Wednesday night's performances by the top 12 women wrapped up '60s Week on "American Idol" and not a moment too soon. Next week we'll hopefully be treated to songs recorded while these 24 contestants, and most of the audience ,were alive. Here's hoping at least ...

So how 'bout those ladies? Like the 12 men before them, there wasn't a whole lot to cheer about.

Let's get to it. Here's our take on each of the performances, in the order they were aired:

Kristy Lee Cook: "Rescue Me", is first. She retells the story of selling her horse to afford a trip to Philly to audition. (Wasn't there a closer audition city?) One of her goals is to buy her horse back if she finds success on the show. She sings "Rescue Me." She does a decent job with it, I guess. The song is kind of an odd fit with her semi-twangy sound, though. Randy says he knows the pressure is crazy, but that it wasn't her best performance, and it was rough around the edges. Paula says she has a double-whammy of being sick (aha) and being the first one up. "Don't ever let that get in the way of your shine," she goes on. Simon says that in this section of the competition, "we see what you're really made of." He adds that we didn't see much from her and calls her performance "robotic." "It just wasn't anything to grab hold of." Our grade: B-

Joanne Borgella: "I Say a Little Prayer for You", says she waited about 10 or 11 hours on the last day in Hollywood to find out whether she was in the Top 24. She sings "I Say a Little Prayer." I wonder whether she's having the illness issues, too, because at some points, she also has the "rough around the edges" problem that Randy mentioned about Kristy Lee. Randy says she felt a little unsure in her performance. Paula says she's had a true confidence and sense of herself in the previous auditions, and they would like to see that again. Simon says, "I didn't like it at all. This is the point of the show when you have to come out and nail it." He says he couldn't get a hold of her vocals, either. Our grade: C-

Alaina Whitaker: "More Today Than Yesterday", They discuss that she is the youngest contestant and also that tomorrow is her birthday. Her biggest wish, of course, is to not go home on her birthday. She is from Tusla, Okla., and a junior in high school. Aha, she is the one who responded, "Shoot!" after Simon said he didn't think she was as good as she thought she was during the first round of auditions. I remember that. For her song tonight, she sings "More Today Than Yesterday." She starts slow and quiet and then launches in, and she's definitely the strongest one so far. Randy says season seven is "turning out to be the year of the young ones." He says once she got started, it was like, "What?" Paula says she nailed it, and that she had the best ending she's heard on that song. Simon: "I think you're very good. First time tonight we haven't seen any nerves." But he says he doesn't personally like the song because it's so corny, but if she can make "that bad of a song" sound good, she will do great with a good song. Our grade: B+

Amanda Overmyer: "Baby Please Don't Go", is next. She says she is going to lay off the Janis Joplin because, like Simon said, she doesn't want to pale in comparison to her. She comes out to rock to "Baby, Please Don't Go" complete with scatting and lots of camera cuts. Randy wants her pants (literally, he likes her patchwork trousers), and likes her blues-rock sound. Paula likes her, too. Simon: "I really like you because I genuinely think you're authentic." He accuses her of forgetting the words halfway through, but it was one of the scat breaks. She asks him whether he's ever heard the song before, but he hasn't really. Even so, he still enjoyed her performance. Ryan says she seems pretty unflappable and asks if anything has unnerved or intimidated her. She says, yes, "When I had to dance in front of the camera after they announced the Top 24, and they show it like all the time on TV; it's embarrassing." Ha! That is great! Our grade: D

Amy Davis: "Where the Boys Are", says being in the Top 24 is like "100 Christmases for a 6-year-old girl packed into one." She sings "Where the Boys Are." It's, um, pretty awful, and Randy starts laughing before she is even done with the last note. Randy says when you "scoop up to the note" like country singers do, you have to hit the note exactly, and she didn't, so it wasn't great. Paula says the camera loves her, but that overall, the performance was "lackluster." Simon: "You looked great, but you didn't sound great." He adds that it was pretty boring, and that "it wasn't you at all." Amy tells the best way to describe how she felt before she started is "shaky." That definitely came through in the performance, unfortunately. Our grade: C+

Brooke White: "Happy Together", which she does a little more traditionally than David Cook's version last night. Randy says the first part of the song was decent, but in the second part of it, she started "slaying" it. Paula says this competition is all about originality and that she has a really unique voice. Simon says it was a good song choice, but he is starting to feel like he's trapped in a commercial for "washing-up liquid" from the 1960s because of all the "happiness." "It was very you, but I'm struggling with the relevance. ... I just presume you're going to be nice throughout the competition." "Is that all right with you?" she asks. "No, not really!" he replies. Ryan makes Simon clarify that washing-up liquid is dishwashing soap, which usually has sunny, happy commercials. Our grade: C

