Jessie Langseth kicked things off with Rufus’ “Tell Me Something Good,” a somewhat odd song choice but Jessie wanted to bring her sexiest best to the table. But it was really just okay. Randy said as much, calling it “not great and just aight,” Kara said she likes Jessie’s swagger, Paula said she likes her tenacity (uh-oh, swagger and tenacity?), and Simon said that while it was better than her previous performance, it was a bit self-indulgent.

Matt Giraud was next and he had butchered Coldplay last week, but this time he stuck to his R&B roots with a very good version of the Jacksons’ “Who’s Loving You.” Kara said Matt can riff and it was a great vocal, Paula said it was the right song, Simon said it was a billion times better than last week but that he didn’t like Matt’s outfit, and Randy correctly pointed out that everyone in the finals should be afraid of Matt right now. Well said, Mr. Jackson.

Megan Corkrey sang KT Tunstall’s “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” and honestly, I didn’t think it was very good at all. Plus, Megan does this weird, side-to-side shaking thing that some might call dancing. Paula said it was the right song, Simon said he likes Megan and that she brings something different to the table, Randy said it wasn’t the best vocal but a good choice and Kara said that we all need Megan in the competition. Talk about pre-determining the results. I’m sorry, she was not that good.

Von Smith sang Elton John’s “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word” and it was all dark and gloomy and weird. But dude has great pipes. Simon said it was a bit boring, Randy said it was pitchy at first and too serious, Kara said she wasn’t crazy about the song choice and Paula said Von didn’t “let go” enough. Dude is toast.

Jasmine Murray was next and sang Christina Aguilera’s “Reflection.” Christina would fall into that Stevie Wonder/Whitney Houston category, meaning you have to be amazing to match the original version of the song. Remember that Jasmine is only 17, and she really did a damn good job with it. But she is not quite great yet. Randy said it was pitchy in spots but 100% better than last time, Kara said Jasmine has a big voice, Paula said she looked lovely and was determined, and Simon said the other judges weren’t giving Jasmine enough credit and that he thought it was “special.” That’s Simon practically giving Jasmine a spot in the finals.

Ricky Braddy has a sick voice, and by that I mean awesome. He sang Stevie’s “Superstitious” and just nailed it. Kara said Ricky can sing his butt off, Paula said Ricky loosened up and nailed it, Simon said it sounded good but was somewhat like karaoke (yep, Simon made up his mind about Ricky before he sang), and Randy said it was not quite right. What? Guys, if Megan was better or more compelling than Ricky I will eat this blog I’m writing.

Tatiana Del Toro was next and I thought for sure she would be put through automatically. But Tatiana made a huge mistake, singing Whitney’s “Saving All My Love For You,” the same song she sang not once, but twice before. I knew the judges were going to call her out on it too. Paula said that even though she repeated the song it was powerful, Simon was disgusted that she did the same song again, Randy said it was rough in spots, and Kara called it the “adventures of Tatiana.”

Anoop Desai was last and I was pulling for him big-time. I just love this kid. He sang Bobby Brown’s “My Perogative” and while it wasn’t knocked out the park, it was maybe an inside the park home run. Simon said that Anoop isn’t the best singer around, but he is enthusiastic and that people like him, Randy said it was better than last time, Kara said she wanted to dance, and Paula said Anoop is a great showman and that everyone loves him. Judging by the studio audience reaction, I would agree with that.

So then the results, and with no America voting, the judges had very little time to deliberate. Jasmine Murray, in to the finals. Ricky Braddy, going home, and that kind of bummed me out. Megan and Tatiana were next, and one of them was through. I had predicted Tatiana going through, but not after the judges’ reaction to the performances last night. Megan, going through, Tatiana going home, but not before she bowed before the judges and started crying. Ugh, make her go away, please! Jessie and Von, both going home and neither was a huge surprise. Then they had Matt and Anoop stand up, and in the tiniest corner of the back of my mind, I had a weird feeling that they might let them both in. First they said that Matt was in, but then Simon said, “Anoop, I want you to know that……..real pause……we’ve decided to make it a Final 13 this year!” The place went crazy, and so did Mrs. Mike and I. Great job, Simon and the rest of the judges…..you guys, aside from Megan, picked a great bunch to compete with Danny, Alexis, Michael, Allison, Kris, Adam, Jorge, Scott and Lil. Wow, come to think of it, there are 8 dudes and only 5 girls in the finals.

