K.Lo, Ruben and Vanessa Olivares - American Idol Rewind

Here's the semi-final performances of Kimberley Locke, Ruben Studdard and Vanessa Olivares.

After Kimberley Locke's performance of "Over the Rainbow", I was certain that she would win. I was naive back then. (I guess I'm still naive, but wiser.) K.Lo just couldn't match the fan power of Ruben and Clay, specially after a disastrous "Heatwave" performance in the Top 12 which landed her in the bottom 3.

Ruben Studdard sang "Superstar". Ruben was recently dropped by his record label after poor sales of his most recent album. There's still a comeback somewhere here I think -- but the mainstream audience's taste is too fragmented now and Ruben just needs to recapture his "niche". If you watch American Idol Rewind every weekend, I'm sure, like me, you will wonder what happened -- Ruben sang so well, and behaved and was treated like a superstar.

Vanessa Olivares. I liked her. Too bad they gave her an awful script during the Top 12 which ultimately resulted in her premature elimination.

Video clips:

Kimberely Locke

Ruben Studdard:

Vanessa Olivares: