IDOL UPDATE: TOP 9 GRADES....& WOW! WHAT A GREAT SHOW!

Randy was right last night, there was something in the air! It was one of the best performance shows on Idol I’ve seen in a long, long time. One performance after another , especially the last 4 of the night, were just outstanding! The Idol contestant's sang "Songs of their Idols", and it was a night to remember. America certainly has it's work cut out for them tonight as one contestant will be eliminated, but it's really not going to be as hard as it seems, so let's separate the 'Contenders' from the 'Pretenders' and go from there. Drum roll please....dim the lights.....here we go.....
THE CONTENDERS:

Elise Testone Rocks on Idol

BEST OF THE NIGHT: Elise Testone, with her version of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love".....WOW! Big song to take on for a female voice and she made it work. This girl reminds me so much of Haley Reinhart last year, because she's picking up momentum at just the right time, will pick up votes that Erika Van Pelt was getting before, and is really showing how talented she really is. Way to go Elise, great song choice, super vocals and a fun performance to watch! In case you did note see it, here it is Whole Lotta Love GRADE: A

RUNNER-UP: Jessica Sanchez, with her slowed down version of Beyonce's "Sweet Dreams".....a musical and vocal masterpiece by this young girl! She's got 'IT'.....plain and simple, this girl has what it takes to be great, the makings of a real STAR! Hard to choose between Elise and Jessica last night, both amazing! Here's Jessica's performance of Sweet Dreams GRADE: A

BEST OF THE REST:
Phillip Phillips......performed an obscure song "Still Raining" from his Idol, Mr. Johnny Lang, and it was really good. But there's still something that bothers me abut Phillip....I call it the 'Lee DeWyze' factor. He's just too plain-jane like Lee DeWyze, winner of Season 9, and like DeWyze....I just don't see Phillip selling a lot of records after Idol. Here's Phillips Still Raining performance...GRADE: A-
Joshua Ledet.....who sang the Mariah Carey version of Harry Nilsson's big hit, "Without You", & did a nice job with a BIG and risky song choice. Really took it to another level at the end! GRADE: B+
Colton Dixon.......took a big risk in the 'opening spot' last night by doing a song nobody knew called "Everything" from Lifehouse......thought it was pretty good, but after all the other contestants, it was just OK.....Colton could be in trouble tonight, but trust me, even though he might be pulling the 'religion and faith cards' out a bit too much, he's not going home....GRADE: B
Hollie Cavanaugh.....took on a BIG song with Carrie Underwood's "Jesus Take The Wheel", and sang it pretty good, but it wasn't her best. Hollie could be in trouble tonight as well, wouldn't surprise me at all to see her in the dreaded "Bottom 3". She needs to act, dress and sing younger, more energetic songs, and stay away from all the ballads. GRADE: B-

THE PRETENDERS:

Skylar Laine......sang a Miranda Lambert song "Gunpowder and Lead" and on a night when many folks gave amazing performances, hers was NOT one of them. Bottom 3 tonight and could go home! GRADE: C+
DeAndre Brackensick........sang another song that I'm sure not many folks are familiar with in "Sometimes I Cry", and it was probably DeAndre's best in many weeks, just too much falsetto for me. Could be in trouble tonight and in the 'Bottom 3' after all the other crazy good performances of the evening. GRADE: C
Heejun Hun.......sang a heartfelt ballad with "A Song For You" by Donny Hathaway, and though it might have been his best so far, it's still nowhere near close to being as good as any of the others in the competition. Bottom 3 tonight and hopefully going home! GRADE: C-

OK....so, there you have it, and it seems that the BOTTOM 3 'should' consist of a combination of Heejun, DeAndre, Skylar or Hollie tonight....but something tells me there will be a BIGGER surprise and name in the mix.....and I say it's Colton Dixon that gets shocked! Big EI supporter Pete "YB" Rosendale thinks that a 'judges save' is in the air tonight. If it's Heejun, DeAndre or Skylar singing for their lives, no way any of the three should be saved, it's not worth using it up and a contestant that has no chance of winning it all. If it's any of the others, then YES.....they are worthy of a 'judges save' at this stage of the game. We shall see what happens tonight on FOX!

Also.......performing live on tonight's show is Niki Minaj (sorry, not a fan at all!) and last year's Idol Winner, Scotty 'The Body' McCreery. Speaking of last year's contestants, the music video for Haley Reinhart's debut single "Free" is out. The song is already available on iTunes, a great song, just love it, and today the video for the song was released. Check it out here....Haley Reinhart's "Free"