TVSquad

This episode went along pretty much as I expected, with most of the people I expected getting through to the top 12. Until the wild card round, that is, when the kids and I were screaming at the TV because of the judges' dismal ineptitude at picking people to come back! But first, let's see what happened up to that point. That's my version of "After the break..."

The show started with the group singing Katy Perry's "Hot and Cold," which was one of my favorite songs until I heard them sing it. But even with the awkward dance moves, they seemed to be having fun, especially Nate, so that's what matters, I guess.

I thought most of them did a good job last night, but I was really blown away by Lil Rounds. Really, just give her the Idol crown right now. I can't imagine that she won't go far in the competition, though she reminds me of LaToya London from a few seasons ago, and she didn't get as far as I had hoped. So we'll see what happens with Lil.

I feel really sorry for this group right off the bat. Not only has it been so long since we've seen them that I've completely forgotten who they are, but we've sat through two weeks and four hours of airtime devoted to 24 people singing, and only about four of them make me not want to kill myself.

The whittling down to the top 12 is always the most tedious time in the competition, and with the performances of the past few weeks still fresh in everyone's mind, these poor contestants are facing an uphill battle. If I'm feeling this cranky about tonight's prospects, I can only imagine what Simon must be feeling right about now. I predict some harsh criticism in the Kodak theater tonight.

Without Idol releasing a complete list of last night's Top 40 contestants, and with so few contestants getting airtime, it's difficult for me to even figure out who's who, let alone predict just who will make tonight's Top 24. I think that the Idol producers purposely keep things vague, otherwise we'd pretty much be able to compile our own list of 24 (based on who DID get airtime), and wouldn't need to tune in for tonight's episode.

From re-watching last night's episode, and searching other sites for their observations, I've been able to piece together a list of people who (probably) advanced to the Top 40. But I'm really not sure, so if you have definitive information, feel free to share.

Scott Slaney writes: Hi, I really hope you can help me. I've looked everywhere! When will the Final 12 shows start for American Idol?

Well, Scott, I've done my own search online and learned that the Top 12 American Idol Finalists will be announced on Thursday, March 8 (8-9 PM) when two male and two female contestants are send packing. The following Tuesday, March 13 (8-9 PM), the Top 12 Finalists will perform live. As always, life in the Top 12 will end abruptly for one unlucky contestant who will be sent home the very next day (Wednesday, March 14) with a good-bye montage, and a patented Ryan Seacrest pat-on-the-back.

A complete programming schedule for the first twenty-one AI episodes can be found at BuddyTV.