Idol-Talk: Season 10 - FINALE!

American Idol 10: FINALE
Air Date: Wednesday, May 25, 2011 [8-10:07pm]

The results are in, and we have a world record: Over 122 million votes were cast for the Top 2. And almost three-quarters of a billion votes have been cast over the course of the season.

The Top 13 perform Lady Gaga's "Born This Way." I'm not against this song or anything (I actually love it, in fact), but have you noticed that pretty much every show under the sun is featuring this song in some way? Glee performed it; it played during the closing scene of the Brothers & Sisters Series Finale, here at the Idol Finale, and many more.

James Durbin and Judas Priest perform "Living After Midnight" and "Breaking the Law." Unbelievable performance! James is in his element and loving it!

Video: Randy Jackson - Season Highlights, including his signature catchphrase this year, "In it to win it."

Jacob Lusk and Gospel star Kurt Franklin perform "I Smile," with Gladys Knight joining in later on. I have no idea who this Kurt Franklin is, but it's obvious he wanted all the attention on him, didn't he?

Casey Abrams begins singing Queen's "Fat Bottomed Girls." He kicks the couch next to him, which slides away to reveal Jack Black, who joins in with Casey. And they just let loose on their voices at the very end. You know, this performance was going really well until those women on the bicycles came out. That was an unnecessary distraction. And you realize that this song is called "Fat Bottomed Girls," yet those women were anything but (pardon the pun). And what's the deal with the bikes? Since this is a Queen song, that would have been more appropriate for their "Bicycle Race."

After Casey and Jack are finished, Ryan fills some time until they can get all the props off the stage.

The Top 13 girls perform a Beyonce Medley, including: "Single Ladies," "Irreplacable," "If I Were a Boy." Then out comes Beyonce to join them on "Crazy in Love." No Lauren among the girls. Maybe she needs to preserve her voice.

Video: Steven Tyler - Season Highlights. I loved this video package, because we all love the crazy things that Steven has said over these past months. Whatever I and everyone else has said about his lack of judging abilities, he's entertaining to say the least.

Haley Reinhart and Tony Bennett perform "Steppin' Out With My Baby." Couldn't they have gotten someone better than Tony Bennett for Haley? Like maybe someone more current, or someone that has the same musical style as her? What about Adele?

Video: Jennifer Lopez - Season Highlights, including the auditioners and contestants fascination and fawning over Jennifer's beauty.

TLC and Lil Jon, joined by the Top 13 ladies, perform "Waterfalls." Lil Jon was only there for a few seconds at the start; what's the deal with that? Speaking of which, I would have no idea who he is if it weren't for the Celebrity Apprentice.

Scotty McCreery and Tim McGraw perform "Live Like  You Were Dying." Jennifer's not at the judge's table (and her chair is gone as well); will she be performing soon?

Video: Auditioner Joe introduces clips of bad auditions, including the clip of the guy who did the flips and accidentally stomped on the camera man on the floor.

Marc Anthony performs "Aguanile." Sheila E's on drums. Thanks to The Next Great American Band (the ill-fated spin-off of Idol), I knew who she was. Later on in the song, Jennifer Lopez comes out and dances. What, no singing? Is it because she already performed on the show this year? Oh well.

Video: Casey Abrams, James Durbin (and Stefano Langone briefly) talk about shocking eliminations. At the end, Pia Toscano walks over to them with a 'Most Shocking' sash and tiara on. Loved this bit! Though, to be honest, it was James' elimination that was the most shocking. Sorry, Pia, but it's not you.

The Top 13 guys perform "Kiss," "She's a Lady" and "What's New Pussycat." Scotty joins in with them on "Green Green Grass of Home," "Delilah," and I believe another one I didn't catch the title of. Then out comes Tom Jones to join them on "It's Not Unusual."

Ford Top 2 Music Video: "Whenever You Remember." Throughout the video, clips are shown from all the music videos this year.

Video: Scotty and Lauren on the teacher that most influenced them.

