Analysis: Allison is the little train that (almost) could

Most Idol fanatics are still reeling from tonight's somewhat shocking results, but it's never too early to examine the reasons for what actually transpired just now.

First of all, it is really sad to see Allison leave, especially on such a high note with her duet on "Slow Ride" with Adam. She really seemed like a star and was extremely comfortable on stage. In fact, she is probably the one contestant that has improved the most during her time on the Idol stage.

But like last season, this is a guy's season to win, and Allison would have been dead in the water had she gone up against Adam (or even Danny) in the finale. She might have stood a chance against Kris, but even that would have been a stretch. The reasons for why she departed in fourth place are pretty plain to see, even though it's hard to acknowledge them. Allison's vocals were one-dimensional, as she was more of a rocker than she was a versatile performer. She was a star in her element, but she sort of had a rough time when she stepped out. That said, this should have been Allison's week to own along with Adam, but when it comes down to the bottom line, she simply did not have a fan base that could compete with the other three, and it finally caught up to her tonight.

Allison definitely knows how to go out in style, though. She really tore up the stage with her encore of "Cry Baby" and was nothing but gracious for making it this far. Paula was kind to give her a hug mid-performance, while Randy and Kara showed their soft sides by consoling her at the end of the performance. Simon did not show much of a reaction, but you could tell on the inside that he was proud of her despite their little back-and-forth eye-rolling and "begging" session last night.

Danny was shown smiling while Allison did her swan song, and you could tell it was one of those "older brother proud of his little sister" kind of moments, nothing sinister.

Speaking of Danny, how did you like his minute or so laugh-fest at his "scream"? It was a real relief to see him poke fun of himself, talking about his aunt having to mute the note and how people were making it into ringtones. This is a side of Danny that does not get shown often, and people sometimes see him in only the most negative light, so it probably was worth the self-deprecating humor.

And then the Top 4's group performance of "School's Out" with Slash was not a letdown like it could have been, which kicked off the show on the right note. The other guest performances, however, were a mixed bag.

First, Paula's "performance" of her new single "(I'm Just) Here For the Music" was one of the funniest moments in Idol history. She lip-synched her whole way through the song like it was her job, all the while pulling off A-list choreographic moves with the help of dancing guys that were probably half her age. She looked great and proved that she can still do the moves, but the whole not singing part sends the wrong message to the contestants, since the goal of the show is all about finding the best "undiscovered" singer, right? Oh, nevermind...

Anyway, No Doubt took the stage looking to eclipse Paula's performance (even though the former was taped last night) but Gwen Stefani and the guys were "just a'ight" in Randyspeak. Gwen looked like a new mother and even though she tried to prove she's in tip-top shape by doing pushups behind the judges' table, she seemed really out of breath near the end of their trip down memory lane with "Just a Girl" (don't they have a new single out there to promote called "Stand and Deliver"?) Stefani was her usual zany self and is a whole lot of fun, but the performance really did not cut it.

And then there was Daughtry's return to the stage that ended frontman Chris' dreams of becoming the next American Idol exactly three years ago this week. The new single, "No Surprise," is mid-tempo fare that fits in with the band's usual sound and the live performance was pretty good overall, despite an overall sense of boredom as seen in the audience's languishing applause. The presentation of a quintuple platinum plaque from one Kris to another Chris was a nice touch, but the album has only sold 4.2+ million to date, so isn't that a little premature?

Other things of note about tonight's episode include Ryan sending Kris to safety first, which was obviously deliberate to make everyone suspect Danny was tonight's target. It was a huge relief to both Kris and his wife, though, and they were visibly excited. And the Ford music video was ridiculous as usual, but it was cool of them to use The All-American Rejects' "Move Along" as the song of focus.

As for my predictions, I originally had Anoop going home, which obviously was not going to happen, but my pre-show predictions were also pretty off. I had Kris going home (as did most others) but he was the first one sent back to safety. We do not know who landed in the Bottom 2 with Allison, though, so it may or may not have been Danny. I guess we'll never really know.

Next week the Top 3 finalists will each perform one song picked by the judges and one song of their own choosing. So there's only enough room for six performances in an hour once again when they used to do nine at this point in the competition? Alrighty then...