american idol - top twelve men

Quick note: Have they always started the "theme nights" this early in the game? I thought they used to do a round or two where the contestants got to choose their own songs.

David Hernendez - I really liked the beginning and the middle... well, I really liked everything up until that second-to-last note when he lost it. Great song choice, though.

Chikezie - NICE. SUIT. I didn't feel the beginning of his song - it actually took me a bit to realize what song he was performing. He has a nice voice, though.

David Cook - My Bon Jovi man. I really liked his rendition of "Happy Together" - I agreed with Simon during the Hollywood rounds when he said that David would become too vulnerable on stage without his guitar... and I was expecting him to lose it... but I'm pleasantly surprised. I'm always rooting for the rockers, and I'm glad David brought his game.

Jason Yeager - Am I the only one who's a little bit distracted by this guy's hair? It freaks me out when he smiles so much while singing. "Moon River" is one of my favorite songs... but I can't say I was really on board with Jason's rendition. I didn't think it was particularly bad or anything, but it was very boring... and I thought it was fake. Contrived.

Robbie Carrico - He looks so much like Kid Rock that I can hardly stand it. And what is a "boy girl group"? I do like his voice, though - his Hollywood song "Hemorrhage" was awesome. Tonight's song "One" wasn't bad at all, either. I don't think it showed off enough of his voice, though. I sure am digging the doo-rag, though.

David Archuleta - Man alive, is anyone sick of this kid yet? Boring performance... he reminds me of a Disney Channel kid or something - you know? Like he should have a show where his character sings. Hook up with Hannah Montana or something. Why do the judges like him so much? Sure, he has a good voice... but there's no way he's as good as Simon proclaimed him to be. Ho hum, I can't wait till he gets voted off.

Danny Noriega - Danny has "Sanjaya" written all over him, if you ask me. Terrible performance, but his flamboyant attitude to Simon's comments was mildly amusing. Probably not a good idea to sass the judges this early on, though. I don't really follow the cutting-edge fashions... but is it "in" for guys to wear skinny jeans now, too?

Luke Menard - Whenever he walks onto the stage, I just keep expecting Kelly and Brenda to come out and give him an ultimatum or something. I sort of liked Luke before - I thought he had a chance... but this performance was awful. Even worse than Danny Noriega's. Back to the bustling metropolis that is Crawfordsville, Indiana, for you, Luke!

Colton Berry - WHY IS HE STILL HERE. After his initial audition, they should have sent him back to show choir. I can't believe that Paula and Randy aren't losing sleep over their decision to keep Colton over Kyle. And what's up with the freaky smiling?! It's like this season's theme so far. I didn't think this performance was as bad as his others - he actually showed a little non-show-tune personality tonight. I still won't be buying a ticket for the Colton train any time soon, though.

Garrett Haley - Nice try with the Ellen joke, Garrett. During his audition, I actually thought this guy was just an unfortunate-looking girl. A perfect example of a young kid who should have waited another year or two before auditioning. Just a ridiculous performance.

Jason Castro - Completely digging the dreads - huge fan. I was totally - surprisingly - impressed with his performance! I thought it was awesome that he had the guts to go out there with a guitar. Without the guitar, it would have been laughable, I think, but his take this time really worked. Very simple, but very good. He's very fun to watch - and I loved that a guy we've hardly seen at all thus far had "one of the top two performances of the night" according to Simon. Not cool - in my book - that he compared him to David Archuleta, though.

Michael Johns - Having a guy like Michael in the competition kinda makes it a waste of time for the other dudes. I love how his talent just doesn't even seem to phase him whatsoever. Completely effortless. Just totally awesome performance tonight - really, really wonderful.

I'm saying that Jason Yeager and Luke Menard will be voted out this round.