As the first half of American Idol 8’s Top 12 looked on, a dozen new hopefuls took to the stage to sing out their hearts - and hopefully, to win ours.

During the pre-performance banter, host Ryan Seacrest talked about Simon Cowell’s penchant for picking on contestant song choices. Seacrest asked the judge why he doesn’t simply pick the songs himself. “Well, I will,” Cowell responded. “We’ll have a Simon Cowell week.”

I’m getting a vision of the greatest Idol week ever. But before that happens, we have to get through this last group of Top 36 contenders.

Von Smith, 22, kicked off the night with “You’re All I Need to Get By.” His outfit was a little weird and his vocals were a little off, but Smith got stronger in the chorus. He’s got good stage presence, and Randy Jackson found it was a “very hot performance” indeed. “Welcome to Idol, baby,” he smiled at Smith. “You’re coming into your own,” Kara DioGuardi cheered him on. “America’s gonna remember you,” Paula Abdul predicted. “You remind me of Clay Aiken,” Simon Cowell mused, just before Von’s number was given out to the voting audience.

Taylor Vaifanua, 17, followed Von to the Idol stage. She’s very cute but was very rarely featured on episodes leading up to her performance, which was a somewhat pitchy rendition of “If I Ain’t Got You.” Taylor’s attire was somewhat strange and she was hard to understand. I thought the song choice was a bad one, and though the ending was strong I wasn’t a big fan of the performance. “It’s obvious you have a voice,” Kara DioGuardi told her, adding “you’ve got talent.” “You have a beautiful gift,” Paula Abdul enthused. Simon Cowell, however, found the performance “very generic” and “a bit bland,” adding, “I think you’re gonna struggle tonight.” Randy Jackson, who nearly got cut off, barely managed to get in his comment - “it was kinda boring” - before the show continued. Perhaps, as Paula says, four judges just really is too much.

Alex Wagner-Trugman, 19, was next, and I must admit that I didn’t like him at first. He was barely featured at the end of Hollywood Week during a sing-off, but I found him very charming during his one-on-one with Seacrest. After reading some of the comments on the Internet, Alex apparently enrolled at a gym where he does “very short reps of low weight.” The California resident chose to sing “I Guess That’s Why They Call it The Blues.” Though this wasn’t the best of song choices, Alex performed it pretty well. The crooner put a ton of effort into his performance, offering up entertainment and some pretty decent vocals at the same time. He is not, however, one of the judges’ pets. “You certainly are the showman,” Paula Abdul smiled, adding “we had fun watching you.” “We had fun watching, just not listening,” Simon Cowell was blunt. “You’re like the hamster trying to be a tiger,” he added. Randy Jackson called the performance “buck wild.” “At least you do you,” Kara DioGuardi offered. Trugman is the resident Vote for the Worst pick of the week, though this one time I actually disagree. Hands down, it should be Nathanial Marshall. More on that later.

Arianna Afsar, 17, distinguished herself on stage not with her singing but with her song choice. In Afsar’s case, she was the first to sing ABBA (the song: “The Winner Takes It All”). Because of Afsar’s case, she will probably be the last. The California girl chose a ballad - always a mistake on the first night America is voting for a singer - and was pretty pitchy throughout. She started to shout in the chorus and didn’t endear herself to the judges, though she is a very pretty girl. Simon Cowell found “a certain irony to that lyric,” considering he found the performance itself “absolutely terrible.” “It just wasn’t the right song for you, baby,” Randy Jackson told Arianna. “It was kinda depressing,,” Kara DioGuardi explained, saying the performance was “too serious.” Paula Abdul found “some bright moments” within the song, though she agreed it was “a little old-fashioned.”

Ju’not Joyner took on “Hey There, Deliah” and sang it softly in a beautiful tone. There were a few off moments, but generally Joyner was very vocally strong. He even offered up a nice falsetto, capping off a performance that could stick out in voters’ minds. “Dude, I loved it,” Randy Jackson praised. Kara DioGuardi enjoyed Joyner’s “spin,” while Simon Cowell found it was “better” than he thought it would be. Joyner is a highly likable contestant with a nice, smooth voice - and a possible contender for the Top 12.

Kristen McNamara, 23, might be having an identity crisis but her performance of “Give Me One Reason” was incredibly strong. Her unique voice became the focus of her very professional, polished performance. McNamara threw in a stunningly strong ending, and I found myself really liking her. But she’s obviously not one of the judges’ picks. “You are a great singer,” Kara DioGuardi decided, though she wants to see more of a “rock edge” from Kristen. “You’ve got a hell of a range,” Paula Abdul complimented. Simon Cowell found McNamara’s to be “quite an odd song choice,” though he likes her voice. Randy Jackson thought she did too much with the song. Throughout the critique, the judges harped on Kristen’s style issue. “Maybe I just need to hire a stylist,” she told Ryan Seacrest during the wrap-up.

