Season 8: Top 36...I'm Yours

It's official...well, sort of. Last night, American Idol finally named their Top 36 for season 8. According to my sources, however, a slight change has been made involving one of the slots on the Top 36. Apparently, Joanna Pacitti is out and Felicia Barton is in! As a Felicia fan, this is big news for me.

It looks like Joanna had a couple of previously undisclosed working relationships with some of the executives at 19 Management, the company that produces American Idol. Interesting.

There were a few people I was sad to see go, namely Deanna Brown, whose initial audition was nothing short of brilliant. I hope, hope, hope, she'll either try out again next year, or get a record deal on her own, because I really like her voice.

I thought last night's episode was a little cheesy and forced. As if American Idol isn't already dramatic enough without a big, scary mansion and the judges sitting on thrones! And then they just threw it all over the top with the introduction of the "Sing Offs" in which contestants would have to "sing for their lives." Give me a break!

On to the ones who made it...here is MY own personal ranking of the Top 36!

36. Tatiana Del Toro. I hope this girl realizes that she's only on the show for drama's sake. She's an average singer, and an over-the-top personality. All of the American Idol contestants will live together in a mansion this season, complete with cameras and crews following them around. There's no doubt in my mind that Tatiana and her interactions with the other contestants will make for some good TV, but it's really too bad that she took up a spot that could have been held by a more talented contestant. Once the viewers get to vote, I'm sure Tatiana will be out in a heartbeat.

35. Von Smith. If it was possible, my disdain for Von grew even a little more last night as he proceeded to blame his oversinging and poor song choices on his parents, and then went out into the hall only to hug his mom and watch her cry in celebration for him. Man, I do not like this guy.

34. Jasmine Murray. She's cute enough...but her voice isn't very well-trained. She sounds like she's holding her nose while she's singing, and I don't understand why the judges hurl praise at her every single time she opens her mouth.

33. Nathaniel Marshall. I feel like this season is full of people who don't know when to hold back. There isn't a better example than this season's skinny jeans-clad cry baby, Nate. I don't even remember how his voice sounds when he sings because all of his other antics overshadow his voice. I think Nate will turn out to be this season's Danny Noriega--does anyone else remember him?

32. Kendall Beard. Kendall is a country singer. She's cute, she looks good on TV, she's blonde. But her voice is subpar. I don't know how far she'll make it this season.

31. Mishavonna Henson. We haven't seen much of Mishavonna so far this season, but I wasn't too impressed with what I did see. Her voice just left a bad taste in my mouth. Maybe she'll win me over in the future, though. Who knows?

30. Nick/Norman Mitchell/Gentle. I thought it was cute when the judges allowed him through to Hollywood based on his original audition, which was funny and charming. Then it slowly started to age, and now, I honestly can't figure out why he's still in the competition. America hasn't even heard Nick sing as himself...ever! Maybe his voice is phenomenal. But he's sort of in a Catch 22 now: If he performs as Norman Gentle, he will never be taken seriously, and people will get tired of it. If he performs as Nick Mitchell, people won't relate to him because he won't be as funny and charismatic as his alterego.

29. Allison Iraheta. I've only heard Allison perform during her original audition. I did not like her voice. She looks like a sweet girl, and she has a lot of experience, but I don't think she has the chops to make it to the Top 12.

28. Casey Carlson. Casey is another girl with an average voice and bombshell looks. She's not horrible, but she's not great either, and I don't think she'll be able to hang with the big dogs when the serious competition starts.

27. Kristen McNamara. Kristen ("the one who can sing") was involved in a sing-off last night with Jen Korbee ("the one who is attractive"). I have to admit, I felt for Kristen when the judges were saying that last night. It's not like she's ugly. She's a pretty girl. And, ironically, I thought the other girl sang better. I think Kristen is really going to have to step up her game if she wants to progress further in the competition. It already looks like some of the judges are not on her side.

26. Ricky Braddy. I feel pretty neutral about Ricky. We saw him a total of once this whole season, and I can't form an opinion about him yet. His singing last night sounded pretty good. Can't wait to see more of him.

25. Jeanine Vailes. I feel the same way about Jeanine. The brief clip they showed of her singing sounded pretty good. We'll see what the future holds.

24. Taylor Vaifanua. Taylor has won me over. I remember that I wasn't sure about her during her audition. I think she's proved to be a pretty good singer. I still can't believe she's only 16.

23. Jesse Langseth. This girl is a mixed bag for me. Once I discovered that she's the sister of Blues singer Johnny Lang, her voice made more sense to me. I'm interested to see what else she can bring.

22. Alexander Wagner-Trugman. Alex had one of my favorite auditions this season. His dead-pan nerdy humor won me over. I think he's a good singer, but he might be a little irrelevant. I see a makeover in his future.

21. Danny Gokey. Danny is an icredible singer...but I'm still on the fence about him. Something just seems amiss to me. Maybe it has to do with the fact that he mentions that he's a widower every chance he gets. It just all seems a little exploitive to me. Hopefully he'll prove me wrong.

