Could It Be Magic?

It's easy to be cynical and snarky when you're covering American Idol. I should know, seeing as this is the 22nd TV Watch I've written about the show since its fifth season began in mid-January. I mean, there's so much to make fun of: the judges' inane comments (Paula's and Randy's anyway), the contestants' clothing choices, the show's dreadful opening credits (can anyone tell me why the Idol-bot is performing in front of a giant pack of birth-control pills?).

But then along comes a night like tonight — with a dubious ''music from the 1950s'' theme, no less — and suddenly, I'm at a loss for sarcasm. In fact, someone seems to have replaced my deep-seated Idol peevishness with the breathless enthusiasm of an 11-year-old girl at a Clay Aiken concert: In other words, tonight's episode of American Idol may have been the best I've ever seen.

Seriously, of the eleven contestants remaining in the competition, seven performed so well that if I had paid to see them in concert, I would consider myself a satisfied customer. And that's why Chris Daughtry, Mandisa!, Taylor Hicks, Elliott Yamin, Paris Bennett, Katharine McPhee, and, yes, even Kellie Pickler, had better not find themselves in the bottom three when the Idol results show airs Wednesday night.

Not that Chris should be remotely worried after his inspired reinvention of ''I Walk the Line.'' By boldly choosing artistry over mimicry, tinkering with the classic song's melody and tempo, Chris proved he's a lot more flavorful than the VH1 vanilla rocker some critics have accused him of being. I'll admit I winced when the bald-headed hottie said he was covering Johnny Cash, and I did it again when I saw he was dressed in head-to-toe black, but just like Fantasia's ''Summertime'' and Bo's ''In a Dream'' from seasons 3 and 4, Chris's performance proved that massive risks can be massively rewarding. Am I the only one thinking he's just about locked up a spot in the final two?

Then again, make that a pretty massive ''just about.'' The beauty of this season's Idol is the depth of talent on display. Take Mandisa!'s ''I Don't Hurt Anymore'' and Taylor's ''Not Fade Away'' for example. How is it that performers with this much confidence, originality, and sex appeal don't already have record deals? In my mind, Mandisa! (yeah, she got her exclamation point back this week) gave the night's second best performance; we've always known she could belt (and how), but it was the slow build throughout the number that made her brush-off to a ne'er-do-well lover so magically delicious. Taylor, meanwhile, may not have picked the most challenging melody of the evening, but Paula's right, the boy can move as well as he sings. (And extra points for the stylin' new 'do.)

If I've got any worry about tonight's show, it's that voters wowed by Chris, Mandisa!, and Taylor might overlook the show's two most technically proficient vocalists, Paris and Elliott, both of whom showed a lot of improvement this week, despite choosing numbers that didn't necessarily play to their strengths. Indeed, while even Paris' biggest detractors would have to admit the latter half of her Peggy Lee cover displayed a vocal ferocity reminiscent of a young Patti LaBelle, I couldn't shake one nagging question throughout her performance: What does this bubbly high schooler know about fever? Sure, she hit all the notes, but Simon's faint praise (''You have the perfect voice for that kind of song'') told the story — there was something a little chilly about Paris' ''Fever.'' Elliott, on the other hand, had no lack of conviction delivering ''Teach Me Tonight'' (while working a dapper yellow oxford and an old-school plaid tie), but while the song's got its share of challenging vocal runs, it's not exactly something you're going to want to put on your iPod this morning, is it?

(Still, Elliott's hilariously candid comment about guest coach Barry Manilow — ''I wasn't too fond of his work, to be honest'' — has to count for at least a couple hundred thousand votes, don't you think?)

Oh, and speaking of massive vote getters, would everyone who voted for Katharine McPhee and/or Kellie Pickler please raise his or her hand? That's right, all of you, my hands are squarely at my sides, but I completely understand the appeal of season 5's exceedingly disparate babes. Kellie couldn't have picked a more fitting number than Patsy Cline's ''Walkin' After Midnight'' (Mr. Manilow was kidding when he said he'd never heard it, yes?), and while her voice is still one of the contest's weakest, I once again can't bring myself to say anything bad about her. Katharine, conversely, has the stronger set of pipes (as evidenced by a pitch-perfect ''Come Rain or Come Shine'') and is arguably the more likely pinup, but she still hasn't won me over. I know some of you will think I'm out of my gourd, but every time I look at Katharine — whether she's being interviewed, belting her song, or waiting for the credits to roll — I feel like she can't wait to get off that stage and return to anonymity.

Even if my hunch is right about Katharine, though, she's probably going to have to wait awhile before her wish comes true. At least until Bucky Covington, Lisa Tucker, Kevin Covais, and Ace Young make their grand Idol exits, possibly in that order, and very likely over the next four weeks. I hate to sound so harsh, especially when I'd choose any one of these four in a sing-off against, say, season 4's Lindsey Cardinale or Mikalah Gordon, but when you're being compared with a future rock god tearing up ''Walk the Line,'' you've got to go beyond first-rate karaoke, or second-rate high-school chorus concert. Which, for perhaps the first time in Idol's five seasons, more than half the contestants seem capable of doing.

What do you think? Do you agree that this episode was one of the series' all-time best? Do you worry that any of your favorite contestants could be at risk on Wednesday's results show? And was it just me, or did Katharine's ill-fitting blue dress threaten to turn her from mamacita to matron?

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