The Top 3

Each finalist will sing three songs: One selected by Randy, Paula or Simon, One selected by the American Idol producers, and One self-selected by the finalist.

Jordin Sparks went first with Wishing On A Star selected by Simon Cowell. The Cover Girls took this lush production to the top 10 in 1992. This song is the perfect match for Jordin's impressive vocals, but rather than being true to the opulent arrangement, the band went for a more jazzy feel that seemed to take away some of the drama. She's still cute and fun enough to make it work though.

Blake Lewis then had to show he can interpret the Police classic, Roxanne, selected for him by Paula Abdul. Lesser finalists are no longer in the competition after failing to come close to the standard set by Sting, but Blake doesn't have that problem at all. If you've been counting, this was yet another performance where Blake did not use his beat box talents at all. He let his vocal range and stage presence carry him through and it was a breeze.

We all know Melinda Doolittle has been a back-up singer in the past, and Randy Jackson forced her to take command of the lead vocal on Whitney Houston's I Believe In You & Me from the Preacher's Wife soundtrack that peaked at #4 in 1997. Tonight is the night to show that she can get even better than when she started, but she didn't achieve that goal. It's almost like she's sleepwalking with the lack of emotion she conveys on stage.

Donna Summer proved that she is more than the Queen of Disco when she hit #3 in 1983 with She Works Hard For The Money. This was another great song that Jordin Sparks used to highlight her youthful vibrance and energy coupled with her powerful voice. She has the gift of making these oldies that were recorded long before she was born sound fresh and like they could hit the charts all over again.

Maroon 5 may have the #1 song in the country this week with Makes Me Wonder, but in 2004 they won the Grammy for Best New Artist for making great pop songs like This Love. This is the perfect song that allows Blake to show off all of his many talents. He could belt out with his full voice and slide into his falsetto while skillfully dancing across the stage and flashing his fun personality. And, yes, for those of you who are counting, he slipped into some subtle and completely appropriate beat boxing that fit the song perfectly.

Has Melinda ever worn a shorter dress that showed off her legs? I don't think so, but the producers choice of Tina Turner's Nutbush City Limits would have been her ideal opportunity to mix it up a bit. Very predictably, her voice sounded great, but her performance style was bland and didn't match the song or the energy of the music. She is being given the chance to raise her game and she's just not doing it.

It was the British Invasion theme week when Jordin performed I Who Have Nothing and she blew the competition away. In a group of big voiced divas, she set herself apart by demonstrating that she can set the bar very high and then surpass it. She chose to sing it again tonight and it was even better than the first time.

Rather than reminding us of one of his greatest hits from the competition, Blake selected a completely new and different song that the audience hasn't heard a million times before. This performance could bring some big success to Robin Thicke's When I Get You Alone. It hasn't hit the charts yet, but when you take one part rhythm, two parts dancin, a fifth of Beethoven and 100% Blake you've got whole lot of cool. He's like no one American Idol has seen before.

And then as if she's stuck in a time warp, Melinda serves up more of what we've seen before. She once again sang Because I'm A Woman apparently to showcase that she's perfectly comfortable catering to the retirement communities. It was just more of the same.

I'm not really going to give a prediction this week. It's more like wishful thinking. The judges clearly love Melinda and think she has a lock on a place in the finals. I, on the other hand, find her completely lacking in the star qualities that I want to see in the American Idol. Jordin has an effortless vocal range that soars to the highest heights. She's cute, young, and full of limitless potential. Blake is totally unique, seriously talented, and completely cool. A final face off between Jordin and Blake would be genuinely interesting. Melinda has shown us everything she's going to show us. If she comes back next week, it will be a let-down.