American Idol: Top 13

We're finally into the meaty part of American Idol. This is actually my favorite portion of the season.

Here are my thoughts on the performances:

• Lauren Alaina kicked off the evening with a spirited performance of Shania Twain's "Any Man of Mine" and did a fantastic job. The judges didn't think she brought enough energy to it and were expecting more from Lauren. 
• Casey Abram's performance was equally spirited, but the judges seemed to "feel" him more than Lauren. He sang very well and did Joe Cocker justice with his rendition of "With a Little Help from My Friends." 
• Ashthon Jones' song choice (Diana Ross' "When You Tell Me That You Love Me") really hampered the performance. It is a great song that somehow dated the performance. Vocally, it was a safe. Not much to say here.
• Paul McDonald chose Ryan Adams' "Come Pick Me Up" and... it was subdued. His quirkiness is definitely appreciated, but I'm not sure if the rest of America will continue to enjoy it. His vocals weren't that great tonight and his dancing was humorous.
• Pia Toscano conquered "All By Myself" (Celine Dion's cover). Although she sang incredibly well, I was so distracted by her cape. Jokes aside, she truly brought her A-game and it was thoroughly appreciated as an audience member. She left Jennifer Lopez speechless and the other judges loved it too.
• James Durbin (aka Adam Lambert 2.0) sang Paul McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazing" with his whole heart in it. I was pleased with the quality of his voice and the emotion invested in the song.
• Haley Reinhart was... blah. I can't stand her voice and it was yawn-inducing. She sang "Blue" and I still would prefer LeAnn Rimes to sing it.
• Jacob Lusk performed "I Believe I Can Fly" from Space Jam (oh, it is by R. Kelly -- the potential pedophile). How did I know the gospel choir would come on stage?! I should have bet money on that. In terms of vocals, I actually thought it was a solid performance.
• Thia Megia sang "Smile" (by Charlie Chaplin and covered by Michael Jackson). Someone did her wrong with that musical arrangement. Sorry Thia. You do get credit for trying your hardest. 
• Stefano Langone belted out Stevie Wonder's "Lately" and did it confidently. It was a "dance remix," but I thought it seemed to be modern theatrical. Does that make sense? Maybe he has a future in modern musical theater.
• Karen Rodriguez sang Selena's "I Could Fall in Love," but didn't do that well. She looked great, but was vocally lacking tonight. I admire her devotion to her favorite idol, she didn't do it justice tonight.
• Scotty McCreery selected Garth Brooks' "The River" and remained true to himself. He did a fantastic job and made the world of country music proud. He's only 17, but I loved his performance. 
• I LOVED Naima Adedapo's performance of "Umbrella" by Rihanna. Some people will think it sucked, but they'll get over it. There were some vocal issues, but I love that she took a major risk. Bold and awesome.

I hope Haley goes home. However, I wouldn't mind if Ashthon was sent packing... To be honest, this is the best bunch of contestants ever. It is truly difficult to guess who will go home.