American Idol

Is this year’s talent the best yet? We’re about to find out as the Top 12 guys compete live for the first time this season on American Idol.

7:01 p.m.
The Top 12 girls are waiting in the wings, and Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell are ready to give their critics. It’s only a matter of time before Paula yells “touchdown” or Simon says someone sounds like a karaoke singer. It’s almost all too predictable. But I love it.

“I’m looking for personality, originality and, obviously, you’ve gotta sing well,” Simon says. Obviously.

Tonight, the contestants will sing songs from the 1960s. These themes certainly are what can make — or break — any contestant.

7:09 p.m.

David Hernandez is the first up this week. The 24-year-old is from Glendale, Ariz., home of last year’s Idol winner, Jordin Sparks. Could lightning strike twice in the same city? We’ll see.

He certainly has a voice unlike anyone who’s been in the competition before. This early in the competition, though, it’s tough to see David as a leader of the pack. He is the first we’re seeing live, after all. The plus side is that David seems to have control over his voice; whether he’s singing high or low, he has it in control.

“You’ve got brilliant vocals to rely on,” Paula says. “… Really cool. Really cool. Good job.”

Chikezie Eze during his Season 7 audition. The jeans and T-shirt look certainly was a lot better than a tangerine-colored suit.

Chikezie, formerly known as Chikezie Eze, is next up. The 22-year-old college student from California made it to Hollywood Week last year, but he didn’t give up. And it worked out for Season 7.

When it comes to cheesy suits, Chikezie already is on top of his game. Didn’t the stylists explain looks are important in this competition? Tangerine suits aren’t the way to go, either. But on to the vocals. I have to say Chikezie has a good voice, but his song tonight doesn’t make him stand out way above the competition … at least not in my books.

“It was pretty good, man,” Randy says. “… You can definitely sing.”

“I absolutely hated the whole performance, and I’ll tell you why,” Simon said. “The suit is hideous. …” (See, I’m already aligned with Simon.)

7:25 p.m.

David Cook is up. One of this year’s rockers, David is a Missouri resident and bartender hoping to make a difference in the competition. Already, he’s a favorite among many fans — and the judges.

Tonight, David performs Happy Together by the Turtles. This well-known tune certainly was not what I would have expected from the resident rocker. But what would Chris Daughtry sound like singing this song? Maybe not so unlike David. I’m not sure what to think at this point, honestly. I guess it was OK.

“I thought it was good,” Simon said. “I thought you shouted the song a little …”

So far, there haven’t been too many truly negative comments. Maybe the judges are giving contestants a little time to settle into a live audience.

7:34 p.m.

Jason Yeager during his original audition.

Jason Yeager, another contestant we haven’t gotten to learn much about, is up next. The 28-year-old is a singing server, and he took his son to the audition to experience the dream.

Jason’s song choice tonight is Moon River, a classic that’s tough to perform as a little-known musician, especially on a show such as Idol. There’s no doubt he has a voice, but the next Idol? I’m not sure it’s there. At least not at this point. He did have a strong closing, though.

Let’s see what the judges have to say.

“… It’s a tough song to sing, probably tougher than you probably thought,” Randy said. “… You had a couple of problems with that song pitch-wise.”

7:46 p.m.

Robbie Carrico, the guy who once dated Britney Spears, has gone from boy bander to rocker. Tonight, Robbie even mentioned touring with Britney, something that makes him stand out (good or bad) from many others in the competition. He certainly has some professional credit — and he’s not alone — coming into the competition.

His rendition of One is different than any other version I have heard of the song, and it doesn’t really make the bandana-wearing Carrico seem all that rocker-esque. Right now, I can’t really take this guy seriously.

“I think you picked the perfect song for you,” Paula said. “… The vocals, they weren’t over the took, they were right in the pocket where they should be.”

Simon, in his own way, said the performance was the best thus far. He also doubted the rocker vibe Carrico puts off. And I agree.

David Archuleta, a singer who allegedly had a recording contract before making the Idol finals, has certainly been a favorite. The teenager chose Shop Around for his first live song on the show, and it certainly was a good choice. Of course, his young, innocent sound would work on just about any hit from the 1960s. Could David be the next Idol winner? Well, he certainly has the teenage girl and grandma votes cornered.

“You were just born with this gift,” Randy said. “… This dude is just ready to go.”

“When you got it, you got it,” Simon said. “… That was, by a comfortable mile, the best performance of the night so far.”

Without doubt, the judges are right. David is a little giggly and, dare I say, a little unbelievable as the “shy” kid. I’m not sure he’s completely full of himself, but I could see it coming soon. The “Oh, gosh” factor only goes so far with me. Sorry.

8 p.m.

Danny Noriega also was a Hollywood Week finalist during Season 6, but he was cut on the first day. So, could Season 7 be the one for this teen? Starting with Jailhouse Rock during 1960s week may not have been the best choice. The tempo of the song was a little too speedy for my taste, which makes me a little sad. I have to admit Danny is one of my favorites — because he’s young, has potential and isn’t completely full of himself. At least he doesn’t appear to be at this point.

