Last week, Matthew Rogers and Camile Velasco joined Diana Degarmo and Fantasia Barrino in the finals. Read on for comments from Brian, Mary, and Molly about the contestants kicking off the second half of the Round 32.

Elizabeth LeTendre - "I Wanna Dance With Somebody"

Brian writes: Elizabeth says she wanted to prove that she's a singer and not a dancer. She started off on a bad foot, going off key on the first few notes. She settled into the song a little; not tonally great, but better than most last week. Randy was right about her "performance skills" because her moves and attitude were above par. If Elizabeth advances, I'm sure she'll improve.

Mary writes: Her early notes were not so good. She seemed to grow into the song though. I think she ended the song well after her shaky start. I am not as enthusiastic about her performance as Randy and Paula. I thought she was okay, better than most of last week's performers, but she wasn't terrific.

Molly writes: For someone who wanted to shed the dancing image, it probably wasn't a good idea for her to sing a song referencing dancing. And if she wanted to show that she was a singer, she should have sung better. I wasn't impressed with her performance either. She didn't seem to have fun with a party song; she didn't even crack a smile. Is she overflow from last week?

Eric Yoder - "In The Still Of The Night"

Brian writes: Eric says he doesn't see the similarity between himself and Clay, but it's very obvious just by looking at him. Fortunately for him, the comparison goes further. He has a stronger-than-average voice, if a bit uneven and off-balance, but I think he would kill in this competition if he got a little more confident in his voice and in his stage presence. If the audience can get to know him better and he doesn't let his act get old, he could go very far. Also, kudos to the costuming director for his goading to go with a non-Clay outfit. It worked.

Mary writes: I think he sang well enough, but I was not a real fan. He may make it through because there really aren't too many men in the competition who can sing decently. I do not think that his voice reminds me of Clay's, and in addition the man needs more energy and charisma. I'm not enthusiastic, but he was okay.

Molly writes: I definitely heard Clay in Eric's voice, but I agree with Simon -- Eric just doesn't have Clay's personality. I didn't think that this was a particularly strong performance for Eric. I felt like he was concentrating more on the camera than on his singing, and I thought the falsetto towards the end was a big mistake (but I guess once you get up there, you just have to follow through). Eric might make it through because of the weak field of men we've seen so far, but if he does, I doubt he'll make it as far as the top 6.

Amy Adams - "I'm Your Lady"

Brian writes: Amy Adams wanted just to be herself while performing. She was, and it was a very good thing. She should be known as "Miss Personality". Her voice was accurate and strong, but faltered a little bit toward the end. Her acceptance of the criticisms was very gracious, probably more than it should have been. Amy Adams is the kind of person and singer I'd like to see win American Idol.

Mary writes: She did a very nice job. I liked her singing, and I like her song choice. I don't like her hair, and I wish she would change her look. That said, I think her voice is great and I'd love to see more of her. She seems like she also has a nice attitude, which is a bonus.

Molly writes: I was very impressed when Amy started singing. She had a nice tone without relying on the backing music to get her through. I actually thought she was a little weaker as the song went on, and I think maybe this wasn't the best song choice for her. Still, she had a good voice underneath that, and I loved her line to Ryan that "if having a good time is cabaret, then CA-BA-RET!" Maybe I'm just grouchy because she seems like Vanessa Olivarez lite to me, and I miss Vanessa.

Jon Peter Lewis - "Tiny Dancer"

Brian writes: Jon Peter Lewis, a fan favorite, had a lot of expectation to live up to. Sadly, I think he came on a little too strong. The song choice was horrible, requiring a lot of sudden changes, and Jon Peter didn't execute them well in a competition in which degree of difficulty isn't really much of a factor. He also didn't handle himself very well, seeming insecure in his performance, and at times looking scared to death. I'm rooting for him, because I think he can grow into an American Idol, but I'm not holding my breath.

Mary writes: Wow, I really like the Elton John song he sang, but I sure didn't care for his performance of the song. I didn't even recognize the song until he got to the chorus! Ack. He has a decent voice, but he seemed uncomfortable on stage -- at times gripping the microphone for life and not smiling at all until the end.

Molly writes: I haven't gotten the love for Jon Peter Lewis all this time, and he performed exactly as I would have expected -- like a mediocre singer. Not mediocre compared to American Idol contestants, but just mediocre compared to America. He had weird enunciation, and his performance was clunky. His manner of singing didn't seem to correlate at all to what he was singing.

Charly Lowry - "Chain of Fools"

Brian writes: Charly, the shy, soft-spoken Native American with the Southern drawl, shed all of that as soon as she stepped on the stage. Surprisingly aggressive, her confidence was unmatched by any in the competition tonight. She was a little off-key at the beginning, but her vocal skills improved throughout the song. Luckily, that's something that can easily be fixed throughout the competition. Her performance was not perfectly executed, but definitely better than many we've witnessed.

