![The Top 12 girls of "American Idol" season nine](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/hash/59/7b/597b64eefd3d552c2955b765c063a351.jpg "The Top 12 girls of "American Idol" season nine")
The "American Idol" season nine Top 12 girls performed live for the first time Tuesday. The judges were very impressed by several of the performers, including Lilly and Siobhan, while others fell below their expectation lines.
My favorites were definitely Michelle and Katelyn, although I seemed to be alone on team Katelyn. I thought she sounded amazing and screamed "I'm a star," but the judges feel she needs a lot more work.
My two nominees to send home on Thursday (yes, viewers will be cutting two girls this Thursday) are Paige because she wasn't that memorable and Ashley because she chose to big of a song.
Joining veteran judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi on the panel this season will be comedian Ellen DeGeneres. She premiered on the show for the first round of the Hollywood auditions and has been a big hit with viewers thanks to her funny jokes, comforting compliments and harsh-when-needed attitude.
Learn more about "American Idol" season nine's Top 24
The performances
Ashley Rodriguez, "Happy" (Leona Lewis)
- Simon - Ashley's version of the song was clumsy; Feels she is going backward since the first time they met; No originality
- Kara - There were nice moments and moments that weren't great; Wants to see her take on songs they wouldn't expect her to sing and do something different with them
- Ellen - Wants Ashley to do something shocking and outside of her box
- Randy - Couldn't see Ashley in the song
Crystal Bowersox, "Hand in My Pocket" by Alanis Morissette
- Simon - Doesn't feel she is all that original; Felt Alanis Morissette was a sound alike song choice
- Kara - Knows she will still be around next week
- Ellen - Definitely a fan
- Randy - One of his favorites tonight; Love the versatility and honesty; Not sure if was the right song but didn't care because he likes her so much
Check out photos of the Top 12 girls
Didi Benami, "The Way I Am" by Ingrid Michaelson
- Simon - Good singer; Trying to much to sound like the true singer of the song; Missing a spark; Dull in the real world
- Kara - Was happy to see she made changes in the tone and sound of the song; Showed another level; Pitchy
- Ellen - Not a great song choice for her first impression; A little low key
- Randy - Didn't see any star factor; Sleepy
Haeley Vaughn, "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" by The Beatles
- Simon - Near terrible; Thought the constant smiling messed up her vocals; Didn't like that she was all over the place; A complete mess
- Kara - Not great from a technical stand point; Make up for vocal problems with personality; Needs to work on technical abilities
- Ellen - Enjoyed the performance; Great voice
- Randy - Love how bold and surprising Haeley is; She needs to work on her keys
Janell Wheeler, "What About Love" by Heart
- Simon - Didn't go that well; There were moments when he liked her voice; At times, Janell went off key
- Kara - Song was way too big for Janell
- Ellen - Liked the song choice; Liked Janell; Janell eased across the stage
- Randy - Wasn't the right song choice
Katelyn Epperly, "Oh! Darling" by The Beatles
- Simon - Actually likes Katelyn a lot; Still needs work; Great song choice
- Kara - It shows that she knows her voice very well; Liked her natural look better (sans red lipstick)
- Ellen - Can definitely see her going somewhere
- Randy - Lots of personality; Interesting personality made Ellen want to pay attention; Felt a little pushed, though
Katie Stevens, "Feelin' Good" by Michael Buble
- Simon - Performance was very "pagenty"
- Kara - Pitchy; All over the place: Can see her natural gift, though; Hopes America gives Katie another shot; Didn't think Katie could hear herself
- Ellen - Really wanted to see Katie sing her age; Song was too old for her
- Randy - It seemed like Katie was pushing too hard causing the notes to go sharp; Too old for Katie
Lacey Brown, "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac
- Simon - Very depressing; Too indulgent; Boring
- Kara - Didn't like it tonight, but hopes America will give Lacey one more chance
- Ellen - Didn't like it
- Randy - Not the right song for Lacey; Terrible; Really pitchy; Didn't suit her voice
Lilly Scott, "Fixin' A Hole" by The Beatles
- Simon - Liked that you could tell Lilly chose that song because it spoke to her; Still not sure she has star power, though
- Kara - Lilly is believable; Could feel she was comfortable on stage; Everyone will remember Lilly's performance
- Ellen - Such a unique voice; Definitely made the song her own and made it work
- Randy - Love that she is an indie artist, which "American Idol" doesn't see a lot; Loved the honesty
Michelle Delamor, "Fallen" by Alicia Keyes
- Simon - Great job; Thinks she is going to go far
- Kara - Wants her to become more unique and believable
- Ellen - Fantastic; It seemed easy for Michelle; Thinks there is more in Michelle than she is putting out
- Randy - Great voice; Great look; Needs to take some risks
Paige Miles, "All Right Now" by Free
- Simon - Out of all of the girls, Paige has the best voice; Wouldn't have chose that song though; Should've chosen a more original song
- Kara - Thought the song choice was brilliant because it showed her soulful, rock side; Chorus was a little rocky
- Ellen - Sounded fantastic; Really pulled the performance off
- Randy - Did a great job showing off her powerful voice
Siobhan Magnus, "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak
- Simon - Not as good as her Hollywood round performance
- Kara - Really loved how in the moment Siobhan was during her performance; Voice was a little nasal at times
- Ellen - Forgot at times that they were in a singing competition, instead just thought she was being entertained
- Randy - Loved the second half of the song when Siobhan opened up her vocals
Next episode (Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2010): The Top 12 boys perform live for the first time
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