Tonight "American Idol" Contestants Gave All They Had to Give

The night started out with a group performance of 'Idols who already went home: Paul McDonald, Thia Megia, Naima Adedapo, Karen Rodriguez, and Pia Toscano sang P!nk's "So What." After the noisy performance (they were trying to all sing louder than each other) the camera flashed to show Mark Ballas in the audience. Later in the show, Ryan Seacrest spoke with Mark and he admitted his favorite is Casey Abrams. So, is Mark Ballas really dating Pia? Who cares really.

Tonight the remaining seven contestants will be performing songs from the 21st century.

Scotty McCreery chose "Swingin'" by John Anderson, even though Scotty said it was by LeAnn Rimes, she only covered the song. Which reminds me he's only 17. There is no denying the guy can sing, very well. The ladies howl when he hits those deep notes. Now I'd personally like to see him give more energy to his performance. That would take him to the next level. He did a great job singing, without a doubt. Jennifer Lopez thought she was expecting more from him. Randy Jackson agreed and even called the song too safe.

James Durbin sang "Uprising" by Muse. He called it his chance to show that he's contemporary. Jimmy Iovine said it was nice to see him do a song that actually has meaning. The beginning of the performance has drummers come out lined up like a school band. That was a pretty cool idea I have to admit. The performance was excellent- exciting, very unpredicatable, he hit the high notes like a pro, and best of all - he made me like a song I had only heard one time prior. Randy Jackson said he was unbelievable and agreed with Jennifer that this will probably be the best today. Yes, James was only the second performer tonight, but it was amazing.

Haley Reinhart chose "Rolling In The Deep" by Adele. Right away I thought this is a good choice, for a change, right up her alley. Her voice was perfect tonight and she was more serious, less smirky, and it made a huge difference in her delivery of the song. It was very good. Randy Jackson said she chose a perfect direction. Steven Tyler said it was a little slow at the start but she brought it up in the middle and did a good job.

Jacob Lusk performed "Dance With My Father" by Luthor Vandross. He lost his father when he was young, so this song proved to be the one that could help him connect with his fans. He had a minor mess up at the beginning and I was worried he chose a song too personal. But he managed to pull through. The orchestra in the background was a nice arrangement. Knowing his pain was a lot to handle, especially during a competition. He can certainly hit those high notes... Steven Tyler said "baby you are so good." Then he said he reminds him of why he loves music. That was a wonderful compliment. Jennifer said you have to learn the control when you sing a song that personal. And she was right. Randy said emotional it was a great performance but vocally it was just good it didn't make him jump up- he told him to quit holding back. Exactly!

Casey Abrams sang "Harder To Breathe" by Maroon 5. Jimmy Iovine called it a good choice, admitting that Casey is stubborn like his kid, and you just have to "let him go." Well said Jimmy. It was a real performance - background singers, guitars, a lot of moving around the stage, some anger, emotion, and roaring optical background fire. It was really like we were literally at his concert. He can sing, work the stage, and play an instrument - is he an artist, or what?! He ended the show by kissing Jennifer Lopez on the cheek. The guy knows how to be interesting. This may be the one thing that completely seperates him from his peers. Jennifer said he took a pop song and made it all the way rock. Randy said with Casey it was always surprising and he called him an indie rock guy saying he does what Jacob lacks everytime.

Stefano Langone chose "Closer" by NE-YO. He did a good job of working the stage - so much better than he ever has. The song was much better for his style and his voice. He brought the stage up on their feet and for the second time ever I could understand why he is still in the competition. Randy said he thought it was going to be jerky and said he did a very good job and smoothed it out. He liked that Stefano took his time with the verses. Jennifer said he had his swag going on.

Lauren Alaina sang "Born To Fly" by Sara Evans. Jimmy Iovine advised her to stop holding back calling her a magical singer. She stuck to her country roots and as always her voice is amazing and you can't help me impressed and interested when she performs. I think the song was a tad rushed, but she still sang well. Steven Tyler said she is so good natural. He advised her to sing more things like Shania Twain or Allison Krauss.

Who did you vote for? What did you think of tonights performances? I am voting for Scotty, James, Lauren, and Casey. Share your thoughts in the comments section. Thanks for reading!