Three plus three plus three equals nine. The last remaining three spots will go to three wild card contestants. That makes up your top twelve in FOX's American Idol. Here's how the contestants measured up according to the judges.
The Best Contestant According to Simon
Single-mom Alexis Grace wowed judges with her performance of Aretha Franklin's "Never Loved a Man." "You worked it out," said Randy Jackson. Kara DioGuardi and Paula Abdul say they've enjoyed watching Alexis come out of her shell. Simon Cowell said she's the best contestant so far.
Playing it Safe
Brent Keith returned to his country roots singing "Hicktown" Jason Aldean. Randy liked the performance. Both Kara and Paula said he played it safe, and Simon said the performance was forgettable.
Ann Marie Boskovich sang the Aretha Franklin hit "Natural Woman." Randy said previous Idol contestants sang the song better than Ann Marie. Paula said it was a safe performance. Simon wasn't impressed.
Performances That Fell Flat
Jackie Tohn kicked off the show with her rendition of "A Little Less Conversation" by Elvis Presley. Randy said he wasn't blown away by her vocals, but was entertained as was Kara. Paula said it was a "perfect performance." Simon said, "I don't think you did yourself any favors tonight" which drew boos from the audience.
Stevie Wright disappointed the judges with her version of Taylor Swift's "You Belong with Me." They said the song did not showcase her talent. Randy said if she would have auditioned with that song, she may not have made it into the top 36.
Casey Carlson played it up to the camera when she sang "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic" by The Police. Randy, Kara, and Paula said it was the wrong song and the performance was overdone. Simon said it sounded like karaoke.
He forgot the words during Hollywood week. This time Stephen Fowler didn't skip a beat while performing Michael Jackson's "Rock with You." Randy said it was pitchy. Kara was bored with the performance. Paula said she was disappointed. Simon said he wished he forgot the lyrics.
One Contestant that Continues to Confuse the Judges
Tatiana Del Toro confused the judges with her performance. A reserved Tatiana sang "Saving All of My Love for You" by Whitney Houston. Randy said he liked moments in the song. Kara said she's not sure who the real Tatiana is since she's always bubbly, but was acting very quiet. Simon said she's desperate to be famous and asked to hear her laugh again. Other than Randy, the other judges didn't say if the liked the performance as a whole or not.
Contestants the Judges Want to See Back
For his first public audition on Idol, Ricky Braddy sang "A Song for You" by Leon Russell. Randy said he liked the performance. Kara agreed, "You have an incredible gift." Paula said Ricky deserved to go far in the competition. Simon said he was lacking charisma.
Anoop Desai received mixed remarks for his rendition of "Angel of Mine" by Monica. Paula compared him to Brian McKnight. Kara said she hoped he made it through to the next round.
Michael Sarver performed Gavin DeGraw's 2004 hit "I Don't Want to Be." Randy said he would have liked to see more soul. Kara said it wasn't his best performance. Paula liked the performance saying, "I think you did a good job." Simon said he would like to see Michael get another shot because people can relate to him.
The "Redeemer" of the Night
It was Danny Gokey's rendition of "Hero" by Mariah Carey that drew rave reviews from everyone but Simon. (Remember, he's the contestant whose wife died just weeks before he auditioned for American Idol.) Randy, Paula, and Kara called him the redeemer. Simon said the song was above him.
You can download your favorite performances on itunes.
