American Idol Top 20 - Girls

I think I'm going to start opening and closing my AI posts like Ryan Seacrest. So...

THIS. Is American Idol.

First observations first. Simon sounds like he's fighting a little cold. Crystal looks like she's rebounded pretty well from her hospital stay. And I've got to admit that I'm a little upset that I won't be seeing Casey James perform tonight.

Crystal Bowersox (Credeence Clearwater's "Long As I Can See The Light") - Okay, first, she looks so pretty. Whoever convinced her to wear makeup was a genius. That's all I'll say about that. From the first note of this performance I felt like I was at an actual concert and not at an audition. Because let's face it. Every week on AI is just another audition. This girl is genius and her voice is insane. The arrangement of this song was brilliant. This is her vibe and I probably won't think twice about purchasing this one on iTunes, which is something I don't do often. She's my favorite of the season.

Haeley Vaughn (Miley Cyrus's "The Climb") - This is a predictable choice for her. And she kinda looks like Minnie Mouse a little. So Disney Channel, if you are watching, American Idol has the Miley Cyrus/Raven Samone combo you've been looking for. Hire her now.

This girl can definitely sing. She made it a little bit her own and I think it was better than last week. It started out great and then she just lost it a little towards the end. She's 16 though. She's got a long road ahead of her and she's got time to work. I can't believe Kara just compared her to Alex Lambert. That's apples and oranges Kara. Apples and oranges. She's a dead ringer for High School Musical 4: Frat-tastic Voyage.

And she's going to go backstage and cry now.

Lacey Brown (Sixpence None The Richer "Kiss Me") - The first two notes were horrible but it definitely got better. Kara's right. This is her vibe. I kind of agree with Randy that it was a little Karaoke but I also think it wasn't that bad. She sounded better than last week and she had great energy. There's just nothing that stands out for her to me except for her cute hair. Simon's right. I had really forgotten what she sang last week and forgot that she has that great tone. She's got to make her mark if she wants to stay. I'll go ahead and say she'll be back.

Katie Stevens (Corinne Bailey Rae's "Put Your Records On") - If I were her mom, I'd be a little afraid that she knows how to say "Give me a kiss" in six different languages and I'd never let her leave the country.

Cute shoes.

She reminds me a little of Katherine McPhee. Onto her performance, I liked it. Much better than last week, and I know I keep saying that but I guess that's the point of this competition. To be better every week. I kind of wish she would've sang a little Miley Cyrus myself. I liked it. But that's really all I have to say about it. I agree with Simon that she needs to find herself. But she's 17. I mean come on. I'm 26 and I still don't know who I am. So...

DiDi Renami - (Bill Withers' "Lean On Me") - Okay, I'm going to go ahead and admit that I remember her for her dress that she wore in the initial audition. And her story. I forgot that she had such a great sounding voice. There were a couple of pitch problems but she handled the song well. I just don't like when people sing songs like "Lean On Me" for American Idol because it makes it hard for me to take them seriously. I associate that song with youth camps and school assemblies. Not with American Idol. And the last time I heard someone cover that song was when DC Talk did it in the early 1990s. Two decades ago.

I love her voice but she needs to step it up if she's back next week.

Michelle Delamor (Creed's "With Arms Wide Open) - I love how everyone prays before they go on stage.

I was a little skeptical about this song selection and I think I was right. This was bad. Brave choice. But it just didn't seem right and something definitely went wrong at the end. That's all I'll say.

Except I see where Kara is coming from.

And I did like her outfit.

Lily Scott (Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come") - She's so authentic that it doesn't matter how she sounds. I thought last week's performance SOUNDED better but this was definitely emotionally (if that's the right word) better. She connected. She's still one of my favorites. She's got it, as Ellen just said. So talented and so marketable. Even her name is marketable. Nothing else to say.

Katelyn Epperly (Coldplay's "The Scientist") - Love Coldplay. Loved this. This was a good color on her. I was into it. It was a little slow but that's Coldplay. She's beautiful and I loved her voice tonight. She'll be back. If she had done what she did last week this week, she wouldn't be back. But she will be back.

Paige Miles (Kelly Clarkson's "Walk Away") - Chick can belt. She sounds a lot like Kelly Clarkson too. She's good. I noticed her tonight. When Ryan said "We'll be back with Paige," I was like, "Who is Paige?" What did she even do last week? I don't even remember from her package. I'll remember her now. I don't know what Simon was talking about.

Siobhan Magnus (Aretha Franklin's "Think") - Okay, she looks a little bit like Minnie Mouse too. She's kinda weird to me. I don't remember her from last week. What did she sing? I was about to say that I didn't like this one bit and then she pulled out the Adam Lambert screech-yell. And I actually liked it. And props to Ellen for the Snuggie analogy. Genius. She is a no inhibitions kinda person and it's great. But she's so weird!

So my top three are -- Crystal, Lily, and Katelyn with Paige really close behind.

My predictions about who is going home are -- Haeley and Michelle. DiDi is a possibility too. But I love her so much.

Okay...

Walden. Out.