Sorry this is a bit late. After getting over the last illness, we now have the flu. My fever was up last night, and I was afraid the recap would read something like this: Me likey girl with brown hair. Me no likey that song. So, I decided to wait until I’d slept and was more lucid.

Last night we got to see the new set. They managed, after years of negotiations, to finally get the Lennon-McCartney songbook, so at least we knew the contestants had good songs to choose from. Apparently they’re not doing the workshops/song performers mentoring thing this year (or at least Paul McCartney declined to be involved).

Syesha Mercado was up first, singing “Got to Get You Into My Life”. I wasn’t blown away by this performance. The vocals were good, but it sounded too Broadway for me. Randy and Paula gave unenthusiastic thumbs up to the performance. Simon was somewhat more enthusiastic, saying it was a great song choice and better than last week.

Up next (and with the most surprising performance of the evening, in my opinion) was Chikezie. He sang “She’s a Woman”, starting off with a country jug band feel then moving on into a more rock feel. It was fun, entertaining, and one of his best performances thus far. I didn’t know Chikezie had that in him. Randy commented, “who knew?” Paula was enthusiastic about the performance. Simon said it was terrific.

Ramiele Malubay sang “In My Life”, which is one of my favorite songs, but this performance was overdramatic and TOO slow. Her vocals were good, but it was boring. Randy said it was pretty and pretty boring. Paula liked it. Simon was bored to tears.

Jason Castro was up next, singing “If I Fell”. It sounded pretty good. He’s certainly not the most vocally talented of the bunch, but he is entertaining and interesting to watch. Randy and Paula both liked it. Simon wasn’t thrilled but said it was good enough for him to stay another week.

Up next was Carly Smithson. She sang “Come Together”. It was her most interesting and entertaining performance to date (I haven’t been a big fun, thus far). All the judges liked the performance, and Simon FINALLY thought she chose the right song.

David Cook turned in a predictably good performance of “Eleanor Rigby”. I didn’t really have anything to say about it, other than it was really good. All the judges enjoyed it, as well. Even Simon, who prior to last week was really not a David Cook fan, said it was brilliant and that if the results were based on talent, rather than popularity, he has a really good shot at winnng.

A piano playing Brooke White sang “Let It Be”. She really is the most sincere contestant. I like her voice, and I think she always chooses songs that let her be true to herself. And she’s so grateful just to be there. “Let It Be” was a good song choice for her. All of the judges, once again, enjoyed the performance. Simon said it was one of the best of the evening.

David Hernandez sang “I Saw Her Standing There”. Boy, was that cheesey. Randy said it was toomuch and Paula agreed. Simon said it was corny bordering on desperate.

Amanda Overmeyer sang a very bluesy version of “You Can’t Do That”. I was glad she didn’t try to sing the song straight, as I was pretty sure that would be a disaster. As it was, it was alright. Judges were in agreement that it was good, although Simon said it wasn’t as good as last week.

Michael Johns sang “Across the Universe”. I thought this was one of his better performances since week one. He definitely seemed more comfortable on the stage last night. Randy thought it wasn’t as interesting as it could have been but still gave it an overall positive review. Paula liked it. Simon said it was a bit monotonous.

Kristy Lee Cook took the judges advice and went country with her song this week. Unfortunately, she chose “Eight Days A Week”, a song that isn’t really suited to a country music style. She’s definitely no Carrie Underwood. If she survives this week, she has got to get better on stage performance skills. All she did was stand in one place and wiggle. It was really pretty bad. None of the judges were impressed. Simon said it was horrendous and that she sounded like Dolly Parton on helium—ouch.

Up last was David Archuleta. He sang “We Can Work It Out”. He said he was completley unfamiliar with Lennon/McCartney songs. What? How can you call yourself a musician and not know the Beatles? He forgot the words at the beginning and overall this performance was just a mess. The judges didn’t even try to defend him, which renewed my faith that American Idol isn’t completely rigged.

So, that was the top 12. Tomorrow night is the results show. Katharine McPhee will be performing.

So, here’s my ranking of the Top 12.

1. David Cook
2. Chikezie
3. Brooke White
4. Carly Smithson
5. Jason Castro
6. Michael Johns
7. Amanda Overmeyer
8. Syesha Mercado
9. David Archuleta
10. Ramiele Malubay
11. David Hernandez
12. Kristy Lee Cook