Top 12 In The House!
The Top 12 hit the stage tonight as they explored the music of the 60's. While they didn't utilize the genre to its fullest, the contestants sure made good use of their new stylists and wardrobe budgets. They looked fresh and shiny. And so did the set with new neon accents, rotating signs, a new stage in the middle of the audience, and a full orchestra.

Here's the It's Destiny! panel with our take on the night's performances.

Jessica Sierra
"Shop Around"

Destiny:She sang very well tonight, but she didn't do her best performance-wise. She seemed out of sorts, perhaps due to nerves. She is capable of much more, and she better bring it next time.
Rank For The Night: 6th Place

Liza: I must say that wasn't exactly what I expected from the first competitor on the first big show. Jessica's voice was good, but the performance was fairly dull and uninspired. I don't think she engaged the audience at all in this bigger stage.
Rank For The Night: 10th Place

Anwar Robinson
"A House Is Not A Home"

Destiny:First off, he looked fabulous. Great outfit and hair. As for the singing, he sounded very nervous throughout the song. While his arrangement of the song was very artistic and sure to be appreciated by musicians, he needs to appeal to the masses at this point. He should heed Simon's warning to start having fun and mixing it up so he isn't overlooked by the voting audience.
Rank For The Night: 7th place

Liza: I know some will find this performance boring, but I thought it was exquisite and beautiful. The emotion was perfect; he kept it soft, subtle and smooth when the emotion called for it, unlike previous performances when he was wailing when he should have been plaintive. I thought he hit it dead on tonight. Having said that, though, I think Anwar needs to show a little bit more of a different side in future performances so that he doesn't get caught in the La Toya trap. He looked terrific tonight, though. Loved the open shirt.
Rank For The Night: 3rd Place

Tammy:Anwar's song seemed all over the place. It almost sounded like he decided mid-song how to sing it, and the results weren't that impressive.
Rank For The Night:5th Place

Mikalah Gordon
"Son of A Preacher Man"

Destiny: This is the best she has looked on AI. Bravo to the stylists for her new hair and makeup. The look was fun and fitting to her age and the night's theme. The clothes were not as flattering to her, however. As for her performance, it was the best she's done on the show, but still not the best she could do. She has a unique and powerful voice, but she has no control over it. She needs some serious vocal training.
Rank For The Night: 11th Place

Liza: Appearance-wise, she looks like a mess. The stylists applied the hooker makeup on her tonight, and she should never wear midriffs like that. But she picked the right song for her husky voice, and she's finally back to acting more her age. I don't know why the judges hated that so much. I thought it was pretty good for her.
Rank For The Night: 8th Place

Tammy:She appears to be at home up on the stage, but the voice continues to grate. This performance will not win her any new fans. And that top was a mistake, to say the least.
Rank For The Night: 9th Place

Constantine Maroulis
"You've Made Me So Very Happy"

Destiny: First off, you have to love a guy who chose a song because he has memories of hearing it in the car as a kid with his mom and dad. Secondly, Constantine turned in yet another great performance this week. Unlike most of the other contestants, he has used each week to do completely different styles of songs. That is the way American Idol should be played. He isn't afraid to show his versatility and stray from the "rocker" label with which the producers so desperately want to stereotype him. It will be a treat to see what songs he chooses as the theme weeks continue.
Rank For The Night: 3rd Place

Liza: Color me surprised. That was really good! Anyone who had doubts about how he would do on theme nights can be rest assured now. I expected him to do a rock song, but he changed things up and did the opposite. This is the first glimpse of Constantine, the guy who studied at the Boston Conservatory. He picked a great song to showcase his voice, which he hasn't really done in tune till now.
Rank For The Night: 4th Place

Tammy:Constantine's best performance so far, and also his most 'broadway' performance. I prefer Broadway Constantine better than Rocker Constantine. That last note seemed a bit unnecessary, and uh...loud.
Rank For The Night:3rd Place

Lindsey Cardinale
"Knock On Wood"

Destiny: Lindsey did not step up her game tonight. She was the same she has been for the past three weeks. She has a really good voice, but she doesn't do anything exciting with it. On the positive side, she did look really pretty.
Rank For The Night: 12th Place

Liza: She started out of tune and struggled to get it back. She got better towards the end, but it was just not an exciting performance at all, even though that song is a crowd-pleaser. Lindsey's biggest weakness is her lack of stage presence, and this stage completely engulfed her. Like her doppelganger Julia DaMato, she's a good singer but not a good performer.
Rank For The Night: 12th Place

Tammy:Oh, Lindsey. It's been nice knowin' ya. What a lackluster performance, truly reminiscent of the Days of Demato. She just doesn't seem to know what to do with herself up there, and the song choice was nothing less than dreadful.
Rank For The Night:11th Place

Anthony Fedorov
"Breaking Up Is Hard To Do"

Destiny: Is this the first time Anthony has not worn a blazer? I think it is. Way to use that new wardrobe budget, Anthony! As for the song, he started out really strong vocally, but towards the end he got slightly off track and out of tune. It was nowhere near the level of his great performance last week.
Rank For The Night: 8th Place

Liza: And apparently stretching yourself is hard for Anthony to do as well. I started to get encouraged by him after last week's up-tempo performance, but he reverted back to his same old boring self. Yes he can sing, but can he take risks? Apparently not.
Rank For The Night: 11th Place

Tammy:I really, really like the tone of Anthony's voice. That said, I didn't love this song. His performance last week seemed so much better. I don't think a slow song was the best choice this week. But he certainly wasn't the worst of the night, so we'll see more of Anthony.
Rank For The Night:7th Place

Nadia Turner
"You Don't Have To Say You Love Me"

