The singing has started on American Idol, and I, for one, could not be more excited.

Randy has been saying all along that this is the year of the guys, and he echoed that sentiment again tonight. But I think that the girls are going to give them a run for their money. There were some phenomenal singers tonight – they made the show really enjoyable to watch.

Who were they? Well, some there is no question about. I’ve been talking about Paris and Katherine for a few weeks now, and they certainly lived up to expectations. They were simply fabulous. I was worried about Katherine’s song choice, but she proved that she can sing with the big guns. Lisa has also shown that she needs to be included amongst the favorites. For a little girl, she has a HUGE voice. I so enjoyed listening to her sing – I can see her as someone who will get a recording contract whether or not she wins the competition.

There were two other performances that were quite good – not great, but really good. I liked Mandisa – her voice has a really nice quality to it, and I love that she shows that you don’t have to be a size zero to be an American Idol. Kellie Pickler was great too. I thought her performance was a lot better than the judges criticism showed.

Speaking of Mandisa, what is the deal with girls on American Idol choosing to go with just one name? There’s one every season, and I never really understand it. Especially because they start with their last names during the audition rounds.

Anyways, at the other end of the spectrum were the girls that really didn’t perform well tonight. It was rough for Becky anyways, as she had to follow up Kellie, but she just sounded off. She seemed like she was trying to be a rocker, when she should have just tried to sing the song. Heather was equally bad, and I think that the two of them will likely be eliminated tonight. She made a horrible song selection (what on earth would possess you to select a song made famous on American Idol?), and she didn’t sing it well. Simon summed it up best when he told her that she should have used the opportunity to make an excuse for her singing.

They weren’t the only two who could easily be eliminated this week. Stevie (who is way too thin…really…could someone please get this girl a sandwich?) is a strong singer, but made a disastrous song choice. She will likely be helped by the fact that she was forgettable – maybe people will forget how plain her performance was. Brenna was also pretty bad, although I have had more than enough of Brenna. Please, Brenna, grow up and act your age. And then there was Kinnik, who I saw sing about 20 minutes ago and I have already forgotten.

And don’t worry – I haven’t forgotten about Ayla & Melissa. They both sang well, but not great. And they are both going to be hurt by editing. Poor Melissa is hurt by the fact that tonight is really the first time we’ve seen her. And Ayla is being made out to be the perfect “golden” girl who gets everything she wants – why would she need this show anyways, when she can fall back on her scholarships? I hope they do well – and that the producers start giving them both a better shot.

Speaking of forgetting, how could I forget how old tonight’s show made me? First there was Becky who talked about getting a CD when she was little. They had CDs when you were little?? Ok, I know this makes me sound ancient, but when I was little my music was on records. Really. I didn’t get my first CD player until I went away to college. Yikes. Then Ayla talked about loving Mulan when she was little. Once again, I think I was in college when that movie came out. Sigh…

So, who am I voting for tonight? (because you know that I’ll log at least a few phone calls) I’ll spread some votes around – Paris, Katherine, Kellie, and Lisa. And I’ll be tuning in tomorrow to see if the guys can match tonight’s show.