12 singers stand out during 'American Idol' auditions

American Idol audition shows are like the NFL scouting combine: Both gauge raw talent and potential, but neither reliably predicts future success.

Though it's tempting to write off this crop based on some dull audition shows, all Idol needs is a dozen quality acts. Maybe just nine, since Vote for the Worst needs somebody to promote. And Season 8 has the makings of a solid, if not spectacular, class.

We've been shown almost 60 contestants good enough to get golden tickets. That's fewer than half the Hollywood lineup, so we may have yet to see some of this year's finalists.

These 12 have some momentum going into tonight's Hollywood rounds (Fox, 8 ET/PT):

1. Joanna Pacitti. At 23, she's an old pro. Carly Smithson and Michael Johns proved last season that experience can get you a long way — just maybe not all the way.

2. Lil Rounds. It's easy to project the best qualities of Fantasia and Jennifer Hudson onto the Memphis singer. But we haven't seen that much yet.

3. Danny Gokey. His wife died a month before his audition, making him sympathetic. His falsetto breaks in I Heard It Through the Grapevine suggest versatility, and he could have more surprises in store.

4. Brent Keith Smith. This Nashville Star castoff knows the drill and probably recognizes mistakes he made in that show.

5. Jorge Nuñez-Mendez.Idol has multiple Latin contestants with promise; Nuñez-Mendez may be the strongest.

6. Allison Iraheta.Idol viewers saw only five seconds of her, but this teen may be the best-known contestant to Hispanic viewers, having won Telemundo's Quinceañera competition in 2006.

7. Anoop Desai. He performed everything from Ozzy Osbourne to T-Pain with his college a cappella group, giving him useful tools for Idol.

8. Scott MacIntyre. The visually impaired, classically trained multi-instrumentalist may have the most extensive musical background.

9. Arianna Afsar. Afsar's pageant experience (Miss California's Outstanding Teen 2005) means she should know how to act onstage.

10. Adam Lambert. Those who have watched him on YouTube know Idol has yet to see the limits of his theatricality. If he can rein it in, a little of that can take him a long way.

11. Jackie Tohn. The actress/singer whose credits include The Nanny and The Sopranos impressed judges with her raspy tone.

12. Anne Marie Boskovich. Judges liked her but knew she needed to work on her presence.