Emily is Smiling

Tonight was a great night for American Idol, I thought.  The performances improved a lot over last week.

I Voted For...
- Pia Toscano
- Jacob Lusk
- Scotty McCreery
- Paul McDonald
- Lauren Alaina (I'm not ready to see her go home quite yet) 

The Ups
- The second I found out that this week was Motown, I thought about Jacob Lusk.  His voice is perfect for this style of music.  Sure enough, he blew everyone away.  He even got a standing ovation by all three judges.  Come on... Steven Tyler even jumped onstage to give Jacob a hug (along with every other girl in the front row, thanks to Ryan Seacrest).  But there is no doubt in my mind that Jacob left a big mark up there this week.
- James Durbin was great, as always.  I don't have much to say about his performance.  Is it weird that even his great performances are starting to become "meh" for me?  His long screams are crazy good, but they happen every week.  I'd like to see something new.  However, he was honestly good, so I didn't have the heart to put him in the "meh" category of this post.
- Pia Toscano could win this thing.  She can sing like no other.  Her pitch is perfect, she's drop dead gorgeous, and she has stage presence.  I can't believe someone didn't discover her before American Idol.
- I never thought I'd say this, but I loved Scotty McCreery's country rendition of "For Once in My Life."  I don't like country music, but that's what Scotty is made to sing.  Why perform songs that aren't you?  Scotty made a Motown song him, and that is respectable, whether or not that was his best performance. 

Meh...
- I don't know why I'm not incredibly impressed by Haley Reinhart.  She's pretty.  She has a good voice and a unique style.  None of her performances "wow" me or make me leap from my seat.  I don't know.  She just didn't have "it" tonight.
- Lauren Alaina did a good job.  She truly did.  I loved the way she stood up against the people who have put her down over the last week and she looked gorgeous tonight.  However, while her performance was lovely, it didn't stand out enough to make "The Ups" this week.  Maybe next time.
- Paul McDonald did pretttty good... but not good enough, in my opinion.  Paul is unique and marketable.  I would buy his album.  But I found myself zoning out towards the middle of this song.  It seemed just a little boring for a Paul McDonald performance.  His amazing stage presence seemed a little out of whack tonight.
- Oh, Stefano Langone.  I just don't see what people love about him.  His songs are so average to me.  This one included.  This one especially.

The Downs
- I used to be a fascinated (although reluctant) fan of Casey Abrams.  However, the last two weeks, I haven't been impressed by his performances at all.  I'm starting to wonder if he can even sing.  He growls, he shrieks, he screams, but I haven't heard him sing well in a long time.  Perhaps he's forgotten how.
- I enjoyed Naima Adedapo's African dance, but her vocals are terrible.  They're pitchy, and she has a very small range.  I am not impressed with Naima's singing, which is what this competition is about.
- Thia Megia is a sweetheart.  She's beautiful and has a great, relaxing voice.  I commend her for following the judges' advice and singing an uptempo song tonight.  However, she just doesn't have the "it" factor.  Even Thia's rendition of "Heat Wave" seemed a little dull to me.  I honestly think she auditioned too young.  She hasn't found herself yet.

Bottom Three
- Naima Adedapo
- Haley Reinhart
- Thia Megia

Going Home...
This is a tough one, but I'm going to guess Naima again this week.  She needs to go home.  My second choice would be Haley.

What do YOU think?

All images used in this entry belong to FOX.