The Top 5 sing the 60's

The Top 5 finalists performed music from the 60's and the British Invasion.

Sweet, lovely and talented Hollie Cavanagh got the night off to an outstanding start with a fun and fabulous performance of the Phil Spector standard, River Deep Mountain High. She looked fantastic as she completely broke out of her shell and worked the stage to perfection. Her vocals were just as pure and flawless as always. It was amazing then, that she was able to raise the bar even higher with her next song, the #1 hit by Leona Lewis from 2008, Bleeding Love. This rendition was so vulnerable and raw that every lyric went directly to each and every listener's heart on a genuine and personal level. Hollie stole the show even further when she sang Jackie Wilson's #6 hit from 1967, Higher and Higher, with Jessica and Skylar as her back-up singers.

Phillip Phillips was a complete mess for the entire night. First he completely sucked the life out of the 1967 #1 smash, The Letter by the Boxtops by forcing it into his safety zone of screaming with no melody. On a duet with Joshua, Phillip exposed that he has no vocal range at all when he destroyed You've Lost That Lovin Feeling that was a #1 hit for the Rightgeous Brothers in 1967. And just to prove that he is completely incapable of learning his lesson, he tried to hit high notes once again on a dreadful version of the Zombies #3 song from 1969, Time Of The Season. It was sad and embarrassing to see him sitting there painfully straining to hit notes that were so far and away out of his range.

Country girl Skylar Laine brought her big voice and big personality to the #14 hit from 1969, Fortunate Son, by Credence Clearwater Revival. She clearly loves to be on stage and has a great time giving her fans what they expect. She followed that up with Dusty Springfield's #4 it from 1966, You Don't Have To Say You Love Me. It was really great at the beginning showcasing an impressive vocal range, but it got pretty sloppy and unfocused by the end.

The Temptations #13 song from 1966, Ain't Too Proud To Beg was the first selection to get the Joshua Ledet treatment. It was pretty close to the original and his vocals didn't really add anything exceptional to the mix. His second song choice was To Love Somebody, that the Bee Gees took to #17 in 1967. It was good once again, but it's hard to imagine what he can bring to new material.

Jessica Sanchez looked wonderful as she took the stage to sing Tina Turner's signature song that peaked at #4 in 1971, Proud Mary. While it lacked the over the top showmanship that Tina is famous for, Jessica delivered the vocals necessary to make it work. But that was just a taste of her exceptional vocals. When she sat center stage to interpret You Are So Beautiful (#5 in 1975 by Joe Cocker) it was exactly what this show is all about. She sounded simply beautiful hitting a full range of pure notes so effortlessly.

Making a prediction for the bottom three this week is very easy because the top two are so clearly far ahead of them. Hollie and Jessica are wonderful singers and performers who have so much potential to be releasing hit singles and be getting loads of radio airplay. That leaves Skylar, Joshua and Phillip to be in the bottom three. The one who should be going home this week is the one who has zero potential to release a hit single and get any radio airplay. Phillip should just get out of the competition now.  

The Top 13 sing their IDOLS

Tonight the top 13 finalists had the chance to perform a selection from the catalog of their personal idol:

Lauren Alaina selected a song from the platinum selling superstar Shania Twain, Any Man of Mine. If Lauren gets far in this competition, she will be coasting on her sweet girl-next-door personality. The judges claim she has an amazing voice, but this performance was very low key and bland. She caps it off with a perky smile and wink and hopes that the fans are falling for it.

Casey Abrams selected the song we all grew to know and love as the theme song from The Wonder Years, Joe Cocker's version of With A Little Help From My Friends. He opened the song with a soft voice that we haven't heard from him before but it didn't last long enough. Next thing you know he's just screaming. Unfortunately, it was devoid of the emotional impact that the Wonder Years theme served up every week. There's no reason to listen to Casey's voice sing this when he's not live on stage.

Ashthon Jones selected the Diana Ross ballad When You Tell Me That You Love Me. She once again embodied the true diva essence standing center stage in an elegant silver gown. Her vocals were strong and confident and maybe, even better than the original.

Paul McDonald selected Come Pick Me Up from Ryan Adams. This guy is all smiles and cute moves in skinny jeans, so what he lacks in vocal power he makes up for with interesting presence. This song was a pretty weak choice to win over new fans, but he can definitely coast on the good looks.

Pia Toscano selected All By Myself by Celine Dion that hit #4 in 1997. She looked stunning in a sparkly little gold mini and the huge vocals that resonated from her were even more stunning. Pia is a genuinely talented singer who is sure to impress us more and more each week.

James Durbin selected Maybe I'm Amazed by Paul McCartney that hit #10 in 1977. James showed his ability to be more than a heavy metal screamer with his powerful vocal range on this wonderful love song. It was controlled and embodied all the depth necessary to make us feel the lyrics as they were intended to be.

