This week on American Idol, the contestants were invited to sing a Billboard #1 Hit from Fred Bronson's fifth edition of The Billboard Book of Number One Hits. The Top Eleven finalists, Anthony Fedorov, Carrie Underwood, Scott Savol, Nikko Smith, Vonzell Solomon, Constantine Maroulis, Nadia Tuner, Mikalah Gordon, Anwar Robinson and Jessica Sierra, each received a copy of Bronson's latest book of Hot 100 songs from 1955 to present.

While the American Idol IV contestants had Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken to choose from they instead chose songs written or performed by Jim Croce, Cyndi Lauper, Phil Collins, Sisqo, The Emotions, Heart, The Partridge Family, Taylor Dane, Chaka Khan and Bonnie Tyler.

All day long, there seemed to be a countdown to American Idol. "Only twelve more hours 'til American Idol my daughter said to us on the way to school this morning." Only four more hours I said to myself at 4pm. Of the five of us in this household, one of us would blurt out when the spirit moved them, wherever they were in the house, "Only forty minutes until American Idol." Who knows what got into us today, but the fever was high for our favorite family show. And tonight the show did not disappoint.

Paula kissed Simon about three times. Simon delivered the honest truth, as usual. And Randy gave great kudos to nearly every contestant, and deservedly so.

Almost every contestant put forth his or her best performance.

What a shame that the telephone numbers printed on the screen were incorrect for Mikalah, Anwar and Jessica when it was time to vote.

The Numbers Snafu

American Idol was all about #1s last night.

Unfortunately, the producers of the show couldn't get the telephone numbers to match up with three of the contestants.

The number to call for Mikalah Gordon was actually Anthony's number - #1. The top number was correct on the screen, but the bottom number said to call "01."

Anwar's actual number was "ten" last night, but the bottom of the screen read - "02" - which was Carrie's number.

And if you were a Jessica Sierra fan last night, as we were, you should have dialed "11". However, at the bottom of the screen it said to punch in "03."

We usually dial from the bottom number when we call in our votes.

Who knows whether we dialed correctly or incorrectly?

It wasn't until we hit replay for the fifth time that we realized the inconsistency.

God forbid new owner, Robert F.X. Sillerman, ends up with a lawsuit on his hands for misrepresentation before he closes on purchasing the show from 19 Entertainment.

What a disaster!

However, knowing the creative people behind American Idol they'll be able to come up with a way to make it fair for Mikalah, Anwar and Jessica, and the millions of votes these three contestants were hoping to get from their fans, last night.

Fortunately, most of the contestants last night picked great numbers to sing.

Anthony Fedorov

Anthony Fedorov started the evening out with a strong performance of George Michael/Aretha Franklin's #1 Billboard Hit "I Knew You Were Waiting for Me."

Judge Randy Jackson called the song "near and dear" to his heart, as he had worked with Aretha Franklin on producing it. Randy called it a good choice of songs. He said, "Anthony is back..."

Paula sang Anthony's praises. She said, "You did Aretha proud and you did George Michael proud."

Paula challenged Simon's criticism of Anthony trying to do a sexy song by soliciting a response from the "girls" in the audience. Simon called it "Rather like Randy Jackson going on Baywatch." Jackson responded by suggesting he take his shirt off.

Carrie Underwood - The Lioness with A Mane & A Roar

We laughed at Carrie Underwood "big 80's hair" as she came out on stage, but she blew the audience away and blew the socks off her competitors with an incredible rendition of Heart's "Alone."

Carrie finally added some "danger" to her persona and, by doing so, has re-emerged as a favorite in this competition.

Simon went as far as to say:

You're not just the girl to beat. You're the person to beat.

I will make a prediction. Not only will you win this show. You will sell more records than any other previous Idol winner.

"Somebody pinch me," she said to Ryan Seacrest when he asked, "What does that feel like to hear those words from Simon?" Seacrest said, "This is real. It is not a dream."

This was one night, as always, but especially last night that we were glad to have TiVo working for us. Carrie's performance was one of the rare times we wanted to press the "replay" button.

Scott Savol

Scott Savol sang Phil Collins' song, "Against All Odds."

Scott appears to be a dark horse in this competition because, like Clay Aiken, he keeps getting better every week.

However, Scott may need a need a new pair of glasses as he tossed his aside in the course of his performance.

Bo Bice

This week, Bo's fans got to see the "softer side" of the Rocker when he sang Jim Croce's "Time in a Bottle."

We prefer the upbeat Bo, but he still delivered a solid performance.

Nikko Smith

Nikko Smith sang "Incomplete" by Sisqo.

Nikko, who many thought would be on the "bubble," kept himself solidly in the competition with a strong performance last night.

He had the look. He had the voice. And he chose a great number.

The only thing that was missing was one of his father's patented back flips to end the performance.

Vonzell Solomon

Vonzell Solomon got us moving with one of the best performances of the evening with her rendition of The Emotions' "Best of My Love."

She worked the crowd. She worked the judges. And she worked the millions of viewers watching from home.

Constantine Maroulis

Constantine Maroulis seemed to be a bit of a fish out of water singing The Partridge Family's "I Think I Love You."

The female fans in our audience definitely dug his performance.

However, the one male in this family of five people wasn't quite so sure.

Nadia Tuner

We couldn't help but laugh at Nadia Tuner's mohawk as she sang Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time."

It wasn't one of Nadia's better performances, but she remains a strong favorite.

Mikalah Gordon

Mikalah Gordon sang Taylor Dane's "Love Will Lead You Back."

Mikalah's performance reinforced our feeling that she should have been gone last week.

Anwar Robinson

Anwar Robinson took on singing a female hit. He sang Chaka Khan's "Ain't Nobody."

Anwar is always up for a challenge, and he definitely extended himself on this song.

Jessica Sierra

Jessica Sierra put herself squarely back in the competition by delivering the second best performance of the evening, after Carrie, in her version of Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of The Heart."

On Her Way Out: 1) Mikalah Gordon

After finishing her performance, she waved to her audience. Three of us called it her "wave goodbye."

Top Performers: 1) Carrie Underwood 2) Jessica Sierra

Congratulations to all of the contestants who delivered an outstanding performance.

Tune into FOX tonight for what should be a very interesting show. Get ready to possibly vote all over again.

Inspire & Be Inspired.

Here's to healthy, adventuresome, soulful, "getting the numbers right" living!

~ Jennifer Carolyn King, Rugged Elegance, LLC