Toward the Top Ten

This is an important elimination, because the remaining contestants are assured a place in the American Idol summer tour. Besides exposure, the tour means a fat payday for the final ten. Given the stakes, the performers gave their all this week, so ranking them is especially difficult. I feel like previous ranking have been stood on their head. I try to be somewhat objective in the power rankings, but today's power list may reflect my preferences more than usual. Here they are best to worst:

1. James Durbin: Perfect, both voice and movement. I love his voice; it has such a pure ringing tone.

2. Paul McDonald: I haven't been liking him lately, but I loved his performance today. Like James, perfect. The guitar also served him well in curtailing his lurching dance. He is such an entertaining performer, I can't imagine America wanting to send him home now.

3. Naima Adedapo: After this week's performance, I feel justified in giving her a high ranking. She was awesome. The African drumming and dance was beyond wonderful. And she sang very well.

4. Casey Abrams: I still like him, but there is getting to be a sameness to his performances. If he doesn't change some, he'll soon be overtaken as front runner. That said, I loved his vocals on this song, but I found his movements a little creepy.

5. Stefano Langone: He has a classic vocal quality that I really like and which went well with this song. The judges were right though about his not acting the song's feelings. Jennifer nailed it when she said that his delivery was intense in an effort to do well rather than to fit the emotions of the song. But he's too good and too cute to go home.

6. Thia Megia: She did very well on an up tempo song. She has an outstanding talent, but not enough distinction in her delivery. She won't last to the end.

7. Jacob Lusk reigned in the screaming intensity to give a very good performance, but his face and motions were distracting. I liked him, but I don't think he deserved the raves he got from the judges.

8. Scotty McCreery turned Motown into Nashville, but it worked well. I like him too, but I think the voting audience might get tired of his sameness after a while.

9. Pia Toscano: Princess please, not another dreary ballad. And stop going for those high notes, because it makes your voice sounds like chalk scraped over a blackboard.

10. Lauren Alaina: Very boring and awkward. She might be in danger of the bottom three.

11. Haley Reinhart: But Lauren won't be going home because Haley will. I actually liked her performance; I always like a growly voice. But those shorts she wore made her look kind of desperate. If women are the main voters, they won't respond well to her costume.