It's looking to me that when Paris leaves, the fan bases of the others are equal enough that performance is actually going to decide the contest. Nobody better be resting on their laurels from here on out.
1. Chris: He has been the most consistent, but Simon has been dead on correct about his being a one-trick pony. Seems very sincere, which will serve him well, but does an individual rocker really make it big in this day and age?
2. Elliott: Very pure voice, lots of range, but I think he ends up being a niche performer as either a singer of standards or a jazz singer. Has been in a good groove over the last three weeks and over that time may have been the best overall.
3. Paris: Very talented, and because she is young, I think there is no question she has the best long term potential. She has some stage presence, but she will become a much more polished performer over the long term.
4. Taylor: After the auditions, he was somebody I really hoped would make it through the Hollywood pare down, which he did. Unfortunately, he has been inconsistent and I think his song choice has been poor. He has not taken full advantage of the richness of his voice and when he tries to liven things up (Taylor being Taylor), it quite frankly is distracting.
5. Katherine McPhee: Looks in her favor, nice voice, but again, Simon was dead on correct with his critique of performance, as was Randy Jackson. They were not overly critical of her. Her performance reminded me of one you might see at a high school pop show. All in all, a good bunch of singers, but if I had to choose one who will make a bunch of albums and be thought highly of over the long term, it would be Paris because she has room to grow and is the most versatile. One other critique I would add is that I think this group of singers has done the absolute worst job of picking songs to suit their talents. Really abysmal, save for the week where standards were sung.