The real Idol competition has finally arrived! The first 12 of the top 36 contestants performed and now it's in America's hands to decide which three will move on to the finals.

I think this first live episode was all about song choice. There were so many moments that left me scratching my head at what some contestants thought were logical picks. This year's semi-finals had no themes (like last year's God-awful 60s, 70s and 80s rounds) and it was a one-shot chance for the performers to show America who they would like to be as recording artists. Barely any of them (even the good ones) did that.

Here are my picks for who did the best and worst this week:

The "D/F" Team:

* Stevie Wright (You Belong With Me)--I had semi-high hopes for young Stevie, but man, was this painful to watch. I'm not sure what happened here. The song was much too low for her voice and wound up sounding like (to borrow a repeated phrase from Simon) karaoke with a capital K. It was so weird and out of tune, and I feel sad that Stevie will have to leave on such a terrible note.

* Stephen Fowler (Rock With You)--I was already suspicious of Stephen after he bombed in Hollywood week but was still given a free pass over the much more interesting Jamar Rogers. His voice was good, but I don't think there was bigger cheesefest all night than this. The arrangement was so out of date and I couldn't believe that out of all the songs there are in the world to sing, this is what Stephen said yes to.

* Jackie Tohn (A Little Less Conversation)--oh Jackie, I wanted to like you. This performance, however, was a mess. It was so self-indulgent, and while there were hints of a great voice, Jackie masked it with a weird mixture of growling and screeching that just did not sound good. And what was with that legging/sneaker combo? I was not impressed.

The "C" Team:

· Brent Keith (Hicktown)--Brent definitely can sing, but this may be the most forgettable performance of the night. Maybe I'm biased as a non-country fan, but between Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift, there definitely is some contemporary and interesting country on the radio right now, and unfortunately, that was not it.

· Casey Carlson (Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic)--I don't think that Casey was a complete disaster. She has that Demi Lovato/commercial look and her voice isn't half bad. I also commend her for picking something a little different. The performance, however, came out sounding much too karaoke and the pitch of the song didn't allow her to exert any power.

· Anne Marie Boskovich (Natural Woman)--I liked Anne Marie from the beginning and I still like her. Her voice is natural and controlled. But I just can't let her get away with picking such a clichéd song. Time after time, the judges tell contestants not to pick Whitney or Aretha, and while she sang it well, it doesn't tell me anything about what kind of artist she wants to be.

The "B" Team:

* Michael Sarver (I Don't Wanna Be)--I'm really interested in the fact that Michael has a country accent but somehow seems to sound soulful when he sings. It's a weird mix that I oddly like. He isn't blowing my mind or anything, but I think he's a nice guy that I wouldn't be sad to see move on.

* Anoop Desai (Angel of Mine)--I was totally in the "I Heart Anoop" fan club before this but now I'm not as sure. I think he has a great voice and is geeky-adorable, not to mention his Hollywood week "My Prerogative" was ballsy and fun, but "Angel of Mine" was such a stupid choice of song. What was he thinking?

* Ricky Braddy (A Song For You)--We haven't seen much from Ricky, but the guy can really sing! I definitely agree with Simon that Ricky has "no star quality," but there is no denying that he sung the hell out of this song. My one big problem was that my all-time favorite Idol performance is Season 5's Elliot Yamin singing this same song. Ricky was great, but Elliot's version blew me away.

The "A" Team:

* Tatiana Del Toro (I'm Saving All My Love For You)--Yes, you read that right. Crazy Tatiana gets an A. Despite all the insanity and the dramatics, I challenge anyone to tell me that Tatiana can't sing--she has good tone and can hit almost all the notes. The judges weren't as quick to praise her, but I say get over it! Yes, she's unbelievably bizarre and her toned-down personally during the show was even creepier than her usual crazy one, but she's still one of the best singers in the competition.

* Danny Gokey (Hero)--Before the episode even aired, I KNEW Danny would be the last performance of the night. Does Fox really expect us to believe the order is all random? Danny IS great--his tone is rich and he hits all his notes with ease. But the fact that Idol is pimping him out to be the next great superstar reeks of David Archuleta. I just can't let myself ultimately root for the original man on top. Plus, "Hero?" Really? Does it get any more unoriginal than that? (And jeez Kara, calm down! I take back everything I said about her being the competent judge, only Simon knows what he's talking about.)

* Alexis Grace (I Never Loved a Man [The Way That I Love You])--OMG I LOVE her! I usually measure my feeling about a performance by how likely I am to download it, and Alexis' was the only one I really want to hear again. Fantastic song choice, fantastic vocals, and fantastic presence. Alexis is soulful, confident and unique. I agree judges--she is the one to watch.

While I think Danny and Alexis are a lock for this week's top 3, I'm not so sure about Tatiana. I think she deserves it, but America and I don't tend to agree. My margin of error says that either Tatiana, Ricky or Anoop will be the third chosen to move on.

--Kristen