Finally! The time has come for America to pick up their phones and flock to their computers to vote on The X Factor act or acts they like the best. But first, those acts get to take the stage to convince us to vote for them. As always, this will be a much easier job for some than it will be for others.

As I stated in a blog entry yesterday, I think the Groups category is going to have the hardest time convincing America to vote for them. Maybe they can do it, though. We’ll see.

I have no idea what, if anything, this week’s theme is. If the show ever announced it, I missed it. But we’ll know soon enough if there is a theme. Yes, I know, the judges pick the songs. Doesn’t mean there can’t be a theme to the songs the judges pick.

Join me after the jump as I live blog The X Factor Top 12.

I have discovered over the years that no matter how much I like the the weeks leading up to the first week of America voting, I am always ready for this portion of a show to begin. In addition, no matter how much I didn’t like the weeks leading up to this moment, my enthusiasm is always renewed on this first night of America voting.

Before the opening credits, Simon Cowell tells the camera that this is exciting because it’s not about the judges anymore, but about the contestants. Bull malarkey. It’s still very much about the judges, because not only do the judges have big personalities that demand attention, they also have a stake in who wins the competition. Not about the judges. Please.

Stereo Hogzz is up first, representing Paula Abdul’s Groups. There was an entire pre-performance video for them, but I was still busy getting things set up for tonight, so I missed it. If they announced the name of the song, I missed that as well. The guys are wearing black shirts and pants with red jackets. It sounds like they are singing Janet Jackson’s “Rhythm Nation”. I thought the beginning was very off, but they recovered before the end of the song. L.A. Reid and Nicole Scherzinger both gush all over the Stereo Hogzz, loving what they did. Simon goes a step further and says “I don’t think there is a band in the world as good as you right now.” I said in a blog entry Monday that I thought the Stereo Hogzz would likely outlast the other acts in the Groups category and was the best chance in keeping the Groups category from being the first category to disappear.

Up next is a L.A. Boys act, Chris Rene. In the pre-performance video, Chris admits that his performance last week wasn’t all that good. L.A. says the plan this week is to get Chris back to his swagger this week. Simon says Chris needs to connect lyrically to the song and that he could be in trouble this week if he gets it wrong. I doubt he would be in trouble, even if he butchers it. It appears that this show just isn’t going to announce the names of the songs the acts are singing, which is ridiculous. Not everyone knows the names of the songs. (It’s “Superstar” by Luthor Vandross.) Chris starts off strong, but stumbles as he gets to the chorus. The rap portion is strong, but falls again in the chorus. In the chorus, it sounds like he is off-key. Or the backup singers are off-key. Still, the audience loves him. They are also likely crushing over his new look, but he has shaved, lightened his hair, and gotten a new cut. And he has a great personality. The girls are all gonna love him, no matter how tattoos he has.

Up first for Nicole’s Boys category is LeRoy Bell. It’s just LeRoy on stage with a piano that someone is playing. It’s a slower song, but this is what LeRoy excels at. He has so much control over his voice that he can sing low, high, softly, and with power, all of which he does during the song (“I’m Already There” by Lonestar). I am loving LeRoy’s voice and his command of the stage even when he just stands there. L.A. and Simon both think Nicole screwed up with the song choice, with Simon also saying that he thinks LeRoy has a confidence issue. Nicole fires back that “less is more,” much to the cheering of the audience. Simon is so off with that confidence comment. LeRoy is brimming with confidence. He’s found himself up there on stage.

Rachel Crow is up first for Simon Cowell’s Girls. I’m really hoping that Rachel can win me back over tonight. I think she has a great voice, but have begun to think that she needs a couple of more years before doing a competition like this. Also, I’m done with all the crazy hair styles they are giving this over-curly big hair girl. I’m beginning to wonder if she is related to Sanjaya Malakar at this rate. She is singing “Walking on Sunshine” tonight, and it is under very cloudy conditions. The song starts off too low for her voice and it never really goes up enough for her. In addition, she is horribly drowned by the music and backup. It’s so very bad. In addition, I don’t care for the lyrics change. Makes no sense at all, though it might have if Rachel had enunciated enough. Nicole agrees with me on that, though Simon tears Nicole to shreds for it.

Next up for Paula Abdul’s Groups is Lakoda Rayne. We find out in the pre-performance video that Paula has the four girls each representing a different season, an idea that both Simon and L.A. massively put down in the video. All the girls are wearing similar dresses, with one red, one yellow, one blue, and one purple while singing “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac. The harmony is great between the four girls, a first for them in my opinion. But they are still lacking any real personality. Even in the seasoned dresses, they are just too bland for me. You would think that four girls as pretty as they are would have pizzazz, but they don’t. L.A. and Nicole both love the harmony, with Nicole saying that it was so natural for them. Simon loves them vocally, but then states that he hates what they are wearing.

Five acts have performed in 50 minutes. Does anyone else think this show is going to go way long tonight?