Those teachers are each given their own Ford Focus. Then Ryan gives the Top 2 the keys to any Ford vehicle they want.

Lady Gaga performs "The Edge of Glory." It looks like she's on a mountain. When the song ends, she and her male companion drop off the edge. Get it?

Lauren Alaina and Carrie Underwood perform "Before He Cheats." They have great harmony together; great pairing! And by the way, I noticed Jennifer's back in her seat.

Video: The Top 13 talk about Scotty and Lauren, and joke about how young they are. Great bit!

Beyonce performs "1 Plus 1."

Ryan reminds us about Season 11's audition cities.

To promote Spider-Man: The Musical, Bono and The Edge perform "Rise Above." At the start, Spider-Man swings over the audience and lands in the aisle. He returns at the end, lowering down upside-down in front of Jennifer to recreate the infamous Spider-Man/Mary Jane Watson kiss. Jennifer goes along with it at first, peeling off part of the mask, then abandons before getting to the kiss.

Steven Tyler performs "Dream On." Jennifer's really into his performance. I was anticipating the high notes near the end, waiting to see if his voice still holds up on those kinds of notes, and he's still got it.

And now the time has come. Scotty, Lauren and Ryan are center-stage. The Top 13 and the judges are on the far sides of the stage.

"The winner of American Idol season 10 is...Scotty McCreery!"

Winner: Scotty McCreery [Correct Prediction]

Runner-Up: Lauren Alaina [Correct Prediction]

Scotty performs his debut single, "I Love You This Big," and goes down to hug his family, then back on stage to hug each of the Top 13 and judges.

End Time: 10:07pm - Wow, it ended exactly on time!

I'm disappointed that they didn't do anything to celebrate 10 years of American Idol.

Even though I haven't been the biggest Scotty fan, there's a part of me that says he needed to win in order to bring some credibility back to the show, since we need someone who has the best chance at being successful. And if his outrageous support is anything to go by, then he may get that chance. During the past two seasons, the runner-up has outsold the winner, and the winner's albums have had terrible sales. In terms of American Idol as an entertainment/reality show, the addition of Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez has reinvigorated the show. But when it comes to American Idol as a show that launches superstars, well...that's been missing for a while. With the decrease in ratings the last however many years, that means that album sales will go down as well; that's a given. But now that the ratings are stabilizing, will that mean Scotty's album sales will reflect that? Only time will tell. And just because his debut single, "I Love You This Big," went up to #1 on iTunes, that's not necessarily an indication of album sales. Regardless of what I think of his talent, I hope he does well, for the sake of the show's credibility.

Now, on to Lauren. Once James and Haley were voted out, Lauren became my favorite by default. Lauren has the potential to do well. She's in the vain of Carrie Underwood, which bodes well. But, to be quite honest, I don't believe she will have that level of success. With her, as well as with Scotty, she needs a great, catchy lead single for her debut album in the fall. It needs to stand out, and be one that can play regularly on country radio (and an added plus if there can be crossover to pop radio a la Carrie and Taylor Swift). I hope Interscope hooks her up with producers that have worked with Carrie, Taylor, or even Kellie Pickler (since she has had some catchy singles). And with her as well, I will be rooting for her to do well. Hopefully, during this process of making an album, she will gain a lot of experience that will help her to mature not only as a singer, but as a person, while still holding on to that bubbly personality.

When their debut albums come out later in the year, who will rein supreme? If I had to bet on it, I would go with Scotty, though I would love to see Lauren do better than expected. But, again, Scotty's going to have to beat Lauren in sales for the sake of the show. On iTunes at the moment, Scotty is doing better with his single. And how does this coronation song compare to the previous winning songs?

