Season 10 - Top 9

American Idol + Rock and Roll Hall of Fame could equal catastrophe. I mean, these are songs that are ingrained in our collective consciousness, and hearing some of these up and coming singers trying to interpret them will only make them pale in comparison. But surprisingly, it didn't happen tonight. Well, we got off to a rocky start, but then things began to pick up.

Jacob Lusk starts off the evening deciding to sing "Man in the Mirror" instead of "Let's Get It On". Talk about two completely different songs! I wish he had ended up singing "Let's Get It On" - I think I would have enjoyed that better than his melodramatic take on "Man in the Mirror" (well, there really isn't any other way to sing that song so I guess I can't blame him...) Jacob moves awkwardly on the stage, and to make things even more awkward, sings the song with co-writer Siedah Garrett (who thankfully Steven points out to us...he actually screams it out so we know she was the co-writer of the song)... It wasn't bad, but Jacob really isn't one of my favorites. He's certainly a qualified vocalist, but not really someone who I would rush right out and buy their album. So it's ok, but I would have preferred his take on Marvin Gaye.

Next up is Haley Reinhart, finally singing Janis Joplin. I don't see where there was ever a connection to her - I mean, we're talking JANIS freakin' JOPLIN! And Haley, no offense, is no Janis. Well, she's better looking than Janis...but that's not the point. I am not buying what Haley is selling here. It's by no means awful (I'll wait for Paul for that!), but I don't think she'll last much longer. There are too many more talented singers left for her to stick around too much longer.

I'm starting to get worried about tonight, when Casey Abrams comes on to finally save the day. He was originally going to do the Police's "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" - I love that song, but he wises up and chooses CCR's "Have You Ever Seen The Rain". It suits him perfectly - very smart choice. And thought he did a great job with it. Unlike Paul, I believe Casey as an honest artist. I don't find him fake at all - he's different, and that's a good thing. A lot of expression in his voice. Favorite performance of the night so far! (Of course, that's not saying much, but trust me, I really enjoyed it...)

My girl Lauren Alaina is up next - uh oh, she's taking on ARETHA. I love Lauren - but you better really bring it this week. My verdict? It's good...I may even say very good...but it's not mind blowing like I was hoping for. She definitely has her moments, especially towards the end of the song. But I still don't see her commanding the stage like she needs to. It's really hard to find much to fault here, but, sans a few spots, I didn't get any major goosebumps listening to this version. Very professional, very competent, but I wonder if Pia sang the same some how it would turn out. I think that would be more in line with what I was expecting from Lauren. But please don't misinterpret me - I'm still a big fan, and think she'll be around next week.

I'm very happy James Durbin isn't doing your typical rock song this week - he takes on The Beatle's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", written by George Harrison. I think he does an incredible job on this. You really can see that this guy could be a star - I liked how he kept it in until the very end. He showed a completely different side to himself as an artist, and I now think I should have picked HIM to win the whole thing. Blew me away with this - I am a big fan!

Scotty McCreery is up next, singing Elvis. I guess that's a good choice, but wouldn't it have been REALLY out of the box if he tried to take on someone like Zeppelin? Or the Stones? He sings "That's Alright Mama" - and while singing it he scats a bit, and also looks like a cheesy magician on stage. I was actually laughing watching this. If I closed my eyes and just listen to this, it's not bad. Not mind blowing, but not bad. I think the girls running up at the end only adds to the overall humor. That crazy Scotty. I do agree with Randy - he has proven that he is more than just "Baby shut that door and turn them lights down low...." I do, however, wish that Steven hadn't said Scotty was causing the girls to go crazy like Elvis. And JLo saying that Scotty has some "flayva...." Ugh.

Pia Toscano doing "River Deep, Mountain High". This should be interesting. She looks great...holy cow! Well, I don't know about what she's wearing, but yowza. Not only is she attractive, but this girl CLEARLY has an amazing voice. I wasn't wowed by her movement on stage - it was kinda stiff, but it doesn't matter. She is clearly, to me, the female front runner. From a vocal standpoint, I agree with Steven. She KILLED it. I mean, wow.... Great job Pia!! Did I mention she looked really good????

Stefano Langone sings Percy Sledge's classic "When A Man Loves A Woman". To me, Stefano is becoming a one trick pony. And that trick is over singing. The performance is predictable, and while he tries to go for the vocal fireworks and holding notes forever, and making crazy faces that make the veins bulge out in his head, I just don't get it. At least not anymore. I would have liked to see something else from Stefano. I think he's in the bottom 3, not because he's bad, but because it's become very predictable.

And by the way, Steven Tyler has YET to say ANYTHING CRITICAL. Everyone nails everything. Why is he a judge, other than being Steven Tyler from Aerosmith? Does he bring anything to the table? Dare I say JLo brings more constructive criticism?

So that means Paul McDonald gets the sweet spot - the last performance of the night. Paul is going to sing Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues". The "pros" Jimmy Iovine and Will.i.am tell Paul to go overboard with the craziness. Yeah, that's great advice guys. Can't wait to see how the normally fake and spastic Paul handles this one. A little bit of advice to Paul - can you PLEASE stop saying "What's up yo!" at the beginning of your performances? Please??? He even throws in a "Make some noise, yall!" Sigh. Compared to most Paul performances, it wasn't THAT bad, but I still don't like the guy. I really hope he leaves soon, but I fear he's in it for a long while. Ugh.

So my favorites tonight were Pia, James and Casey. Middle of the road were Lauren, Scotty and Jacob. And bottom of the barrel were Stefano, Hailey and Paul.

I think Stefano or Hailey are going home this week. We'll see if I'm right or not...