AMERICAN IDOL Top 12 Perform

Play time is over kids. Now it’s game on. Tonight for the first time, the top 6 guys go head-to-head with the top 6 girls. The boys have been creating most of the buzz thus far so the girls have a lot to prove. The Top 12 will be taking on the Lennon/McCartney songbook for the first time in IDOL history, and they’re doing it on a brand new American Idol set. Let’s see who’s up for the challenge tonight.

I’m GMMR and THIS is American Idol.

Leading off the big night is Syesha Mercado with “Got to Get You Into My Life”. I really dig this girl but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t waiting for a big performance from her. This song was great, and she sounded incredible but was it enough to really set herself apart from the pack? I’m not sure. Randy thought it was just alright. He and Paula both thought it started off rough but got better towards the end. Simon thought it was better than alright, and told Syesha that she needed to get over her nerves.

Next up is Chikezie with his own twist on “She’s a Woman”. I’m a bit embarrassed to say that I’m not really familiar with this song. I’m sure my mother is very upset with me right now. I can’t say that I was a huge fan of the banjo beginning but from the perspective of someone who didn’t know the tune, I thought Chikezie performed the hell out of the song. That was a lot of fun. He gave it his all, no doubt. Awesome!! The judges all really, really loved it. Simon thought Chikezie really took control tonight.

Ramiele Malubay has a tough act to follow and she’s taking on “In My Life”. One of the greatest songs ever. Ramiele’s beautiful voice does the song justice, but I can’t say she wowed me. I’m still waiting for her to take on a song with a bit more personality but I can’t deny that I truly enjoyed her performance (sans the last note that was a bit overkill). I think the judges could go either way on this one. Randy thought it was boring. When Paula leads off with how good the contestant looks, you know it’s not going to be good. She thought it wasn’t risky enough. Simon wasn’t happy at all and was bored to tears.

After last week’s performance of ‘Hallelujah’, Jason Castro has really got people talking. The question is can he keep up the momentum with tonight’s rendition of “If I Fell”. Well, I can’t say he surpassed last week, but I still loved it. I’m completely mesmerized by this guy’s voice (or maybe it’s just his eyes hypnotizing me). He’s a little emo, yes, but I think he is very deliberate in his vocal stylings. He reminds me a bit of Adam Levine from Maroon 5. I think Jason needs to really break out and do something besides the ballad next week. As for what the judges thought, well Randy liked it and didn’t love it. He wasn’t a fan of the switches in the melody. Paula disagreed with Randy (shocked). She thought it was quite heartfelt. And Mr. Cowell (a man with no heart) thought it was a “student in the bedroom and midnight” aka boring.

[Seacrest is on the juice tonight. Full of energy. Stop it Ryan! I’m trying to not be attracted to you and this running around the stage and looking all kinds of hot is NOT helping me.]

Carly Smithson is taking on “Come Together”, a song she sings often in the pub. Um, Amanda Overmyer, THIS is how you rock it out without sounding like an imitation. Brilliant, just brilliant. Wowza. I can’t say that I liked her dancing but the singing…hot damn! Carly has officially won me over. All the judges loved it. Simon went as far to compare it to Kelly Clarkson’s breakout performance in the Top 12.

Taking on the classic “Eleanor Rigby” is David Cook, who like Jason Castro also had a big week last week. Before David even takes the stage let me share my concern. Last week David re imagined “Hello” into a contemporary, relevant tune. Since it went over so well with the judges and the fans, he risks trying to do the same thing from here on out. Not saying he will, but he has to be careful. Ok, so as for his performance, it didn’t start off that great for me, but by the end he was rocking the shit out of it. It had mad energy and I loved it!! Randy and Paula were really excited about this performance. Simon thought it was brilliant. He went on to say that if the show remains a talent competition and not a popularity competition then David Cook could actually win the whole thing. Big words from Simon. YAY David!

