Tonight was Dolly Parton night on American Idol. As a fan of Dolly, tonight was very exciting to see her and Idol together. Dolly mentored the contestants and helped them to come up arrangements on her all-time classic songs.

If you are not familiar with Dolly then pick up her latest album “Backwoods Barbie” or a greatest hits compilation and enjoy.

For the record Dolly Parton is 62 years-old. And if you haven’t been to Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee then you should some time.

Tonight: Syesha Mercado, David Archuleta, Michael Johns

In The Middle: Brooke White, David Cook, Jason Castro

Danger Zone: Ramiele Malubay, Carly Smithson, Kristy Lee Cook

Brooke White - “Jolene” - She did a decent job. Dolly’s version is impeccable. Brooke more than likely did enough to return next week. She is adorable except when she wrinkles her face awaiting the judge’s results. She looks a good bit older than 24. Grade B-

David Cook - “Little Sparrow” - I agree with Dolly that David has a very strong voice. He did a good job with his rendering of this Dolly classic. Dave is quickly becoming a favorite to make the finals. Grade A-

Ramiele Malubay - “Do I Ever Cross Your Mind” - I haven’t really liked Rammy before but tonight she showed a good bit of range and personality in her performance. It will be interesting to see how America judges her this week after tonight’s performance. Grade B

Jason Castro - “Travelin’ Through” - Fidel does a good job of radiating good vibes. I can easily see him and Matthew McConaughey having a good time on the bongo drums down in Texas. I liked his song selection and he seemed to get back to his form from early in the competition when he scored high with many viewers. Grade B+

Carly Smithson - “Here You Come Again” - The middle was a bit rough and choppy. I am sure Carly did a decent job, but Dolly’s version is such a classic and hard to compete with. It was one of Carly’s weaker performances to date. Grade C-

David Archuleta - “Smoky Mountain Memories” - David and Dolly could go into televangelism together and make a lot of money for the Lord and religious theme parks. Davie did a really good job with “SMM.” I don’t think he can do much outside of slow and sensual ballads but he has about mastered those. He is truly amazing to be just 17. The best performance so far tonight. Grade A+

Kristy Lee Cook - “Coat Of Many Colors” - If there was ever a night tailored made for Kristie Lee then it was tonight. She seems to be holding back from totally letting loose. I enjoyed her performance, but she could have done an even better job than she did with this song about Dolly’s childhood. Hopefully it was good enough for her to return next week. The dress of many colors was a nice touch by her stylist. Grade B

Syesha Mercado - “I Will Always Love You” - A huge task to tackle a song that Dolly made famous Whitney Houston made even more famous. WOW! She hit a home run. The best performance of the night in my opinion. On a fashion note the glitter all over the eyelids with these girls has to stop. Girls in my third grade class did that and it was just as tacky then. Grade A+

Michael Johns - “It’s All Wrong But It’s All Right” - Scarf man came to town with another very solid performance. The backup singers really helped make his performance tonight. He showed a lot more soul and less rock singing tonight and he needed to do just that. One of the better jobs tonight. Grade B+