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Tonight's episode of Idol kicks off the last week of studio shows.  In a way I am sad, because I actually like the studio shows (where the performers can choose any song they like) better than the theater-based theme shows in the next round.

Once again, the men as a group performed wonderfully.  By the time the show was half-over, I was wondering whether any of the contestants was actually going to "drop the ball".  Eventually there were two performers who slipped a bit, but in general, tonight's show was really fun.

My wife had the interesting idea that they keep all of the guys this time, and eliminate four of the girls.  I tend to agree, as outside of Nadia Turner, none of the girls really make much of an impression. 

Tonight's performances:

1) First out was Scott Savol.  Scott always sounds so good.  Tonight he looked more comfortable on stage than at any point this season.  He had a nice go at the Motown song "Sugar Pie."  It didn't exactly "bring the house down," but tonight's performance will be sure to satisfy the many "Scottheads" out there.

I was interested in Scott's low-key reaction to Simon's criticism.  Seems like one of them "Good ol' boys" from a movie set in the South.  I can just picture him in a set of overalls (no shirt of course), looking into an engine, saying "Eeeeeeeeeeyup."  That said: I am a fan of Scott's recent image adjustment. 

Scott's prospects: In the final analysis, I'd bet that Scott stands a really good chance to hang on to enter the final twelve, and then be an early-to-middle cut.

2)  Second was Bo Bice.  Watching him perform tonight, I was thinking: "Man!  This guy is almost too good for the show."  He really knows how to take control of the stage and "be a star."

Tonight's song by Bo was the least exciting of the three he's done so far, but it was still good enough to carry his momentum into next week.

Bo's prospects: I am getting to think that Bo has the best chance of all the contestants to become the next American Idol.  He'll have some stiff competition from Mario and Nadia, but I think that Bo will be able to handle it in the long run.

3)  Third out was Anthony Federov.  Anthony finally sang a song that was as good as I had expected from him earlier.  There is a lot that is appealing about Anthony: he's young, clean-cut, handsome, he seems to be really nice, and he has a fantastic voice.

I wonder what would have happened if he and Clay competed in the same season.  I think that the show would reach some sort of "slightly effeminate boy next door" critical mass, and then descend into chaos.

Anthony's prospects:  Anthony has a really good chance to make it into the final eight once he moves on to the next round.  I don't think that he has much of a chance to win it all, but he has enough going for him to make a successful run far into the contest.

4) Nikko Smith came on fifth and performed "Georgia on my mind."  Nikko has a nice voice.  He hit a really cool sounding high note at the end of tonight's song.

I don't know about Nikko.  He's a really good singer, but he seems to lack a "gimmick" that would really endear himself to the fans.  (A similar problem faced by Jessica Sierra, Lindsey Cardinale, and possibly Janay Castine.)

Nikko's prospects: Things look pretty good that he'll get into the final twelve, but I think that he'll be an early cut out of that pool.

5)  After Nikko came Travis Tucker.  Travis put in the first subpar performance of the night.  I really don't think that he is going to last much longer.  Travis's song tonight was Bobby Brown's "Every Little Step I Take."  I am not sure that is the best song to sing to win fans and look cool.  Worse for Travis, the song didn't really end up in-tune.

Travis has a real impish look about him, doesn't he?  I'd bet that he got into all sorts of mischief when he was a little boy in grade school.  (Maybe I think that because he looks like a kid I know when I was a kid.)

Travis's prospects: I think Travis stands little chance of continuing beyond this week.

6)  Mario Vazquez (and his hair) came out sixth.  Once again, Mario sang really well.

Mario seems like a guy who is destined for stardom.  Regardless of what this competition has in store for him, I'm sure that we'll see his face on more than one issue of "Tiger Beat."  (Reminiscent of Justin Guarini.)

Mario's prospects:  Probable top-three finalist.

7)  Constantine Maroulis performed the Police's "Every little thing she does is magic."  Going into the men's competition, I had really high hopes for Constantine.  He is handsome, charming, he looks good on stage, he seems really cool, and he knows how to perform.  (I had earlier compared him favorably to Robert Plant.) The down-side to Constantine is that he hasn't sung any of his songs in the competition well.  Tonight's wasn't any good either.

I am really disappointed, because I thought this guy could have brought a good spark to the men's side.

Constantine's prospects: Once again I am predicting tonight to be the end of the line for Constantine.

8) Finally, Anwar Robinson came out (dressed as George Carlin) to sing an upbeat version of "What a Wonderful World."  Anwar gave a nice twist to a well-known song.  The judges really liked it.  I liked it too, except I think that that song needs to be sung with sentimentality.  Anwar seemed too happy singing it...but that's just nitpicking.

(Isn't it amazing how well Louis Armstrong sang that song?  He didn't have much of a powerful voice, but his was the perfect voice to sing such a sweet and dear song.)

Anwar's prospects: Anwar stands a good chance to hang in the competition for a long time.  I'd bet that the week -late in the competition- in which he's eventually cut will feature a really gut-wrenching results' show.

Tonight's Top Three: 1) Anwar Robinson  2) Anthony Federov  3) Scott Savol

Tonight's Bottom Two: 1) Travis Tucker  2) Constantine Maroulis 

We'll see how this all shakes out on Wednesday's Results' Show.  But first, let's see how the ladies do tomorrow!