Kelly Clarkson: "A Moment Like This"
David Cook: "Time of My Life"
Carrie Underwood: "Inside Your Heaven"
Fantasia Barrino: "I Believe"
Jordin Sparks: "This Is My Now"
Lee Dewyze: "Beautiful Day" (cover)
Ruben Studdard: "Flying Without Wings"
Scotty McCreery: "I Love You This Big"
Kris Allen: "No Boundaries"
Taylor Hicks: "Do I Make You Proud"

I think I would put Scotty's single near the bottom. I preferred Lauren's over his. But it seems to be doing well, though I doubt it's because of the song itself.

Before I end this final Idol-Talk of the season, I want to take a look back over season 10 and see how everything stacked up. First, my correct prediction totals for the season: 18/25. These predictions are who, during the course of the season, did I correctly predict to make the Top 13, who I correctly predicted to be eliminated from then on, and who I predicted to win. Considering how unpredictable the show can be sometimes in the results, 72% ain't that bad.

Now, onto how many times I selected a performance as my favorite, from all the voting performances this year:

James Durbin - 8
Haley Reinhart - 5
Lauren Alaina - 5
Casey Abrams - 4
Scotty McCreery - 3
Jacob Lusk - 2
Thia Megia - 1

I think this seems about right. My favorites from the season (James, Haley, Lauren and even Casey) provided my favorite performances, according to this list compiled from my previous Idol-Talk blogs.

Now, let's go a little farther back to the audition and Holllywood/Vegas rounds. I always like to look back and see how many times I mentioned someone who eventually ended up making it into the Top 13.

My Favorites from Auditions/Hollywood/Vegas (that made it to the Top 13):
Naima Adedapo - 3
Thia Megia - 2
Karen Rodriguez - 2
Haley Reinhart - 1
Lauren Alaina - 1
Casey Abrams - 1
Stefano Langone - 1
Jacob Lusk - 1

Good/Average:
Lauren Alaina - 3
James Durbin - 2
Ashthon Jones - 1
Scotty McCreery - 1
Haley Reinhart - 1
Jacob Lusk - 1
Casey Abrams - 1

And there was one moment during the Hollywood/Vegas rounds that I thought Scotty McCreery should have been eliminated. Imagine that.

And finally, I've been tracking the Top 13's social media stats over the course of the season, only focusing on those who were still in the competition each week. But now that we have a winner and all is said and done, I'd like to track the entire Top 13 one more time and see how the order stacks up to the actual order (these stats were compiled during the first weekend after the finale):

1. Scotty McCreery - 526,455
2. Lauren Alaina - 291,843
3. James Durbin - 288,037
4. Casey Abrams - 205,930
5. Pia Toscano - 199,185
6. Haley Reinhart - 190,468
7. Paul McDonald - 146,499
8. Stefano Langone - 110,457
9. Thia Megia - 77,806
10. Jacob Lusk - 64,252
11. Karen Rodriguez - 39,512
12. Naima Adedapo - 39,154
13. Ashthon Jones - 17,082

Except for four names, everyone pretty much landed within one or less spots of what place they got on the show. Casey had a strong following, but was eliminated earlier. Same for Pia. Haley had the opposite happen: she placed near the top, but had a following around the middle (Jacob had a similar pattern as well). And only three contestants placed in the same spot they ended up being in: Scotty, Lauren and Ashthon. If you recall, Idol briefly allowed the Top 12 to have Twitter accounts last year, but that barely started before they shut it down. I don't know if they did it because it became obvious who was popular and who was not. If so, then why did they not only launch it again this year but keep it the entire season? With Nigel Lythgoe back on board, maybe that was his decision.

Well, another season gone. After these past four and a half months of mania, we can all relax now. But not for too long, because NBC's America's Got Talent starts back up (I'm planning on blogging that show as I usually do as well). Then come Fall 2011, it's the return of Simon Cowell (and Paula Abdul) in The X Factor USA. As I briefly mentioned in a previous Idol-Talk, I will be attending one of the Seattle audition tapings for X Factor in about a month. I'll be providing an On-The-Scene Report for that. Then American Idol will start back up all over again in January 2012 with Ryan, Steven and Randy all returning (no confirmation yet on Jennifer's return). And now, for the final time of season 10 - See ya then...

