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KRIS - I'm with Simon on this one. Kris was good - he's pretty much always been good - but he didn't have a "moment". Part of the problem is that I think he was trying too hard. Part of Kris' charm throughout the competition is that he never shows the effort, but tonight he did (still to a lesser degree than most have over the course of the show, but more than Kris usually does). I thought the beginning when he was consistently behind the music was indulgent. It's not cool to make the big band slow down to follow! I really didn't like the idea of the up-tempo middle section, although the execution was fine. Then, the leap to falsetto on the last note was too much for me, although I give him props for changing up the interval and not just raising an octave. Given the idea of "cool" with the Rat Pack, I think Kris could have hit a home run had he just relaxed and channeled his inner Rat Packer. Good, but not great the way Bozos 1-3 called it… However, I am SO RELIEVED that Kris finally wore grown up clothes! I was going to be really annoyed if he had dressed the way he normally does for this theme.

ALLISON - Allison's performance, on the other hand, bordered on great for me. What she did tonight is the perfect answer to the ongoing debate about honoring the theme and making the song one's own. Allison was 100% authentically herself, and yet she did not feel the need to fundamentally alter the song. She sang the song as written but did so truly and believably as herself. She looked better than usual. She certainly annunciated better than usual… And there was a point where she clearly felt something in the moment and had an honest and visceral response on stage. That is what this competition should be about. It wasn't as good as Kelly's "Stuff Like That There", but it may just be the best performance of the season thus far.

MATT - I will say that this was Matt's best performance of the competition (certainly of the finals). There was some pitchiness and he didn't always transition well from his runs to his lower register, but it wasn't as manic and desperate as most of what he's done. Matt's problem, though, is that he's not very likable onstage. When he goes intense, instead of "emotional", I got "creepy". He reminded me of Phil Stacy… Still, the sustained note on "Stay" was his best moment of any song he's sung (thanks, Jamie). Too bad he wasn't smart enough to realize he should have done the same thing on the last note instead of falling back on his trademark over-riffing…

DANNY - Danny also had his best performance thus far tonight, and thank Mandisa for that. He needed to prove that his potential he showed in his audition could be actualized, and I think he did that tonight. Danny has a pattern of starting songs at a lower level of intensity and then cranking them up a few notches in the middle for a big finish. He did that again, but for the first time, he didn't phone in the beginning and only come to life at the end. He was great at the lower level and he was great at the higher level. And for once, he looked great (for him), too. I did think that he was a little stiff in the first half and he didn't know what to do with his hands, but when the swagger kicked in, that awkwardness went away. More importantly, though, his voice was there tonight. I thought his vocals compared favorably to great singer like Ray Charles. I think it is a CRIME, though, that he wasn't given the "pimp spot". Has any contestant on this show ever made it through eight weeks of finals without ever having sung last? Shameful…

ADAM - This was probably my second favorite performance ever from Adam (I still like "Mad World" better). I think what Adam needed to raise it up that one little extra notch was more dynamic range. If he had started softer and (especially) slower up on the steps, he would have had farther to go and the song would have built better. I think the problem with Adam at this point is that he has already shown us so much that it's hard for him to surprise us (unlike Allison and Danny who, prior to tonight, were more one-trick ponies, so their leap tonight was more exciting). Everything that Adam threw into the mix tonight, he's shown us before. What was great tonight, though, was his editing. He showed us lots of stuff he's shown us before, but he artfully and wisely didn't throw everything (including the kitchen sink) into the mix, so the song wasn't frenzied. With the exception of one note, I wouldn't say he shrieked AT ALL. Bravo!


1. ALLISON
2. DANNY
3. ADAM
4. MATT
5. KRIS (and although I think it was the worst of the night, it was better than each and every performance last week)

What is the opposite of jumping the shark? Because that's what this show did tonight. I think this may have been one of the best performance shows Idol has ever had. Off the top of my head, I can't recall a night when each and every one of the performances was at least very good and more than half of them were supurb! And who would have ever thought that JAMIE FREAKING FOXX would be the best mentor this show has ever had? Ha!

I do think this episode is a great reason for having - and sticking to - themes on this show (although this one should have just been called "standards", as they didn't really do songs identifiable with the Rat Pack). Left to their own devices, no way would all five of them have picked great songs. In this genre, though, they would be hard-pressed to come up with songs that aren't great…