The American Idol season 11 winner is...

Here we go, American Idol season 11 finale time! The top 12 opened the show with Bruno Mars "Runaway Baby". Very good but I kept expecting Bruno to come out to join them!

Phillip performed with John Fogerty of CCR, they did "Have you ever seen the rain" and "Black moon rising". Pretty cool.

Joshua sang "Take me to the pilot" by Elton John. Fantasia joined him on stage.

The top 12 girls sang "Ain't nobody", "Through the fire" and "I'm every woman" (which she joined them on) by Chaka Khan who looked and sounded great. She was the first in what was definitely a Diva night of performances.

Jessica and Phillip introduced their mentors and gave them cars! That must've been such a great feeling to be able to do that for someone who supported and influenced them so much. Then Ryan gave Jessica and Phillip keys for their own cars! Very cool.

Rihanna performed her new single "Where have you been?". She sounded and looked great as usual.

Skylar sang "Turn on the radio" with the one and only Reba. That was very cool and must've been an incredible moment for Skylar.

Jessica sang "I will always love you". Excellent.

The top 12 guys sang "Coming to America", "I'm a believer", "Sweet Caroline" (which he joined them on) by Neil Diamond.

The top 12 sang the phone book in response to a cliche Randy uses way too often as was evidenced by video clips from the season. Funny stuff!

JLo performed. Lil Jon was her DJ. Flo-Rida came out to rap, then Wisin y Yandel joined her to perform. Pretty cool.

Ryan brought former Idol contestants and current couple Ace Young and Diana DeGarmo on stage where Ace proposed to her. She said yes. That was very cool and sweet.

Hollie sang "You'll never walk alone". Jordin Sparks joined her on stage. They sounded amazing together.

The top 12 guys sang Bee Gees songs as a tribute to the recently departed Robin Gibb. Very nice, I like that they were able to put something together so nice on such short notice.

Jessica sang "And I am telling you" with Jennifer Holliday. OMG, what a powerhouse performance!! They brought the house down. Jessica was able to not only hang with the incredible Ms. Holliday but she looked impressed with the young Jessica. The sky is the limit for Jessica with the right songs.

Aerosmith finally performed.

Jessica and Phillip sang "Up where we belong". They sounded very good together. Very appropriate lyrics for the moment.

Winner announcement time! I am a Jessica fan and wanted her to win since the first show with the top 12 but I knew Phillip's single was much stronger and that a girl hadn't won since Jordin. Both thanked the fans. The winner is Phillip.

As much as a fan I am of Jessica's and can't wait what she does on her debut album, I must say that I admire all Phillip was able to do considering his health issues and all the pain he was enduring all season. He tried to sing his single but when the confetti started coming down, it all seemed to hit him and hit him hard. It was so touching to see him just leave the stage and go to his parents in what was a proud and touching moment for both he and his family. Congrats Phillip! Can't wait to see what you do and what music you'll bring us but first, go and get well Mr. American Idol!! :)

American Idol - the Final 2 sing

The show begins and we see how big the place is and how nice the stage is. It certainly has that big time, big moment feel.

Once again we'll have 3 rounds of singing for Jessica and Phillip. The first round is a song that Idol Producer Simon Fuller picks:
We are told that Phillip won the coin toss and has opted to go second. Smart move since this guarantees that he closes the show and leaves that very important last impression.

Simon Fuller had Jessica sing "I have nothing" by Whitney. Excellent start for Jessica. Simon had Phillip sing "Stand by me". Not really a powerhouse song for Phillip to show his style but it is something different for Phillip to show. It was very nice although a little bland. The judges felt Jessica won round 1. I agree

Jason Derulo performed. Good to see him performing and without his neck brace.

Round two was up next and it was the contestants favorite song of the season. Jessica sang "The Prayer" by Celine Dion. Excellent as usual. Phillip sang "Moving out" by Billy Joel. Not the best song choice at this point but it's probably the one he felt he got the best critique for. Steven felt that Jessica won this round. JLo felt Phillip won this round and Randy felt it was a tie. That was rather typical of the judges to try to make things seem more even. I felt Jessica won this round as well.

The last round was the contestants singing what will be their first single. Jessica sang her single "Change Nothing". It was not what I expected, it was not the best song or the best song to show off her tremendous vocals. I think she was let down by whoever picked this song for her at this important moment. Hopefully her management and record label will do a better job of getting her songs for her debut album. It started slow but I think people will be able to relate to the lyrics. The judges didn't like the song either but felt she made something out if it.

Phillip sang his single "Home". Very different from what I expected but very good. Much better song choice for his voice. Judges gave him a standing ovation, loved it. Not only do I think Phillip won this final round but I think his single may have just won him the show. We'll find out tomorrow!

