'Idol:' It's like Studio 57 in here!

We've reached the point in the "American Idol" season when I have trouble separating my preferences and prejudices from the performances themselves. I struggle to be objective: If I didn't already think Megan sang like a goat submerged in a kiddie pool, would I actually have liked her version of that Bob Marley song? In these circumstances, I'm thankful for the judges, who might not always remember the names of '70s-era nightclubs, but who sometimes set me straight as far as singing goes. Or give me the freedom to cringe without guilt.

Thus, my impressions of tonight's "Idol" contestants, in order.

1) Anoop. As Randy would say, "Dude." The thing about Usher is that he exudes sensuality. He's smooth. He slides and glides. Anoop was not sensual. In that jacket, he looked kind of like a Star Trek: The Next Generation character. It doesn't matter how he sang. I don't think it's going to go well for him this week.

2) Megan. I sort of wondered if the judges would actually like this performance, goat-in-kiddie-pool notwithstanding. After all, it was better than "Rockin' Robin." But the judges weren't having it. They want her to be Adele. Really, they want her to be a sort of gentle Amy Winehouse. Which made me wonder: Would the judges have propped her up for so long if she didn't have that tattoo?

3) Danny. He sang that Rascal Flatts song quite well. He has a nice voice. But he's not exciting anymore. If he ever was.

4) Allison. My prejudices nearly got the best of me here. I like Allison, and I want her to do well. But I had to agree with the judges here: This wasn't nearly as good as last week. If you've got the chops to channel a Motown song with depth, why bother imitating Gwen Stefani? That's like cooking a brilliant risotto one week, and the next week serving Spaghetti-Os.

5) Scott. And here, the judges and I diverge. "Just The Way You Are" is one of the cooler, jazzier Billy Joel songs in existence, but Scott's melodramatic version turned it into a schlockfest of the first order. Sure, he pushed his vocals a little bit more, and I give him credit for that. But he reminded me of a guy I used to see growing up, playing the grand piano on the mezzanine level of Nordstrom. That guy was not an American Idol.

6) Matt. Another prejudice situation. I like Matt. I appreciate that he'd rather be a rock star than a throwback R&B artist. I thought his take on The Fray, while sort of unoriginal, was better than the judges gave him credit for. And I have a feeling he's going to wind up in the bottom three again.

7) Lil. Lil, Lil, Lil. She broke the cardinal rule of "Idol:" No Celine. She looked like she was wearing a bad bridesmaid dress. She was sharp throughout the song, as far as I could tell, though she nailed the note at the end. Most shockingly, she seemed to have lost her sense of soul. And we all know Lil has soul. At least she has adorable -- and peaceful -- kids. Ryan instructed that little girl to punch Randy, and she hugged him instead. It could have been an ad for MoveOn.org.

8) Adam. You don't have to be prejudiced to love this guy. You just have to have ears. He is a very, very, very funky white boy. His falsetto is superhuman. And the thing that impresses me most is the way he's completely in control -- of his vocals, his movements, his song choices, his image onscreen. He owns this show.

9) Kris. This guy wins the prize for smartest contestant of the season. He's not the most talented singer by a long shot, but he has a knack for picking the right songs and pulling them off beautifully. It's hard to have a "moment" when you go directly after Adam Lambert, but he proved that he deserves to last awhile.

Agree? Disagree? Speak your mind in the comments. Then come back here tomorrow morning at 10 for our weekly "Idol" chat!