It's Idol Time Again!
The top 12 guys performed on American Idol last night. Some of them really impressed me and a few surprised me (both good and bad), but most of them were pretty generic. Here's my take...

Rudy Cardenas - "Free Ride" - His performance was pretty much like watching karaoke. I wasn't impressed with his singing or his clothing, an unflattering dark blue jacket over a target (not Target) shirt.

Brandon Rogers - "Rock with You" - I didn't like his song choice, but his voice is really good. He's in the top half of my list.

Sundance Head - "Nights in White Satin" - I've liked him since his first audition, but he needs to go back to his bluesy sound again. I like this song, but it was a boring performance. He's still near the top of my list; I just hope he'll be around a while.

Paul Kim - "Careless Whisper" - Okay, I'll admit it - I like this song. And I liked Wham! back in the day. And George Michael (in the early days). He seemed to be doing okay until he tried to go high. Uh, don't go there. I'm not wild about him right now.

Chris Richardson - "I Don't Want to Be" - I like the song, but his singing wasn't that good. I'm not sure how he made it this far. Being compared to Justin Timberlake doesn't make me like him much, either.

Nick Pedro - "Now and Forever" - Boring song. He's got a good voice (it reminds me a little of Rod Stewart), but it was another karaoke performance.

Blake Lewis - (I can't remember his song) - Wow! What a surprise! I was so sure he'd go in there and do his beatboxing thing again, which I find very annoying. He has a really good voice! He's actually moved up on my list.

Sanjaya Malakar - (some Stevie Wonder song, ugh!) - Boring performance and really bad song choice. Anything Stevie Wonder (or Michael Jackson) makes me cringe. I like him, but he needs to be more enthusiastic, more upbeat. He's probably going to go pretty far into the competition because of all the little girl votes.

Chris Sligh - (I don't know the song, but I really liked it!) - This guy was a nice surprise at his audition. He's got a great voice and really showed it last night. I think he needs to grow out his hair (can we say massive curls?!?) and wear it in a ponytail. He's near the top of my list.

Jared Cotter - (a Brian McKnight ballad that got old fast) - He was doing okay, then he hit some really bad notes. I cringed. He's generic.

A J Tabaldo - (missed his song, as I was on the phone) - I'm not impressed with him for some reason.

Phil Stacey - "I Could Not Ask for More" - He sang to his wife in the audience, and she just beamed. He missed the early birth of his daughter while auditioning, so I was really glad he's got a good voice and made it through to the top 24. He's near the top of my list, and hopefully last night's performance will keep him in.

I found a link to DialIdol where you can see the predictions from the previous night's votes. If I read the results right, it looks like Paul Kim and Nicholas Pedro are the bottom two; it shows Sundance Head in the lead...

Tonight the ladies perform. As of now, here's who I'm liking: Melinda Doolittle and Jordin Sparks. (I'm still surprised Antonella Barba made it to the top 24...) I'll know more after watching tonight's performances.