I like the idea of getting rid of two contestants a week. It really clears the stage for a decent show.

Lil Rounds and Anoop Desai went home last week. Exactly like I called it.

I love it when I’m right.

Tonight the top 5 are tackling standards from “The Rat Pack” era. This week should show some great reinterpretations of some of the best songs ever written, and I’m looking forward to Kris and Adam the most. I hope they don’t disappoint.

Then mentor this week for the Rat Pack standards is… Jamie Foxx!?

*sigh*

Tony Bennett, Michael Buble, Jamie Cullum, Harry Connick Jr., Natalie Cole, Queen Latifah… any of these would be a better fucking choice than Jamie Foxx. I mean, sure, he was great in Ray, but he was imitating Ray Charles.

I don’t get it.

A N Y W A Y

Kris Allen takes the stage first with “The Way You Look Tonight.” He’s picked the perfect song to highlight his ability to eye fuck the 13 year olds at home. He’s awfully cute. I don’t think he’s any real danger of going home with this performance, but I really wasn’t a fan of the arrangement. The beginning was the more legato and romantic style, suddenly it picked up the tempo and became a swing number before falling back into the romantic legato. This song would have been really nice had he stuck to one style. Either one would have worked, but combining the two really made the performance a bit awkward. He sang it well and sufficiently moistened the teenagers. So all in all, it wasn’t a bad thing. Randy thought it was his best performance to date. Kara thought he set a standard for technical ability incredibly high. She called him the “dark horse.” Paula called him a “sophisticated gentleman.” Simon wasn’t as enthusiastic, he thought it was safe and nice, but not incredible.

Allison Iraheta, who celebrated her 17th birthday yesterday, is up next with “Someone to Watch Over Me.” This is such a beautiful Gershwin song. My favorite version is performed by Nancy Wilson. You know I’ve been pretty tough on Allison this season, especially when she picks songs that are just too mature for such a young singer. I have to say that this is by far my favorite performance from her. She didn’t fall into that Christina Aguilera imitation where she tries to fit 37 notes into a single measure… She had great control and pitch, and the slight changes to the melody kept it interesting. While I still don’t feel like she totally connected to the song emotionally, this is definitely the first time that I’ve liked her performance enough to think she could be a successful artist. Randy thought it was “the bomb.” Kara doesn’t think she’s in any danger of going home. Paula thought she delivered an innocent sensibility. Simon thought it was a great performance, but he doesn’t think she believes she can win. He thinks Allison may be in danger tonight.

Matt Giraud has picked another fantastic song, “My Funny Valentine.” Matt is definitely in his element tonight. He’s rocked the swinger look and vibe all season, and he didn’t disappoint with his version of this classic. While I would not have interpreted the verse of the song in quite the same way he did, it seemed to fit. He’s been the most authentic to the genre so far tonight. Randy thought it was just a touch pitchy, but it was an incredibly hard song to sing. Kara didn’t feel like Matt was emotionally connected to the song. Paula loved his interpretation and disagreed with Kara, saying she felt the connection. She said it was “excellent.” Simon thought it was “authentic.” He compared his song phrasing to Nat King Cole‘s. (Anyone that knows me, knows that Nat King Cole is one of my heroes. If I were to ever have a male child, his name would be “Nathaniel Cole.”)

Danny Gokey is up to perform the same song he’s performed the past six weeks. He just changes the lyrics. He will be using the lyrics to “Come Rain or Come Shine.” *Yawn* Pitch was fine. His interpretation was predictably ok. His performance was better than the past several weeks… but still, *Yawn.* Randy thought he could have an album of standards and win. Kara said she has been missing the swagger, and tonight he found his swagger. Paula called it “stellar.” Simon thought his swagger and confidence could help him win. He called it “outstanding.”

Adam Lambert closes the show with “Feeling Good.” This is like the PERFECT song for him. It’s got built-in theatrics and a great melody for him to jump all over. He has proven week after week that he can pick the right song, inject it with the right amount of Adam juice and play to his strengths. It’s like he makes the perfect sandwich… he starts with great ingredients, injects just enough cheese for entertainment, but you can’t help but notice that the meat and bread is outstanding. Yes, there’s cheese, but it works. (That’s my attempt at talking like Simon.) His pitch is absolutely impeccable. Randy thought it was a little too theatrical and broadway, but it was a great performance. Kara thought it was shocking and confusing in a good way. Paula says he makes her feel better than good. She compared him to Michael Phelps in our olympics. Simon knows he wants to win and entertain.

It’s getting to be that time in the season where it gets harder and harder to rank them. Each contestant has a strength that isn’t necessarily matched or bested by another. At this point, any one of these performers can and probably will have a recording career.

There is also a bit of game strategy that comes into play here. Kris is such a wildcard, in that he doesn’t have a voice that is as strong as Danny or Adam, but if by some fluke Danny were to get voted off, the votes that he normally gets will almost definitely start falling for Kris, who’s playing to that same audience of middle America church goers that don’t want to vote for an openly *gasp* homosexual artist. In that case, Kris could totally upset the show and beat Adam in the finale. Conversely, losing Kris may actually put Danny in the position to beat Adam.

Here’s my ranking (coincidentally, this is how I think the season will play out, not necessarily how I think it SHOULD, however):

1. Adam Lambert
2. Danny Gokey
3. Kris Allen
4. Matt Giraud
5. Allison Iraheta