TV Guide ran an opinion poll on readers' current pick to win the top prize. Here are the results:

40.4% David Archuleta
13.0% Jason Castro
11.2% David Cook
8.8% Michael Johns
8.5% Brooke White
6.6% Carly Smithson
3.3% David Hernandez
2.8% Kristy Lee Cook
2.4% Ramiele Malubay
1.7% Amanda Overmyer
1.0% Syesha Mercado
0.2% Chikezie

The Top 12 - first night of the finals. It turned out differently than I expected - which makes it interesting. People I expected to do well didn't, those I didn't care for did well, and some did exactly what I anticipated. And besides - it was Lennon/McCartney night!


Syesha - "Got To Get You Into My Life" - I thought she sounded good, but she is in the dreadest first spot on Top 12 night. Since this was not a blockbuster performance, I expect to see her in the bottom 3 and maybe even going home.


Chikezie - "She's A Woman" - What a great surprise! I loved this. Very unusual twist on the song -actuallt a couple of twists - and it was a lot of fun. Except for a bad last note, this was great.


Ramiele - "In My Life" - Vocally very solid, really pretty, but it lacked a punch she needed. It was another slow-paced song - wish she had gone more upbeat. I think she is in some trouble tonight.


Jason - "If I Fell" - I liked it, but it wasn't a solid vocal. He missed notes here and there, but he has an unusual quality that I love. Hope he stays.


Carly - "Come Together" - It was good. The judges fell all over themselves for her. But I am still not on the Carly train. She is very safe though.


David C - "Eleanor Rigby" - He was out of tune at the start, but did well afterwards. I could not understand the loud accolades he got from the judges though. Not feeling all that.


Brooke - "Let It Be" - Tonight she played the piano along with her vocal. She is a very interersting singer. I like her a lot. Her voice has a tendency to drop out here and there which I guess is her "style", intentional or not. But def want to keep her around.


David H - "I Saw Her Standing There" - As soon as I heard what he had chosen, I said "uh-oh". And rightly so. He is a great vocalist who did not sing well on this particular night. Sad, because I am not confident he has enough support to get past this. He is in trouble for tonight's elimination.


Amanda - "You Can't Do That" - I liked her kind of. She sang OK but it sounded like she had been to the dentist and the novacaine never wore off. Read that as - her enunciation was bad. My kid said he could not understand one word she sang. She is probably safe but I would not care if she was eliminated.


Michael - "Across The Universe" - IMO - the best he has done so far. The song really suited him and his vocal was solid. I think he needed that. As a front runner, his light was fading. This should bring him back.


Kristy Lee Cook - "8 days A Week" - I did something unusual after her performance. I often jot a note to myself about what I thought, and for this one I only wrote one word - UGH. I was going over in my mind what adjectives to use, and decided that one worked t he best. She attempted to "countrify" this song and the result was disaster. Trust me. Hands down - the worst of the show. She should be a shoo-in to go home. But remember - this is American Idol. She will probably not only be safe, but maybe not even in the bottom 3. It's not what I want, it's not what should happen, but this show works in mysterious ways.


David A - "We Can Work It Out" - Wow. And that's not a good 'wow'. He was visibly nervous, he forgot some words, he even went off pitch a couple of times. What an unexpected performance. When he was not messing up, he was great. But if he cannot conquer his nerves, his star is gonna fall faster than the speed of light. The Arch Angels will keep him in - he is completely safe. But that will not last if he cannot pull it together. Honestly, it made me sad to see it. He is clearly a great kid, but the show and then the media has heaped a TON of expectation on him and he is only 17. It remains to be seen if he can recover or if he crashes and burns. Hopefully, he got this out of his system because he is just too gifted to be gone.

See ya next week. Hope you enjoy reading my ramblings.

I agree, BYE BYE KRISTY LEE!!!!!!!!

But sadly, NOT. I hated to see David Hernandez go, because I think he's a great vocalist who just hasn't picked the right songs yet. Given a few more weeks, I think he could have blown people away as he learned who he was vocally.

Chasin' Ace, keep rambling, because I've really enjoyed your critiques.

For the record - the bottom 3 of the Top 12 were:

Syesha

David H

Kristi


Syesha was sent to safety first.


David H went home.