Destiny: She is so cool her cool is cool. The way she moved her body to the music like she was commanding it was impressive on its own, then she adds an impressive vocal performance on top of it. She looked sensational, too. The dress tied to the wrist was fabulous. She is outstanding.
Rank For The Night: 1st Place

Liza: Wowee. She looks gorgeous. I love that dress! Nadia has shown she can perform, and now she's showing she can really sing. Once again she surprises me with her song choice, and she did an excellent job.
Rank For The Night: 2nd Place

Tammy:Once again Nadia delivers the goods. The look was fantastic (that hair! that makeup! that dress!), and the song really worked well with her range. If by some chance a male doesn't win this year, it will be because of Nadia.
Rank For The Night:1st Place

Bo Bice
"Spinning Wheel"

Destiny: This is the best he ever looked. Nice to see that the hair and makeup stylists polished up his look. His clothes were the best he's worn, too. He had a great command of the stage, eventhough it almost came off as though the producers asked him to give a tour of the new set during his performance. I'm now jumping off the stage and going down the aisle to the audience. Oh, and here's the little stage behind the judges- that's new this year. The song's almost up, I better get back up to the main stage- see this set of stairs? And we're back to the main stage. Last line of the song? Let me get up on this new mini platform at the back of the stage. Whew- I just made it. The end. Ah, crap, I missed the performance area in front of the judges.
That being said, it was his best performance on AI to date.
Rank For The Night: 2nd Place

Liza: Awesome song choice! I keep thinking back to week one of the semifinals when Simon said to Constantine that Bo has the better voice but not as much charisma. No knock on Constantine here, but Bo has charisma up the wazoo. Talk about owning that stage! That boy really knows how to work a microphone stand too. He is a total rock star.
Rank For The Night: 1st Place

Tammy:Bo once again takes charge on a song that seemed tailor made for him. He is truly in his comfort zone on that stage, and remains the most consistent contestant on this year's Idol.
Rank For The Night:2nd Place

Vonzell Solomon
"Anyone Who Had A Heart"

Destiny: Bravo to Vonzell for stepping up her game tonight. She was the most improved contestant of the night. She also sported the first gown of the season. I think this is the longest any season has gone without a gown showing up. At least it was a beautiful, well-fitting, flattering gown. She looked beautiful and sounded the best she ever has.
Rank For The Night: 5th Place

Liza: I don't think this song did her too many favors in the beginning. Her voice is really reedy, and she had some pitch problems. When the song really kicked in at the end, she sounded really good, and she was able to showcase more of her power vocals. She looked gorgeous tonight.
Rank For The Night: 7th Place

Tammy:This song didn't work for Vonzell. And what was with the prom dress? Vonzell just seems so bland when compared to Nadia. It just doesn't seem to come as naturally for Vonzell. Kelly Clarkson still has the best performance of this song on an Idol stage.
Rank For The Night:8th Place

Scott Savol
"Ain't Too Proud To Beg"

Destiny: Right before he went on, the producers gave Scott a last minute note to cover the performance area in front of the judges, because Bo missed it during his grand tour. Scott did not disappoint the producers. He showed off that area like nobody's business. He also showed off his new wardrobe budget with that schnazzy suede ensemble. Work it! All that being said, Scott still lacks some performance skills and ability to connect with the audience. He did, however, turn in a good vocal performance.
Rank For The Night: 9th Place

Liza: Scott keeps borrowing from the Ruben Studdard playbook of American Idol. This is starting to become oh so predictable. This really wasn't one of Scott's best performances vocally, and he doesn't have quite enough showmanship and energy, but it wasn't bad. He's always been able to stay in tune, which is more than I can say for some of the others at times.
Rank For The Night: 6th Place

Tammy:Vocally, Scott did well. Performance-wise, not so much. Can someone explain why he sang to Randy for half the song? And for a high energy song, just watching Scott s-l-o-w-l-y make his way across the stage made me drowsy.
Rank For The Night:10th Place

Carrie Underwood
"When Will I Be Loved"

Destiny: The stylists and hair and makeup departments sure did their job tonight. Carrie looked beautiful, and it was the best outfit we've seen her wear. As for the song, she did what she does. She sings well, but it is very uninspired. How many weeks are the judges going to tell her she wasn't as good as they've seen? What have they seen? She's been this way every single time I've seen her on the show. It's time they admitted that they overrated her.
Rank For The Night: 10th Place

Liza: Carrie is another one who is also getting predictable, and while she did all the right things vocally, including that huge note at the end, the performance just left me cold. She doesn't have the performance skills to match her great voice.
Rank For The Night: 9th Place

Tammy:Carrie sang well, but I don't think she really connected with the audience. Carrie also is in danger of becoming predictable. Country music may be her forte, but she has to show her chops to make it much further in the competition.
Rank For The Night:6th Place

Nikko Smith
"I Want You Back"

Destiny:It was nice to see Nikko in some casual cool clothes and having a good time on the stage. It was his best performance to date. Nikko is smart, and he will ride his second chance all the way to the shore.
Rank For The Night: 4th Place

Liza: It's great that Nikko is back, and he ended the show on a good note with an energetic and fun performance. I do not know what Simon was talking about saying it sounded horrible. Nikko should be safe for this week. His fans are not going to allow him to leave so soon after he got his second chance.
Rank For The Night: 5th Place

Tammy:Nikko brought energy to his performance, and sang quite well, aside from the strange high note towards the end. He was enjoyable to watch, and if there's any justice in this world, he'll be back next week.
Rank For The Night:4th Place

Who Should Be Kicked Out:
Destiny:Lindsey
Liza: Lindsey
Tammy:Lindsey, Mikalah

Who Will Be Kicked Out:
Destiny:Lindsey
Liza:Jessica
Tammy:Scott, Lindsey

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