The Journal Times Online - Racine, Wisconsin

After Wednesday's results:

As anyone with a pair of ears could have predicted, Danny and Alexis made it into the Top 12. Lovable oil rig dude Michael Sarver got the third spot from tonight's dozen.

Here's hopin' the judges see fit to put Anoop in there with them in three weeks.

Next week "Idol" is on Wednesday and Thursday (presumably because of President Obama's speech on Tuesday night).

Included in next week's batch of 12 is dark-haired dynamo Adam Lambert, songstress Jasmine Murray, goofy Norman Gentle and a bunch of other people I barely remember seeing during the Hollywood rounds.

After Tuesday's show:

OK, cheeseheads: We have a real contender here.

Not that we didn’t already know that Milwaukee’s Danny Gokey, 28, rocks. Those of us paying attention totally knew. And it’s true that performing last on an otherwise quite painful first live “Idol” show only makes him seem better than he probably is.

But, wow. I pretty much hate Mariah Carey, so when I heard he was going to sign “Hero,” I braced myself for the worst. But he nailed it. He made it his own. It wasn’t overly cheesy (the song itself is kinda cheesy, so you can’t totally avoid it). And he let his ever-so-slight husky tone come through. Loved it! I was “woo-hooing” at home right along with Paula and Kara, and I’m not embarrassed to say it. Well, maybe just a little embarrassed. But I’m sayin’ it anyway!

So he’s definitely the top guy.

The top girl? My girl Alexis Grace, hands down. Single mom Grace, 21, of Tennessee, gave us a fabulous, soulful performance of Aretha’s “Never Loved a Man.” I love that that voice comes out of that little blonde-haired body. She was lightyears beyond the other women on the show.

And I think the third top vote-getter will be Anoop (Dogg) Desai, 22, of North Carolina. He did pretty well with Monica’s “Angel of Mine.” It wasn’t amazing, but he’s already got a nickname. That alone, I think, will edge him past fellow North Carolinian Ricky Braddy, 26. Braddy is a top-notch singer, but I think Simon’s right. He lacks the charisma that 'Noop Dogg has.

Everyone else was either completely forgettable or so horrible that I wish I could forget. Jackie Tohn, 28, of New York, tried to win us over with Elvis but I was too distracted by her disco-era spandex. Brent Keith, 29, Ohio, bored me to death with a country song (disclaimer: I’m not a country fan). Stevie Wright, 17, of California; Casey Carlson, 20, Minnesota; and Ann Marie Bosckovich, 22, of Tennessee were just uncomfortable to watch (sigh -- I had high hopes for Ann Marie …).

Likeable oil rig dude Michael Sarver, 27, of Texas, and lyric-forgetter Stephen Fowler, 26, Ohio, were notably underwhelming (Michael Jackson?! Really, Stephen?)

And as if Ryan's new dark, unfrosted ’do wasn’t enough to weird me out, spazzy Tatiana Del Toro, 24, of Puerto Rico, was so super-chill that I swear she took some valium before the show.

She gave an OK performance of Whitney’s “I'm Saving All My Love for You,” but the comedy really kicked in when the judges were all “Hey, you didn’t stink up the place!” and “Hey, where’s the drama queen we love so much?” In other words, they pretty much admitted that they never thought she was that good but they let her through for the train-wreck potential. So when she shows up all mellowed out and singing halfway decently, they’re all flustered. Whatever. I guess they still have the chance to let her through in the fourth week if they want.

So the top guy, top girl and third-highest vote-getter get through Wednesday night. The next two weeks will go the same way with each group of 12. Then in Week 4, the judges pick the last three for the Top 12 from the contestants who didn’t get voted through. Confusing enough for you?

Who did you love? Who did you hate? And do you think the “Idol” peeps will get their act together on their second live show (tape miscue, random shot of camera guy walking backstage at the end of Fowler’s performance … what, did they have the interns working the show Tuesday night?)

A little “Idol Chatter” blog note: I’ll be on vacation the next two weeks, so an “Idol” fan in our awesome Internet Production department has agreed to fill in writing the blog while I’m gone.