American Idol Semifinals Filled with Grace, Noop Dogg and Gokeheads

The first 12 semifinalists on American Idol took to the stage last night.

While Jackie Tohn opened the evening with an energetic performance of an Elvis classic; and while Ricky Braddy came out of nowhere with a winning rendition of "A Song For You," we have a strong feeling that the following three contestants will be voted through to the next round.

Alexis Grace performed third on the show, but Randy Jackson said she truly kicked off season eight with her performance of "Never Loved a Man." She has a child, so we know this isn't literally true. But it was still a solid audition.

Anoop Desai sang "Angel of Mine," a slow song that wasn't as much fun as his rendition of "My Perogative" in Hollywood. But it's clear the judges all hope to see more of the crooner known as "Noop Dogg."

Danny Gokey closed the show with a rendition of Mariah Carey's "Hero" that might have cured cancer. That's how Randy, Kara and Paula responded to it at least. The crowd - or, as we're gonna start calling them, "Gokeheads," - gave this contestant a standing ovation.

Which of these contestants was your favorite semifinalist? Click on each photo for a larger version.