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This is a nice part of the American Idol season.  Once the competition gets down to six finalists, it is pretty clear that each contestant holds their own special appeal.  From this point, it gets increasingly difficult to seperate oneself from the competition.

The theme of tonight's show was "Love Songs."  The guest coaches tonight were singer Andrea Bocelli, and his producer/ songwriter friend.  It was fun that those two were reasonably demanding of the Idol contestants.

1. Katharine McPhee sang "I Have Nothing."

• Katharine had nice curly hair, and a pretty yellow dress.  Not many people can look good in yellow, but apparently Katharine can look really nice in that color.  (My wife -by the way- can pull-off yellow.)
• Katharine's song sounded good, and she had a few nice spots during the song.  The best part of Katharine's performance tonight was her showmanship.  Of all the performers, she really knows how to involve the audience in her performance.  Each week I see her as being more and more of a competitor for Chris.  Grade: B+

2. Elliot Yamin sang "A Song For You."

• Elliot was a little squirrely while speaking to Ryan, but was able to "get it together" once he started singing.
• This was Elliot's best performance so far.  I really enjoyed the song.  Paula Abdul cried.  Grade: A

3. Kellie Pickler sang "Unchained Melody."

• Kellie chose Simon's favorite song.  She sang it a little country.
• Tonight, I thought that all of the contestants looked really nice.  Kellie however looked ordinary, with a bad hairstyle.  (A bit too much makeup too.  I wonder why the stylist didn't dress her like the rest of the contestants?)
• The song didn't really turn out so well.  Kellie was good on the "big notes" in the song. It is apparent that she is the new "weakest link" on the show.  It seems like she might need to try a bit harder if she makes it any farther. Grade: C-

4. Paris Bennett sang "The Way We Were."

• The instant Paris came on camera I thought "She looks like Oprah tonight!"  Paris was definitely sporting Oprah's hairstyle, as well as an Oprahlescent outfit.  All things considered, it is a good look for Paris.
• Paris reminds me of Clay Aiken.  When Clay was an Idol contestant, he could always be counted on to have a solid performance.  It was apparent that he'd be a good Idol, but his true strength lied in being a theater performer.  That's how I feel about Paris.  If she "goes pop", I fear that her albums will be as mediocre as Clay's.
• Tonight's song was alright.  Not great, but by no means bad.  It was probably forgettable enough to land her in the bottom-three, but she definitely doesn't deserve to be eliminated.  Grade: B

5. Taylor Hicks sang "Just Once."

• I think that the song choice was good for Taylor.  Taylor's clothes were also cool.  Taylor could have fit in onstage with the ratpack in that getup.  Just fit him with a martini and an untied bowtie.
• This was Taylor's best performance in a while, but it still wasn't fantastic.  Taylor has hit a bit of a lull lately.  The director didn't do Taylor any favors with all of the wide shots.  There should have been more tight shots in order to allow Taylor to emote into the camera.  Regardless, he'll be safe this week.  Grade: B

6.  Chris Daughtry sang "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman."

• The Bryan Adams version of the song that Chris sang was prominently featured in the movie "Don Juan DeMarco."  Let me take a moment to recommend that movie to those of you who haven't seen it.  That's a nice touching story, with good performances by Johnny Depp and Marlon Brando (if you can bear imagining him "getting romantic.")
• The judges gushed over Chris' performance (seems to be the new trend.)  I kept thinking that Adams' version was a lot better.
• Chris doesn't seem to project any feeling while he's singing.  He seems to prefer to get by on his "thing", and doesn't want to leave his comfort zone.  Compare his performances to Katharine's. . .  The viewer "feels" Katharine, Chris leaves us a bit cold.  Tonight's grade: B

Top performance:  Elliot Yamin (finally his turn!)

Weakest performance:  Kellie Pickler (I wonder if her fans will ever turn on her.  I doubt that she'll ever draw the fans' ire ala Scott Savol or John Stevens.  She may end up bumping more deserving singers however.)