American Idol - The top 2 are revealed

Well, tonight we found out who the Final 2 are!

Joshua was called up first.
Iovine liked the first song, gave it a 8. Felt he did too much with Imagine. Oversang it. Felt he didn't have enough melody with the last song. Felt he never had a moment last night.

Lisa Marie Presley performed.

Jessica was called up next.
Iovine didn't think the first song was big enough to be a moment for her. Felt the Aerosmith song still wasn't big enough for her. He took blame and felt he made a mistake giving her the right parts to sing with the Jackson 5 song. She reminds him of MJ and he can see her singing at the Grammys but she needs better songs.

Adam Lambert performed.

Phillip was called up last.
Iovine felt that he showed his style with the first song but didn't have a moment. Felt that the second song was boring. Felt that the last song was his best performance on Idol and last night's best performance.

Time for the the results!! Ryan told Jessica that she would be in the finale first, then he told Phillip he was in. Joshua was out. The AI finale will be between Jessica and Phillip!

I hope Joshua gets a good producer that reins him in a bit and gets some good songs that lets him really let his vocals shine. I am looking forward to seeing what Joshua does musically.

American Idol - the Top 3 sing

Tonight's show was 3 songs for teh Top 3 to sing. The songs tonight would be a Judges pick, Contestants pick and Iovine would pick a song for them to sing.

Randy gave Joshua his pick. Sang Etta James "I'd rather go blind". He started off good but I didn't like it once he left his lower register tones. He just does too much sometimes for my taste.

JLo gave Jessica her pick. Sang Mariah Carey's "My all". She did some crazy notes that she hit in a very subdued manner. Very pretty.

Steven gave Phillip his pick. Gave him something to force him to sing with melody. Sang "Beggin'" by Madcon. Pretty good.

Jessica took round 1.

We saw Joshua go back home to Louisiana.

Round 2 with the contestants pick was up. Joshua picked to sing "Imagine" by John Lennon. Very nice.

We saw Jessica go back home to Chula Vista, CA.

Jessica picked to sing "I don't want to miss a thing" by Aerosmith. Fearless to sing that in front of Steven Tyler. Very nice arrangement. Very pretty.

We saw Phillip go back home to Murfreesboro, GA.

Phillip picked to sing "Disease" by Matchbox 20. Very cool groove to the arrangement and melody. I really liked it.

I gave round 2 to Phillip.

Time for round 3 with Iovine's picks. Iovine picked "No more drama" by Mary J Blige for Joshua to sing. Interesting song choice. Good performance.

Iovine picked "I'll be there" by the Jackson Five for Jessica to sing. Really good, loved the strength in her voice and the tone of her voice.

Iovine picked "We've got tonight" by Bob Seger for Phillip to sing. He sang it a little on the high side but I liked the vulnerability of it. Very very different for Phillip.

I gave round 3 barely to Jessica over Phillip.

The Top 3 are probably the best top 3 that Idol has ever had so there really are no losers with this group but if I had to pick who goes home tomorrow I would think Phillip over Joshua but I think Phillip has more fans and it will be Joshua who goes home tomorrow.

American Idol - The top 3 revealed

The show opened with the top 4 singing "California Dreaming".

Phillip
was called up first
Iovine felt that the first song showed Phillip as the artist he expects him to be. Felt he delivered completely with the second song.

Hollie was called up next.
Iovine felt the Journey song worked for her because of its over the topness. He felt she didn't understand the second song. I agree with him regarding the second song but not the first.

David Cook performed his new single.

Joshua
was called up next.
Iovine felt that the first song didn't work for him. He felt it was too over the top. He would steer him away from doing songs like this on his album. He felt that the second song was amazing. I totally agree with Iovine.

Jessica was called up.
Iovine felt the first song was a little too much of the same with the growling? Really? But this isn't said to Joshua who screams and growls in practically every song? Felt she did everything in the second song flawlessly.

JLo performed.

The top 4 were brought up. Jessica was told she was safe, then Joshua was told he was safe, as was Phillip. As I expected, Hollie was eliminated. I really like Hollie and I think she has a lot of potential. With more experience on stage and life experience that she can draw from and put into the emotions of the songs she sings, I think she'll do just great with her career. I'll be following her career and hope to hear a lot from her in the future.

American Idol - the Top 4 sing

Tonight was an interesting theme night. Songs about California (rather strange theme) and then a second song of songs they wish they wrote (which is kind of like the songs of their idols theme). With this theme night, it would seem that we would get an interesting night of singing and that's what we got.

Phil sang "Have you ever seen the rain" by CCR. Pretty good rendition.

Hollie sang "Faithfully" by Journey. Solid but didn't soar like this song needs to.