Nathaniel Marshall, the reigning Drama Queen of the season, followed his one-time group member to the Idol stage (Nathaniel and Kristen performed together, with a third partner, for Group Night in Hollywood). Marshall sang what was truly, truly the worst choice he could have made: “I Would Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That).” I can’t get through a single bar of this ditty without wanting to scream “what is it, already!” But I digress. Marshall went on stage, sang Meatloaf, and wore a horrendous outfit. The whole thing seemed 80s-inspired and even a little bit cabaret - to steal a phrase. “I think you probably would,” Simon Cowell shot out as soon as the song was over (and I had to pause the program just to laugh). He said the performance was “verging on excruciating,” and I disagree. For my money, you can cut out the “verging” part. Kara DioGuardi decided to make Nathaniel her new “karaoke buddy,” which I really don’t think is a compliment, but Paula Abdul loves Marshall. He gave America one last plea, telling the voters, “if you guys wanna have fun every week, vote for me.” Somehow, I think I can manage the one without the other.

Felicia Barton, officially the luckiest girl in the world (she’s Joanna Pacitti’s Top 36 replacement) followed Marshall to the stage with “No One.” Barton brings very strong vocals and performance stylings to the Idol table, and the judges seemed to like what they heard. “Your talent, your gift, is unbelievable,” Paula Abdul was wowed. Simon Cowell found the vocals strong but the performance “a bit copycat.” “I thought it was hot,” Randy Jackson offered. “I noticed you tonight for the first time,” Kara DioGuardi added her thoughts. “I feel so blessed to be here,” Felicia gushed as her number was given out. I believe every word of that.

Scott MacIntyre, 23, chose to sing “Mandolin Rain,” a ditty I’d never heard before but now will never manage to forget. One thought kept going through my head as I listened: this guy can really, really sing. This guy, this guy could win the whole show. Randy Jackson called it a “job well done,” telling MacIntyre that “the parts that were great, were really, really great.” Kara DioGuardi also liked the performance. “You’re one of our finest,” Paula Abdul told him. Simon Cowell “wasn’t crazy about the song,” but said he’ll be “amazed” if Scott doesn’t “sail through” to the next phase of competition.

Kendall Beard, 24, is from Texas and apparently is this season’s “country girl,” which means she’s got a good shot at making it into the Top 12. Her choice to sing “This One’s for the Girls,” was incredibly smart. And though Kendall doesn’t have the strongest vocals she offered up a pretty good performance. She’s blonde, she’s pretty and she sang a song that felt and sounded young and fresh. Kara DioGuardi pointed to Beard’s “big personality,” though also pointed to some unnamed “issues” with the notes of the song. Paula Abdul gave Kendall the “best outfit” award, which actually includes no prize and doesn’t really help Kendall musically in any way. “I think you did a good job,” the ever-optimistic judge offered. Simon Cowell “couldn’t wait for it to end,” but admitted “strange things happen on this show.” Like those times people Cowell doesn’t want get picked by the voters.

Jorge Nuñez, 24, is from Puerto Rico - and he’s been working on losing his accent. He chose “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” a horrible mistake, and didn’t display too many noticeable problems with the pronunciation of the song. He’s also got great vocals and a good look. Here’s the problem: much of the words of the song sounded way too forced. “I am so proud of you!” Paula Abdul cried when it was all over. “I just wanna squeeze you.” Simon Cowell  gave Jorge good advice: “I think you should be who you are.” Rand Jackson pointed out that “it’s the vocals that matter,” though Idol judges are known to harp on everything else. Jackson added, “it was really, really good.” “You were born to sing,” Kara DioGuardi told him, a statement which reduced Jorge to tears.

Lil Rounds, 24, received the best spot in the line-up. She chose “Be Without You” and absolutely killed it. Rounds had a great outfit, a great look, great vocals and a great finish. It was an all-around perfect performance. As Simon Cowell said, “brilliant.” Randy Jackson thinks Lil is “one of the best” of season 8. “You are great,” Kara DioGuardi enthused.

But Wednesday night is what will truly decide who goes and who stays. So, who will? Only three will move on to the Top 12. The other three positions in the group will be determined by the judges - a little overt producer-placement to round out the competition. But before we can do that, we’ve got to get rid of the rest - elimination night still looms on the horizon.

(You can find all the American Idol 8 posts here.)