“You know how to have a good time,” Randy said. “… It was an interesting song choice for me for you.”

“Danny, I thought the performance was verging on grotesque,” Simon said. “… The whole performance was hideous.”

I’m not sure I completely agree with Simon, but I do see his point of view. Tonight certainly didn’t showcase Danny’s best vocals; it did, however, get the judges in their first real fight of the night. Oh, it’s going to be good.

8:12 p.m.

Luke Menard at his initial Season 7 audition.

Luke Menard is one of the oldest contestants this season. The 29-year-old auditioned in Season 6 (this seems to be the story of the season) when he went to Memphis and didn’t do so well. This year, in Omaha, he got the golden ticket.

“This opportunity, it’s the chance of a lifetime,” Luke said. “… I came here to become the next American Idol.”

Tonight, his attempt to gain America’s votes came through a performance of Everybody’s Talkin’. It’s, perhaps, a lesser-known song, which could help out. Luke has a soft, simple voice. And good, strong looks to back up his character. But the performance tonight was not a good start for this Idol hopeful.

“In a nutshell, whether you were pitchy or not, it was forgettable,” Simon said. “… Nobody’s going to remember you.”

Next up, Colton Berry. Another competitor who hasn’t seen much air time thus far, Colton may be seen as the guy who stole the spots of a few other favorite contestants this season. So, will the 18-year-old stand out at this point?

Singing Elvis’ Suspicious Minds wearing crazy, bright blue pants (seriously, wardrobe matters, people) is not a great place to start in this competition. And the strange facial expressions? I have to say, at this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if Colton is one of the first to go. But that’s just me.

“It was nice to see a different side of you,” Paula said.

“It was OK; it wasn’t quite as bad as the other Elvis song,” Simon said. “… You have no relevance in today’s charts, in the music industry.”

“That was very karaoke,” Simon added. Ahh, I thought we were going to miss out on that tonight.

8:28 p.m.

Garrett Haley, another teenager in the competition, auditioned for Idol when he and his family was in San Diego on vacation. It seems to be working out for the 17-year-old from Ohio.

Even though he hasn’t been given too much camera time this season, I think Garrett has one of the better voices tonight. He chose a song that allowed him to sing — not just perform — and that’s especially important this early in the show. The Carpenters song Breaking Up Is Hard to Do certainly helped his case, too. Was he the best? Not necessarily. Should he be safe for another week? Absolutely.

“I love the song, but the thing that struck me with this performance here was you didn’t do anything with it,” Randy said. “… You’ve got to bring something new and interesting to it.”

“It was boring, your voice sounded a bit whiny, you looked a bit terrified …” Simon said.

Seriously, I didn’t think it was that bad.

8:39 p.m.

Jason Castro at his Dallas audition.

Jason Castro is taking advantage of this year’s addition of using instruments on stage. The 20-year-old says he only sang a handful of times in public before, well, tonight. So, what will this memorable performance entail?

Jason chose What a Day for a Daydream, and his voice certainly is matched well with the lyrics. Plus, playing a guitar, that definitely sets him apart from his competition. Even though I didn’t know much about this guy before, tonight he really put himself in a place to be one of my favorites this season.

“For me, you did blow me away,” Paula said. “… You picked a song that was absolutely perfect for you.”

“Jason, I thought that was in the top 2 performances of the night,” Simon said. “You, like David, have just got it.”

8:48 p.m.

The last performer of the night is Michael Johns, 29. The Australian still has his native accent, and he certainly seemed to be one of the strongest guys in the competition coming into tonight.

Light My Fire by The Doors is his song of choice. There’s no doubt Michael has the experience; he looks and acts like a seasoned performer on the stage. This easily looks like it could have been his sixth or seventh week in the competition. Personally, I didn’t love it. But it was a great performance.

“You just throw all caution to the wind,” Randy said. “You’re always you. … You were the bomb tonight, baby. That was hot.”

“I would say, Michael, you are the most consistent contestant we’ve had,” Simon said.

WHO GETS MY VOTE: Tonight, I have to give it up for Jason Castro. It’s tough to pick just one, but that’s who can count on getting phone votes from me. Playing the guitar and making the song his own, as Paula would say, made him tonight’s definite standout. (I also may make a few calls for Danny Noriega, who made a bad song choice tonight. He definitely needs to be remembered for his earlier work.)

WHO SHOULD GO: Without question, I think Chikezie Eze and Colton Berry are at major risk for being the two guys eliminated this week. I also think Luke Menard could be in some trouble because of the criticism given to him by the judges.

American Idol, Michael Johns, Danny Noriega, Colton Berry, David Archuleta, Jason Castro, Robbie Carrico, David Cook, Luke Menard, Garrett Haley, Chikezie Eze, Jason Yeager, David Hernandez