Tony Benett night inspired the top 9 American Idol finalists to deliver a highly competitive performance show. Lakisha Jones and Melinda Doolittle consistently brought powerhouse vocals as usual. Haley Scarnato and Sanjaya Malakar jazzed up their performances to tell America that they are not the weakest links. Chris Richardson and Gina Glocksen marked their personal best. Jordin Sparks and Phil Stacey delivered strong vocals, too. And Blake Lewis is in his element. Overall, it was a great show that the bottom 3 for the results tomorrow is virtually unpredictable.

So here’s my take:

SIZZLING HOT

Melinda Doolittle – vocal wise

Lakisha Jones – vacal wise

Chris Richardshon – performance wise

Blake Lewis – performance wise

Sanjaya Malakar – performance wise

Haley Scarnato – performance wise

HOT

Jordin Sparks – vocal wise

Phil Stacey – vocal wise

Gina Glocksen – vocal wise

Yes folks, for me there was no WARM, WARMING UP or COLD performance tonight. Bravo! But in the tradition of predicting who’s going home, where one of 3 or 4 on the last screenshot with Ryan Seacrest in the middle of the stage getting the boot. Look at the photo above. Behind Ryan are (from l to r) Chris Richardson, Haley Scarnato, Phil Stacey and Sanjaya Malakar. Is one of them leaving tomorrow?