Milwaukee's Danny Gokey earned praise from three of the four judges of "American Idol" Tuesday night for his performance of Mariah Carey's hit "Hero."

Gokey, 28, a church music director, was the last of 12 singers -- out of 36 semifinalists -- to perform last night. Because there are 36 semifinalists this season, the top three vote-getters from each of three 12-performer rounds advance.

One judge, Kara DioGuardi told Gokey that he "was the hero, man. You give us all hope. You were great."

Randy Jackson called the performance, "blazing hot."

The top three in Gokey's round will be announced tonight on a live episode of "American Idol" tonight.

To keep you updated on up-to-the-minute Danny Gokey news, we've created a special microsite, DannyGokeyMilwaukee.com. It contains blogs, briefs and news about your favorite Milwaukee "American Idol" contestant.