The Top 12 sing their beginnings....

This week the top 12 finalists were to select a song that came out the year they were born:

Naima Adedepo was born in 1984 and she performed Tina Turner's comeback smash hit that spent three weeks at #1 and Grammy winning Record of the Year, What's Love Got To Do With It. Tina's classic version was all about the image being a perfect match for the unique vocals, but Naima seemed to pay more attention to her image and less to her vocals. She's very talented, but still needs to work on combining her great style with her wonderful voice.

Paul McDonald was also born in 1984 and he performed Elton John's hit that peaked at #4, I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues. Paul does best when he finds the right song to match his quirky style and this was not it. He's cute and distinctive, but let's hope he never puts his stamp on this one again.

Thia Megia was born in 1995 and she performed the Oscar winning theme song from the film Pocahontas that Vanessa Williams took to #4. Thia was a stunning and beautiful princess as she performed this inspirational ballad with total vocal perfection. She is a young woman with limitless potential.

James Durbin was born in 1989 and he performed Bon Jovi's hit that spent one week at #1, I'll Be There For You. James served up more of his classic rock singing for this power ballad without going over the top as usual. From what we've come to expect from James, this was pretty tame.

Haley Reinhart was born in 1990 and she performed Whitney Houston's pop smash that spent one week at #1, I'm Your Baby Tonight. This version will definitely not become a pop smash as Haley turned it into a dreadful big band mis-step. She has tried to show herself as a vocal chameleon with previous performances, but this week the vocals were simply not good.

Stefano Langone was born in 1989 and he performed Simply Red's fantastic cover of the Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes classic that spent one week at #1, If You Don't Know Me By Now. With Stefano's charming good looks and flawless vocal interpretation, this song could be a hit all over again.

Pia Toscano was born in 1988 and she performed Whitney Houston's hit that spent two weeks at #1, Where Do Broken Hearts Go. Pia was able to lift this lovely ballad to new heights with an exciting uptempo arrangement that showcased her amazing voice even more than usual.

Scotty McCreery was born in 1993 and he performed Can I Trust You With My Heart by Travis Tritt. We already know he's got a nice deep voice, but he's not showing much range or personality. He's the type of artist where the song is more interesting than he is.

Karen Rodriguez was born in 1989 and she performed Taylor Dayne's biggest hit that spent one week at #1, Love Will Lead You Back. First can we say, WOW! what a cute outfit! the go-go boots and mini dress are fierce with the big hair and huge hoop earrings!!! And her voice was just perfect also.

Casey Abrams was born in 1991 and he performed Nirvana's huge cross-over smash that peaked at #6, Smells Like Teen Spirit. He seemed to be going for respectful as he performed a very safe version of this song that defined a generation. And, of course, he provided his signature screaming.

Lauren Alaina was born in 1994 and she performed a song that peaked at #8 for Melissa Etheridge, I'm The Only One. Lauren has successfully earned herself the title of the most over-rated finalist of the season. The judges rave about her, but she never seems to deliver on stage and tonight was no exception.

Jacob Lusk was born in 1987 and he performed Heart's rocking power ballad that spent three weeks at #1, Alone. He should stick to gospel, but he is also a contender for the most over-rated finalist of the season. The judges don't know what they are talking about.

The most clear shoe-in for one of the bottom three vote getters is Haley. It's gonna be a toss up for who will be joining her so I'm just gonna take a random guess and predict Naima and Paul will be in there also. But Haley should definitely be the one going home.

The Top 3 sing the judges choice

The top three finalists will each sing twice tonight: one song of their choice and another selected for them by the judges.

Casey James selected OK, It's Alright With Me for himself. He explained that he feels this is the kind of song he would write for himself. It was plain, simple and bland. There was no showstopper moment and no energy in this performance.

Crystal Bowersox selected the Melissa Etheridge hit Come To My Window for herself. She used this performance to showcase what a great live performer and musician she is. She played both her guitar and her harmonica while at the same time bringing the song to life with a thoughtful interpretation of the lyrics.

Lee DeWyze selected Lynard Skynard's Simple Man for himself. This was a simple performance for the simple guy who has no desire to expand beyond being the generic rock guy that he's been all season long. He is completely unable to convey any personality or showmanship when he is on stage.

Daughters by John Mayer won the 2004 Grammy for Song of the Year and Randy and Kara selected this song for Casey James to sing. This was never a very interesting song, so it is the perfect choice for Casey who hasn't been able to do anything interesting all season. The song requires no vocal range so that was a good fit for him, but it does require an emotional connection and Casey just wasn't convincing at all.

Maybe I'm Amazed by Paul McCartney hit #10 on the Billboard HOT 100 in 1977 and Ellen selected this song for Crystal Bowersox to sing. For the very first time this season a finalist has given the audience a fantastic showstopper to be excited about. Crystal put all the instruments down and just let her outstanding vocal range speak for itself. She took us with her to every high and low and made us feel amazed every step of the way.

Jeff Buckley's Hallelujah has already been performed this season by finalist Tim Urban, but that didn't stop Simon from selecting it for Lee DeWyze. To be honest, Tim's version sounded better vocally and more sincere than Lee's. What Lee had in his favor was a much bigger and more dramatic arrangement with many back-up singers and swelling instruments to cover for his lack of vocal talent. To the untrained ear, one could be fooled into believing this was a good performance, but it was all smoke and mirrors unlike the true talent that Crystal was able to deliver.

It's very clear that Lee and Crystal should be in the finals and Casey should definitely be sent home. It's more than just a prediction, it should be considered an inevitability.