//American Idol Recap: Danny Gokey Gets Hyped, Alexis Grace Has Soul, Stevie Wright Crashes And Burns//

American Idol rolled out the first 12 performers of the top 36 contestants singing for your votes during last night’s first live broadcast of season 8.

Excitement tingles ran rampant as the first group was filled with favorites from the auditions and Hollywood week rounds like Stevie Wright, Danny Gokey, Casey Carlson, Jackie Tohn and Anoop Desai. We also learned this week’s theme, hits from the Billboard Hot 100 since its inception, would be broad enough to allow everyone to pick songs that will showcase what kind of artists they’ll be. So we were in for an amazing night, right? Right!?

Unfortunately, not so much.

No one had an all around knock-out performance–not even Danny who received wild applause from Randy, Kara, and Paula for his rendition of Mariah Carey’s “Hero.” But worse than not having a knock-out performance, some contestants had all around terrible performances. And with only three making it through to the top 12 (the top boy, the top girl, the next highest vote getter), there was no room for mistakes.

Here’s a run-down of how group one’s debut went:

Jackie Tohn – A Little Less Conversation: Jackie managed to break an unspoken Idol rule right out the gate: Never do an Elvis song. Unless you are forced into it by a theme week and can deliver like Chris Daughtry ala  “Suspicious Minds” in season 5, you just don’t do it. The performance was classic Jackie: wild and crazy with some pretty good vocal moments here and there. She kinda reminds me of a female Taylor Hicks, though Taylor always slayed the stage with his awesome vocals. The judges’ reactions were mixed. Unless she’s a wildcard pick, she won’t see the Idol stage again.

Ricky Braddy – A Song For You: Strike against Ricky: He had like 0 TV time before his big performance. Score one for Ricky: His parents with sweet “The Braddy Bunch” tees. The biggest score for Ricky: He has an amazing voice! He took on one of the greatest soul classics like it was as easy as finding lies in Star Magazine (that’s, like, very easy). Judges loved him. Simon slapped him with the “no star quality” speech. If he doesn’t make it through (and I don’t think he will), he’ll be a wildcard pick.

Alexis Grace – I Never Loved A Man: The young mama took the judges’ advice and dirtied her look up just a bit. She also brought some sass and attitude to the table and it worked wonders for her as she took on Aretha Franklin. Sure, she’s no Aretha, but the little lady’s got some soul under that sweet exterior. The judges all but wet their pants with excitement. She’s a keeper.

Brent Keith – Hicktown: Simon says it was forgettable. Simon was right. I vaguely remember some uncomfortable dancing and OK singing. But I mostly remember the glitch in the intro. Bye Brent!

Stevie Wright – You Belong With Me: OH! Ya hate to see this happen! Stevie has been a favorite of mine since day one. Her smokey voice is mature beyond her 17 years. I was certain we’d see her on the American Idols Live tour–that means top 10 at least! But after last night’s performance, Stevie’s Idol future doesn’t seem as bright. She got confused when the judges told her singing “At Last” was too old for her, so she chose a young, Taylor Swift song–and the song defeated her. It was completely out of her range. The whole performance was a mess. I wept! Stevie is far better than what she put out there and hopefully she has another chance in the wildcard round.

Anoop Desai – Angel Of Mine: After Stevie’s meltdown, I was longing to hear from sweet Anoop Dogg. He chose a song by Monica that I think Simon thought was older than it really is. He poured on the sweet vocals, but even though he brought some life back into the battered episode, he still didn’t live up to his audition hype. Here’s hoping he gets another chance to truly shine.

Casey Carlson – Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic: OH OH! Ya hate to see it happen AGAIN! Poor little Casey and her ten gallon hair was swallowed alive by the Police classic. Besides from a terrible vocal, the weird faces and dorky dance moves did nothing to help her cause. But as all the judges said at least she looked pretty, right? We won’t see her again on Idol–not on stage anyways. Heavy remorse!! Silverlining: the band sounded amazing!

Michael Sarver – I Don’t Wanna Be: Michael knows the way to my heart: sing a Gavin DeGraw song. Michael also knows how to break my heart: sing a Gavin DeGraw song badly. Le sigh! Gavin is quickly becoming one of those artists you just don’t touch. Only Elliott Yamin managed a decent version of the song in season 5 and that’s because he was smart enough to change the arrangement. Still, even as I rant, Michael didn’t do that bad–it just paled in comparison to the original. The rough neck didn’t get the worst feedback from the judges. They even hoped America would give Michael another chance. Fingers crossed!

[My Idol watching was interrupted when I had to fight off a massive giggle attack after my father noticed a white-haired Ted Danson in the audience then said, "When you get old, you run out of places to go, so you go watch American Idol." Kind!]

Anne Marie Boskovich – Natural Woman: OH OH OH!!! Ya hate to see it happen THREE times! But it did! Another great female vocalist defeated by the big stage and song choice. At this point, it was clear. The song choices were going to be everyone’s downfall. It’s not that Anne Marie, Casey, or Stevie aren’t incredibly talented, it’s the song! Anne Marie struggled through the classic, trying her best to dig up some Alexis Grace-styled sass, but it came off as anger. Maybe she was mad that she was sinking fast and there was nothing she could do about it. Oh the shame!

Stephen Fowler – Rock With You: JOKES! This has to be a joke! There’s only three reason you should ever attempt a Michael Jackson song on Idol: 1) You are Ace Young circa season 5 and you can kill it like he did “Butterflies”; 2) Your name is Sanjaya; 3) You want to go home. Stephen obviously wanted to go home. His performance was an utter mess. The judges agreed. There’s no way Stephen will be back.

[I've already made four references to American Idol season 5. Those kids were talented!]

Tatiana Del Toro – Saving All My Love For You: I’ve had enough of being disappointed at this point. My quest for a great female vocal performance led me to putting all my faith in the nutty Tatiana Del Toro. While I was not blown away, I wasn’t disappointed either. Epic win! Tati got more criticism for her toned down persona than her performance, which can only mean good things in a night like this.

Danny Gokey – Hero: CORNY!! That was the first word I said when I heard his song choice. I knew he’d go for a cheesy arrangement and not spice it up like David Cook did Mariah’s “Always Be My Baby,” so I had at least hoped he’d sound great. He did! Danny’s voice can make everything OK! Randy, Paula and Kara were blown away–almost too much. I feared Danny would become one of those good but overhyped contestants ala Carly Smithson, but Simon did a good job of praising without wetting his pants. Danny is as good as through. And I couldn’t be more excited. Danny’s success assures us on “Team Jamar Rogers” another chance to see him.

Predictions: We’re thinking Danny and Alexis are locks for the top 12. Anoop or Tatiana will probably get the next slot.

See if we’re right tonight on the results show!

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