Joshua sang "You raise me up" by Josh Groban. That song is an amazing song and sung in a soul touching way by Josh Groban. The song was just too big for him although the ending was really cool.

Jessica sang "Steal away" by Etta James. Very good.

For this first round, Jessica easily was the best.

Phil and Joshua sang "This love" by Maroon 5. Very good!

Jessica and Hollie sang "Eternal Flame" by the Bangles. I love the original song but for a duet between two powerhouse voices it was a rather strange song choice. Interesting harmony choices. Randy found it strange, I agree with his critique.

The top 4 sang "Waiting for a girl like you" by Foreigner.

Next theme was the Idols singing songs they wish they wrote

Phil sang "Volcano" by Damien Rice. Very nice.

Hollie sang "I can't make you love me" by Bonnie Raitt. Good but didn't soar again. Just not enough emotion for what this song needs.

Joshua sang "This is a man's world" by James Brown. Best performance of the season for him.

Jessica sang "And I am telling you" by Jennifer Holliday. Amazing performance.

Jessica won round 2 as well with Joshua a close second.

I don't know if there'll be a bottom 2 but with the contestants that are left and after tonight's performances and critiques, I expect Hollie to go home tomorrow. :(

American Idol gets down to the Top 4

Results night, time to find out who the Top 4 are!

Joshua was called up first.
Iovine felt the first song was very good but the second song was amazing.
Joshua is safe.

Coldplay performed.

Hollie and Phillip were called up next.
Iovine felt Hollie did really good with the first song and thought her second song was competent, even though if she released it now it could be a hit. So why was it just competent?!? Felt Phillip was bland yesterday and has been coasting. Although he does say that as sick as he's been he's impressed with how strong he's been when most would quit. I knew it had to do with his health, his earlier performances had been better than last night.
Hollie was in the bottom 2, Phillip was safe

Carrie Underwood performed "Blown away" from her new album.

Skylar and Jessica were called up last.
Iovine felt Skylar did really good with her first song but the second song wasn't great. He felt she needs to have another moment. Felt Jessica's second song was perfect but that the first song was too racy for her age. Felt the stylists are letting her down.

Coldplay performed again.

The bottom 2 were Skylar and Hollie. Hollie made it through again. Skylar was eliminated.

I'm looking forward to seeing what Skylar will do in the future. I think she's got a really nice career ahead of her.

American Idol takes on the 60s & BritPop

Tonight's theme on AI was the Idols taking on the 60s and also BritPop songs. which is kind of strange since I don't think we'll see the Idols doing these styles with their careers. Anyhow, Lil Steven was this week's mentor

Hollie sang "River deep, mountain high" by Ike n Tina Turner. She sounded great.

Phillip sang "The Letter" by The Box Tops. I didn't like the arrangement he came up with for such a classic song.

Skylar sang "Fortunate Son" by CCC. She rocked it! Love her energy.

Joshua and Phillip sang "You've lost that loving feeling" by The Righteous Brothers. Joshua totally blew away Phillip in vocals and performance. I wonder if Phillip's health issues are really starting to show in his performances?

Jessica sang "Proud Mary" by Ike n Tina Turner. Great performance! Randy didn't like it in comparison to Tina but JLo was correct in saying that this is about her journey.

Joshua sang "Ain't too proud to beg" by The Temptations. Was good but I found him screaming too much.

After the 60s round, I give round 1 as a draw between Skylar and Jessica.

Time for the BritPop! Hollie started if off and sang "Bleeding love" by Leona Lewis. Sounded great. She's really picking it up when she needs to.

Phillip sang "Time of the season" by the Zombies. Except for his faces, he was really laid back and good in this song.

Jessica, Hollie and Skylar sang "Your love keeps lifting me higher" by Jackie Wilson.

Skylar sang "You don't have to say you love me" by Dusty Springfield. Really good!

Jessica sang "You are so beautiful" by Joe Cocker. Cheesy setting but very nice vocals.

Joshua sang "To love somebody" by the Bee Gees. Really good especially the beginning.

I give the BritPop round 2 as a draw between Joshua and Hollie.

Everyone was really good tonight except for Phillip who was solid but not at his best which I suspect is because of his health. If I had to pick a bottom 2 based on tonight though it would be Phillip and Joshua with Phillip going home BUT I think Hollie is being poised to go next. I don't see the judges showing her the support that the others are getting so we'll see how it goes tomorrow.

Results night - the American Idol Top 5 is set

The Queen extravaganza opened the show. They were really good. Queen joined them.

Jessica & Elise were called up first.
Iovine felt that Jessica doing Queen was a mistake but felt her second song was heartfelt. Felt that Elise picked the wrong Queen song and that the Hendrix song was a double bad song night. I totally agree with Iovine on all points.
Elise was in the bottom 3.

