Inspirational songs flip-flop finalists

Since Idol is in the spirit of giving this week, the inspirational songs the Top 8 chose were expected, but the quality of the performances from contestant to contestant were not. It is fair to say last night was "opposite day" on the Idol stage, as some of the favorites bombed while the usual lightweights came out on top.

Michael Johns kicked off the show with Aerosmith's "Dream On," which probably was not the greatest song choice considering how many songs I have to choose from but he pulled it off, especially Steven Tyler's near-impossible falsetto near the end. Although Simon said it was "wannabe-ish," Paula said he sounded as good as he looked and that her chihuahuas were going to join him on stage when he hit the high notes. Despite the effort, look for a bottom 3 appearance on Thursday.

Following an awkward exchange between Ryan and Simon about chihuahuas, Syesha Mercado took on the perennial coronation song "I Believe." Although she lacked the emotion that Fantasia had when she won (as Simon noted), Syesha hit a Mariah-like note that sent chills up the audience's spines. After a little talk back session with Randy about comparing her with Fantasia, Paula stepped in and said it's not fair to compare the two of them. Regardless, Syesha also has a ticket to bottom 3ville.

Another surprise last night was how mediocre David Cook was. Even taking his thoughtful but cheesy "give back" palm message out of the equation, David's take on Our Lady Peace's "Innocent" was sloppy and a little out of sync. Maybe it was the lack of changing up the arrangement since the audience is so used to seeing him do it, or maybe it was just that he set the bar too high. Either way the judges said it was not his best, with Simon even declaring the performance a "teency weency bit pompous."

Jason Castro had one of the strongest performances of the night with Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." He showed off his ukulele-playing skills and vocally was sound, which led to a lot of praise from the judges, who had basically trashed him the previous night on Larry King Live. Randy said the performance was "blazing, molten hot!" and Paula thought he chose "the perfect song."

Carly Smithson, however, was another story. She choose an awkward song considering the theme, Queen's "The Show Must Go On," and Simon was right when he said he thought it sounded more angry than inspirational. Vocally, she was alright until she went into her upper register, where she kind of fell apart and had pitch problems, which Randy noted. Look for another inevitable bottom 3 appearance tomorrow night, with a very good chance at an elimination.

Kristy Lee Cook was one of the biggest surprises of the night, as she belted out Martina McBride's "Anyway," showing off her twang and managing to hold some pretty long, high notes. Simon again complimented Kristy Lee on her song choice, saying she's "appealing to [her] base." Look for her to sail through to next week.

Then there was David Archuleta, who showed up everyone else with his piano-playing skills and version of Robbie Williams' "Angels." Randy was right in saying the refrain at the conclusion of the performance was great, but he crossed the line when he said it was his "hottest moment all season." Simon complimented David for his song choice. Glad someone finally picked a song Simon likes.

Brooke White closed out the show, sounding very mediocre on Carole King's version of James Taylor's "You've Got a Friend." Shaky, wavery, vulnerable are all adjectives to describe the performance. Simon was right in comparing it to a "pleasant walk in the park." Nothing to write home about, but still alright.

After a day of celebrities and charity the Top 8 becomes 7 tomorrow night, and it looks pretty clear cut how the results will go.

Predictions:
Bottom 3: Michael, Carly, Syesha
Bottom 2: Carly, Syesha
Eliminated: Syesha