The Top 9 sing Rock&Roll Hall of Fame

Tonight the top 9 finalists had to make a selection from the inductees of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Michael Jackson was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. Jacob Lusk showed that he doesn't have any star quality remotely close to that of the King of Pop as he butchered Man In The Mirror (#1 for 2 weeks in 1988). He really should have switched places with the wonderfully talented singer and songwriter, Siedah Garrett, who was on stage with him doing background vocals. Jacob does not belong front and center.

Janis Joplin was inducted in 1995 and Haley Reinhart performed her classic Piece of my Heart. Haley is taking her game of playing dress up as a pop star way too far. She must be the niece of some high powered record executive to have gotten this far in the competition because she has no likable or desirable vocal talent at all. This was just comical screaming.

Creedence Clearwater Revival was inducted in 1993. Have You Ever Seen The Rain hit #8 in 1971 and Casey Abrams got back up on stage with his upright bass and showed that he's much more of a musician than a singer. His vocals simply aren't that good.

The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, was inducted in 1987. Lauren Alaina took one of the greatest songs of all time, A Natural Woman (#8 - 1967) and made it very emotionless and boring. And the outfit she had on was not flattering at all.

George Harrison has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice: once with the Beatles in 1988 and then again as a solo artist in 2004. His power ballad While My Guitar Gently Weeps is the perfect showcase for James Durbin's dynamic musical and vocal range. This was a spectacular, powerful and emotional performance.

The King of Rock-n-Roll, Elvis Presley, was inducted in 1986. Elvis could successfully perform Rock, Soul, Country and Gospel where Scotty McCreery isn't quite as convincing when he steps out of his comfort zone. This was a respectable effort but he really needs to polish things up a lot more before he's ready for the big leagues.

Tina Turner was inducted in 1991 and one of her signature hits is River Deep, Mountain High. This song has a dramatic production value that is an exciting compliment to the outstanding vocals of Pia Toscano. She sounded even better than last week!

Percy Sledge was inducted in 2005 and he is most well-known for his fantastic smash When A Man Loves A Woman that hit #1 for two weeks in 1966. Stefano Langone once again showed that he has all the ingredients necessary to be a huge pop idol. His vocals were over the top amazing as he belted out every lyric with passion and conviction.

Johnny Cash was inducted in 1992 and he is probably the coolest cowboy ever. Paul McDonald is more like the cool cowboy's crazy cousin, but he definitely made Folsom Prison Blues his own. It was the same quirky Paul that we've seen every week.

The division between the good finalists with pop music potential and the other finalists is getting wider and wider. It's very clear that the talented front-runners are Pia, Stefano and James.

Then there's the not-so great ones who should be going home. My prediction for the bottom three vote getters this week is Jacob, Haley and Casey with Haley finally going home this week. Haley has absolutely no star quality or charisma and her performance style is so embarrassing and amateurish. We can only hope that we won't have to see her again.

The Results - Adam Lambert!

Last week's results show performers, Jason DeRulo and Rihanna, don't need any bump from their American Idol performance as they are already enjoying long rides at the top of the Billboard charts. The Season Seven 1st Runner Up, David Archuleta, surely would have liked a bump after his performance last week, but there is no new action for him on either the Billboard HOT 100 or the itunes chart this week. Usher, the mentor from two weeks ago, sees his single, OMG, land at #14 on the Billboard HOT 100.

Once again, the opening group performance sounds so incredibly fake and over produced that it's shameful. It's like the producers are openly admitting that these kids can't sing. This medley of Elvis hits was downright cheesy.

Aaron, Casey and Andrew were all called to the center of the stage hopefully to all be eliminated tonight, but unfortunately, both Aaron and Casey are safe. The only good news to come from this is that Andrew is finally being sent home. The world can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that we won't have to be bored by his dreary singing ever again.

Season Seven finalist Brooke White wasn't a very good singer back then and tonight upon her return to the American Idol stage we learn that she still isn't very good. She got up there still completely lacking vocal range and personality to sit at her piano again and sing another sleep inducing song. There is no American Idol bump expected after this weak effort.

Crystal, Siobhan and Lee are all safe this week leaving Michael, Tim and Katie up for possible elimination.

In Season Eight, the audience was treated each week to one of the most dynamic, electric and mesmerizing entertainers in American Idol history. Adam Lambert somehow ended up as the 1st Runner Up, but he's the only finalist to ever come back and mentor the latest group. He once again commanded the stage with an exceptional performance of his latest single, Whataya Want From Me. Even with his own songs, he knows how to mix up the arrangement and the vocals and present something fresh and captivating. It recently peaked at #20 on the Billboard HOT 100, but it should hopefully see a significant bump after this great showstopping effort.

Tim and Michael are both safe leaving Katie Stevens to be eliminated from the competition way too soon. She's a talented young woman with her whole life ahead of her that will surely be filled with many more opportunities.

