Tonight’s “American Idol” show will reveal whether Lauren Alaina, the 16-year-old Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School student from Rossville, makes it to the “finalists” rounds.

If she does, that means she will be one of 12 contestants left in the running to become this year’s “American Idol.”

Many observers are predicting she will indeed be among the finalists. Tonight’s show begins at 8 o’clock on Fox.

The dozen finalists will consist of five males and five females picked by voters -- plus two “wildcards” who were voted off but have been given a reprieve by the “Idol” judges.

The finalists will begin live competitions next Wednesday starting at 8 p.m., narrowing the field each week until May’s finale at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.

Alaina is the daughter of Kristy and J.J. Suddeth of Rossville. She attends Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School, where she is a sophomore and a cheerleader.

She is a veteran performer, having sung regularly at Magoo’s Restaurant on Ringgold Road between Chattanooga and East Ridge, Tenn. She won the WinnieStar youth talent contest at Lake Winnepesaaukah Amusement Park in Rossville in 2009. She has also performed a number of times at Acoustic Cafe in Ringgold.

Before “Idol,” she worked on weekends at CiCi's Pizza in Fort Oglethorpe.

She has a Facebook page, "Lauren Alaina Suddeth."