But here we go to the finals starting Tuesday….are you all ready??

First, there was another group performance of a song I didn’t recognize but Mrs. Mike liked. I think she liked the song and not the delivery, because these group numbers are just bad musical theater. Anyway, it was straight to the results….Lil Round, in the Top 12. That left 11 others dangling and only two chairs to fill. Ryan Seacrest had Arianna, Taylor, Alex, Kendall and Scott all stand up and announced that one of them was in the finals. Uh-oh…by my notes, only Scott really had a chance to make it, with Kendall being a long-shot. So Arianna, Taylor and Alex were all told to sit back down, and it came down to Kendall and Scott. Naturally, it was Scott who made it, and not because he’s a great vocalist, because he’s not. Scott is something like 95% blind, and the judges did this fake drooling over Scott on Tuesday night to ensure that America voted him through. I know this because I’m halfway done reading “Chart Throb” and becoming more and more cynical about how this show works behind the scenes. And I’m getting pissed because I know Felicia or even Kristin deserved that spot more than Scott did.

Then it was Nathaniel and Kristin to stand up and both get the boot together, and then the same with Felicia and Von. Bummer, they were both decent. Finally it was Jorge and Ju’Not. I thought they were both great but that Jorge had an extra special something on Tuesday. We’ll find out what happens after the break….but wait, Ryan Seacrest wasn’t going to break, and there were 20 minutes left in the show….he announced Jorge was going through and Ju’Not was going back to the couch. So there you go….Lil, Scott and Jorge. I’m not upset about Lil and Jorge, but I am upset about Scott. Way to go, judges, you got what you wanted.

Then it was on to the wild card selection, and the judges brought back some of the semi-finalists who were voted off the last two weeks…there would be 8 wild cards who are going to perform tonight for the last three seats in the finals…and since there is no results show tomorrow, I’m guessing that this will totally be the judges’ call, and that scares me. Here’s why….

The judges selected Von Smith first, and while I can understand why, they didn’t select either Kristin or Felicia, and in fact chose no one else from Round 3! The others were Jasmine Murray, who had show such promise but chose an awful song last week….Ricky Braddy, who I thought was amazing in Round 1…Megan, who sang last week and has some appeal but not that much…Tatiana, who, we all know, was picked by the show’s producers to get more amazing footage of her telling us it’s “her dream” and crying and panting and crying some more (sorry, go read “Chart Throb” yourself!)…..Matt Giraud, who has a great voice but butchered Coldplay last week…Jessie Langseth, who has some good qualities but who really shouldn’t be a finalist….and finally, Anoop, and I admit I was pulling for this kid more than anyone.

If the judges really do have the final say tonight, your wild card finalists are going to be Jasmine, Tatiana and Anoop. It doesn’t matter what Von, Ricky, Megan, Matt or Jessie sing or how good they sing it. My cynic meds taste good, and I’m taking them because I hate seeing very good talent go home at the expense of TV ratings. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it…see you all tomorrow with the recap!

THE GOOD

Alison Iraheta is only 16 and as Simon Cowell correctly pointed out, she looked out of her element when Ryan Seacrest was interviewing her, and then when she took the stage she was a completely different person. This girl has unbelievable vocal ability at such a young age, and last night she sang Heart’s “Alone.” Randy said she “blew it out of the box,” Kara said Alison doesn’t know how good she is, Paula said she was the best so far (she went fifth), and Simon said she was the best so far by a mile. Alison would not have advanced last week, but with the way last night’s semi-finalists performed, she has a great shot now.

Kris Allen is a 23 year old dude from Arkansas, so you wouldn’t expect him to sing Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror,” would you? I was scared, but dude pulled it off nicely. It was rough at the start but he really nailed it as a whole and could be a dark horse. Kara said she thought it was the wrong song, Paula disagreed and so did Simon, saying Kris showed confidence, and Randy said he did a nice job without his guitar, as he had done before in Hollywood.

Adam Lambert closed things out with a wild version of The Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction.” This guy is a pretty boy who has a theater background, and his voice is just monstrous. But the performance last night was a bit over the top and if he can rein things in a bit, he could go really far. Paula said she loved it and was practically drooling, Simon said parts were excruciatingly bad and parts were brilliant, Randy loved it too but said parts were overdone, and Kara said Adam’s vocal ability is great.

