Idol Thoughts: The Top 7

What do you wanna bet that David Archuleta will sing "Hero"? As soon as I heard it was Mariah Carey week, I've just had a feeling that's the song he's gonna sing. It will probably be good -- hell, whatever David sings is bound to be good -- but if he does sing that song it'll mean that he's become somewhat predictable, which isn't such a good thing. But anyway, I am a bit of a closet Mariah Carey fan, I must admit ... I do like a handful of her singles, and how can one not be impressed by her vocal range? Let's see how many of the Top 7 can do justice to her songbook....

David Archuleta -- Well, whadya know! (Maybe he thought it would be predictable to sing "Hero", too, so he decided not to...!) Sheesh, Randy is right ... that boy can sing anything! A fantastic start, to be sure!!

Carly Smithson -- It was very good, but somehow I was left a bit cold by it. She's done better, unquestionably. She didn't seem to put as much power behind some of those notes as she usually does or should have. I think she might end up in the bottom three.

Syesha Mercado -- A beautifully soulful performance!! I think this is the best she's sung in the last few weeks ... solid!

Brooke White -- There's the song I was waiting for. She did a fairly good job of it, although I think she inadvertently sped up the tempo in the second half. I've heard her sing better before, too. (What the hell is with Simon's "hamburger" metaphor...?!)

Kristy Lee Cook -- Not bad at all ... one of her better performances, mostly 'cause it had a bit of a country feel to it (that's the genre that she seems to do best in). It's just too bad that it's taken her until this late in the competition to get this good.

David Cook -- I've been thinking for a couple of weeks now that the competition will come down to the two Davids in the end ... and this week keeps me thinking that. Great performance!

Jason Castro -- Wow!! An amazing take on a classic Mariah song, and he pulled it off fantastically!! Now I'm gonna have to decide who to vote for...!

Who I think ought to be in the bottom three: Carly Smithson, Brooke White, and Kristy Lee Cook.

Who I think will be eliminated: Brooke White (I just have a feeling that she's done).

Who I voted for: Jason Castro ... yeah, I just had to ... David Archuleta is doing just fine, and I think Jason edged him out ever-so-slightly this week.

On to the results tomorrow night...!