so hard at my music, to make this next step change my life. I have a bit feeling that something great is going to happen.”

Meanwhile, the music stopped for Jacee Thursday, but he earned a comforting hug from judge Jennifer Lopez. Another Fil-Am contender, the 15-year-old Thia Megia, also failed to make the cut.

The 24 contestants who advanced in the singing contest are mostly in their early 20s. A handful of 16- and 17-year-olds did get the nod from Lopez, Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler.

California, New York, Tennessee and Louisiana are the states best represented among the two-dozen semifinalists, who are split evenly between males and females.

They won't have long to savor their achievement. Next week, only about half will make it to the finals after the men perform on Tuesday and the women on Wednesday. The results of audience voting will be announced Thursday.

Apart from Clint, the male semifinalists include Casey Abrams, 20, of Idyllwild, Calif.; Jovany Barreto, 23, Harvey, La.; Jordan Dorsey, 21, Donaldsville, La.; James Durbin, 22, Santa Cruz, Calif.; and Tim Halperin, 23, Fort Worth, Texas.

Others are Stefano Langone, 21, Kent, Wash.; Brett Loewenstern, 17, Boca Raton, Fla.; Jacob Lusk, 23, Compton, Calif.; Scotty McCreery, 17, Garner, N.C.; Paul McDonald, 26, Nashville, Tenn., and Robbie Rosen, 17, Merrick, N.Y.

The females semifinalists include Naima Adedapo, 26, Milwaukee, Wisc.; Lauren Alaina, 16, Rossville, Ga.; Kendra Chantelle, 22, Nashville, Tenn.; Ashthon Jones, 24, Nashville, Tenn.; Thia Megia, 16, Mountain House, Calif., and Haley Reinhart, 20, Wheeling, Ill.

Others are Karen Rodriguez, 21, New York; Pia Toscano, 22, Howard Beach, N.Y.; Lauren Turner, 24, Slidell, La.; Tatynisa Wilson, 20, Aurora, Ill.; Julie Zorrilla, 20, Los Angeles and Rachel Zevita, 23, New York.

The Fox singing contest had lowered the eligibility age from 16 to 15 for its 10th season. The maximum age remained 28. For the first time, viewers will be able to vote online through Facebook as well as by phone and text message. AI’s share of Fil-Am finalists through the years include Jasmine Trias of Hawaii who ended up as third place in its season 3. (With a report from AP)