Stefano performed his new single. I liked it along with the choreography of it all. Pretty cool.

Hollie & Joshua were called up next.
Iovine felt that Hollie did ok with the Queen song but felt she did great with the Miley song. Felt Joshua did good with the Queen song and could crossover well. Felt the second song was a great song choice.
Hollie wound up in the bottom 3.

Katy Perry performed "Part of me".

Skylar and Phillip were called up last.
Iovine felt Skylar did a good job on the Queen song but felt that the second song was self-indulgent. Felt Phillip's health is starting to affect his performances, felt that doing Dave Mathews was not a good move. I find myself agreeing with Iovine's comments here as well.
Skylar wound up in the bottom 3.

Ryan let Skylar know that she was safe.
Elise and Hollie in bottom 2.
Elise was eliminated. I like Elise. I hope she finds songwriters and producers that can show off her voice in its best light. I will be looking forward to hearing more from her.

American Idol takes on Queen

The show began with a Queen retrospective. As you all know or should know by now, I'm a huge Queen/Freddie Mercury fan so the Idols better be good tonight! Lol. We got to see that the Idols met with Brian May and Roger Taylor. They then did a medley of Fat bottomed girls, Another one bites the dust, We will rock you and We are the Champions.

Jessica opened the show by singing the iconic "Bohemian Rhapsody". I didn't think anyone would try that song. I found that the lyrics were too old for her. She was good but her credibility on this song was problematic IMO.

Skylar sang "The show must go on". I've always found this song so courageous and tragic considering the circumstances behind it. I didn't think that she would be able to feel the emotion of the song but she sounded great though.

Joshua sang "Crazy little thing called love". I found that he was just screaming through the song as if he thought that is what you should do with a rock song. I didn't like it.

Elise sang "I want it all". Sounded good on the verses and got stronger as it went on.

Phillip sang "Fat bottomed girls". Performance-wise I just didn't get it with his facial expressions. Just more of the same to me.

Hollie sang "Save me". Looked great. Sounded really good.

With that, round 1 of Queen songs was over. I think Skylar won round 1. Round 2 was up next with the Idols doing songs that meant something to them.

Jessica sang "Dance with my father" by Luther Vandross as a touching tribute to her Dad who is a soldier and is leaving on assignment in a few days. Wonderful. She felt every word.

Skylar sang "Tattoos on this town" by Jason Aldean. Not crazy about the arrangement. Was only ok.

Joshua sang "Ready for love"(?). Sounded good.

Elise sang a song by Jimi Hendrix. Sounded good but the obscure song probably didn't help her.

Phillip sang a song by Dave Mathews. Good but obscure as well.

Hollie sang "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus. Really good.

I would give the second round to Jessica with Hollie a close second.

It was a mixed bag of performances tonight so tomorrow's results show can go a lot of different ways but if I had to pick a bottom 3, I would say Elise, Phillip and Joshua with Elise going home.

American Idol - another goes home

The show opened with the group singing "Dancing in the streets".

Hollie & Joshua were called up first.
Iovine felt Joshua did good last night. Felt Hollie did good but will be in the bottom 3. Thinks she has a long way to go to get to the finale but that Joshua just needs to keep doing what he is doing.
Hollie was in the bottom 3

Taylor Hicks was on the show. He helped introduce Kris Allen who performed his new single "Vision of love". Very good!

Skylar & Elise were called up next.
Iovine felt Skylar did a great job but that Elise failed and will be in the bottom or even go home tonight. Said Skylar is the best performer on the show. Feels Elise needs to pick the best rock songs she can pick. I totally agree with Iovine's comments on Skylar and Elise. I really love how much energy Skylar brings to her performances. I also think that Elise needs to pick better rock songs that suit her voice better.
Once again, Iovine was right tonight and Elise was in bottom 3.

They did a longer Dick Clark tribute & retrospective on his career and all he did for music and television which was more than substantial. Very well done.

LMFAO performed "Sorry for party rocking".

Phillip, Colton & Jessica were called up last.
Iovine felt Jessica needs to do younger songs more appropriate for her age to get to the finale. Felt Phillip did a really good job with his first song. Felt Colton was all wrong on his first song. Feels Phillip should be in the finale. Feels Colton needs to pick better songs if he wants to get to the finale.
Ryan told Jessica she was safe. Colton was in the bottom 3 for the first time.

Ryan told Elise she was safe. It was down to Hollie and Colton. Colton eliminated! Shocking elimination but I can see why it happened after two so-so performances last night. I really like Colton and admire his devotion and passion for Christian music so I will definitely be looking forward to hearing his music in the future.

American Idol sings Then & now

The show began with a tribute to the recently passed TV legend Dick Clark. I follow Ryan Seacrest on Twitter and know that Dick Clark was his role model and mentor so it was nice for Ryan to be able to do this. I know it must've meant a lot for him to be able to do.

