American Idol: Top 24 Boys

American Idol started for real last night, and Ryan Seacrest opened the show by saying that it was live, and bigger and better than ever...too bad only one of these things was true. The show might have higher ratings than they have ever had, but the show was pre-taped, and I don't think the boys were too spectacular. I was impressed by only two of the guys, and disappointed by quite a few others, so hopefully this season improves for me! The girls look like they are a lot of fun, so that seems promising. But this review is about the guys so here we go...

Rudy Cardenas - "Free Ride." It was a fun (albeit cheesy) way to start off the show, and it was a pretty good song choice- something that was easily recognizable, and makes you want to sing along, but it did not make me want to vote. He did a good job at showing personality, but it was a very forgettable performance. If he makes it next week, he really needs to show off his vocals, or he will not make the top 12.

Brandon Rogers - "Rock With You" Another very cheesy song, but I liked that it gave him the chance to show both his vocals and his personality. I don't really know what to say about this except for that I was not at all impressed, and I think he lacked both vocal and performance skills, and definitely needs to work on that!

Sundance Head - "Nights In White Satin" I was very disappointed in Sundance last night. His audition was SO good, and I really thought he was going to shine tonight. It was a horrible song choice, although I do appreciate that he chose something we haven't heard before, and his performance was all over the place. He sang the same words over and over, and didn't sing them well. His voice is incredibly soothing though. I thought Sundance would be a shoe in for the top 12, and he probably still will, but only because his audition was amazing and he had a lot of people talking earlier this season. However, his audition can only carry him so far and he needs to start wowing people soon, or he will not go far.

Paul Kim - "Never Gonna Dance Again" (or something like thatâ€¦) His was the first performance of the night that I really really hated. The tone of his voice is just weird, and it sounded like he was trying way too hard. His falsetto was actually painful to listen to, and I think, and hope he goes home tonight. I can not picture him making the top 12, unless he miraculously makes it past tomorrow and then gives the best performance Idol has ever seen next weekâ€¦and I don't think he will do either.

Chris Richardson - "I don't Wanna Be" When he started singing I really thought it would be horribleâ€¦he chose a song that was done very well by a former Idol contestant and he didn't strike me as unique at all. However, he did switch up the song and I found myself liking it a lot more than I wanted to. It was a nice performance and a lot of fun but it was not amazing. I think if he keeps doing what he did last night, he will make the top 12, but won't go too much further unless he improves.

Nick Pedro - Im not sure what he sang but it was Boring! It's sad because all of these boys had amazing auditions and they are all falling a little short with their performances tonight. Nick's performance was boring and forgettable and not good at all. I don't think he will make it past Thursday.

Blake Lewis - "Somewhere Only We Know" (I think.) Blake did a great job and made a very smart decision to focus on singing. A lot of people thought Blake was good, but didn't like him because they thought all he could do was beatbox, and I think he proved them wrong. There were some parts that could have been better, but I was impressed. It was different and memorable.

Sanjaya Malakar - Something very boring by Stevie Wonder. Poor Sanjaya =(. I really really wanted him to be amazing! He is so cute and seems very sweet, but I had a feeling he would lock up during the live shows and he did. He is very likeable and has a good voice, but his performance was not good at all. If he was not shown so much in previous rounds he would definitely be sent home, but I think he might end up being the Kevin Covais of this season which is sad because I really like Sanjaya. And he totally set himself up for a snarky comment by Simon by singing I don't want to bore you over and over.

Chris Sligh - I don't know what he sang but it was amazing. I love Chris. Love himâ€¦He is so funny and is very likeable. He has done a great job at showing personality and having fun. His performance was my favorite by a landslide and I think he will go very far in this competition. I would love for him to win but I feel he might be the Tamyra, Constantine or Chris of this seasonâ€¦an early front-runner who gets eliminated in one of those shock eliminations at about the top 4. If he keeps doing this we will have a fairly successful career after Idol, whether he wins or not.

Jared Cotter - "Back At One." Once again, I was not expecting much from Jared, but I was pleasantly surprised. His voice is very relaxing and he didn't over sing the song. I actually really liked his falsetto, which surprised me because usually I hate when guys do that. It wasn't a particularly memorable or good performance, but it was enough to make it to next week.

A.J. Tabaldo - "All My Love" (?) It was a fun performance and he really worked the crowd but it was not unique and did not prove that he had any vocal talent. I actually liked the performance, and the crowd seemed to go crazy, so I think he will make it to next weekâ€¦but he needs to show that he can sing, not just perform.

Phil Stacey - He got the coveted last spot, so the producers and or judges must have liked him. I thought the beginning was pretty rough, but the end was all right. I thought he did okay, and it was definitely one of the best performances of the night, but I didn't think it was as good as Paula and Randy said. He is humble though, which is nice! So that is be review of the top 12 boys, make sure to watch American Idol tonight to see the top 12 girls perform, and on Thursday to see who is leaving!