Idol Chatter & Voice Views

American Idol’s Top 10 includes (back, from left) La’Porsha Renae, MacKenzie Bourg, Tristan McIntosh, Trent Harmon, Olivia Rox, Gianna Isabella, Sonika Vaid, (front, from left) Dalton Rapattoni, Avalon Young and Lee Jean. (FOX Photo)

Tonight, we find out who made the Top 8 on American Idol.

We’ll get guest performances from Harry Connick Jr. and Demi Lovato.

And we’ll hope someone comes close to matching that magic moment Kelly Clarkson delivered at the end of last week’s show.

Speaking of which, Kelly’s new version of “Piece by Piece” — a stripped-down version like the one she delivered a week ago on Idol — is available on iTunes.

And fans are apparently loving it. The song has been parked in the Top 5 on the iTunes singles chart since it was released earlier this week.

A new twist: The bottom three will be announced at the end of the show. Each will perform, and the judges will save one of the three based on those performances.

Jennifer thinks American Idol has never done a double elimination. Yes, Jennifer, the show has eliminated two contestants in a night before. Yikes.

Anyway, time for performances …

1. Dalton Rapatonni: He’s singing “Radioactive” this week. Not surprised in the least to see Dalton make the Top 8. I won’t be surprised to see him in the finals. He’s certainly starting tonight’s show off on an upbeat note. Stylistically, this looks a lot like last week’s performance. But Dalton through a nice little wrinkle into the song near the end. Keith wasn’t crazy about the song choice, but liked the effort. Jennifer urges Dalton to do what he does best and not worry about topping other contestants. Harry calls it a very good performance, but thought it lacked “electricity.” Grade: B

2. Lee Jean: Wow. He made the Top 7? Anyway, back home Lee Jean says he’s known as the Ed Sheeran kid because he sings so much Ed Sheeran. He’s decided to sing “Use Somebody” by Kings of Leon this week. And I’m hearing nerves right off the bat. Or else, subpar vocals. What we’re getting is another very mediocre performance from a 15-year-old who’s just not ready for this competition. Jennifer said she liked the song choice and wants him to “let go a little more.” Harry thought the performance was strong. Keith didn’t think it was a good song for him, but he liked the fact that Lee tried something different. Grade: D+

OK, Idol comes back from a commercial break and Demi Lovato is strutting toward us singing “Confident.” The Idol gals join her on stage. Now she’ll sing “Stone Cold.” The Idol gals have left the stage to Demi for this one. Demi pours lots of passion and lots of shouting into the performance. This isn’t quite a Kelly Clarkson moment, is it?

3. Sonika Vaid: Sonika says last week is the best she’s performed in her whole life. She wasn’t nervous, and says that’s the first time she felt that way. So this week, she’s tackling “Since You’ve Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson. She promises to deliver angry girlfriend. The opening isn’t very strong. She hits the chorus and sorta finds her groove, but this isn’t nearly as good as last week. Sonika looks more comfortable on stage than earlier in the year, but that wasn’t her best vocal. Keith wanted more attitude and more angry girlfriend. Jennifer wants her to let go more than she did in that performance. Grade: C.

4. MacKenzie Bourg: MacKenzie is looking to surprise voters, so he’s going to sing “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” by Whitney Houston. He feels like he’s really going out on a limb looking for a wow moment. Interesting reworking of the song, right? Unfortunately, I feel like it’s falling way short of a wow moment. In fact, I just didn’t like that song choice for MacKenzie. Keith thought it was really cool to hear a guy do that song. Jennifer liked the airiness in the performance and calls it a very good job. Harry thought it was okay, but wanted a more inventive, stripped-down arrangement from MacKenzie. Grade: C+

5. La’Porsha Renae: She’ll sing “Halo” by Beyonce. And this is beginning to remind me of Season 3 when Fantasia was on one level and everyone else was fighting for second place. The Idol stylists have La’Porsha looking great these days and while I don’t think this performance is as good as “Diamonds,” it’s still a vocal masterpiece compared to everything else we’ve heard so far tonight. Really nice ending, too. And there’s the obligatory shot of La’Porsha’s daughter. Jennifer loves watching La’Porsha comes into her own and calls her the one to beat. Harry likes the way she builds the song. Keith called it incredible. Grade: A.

Harry Connick Jr. now performs “I Do Like We Do.” OK, there was an Allison Iraheta among the background singers. This isn’t going to be a Kelly Clarkson moment either, is it?

6. Trent Harmon: Scott Borchetta has apparently been helping Trent control his facial expressions. Yep, Trent needs help in that department. He’s picked an old standard tonight — “When a Man Loves a Woman.” And the practice seems to have helped Trent. More than anything, though, he’s selected a song that fell into his sweet spot and he’s delivering one of tonight’s best vocals. There were a couple of very, very nice moments in there. He poured his heart into the performance, too. Keith praises Trent for having a great voice and loved the song choice. Jennifer said that performance gave her a vision of a La’Porsha versus Trent finale. Grade: A–

So, if you’re keeping track, that means the final three will include three of the following: Tristan McIntosh, Gianna Isabella, Avalon Young and Olivia Rox. Avalon and Olivia have been by far the most impressive so far.

And the final person who is definitely safe …

7. Tristan McIntosh: She’s going to sing “Go Rest High on That Mountain” after Scott rejected her first song choice. Tristan is back behind the piano. Scott was probably right on this one. Tristan has flunked the last two weeks singing up-tempo songs. This is a song much better suited to her abilities at this point. That was much, much better than anything Tristan has done since the semifinals began. Keith thought it was a good song for Tristan. Jennifer says playing behind the piano is her sweet spot. Harry really liked her performance, too. Tristan says she was thinking of her granddad, who broke his back recently. Grade: B

Singing for the judges’ save …

Avalon Young: She’ll sing “Earned It” by The Weeknd. She says it’s a song she feels comfortable with and she thinks that will translate into a solid performance. And she’s delivering a confident performance. In fact, this might be my favorite Avalon vocal yet. Very solid, and better than some of the performances from singers who are already safe. Jennifer says that’s what she needed to do, calling it a “great performance.” Harry says she couldn’t have picked a better song at a better time. Keith also gives her a solid review. Grade: B+

Olivia Rox: She wound up with the flu and in the hospital last week. Now feeling better, she’s going to sing “Trouble” by Pink, vowing to be better than ever. That opening wasn’t very strong. Olivia is transforming into rocker chick this week. Love the outfit. Love the attitude. Hate the vocal. She delivered a big ending that was very good. But up to that point, it was a vocal mess. Harry thought it was energetic, but wonders how it will compare with a song liked “Earned It.” Jennifer says the performance didn’t quite come together; she didn’t believe Olivia is trouble. Grade: C

Gianna Isabella: She’s going to sing “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys — “another grown up song for little ol’ me,” she says. She’s determined to make listeners believe she’s living the lyrics. Pretty solid opening for Gianna, but considering her track record, I can’t see the judges saving her over Avalon. Especially since this is turning into a very uneven vocal. Just so-so. Keith says her voice was fine, but he wanted more feeling. Harry says everyone stepped up for those final performances. Harry compliments her on a “rare” vocal gift. Grade: C

This is strange, they aren’t going to cut to a commercial. Apparently, Ryan is going to talk to the contestants while the judges discuss who’s going to be saved.

And the judges will save Avalon Young.

That means Olivia and Gianna are heading home.