Tonight's theme was a Song from now and then a secondsong being a soul song from the past. No mentor was mentioned for the night. I wonder why?

Hollie started off the show and sang "Rolling in the deep" by Adele. Great arrangement. She sounded great. Her best performance so far!.

Colton sang "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga in a rock version. Good idea in theory but I don't think it worked well.

Elise sang "No one" by Alicia Keys. She looked awesome and sounded really good.

Phillip sang "You got it bad" by Usher. Sounded good, it was a really cool interpretation.

Jessica sang "Fallin'" by Alicia Keys. Sounded really good but I didn't think it was her best performance.

Skylar sang a country version of "Born this way" by Lady Gaga. Sounded good.

Joshua sang "I believe" by Fantasia. Very passionate. Very good.

After round 1, I think Hollie won Round 1.

Hollie sang "Son of a preacher man" by Dusty Springfield. Was solid but not her best.

Colton sang "September" by Earth Wind and Fire. I wasn't crazy about the arrangement or his vocals.

Elise sang "Let's get it on" by Marvin Gaye. Not very good. :(

Phillip sang "In the midnight hour" by Wilson Pickett. He sang it without a guitar but he still had plenty of awkward moves! LOL! However, he was very good although the song didn't allow for much singing.

Jessica sang "Try a little tenderness" by Otis Redding. A little too much but very good.

Skylar sang "I heard it through the grapevine" by Marvin Gaye. Sounded good.

Joshua sang "A change is going to come" by Sam Cooke. Sounded really good.

I think that Joshua easily won Round 2.

The first round was good but the second round saw a lot of the Idols stumble a bit so the bottom 3 should be interesting tomorrow. However, if I had to pick a bottom 3 I would say that Colton, Elise and Hollie will be in the bottom 3. :(

American Idol results night

The show opened with a group song. They sang "Raise your glass" by Pink.

Hollie and Jessica were called up first
Iovine felt Hollie has bad habits while Jessica grew up with good habits.
Hollie was put in one group while Jessica was put in a seperate group.

James Durbin performed his new single.

Phillip and Elise were called up next
Iovine felt that they are both character singer-songwriters. Felt Phillip will be in the bottom. Elise too.
Phillip joins Hollie. Elise joins Jessica.

Jennifer Hudson performed with Ne-yo.

Colton and Joshua were called up next.
Iovine felt that they both did well. Felt that Colton convinced him last night.
Colton joined Hollie and Phillip. Joshua joined Jessica and Elise.

Skylar was called up by herself as the last contestant.
Iovine felt that she was in danger of being left behind somehow even though he thinks she's great.
She was told she was safe! Ryan told her to pick the group she thought was safe as well. She refused. He put her with a group - Colton, Hollie and Phillip were all safe.

The judges were shocked, as was the audience. Jessica and Joshua, along with Elise in the bottom 3?! Ryan then announced that Joshua and Elise were safe, meaning Jessica had to sing to be saved??!! Jessica began to sing for the judges' save but the judges interrupted her and saved her before she even finished the song.

I can't believe what I saw tonight. I can't believe that Jessica was actually in the bottom 3, let alone the very bottom. I can't believe that America would not vote for her. I hope I'm wrong but this just seemed like a ratings moment more than anything else. If Jessica would've been sent home, I think I would've been done with the show.

American Idol - The top 7 sing

The show began with us seeing Deandre's hometown watching him go last week. That was a weird way to begin the show.

This week's theme was Songs from 2010-2012 and the mentor for this week was Akon.

Skylar went first and sang "Didn't you know much I loved you" by Kellie Pickler. She wanted to use a guitar but Iovine felt that might limit her. She used the guitar anyway. She sounded very good.

Colton was next and sang "Love the way you lie" by Skylar Grey. Iovine told him he has to be better than Phillip. I thought he gave a very professional performance, meaning that he sounded like he's been doing this for years. His best performance to date.

Elise and Phillip sang "Somebody that I used to know" by Gotye.

Jessica sang "Stuttering" by Jasmine Sullivan. Iovine and Akon were wowed by her. She was very good as usual.

Joshua sang "Runaway baby" by Bruno Mars. Just on a side note, I'm a BIG Bruno Mars fan! This song was very different for him. He was very good.

Colton and Skylar sang "Don't you wanna stay" by Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson. Very good.

Hollie sang "Perfect" by Pink. Iovine and Akon told her that all she's missing is that experience that'll give her that professional touch. She sounded great. Randy was the only one to show that he liked her performance though?!

Phillip sang "Give a little more" by Maroon 5. Pretty good performance.

