American Idol Season 7: My Picks for the Top Twelve Boys

Sigh, forgive me, reality TV critics. I've fallen under the spell of American Idol. And now that the field has narrowed down to the Top 24, you'd bet I have an opinion on who I think has got it and who has got to go. Tonight the top 12 boys sang and here's my list from worse to best:

12. Jason Yeager (28, Grand Prairie, TX)

• Song - "Moon River" - Johnny Mercer
• He just didn't do it for me. He's got a good voice, but he swallowed his words and started by sitting and then awkwardly standing. There's a good story here, with him having a kid and all, but there's just too much talent in this field.

11. David Hernandez (24, Glendale, AZ)

• Song - "Midnight Hour" - Wilson Pickett
• I'm sad he's number 11, because I think he's more talented than he sounded tonight. His movements looked forced however, and he always looks up and to the left when he sings, like he's trying to remember the lyrics. Maybe it's nerves, but it might be too late to make it for it.

10. Colton Berry (18, Staunton, VA)

• Song - "Suspicious Minds" - Elvis Presley
• He admits to looking like Ellen DeGeneres, which is pretty funny. A surprisingly good performance, sans the suspenders. I guess I just don't like him because he was picked over Kyle.

9. Luke Menard (29, Crawfordsville, IN)

• Song - "Everyone's Talking at Me" - Harry Nilsson
• Simon calls his performance forgettable. I agree. He's saved thus far by being good looking, but that can only go so far.

8. Danny Noriega (18, Azuza, CA)

• Song - "Jailhouse Rock" - Elvis Presley
• Wow, this kid has some attitude! Maybe it's from drinking all that Naked Juice (hint - they're based in Azuza), but when Simon criticized him he stuck out his lower lip! The cute act is going to win him some votes and I did like his white shirt, skinny black tie/jeans look, but I don't think he has the natural talent to win it all.

7. Michael Johns (29, Buckhead, GA)

• Song - "Light My Fire" - The Doors
• He really rocked "Bohemian Rhapsody" during Hollywood week, but this definitely was not his best performance. He's got a ton of energy, though. It won't kill him this round, but he'll have to do better if he wants to win it all. I really like him...perhaps he's my sleeper pick to be in the top 3.

6. Robbie Carrico (26, Melbourne, FL)

• Song - "One is the loneliest number" - Three Dog Nights
• Good rocker. The field is sort of muddled for me at this point, so he'll have to really put on some good performances if he wants to stand-out in the future.

5. Garrett Haley (17, Elida, OH)

• Song - "Breaking Up is Hard to Do" - Neil Sedaka
• He performed well-enough, but what I really liked was how he took all of the criticism in stride and had a great attitude about improving. Much more impressive than how some of the other contestants sounded when they talked with Ryan Seacrest.

4. Chikezie (22, Inglewood, CA)

• Song - "I Love You More Than Yesterday" - Stevie Wonder
• This guy can groove! He was a bit off-tune at the end, but he made it work and has a really cool vibe to him. Great smile, great personality.

3. David Cook (25, Blue Springs, MO)

• Song - "So Happy Together" - The Turtle
• I'm a bit biased, since he's from Missouri, but he's a good rocker with a lot of energy. He's really at ease when he sings and had an original take on the song. I can see him going far.

2. Jason Castro (20, Rockwell, TX)

• Song - "What a Day for a Daydream" - Lovin Spoonful
• He's the only contestant thus far to perform with an instrument (guitar). I placed him at number two because he's got a really pure voice and picked the perfect song tonight.

1. David Archuleta (17, Murray, UT)

• Song - "Shop Around" - Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
• This guy has got to be the early favorite to win it all. He's young, Randy, Paula, and Simon all love him, and he'll capture all of the young adolescent votes. With that said, yeah, he's talented and yeah, he's definitely number one for me now. No mistakes yet, but maybe his youth will get to him. He already showed that he needs to learn on communicating with the judges after a performance (he was out of breadth and smiling the whole time but really didn't say anything concrete).

So there you have it! The girls are tomorrow. Stay tuned!