I only got one of my bottom three predictions correct, but at least it was the long overdue elimination of Andrew Garcia. The elimination of Katie was completely unexpected. We wish her the best!

Adam Lambert Returns!!!

The Season Eight Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up, Adam Lambert, knew how to bring something exciting and entertaining every week of the competition. This week he is trying to teach some of his amazing skills to the otherwise drab Season Nine Finalists. They performed music from the Elvis Presley songbook:

Crystal Bowersox mixed things up by using an electric guitar for a change and raised the roof with Saved. She totally brought the gospel energy to the song and her voice was just as dramatic, bluesy and soulful as ever.

Only someone as boring as Andrew Garcia can successfully suck the life out of the huge smash Hound Dog. The arrangement was sleep inducing and his vocals were totally forgettable.

Can't Help Falling In Love was a huge #1 smash for UB40 and only hit #2 for Elvis. Tim Urban provided a very smooth and sensitive acoustic rendition that may have changed the minds of many who were against him. His vocal range shined even brighter than his smile.

Lee Dewyze is proving himself to be a generic rocker one trick pony. His version of A Little Less Conversation was just another example of his screaming and showing no personality.

Blue Suede Shoes is a classic piece of rock-n-roll history and in the tiny little hands of Aaron Kelly it lost all of it's meaning. There was nothing convincing about the little pixie trying to sing this song.

Siobhan Magnus has already been compared to Adam Lambert because of her unique style and she earned that comparison again tonight with her version of Suspicious Minds. She totally turned the song around and made it a whirlwind vocal extravaganza.

Michael Lynche got lucky last week and was saved to sing one more time. Unfortunately his subtle performance of In The Ghetto may not have been enough to win any more votes. The vocals were very nice but it lacked star quality.

Last week Katie Stevens finally found her powerhouse diva voice and tonight she brought it again on Baby What Do You Want Me To Do. She belted out more big notes and sounded great every step of the way.

Casey James is clearly coasting on his looks. He is putting no extra effort into his performances and he didn't listen to a word Adam said. Ignoring good advice is not a good thing.

With Michael getting saved last week that means two finalists will be sent home this week. My prediction for the bottom three is the same as last week: Aaron Kelly, Andrew Garcia and Casey James. If we are lucky, both Aaron and Andrew will be sent packing.

The competition begins....

Only three of the next 12 finalists will be moving forward. Here's what they did to win you over...

Jackie Tohn got the competition started with her version of the Elvis Presley track A Little Less Conversation. She may think she's an amazing performer with the style and charisma of the King of Rock n Roll, but she didn't show it tonight. Her vocals were scratchy and weak and were not a good fit for the song at all. The performance was like Katy Perry's at the Grammy Awards this year, but even worse. Jackie needed huge pieces of fruit on stage to distract us from her dreadful outfit. We definitely will not be seeing her again.

Ricky Braddy went in a completely different direction with his rendition of Leon Russell's A Song For You. He's a nice looking young man who didn't feel the need to resort to any gimmicks in the form of a crazy costume or wacky stage antics. He took this vocally challenging ballad and he demonstrated how it's done. It was packed with genuine emotion and big notes highlighting his broad vocal range. We should see more of him.

Alexis Grace attempted to win us over by taking on the first top 10 song by the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You). It was a very strong attempt as this little white girl got up there in her little black dress and belted out vocals worthy of this 1967 classic song. We should see more of her.

Brent Keith chose to stick with what he knows best by singing a fun country song called Hick Town. He's got a great look and sound for country music world, but he didn't show off his vocal range with this effort. He went for the fans who want to get up and line dance and two-step and there's quite a few of them out there so we very well may be seeing more of him.

Stevie Wright stayed with the country theme by choosing a song by teen chart topper Taylor Swift. It was a sweet little uptempo tale of teen love, but just like Taylor, Stevie doesn't have much of an impressive vocal range. Taylor manages to sell millions of albums despite her weak vocal abilities, but on this show Stevie failed to make a choice that impressed. We should not be seeing more of her.

Anoop Desai took on the #1 smash from 1999 by Monica, Angel of Mine. This song was actually a very good match for his impressive range. But the song itself is somewhat forgettable. Monica managed to have a hit with it as she was riding the wave of success of even bigger #1 smash hits, The Boy Is Mine and The First Night. Anoop wasn't following up any bigger hits, so this was his only chance to leave his mark. That means we might not being seeing more of him.

Casey Carlson did her best to make the 1981 hit by The Police, Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic her own. She's a very attractive young woman and we know from the auditions that she has a good voice, but nothing about it worked. She had no opportunity to show off her vocal range at all. It's sad, but we will not be seeing more of her.