Idol-Talk: Season 10 Top 2

American Idol 10: Top 2
Air Date: Tuesday, May 24, 2011 [8-9pm]

Themes: Contestants Favorites / Idols Own Idols Choice / Debut Singles

Source: MjsBigBlog.com

It's the Final 2 and we're at the Nokia L.A. Live with 7000 fans in the theatre cheering along!

Lauren apparently blew out a vocal chord earlier and has been having a tough time with her voice. A doctor comes out and explains the situation.  They've given her medicine, and she's all ready to go for tonight.  Just think about that for a minute: This is the night you're competing to become the winner of the biggest show in America, and you're having vocal problems of that magnitude.

Round 1: Contestants Favorites

1. Scotty McCreery - Montgomery Gentry's "Gone"
No surprise here that he chose "Gone," which was one of his best of the season when he first performed it (if not his best). And for this encore, he brought the same energy to the stage and working the audience. His voice sounded in top form.

2. Lauren Alaina - Carrie Underwood's "Flat on the Floor"
Considering she has vocal chord problems, she did pretty darn good. You couldn't really tell until the latter half when she had to really belt it out that her voice almost gave out at times. Like Scotty, she chose to encore one of her best songs of the season.

The judges don't comment at all during this round. What's the deal?

Round 1 goes to Scotty, if only because he hit all the notes. But, obviously, that's no fault to Lauren.

Round 2: The Idols Own Idols Choose Songs

1. Scotty McCreery - George Straight's "Check Yes or No" (Chosen by George Straight)
George Straight chose a song that's comfortable for Scotty and fits his vocal ability. As he's proven before, with this type of a song, he can almost do no wrong with voters. My only problem was that it didn't let him stand out; a little too safe.

2. Lauren Alaina - Pam Tillis' "Maybe It Was Memphis" (Chosen by Carrie Underwood)
Both the songs in Round 2 were a little more subdued, more middle of the road in terms of tempo. While I thought that was a detractor for Scotty, it suited Lauren better here. I loved her voice on this one (great choice by Carrie!). And her voice was in control. One moment where she went to belt out a note, I thought she would strain it, but she didn't unlike in Round 1.

The judges gives comments on both rounds. They say Scotty won Round 1 and Lauren won Round 2.

I say Round 2 goes to Lauren as well.

We take a break from the competition for Taio Cruz to perform "Positive," the winning song from the songwriting contest earlier in the season.

Click on each of the below links to open up those studio performances in iTunes. You will not be charged for clicking on these links, only if you click 'buy' in the iTunes Store.

Round 3: Debut Singles

1. Scotty McCreery - "I Love You This Big"
To close out his set, "Gone" would've been a better song. This single, like all the rest, suits his voice as always. But in terms of a debut single, I would have preferred something more upbeat as his introduction as a recording artist in the music biz. Whenever he's done slower songs, I'e never been a fan.

2. Lauren Alaina - "Like My Mother Does"
This song fits the traditional ballad-like songs that we come to expect from the coronation songs. And it allowed her to close out the show showing off how beautiful her voice is. Going down to her mother while singing this song about mothers will definitely garner votes for sure. I actually just loved her voice on this one. There was only one moment where her voice was strained.

The judges comment after each performance during this round.

To me, Round 3 goes to Lauren.

To close out the show, David Cook takes the stage to perform this year's exit song, "Don't You (Forget About Me)."

Favorite Performances: Lauren Alaina ("Maybe It Was Memphis" & "Like My Mother Does") / Scotty McCreery ("Gone")

My Votes: Lauren Alaina - 100 votes

Winner Prediction: Scotty McCreery     
     Who Should Win: Lauren Alaina
     Who Will Win: Scotty McCreery

Runner-Up Prediction: Lauren Alaina

Below is the latest Idol social media stats (the combination of Twitter, Facebook and MySpace). These stats were compiled on 5/23/11 at 10:40pm.

