Here’s a question for you: was Ryan introduced before the show last year? Because I don’t remember the voice that we’re hearing at the beginning of the show this year. It seems like Ryan was the one to introduce the judges last year. Maybe? I don’t know why I’m concerned about his, really – clearly I like to concern myself with things that DON’T MATTER AT ALL.

Also, I would just like to say that JLo’s make-up is perfection tonight. PERFECTION.

Ta-Tynisa Wilson – “Only You” – On a non-singing note, I’m starting to get the impression that the short skirts with crinolines underneath are gaining popularity with the younger set. And as far as the singing goes, I think that this song was a lot for Ta-Tynisa to tackle on her first Idol outing. She was flat in parts, and while she was energetic, at times it felt like she was rushing to catch up to the music.

Naima Adedapo – “Summertime” – I so appreciate that she didn’t try to do a repeat of Fantasia’s version of this song. She sounded great, put a nice little jazzy twist on things and seemed comfortable on the stage. There was a lot of spinning and twirling, but I think that’s probably part of her quirky style. And I love that she doesn’t sound like everybody else…she’s unique, and unique is good.

Kendra Chantelle – “Impossible” – I had no idea that she has such a crazy range. What she lacked tonight was confidence – reminded me a little bit of how Carrie Underwood just awkwardly stood there and sang the first few times she was on the show. I didn’t even mind that Kendra picked a ballad to sing on the first show, and I think she could be a real force if she makes it through a few more weeks.

Rachel Zevita – “Criminal” – I bet you didn’t know this, but “Criminal” is one of my all-time favorites – one of those songs that takes me right back to a very specific time in my life whenever I hear it. So I was excited to see that Rachel chose this song. That being said, I thought this performance was a little over the top – the cape at the beginning, the Broadway-ish arrangement – and it lost some of the magic of the original version. I think that Rachel is better than what we saw tonight.

Karen Rodriguez – “Hero” – There are few Idol song selections that fill me with as much fear and dread as “Alone” by Heart, “Hero” by Mariah Carey or any Whitney song. Karen went with what was initially a straightforward version of “Hero” – and then she broke into the Spanish. Pretty smart move if you ask me. She did a pretty good job with the notes and all that – but language variations aside, there wasn’t much original about the arrangement. Her voice sounded lovely, though.

Lauren Turner – “Seven Day Fool” – The Louisiana girl did her home state PROUD. Her performance was bluesy, soulful and memorable. She’s got to get used to being on the big stage, but her voice is huge – so rich and so different – and she has the potential to go a long way. Loved it.

Ashthon Jones – “Love Over Me” – So Ashthon decided to go with a ballad, and y’all know how I feel about that. The good news was that her ballad had some big notes to show off her big voice. The bad news was that she tried to interact with the crowd a lot, and that was a distraction (at least to me). I also thought the song was sort of hard to follow (I need a verse, a bridge, a chorus – and this felt more like two verses with something strange in the middle).

Julie Zorrilla – “Breakaway” – The Kelly Clarkson shoes are some mighty big shoes to fill – especially on the show that discovered Kelly Clarkson. Parts of this performance sounded nasal to me, and on the chorus it was sort of glaringly obvious that Julie’s voice isn’t nearly as strong as Kelly’s. By the end it felt a little bit like average karaoke – sort of all over the place and flat and not good. It’s a shame – because I think Julie is DARLIN’ PLUS. Just wasn’t her night for singing.

Haley Reinhart – “Fallin'” – She was so into this song that it made me a little uncomfortable a couple of times – I wondered if she was going to pull a Sally O’Malley and KICK and STRETCH and KICK. She hit the notes that she needed to hit, but it didn’t really sound much different than Alicia Keys’ version. If the arrangement had been just slightly more original, I think I would’ve liked the performance a lot more. Good for her, though, for tackling a big song and doing a nice job.

Thia Megia – “Out Here On My Own” – This was one of the first power ballads I ever heard, and I sang it into a hairbrush MANY times when I was growing up. I loved the simple arrangement; it highlighted the strength and the control in Thia’s voice. She was fantastic. And as a sidenote, might I add: adorable dress.

Lauren Alaina – “Turn On The Radio” – I was excited to see Lauren tonight just so I could see how she was wearing her hair (straight? curly? up-do?) and which accessories she’d chosen (hair flower? bracelets? big ring?). She picked a good song for her voice and her style, and she was so comfortable on stage that I forgot I was watching a 16 year-old. She was born to sing.

