the last 11: to simon with love...

Well, this is the cutoff week for the summer tour as, for some bizarre reason, the show chooses 12 finalists but hacks two from the PopTart stage. And it's the night to recall the brilliant sound of the British invasion, complete with Herman's Hermits' Peter Noone and the beautiful Lulu, who has improved with time, to help the kids polish their accents.

It hurts a 40-plus year old to hear the kids say they didn't know the songs from this era, but considering most of the songs from this decade were brilliant to start with, it isn't terribly surprising that it's the best night of the sixth season thus far. Even though the real star was a little girl with never-ending tears.

But anyway, here they are, my early impressions, subject to rewatch, review and revision, and as always, from worst to first:

Phil Stacey (Tobacco Road). Oh heavens. I don't know what I hated most about this manic, over-the-top performance. I'll start with the mic stand carry. Then I'll mention the screeching. And then there was the running around aimlessly. Simon says he may have a problem tomorrow. And I don't think that warning will be enough to save him.

Sanjaya Malakar (You Really Got Me). There is a little girl in the audience that is hysterically crying. It's flashing me back to the Beatles and all the crying girls. Sanjaya is "singing" (at least far far better than Ryan Starr did this number), running all over the place, hitting every available stage and doing everything but a bump and grind. Well, Peter did tell him to sell it. But all I can see is the little girl. I'm sure she has a Hello Kitty phone tucked into her purse.

Stephanie Edwards (You Don't Have to Say You Love Me). Lulu compares Stephanie to Beyonce and expects that with a big band and great arrangement Stephanie will blow it out of the park. Not so much. Stephanie's problem is that her rendition of this Dusty classic sounded better without the big band. Randy comments that ballads are not her thing because she can't sustain the long notes. Bingo. Every sustained note goes into left field. And it might just be enough - or less than enough - to land her in the bottom.

Chris Richardson (Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying). A bit of bias from me, but this is one of my all-time favorite songs, so I was a little worried. And I all but stood and applauded Peter Noone's scolding that some songs just command to be sung without flourishes. I don't disagree with Randy and Simon that this was CR's best performance to date, because I'm not a huge fan, but I can't and won't slather praise for his consistently thin and nasally vocals.

Gina Glocksen (Paint It Black). I adore Gina, I really do. I do not adore the Rolling Stones. And ditto this song. And this was not good. With so many great rock songs of this era, why she chose a Stones song is a mystery to me. It would have been better to save this one for the tour. Or the shower. Ouch.

Haley Scarnato (Tell Him). Lulu tells Haley to keep the staccato in this number, because without it the song is just like any other song. And Haley throws on a pair of hot pants and heels, decides to command not only the stage, but the first five rows of the auditorium and turns in the best performance she's yet to deliver. And she sheds no tears, which, of course, means she'll probably land in the bottom three on Wednesday.

Chris Sligh (She's Not There). Chris weaves his way through the audience, shaking hands and high-fiving through the first third of this Zombies classic. After last week's disastrous alteration of a classic, he sticks very true to the melody, delivering a well-enunciated, good, not great, not earthshattering, performance. Paula suggests he play more to the audience. Maybe next week a mosh pit?

LaKisha Jones (Diamonds Are Forever). They say she's wearing a million dollars worth of diamonds. Wow. Their wardrobe budget must have really increased this season. They are pretty and almost offset the Sanjaya hairstyle. She really should have listened to Lulu who suggested another song though. Kiki pretty much channels Shirley Bassey, which she's called for. Simon says she just fast-forwarded about 40 years and accuses her of being too old-fashioned. I don't know that I would call it old, but I definitely call it less than what I've come to expect.

Blake Lewis (Time of the Season). Blake could not have chosen a more perfect song. He beatboxes the entry into the song, does not try to embellish it beyond the basic melody. Randy calls it brillant, Paula does the Paula dance and Simon says it's his best yet. I overwhelmingly agree. It was terrific.

Jordin Sparks (I Who Have Nothing). Jordin is every inch the teenager in her pre-performance banter with Ryan. Then she takes the stage and turns into Shirley Bassey, knocks down the first five rows of the audience, gets her reviews and reverts back into teen-mode. Randy says it's the best performance of the night (and Sanjaya is yet to come!). Everything that Stephanie did wrong with a ballad, Jordin did right. It was an exquisite display of vocal talent, and if I were betting at this point, I wouldn't bet against a Jordin appearance in a two-person show in late May.

Melinda Doolittle (As Long as He Needs Me). First off, I don't count this song as a British Invasion song, but this show's been known to stretch the rules for the favored children. And midway through Melinda's performance I didn't give a damn if it fit the rules or not. I gotta get this one on my iPod.

So, who to pick for the firing squad...

Who I want: Phil, Sanjaya, Haley (Sanjaya)
Who should: Phil, Sanjaya, Haley (Sanjaya)
Who will: Phil, Haley, Stephanie

Phil, it's been really nice knowing you.

So, who's on your hit list?