Finalists Compete

Tonight, each contestant got to sing a song by their OWN personal idol.

Lauren was up first. Her idol is Shania Twain and she chose to sing "Any Man of Mine". I hated Lauren's outfit --- I don't think it flattered her at all, and she sang well, but I just wasn't wowed. This girl has more in her, I just know it. I hope we get a chance to see it.

Casey decided to sing "A Little Help From My Friends" by his idol, Joe Cocker. Casey's outfit was subtley cool and he also sang well, but I felt he was a little restrained. I expected more from him than we got tonight.

Diana Ross is Ashton's idol, and the song she chose was "When You Tell Me that You Love Me". Ashton, Ashton, Ashton --- pitchy and just plain unsure of herself, just not good. And her dress was awful, too. And, I've heard enough of her "hey's".

Paul's idol is Ryan Adams and he sang "Come Pick Me Up". His outfit was downright funky cool, he can't move onstage to save his life, but his voice is so unique, I just love him!

Pia's idol is Celine Dion (what a surprise) and she chose to sing "All By Myself". Her outfit was awful, and I can't even begin to tell you how much I hate this song, but she sang it well.

Paul McCartney is James' idol and he sang "Maybe I'm Amazed". I love this song (it's one of my ringtones). I was pleased that James left his tail in his dressing room and was blown away by his rendition of this song.

Haley sang her idol Leann Rimes' song, "Blue". Her dress was lovely, and she did a good job singing the song, but it just wasn't what I wanted to hear her sing. I have to agree with Randy; it was just boring.

Jacob's idol is R Kelley and he chose "I Believe I Can Fly". Jacob's outfit was "blah", his performance started out okay, he got a little lost in the middle, but he ended well. Not my favorite performance by Jacob.

Thia sang "Smile" by her idol, Michael Jackson. Her dress was way cute, and I loved the way she sang this song, funky arrangement and all. I'll even forgive her for not knowing who Charlie Chaplin was.

Stefano sang one of Stevie Wonder's songs (his idol), "Lately". His outfit was a mish-mash --- untucked shirt, tie, long leather vest, but this kid is crazy talented and I was amazed at how well he sang this song.

Karen's idol is Selina (another surprise) and she chose "I Could Fall in Love with You". Her outfit was okay but her performance --- the beginning was too low, she was pitchy throughout. She ended strong but. . . I just don't see what the judges see in her.

Garth Brooks is Scotty's idol and he chose to sing "The River". Boring western-ish shirt, Scotty. Kudos, though, because being the sensible young man he is, he decided to sing the song without making any changes. I seriously am NOT a country music fan, but this kid's talent slays me. He is unbelievably good.

Naima's idol is Rhianna and she picked "Umbrella" to sing. I hate, hate, hate this song. Naima's outfit was the best, most suited to her of the night. But she was pitchy through the whole song, and sounded rushed, too, as if the tempo was too fast for her. I like her, but she's just unpredictable.

That said, I thought Ashton's performance was the weakest. I predict she'll be going home tomorrow night.

I don't think any of them pushed themselves this week. I think they ALL played it safe and were just trying to get by. I'm hoping they all got comfortable with themselves and with being on the big stage and am hopeful that they'll ALL step up and push themselves next week.