The Top 8 - Sing the 80's

Tonight the top 8 finalists are singing songs from the totally awesome 80's!

Debarge took I Like It to #31 in 1983 and Deandre Brackensick brought it right into the present. Once again he chose a song that allowed him to show off his extremely impressive vocal range while highlighting his smooth and wonderful falsetto. Deandre is totally ready for his videos to get millions of views on YouTube.

Foreigner hit #1 in 1984 with I Want To Know What Love is. Elise Testone hoped this power ballad would sustain the energy from her rocking performance last week, but unfortunately it just exposed her vocal and performance limitations.

Colton and Skylar got together to perform Islands In The Stream that Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton took to #1 in 1983. For the most part they just appeared to be going through the motions, but their voices are good enough that it wasn't all bad.

Genesis took That's All! to #6 in 1982. Phillip Phillips was out there showing off a combination of awkwardness mixed with anger. He couldn't seem to connect with the song at all and he made it very obvious that he didn't like it.

Hollie and Deandre served up some pure entertainment with their very fun rendition of The Pointer Sisters #9 hit song I'm So Excited from 1984. It was bouncy, energetic and showed off the lightness in their youthful personalities while also highlighting amazing vocals.

Simply Red had a #1 hit in 1989 with If You Don't Know Me By Now. Joshua Ledet once again took the song to his gospel comfort zone and performed with passion. One thing that he hasn't shown off yet is if he can actually sustain a single note for an extended period of time. There's lots of gasping up and down but no controlled blowing us away.

Whitney Houston took How Will I Know to #1 in 1985. Jessica Sanchez really makes it all look so easy. She can perform outstanding vocals live so incredibly well that it's going to be wonderfully impressive to hear what she produces in the studio. She's wonderful.

Phillip and Elise got together to drag down the fantastic classic rock song from 1981 Stop Dragging My Heart Around. Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty took it to #3 on the Billboard HOT 100 and were a completely natural pairing, but these kids just painfully strained their voices trying to force it out.

Irene Cara had a #1 song for 6 weeks in 1983 with Flashdance, What A Feeling. Hollie Cavanagh looked spectacular in a very cute sparkly blue dress while she strutted and showed off her great legs in some very cute shoes. Along with her working the stage so well came more of her fantastic voice that belted out this great song to perfection.

Jessica and Joshua paired up on the 1987 #1 smash I Knew You Were Waiting from George Michael and Aretha Franklin. It's a good song, but it didn't provide Jessica with any great moments to shine and Joshua just over sang it.

Cyndi Lauper won the Grammy for Best New Artist after releasing great material like Time After Time that hit #1 in 1984. Colton Dixon has a unique ability to transform an amazing song into his very own showstopper. He tore the roof off the place while taking us all on the ride with him.

Bette Midler hit #1 in 1989 with Wind Beneath My Wings. Skylar Laine wanted the crowd to see that she can belt out the big notes and this song easily allowed her to do that. She also managed to interpret the song lyrics very well.

My prediction for the bottom three this week is Elise, Phillip and Joshua. They all have the same problem of lacking range and versatility. They serve up the exact same thing every week, but instead of getting better, it just ends up being more tired and boring. I think that Elise will be going home.

The Top 12 girls take their first shot...

Tonight we get to know what these top 12 girls can really do - they can pick any song they want to present themselves to America for the first time:

Rihanna took Only Girl in the World to #1 in 2010. Ta-Tynisa Wilson used this Grammy winner for Best Dance Recording to strut her stuff in high heels and belt out some big notes. She did a pretty good job showing off her potential to be a radio friendly hit-maker.

The Season 3 Miss American Idol winner, Fantasia, performed Summertime and to this day set the standard for best Idol performance ever. Naima Adedapo did her best to mix things up with a more bouncy and light jazz arrangement to make the song her own. She was actually quite successful showing off a great vocal range and professional performance style.

Christina Aguilera included Impossible on her 2002 album Stripped. Kendra Chantelle has a nice voice and is quite pretty, but she didn't add anything special or exceptional to her performance of this very hot album track.

Fiona Apple took Criminal to #21 in 1997. Rachel Zevita served up an almost unrecognizable burlesque version of the song that was partially entertaining, but sort of awkward as well. It's clear she has ambitions to be an all around entertainer, but this performance did not showcase her voice at it's best.

Mariah Carey took Hero to #1 for four weeks in 1994. Karen Rodriguez stepped up to the challenge and and hit it out of the park with her wonderful Spanglish interpretation of this popular favorite. She exuded stage presence, confidence and class.

Lauren Turner took the stage and presented herself as a sort of female version of Season 5 Miss American Idol winner Taylor Hicks. She was singing some bluesy number and she was running around all over the stage.

Monica released Love All Over Me from her under appreciated 2010 release Still Standing. Like Monica, Ashthon Jones definitely has all the necessary qualities to be chart-topping hit-making DIVA herself. She looks beautiful and her voice can powerfully belt out the big notes with passion and emotion.

The Season 1 Miss American Idol winner, Kelly Clarkson, took Breakaway to #6 in 2004. Julie Zorrilla should unfortunately not expect to have any success after her very weak rendition of the song.

Alicia Keys took Fallin to #1 in 2001. Alicia went on to become a Grammy favorite winning Best New Artist, but Haley Reinhart should not expect the same results at all after this forgettable and clumsy performance.

Irene Cara took Out Here On My Own to #19 in 1980 from the Fame Soundtrack. Thia Megia stood center stage in a spotlight with almost no musical accompaniment and showed all of the other finalists, both the boys and the girls, what it's like to have a truly pure and exceptional vocal instrument. Thia is exactly the kind of talent that American Idol was made for. If America has any sense at all, this extremely talented 15 year old is on the track to reaching her very own success story to FAME!

Country music superstar, Reba, is having current success with her latest single Turn On The Radio. Lauren Alaina infused this fun anthem with some youthful energy and did a great job showing off her nice voice and fun personality.

The Pretenders took I'll Stand By You to #16 in 1994. Pia Toscano did not hold back at all in her genuine efforts to show off that she is the whole package - voice, confidence, beautiful good looks, and stage presence.

Now it's up to America to vote so you can go online to support your favorites at http://www.americanidol.com/. My top 5 will be: Thia Megia, Pia Toscano, Karen Rodriguez, Ashthon Jones and Naima Adedapo.

Thia Megia is the clear front-runner by a wide margin. :)