The Top 5 - DIVAS!

The top 5 finalists will all be singing two songs each. The first will be a song from the year they were born and the second will be a selection from a legendary Diva.

Candice Glover was born in 1989 - the same year that Paula Abdul spent three weeks at #1 with Straight Up. Candice veered away from the dance beat and decided instead to focus on a lighter arrangement where her vocals shined through. But even more importantly, for the first time in the competition she expressed an ease and confidence with her style and stage presence.

Janelle Arthur was born in 1989 - the same year that Vince Gill had a hit with When I Call Your Name. This was a genuine and heartfelt moment of a beautiful voice and sweet personality sharing the gift of music with us. Janelle is so lovely and sincere you feel everything with her.

Kree Harrision was born in 1990 - the same year that She Talks To Angels was a hit for the Black Crowes. This song choice was step backwards for Kree. She was back to being a nameless and faceless voice who was given a microphone but has zero personality and stage presence.

Angie Miller was born in 1994 - The same year that The Pretenders had a hit with I'll Stand By You. This was an outstanding emotional and vocal live concert moment. Angie tore it up at the piano playing with perfection and her voice was totally beautiful.

Amber Holcomb was born in 1994 - The same year Without You was a #3 hit for Mariah Carey. So we all know it wasn't as amazing as Mariah's version, but it was still very good. Her voice is strong and she looked so completely wonderful in a sleek and stylish mini dress.

When You Believe brought Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston together for the first time. This double diva powerhouse ballad was a great opportunity for Candice to show off more of what she can do. It was all about her voice and she did it perfectly.

Dumb Blonde is an example of what makes Dolly Parton a legendary diva. Janelle is the perfect young diva who is capable of rocking the stage with this kind of song. She is vibrant and dynamic every time she gets on stage and her bouncy blonde hair and sparkly outfit were the ideal match for her great vocal performance.

Have You Ever Been In Love is a typical Celine Dion vocal throw down that exemplifies her as one of the greatest divas. Kree Harrison, unfortunately, doesn't even come close to how amazing Celine is. It was a weak effort in comparison to the greats. Kree lacks a distinctive quality that makes her special and unique.

Halo is a Beyonce diva moment and Angie Miller ran in here grabbed it for herself and completely stole the show. She looked incredible and her vocals displayed a pure and crystal clear resonance that knocked over all of the competition. It was like I was hearing this song for the first time. It was beautiful.

Barbra Streisand is the Diva standard that all others are judges against and Amber Holcomb effortlessly rose to the challenge. Her performance was grand, classic and divinely pure. What a lovely talent!

All five of the remaining finalists are very good, but one of them is noticeably lacking in all areas including vocal range, stage presence and style. Kree Harrison should be the lowest vote getter be sent home this week.

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. :)