20. Kris Allen. From the tiny morsel I've heard from Kris, he's got a great instrument. Unfortunately, he hasn't been showcased enough to be a fan favorite at this point, so I think he may just serve as filler until we get to the Top 12.

19. Anne Marie Boskovich. I think Anne has a very pretty voice. Her downfall will be that she comes across much older than she really is. Maybe she can do something to change that. She already had a staged, fake makeover during her first audition.

18. Matt Breitzke. I was impressed with his first audition, but I thought he bombed the sing-off last night. I think he's lucky to have made it through, but I also think he has an amazing talent. Hopefully he'll kick it up a notch and rise to the top.

17. Ariana Asfar. Ariana would have made a great Disney star. She's so darn cute, and she's squeaky clean, and a very talented singer.....and philanthropic on top of it all. She's the girl who started the Adopt a Grand Friend program in her hometown. I think she'll be a fan favorite.

16. Michael Sarver. I think Michael has a great voice, but he's lacking something. I think he needs to establish more of an identity for himself as an artist because right now I can't figure out if he's trying to be Nick Lachey or Rascal Flatts. He definitely sings better than both of those, though.

15. Scott McIntyre. I was really impressed with Scott's rendition of Billy Joel's Just the Way You Are. Since then, though, I don't know. His style may be too old for American Idol. His story is incredibly inspirational, but I don't know if he'll make enough noise to get the votes.

14. Lil Rounds. Lil was originally one of my favorite auditioners. I still think she's a good singer, but she's becoming a little bland for me. Lately, it seems like she's been oversinging a bit, and I hope she doesn't turn into this season's Syesha Mercado. I still can't figure out why that girl made it to 3rd place!

13. Jorge Nunez. I feel the same way about Jorge. I was originally blown away. Now I can feel the fascination starting to wear off. I'm just not sure American Idol is the right venue for him.

AND NOW FOR MY SEASON 8 TOP 12 (click on each name for a video)

12. Jackie Tohn. Her penchant for cooky outfits and her Janis Joplin-esque vocals make her memorable. Her humor makes it even sweeter. I really hope she makes it to the Top 12.

11. Adam Lambert. Adam is another one who has a habit of doing too much. I hope he'll be able to scale it back a little. But there's no denying his voice is breathtaking.

10. Kai Kalama. Kai has a wonderful voice. I just hope he can gain confidence before it's too late because it seems like he could be his own worst enemy. He botched an audition during Hollywood week, and the judges kept him anyway; clearly they must see something in him.

9. Anoop "Call me Noop Dog" Desai. I love that Anoop is embracing his "geekness". I think it's becoming on him. He would look strange if he showed up in skinny jeans with a skull print applique jacket and emo hair. His voice blows me away every time.

8. Brent Keith Smith. I'm not sure at this point what we're supposed to call him. Sometimes he's listed as Brent Smith, sometimes Brent Keith, and sometimes they go for the three-name thing. Hopefully this will become clearer by next week. I think Brent would be great for Idol. He's got a flawless country voice. And American Idol did pretty well with their Cash Cow Carrie Underwood. Is it time for a male country AI winner?

7. Stephen Fowler. Man, I love his voice. I wish he would have been featured more in the early episodes so we would have a greater feel for who he is as an artist. All I know is, I've loved what I've heard so far from him. And we'll forgive him for messing up David Cook's "Magic Rainbow" song.

6. Felicia Barton. Felicia is lucky. Honestly, she should have made it into the Top 36 anyway. But now that Joanna is out, Felicia is going to have to figure out what she needs to do to impress the judges. I really liked her audition, and a video I found on You Tube of her performing at Virginia Beach.

5. Alexis Grace. I must say, Alexis' new rockstar makeover doesn't suit her well. She looked better as her natural self. The pink hair, all flipped out, is too distracting. I am still enamored with her voice, though. American Idol needs to focus on more unique singers like her.

4. Stevie Wright. I was so glad to see that Stevie had made it to the Top 36. She's only 16, but she seems mature beyond her years. Her singing is sweet and effortless. And her rendition of At Last was perfection.

3. Ju'Not Joyner. Hey may have never been featured prior to last week, but Ju'Not is an unbelievable musician. He reminds me of John Legend. I can't wait to hear him perform again.

2. Matt Giraud. Matt hsas a natural talent. He plays for a dueling piano bar in Michigan, and he just seems like the "everyman". I love his gruff voice and his easy going demeanor. I think he's one of the mot talented contestants on the show this season. American Idol has never had someone like him before.

1. Megan Corkrey. Idol has also never seen anything like Megan. Her jazzy voice is astounding and simple. I loved her audition. I know she's an unconventional choice for my top contender, but I think American Idol needs to branch out and choose someone who is a little unconventional.

Which contestants would be in your Top 12?

Next week, we'll see the first group of 12 perform. I'm not sure how this will all work. I believe the judges select a final group of 12 from the Top 36, and that's when America starts voting.

Currently listening to: I'm Yours by Jason Mraz