In Which We Make a Case for a Top 10

Finally, the Top 12. We can tell it's the big time since the judges now come out from the door that opens too slowly as the strange announcer guy calls out their names. That was better than the 12 contestants trying to squeeze out of the doors later, though. Then I half expect Ryan to start singing "Beauty School Drop-out" as he descends the super staircase. I'd love to see them mix things up just a little bit. Have Ryan come in on a zip line or rapel from the rafters. Maybe shoot Simon out of a cannon. I'd say it would cheer him up a bit, but he was downright giddy by his standards.

So, your Top 12 . . .

Michael Lynche: Once again, he's Ruben with moves. Michael is solid every week, and this week was no exception. He just wasn't awesome or anything. I did love his falsetto, though.

Didi Benami: I thought the song sounded a lot safer than the judges did. She did really well but I wasn't overly impressed by this one. Maybe I had a problem with her attempt to come off as a "bad girl." I just can't buy it.

Casey James: He was just sort of bleh for me tonight. He did well enough to stick around, but he really could have done a lot better.

Lacey Brown: I loved her arrangement from the start. Even at the end of the show I still think it's one of my favorite arrangements. Her voice seemed shaky throughout and at the end I kind of was thinking "so what?" She was a middle-of-the-packer tonight.

Andrew Garcia: At least Simon realized that the judges have been jerking him around a lot. He doesn't know if he's coming or going, so this week he's coming out with the mic stand and no guitar. Bad move. Ignore the judges. Bring out your guitar. Do what you do best. Maybe he should just do "Straight Up" every week and try to pass it off as a different song each time.

Katie Stevens: Eh. Her pitch in the lower register just isn't there, and I don't feel like she is ever in tune for very long. She really shouldn't have made it to this point, but now that she's here America should really start to see how she doesn't belong in this group for long.

Tim Urban: Nice guy. Nice voice. But not good enough. I actually really liked the reggae arrangement of the song. He was exactly right to take that risk, and the judges seemed to give him credit for that, but he just isn't good enough to hang with this crowd. He would have done a lot better in an earlier season like 1 or maybe 6. Not that I think he would have won, but we would have seen him for a little longer.

Siobhan Magnus: This girl can sing! I will give her that. Plus, she has a unique style in sort of a muted Adam Lambert kind of way. I also get the same kind of choreographed feeling with her. She is 100% true to herself, and that just happens to mean we get a bit of theatrics with her. I wasn't as over-impressed as the judges were, but make no mistake about it, Siobhan is one of the best.

Lee Dewyze: Maybe he could have been a bit more "out there," but I loved his arrangement of the song and think he has a radio-ready voice. His vocal tone and style is exactly what's hot right now. I think the judges know that and are trying to get him even more prepared. If I were Simon, I'd see dollar signs every time Lee opened his mouth.

(Here comes what David Letterman would have called the "Caroline in the City" part. Years ago he did a Top Ten list on why it was such a highly rated show. One of his answers: You could show cheese between "Friends" and "Seinfeld" and it would be a hit. I'm just sort of cruising through at this point between my two favorites of the night.)

Paige Miles: I feel badly that she had laryngitis, and the pity vote should keep her around another week, but she just wasn't that good. I'm still not sure why the judges are expecting so much from her.

Aaron Kelly: Another "what are they thinking" moment for me. He has a nice voice. He is no Timberlake. He did better than I would have expected. So what.

Crystal Bowersox: Here is why what the judges say to her doesn't matter. Crystal is so locked in on who she is and is such an authentic performer that everything she does feels right. Of course she wasn't as animated as Mick Jagger would have been on this one, but that's a good thing. The world already has one more Mick Jagger than it needs. Crystal was hands down the best one of the night for me.

BOTTOM 3: Tim Urban, Paige Miller, Katie Stevens
Making Jagger Lips at home with a hairbrush and mirror: Tim Urban