Haley Reinhart selected Blue, the debut song that lead to Leann Rimes winning the Grammy for Best New Artist in 1996. I am surprised to admit that Haley managed to do this great song justice. It allowed her to show some range that we didn't know was there from the deep growl to the country yodel.

Jacob Lusk selected R. Kelly's I Believe I Can Fly that hit #2 in 1996. I don't believe I can listen to Jacob over-sing another song in this competition. He just gave us more of the same indulgent wailing that completely lacked attention to genuine emotion and melody. If only the backing choir that joined him on stage sang louder so they would have drowned him out it would have been listenable.

Thia Megia selected Smile that Michael Jackson recorded on his 1995 release History. She performed this classic with crystal clear, pure vocals that conveyed a maturity far beyond her years while also being fun, fresh and youthful. Thia mixed things up with an interesting funky arrangement that exemplifies her ability to be the best of the old and the new.

Stefano Langone selected Stevie Wonder's Lately that Jodeci took to #4 in 1993. He has everything that we want to hear on the radio right now. Stefano took this ballad and elevated it into a disco dance floor throw down anthem. His vocals were perfectly strong to convincingly pull off this dynamic transformation.

Karen Rodriguez selected I Could Fall In Love that Selena to to #15 in 1995. It was clear that something wasn't quite right with Karen as she attempted to perform this song from her idol. The vocals weren't quite at the level that we have come to expect from her, so hopefully she will get another chance to prove herself.

Scotty McCreery selected The River by Garth Brooks. Everyone knows that I am a fan of Country Music and I acknowledge that Scotty has a good voice. But the fact is that he is not bringing anything exceptional to the table. He's just a kid with a deep voice getting a chance to sing some of his favorite songs on TV.

Naima Adedapo selected a song that spent 7 weeks at #1 in 2007 for Rihanna, Umbrella. The best was saved for last. Naima has an exhilarating star quality how she showed off her strong vocals with her fantastic stage presence dancing on the stage. She also mixed it up with a reggae dance break showing that she can do it all.

I am so happy to report that there were many VERY good performances tonight from some very talented finalists. The best being Thia Megia, Pia Toscano, James Durbin, Naima Adedapo and Stefano Langone.

My prediction for the bottom three vote getters is Haley Reinhart, Karen Rodriguez and Ashthon Jones. These girls are all pretty good, but it's gonna be hard to stand out in this group. I think Haley will be going home.

And the new American Idol is......

Season Nine is coming to an end tonight and in two hours the new American Idol will be revealed, but there's a whole party to be had leading up to that announcement. The top 12 got things started dressed in their prep school uniforms to rock it out with Alice Cooper and his top 10 hit from 1972, School's Out.

Last year at this time Adam Lambert was all over the media on magazine covers and websites as the clear front runner to win the season eight Miss American Idol crown, but in a shocking twist the title ended up going to pretty boy with no personality, Kris Allen. His first single, Live Like We're Dying, was a modest hit that failed to crack the top 10 so I'm sure there's hope that by performing his second single, The Truth, in front of millions of people tonight might make it into a hit.

The Bee Gees spent three weeks at #1 in 1977 with How Deep Is Your Love from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. Siobhan Magnus has the voice and the personality that should have gotten her farther in the competition, but instead of being in the finals she had to sing this adult contemporary slow jam with the tiny little pixie, Aaron Kelly. Thankfully, the surviving members, Barry and Robin Gibb, appeared on stage to sing along with them.

The Doobie Brothers, lead by Michael McDonald, took Takin It To The Streets up to #13 in 1976 and he was joined on stage with finalist Michael Lynche. The judges wisely used the save to get Michael all the way up to the final four and earn him this chance to perform with a music industry great.

The top six girls sang a medley of Christina Aguilera hits including Beautiful and Fighter. The winner of the 1999 Grammy for Best New Artist has a new album, Bionic, coming out June 8th so she appeared tonight to debut a new song for the fans. Rather than doing her uptempo dance jam, Not Myself Tonight, she went for an intense ballad that showed off her big voice.

The top six boys sang a medley of Hall & Oates hits including the #1 smash hits I Can't Go For That and Maneater. The most successful duo of all time on the Billboard HOT 100 charts showed up in the flesh to make our dreams come true.

Crystal Bowersox put in the performances necessary all season to show that she is vocally talented and has the performance skills to be a very worthy Miss American Idol winner. She graced the stage to sing the Alanis Morisette song, Ironic, that peaked at #4 in 1996. Crystal sounded much better than the original and she continued to outsing the real Alanis who showed up to sing You Ought To Know along with her.

The Supreme Miss American Idol, season four winner Carrie Underwood has gone on to sell millions of albums, top the charts and win numerous awards including the 2006 Grammy for Best New Artist and the ACM Entertainer of the Year two years in a row. Tonight she came back to the American Idol stage to sing the latest single from her smash third album. After making huge hits out of Cowboy Casanova and Temporary Home, Undo It is sure to race up to the top of the country chart.

