Dim All the Lights: It's Disco Week!

Three observations to open this blog: first off, I agree with Randy that this is the most talented Top 7 ever. I mean, they are all good...there are no Sanjaya's, no Jasmine Trias's....in other words, no obvious misfits who rode into the finals on something other than true talent. I also think everyone looked great tonight! Hair, clothes, make- up.....everyone pulled it together. I also have to say, this was the most un-disco week ever for a disco week! Allison rocked it, while Adam, Kris and Anoop slowed it down. We got to hear from all 4 judges! And suffered very little filler.

That said, the Top 3 and Bottom 3 were fairly obvious. Kris and Adam are leagues ahead of everyone else in musicality, vocals and performance, and Allison remains a fave.

I really, really, really liked Kris's performance of "She Works Hard For The Money" and it was the best of the night for me. The bongos and the groovy vibe, right down to his crooked little smile and the song choice from the "women's department" really worked for Kris and endeared him to me just a little bit more. This was one of season 6 winner Jordin Spark's worst songs, and thank goodness Kris made me forget that dismal performance. I agree, Kris is ready for the big time!

My second fave was Allison. While Donna Summer's "Hot Stuff" has never been done on American Idol before, Allison laid down the performance to which all others going forward will be compared to, should they even attempt it. Agree that watching a 16-year-old strut in the highest of heels and talk about her stuff was a little weird, but her powerhouse vocals more than made up for it. She instantly gave this disco classic her signature rock edge that totally worked for her, and since Simon called it "brilliant", she is assured her place in the competition next week.

And already headed to the finals according to Paula (and the rest of the world, according to the press) is Adam, who looked fantastic tonight for sure (despite his ring purchased, certainly, from Paula's jewelry line on HSN). I love anything from the iconic Saturday Night Fever, and while I know everyone else loves Adam, once again I didn't connect with his whiny, falsetto, screechy performance of "If I Can't Have You." So sue me!

Poor Lil and Anoop will most certainly be in the bottom tomorrow night. Lil's Idol run is likely over, but she should be proud of it. Not to sound like Paula, but despite her wild vocals, she truly did look fabulous tonight, her best ever, but her vocals as Randy pointed out were all over the place, and let's face it: karaoke, despite her arguing the contrary. This song ("I'm Every Woman") has been done three other times on Idol by three very talented and powerful women (Trenyce in Season 2, Vonzell in season 4, and most recently Mandisa hit a home run with this song in Season 5) but sadly, Lil's version doesn't match up to any of those.

And Anoop got the pimp spot, but I'm not sure why because his vocals just weren't there. And it wasn't just those repetitive lyrics in "Dim All the Lights" that didn't showcase what he can do, or the fact that he messed the lyrics up....and I actually loved the outfit and the new facial hair....but I had to agree with Simon that it was mediocre and nothing to write home about. I'm afraid he just doesn't have the fans to pull him through yet another trip to the bottom 3.

Matt was awarded the next-best performance slot at number 6 of 7, but it didn't seem to do him any favors. Again, he picked the totally wrong song, "Stayin' Alive" and gave it nothing original. Next to Kris and Adam it sounded horribly wedding and karaoke, and I agree with Simon that it felt desperate, although it's totally understandable why that might be the case! The judges threw him what love they could, as they have all season, but again, I don't think America will.

Squarely in the middle, neutral ground, the Switzerland of Idol, is Danny. Across the web, Danny gets more love than hate (although I am shocked at the Danny Hate that is out there.) Which is where the blogsphere finds him: Idol Chatter at USA Today ranked him 3rd after tonight's performance, he's ranked #4 by Entertainment Weekly going into tonight, and MJ's readers poll has him at #4, too, just to name a few examples. So, what does that mean for him? I always love me some Danny and tonight didn't disappoint me, but didn't thrill, either. I love Earth, Wind and Fire and really enjoyed his energy and vocals, but "September"? His smile is contagious, and loved that his sisters were in the audience! But I worry about Simon declaring that he has no star power. He could be a surprise B3 member tomorrow night, but hopefully not for a couple more weeks.

The Final 4 seem to be shaking out as Danny, Adam, Kris and Allison, with any one of those three going head to head with Adam in the finale. Course, THIS is American Idol and we know nothing is set in stone! From the Top 5 down to the Top 2 we've seen much drama (see Gray, Tamyra; Daughtry, Chris; Yamin, Elliot; and Doolittle, Melinda for examples).

Did you agree that Paula actually looked beautiful and was coherent for the show? Do you think Danny is vulnerable this week? And what do you make of the dramatic Wall of Fire that Ryan opened the show in front of?! "NO one will be SAFE." LOL! Leave your thoughts here!