iTunes Week on American Idol

Each week fans of "American Idol" become curious to hear what the theme of the week will be and again to see what their favorite Idol has chosen to sing. This week the song choice was an open theme - the most popular downloaded songs on Apple iTunes. Idols were eagerly awaiting the chance to show off their skills on a list of the more popular songs; but not everyone chose a song by the artists popular on the current Billboard charts.

The evening got off to a bit of a rocky start as far the judges were concerned when Anoop wanted to show off his R&B side with a song by Usher. Simon Cowell said the performance was a complete and utter mess; while new judge Kara DioGuardi said Anoop sounded like he sang the song on a dare.

And it didn't get any better when the first of the three remaining girls, Megan, took the stage and performed a Bob Marley song. Kara said that she felt Megan was in trouble; a proclamation made by Simon last week, but in the end Megan was saved by the fans. Simon said that Megan is becoming monotonous and Randy "the dog" Jackson compared the performance to watching paint dry.

After such a rocky start Danny Gorkey livened things up as he sang a Rascal Flatts number that Paula said left her wanting more. Randy said that for him Danny's performance was when the show really began and Kara said Danny moved everyone in the room emotionally. Simon proclaimed it Danny's best performance so far.

The youngest contestant took the stage next and brought a surprise with her; Allison Iraheta rocked out to No Doubt while strumming her guitar. Judges had little to say about her singing in a negative way, but they all remarked on her choice of costume that resembled a rebellious teenager trying to play the part of a rocker.

The piano man took the stage next as Scott MacIntyre performed a stripped down version -just him and the piano - of "Just the Way You Are" by Billy Joel. Despite Paula's earlier remarks that Scott needed to abandon his piano, Scott's performance was heartfelt and sincere. Kara said that Scott made some very smart decisions tonight, while Simon said that it was Scott's best performance by a country mile and Randy called it one of the best performances of the night.

Last week's judges contender Matt Giraud decided to tackle The Fray that judges were not pleased to hear. Although all agreed that Matt is talented, they felt that he had chosen the wrong song saying that "Apologize" by One Republic would have been a much better choice.

Mama Lil Rounds took on French Canadian Diva Celine Dion performing "I Surrender" to an audience that included her children. Randy said it would not have been his choice of song for her and Simon felt that Lil was singing simply to stay in, being safe proclaiming the performance old fashioned and sounding like a wedding performance. After the judges remarks host Ryan Seacrest tried to elicit comments on the judges remarks from Lil's children.

Rocker Adam Lambert has proven that he is far from predictable singing rock one week and then stripping things down to do a tender song. This week Adam chose the seventies classic "Play that Funky Music" by Wild Cherry and once again he pulled off a performance that Simon said Adam had finally rid the show of the karaoke nonsense. Kara said that she cannot wait to see what Adam is going to do next; while Randy said that Adam is in the zone. Ever respectful young Adam told everyone that his song would not have been successful had it not been for band leader Ricky Minor helping to make the performance a success.

Kris Allen finished out the show with an older song; "Ain't no Sunshine" by Bill Withers. Playing the electric piano as he sang Paula called it a song that could be the first single on his album. Kara told Kris that his performance was artistry and Simon called it a very very good arrangement.

Pop star Lady Gaga will appear on the results show Wednesday night as will last season's "American Idol" winner David Cook to debut his new single and video. And another Idol hopeful will face the possibility of being eliminated.