American Idol

It’s going to be a big night. Finally, after weeks of terrible auditions and getting the crowd narrowed to this point, the finals are beginning. American Idol Season 7 really has arrived.

Tonight the Top 12 will perform on the biggest stage in the show’s history, and they’ll perform from a catalog of Lennon-McCartney tunes. It’s going to be a big one.

7:08 p.m.

Syesha Mercado

The first singer up is Syesha Mercado, who performs Gotta Get You Into My Life. I have thought Syesha was a standout among the females for weeks, but this song may have been a bad choice. It’s a difficult one to showcase her true vocal talent, it seems.

“Syesha, you know you’re a good singer,” Paula said. “… It started off-pitch … but, midway through, you found your zone.”

“I thought it was better than alright, Randy,” Simon said. “I thought it was a great choice of song.”

7:16 p.m.

Chikezie Eze

Chikezie Eze is up next. His choice is She’s A Woman, which he turns into a bit of a bluegrass jam. It seems like a bizarre fit for Chikezie’s personality and his style, but … you know what? … it kind of works really well. I have to say I really thought he should be gone a few weeks ago. But tonight he really stepped it up and proved he deserved a spot in the Top 12. Interesting, if nothing else.

“I was thoroughly entertained,” Randy said. “… I loved the arrangement. … Who knew you had the falsetto? Chikezie smashed it.”

“I’m really surprised, but I actually agree with these two,” Simon said.

Ramiele Malubay

Now, it’s Ramiele Malubay’s chance to prove she deserves her spot in the Top 12. Her song choice is In My Life, which she dedicated to her close friends who have left the show. After a couple of not-so-incredible weeks, Ramiele’s sweet, tender voice is back this week. And now is when it really counts. None of the contestants can afford to have a bad week now, and Ramiele certainly didn’t have a bad week. I don’t want to say I think this was the season-winning performance, but I certainly think it will be remembered. And it likely will be highly downloaded at iTunes.

“I kept waiting for you to do something special and interesting …” Randy said.

“It was pretty safe,” Paula said.

“Ramiele, I was bored to tears throughout the entire song,” Simon said.

I’m not sure what’s happening the last couple of weeks, but I seem to not be hearing the same things as the judges. Maybe I’m so caught up in blogging that I’m missing something here?

7:33 p.m.

Jason Castro

He’s proven he could be a true force in the competition, and Jason Castro still is struggling with the attention. Tonight he performs If I Fell, a song he says is “so pretty.” This performance is not as impressive as Jason’s previous showings, but I think it’s enough to keep him in the competition for another week or two.

“I liked it; I didn’t love it,” Randy said.

“What is so special and unique about you is I do feel your heart,” Paula said. “That is such a special connection that makes you truly unique.”

“Jason, last week you were incredible,” Simon said. “This week, if I’m being honest with you, it was all very much student in a bedroom at midnight.”

7:44 p.m.

Carly Smithson

After another commercial break, we’re back. And it’s Carly Smithson taking the stage. It’s a song she regularly performs at her own shows, and tonight Carly brings her version of Come Together to America. This week the good Carly returns. Her performance is interesting, different and not too over-produced. It actually seems like an original, definitely cool, performance. I like it. A lot.

“That felt amazing, didn’t it?” Randy asked. “… You were strong, you were confident, you sounded amazing. There wasn’t a note out of tune.”

“Week after week, so far, I think you have chosen the wrong song … until now,” Simon said. “… This reminds me, six years ago, exactly the same week, Kelly Clarkson.”

7:54 p.m.

David Cook

David Cook, the first of the three Davids, is up next. Not only did he have the best week last week, but David is undergoing a big transformation in the fashion department week after week. That’s a big part of the competition, too. (Need I remind everyone of the Clay Aiken transformation?)

Anyway, as far as the singing, David is a good singer and performer. But it’s a little tough to top last week. Tonight’s performance was passable, but not spectacular. OK, I lie. It was pretty amazing.

“You can definitely rock out on Idol,” Randy said. “That proves it right there.”

“This is proving there’s more than one horse in this race,” Paula said.

“David, I thought it was brilliant,” Simon said.

8:03 p.m.

Brooke White

Brooke White is up, and she’s singing one of my favorite Beatles songs, Let It Be. First off, I’m giving her big points for playing the piano. I think it’s a cool addition this season that contestants are showing their overall music talent, not just the vocals and stage presence. Brooke certainly is starting her Top 12 journey off on a few good notes. Let It Be not only is a great song choice, but the performance is a soft, gentle one that already is guaranteed to be one of the best from the females left standing.

“So, listen, I don’t know if it’s your strongest performance,” Randy said. “This is kind of like a dream come true for you.”

“This is your niche, Brooke,” Paula said. “It’s picking songs where we can feel your heart, America can feel your heart.”

“I thought, Brooke, it was, again, one of the best performances of the night,” Simon said. “I thought it was a brilliant choice of song.”

8:14 p.m.