Pia Toscano – “I’ll Stand By You” – I don’t like this song very much, but I understand why she picked it. It showed off her big voice, and she did a good job (and a great job at the end). I wish the arrangement had been different or quirkier or something – but she nailed it, no doubt about it.

Best of the night: Laura, Thia, Pia
Might need a wildcard: Ta-Tynisa, Rachel, Julie

What did y’all think?

Giddy up, Idol fans.

And for the record, I apparently have been living in a cave. I didn’t know that the format was going to be so different this year (moving from top 24 to top 10 plus two wildcards this week). I also didn’t expect to see the big stage tonight, so just color me surprised all the way around.

Clint Jun Gamboa – “Superstitious” – Now y’all know I’m a sucker for some old school Stevie Wonder. It almost seemed like the band was too loud on this song, though – the horns especially were way louder than Clint’s vocals. He seemed really at ease and did a good job (I love an energetic start to the show); I just think that somebody needs to TURN DOWN THE BAND.

Jovany Barreto – “I’ll Be” – He looked really nervous at first but settled down about a third of the way through the song. The main thing for me was that there wasn’t anything really special about it. Not very memorable.

Jordan Dorsey – “OMG” – Jordan admitted that this song isn’t who he is as an artist. So here’s the lesson, young Jordan: pick a song that is you. Otherwise you end up doing gimmick-y stuff like taking off your jacket and not sounding nearly as good as you did during the auditions. I was disappointed.

{SIDENOTE: It would be ever so helpful if Idol would provide song titles. Why, you wonder? BECAUSE I’M OLD.}

Tim Halperin – “Come On Over” – I liked the song choice, and he did pretty well with it considering that his nerves had to have been completely out of control. He reminded me a little bit of Matt Wertz in this performance, and that is never a bad thing. Like Jovany, though, I’m not sure that he was memorable.

Brett Loewenstern – “Come On Baby Light My Fire” – Oh, I feel that picking a Jim Morrison song was a very bad call. Never a good thing to take an iconic song and make it karaoke-ish. However, I have to say that Brett’s hair looked fantastic, so that’s a positive. Based on what the judges said, I wasn’t sure if they saw the same performance that I did – it wasn’t nearly as good as they said it was. In my opinion.

James Durbin – “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin'” – Honestly, I’ve been a little worried that James would get on the big stage and fall apart. But he did a great job tonight. He was charismatic without being over the top, and he was dead-on with his notes. Really happy for him.

Robbie Rosen – “In The Arms Of An Angel” – I’ve said over and over that A Thoughtful Ballad isn’t the best approach for the first AI performance. Why? Because we get bored. We want bam! and pop! and zing! and wow! I thought he sounded uncertain and a little sharp in parts, and again, I felt like the judges heard something different than I did. Because it just wasn’t that good, my friends.

Scotty McCreery – “BABYLOCKTHEMDOORSANDTURN” – oh, wait – “Letters From Home” – Well, clearly Scotty already has the sit-on-a-stool-and-lean down pat, and that’s at least a quarter of the battle in terms of becoming a country music singer. He did a really nice job, and given the enthusiasm that teenage girls have for Scotty, I think he’s gonna be sittin’ right purty vote-wise in the weeks to come.

Stefano Langone – “Just The Way You Are” – He started off a little rough – like he was about two beats behind the music – but he eventually got on track and was much stronger for the rest of the song. The high notes were a little rough, and I’m not sure he set himself apart from the pack, but it was a’ight, dog.

Paul McDonald – “Maggie” – We saw so little of him in the audition rounds that it was hard for me to know if this was his usual sound. Regardless, I really liked him. He seemed comfortable, and I thought he put an interesting spin on the song – definitely one of the strongest of the night.

Jacob Lusk – “A House Is Not A Home” – He seemed the most at ease (and the most in tune) when he was going after big notes. He was less effective when he was singing the more understated parts of the song (like, for instance, the beginning). But sweet mercy – he has a big voice, and there were parts tonight where he sounded absolutely incredible…and maybe with time and practice he’ll be just as good with the more straightforward, simple parts.

Casey Abrams – “I Put A Spell On You” – I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it, but I’m sort of a fan of Casey’s. So even though our FOX affiliate had some technical difficulties and I missed at least a third of his performance, I can tell you that I loved the part that I heard. I wasn’t expecting his authority on the stage, but he had loads of it. LOADS OF IT. And also: I’ve never been more grateful for the YouTube.

Best of the night: Casey & James
May need the wild card to stay in it: Jovany, Jordan & Robbie
Biggest disappointment of the night: Our local FOX station, who seemed to be having all manner of satellite-related ISH-AHS.

What did y’all think?