Always Thinkin': My American Idol Top 12

They've been calling this season of American Idol "The Remix" because of the new judges and all the changes that have been made. One of the biggest changes actually relates in large part to this week. For one thing, the top 12 guys' and top 12 girls' performances were not live - they were actually taped in advance over the weekend. In addition, instead of the usual three weeks they spend narrowing the top 30 contestants down to the top 12, they cut the group down to start out with 24 and will eliminate half of those people right away tonight on the live show. It seems drastic, but it has actually helped move the show along and get to the part most of us like best - the top 12!

The top 12 will be made up of the top five vote-getters for the guys and the top five from the girls. The remaining two contestants are wild card choices from the judges.

With the majority of my decision being based off the past two nights of performances, here is the group of contestants I would personally like to see in the top 12, who I think deserve to be there (and some of my thoughts on each):

Casey Abrams (So good. Favorite guy in the competition at this point).
Naima Adedapo (She's all right, but I sure could use someone in Milwaukee to help localize my articles as the Milwaukee TV Examiner).
Lauren Alaina (My absolute favorite. I think this girl could win the whole thing).
Jordan Dorsey (Even though I'm still mad at him for being annoying during Hollywood week. Poor song choice during his performance, but he still has a good voice. I'd rather see him stick around than Jacob Lusk, Mr. Screaming Pants).
James Durbin (I know. I never liked Adam Lambert, so why do I want another one in the top 12 this year? I just think he deserves to be there).
Scotty McCreery (How good is this guy? With or without American Idol, he can easily just go out and record a CD. No problem).
Paul McDonald (A little quiet at times, but he has an amazingly original voice. I can't see him winning, but I think he did much better than a lot of the other guys that performed. And, did you see those teeth?!)
Thia Megia (Really? She's only 15?!)
Robbie Rosen (Also one of my favorites. Does his voice remind anyone else of Anoop?)
Pia Toscano (Another one of my favorite girls. She's awesome).
Lauren Turner (I don't think I realized who she even was until last night, but the girl has a good voice. All she needs is a little hydrating product in her hair, and she is all set. I doubt she will make it through, but I think she deserves to).
Ta-Tynsia Wilson (While I wasn't necessarily a fan of her song choice last night, overall, I think she has proven herself).

Close Calls and Other Comments:

I previously really liked Julie Zorrilla, but she just did horribly last night, so I took her off my list. I'd still be happy if she made it to the top 12.
Brett Lowenstern was too concerned with swinging and flipping his hair around to pay attention to the song he was singing and how off-key he sounded.
Poor Stefano Langone seems like such a happy fella, but his performance was just...not good.
Haley Reinhart made me feel slightly disturbed during her performance. It was like she was making out with the microphone...or the crowd. Not sure which, but it was uncomfortable.
I just have not liked Karen Rodriguez the entire competition, and I didn't think her song choice was that amazing, like the judges did.

I also felt like the judges were afraid to give criticism this week. Even when performances sounded pitchy and off-key, they still told them they were amazing, and maybe Randy would tell them they were pitchy, but he loved it. I hope as the season goes on, they are more open to being honest, or they start to realize that sometimes, they may have to give a negative comment or two.

Now, I know that this probably won't even be close to what happens tonight, but I have to hope that most of these people will make it. In recent years, getting to the top 12 seems to be the hardest part - America votes for dumb people. And, this week, being the first week America has even had the opportunity to vote, could shake up this entire competition. I bet we're going to see quite a few surprises.