Well, tonight was not boring...here's my blow-by-blow

1. Ramiele Malubay - "Alone" by Heart. She should NOT have tried a Heart tune even at her best, but especially if her voice is not up to par (the judges commented that she was ill). This was easily the worst performance of the night. It was pitchy most of the way through, and strident when she tried to belt. I don't think she has the chops to keep up with everyone else at this point and based solely on performance, she would be the most likely contestent to go home tomorrow.

2. Jason Castro - "Fragile" by Sting. This was a ho-hum, boring performance. I think the lack of dynamics in his vocals are starting to catch up to him. His main strength seems to be that the girls think he has gorgeous eyes. His singing is average at best. He has a nice voice, just not a great voice. He also doesn't have any imagination in his arrangements.

3. Syesha Mercado - "If I Was Your Woman" by Stephanie Mills. This was a very respectable performance and possibly her best to date. I hope it's enough to keep her in the competition a while longer. I think she has a very good (not great) voice.

4. Chikezie - "If Only For One Night" by Luther Vandross. I think he may have blown his chance. He is not a good ballad singer; he does great with the uptempo stuff, but he is not in the same league as Luther and it came off corny and pitchy. This was probably the 2nd worst performance tonight.

5. Brooke White - "Every Breath You Take" by the Police. Personally, I really liked Brooke tonight. She wasn't as pitchy as usual but still gave a very heartfelt performance. I do think the arrangement wasn't so hot. Once the band came in, she got pitchier and less interesting, but I think she's solid for another week or three.

6. Michael Johns - "We Are The Champions" by Queen. Finally, the guy picked a decent song for his voice and did a very nice job. This was probably the 2nd best performance tonight and secured another week for him.

7. Carly Smithson - "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler. This was IMHO the worst performance I've heard from Carly. I normally like her performances, but not tonight. She had some pitchiness and the song didn't fit her style of singing. Based on the fact that she was in the bottom three last week, she could be in real danger here.

8. David Archuletta - "You're the Voice" by David Foster. I only vaguely even remember this song, but maybe I'm simply burning out on the guy, but he didn't knock me out tonight. He's certainly safe, but I think he's slipping in his appeal. Simon even commented that it was a "Theme Park" performance and expected to see little animated creatures around him.

9. Kristy Lee Cook - "God Bless The USA" by Lee Greenwood. Well, I've never been a fan of hers and don't think she can sing all that well, but this particular song selection may just have saved her from a farewell performance tomorrow night. She did a so-so job of it, but every redneck in America will probably vote for her. She also seems to have some family who is a player in the AFL, so she may also be getting a bunch of AFL votes. I don't think she's going home THIS week...

10. David Cook - "Billy Jean" by Michael Jackson. First of all, he did a Chris Cornell (Soundgarden) version in 6/8 time, not a 4/4 dance version, but it was absolutely brilliant. I was simply mesmerized and was thinking, "I would buy tickets to see this guy perform". Technically, there were a few pitchy notes (not many), but he has such charisma that you hardly notice. He could be the next idol, and IMHO is further along in his performance skills than Chris Daughtry was at this point in Season 5.

My rankings this week:

1. David Cook
2. Michael Johns
3. Syesha Mercado
4. Brooke White
5. David Archuletta
6. Carly Smithson
7. Jason Castro
8. Chikezie
9. Kristy Lee Cook
10. Ramielle Malubay

Since Ramielle has a loyal fan base and Kristy will get the patriot and super-jock votes, my guess is that Chikezie will go home tomorrow. Let's see if my bottom three match the votes...

Who else wants to take a shot at who will go home tomorrow?