MY list in descending order:

#7 - No surprise here. Poor Pickler has finally been exposed. She is my odds on fave for a merciful exit, BUT...here cute looks and her disarming admission of failure MAY get her sympathy votes and save her for one more week. In THAT case I think the one who will go is...

#6 - Elliot Yamin, but NOT because he was bad but because of the personality thing. It is clear that he is a shy and introverted kind of person and only people who are brilliant can overcome that handicap. Elliot is just "good", but "good" may not be enough this time.

#5 - Taylor Hicks' thing IS his personality! He has a decent singing voice, but it is what he does with what he has that makes him a winner. I still don't see him as being THE idol but it wouldn't surprise me to see him edge out a more talented person in the coming weeks. His performance tonight, in MY opinion, was no better nor worse than any of his other nights, but it just wasn't Idol material, it wasn't "special".

#4 - Ace, you are saved for one more week. His performance was just good enough to be more appealing than Taylor, but his weak voice will betray him very soon, maybe next week.

#3 - Chris Daughtry. He picked just the right song for the "standards". Louis Armstrong had a huge hit with this one, proving that personality and delivery CAN carry a song which, on the face of it, is not that challenging of a vocal test. He used to be my odds on fave to win the whole thing, and he still may, depending on which genres are presented in the next few weeks. But if it were to end tonight I think it would be a tie...

#'s 2 & 1 - Katherine McPhee and Paris!!! Both gals were "lights out" tonight and it is impossible for me to choose one over the other, so I'll critique them both and let others respond.

First, Paris - WOW! She just knocked me OVER! I would LOVE to hear her do more Billie Holiday songs, she has the right tone and boldness to pull it off. The biggest weakness she has is her youth and lack of life experience which MAY prevent her from presenting some songs with the feeling and emotion that life experience brings. BUT...that is not much of a drawback since a good vocal coach can draw it out of her. This girl is GREAT! Personality, looks, and a great set of pipes to match. My biggest concern is that she would go out and do nothing but the usual r&b/hip-hop that most kids her age gravitate to. She's got an adult voice and could appeal to a wider audience.

Second, Katherine. Baby, I'LL watch over you!! Yeah! She hit a grand slam with that song. The more she sings the more she reminds me of Bernadette Peters in brunette. She has the best trained voice of them all and, as Simon said, she is like a returning pro. Like Paris, she has great looks and a great voice, but what she lacks is great personality. While singing "Someone To Watch Over Me" the LAST thing she should be doing is smiling into the camera! That song requires a longing expression, a needy look, something more sultry, not a "look at me I'm on TV" look. But, here again, that is something a drama coach would teach her. The camera already loves her, all she needs is a little more savvy.

So, who would you all pick...and why?