No more background for Melinda

Haley Scarnato starts out really good, then goes a little sharp, but why, oh why, is she singing Celine Dion??? I don't think the judges have ever praised anyone who attempted to sing Celine Dion - she just can't be outsung. Anyway, Haley takes on "It's All Coming Back to Me" and it's OK - certainly not at Celine's level, though. It's kind of ironic, given that Haley is a wedding singer, but that's what she sounds like - a wedding singer. Not disgusted, not impressed.

Randy says it was just OK, that she didn't do anything special with it. Paula says she was hoping she'd pick a different song since Haley sang it during Hollywood week - finally, someone is called out for using the same song - it's such a cop-out to repeat a song, but whatever, I've already said my piece on that. Simon says she sounded 40 - that everything about her tonight was old. Blah, blah, blah...

OK - I'm ready to be knocked off my chair... I've been waiting almost two hours for this - Melinda Doolittle is up. I'm a little disappointed that this is now the third Aretha Franklin song we've heard tonight - how about some variety?? But she sings "Since You've Been Gone" and as expected, is wonderful.

Her voice is just so huge - it's like she didn't even need the microphone. There's just so much talent in her body and I think we've only just begun to see it - I mean, if this is her first performance, imagine what she will sound like in another two months. For me, she was the best one tonight - and I don't even have to listen to the rest of the girls to know that I'll still feel the same way at the end of the show. Perfection.