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Idol recap: Top 7 (2nd edition)

So... here's my thought. And I know Anna will agree with me on this. Can't we just keep this Top 7 every week until we just crown the ultimate winner at the end? Why can't we enjoy all seven of them just a little while longer?

I give up ranking these kids plus Elise, who is not a kid but at the ripe old age of about my age, so here they are, in the order they performed.

Hollie Cavanagh
"Rolling in the Deep" was Hollie's best performance yet. I loved her acapella intro and she finally was able combine emotional connection with great technique. I disagree with the judges that "Son of a Preacher Man" was better than her first song, but- and this is going to sound cheesy- it did show me that maybe, just maybe, she finally gets how to lose herself in the music.

Colton Dixon
The arrangement for "Bad Romance" was a little chaotic, but what a fun, exciting performance. I would really like to see what he would do with the entire song instead of just a 90-second snippet. I also enjoyed how Colton matched his hair to his pants. Colton's second song "September" sounded like something that would be filler material on his future album... which isn't really a bad thing, but not quite as good a thing as if it were to sound like something I could imagine on the radio.

Elise Testone
I didn't really care for the arrangement of "No One" either- it just felt rushed to me- and I really hate to say it, but "Let's Get It On" didn't do much for me. I simultaneously understand and don't understand why Elise doesn't have a bigger fan base, but I think she'll find her little niche after her Idol days are over (which might quite possibly be tomorrow). I look forward to hearing her perform original music that is much better suited for her.

Phillip Phillips
I expected really great things from Phillip this week after his so-so performance last week, and he did not disappoint. I loved his interpretation of "You Got It Bad" (I actually think Usher spells it "U" instead of "You" but I refuse to do that) and "In the Midnight Hour" was another solid performance. I do however take issue with Randy Jackson's comment that he is "the first true artist" on the stage- oh, really? I'd like to know if David Cook, Kris Allen and Adam Lambert agree.

Jessica Sanchez
First of all, this is the first time I have ever seen Jessica Sanchez actually look 16 years old. Was it the hair? I chuckled slightly when Steve Tyler told her it was OK to get angry at "Fallin'"- she really did sound mad. I felt like she was pushing a little, trying too hard, but who can blame her? Having said that, "Try a Little Tenderness" might have been my favorite Jessica moment of the season. As J-Lo said: Jessica, you it.

Skylar Laine
I remember hearing that Lady Gaga did a country version of "Born This Way" but I don't think I ever actually heard it. And the fearlessness she showed turning "Heard it Through the Grapevine" into a country song? How ready is Skylar for the big time? I can't help but think of little RaeLynn, eliminated this week from The Voice, when I watch Skylar. RaeLynn might have a career in country music too, but she is nowhere near the level of Skylar.

Joshua Ledet
Hmm. If Joshua ends up in the bottom three last week, I'm not convinced that Fantasia's "I Believe" is the song that keeps him out of it this week. But who knows? I didn't really get Fantasia, and she won. Last week was my favorite Joshua performance, and he was in the bottom three. "A Change is Gonna Come" was a beautiful performance too, but didn't move me as much as Adam Lambert did when he performed it. I'm not really that biased, am I?

So.. now the not-so-fun part.

WHO SHOULD GO HOME
Nobody!!!

WHO WILL GO HOME
Elise. Bottom three will also include Hollie and *gasp!* Colton.