1. Scotty McCreery - 320,976
2. Lauren Alaina - 198,285

No change there.

I'll comment more below, but to put it simply, Lauren won the night, but Scotty will win the show.

I have to say, I came in to this final performance show of the season not knowing who I would vote for. I say that because for the first time in the history of American Idol, my favorites aren't in the Top 2, and for the first time, I came into the night more objectively.

But I'm finally back to thinking logically, unlike last year's finale (or even the year before that). In Season 8, I overlooked the fact that Danny Gokey's votes would go to Kris Allen, thus ensuring his win over Adam Lambert. And coming into finale week last year, Lee Dewyze had had the momentum. Crystal Bowersox stumbled a little in the middle part of the competition, which helped Lee to coast all the way to the win. But after those two performed for the final time, Crystal just killed it with her final set and I mistakenly overlooked the Lee momentum and predicted Crystal to win only based on that final night.

I won't do that again this year. Scotty has had this in the bag the entire season. I don't know if I've seen that kind of continous momentum (maybe except for Carrie Underwood?). You can see how strong and solid his support system is just by looking at his social media followers versus Lauren (or anybody else who competed this year). Between him and Lauren, he probably has the best chance of having a successful music career. And we all now that's been lacking in our winners the past two years.

At the same time, I don't want to discount Lauren either. As you know, I'm not the biggest Scotty fan, so I would love there to be an upset and see Lauren win. It's unlikely, I know, but wouldn't that be great? And her stellar night last night helped her on this front, along with her vocal problems and singing to her mother. All of these fronts will help her.

Ultimately, though, it will come down to these words: "The winner of American Idol season 10 is...Scotty McCreery!" I wish them the best of luck in what's to come ahead.

Tonight (8-10:07pm) will be a star-studded two hours-plus of music stars, a Top 13 reunion, and I'm sure much, much more. I can't wait for Lady Gaga to perform "The Edge of Glory." Jack Black will be performing with Casey Abrams. I'm hoping that Steven Tyler takes to the stage. And at the very end of it all, we'll hear Ryan say the words we've been waiting all season to hear: "The winner of American Idol 2011 is..." with either Scotty McCreery or Lauren Alaina reining supreme and given the title of American Idol. See ya then...

Idol-Talk: Season 10 Top 3 Results Show

American Idol 10: Top 3 Results Show
Air Date: Thursday, May 19, 2011 [8-9pm]

Source: @HReinhartAI10

Over 95 million votes were cast, the biggest nonfinale vote. And 15 million more than last year.

The Top 13 (or at least most of them) were in the audience.

Video: The Top 4 visit Bad Robot Productions, where the genius that is J.J. Abrams introduces and shows clips to them from his new movie, Super 8. This must have been taped before James Durbin was voted out, because he was there with the other three.

Ryan talks to Elle Fanning, one of the stars of Super 8.

Video: Haley Reinhart Hometown Visit - Chicago, IL. Her hometown visit includes a sort of parade I guess you could call it (where she is the only person in the parade), reuniting with her family, a visit to her school, and finally a concert for her local fans.

Ford Music Video: "Smile." You notice that none of them actually sang on camera in this one? That's how produced these music videos have become now, they don't even need to sing anymore.

Il Volo performs "O Sole Mio." I've never heard of them before now, but they have unbelievable voices.

Video: Scotty McCreery's Hometown Visit - Garner, N.C. His hometown visit includes a stop at a local radio station, visiting family, baseball game, getting emotional in the limo, visiting his old job at the grocery store, and finally a concert for the fans. Josh Turner surprises Scotty on stage while he's singing.

Nicole Scherzinger (co-host for the upcoming X Factor) and 50 Cent perform "Right There."

Video: Lauren Alaina's Hometown Visit - Rossville, GA. Her hometown visit includes a radio station stop, local AT&T store, high school, seeing the devastation from the recent tornadoes, parade, concert and a baseball game.

