After the weeks of dreary failures and never-ending emphasis on the bad rather than the good, American Idol at last presents two hours of actual music-making. First up is the sing-off between the twelve girls, and some of them were outstanding.

Ellen DeGeneres struggled to find the right words at times but the overall impression was that Ellen had a good ear for excellent music-making. A promising start by the new judge, and she supplied the "hottest" quote of the show.

Lilly Scott (left) presented the most quirky and appealing song of the show.

Randy Jackson kept his feet on the ground and provided the most balanced musical critiques, as usual.

Simon Cowell continued to give some of the contestants a harsh reality check, able to summarise both the musical and business issues in a few sentences. He is often not popular but is usually right. And, at last, seems to have lost his anti-girl bias of the past two years.

Michelle Delamor (right) was the most convincing and striking performer of the show.

Kara DioGuardi continued sniping at the good singers, however, showing she is still so jealous of girls with great vocal skills.

See next page for our large, exclusive scorecard on the first real chance to hear and compare the contestants for American Idol Season 9, 2010.