American Idol Top 11: Anoop Dog is Back!

If anybody (including Simon Cowell) ever doubted whether Anoop Desai actually deserved that 13th spot on American Idol, they're certainly not doubting it anymore. Anoop Desai surprised the judges and the entire American Idol audience by hitting it out of the ballpark with his soulful and tender performance of the Willie Nelson classic, "Always On My Mind".

I'll admit I was a little unsure about what to expect from the remaining 11 American Idol contestants this week when I heard that they would be performing country songs for Grand Ole Opry week. After all, country music week is rarely one of the better weeks of the American Idol season. But boy was I in for a big surprise!

Although there were a few less spectacular performances by some heavy hitters, including Lil Rounds and Alexis Grace, for the most part all the American Idol contestants delivered solid, Top 10 worthy performances. But no doubt in anybody's mind that Anoop Desai certainly gave one of the best performances of the night for country music week.

Anoop seemed to have undergone a complete makeover. Everything from his hair style to his clothes to his usually, unruly eyebrows was in sync tonight. And to top it off his vocals were in top shape earning him rave reviews from all four of the judges. But perhaps the best compliment that Anoop received was from Simon "Tell it like it is" Cowell when he said, "You've just gone from zero to hero!"

We already know that Anoop Desai is one of the fan favorites, right along with Adam Lambert. But will it be enough to secure him a spot in the American Idol Top 10 and more importantly on the American Idol tour? I certainly hope so.

I honestly think he deserves it and Anoop really is unlike any of the other American Idol contestants this year. Yes, he can be a little geeky at times and maybe a little too self-assured, but the point is that he has a tremendous likeability factor that connects with the audience and the vocal chops to back it up.

So whether Anoop has gone from zero to hero or from geek to sleek, I think he's here to stay and will be giving judges favorites, like the overrated Danny Gokey, a run for their money. Watch out America, cause Anoop is back!