The first person in the Top 2, who will compete for the title next week, is...Scotty McCreery! I knew they would announce his name first, because it makes us wonder who will be the other person. If they had said Lauren or Haley's name first, we would already know that Scotty would take the other spot.

And the final person to compete for the title of American Idol is...Lauren Alaina! Even though many of us were hoping for a deserving upset by having Haley stay in and compete, this outcome is completely predictable.

Haley Reinhart - Eliminated

This is the first time in the history of American Idol where two people of the same genre (country, albeit different types of country) have made it to the Top 2.

I have to say that when it comes to a Top 2, this is the first time in the history of this show where I have no idea who I will support or vote for come Tuesday night. Season 1 - It was obvious that it's Kelly Clarkson all the way. Season 2 - Both Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken deserved it. Season 3 - Even though, in hindsight, Fantasia is the better winner, Diana DeGarmo was my favorite at the time. Season 4 - Carrie Underwood was the obvious choice there. Season 5 - Katharine McPhee was my favorite against Taylor Hicks. Season 6 - Jordin Sparks all the way. Season 7 - David Cook, obviously. Season 8 - Adam Lambert, hands down. Season 9 - Crystal Bowersox was my favorite of the two. But my top two favorites are gone. At the start of the season, Lauren Alaina was my favorite. Then James Durbin burst onto the stage and he quickly became my favorite. And then Haley Reinhart became my underdog favorite. But both of them were eliminated in the last two weeks. And now we're left with Scotty McCreery, who has never been anywhere near my favorite, but who has provided some great performances at times. And Lauren Alaina, who was my initial favorite before James and Haley wow'd us.

Even though I would love an upset and see Lauren win, it seems obvious that Scotty will win. At the moment, my gut tells me to support and vote for Lauren even though he's at a disadvantage. But I'm ultimately going to wait until I hear each of their three songs and made a final decision.

The finale episodes will be at the Nokia L.A. Live theatre on Tuesday and Wednesday instead of the regular Wednesday/Thursday timeslots (since May sweeps ends on Wednesday). On Tuesday (8-9pm), Scotty and Lauren will take to the stage for a final chance at our votes, performing three songs each. Then on Wednesday (8-10:07pm), we'll have more than two hours of extravaganza with stars taking the stage to perform (including Lady Gaga with "The Edge of Glory"), and the Top 13 reuniting. Then when all is said and done, we'll have our tenth American Idol champion. See ya then...

Idol-Talk: Season 10 Top 3

American Idol 10: Top 3
Air Date: Wednesday, May 18 [8-10pm]

Themes: Contestants Choice / Jimmy Iovine's Choice / Judge's Choice

Source: mjsbigblog.com

The show expands to two (yep, that's right - two!) hours and they definitely used a lot of filler between performances.

Ryan reminds of James Durbin's shocking elimination last week. Even though he didn't make the Top 3, he still got a hometown reception after being voted out.

Click on each of the below links to open up those studio performances in iTunes. You will not be charged for clicking on these links, only if you click 'buy' in the iTunes Store. As of this posting, they are only listing three songs from the Top 3 on iTunes. I'm not sure if they only recorded one song each, but I'll update if there's a change.

The first round is the Contestants Choice, with Beyonce as the mentor (no Jimmy Iovine?):

1. Scotty McCreery - Lonestar's "Amazed"
What a surprise that he would choose this song! (Sarcasm fully intended). While I love this song, it's a safe choice for Scotty. His voice was as solid as usual, but at a week before the finale, you need to be great not good, and he was just good. Where's James when we need him?

2. Lauren Alaina - Faith Hill's "Wild One"
This was a great song choice for her. Choosing songs by female country stars like Faith Hill can certainly work to her advantage. I hate to repeat myself from Scotty, but her voice was solid as well. The difference is that Lauren wasn't boring. She's had some confidence problems once in a while throughout the competition, but her confidence was strong throughout this song.

