American Idol Top 5 (Thoughts)

So last week (as predicted) Lil Rounds and Anoop Desai were both voted off. Now we are down to 5 contestants. Tonight's performances will feature songs made famous by "The Rat Pack" and there is a rumor that Jamie Foxx was a "surprise mentor." Here is a quick rundown of where I think the remaining contestants stand:

Matt Giraud - By avoiding the Bottom 3 last week, Matt seemed to have proved to the judges and America that he was worthy of the Judge's Save. But with a handful of throw-away performances in his past, Matt really needs to deliver something outstanding and memorable from now on. Much like Syesha from last Season, Matt may be the contestant to unexpectedly linger into the Top 3. However, bad song choice or a mediocre performance will likely send him home this week.

Allison Iraheta - Geez, what does Allison need to do to avoid the Bottom 3?? Even after performing a rocked out version of "Hot Stuff" last week and receiving a stamp of "brilliance" from Simon Cowell, she was in the Bottom 3. Perhaps if she really changes things up tonight with a soft, slowed down "Rat Pack" tune and maybe show us a side to her we have yet to see, she will win over the rest of America. *crosses fingers*

Danny Gokey - The hype of Danny Gokey finally seems to be cooling down a bit (YAY!) Although most of the judges still gave him their praises after a boring, unoriginal version of "September" last week, Simon described it as "clumsy" and "lacking star power." I think it is very possible that another karaoke-type performance tonight could result in a "shocking elimination" of Danny on Wednesday night.

Kris Allen - I could go on and on about how I have been supporting Kris since his Top 36 performance of MJ's "Man in the Mirror" and that I am a genius for seeing his potential, but I don't want to bore you haha. At this point, Kris seems to be doing everything right and people are really starting to notice this. The possibility of an "Adam v. Kris" final actually seems to be sounding more and more realistic. Many "Idol experts" began embracing this possibility even more so after iTunes download numbers recently leaked, showing that Kris's iTunes sales are second to Adam's (thus out-selling Danny "Overrated" Gokey). After two incredible performances in a row (the beautiful "Falling Slowly" and his unique acoustic take on "She Works Hard for the Money") Kris has set the bar high and really needs to deliver yet another great performance tonight to keep his momentum going into the finals.

Adam Lambert - Speaking of setting the bar high...that might really be the only problem for Adam at this point. Adam is pretty much guaranteed a spot in the finals. However, ever since his widely talked about performance of "Mad World" a few weeks ago that got Simon Cowell on his feet, everything after that has inevitably been compared to that performance. So until he delivers something else of that calliber, the rest of his performances may be overlooked. Other than that, Adam really has nothing else to worry about.

---WHERE THEY STAND---

MY IDEAL OUTCOME:
5. Danny Gokey
4. Matt Giraud
3. Allison Iraheta
2. Adam Lambert
1. Kris Allen

MOST PROBABLE OUTCOME:
5. Matt Giraud
4. Allison Iraheta
3. Danny Gokey
2. Kris Allen
1. Adam Lambert