Joshua, Hollie and Jessica sang "Stronger" by Kelly Clarkson.

Elise closed the show and sang "You and I" by Lady Gaga. She wanted to play drums but Iovine rightfully told her to just sing great. She sounded very good.

I thought everyone was really good tonight but if I had to pick a bottom 3 I would say Joshua, Phillip and Elise with Elise going home and I base that on past bottom 3s.

American Idol results - another goes home

The show began with Ryan telling us that Joshua was feeling pretty sick which sucks but as they say the show must go on. I was just hoping we wouldn't see him pass out as he didn't look well at all.

We were shown a JLo video.

Jessica & Joshua were called up first
Iovine thought Joshua was perfect all around last night. He felt Jessica didn't have a big enough song.
Both were rightfully safe.

The Wanted performed.

Skylar & Colton were called up next.
Iovine felt Skylar proved that she could be a power singer. Felt that if she could continue progressing she can win it all. Felt Colton was just mid-pack again.

Ryan called Hollie & Deandre over.
Iovine felt Hollie will be in bottom and could be battling Deandre on who goes home tonight. Felt Deandre hasn't progressed fast enough.
Deandre & Hollie wound up in the bottom 3.

Kellie Pickler performed. She looked and sounded great.

Elise & Phillip were called up last.
Iovine feels Phillip just needs to be himself. Felt it was a safe song and that he needs to be pushed or he will be passed by some of the others. Felt Elise choked on stage, felt she was better in rehearsals.
Elise was in the bottom 3. Hollie was sent back to the couch as she was safe.
Elise was also safe. Deandre was in danger, he sang for save. Not saved. :(

I was sorry to see Deandre go but if he keeps progressing and can get the right songs, I think he can have a really nice career. I'll be looking forward to seeing what he does.

American Idol takes on the 80s

Last night AI took on the 80s and since I feel the 80s had the best music of any era, I was looking forward to hearing some good music, hopefully done well! For the most part, I got my wish.

No Doubt's Gwen Stefani and Tony Kanal were the mentors for this week. They did an ok job with the mentoring. Not as good as some of the other mentors this season so far but still good.

Deandre went first and sang "I like it" by Debarge. I think that was a real good song choice for him. Gwen and Iovine felt he needed to be more confident in his voice and performance. I was happy to see that he used all his voice instead of just his falsetto which is something I've been wanting to hear from him. He was very good!

Elise was next, she was going to sing "Hallelujah" but Iovine asked for her alternate song which was a Foreigner song. Gwen and Tony loved it and told her she should do this song, Iovine also thought it was a good song choice. She listened to their advice and sang Foreigner's "I want to know what love is". Gwen, Tony and Iovine were wrong. I was not crazy about the note choices she made in the song. I agree with the judges that although she sounded strong, she also sounded pitchy and off throughout the song. It was a bad song choice, she should've trusted her gut. I think she would've done a great job with her original song choice.

Colton and Skylar sang "Islands in the stream". Skylar sounded real good. Colton sounded good.

Phillip sang "That's all" by Genesis. He was admittedly very rough in rehearsal but they were all confident he would hammer it out by last night. I guess he did but my issue with Phillip now is that he is becoming very one-dimensional and not showing enough coloring or the proper emotions for the song. He sang with way too much angst for this song. The Judges loved it and I think they are so enamored with him that they are overlooking things he can improve. With just a little constructive criticism, I think he can be even better than he is.

Deandre and Hollie sang "I'm so excited". They both sounded good and had fun with the song which was good to see, especially for Hollie.

Joshua sang "If you don't know me by now" by Simply Red. Gwen told him to hold back a bit. He sounded good but he also is becoming a bit one-dimensional and I think he could've really slayed it if he had concentrated more on the emotion of the song than on singing to impress. As with Phillip, the Judges loved it and aren't offering him any critique to help him progress into an even better performer.

Jessica sang "How will I know" by Whitney. Very good performance and great vocals. She is definitely the front-runner.

Phillip and Elise did "Stop dragging my heart around". It was pretty good. Good to see Phillip without his guitar.

Hollie sang "What a feeling" from Flashdance. Iovine told her to give it the right emotion. She rushed a little bit through it and tried to do too much. It was as the judges said, she was trying to take all the advice she's gotten and put it all into effect while she's trying to sing. She's definitely got the voice. Now she just needs to let the music take her and let her perform from that standpoint.

Joshua and Jessica did "I knew you were waiting". Sounded good together.

Colton sang "Time after time" by Cyndi Lauper. Gwen sang harmony with him in rehearsal and they sounded great together. He sounded really good, I really loved the note choices and the arrangement of the song. It was very cool that he gave credit where credit was due on the arrangement being from another group he's heard do this song. That's more than some artists in past seasons have done. Kudos to him on his honesty.