3. Haley Reinhart - Led Zepplin's "What Is and What Should Never Be"
Round 1 goes to Haley! Her voice was great as usual, and the song allowed her to channel her inner rocker. Having her father play guitar will get her family votes, as will the fall as she headed back up on stage. But she got back up and continued on. There were some moments during the chorus where I was worried she got lost in the music, but she just nailed the song.

Round 2 is Jimmy Iovine's Choice, with Jimmy Iovine himself as mentor. The intro video before each singer's performance here revisits their auditions. I love seeing Lauren's audition again, because she had one of my favorite auditions this year.

1. Scotty McCreery - Thompson Square's "Are You Going to Kiss Me or Not"
Because "Amazed" is such a well-known song, it became very apparent that Scotty sounded just like the original. But this one is not as known, so I had a better time with it. So the song choice helped in that way, but it's also a detractor - not the best song to make him stand out and have a moment.

I believe it was after Scotty's performance when Randy and Ryan were joking around. Randy was wondering about Ryan's body waxing, and Ryan, always the quick-wit, came back at him, saying he's waiting for Randy to return it to him. Remember when Ryan and Simon used to do this sort of joking around? I miss it.

Before Lauren's performance, Ryan intro'd her backstage instead of on the stage, because her pantyhose ripped, and they had someone perfecting her legs.

2. Lauren Alaina - The Band Perry's "If I Die Young"
Jimmy picked such a great song. It's one of my favorite current country songs. Overall, Lauren did well with it, but there were a few moments where I wasn't sure, and maybe that was the 'caught up in the moment' thing the judges were talking about. Did she feel the emotion of the song? I'm not sure.

3. Haley Reinhart - Fleetwood Mac's "Rhiannon"
I loved the start - the control and focus. When the song picked up halfway through, her voice was flat for a while before she got back on track. But once she did, she did well for the rest of the song. It was slower and a nice balance to the rock song earlier.

Beyonce's "Run the World (Girls)" Music Video. Not the best song for someone like Beyonce.

Round 3 is the Judge's Choice, with the Top 3 finding out their song choice during the hometown visit. How come Haley found out her choice while she was in the car, when Scotty and Lauren were in front of huge crowds during the reveal?

1. Scotty McCreery - Kenny Roger's "She Believes in Me"
I'm glad the song picked up some a little way in, because the start almost put me to sleep. This slow song allowed us to focus on his voice, which was strong and solid. I loved the bit after the judges spoke when his father sang ("Baby lock them doors...")

2. Lauren Alaina - Lee Ann Womack's "I Hope You Dance"
This song fits Lauren's musical style and voice perfectly. And she didn't let down in the vocal department. There wasn't anything necessarily wrong with this performance, but my only criticism is that it sounded too much like the original.

3. Haley Reinhart - Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know"
When the song started, I wasn't sure why the judges picked this song, because she had a hard time with the verses - the low notes were flat. But as the judges said, she was brilliant on the choruses.

Favorite Performance: Haley Reinhart ("What Is and What Should Never Be")

My Votes: Haley Reinhart - 50 votes

Elimination Prediction: Lauren Alaina

Below is the latest Idol social media stats (the combination of Twitter, Facebook and My Space). These stats were compiled on 5/17/11 at 11:19pm.

1. Scotty McCreery - 259,261
2. Lauren Alaina - 164,194
3. Haley Reinhart - 136,317

Same order as last week.

Especially after James Durbin was eliminated last week, I know we shouldn't take anything for granted right before the finale and assume certain people will make it into the finale. But Scotty has been unstoppable from day one (and has been #1 online since the beginning as well), I think it would be foolish to think he won't be here next week. When it comes to this week's predictions, it's all about figuring out which girl will be with him: Lauren or Haley.