Alexandrea Lushington: "Spinning Wheel", She's the one whose great-grandmother was there during her audition. She sings "Spinning Wheel" and she tears it up. She's confident, engaging on stage and has a great time. What is going on with the teens tonight? Randy: "You blew the doors off that. ... You stayed on the notes, you got it, it was hot!" Paula says, "You took control of your entrance and your performance. ... I saw more confidence in your performance tonight than any others." Simon: "I didn't get it. I didn't think the vocals were great. It reminded me of one of these horrible little shows you see where people do an awful musical." Randy and Paula tell him he's wrong and that she's totally relevant. Alexandrea corrects Ryan on how to pronounce her name, but somehow it's charming and kind of funny. Simon says he hasn't yet heard "an outstandingly good vocal" yet. Our grade: A-

Kady Malloy: "Groovy Kind of Love", She is from Houston and a recording-studio assistant. She is also the one with the killer Britney impression, but her goal is to prove she has her own voice. She sings "Groovy Kind of Love." She's kinda pitchy, but the last part isn't too bad. Randy: "This song was OK for me. It was so restrained and controlled. ... I thought you got lost in the song." Paula says she looks "really pretty tonight," but they want to see more of her fun side. Simon says he agrees with Paula. He says the performance "was like Night of the Living Dead. When you do Britney, you're brilliant, and then when you do you, the lights go off. ... You came across as 80 in that. You've got to lighten up. I don't know who could impersonate you. A pencil, maybe?" Ouch. She tells Ryan she was being serious because it was a serious song (which makes me think of "serious cat"). Our grade: B

Asia'h Epperson: "Piece of My Heart", She is the one whose father passed away two days before her initial audition, at which she sang "How Do I Live?" and made me and countless others cry. She says her dad will definitely be with her because she's "living his dream." She sings Janis Joplin's "Piece of My Heart," having fun on stage. Randy loves that she did her own thing with the song. Paula: "You had fun up there; you had some really good moments in that song." Simon: "For me, it was my favorite of the night. You let go! You had fun, you're likeable. ... It's what it's all about."Our grade: A

Ramiele Malubay: "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me", says she wanted them to think she has "a big voice for a little girl." She sings "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me," and the producers are having fun with dramatic camera cuts again. Randy: "You took your time, you built it up, you saved it for the end, you stuck to the melody, you made it your own, almost like a pro!" Paula: "You are a force to be reckoned with. ... I just thought, 'Right on.'" Simon says he didn't initially like her, but that through Hollywood rounds, she was the most consistently good singer, and that tonight, she outsang everyone. She's floored and excited. Our grade: D-

Syesha Mercado: "Tobacco Road", who lost her voice entirely during Hollywood week but gave an amazing final audition there, is from Sarasota, Fla., and a working actress in Miami. She comes out and belts "Tobacco Road," with a killer final note. Randy says she has a big old powerful voice and he liked it despite some pitchy parts. Paula says it was joyful and fun. "Syesha, way to go." Simon agrees that it wasn't her best performance, "but I don't think it really matters because you are probably one of the most talented girls in the competition. ... I thought it was terrific." Our grade: A-

Carly Smithson: "Shadow of Your Smile", the Irish singer with the onetime record deal who has caused so much commotion, actually gets to talk about how she had had a contract with a label that later imploded. (They gloss over the $2 million the label spent and the fewer than 400 copies that sold part, which is what's been getting the attention.) She says she sees this as her second chance for sure. She sings "Shadow of Your Smile." I couldn't figure out what song she was singing until the last line. Randy: "That's what the show is all about. You have bronchitis and all that ... Best vocal of the Top 24 this week!" Paula calls her the "lucky penny" and mentions beautiful inflections. Simon: "Once again, I'm on my own here. I didn't get it. Our grade: B-

American Idol is an annual American televised singing competition, which began its first season on June 11, 2002. Part of the Idol franchise, it originated from the British reality program Pop Idol created by British entertainment executive Simon Fuller.

The program seeks to discover the best young singer in the country, through a series of nationwide auditions. The outcomes of the later stages of this competition are determined by public voting by phone. The format features three judges who critique the contestants' performances in order to facilitate the voting: record producer and bass player Randy Jackson; former pop star Paula Abdul; and music executive Simon Cowell. The show is hosted by former children's game show emcee and television personality Ryan Seacrest; comedian Brian Dunkleman cohosted with Seacrest in season one.

The show usually airs on Tuesday and Wednesday nights in the US and Thursday and Friday nights in the UK (two days after the US airing). In its six seasons, its six winners have been, in order of their season, Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, and Jordin Sparks. The first five American Idols are from the Southern United States of America (U.S) and the sixth, Jordin Sparks, is from the Southwest. Hicks was the oldest winner at 29, Sparks the youngest at just 17.

American Idol is televised on Fox in the United States, ITV2 in the UK, FOX8 in Australia, CTV in Canada and on Q11 for the 7th season, in the Philippines. The Idol series was first created by Simon Fuller (manager of the Spice Girls and S Club 7) and developed by Simon Jones of FremantleMedia. The director is Bruce Gowers (director of Queen's original "Bohemian Rhapsody" video) and executive producers are Nigel Lythgoe (a judge on So You Think You Can Dance) and Ken Warwick (Gladiators and Grudge Match). With the exception of the Super Bowl and the Academy Awards, American Idol is the highest rated (viewed) program on U.S. national television.