Bret Michaels and Poison took Every Rose Has Its Thorn to #1 in 1988 and he was joined on stage with this year's 2nd runner up, Casey James to make his "look at me, I'm a live and well" reappearance to the world.

Both Crystal and Lee went to their first American Idol audition in Chicago and Lee is actually from the Chicago suburb, Mount Prospect. So it's quite fitting that the legendary classic rock super group of the same name would be here tonight to sing with Lee. This was the perfect fit for Lee because with the huge horn section you could hardly hear his weak vocals at all.

In honor of this being the last night on American Idol for Simon Cowell, former judge Paula Abdul came back to make a loopy speech in his tribute. It was kinda nice to see her, but it was also pretty awkward. And then things turned around when the parade of Miss American Idol winners started with Season One Winner Kelly Clarkson singing an inspirational ballad. She was joined by Ruben Studdard, Fantasia, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks and Kris Allen. For some reason David Cook couldn't make it, but the season seven 1st runner up David Archuleta lead the pack of other former finalists who filled the stage in appreciation of Simon.

How do you follow such a jam packed stage full of stars? With superstar Janet Jackson of course! She started with a medley of Again and Trust In Me and then shouted "Gimme a beat" and launched into her classic pop jam, Nasty.

With just minutes remaining until one of them is crowned the new Miss American Idol, Crystal and Lee sang a rousing version of With A Little Help From My Friends along with Joe Cocker.

And then the announcement was made. The golden envelope was opened to reveal that the Season Nine Miss American Idol is ... Lee DeWyze!

Crystal was robbed just like Adam Lambert was. I guess we have the American Idol voters to thank for this musical embarrassment.

The Top 3 sing the judges choice

For the first time in 8 seasons of American Idol, three boys have made it to the top. Here's what they did to prove they are worthy of wearing the Miss American Idol crown this season:

Danny Gokey went first singing a song selected by Paula Abdul. In 1988 Terence Trent D'arby hit #30 with his hit Dance Little Sister. It's a fun and energetic song that Terence brought his unique style to. Danny got up there and screamed like he usually does with absolutely no style or stage presence. There is nothing special about this finalist.

Kris Allen then performed his song that was selected by Kara and Randy. One of the biggest hits of 2007 spending many weeks in the top 5 on the Billboard HOT 100 was Apologize by One Republic. It's a haunting ballad with a hypnotic beat. Kris sat at the piano and mesmerized the crowd with his skillful and talented interpretation. And it goes without saying that he looked better than ever in the spotlight.

Adam Lambert was next singing his song personally chosen by Simon Cowell. U2 released One as a single in 1992 from their album Achtung Baby and it peaked at #10. Adam took this great song and made it even better. He brought even more emotion and more passion with his exceptional and unique vocals.

In case you were wondering when the Idol Gives Back show was going to be this year, we learned tonight that there isn't going to be one. The Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner, Carrie Underwood went all the way to Africa to provide an update on how the millions of dollars raised have been spent. A lot of great stuff has been done with the support of American Idol fans.

For the second round tonight, the top three finalists were able to select any song of their choice. Danny Gokey decided that he would take a stab at the top 5 classic ballad from 1975, You Are So Beautiful by Joe Cocker. The original version was such a huge success because it paired a simple sentiment with Joe Cocker's notable stage antics that were often described as spastic. Danny just sat there while his rendition of this amazing song provided nothing of note. His vocals were boring and his stage presence is non-existent.

Earlier this season Kanye West performed his recent #2 hit, Heartless, on the American Idol stage. I went on the record stating that his live performance was a mess and that Kanye cannot sing. Tonight Kris Allen demonstrated how this catchy pop hit should have sounded all along. He turned the song into an acoustic guitar extravaganza with smooth buttery vocals that just pulled in the audience and left us all wanting more.

The last performance of the night was Adam Lambert's thrilling interpretation of the #12 hit from 1993, Aerosmith's Cryin'. As the cover boy on the current edition of Entertainment Weekly, Adam is already the proven stand out star of the season. He has earned this position from his outstanding vocal range that he showcased tonight like he has every week so far. He genuinely takes command of the stage every time he steps up to the mic. He oozes star quality with every note he sings and every step he takes.

The prediction for who should be in the finals is a complete no brainer. Kris Allen has gotten better every week showing that he is so much more than a pretty face. He's a multi-talented musician with incredibly smooth vocal skills. Adam Lambert is already destined to hit the top of the charts with fresh and energetic hot hits. His voice and face demand to be on the radio and in videos. And then there's the lump named Danny Gokey. The judges have inappropriately showered praise on him all season and he's fallen for it. He thinks he's a great singer, yet he's only been able to scream and shriek week after week. Danny should spare himself the embarrassment and hope he doesn't make it to the finals next week. Let the talented finalists, Kris and Adam take that special place and give the fans a very exciting show.