THE IN-BETWEEN

Nick Mitchell (a.k.a. Norman Gentle) sang some song I’d never heard of, but it doesn’t matter what he sings. This guy is all about the show, and he turned in maybe the weirdest performance the show has ever seen, almost making love to the “American Idol” logo. If Nick would ditch the Norman routine for once, he might actually have a decent career, because he can sing. But he doesn’t know how to shut off the theatrics. Simon said it was “atrocious” and that he is praying Nick doesn’t make it through, Randy said he was entertaining, Kara said Nick was memorable, and Paula said he was different and fun. Whatever, if he makes it to the finals it’s because America’s jokers voted him in.

Megan Joy Corkrey is a 23 year old mom with tattoos all up and down her right arm, and she sang Corinne Bailey Rae’s “Put Your Records On” and did a decent job, albeit with some weird stage moves. Paula said it was the right song and Megan is hip, Simon said she oversang parts of it, Randy said Megan was interesting, and Kara said she was very unique and could be a breakout artist depending on how things shake out in this competition.

Matt Breitzke is that big, burly welder dude and sang Tonic’s “If You Could Only See” as if he were a singer in a classic rock cover band. Seriously. It wasn’t horrible, but was just so bland. Simon said he likes Matt but hated that performance, telling him he chose the wrong song and would have advised him against it if he had the chance. Matt disagreed, but I think America will prove Simon right. Randy said it was a boring performance and not what Matt is capable of, Kara said he didn’t show enough, and Paula agreed with Kara.

Jessie Langseth is a 26 year old mom of an 8 year old girl, and she has a real natural beauty about her, but is quirky as well. Jessie sang Kim Carnes’ “Bette Davis Eyes” and it wasn’t bad but wasn’t awesome either. Randy said it was just okay and didn’t blow him away, Kara said Jessie took some risks and had some good moments, Paula said she was “captivating,” and Simon said he thought she was forgettable.

Kai Kalama sang the ’60’s classic “What’s Become of the Broken-Hearted” and he has a nice voice but it was such a mediocre performance and song choice. Kara said there were some pitch issues but that Kai gave a good effort, Paula also said he was pitchy, Simon said it was old-fashioned and corny, and Randy said he thought it was much too safe of a song choice. I have to agree with both Simon and Randy.

Mishavonna Henson is a 17 year old girl who auditioned last year and didn’t make it, but did so this time. She sang Train’s “Drops of Jupiter” and even as she announced the song I wanted to scream. A young girl singing a male rock band song? Just so weird. Paula said she didn’t like the song choice but that Mishavonna sang it well, Simon said she seemed serious but that something was “off,” Randy said Mishavonna came across as much older than 17, and Kara said she didn’t loosen up enough.

THE BAD

Jasmine Murray had so much promise and kicked things off last night with Sara Bareilles’ “Love Song,” and it was, sadly, all over the place pitch-wise. Was this really the same Jasmine Murray we expected to land in the Top 12 with ease? Randy said it was both good and bad but definitely pitchy, Kara said it was all over the place and not her best, Paula agreed with Kara, and Simon said he was disappointed and that maybe Jasmine isn’t ready for this yet.

Matt Giraud went next and this is the soulful singer who is a dueling piano player by day. Matt sang Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida” and it was so totally the wrong song choice for him. Kara said Matt blew us all away in Hollywood but not with that performance, Paula said it was a risky song choice, Simon said it was verging on horrible, and Randy said we all know Matt has talent but that he agreed with the other three judges.

Jeannine Vailes, who many of us I’m sure never saw in the opening auditions or in Hollywood, sang Maroon 5’s “This Love,” and it was positively the worst performance of the night. I mean, it was downright painful to watch. Paula said Jeannine has great legs but made no reference to the performance and for good reason, Simon said it was terrible and the wrong song choice, Randy also said it was the wrong song, and Kara said it was way overdone. Jeannine begged America for a second chance, and in fact many of the contestants last night did this. But it begs the question, WHY DIDN’T YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR CHANCE NOW????

Anyway, some mediocre showings last night may be good for a trip to the finals, because some were just so bad that it made everyone else look better. I think Adam is a slam dunk to make it through, and I like Alison and Kris to take the other two spots, with possibly Megan or Jessie or even Nick grabbing the third spot. For that matter, I wouldn’t be entirely surprised if Megan was the top female and Alison didn’t make it. It should be interesting to see how this one shakes out, and we’ll see you tomorrow with the recap!