About last night: vote [for Adam] or die?

Well it would be an understatement to say that the Top 3 finalists did a great job last night with each of their two songs. Yes, some were better than others, but they all deserve to be there out of the assortment of finalists we began the season with in the Top 13. That said, the stakes were so extreme last night that tensions boiled over between the judges, specifically Kara and Simon. Plus, the judges (and Ryan) took an extra step of cautioning viewers to not assume their favorites are safe (*hint*hint* vote for Adam!), so all in all things played out the way they were supposed to according to the playbook.

Kicking the night off was Danny, who was stuck with Paula's pick of "Dance Little Sister" by Terence Trent D'Arby. "Who?" you may ask? Well, Danny apparently had not even heard of the man, as he said he did not know what to think when he received the text while he was being interviewed on a Milwaukee radio station during his hometown visit. That said, Danny did his best trying to keep up with the fast-paced song and really had fun with it. The vocals were not top-notch but they were solid all the same.

The judges were positive about the performance on the whole, with Kara and Paula more interested in discussing the choreography but Simon did say the vocals were very good despite taking a jab at the "desperate" dancing, to which Randy and Ryan had a laugh about Simon criticizing dancing. Who would have thought Randy and Ryan would jump on that comment?

Danny took on "You Are So Beautiful" by Joe Cocker later on in the show, and the performance was really beautiful. The vocals were controlled and tender, and the stringed accompaniment was exactly the correct way to go about the instrumentation for the performance. Randy said Danny has "mad vocals," Kara lathered on the praise when she said it was "stunning" and that she had "nothing else to say," Paula said Danny left them "breathless" and Simon called it a "vocal masterclass." All of them were on target with their critiques, and this was probably Danny's best performance on the show.

The second performer of the night was Kris, who has been considered the dark horse for most of the season and he was under immense pressure to deliver last night. What seemed like a perfect fit for his style of singing in OneRepublic's "Apologize," however, did not go over as well as its selectors Randy and Kara had hoped it would.

Kris did hit a few bum notes and he cracked going into his falsetto at one point, but his piano playing sounded great with the song, which is one full of emotion and allowed Kris to show off his softer side (because he doesn't do that often enough, right?). Paula picked up on one of the bum notes but said he did his own artistic take on the song. Kara and Randy were not exactly happy, though, as Randy focused on Kris' after-Idol prospects and Kara called it a "competent" performance but he had to hit it out of the park and she didn't think he did. The reason: it was not original-sounding enough. This allowed Simon to swoop in for the kill, as he told Kara she had no business criticizing the arrangement since she and Randy picked the song, and then said Kara did not live up to her responsibilities in selecting the song.

Well, Kara would not have any of this, and she went into a shouting match with Simon trying to defend herself, but on this show Simon always gets the last word and this critique session was no different. Simon sort of had a point but Kara and Randy did not choose the arrangement for Kris part, so it is hard to blame that part on them. Still, Kris' first song was sort of a mess when the dust settled.

His second song, however, was leagues better and the fact that he was able to switch up Kanye West's "Heartless" to make it sound original and acoustic with just a guitar showed that he could be more than a singer, he could be an artist. This was more to Kara's liking, and she let it be known when she asked why Kris did not sing the first song the same way. Simon was more blunt in saying he had written off Kris' chances of winning weeks ago but after that performance, everything had changed. Whether or not that stands true will come in time, but for Simon to say that, he either must have been genuinely impressed or he was just trying to keep Kris' fans satisfied enough to go easy on the voting. Probably more of the latter, but still after eight seasons, the only person that can figure out Simon is Simon.

One weird thing I picked up on was how odd Ryan's behavior was all night. Following Kris' second performance, he started congratulating him on how far he had made it and how everyone enjoyed having him on the show, plus all the reminders that everyone needed to vote more than ever before to ensure the safety of their favorites. It seemed like he was really trying to wake Kris' fans up.

And then Adam was batting third in the pimp spot (where else would he be?), but it's important to realize that going last does not always guarantee safety this late in the game. Simon gloated about having to personally call U2's Bono up and ask if "One" could be cleared for Adam to sing, and it definitely was a good choice. Adam changed up the arrangement a ton and made it out to be extremely theatrical, which worked for him even though Randy was spot on in catching him drift off the melody a bit near the end. Overall, though, Adam did what he usually does and it was more than enough to impress Kara and Paula, and Simon continued to pound the rallying drums when he said if Adam did not make the finals, it would be one of the biggest upsets ever.

Adam said the lyrics were what really made him think the song was a great choice, and while it's true the song is an amazing piece of lyric writing, that doesn't mean it is ideal for every singer's vocal style.

But on Aerosmith's "Cryin'" Adam really brought the house down. He had fun being over-the-top because, well, the song is an over-the-top song to begin with. If it says one thing about himself, it says Adam knows exactly the kinds of songs that are perfect for his range. He hit all the high notes effortlessly, though some came out better than others, and showed why the producers keep letting him perform last. He also was able to sing over the pesky backup singer that tried to get in the spotlight by shouting the song.

As for the judges, it was unanimous. Randy called him one of the best performers they've ever had on the show. Kara said we'd see him in the finals. Paula said we'd be seeing him next week (and managed to work in a pre-written comment about frequent flier miles). And that brings me to Simon.

Simon basically pleaded with viewers to vote for Adam. He didn't even try to hide his favoritism, and told everyone not to assume he was safe. This is the first time I can recall Simon blatantly directing the audience how to vote, and this is outright wrong. By doing this, Simon is suggesting that Adam's fans cannot vote him into the finale on their own merit, so he decides to scare them into working their fingers to the bone. Based on the theory that the contestant that receives the fewest votes is eliminated, which the producers and the show itself has everyone accept as fact, Adam's fans would obviously spend the full two hours voting for him if they really wanted him in there. For Simon to sit them down like babies and instruct them how to vote because many will assume Adam's safety is just unnecessary. I understand the show wants Adam to win extremely badly but that doesn't mean they need to stretch the manipulation to lengths we have never seen before.

Anyway, it was nice of Adam to praise Danny and Kris for being tough competition following his final performance.

One last thing of note: the "Idol Gives Back" segment featuring Carrie Underwood's trip to Angola was the most obvious form of filler possible, but it was nice to see her out in Africa helping with the mosquito nets and just putting a smile on peoples' faces in general. It might have disrupted the flow of the show, but it also served as a reminder for the $140 million the cause has raised for aid to Africa and this country over the past three years.

Now its up to the voting public. Although many had pegged Kris as a third-place finisher since before last nights performances even took place, it seems that he stands a fighting chance of making the finale. We will see tonight.