David Hernandez

He shares a hometown with Season 6 winner Jordin Sparks, and now it’s David Hernandez’s turn to give it a go. He chose to perform I Saw Her Standing There as his opening number for the finals. It may have been a smart move, since it’s a song everyone knows — even the youngest Idol viewers — but it also is a little dangerous, because it’s an obvious karaoke favorite. Tonight’s performance, while acceptable, isn’t a knockout. I blame song choice, but I think David should survive this week.

“On a song like this that’s really simple, you kind of did too much with it,” Randy said.

“David, you know I love your voice,” Paula said. “I feel like you overdid it a little bit.”

“David, no, no, no,” Simon said. “I thought it was corny, verging on desperate. It was all a little bit rabbit in the headlights. It just wasn’t very cool.”

8:24 p.m.

Amanda Overmyer

Tomorrow night, we’ll hear from Katharine McPhee on the results show. But first, Amanda Overmyer has to take her turn on the stage. She’s the resident nurse/biker chick and the resident female rocker of the season, but how will she handle the finals? She chooses You Can’t Do That to prove she deserves her spot here among some of the best singers to ever stand on the Idol stage.

For those who enjoy Amanda’s style, this is right up their alley. For folks like me, I’m just not getting it. Not that I think she’s terrible, I just don’t see the appeal. It’s a little screamy to me tonight. Sorry, Amanda fans. I may be missing something here, too …

“I love it, dude,” Randy said. “Good looking out. I thought it was cool, very cool.”

“You are a star up there,” Paula said. “This is the best competition, the best season of talent.”

“I didn’t think it was as good as last week, Amanda,” Simon said. “And I understood about 30 percent of what you were saying. … And it all got a little shouty.”

8:34 p.m.

Michael Johns

With three contestants left tonight, it’s Michael Johns‘ turn. The Australian chose a song that has significance to his life. That song is Across the Universe. Another one of the most-popular songs from the collection, it is an extremely wise choice for tonight’s show. It’s somewhat current, considering last year’s movie by the same title, and it like is known by many generations of Idol fans. As far as the performance, I don’t think it’s anything too memorable. But I don’t really get a good sense of where Michael stands in the competition, either. Let’s see what the judges have to say …

“I was waiting for something big to happen,” Randy said. “It was OK for me. A little sleepy, but it was alright.”

“I disagree with you, again, Randy,” Paula said. “… I thought that was a brilliant performance, I really do.”

“I’m going to agree with Randy,” Simon said. “Carly did something brilliant with the song, and that’s what you should have done.”

Kristy Lee Cook

Now, it’s Kristy Lee Cook. She’s planning on taking Eight Days a Week into the country genre. While it’s a bit different, I think Kristy Lee is pretty brave for making the move. It’s tough to say if it was a brilliant move. It certainly is a country performance. My biggest problem with the performance, really, is it seems it could be little too safe, but she kind of ruined her chance. It seemed, at times, she was trying to speed it up and add a little too much flair. It was a complete wreck, though.

“This is kind of wild for me,” Randy said. “… Vocally, I just felt like you were trying to force some runs into it. … I’m kind of torn with this one.”

“Kristy, I didn’t enjoy it, and I’ll tell you why,” Paula said.

“You sounded like Dolly Parton on helium,” Simon said. “Sorry. Kristy, it was a very brave, but probably foolish thing to do.”

8:50 p.m.

David Archuleta

David Archuleta will close the show, which makes me wonder — how do they decide who opens and who closes? What’s the true deciding factor on the order of performances? Does it have anything to do with the fact David is one of the obvious favorites? Or is it just a coincidence. Just wondering your thoughts …

But, on to the performance. David’s song choice is We Can Work It Out, which he claims he knows better as a Stevie Wonder recording. Off to a rough start, David seemed to struggle with the lyrics in the beginning of the song. And he is visibly very uncomfortable on stage. For a kid with such confidence — and a great set of pipes — tonight was not a shining moment for this teenager. Even after Kristy Lee Cook, it was not good. At all, really.

“This week, dawg, it was not on pointe,” Randy said. “… It just didn’t quite work.”

“You know what, this wasn’t your best week,” Paula said. “You are a frontrunner in this competition.”

“David, we’ve got 12 people here, all in the same position,” Simon said. “That was a mess. … It was just all over the place.”

WHO GETS MY VOTE: This is a tough one, really. I have to say I’m really digging Brooke White these days. Of course, I have been equally impressed with David Cook in the last two weeks.

MOST IMPROVED: Chikezie Eze. Without question. Tonight’s performance was a pleasant surprise.

WHO SHOULD GO: Kristy Lee Cook should probably pack her bags. But Michael Johns and even David Hernandez shouldn’t get too comfortable. Based on several factors, these guys could be in a little trouble, too.

American Idol, Michael Johns, Kristy Lee Cook, Amanda Overmyer, Ramiele Malubay, David Cook, Chikezie Eze, David Hernandez, Brooke White, Syesha Mercado, Carly Smithson, David Archuleta, Jason Castro