"American Idol": Elliott Comes to Play

Last week I said we would dispense with Elliott and then let the final three fight it out. Today at work when people asked who was leaving, I said Elliott with no hesitation. But now?

Let’s face it. Elliott came to play tonight. Katharine, on the other hand, did not. Now, you can say because the theme was a male artist that she was at a disadvantage, but even when she picked the right song, she didn’t nail it.

And Chris and Taylor? To the scorecard…

Taylor Hicks, “Jailhouse Rock”: 23 (out of 25)
Just as I predicted last week, Taylor rocked this one out; but why did they have him start in the audience? Does Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe just enjoy seeing himself on TV? Kudos to Tommy Mottola for recognizing that the song needed a key change.

“In the Ghetto”: 25
Probably Taylor’s best performance of the season.

Chris Daughtry, “Suspicious Minds”: 24
I should have done a song prediction post this week because this is exactly what I thought Chris would sing. I would’ve liked him to deviate from the original a little more, but it was good and he got major kudos from Tommy (So I don’t think Chris has to worry about his future if he doesn’t win.).

“A Little Less Conversation”: 23
The low key was sexy, but what was that screaming at the end?

Elliott Yamin, “If I Can Dream”: 23
Tommy didn’t inspire much confidence; but Elliott managed to prove him wrong. I didn’t really care for the song and I thought he used too much vibrato during the first verse.

“Trouble”: 25
I originally scored this lower, but then I figured he earned the perfect score.

Katharine McPhee, “Hound Dog”/“All Shook Up”: 23
She “scored big” with Tommy, but I’m not sure she brought it home for the audience. And for the second week in a row, she brought a country twang into her voice (I’m not sure that was a good thing.). I liked the combination of songs and I loved how she turned around when she forgot the words.

“Can’t Help Falling In Love”: 21
This was the perfect song choice for her and she blew it. I actually wrote “too much” on my score sheet and then Simon used the same words. I think we’re both right. And the ending was totally off.

So did Katharine choke? Simon said that Elliott deserved to move on, but does that mean Katharine will be eliminated? And what about Chris? Was his second performance strong enough to stay in (I voted for him five times just in case.)? I think Taylor is definitely safe—unless everyone else thinks that and didn’t vote for him.

In other words, this will be one of the most interesting results shows in “Idol” history. I’m getting nervous already.