Brooke White is taking the stage with “Let It Be”. What a daunting task for these Idols tonight to take on such important songs. Brooke is another one that has been growing on me over time. But much like Ramiele I’m not sure her pretty voice alone was enough to make her truly stand out tonight. And as nice as the visual was, I think playing the piano was a risk that didn’t pay off tonight. It felt it distracted her more than a few times throughout the song. A big, big fan of her voice, but not of this performance…especially coming right after David Cook. Randy didn’t think it was her best performance but he certainly liked her performance a lot. Paula thought it was heartfelt. Simon thought it was one of the best performances of the night. He is such a fan of hers. Nice job, Brooke.

Wow, it’s one hell of a Top 12 so far. Can David Hernandez keep it up? (Damn, it’s killing me not to insert a joke here, but I’m just going to leave it alone). So David is taking on “I Saw Her Standing There”. David has proved in the past that he has the chops to perform a fast song, and tonight he proves it once again. This kid can command an audience for sure. This definitely wasn’t my favorite performance from David though. I thought he could have done a lot more with it. But I still liked it. Randy thought David tried to do too much with it. Paula wasn’t all that thrilled. Simon said ‘no, no, no’ and thought it was corny and desperate. Better luck next week, David.

[Just saw my first on TV trailer for ‘Leatherheads‘. Is it April 4th yet? I’m counting the days.]

My least favorite contestant, Amanda Overmyer, is up next with “You Can’t Do That”. Last week I actually enjoyed Amanda’s performance, but yeah, not loving it this week. Maybe this will be huge with her fans, but I was just praying it would be over. I can’t say that I understood many of the words coming from her mouth. The judges seem to see something I don’t, so let’s see what they have to say tonight. Yup, the lovefest continues with Paula and Rany. And Simon agreed with me that he couldn’t understand what she was singing, but he went on to say that she was a breath of fresh air in this competition. [Ooh look, Taye Diggs]

Michael Johns is taking on “Across the Universe” (and if you haven’t seen the movie by the same name rent it now!). This song is a bit monotonous and therefore risky. Michael has the vocals to pull it off but I was waiting for a big moment from him that never came. Randy too was hoping he would change it up a bit. He liked it but not as much as previous weeks. Paula rambled something about his quiet confidence. Why is she still on this show? And Simon agreed with Randy that it was a bit boring. Simon noted that he is still a big fan of Michael’s and he’s frustrated that they’ve yet to see what Simon knows Michael is capable of doing.

Kristy Lee Cook has taken to heart the past recommendations of the judges and has decided to go country. Tonight she’s countryfying ‘Eight Days a Week’. I kind of expected to loathe this going in and I was right. John Lennon must be turning in his grave right now. It was hokey and horrible. If she was going to make it her own and therefore country, I think she should have tried it as a country ballad. But then again, being a country singer doesn’t mean you have to put the country twang on everything. So interested to hear what the judges thought. Randy was torn. Paula didn’t enjoy it (wow, she’s never that straight forward). Simon thought it was horrendous and suggested that she sounded like Dolly Parton on helium.

[I sometimes wish that Ryan and Simon would just go backstage and do what’s necessary to get IT out of their system. I know they’re buds in real life but the way Ryan picks on Simon is annoying.]

Finishing out the night is David Archuleta. Why does David always sound like he has a cold? Anyway, he’s taking on “We Can Work It Out”. OH NO! Looks like the pressure has gotten to Archuleta this week and oh dear lord he forgot the words…a few times. Has that ever happened to someone in the Top 12? God, I don’t even want to watch anymore. Points to David for trying to ‘work it out’, but this was miserable from beginning to end. I’m sure this is his worst nightmare. But these judges do love this kid because although he deserved to be ripped a new one, they were, I thought, rather gentle with him. No one was complimentary, and Simon was honest and said it was a mess, but I thought they would have been a bit harsher. I don’t think David really has anything to worry about though. His already massive fan base will ensure that he’s around next week.

And with that we’re done.

My Top 2 Faves: David Cook and Carly Smithson

In GMMR’s Bottom Two: Kristy Lee Cook and Amanda Overmyer

You’ve heard my rambling about the performances, but did you agree with me or was I way off. Let me hear what YOU thought.