Mary writes: She started off really shaky, but the second line of the song, she really started getting into the song. I love this song, but it really needs backup singers. I missed the "Ooo Ooo" part. Anyway, I liked her performance. I think Amy did better than Charly, but I think Charly has a nice voice. I'd like to see more of her, but unless she impresses during the wild card round, I think this may be the last we see of her.

Molly writes: I didn't think that Charly quite had enough power in her voice to carry off the song, but she had enough stage presence to carry it through. She was able to connect both with the audience in front of her and the tv viewing audience in a very natural way. She did a good job, and I think she'd make a great addition to the finalists.

Jonah Moananu - "I Wish"

Brian writes: Jonah Moananu, the rappin' Hawaiian, definitely doesn't have the body type of the traditional American Idol (not that that stopped Ruben Studdard). Like Amy, he is probably best known for his personality, but unlike her, he doesn't have the voice or the engaging stage presence. His "dance moves" (read: hand motions) were amateurish. While he was definitely into the song, he just seemed laid back and lazy throughout.

Mary writes: He seems like he has a really nice personality. That's the best I can say about him. I didn't care for his performance. He has nice stage presence, but he couldn't really hit the notes. I think I've heard wedding bands who have done better. Jonah, nice seeing you, too bad this will be the last time.

Molly writes: Good golly! I had high hopes for Jonah coming into this, but this was just a disaster. For starters, it was a bad song choice -- I don't know if anyone could have demonstrated great vocal ability with this one. But he also had tempo problems, phrasing problems, and missed some notes. For a guy who's done rap competitions, he seemed surprisingly nervous on stage. His hand movements, his shifting back and forth and rapid head movements, the way that he swung the microphone up and down, all were distracting.

Leah LaBelle - "I Have Nothing"

Brian writes: Leah LaBelle is the daughter of Bulgarian musicians, so that may give her an edge. I wasn't nearly as impressed with her performance as the judges were. Like a few other contestants tonight, it seemed as if she was concentrating too much on her "act" and not enough on her singing. She was a little flat throughout, probably because her mouth was lazy. Her experimenting with the song was not appropriate at this point of the competition, especially with a strong group this time.

Mary writes: She started well and I think she did a good job with the song. There were some flat notes in the middle, but I really liked her performance in comparison to the field that night. She is a good performer. I'm not sure that her singing was the best tonight, but she was in Amy's league. She's awfully young, so I almost think she'd be better for this competition in two years.

Molly writes: Leah was ... good. Like Charly, she had a commanding stage presence. Vocally, she seemed to be having trouble holding a note, but her performance evened out as she kept singing. She hadn't impressed me during earlier auditions, and while I wasn't crazy about her now, I do feel more comfortable with the idea of her being a finalist now.

LaToya London - "All By Myself"

Brian writes: LaToya wins the award for out-of-nowhere contestant for the season. Before tonight, she wasn't even on my radar screen, and tonight she's had the best performance of the competition. Not only did she have the most consistent and best voice, she really took control of the song. She handled the tricky transition perfectly. The only complaint I had was on the one or two runs in the song, there was too much effort and it came across as too bold.

Mary writes: I absolutely hate "All By Myself." I really do. So color me impressed that she tore that song up. She did a great job with the song, but LaToya, I never ever want to hear this song again. Seriously. She gave the performance of the night. I really want to see her voted through. She's just about the only one.

Molly writes: Holy cow ... I loved LaToya! Seriously. Totally. Utterly. I loved how lovely and elegant her voice was in the early part of the song. I loved how sweet and restrained her voice was in the first part of the chorus, contrary to its usual rendition. I loved when she opened it up in the second part of the chorus, because hey, you gotta open that song up eventually. LaToya was fabulous! Can we just have 10 weeks of LaToya singing and then give her the prize?

Final Thoughts

Brian writes: I hope that LaToya and Amy go through. But ideally, I'd send six of the eight through. I hope the wild card round is loaded with Round Three contestants. Don't look for Jonah to make it through.

Mary writes: I think LaToya really needs to be voted through. Beyond her, I don't have any good guesses. Leah was good, Amy was a bit better. Eric was the only passable man in the bunch. So who knows?

Molly writes: All I ask is that LaToya makes it through. For purely selfish reasons -- I just want to here what else she can do. After that, it's a hard call. Leah and Charly would both make good contestants, but with both of them in one round, they might cancel one another out in the voting. Eric and Jon Peter might also cancel one another out. With one singer so much stronger than the others, the rest of the voting will be tight. I'm guessing that Charly will be the other one to make it through, but I could imagine scenarios where anyone but Elizabeth LeTendre makes it through.

American Idol roundtables at The Trades: 1st Quarterfinal | 2nd Quarterfinal

American Idol on the net: American Idol's Official site | Sirlinksalot.net