Next up tonight is Josh Krajcik from Nicole’s Over 30s category. Most of the pre-performance video is about how Josh’s wife has sacrificed for him. Nicole says that the song she has picked for Josh fits him well, but Simon completely disagrees. Josh is wearing all black tonight, including a leather jacket. The song (Christina Perry’s “Jar of Hearts”) starts off way too low, making it difficult to hear Josh. Wait……. this just in…….. Josh washed his hair for the show tonight! Amazing! It’s a slow song, but I agree with Nicole that, outside of the too low start, it fits Josh’s voice nicely. It’s a great, soulful performance. Loved it. And, surprise, Simon loves it as well. Thinks Nicole did a great job with this risk.

Melanie Amaro, the Girl that Simon nearly let go, is up next. Simon admits, again, on the pre-performance video that he made a mistake cutting Melanie. Melanie looks stunning up there on stage in her dark pants and silver top. She commands the stage so well with both her look and her voice. She is singing “Desperado” by The Eagles. She has so much control over her voice. And that voice is flawless. I will never understand why Simon let her go originally, and am beginning to think it was a stunt. Paula says Melanie’s voice was like fine china. I agree. Simon says that he didn’t realize until right now just how seriously good Melanie is. Simon, us smart people knew that already.

Up next is the one from L.A.’s Boys category I just cannot stand, Brian Bradley. I’m willing to give Brian another chance to win me over, something I try to do each and every week for all the acts. However, giving him another chance does not mean I will ever refer to him as “Astro.” I just refuse. And the pre-performance video ruins Brian’s new chance with me. He’s a male teenage diva that looks down at everyone he talks to. L.A. thinks that Brian is an original. Unfortunately, he doesn’t finish the sentence, which was going to be “an original pain in the butt.” The song is an annoying rap that doesn’t go much beyond “hey, oh, hey, oh.” And I don’t go much beyond listening to the part where he says, “Hey X Factor, stop the bi***ing.” I’m done with him.

The last act up for Paula’s Groups is InTENsity, which I have renamed InSIXTOOMANYsity. I fully expect that this group will be in the Bottom 2 tomorrow, and this is before they perform. In the pre-performance video, the kids in the group says they don’t want to be considered a kids group. Simon says he doesn’t think Paula has quite got this group. Looks like all the kids have gotten a makeover tonight. They are singing a mash-up of “Kids in America” and “Party Rock Anthem”. The performance is great when the four members in the group that can actually sing do sing. And it’s a fun song. But I just don’t care for the other six members in the group. And the song will do nothing for convincing us that they are not a kids group. Overall, the song is a mess, but they weren’t as bad as I expected them to be. But they weren’t good enough for me not to put them in my Bottom 2.

Last up for Simon’s Girls is the singer who has dropped her last name, Drew. It looks like Drew has seriously lightened up her hair for tonight. Drew talks a lot in her pre-performance video about her mom and dad supporting her. Simon says we are going to see a different side of Drew this week, a side that is cooler and younger. Drew starts her performance lying on the stage on top of what looks to be a lot of flower petals. The performance (“Just A Dream” by Nelly) starts off solid, with Drew controlling the tone and flex of her voice very nicely. But once she hits the chorus, it sounds sharp. And breathy. She is not phrasing very well or picking the right spots to take a breath. And it took so much away from the performance. L.A. says Drew is amazing except for the fact that she has the wrong mentor.

Final act for L.A.’s Boys is Marcus Canty. We see L.A. tell Marcus not to get lost in the entertainment portion of the performance, that he needs to also focus on his singing. He is singing “Every Little Step” by Bobby Brown. There is a lot going on up there on stage, and the only way I can spot Marcus is by his red letter jacket against the black jackets. It was a high energy performance to be sure, but too busy. Too many backup dancers. That said, his vocals were great. A smooth voice that was flawless. Simon says that Marcus has come alive.

Stacy Francis will finish off Nicole’s Over 30s category. The Stacy controversy hasn’t exploded in the mainstream news media yet, and I have no idea if enough mainstream outlets care enough about The X Factor to cover it. Stacy already has a high number of people who don’t like her, though many can’t quite put a finger on why. The controversy, which I’ll talk more about tonight on the Idol Radio Show, could give people a reason for their dislike. The pre-performance video shows us Simon tell Stacy that he sees her as a church singer, which she finds offense to. Her song tonight, though, is a church song, though what the name of that song is I have no clue. She is standing on a pedestal with a sea of candles on screen behind her. Hey, when you have a theme, go with it. That said, her performance is amazing. She demonstrates terrific control over her voice and delivers a flawless performance. Simon takes credit for the song choice and asks Stacy if she wants to give him a kiss right now. She does. They do. He goes on to say that he loves when he can even help the mentors on this show. Before turning it over to Nicole, he says it was one of the best performances of the night.

Steve states what most of us had already believed, that one act would be going home tomorrow night.

InTENsity is still one of my Bottom 2 picks, but haven’t quite decided the other one. I’ll have my picks decided upon during the radio show tonight.

So what did you think of tonight’s performances? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Also, don’t forget to join me for the Idol Radio Show on tonight at 11 PM ET / 10 PM CT as I talk about tonight’s X Factor performances, American Idol news, and anything else in the entertainment industry that needs to be discussed. Simply click the “Listen Live” banner in the right column when the show starts at 11 PM ET / 10 PM CT.