I thought last night’s 3rd group of 12 was the STRONGEST yet and tonight could be a ‘pick-em’ for the TOP 3……after Lil Rounds of course, who in my eyes is the one to beat in this competition!! I’ll keep it short and sweet here and drop the contestants into 3 categories based on their performances from last night, YES…. NO....and MAYBE…..here we go!

The YES’s ....

Lil Rounds— I’ve said it for weeks….she’s the one to beat in this competition! DEFINITELY in the TOP 3 vote getters and into the TOP 12 tonight! Plus….I think she’ll hurt Ju’not Joyner’s chances of getting in the TOP 3, reasons are obvious!

Von Smith- I like this kid, and had him listed as a dark horse for the TOP 12 when the TOP 36 was announced…..think he sang well enough to get into the TOP 3 tonight, if not….expect him back tomorrow night on the WILD CARD Round!

Scott MacIntyre— I do NOT think this kid is a very good singer at all, but with his disability and overall courage, he’ll get the sympathy vote tonight and make it into the TOP 3….if not…expect him to pushed through to the WILD CARD Round and the judges will then put him through…..so…..either way….LOCK FOR THE TOP 12!!

Felicia Barton--- I picked this girl from the auditions with her 15 seconds of face time, and she’s the one who got the call for a 2nd chance after Joanna Pacetti got booted off the show….and I think she’s a dark horse for tonight’s TOP 3….so, if she’s not voted in, expect her to be back tomorrow night singing in the WILD CARD Round!

Jorge’ Nunez— I never thought this kid would make it this far, but he has, and sang pretty well last night, well enough that I won’t be SHOCKED if he’s in the TOP 3 tonight! If not….expect him back in the WILD CARD Round!

The MAYBE’s…..

Ju’not Joyner—Little face time for this guy up to this point and aside from the fact that he did a song I absolute hate (The ‘Hey There Delilah’ overused and overplayed song! UGH!!), he slowed it down and did it very well!! Outside shot at tonight’s TOP 3!

Kristen McNamara—Not that it should matter, but she should really learn how to style a bit and dress better! Geez!! Liked her more before than I did last night, she’s a bit of a fake…but she was better than most last night and could sneak in to the TOP 3, but she’s a long-shot at this point!

Kendall Beard- Because she’s as great looking as she is, and the only ‘Country’ artist in the competition, she’s going to get a lot of votes! But….will it be enough?? I doubt it…..but with America, one never knows, so she may be the 3rd overall vote-getter tonight!

The NO’s….

Taylor Vaifanua—I’ve never really liked this girl very much at all, and her performance was just OK and pretty forgettable! No loss here…..bye-bye Taylor, you’re going home!

Alexander Wagner-Trugman— A calmer version of Norman Gentle….but certainly not worthy of being in this competition. See ‘ya Alexander….back to being just a plain dork!!

Ariana Afsar—Thought her rendition of Abba’s ‘The Winner Takes It All’ sounded like Meryl Streep on steroids from the Mamma Mia movie! Take the ‘cute as a button’ compliment Ariana and exit gracefully!

Nathanial Marshall- Sorry….this kid got way too much face time than necessary last night, and I agree with Simon, he’s a cross between Richard Simmons and Olivia Newton John with the ‘look’ he has going on. Time for him to back home and singin’ grandma to sleep in the rockin’ chair!

BOTTOM LINE: I thought this group was considerably better overall talent-wise than either of the last two from top-to-bottom, and as I said earlier….when tonight’s results are announced, it could be a real surprise for several contestants! I do expect several from this group to be back Thursday night in the first ever WILD CARD ROUND, where the contestants chosen will get to compete one last time for the FINAL 3 spots in the TOP 12!

The contestants performing will be decided on by the Idol producers and judges, and America will have no say in the outcome as to who will be the FINAL 3 that move on in the competition! Let Kimmy and I know, based on last night’s performances, who you think should make it through to the TOP 12, and/or if you agree with all that get voted through after the results are announced tonight on Fox!

More from Eddie ‘Little Simon’ Idol tomorrow……after the 1-hour results show tonight!! Until then…..Eddie’s OUT and on a break!