I'd Do Anything - the standard is improving and making decisions very difficult!

If it’s this hard to predict the bottom two now, how’s it going to be in a couple of weeks time? Virtually all the Nancys gave stunning performances tonight - all showing different strengths but someone is still going to have to go home tomorrow.

The theme tonight, mainly, it seemed because Andrew Lloyd Webber was in Las Vegas for some reason, was Las Vegas diva numbers and the show kicked off with Jodie singing Dolly Parton’s ‘9 to 5’. It was always going to be hard for Jodie to match the emotion of last week’s performance, but there again this was a totally different sort of number. The panel declared it was a dynamic and electric performance and that Jodie’s diction was fantastic – something that cannot be said for several of the other contestants.

Samantha was next, singing Christina Aguilera’s “Hurt.” Sam had had special one-to-one coaching from John Barrowman this week in order to help her show some emotion when performing – Sam certainly took the lessons on board and showed real raw emotion tonight with a very difficult song. The panel told her it was her best performance so far and Andrew told her that he always knew she could deliver an emotional performance, “unlike some”. I still feel Samantha has a future in this competition, although I know many people are unable to recognise this at the moment.

Ashley was probably the weakest performer tonight, singing Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.” I found her strong and emotional last week; tonight she left me cold. Her voice sounded distinctly off-key to me and her movement s very stilted. The panel gave good comments but Andrew told her that for him her performance went from A to A and he wasn’t impressed. If Ashley is in the bottom two tomorrow I think she is assured of her journey home.

Next was the fragile and delicate Niamh who delivered a breathtaking performance of Bette Midler’s “Wind Beneath My Wings.” Niamh has a fabulous voice and obviously has a great future in some aspect of musical theatre – personally I am still not convinced she could be Nancy, even a totally different Nancy, but she is very, very talented vocally and I hope she gets something really good out of this competition.

We then had a short break from the Nancys to watch the Olivers abseiling – scary stuff which most of them obviously loved! – and it was then announced that Kwayedza was the next Oliver through to the semi-finals. This was followed by a great rendition of “Whistle a Happy Tune” from “The King and I” and then it was back to the Nancys once again.

Twice-saved Keisha was next singing Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On.” This was probably Keisha’s best performance so far, but personally I still don't see much emotion or acting ability from her although I think she would be great in a pop/cabaret setting. John Barrowman felt he saw the emotion from her however and his criticism was to do with her pitching which probably wasn’t perfect in all honesty. I can see a third visit to the bottom two together with Ashley tomorrow.

Jessie gave probably her weakest performance so far tonight with Diana Ross’ “Why Do Fools Fall In Love?” To me Jessie still looks extremely awkward when she moves and the “crooked smile” which Barry Humphries seems to find endearing just irritates me. Vocally she’s good, but I can’t see much else with her – however she’s been bookies’ favourite for the last couple of weeks so she must be doing something right.

Sarah gave one of the best two performances of the night with “Midnight Train to Georgia.” Having followed John Barrowman’s advice to dye her hair – a subtle and flattering shade of brown – Sarah lost her “sweet” image and the panel told her if she was in the West End tonight she’d have had a standing ovation. She was seriously good tonight and for the first time I could imagine her as Nancy.

Francesca sang Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” – yes, it was rough and raw, but Francesca just fails to convince me week after week. The pitching was vastly improved this week but there is something about her movements and facial expressions which I find really unappealing. The panel felt she was strong and edgy tonight but that it looked a bit too stagey and false and that she needed to let go more.

Finally, and possibly the performance of the night together with Sarah, Rachel sang, “The Way We Were.” John told her that she wiped the floor with her performance and Barry said she was the star of the night. Andrew Lloyd Webber told her that quite apart from giving her an Oscar, he would give her an Andrew – think we will draw a veil over exactly what that meant! I have to back down a little here, because I have accused Rachel of overacting in previous weeks – and still stand by that – but tonight she was superb and gave a flawless performance, both in terms of singing and acting. At the moment Rachel is my prediction for the eventual winner.

A fabulous night all round but now we have to wait until tomorrow for the results. In the meantime, discuss the show in the I'd Do Anything forum