Melissa McGhee - forgettable Melissa Etheridge impersonation (on a Faith Hill song no less). Did cleavage get her through Hollywood?

Kinnik Sky - forgettable with pitch problems and the worst scooper of the evening -- one of her big notes started in Florida and ended up in Maine. Also, just a hideous dress (no one should not be allowed to wear floor length denim). She might want to look less like RuPaul next time -- provided there is a next time.

Heather Cox - Sounded better with laryngitis. Also, not as pretty as Paula thinks. She did that thing where she started out below her range so she could hit the big note in her sweet spot except -- she never hit anything and just sounded washed out and off key for the whole performance.

Brenna Gethers - No big notes, no reason to listen, not really on key. And yes, she's actually more annoying than Mikkalah was last year, trotting out some tired "I'm a diva -- don't you love me?" act that's soooo 2005. And we hate you.

Becky O'Donohue - Just horrific. Worse than I expected. She's a pooper -- that is, she does the "I'm pooping" pose, where she bends at the knees like she's doing a squat. Not attractive.

Stevie Scott - Wow. Sounded like Enya... with laryngitis. Off-key to boot. Also makes Mick Jagger faces at the judges and I would be shocked if performed again next week. BTW, she's trained in opera. Just in case you didn't get that the hundreth time she mentioned it. Definitely the weirdest ever performance on Idol -- was this a joke?

Ayla Brown - Surprisingly good. Not great, but good enough to make it to the top 12. Can't hit the big notes that linger with the audience, but competent enough to beat off the other fodder.

The cannon fodder group are below the Pickler line, that is, the level of talent & likability possessed by Kelly Pickler, thus ensuring that she gets through the to top 12. I'm pretty sure there were enough better singers in Hollywood week to replace those 7 slots, but they would have been above the Pickler line (although admittedly, they all sound the same -- Christina or Alicia Keys clones).

Kellie - Better than I expected, but her range is limited and she can't hit those big, sweeping notes. Likability only gets you so far, and she's the least talented of the contenders. Also chickened out on the last note, going falsetto instead of ripping one (probably because she cracked during one of the high notes). She's okay in the middle, but when she goes up top, there's nothing there.

Mandisa - Should not confuse "rock out" with "yelling sharply". Also should not "rock out" anymore. Not her forte. Also, that outfit was distracting. I've never seen anything like that before. Did not hold a candle to Carrie's "Alone".

Lisa - Now, this is just baffling to me. My contention is that Lisa is too young/immature to really give a performance that hits you emotionally. She's also so trained and polished (Star Search, etc) that she has a good voice but a beauty pageant plasticity that really reveals how young she is. That part still holds. The part that baffles me is that she was just awful -- she all over the place pitch-wise and at one point started to build up, tore the mike off the stand, took a step forward and then... nothing. Like she pulled back -- like a skater starting a quad and then doubling at the last moment. And yet, the judges gushed all over her. I know that the acoustics are different live than on TV, but this performance was below the Pickler line.

Paris - Now, this is the other baffling thing. Lisa is too young and she shows it, and yet Paris is less than a year older but totally brings it on every level. I concur that she was physically too bouncy/dancy, but it was the kind of performance that put a huge involuntary smile on my face. My wife stuck out her arms to show me the goosebumps and squealed in delight. It was one of the best ever first peformances on AI, and if this is par for her, how can she not win it all? My co-worker was floored by the way she made the song it her own, changing the arrangement and changing key multiple times without any pitch problems. I was just totally impressed regardless. Hands down, best performance of the night.

Katherine - Another really good performance, but stiff -- she stood stock still in the same pose for the first 8 measures. When she did move, she settled into a pooping pose. She has a great voice, but doesn't connect with me emotionally and there are times when you can see the machinery working -- like there are pistons cranking and steam shooting out, compared to Paris's effortless grace. I don't know if she's endearingly goofy or annoyingly high strung. I think it's the former, but it could change.