Skylar sang "Wind beneath my wings" by Bette Midler. Wow. She touched me with her vocals and performance. She was definitely worthy of her show closing slot and definitely had her "moment" last night.

So, who goes home tonight? The remaining contestants are all doing very well so it's not an easy task to guess the bottom 3 but if I had to guess I would try to base it on past bottom 3s and say that Deandre, Elise and Hollie will be in the bottom 3 with Hollie going home. :(

American Idol - Results night, down to 8!

As the show began, Eric Benet came out to meet Deandre which was a really cool moment.

We also got a glimpse of the Idols getting to go to the Idol mega-mansion. Now that was a mansion!!

Elise, Phillip, Hollie were called up first
Iovine felt Elise had it all together with her looks, style and voice. Felt she's coming into her own. Felt Phillip is a big star. If Stevie likes something she's rarely wrong. Felt Hollie lacks experience and emotion. Something that puts her behind everyone else.
Hollie wound up in the bottom 3.

Nicki Minaj performed.

Heejun, Joshua, Colton were called up next
Iovine felt Colton didn't keep his emotions in check. Felt Joshua's emotions hurt him too. Felt Heejun got the message last week but isn't as good as everyone that is left.
Heejun was in the bottom 3.

Scotty McCreery performed. Iovine presented him with a platinum record which was really cool and let the Idol contestants see how much their lives can change in 1 year.

Skylar, Deandre, Jessica were called up next
Iovine didn't think Skylar's song had enough melody in it. Felt Deandre still has something missing. Feels his falsetto can be off putting, which I agree with. He has to mix it up more. Feels Jessica is doing some amazing things.
Skylar wound up in the bottom 3 which surprised me.

Skylar was safe. Heejun sang for the save. No save used on Heejun.

American Idol - The Top 9 sing

The show began with Hilfiger giving the Idol contestants a style lesson. Some seem to take this seriously, while others aren't which I find rather disrespectful. I don't know how Mr. Hilfiger must be feeling about this.

Stevie Nicks was this week's mentor which was very cool. I think Stevie Nicks just exudes cool. The theme of this week was Songs of the contestants Idols which is a pretty darn cool theme of the week.

Colton was up first. Stevie knew him which he was wowed about. I like when you can tell that the mentors actually watch the show. Colton picked the song "Everything" by Lifehouse because he said its his favorite worship song. I like that Colton doesn't shy away from showing his Christian roots with his music. It was a good performance.

Skylar was next. She choose to do "Gunpowder & lead" by Miranda Lambert which was a rather mature and interesting song choice to do on Idol. Jimmy felt she needed to really bring it this week. Well, she brought it. I thought she sang and performed it really well.

Next up was a trio performance by Colton, Elise and Phillip. They sang a Stevie Nicks medley. Colton and Phillip sounded great. Elise sounded good.

Heejun was next. He wanted to show more seriousness so he chose "For you" by Donny Hathaway. Jimmy was impressed with his song choice and openness with the song. Felt he made a huge stride forward. He did really good. It seems he took last week's wakeup call seriously but the question is will the audience buy it or are they fed up with his antics up to this point?

Hollie went next and her song choice was "Jesus take the wheel" by Carrie Underwood. She got great advice from Stevie about bringing believability to a song. Stevie spoke about her mom's passing 2 months ago which I could totally relate to. :( Hollie felt honored that Stevie shared that deeply personal thought with her. It got pretty emotional. It helped as Hollie was really good.

Deandre was next. He choose the song "Sometimes I cry" by Eric Benet. Stevie gave him good advice on pulling back and playing more to the camera. He gave a very nice performance with some crazy notes.

Jessica was next and she chose the song "Sweet dreams" by Beyonce. Stevie loved that she made the song into a ballad. Gave her an ending to try but left it to her to decide to use or not. She loved it. Great performance and execution.

Deandre, Heejun and Joshua did an MJ medley. It was ok.

Phillip went next and chose "Still raining" by Johnnie Lang. Stevie said that he would've been asked to join Fleetwood Mac. Says he's a star. He was very good. It was definitely his style and felt like a song I would expect in his concert.

Joshua was next and he chose "Without you" by Mariah Carey which I felt was a rather odd song choice. Jimmy says the difficulty level on this song is Top 5 but feels he can pull it off. It was good but nowhere near the original. He got emotional during his performance.

Hollie, Skylar and Jessica did a Madonna medley. Very good!

Elise closed the show and did it in style! She chose the song "Whole lotta love" by Led Zeppelin which I felt was an excellent choice for her since this is the type of songs she does with her bands at clubs. Finally a rock song up her alley! Stevie likes her and sang with her in rehearsal which Elise felt honored by. Good song choice. She totally rocked it! It was her best performance to date IMO!

