Finally, Simon Cowell got his wish, since comedian Nick Mitchell was voted off “American Idol” Thursday night, while singers Kris Allen, Allison Iraheta and Adam Lambert each earned a position on Season 8’s Top 12.

Thursday, judge Cowell said that he had prayed for several hours the night before that Nick „Normund Gentle” Mitchell would not get to participate in another round of the television show.

As for the three lucky ones to become semi-finalists, Kris Allen managed to impress the four-judge panel with his version of Michael Jackson's „Man in the Mirror,” while 16-year-old high school junior from Los Angeles Allison Iraheta was compared to Kelly Clarkson and Adam Lambert to „Twilight” star Robert Pattinson, among other celebrities.

Allen was the voting viewers’ first choice, Cowell having told him that tweens would get tired of the Jonas Brothers and that he could become the next big sensation.

Speaking of high praise, Paula Abdul told Lambert after his dazzling performance of „Satisfaction” that he had made it look that he had no longer been on the show’s stage, but performing at his own concert.

Next Tuesday, the final group of twelve contestants is scheduled to perform on the show, while on March 5, “American Idol” singers will be competing in the wild-card round.

On a related topic, a media squabble is unfurling between the two female judges on the show, Paula Abdul and Kara DioGuardi, which started when the former said that she did not think that four judges had been such a good idea.