Michael Sarver sang the 2005 hit song by Gavin DeGraw, I Don't Want To Be. The song is a real crowd pleaser, but Michael's vocals were kinda bland. He did not get the opportunity to really impress us with his singing. He did, though, have more time to show off his winning personality. If we see more of him it's going to be based solely on his nice personality.

Ann Marie Boskovich took on the Queen of Soul as well with Aretha Franklin's (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman. Aretha was successfully having a string of hits in 1967 but Ann Marie isn't likely to experience the same thing in this year or in any year. She has a nice voice, but the song was bigger than she can handle. This young contestant doesn't have the personality or the soul to pull it off. Being attractive isn't enough. We will not be seeing more of her.

Stephen Fowler reached back to 1980 to sing the dance groove of Michael Jackson's huge #1 smash Rock With You. This song is a classic jam, but Stephen failed to breath any life into it. He has a good voice that he simply did not use at it's best with this song. We will not be seeing more of him.

Tatiana Del Toro took on the first #1 song by Whitney Houston - Saving All My Love For You from 1986. She did her best to pull back the drama from Hollywood Week and just let her vocal abilities shine through. The fact is that she actually can hit many of the notes required in a song like this. She has some real talent in there and she's not going to let anything stop her from making the best of this rare opportunity. We will be seeing more of her.

Danny Gokey learned a lesson last year when Mariah Carey was a guest mentor for the finalists last year: Boys can cover her songs better than girls. He took on her #1 hit anthem from 1994, Hero. You could feel that he genuinely connects with the spirit of the song to believe in yourself while he sang every note. He is definitely marketing himself very well. He knows how to pick a song, sing it and tell the story of his life with every appearance he makes. We will definitely be seeing more of him.

Only three of these 12 finalists are moving on in the competition. Here are my predictions:

Danny Gokey will be the top boy vote getter and Tatiana Del Toro will be the top girl. Michael Sarver will then come out ahead of the others to stay in the game.

The Final Four - Rock - n - Roll Hall of Fame

Tonight the remaining four finalists had the opportunity to select songs from artists who have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

David Cook opened the show with his take on the very first song Duran Duran charted with in 1983, Hungry Like The Wolf. Their era defining original went all the way to #3, but David didn't seem very sure about what he wanted to with it. He didn't add anything extra special to this performance so it was pretty straightforward while still strong. For his second song David decided to leave his mark on the Who's classic anthem Baba O'reilly (commonly referred to as Teenage Wasteland). This classic rock album track is legendary so David took on a big challenge when he decided to play with the arrangement. He did a very good job stripping it down and re-working it to the kind of teenage angst that is being sung about on current rock radio. He lived up to the Final Four expectations.

Syesha Mercado is proving once again that she is not one to shy away from a fight. As the only girl left in the competition she stepped up with her entire arsenal ready for action. Her first weapon of choice was the Tina Turner staple Proud Mary. While it peaked at #4 in 1971, this song is the showstopper every time Tina performs live. Syesha looked and sounded amazing as she recreated the incredibly athletic dance choreography. It was quite a work out, but it was worth it. Syesha's line of attack came from another direction for her second song. She selected Sam Cooke's A Change Is Gonna Come which cracked the top 40 in 1965. This time she stood center stage in a glamorous long gown and let her emotional vocals out shine all of the boys. She is getting better and better each week proving that it is no mistake that she is still here.

Jason Castro quit trying weeks ago. He's still all wide-eyed and surprised that he made it this far and he's finally starting to be afraid because he has no other tricks up his sleeve or hidden in his dreads. He took what should have been the perfect match for him, Eric Clapton's 1974 #1 smash, I Shot The Sheriff, and squandered yet another opportunity. He seemed completely disconnected and off of the beat. For his second song, he made another selection that should have been a breeze for him, The Byrd's 1965 #1 hit Mr. Tambourine Man, but his lack of commitment showed through again. Jason does not put any time into rehearsing the songs and it is evident in how he forgets the lyrics. His vocals are completely bland and unimpressive and he shows no passion or energy in the performance.

Thankfully we have David Archuleta, who is still taking the competition seriously. He chose to perform one of the most beloved songs of all time, Ben E. King's Stand By Me. Two generations of fans brought this song to the top 10. It hit #4 in 1961 and then it came back again 25 years later to hit #9 in 1986. David's pure vocals reminded the audience of this treasured song. But that was just a small taste of what David had to present. For his second song, David pushed every button that he has to push. He sat center stage to sing Love Me Tender. Elvis kept this song at #1 for 5 weeks in 1956 and David used everything he had to relate this love song to his fans. His sweet voice pleaded to them to love him tender and when he made eye contact there was no resisting him.

This Final Four is pretty much a joke. It's clear that Jason Castro does not belong there. The other three finalists are genuinely putting their hearts and efforts into this and he clearly doesn't even care. Keeping my fingers crossed for no surprises, my prediction is that Jason will finally be sent packing tomorrow night.