My bottom 3 would be Heejun, Deandre and Joshua with Heejun going home.

American Idol results night

Results night after a lackluster Billy Joel theme night. Should be interesting.

The group sang "The longest time". Pretty good.

Hollie, Skylar, Elise were called up first
Iovine felt Hollie might be in trouble after last night. Felt Skylar didn't do her best last night, is better than that. Feels that she needs to show growth, she's too good for that. Felt Elise transformed and did great. All were safe.

Lana Del Rey performed

Joe Perry surprised Steve with playing Happy Birthday for him on guitar as the audience sang. Very cool to see.

Deandre, Jessica, Joshua were called up next
Iovine thought Deandre didn't connect to the lyrics. Said he told him to have fun not to frolic. LOL!! Good description though. Lol. Felt Joshua didn't connect with the song and needs to figure out how to progress. Felt Jessica did great.
Deandre was in the bottom 3.

Haley Reinhart performed her new single. She looked great. The song was cool.

Colton, Phillip, Erika, Heejun were called up last
Iovine thought Colton did a great job. Felt Phillip needs to accept the advice given. Felt Erika deserves to be in the top this week. Felt Heejun is disrespecting the system. I totally agree with all that he said except for Erika being in the top.
Erika & Heejun were in the bottom 3.

Deandre and Heejun safe. Erika would have to sing for the save.
Erika sang for the save but was not saved. Erika went home.

American Idol takes on Billy Joel

Tonight was Billy Joel theme night. I'm a big Billy Joel fan so I was looking forward to seeing how the Idols handled his songs and what songs they chose. Steve Tyler made a comment that if you can't sing a Billy Joel then you can't sing... would that be an omen I wondered.

Tonight's mentor was Diddy. I was happy to see Diddy (I really respect what he has created for himself with his businesses). He had really good advice to give.

Deandre went first and did one of my favorite Billy Joel songs "Only the good die young". Diddy & Iovine said if he doesn't have fun with the song he will be DOA on stage. He took the advice too literally and was a little too bouncy all over the stage. I don't think the advice helped. He was just ok.

Erika sang "NY state of mind". Diddy told her to think like a NYer to sing this song. Hilfiger had her get a short punk cut and dyed her hair black. She looked very different. I'm not sure if I like it though. She sounded solid.

Joshua sang "She's got a way". Hilfiger told him to dress up more, I agree that he should. Diddy told him to pull back on the screaming which I definitely agree with. Joshua can definitely sing but I can only take so much once he begins his screaming. Joshua wasn't confidant since he didn't know the song. Why pick it then? Diddy told him to be present in the song and connect. Great advice. His lack of confidence in his song choice showed as he was pitchy & all over the place.

Skylar sang "Shameless". She was starstruck with Diddy. They told her to not force the song. Hilfiger tried to dress her like a country star. She did it the way Garth Brooks did it and it was solid and good.

Elise sang "Vienna". Diddy was worried she's doing a song no one knows. I don't even know this song! Definitely a risky choice. She felt it was the right song though. Hilfiger told her to stop the layered look. She was right and did a nice job.

Phillip sang "I'm moving out". Hilfiger said he needs help with his look. Said his style is all wrong, doesn't look like a star. I agree but Phillip seems resistant to looking more like a star. He may not like it but image is important in this business. Diddy took away his guitar & took him out of his comfort zone. He was resistant to that too. I thought the song had a really bad arrangement. He's really beginning to get one-dimensional with his look and performances. He should show more progress before the others leave him behind.

Hollie sang "Honesty". Hilfiger agrees with Iovine that she has been dressed too old. Diddy and Iovine helped her connect to the song. She was good but there were a few pitchy moments. Judges felt that she was over-thinking. I agree.

Heejun sang "My life". Told Diddy he was upset with last week's criticism. Got good advice about learnign to be thick-skinned. Diddy commented that he's having a hard time believing him since he doesn't seem to take things seriously. I agree, if he doesn't show he's serious then why would anyone want to take him seriously? He needs to get with the program. Hilfiger also felt he wasn't taking things seriously. He had an interesting start to the song but I liked it, it worked. I found him very good this week.

Jessica sang "Everybody has a dream". Told Hilfiger she likes to wear a dress. Diddy told her to pull back so he can believe her. To stop the tricks and respect the song. She took everything Diddy said and brought it.

Colton sang "Piano man". Told Hilfiger he wants his own style but wants it to be edgy. Hilfiger told him to work on his hair after he's picked his outfit which was sound advice but Colton mentioned feeling as if his hair was discredited?! Really?! Diddy loved it. He did a real good job.

Who do I think will be in the bottom 3? Deandre, Erika and Joshua. I think Erika goes home.