People are saying that the producers are gunning for a Scotty/Lauren finale. And I might have mentioned this last week, but there has never been in the history of American Idol two people from the same genre in the finale. And Scotty and Lauren are both country. True, they're different types of country (Scotty is more old-school, traditional country; Lauren is more modern pop country), but still country nonetheless. And for that reason, I am predicting it will be a Scotty/Haley finale. I don't think anyone would have predicted she would make it this far when we began the Top 13. But she has been the most improved, the most consistent, and the one who has provided the best live performances (aside from James Durbin). I have no idea how well or not she might do post-Idol, but for now, she deserves to compete for the title. And after the judges' relentless criticisms of Haley over these past weeks, I would love if she could stick it back to them and stay on.

Now, I don't want to discount Lauren at all. All three of the remaining singers are extremely talented and deserve to be here. But if Scotty and Lauren do end up splitting the votes, it will be Lauren who suffers as a result. She has a beautiful voice, and has had her moments a few times this year. And even though I don't know what the winning song will be, it usually fits someone with her voice better (unless they go the season 9 route and just do covers).

Personally, if I was making the decision, I would eliminate Scotty and have a Lauren/Haley finale. But we all know that's not going to happen. So, to recap, I'm going with Scotty/Haley for the Top 2, but not discounting Lauren either.

Tonight (8-9pm), we'll have performance by 50 Cent with Nicole Scherzinger, and Il Volo. And we'll find out which two singers will be here next week at the finale. See ya then...

Idol-Talk: Season 10 Top 4 Results Show

American Idol 10: Top 4 Results Show
Air Date: Thursday, May 12, 2011 [8-9pm]

Source: @JDurbinAI10

Almost 72 million votes were cast this week, the highest Top 4 vote ever.

James and Scotty perform "Start a Band."

Ryan announces more season 11 audition stops: San Diego, Pittsburgh and Houston.

Haley and Lauren perform "Gunpowder and Lead."

Video: The Top 4 connect with their families via Windows 7.

The first person in the Top 3 is...Lauren Alaina! My first thought is: Well, it seems obvious now that Haley's the one going home.

VIdeo: The Top 4 prepare for Lady Gaga as their mentor by watching her perform "You and I" on TV. The footage looks like its from her Monster Ball Tour, if not from the HBO Madison Square Garden special itself.

Enrique Iglesias performs "Dirty Dancer" with what sounds like the help of auto-tune.

Ford Music Video: "Fireflies." Love this song!

Jordin Sparks performs her new single, "I Am Woman." The performance begins with a video montage of a few of her previous songs. This new song sounds like she is going in a slightly different musical direction, more grown-up.

Steve Tyler's new music video for "(It) Feels So Good" is premiered. I've listened to this song a few times now, and I just love listening to it! It's such a fun song, and fits Steven's personality perfectly.

The next to join Lauren in the Top 3 is...Haley Reinhart!? Whoh! Now, while I'm a huge fan of Haley's, I never would have thought either Scotty or James would be gone before her. Does this mean now that James is a goner? I'm holding out hope that it's Scotty going home, but I know that thinking is probably useless.

Joining Lauren and Haley to battle it out next week is...Scotty McCreery! James is eliminated. And the Top 4 curse continues (Tamyra Gray, La Toya London, Chris Daughtry).

James Durbin - Eliminated

James performs "Maybe I'm Amazed." Lauren, Haley and Scotty look upset, but I bet inside they're thinking, Our big competition is out of the way. Scotty's biggest competition was James, and now that he's out of the way, there's no stopping Scotty not only being here to compete in the Top 2, but to have Ryan announce his name at the finale.

End Time: 9:02pm - two minutes after schedule end time

Having a Scotty/James finale would have been amazing to watch. Now, we all have to think about who might be joining Scotty at the finale. Lauren or Haley? Obviously, we can make cases for each. My first instinct says that it will be Lauren. But since both Scotty and Lauren are country (even though different types of country), I think they will be splitting the votes this coming up week, which will secure Haley a place in the Top 2. If you become a frontrunner from the start of the competition and peak too early, that might be your demise (Crystal Bowersox), leading the next-in-line to take the crown (Lee Dewyze). It's really all about how you do during the latter half of the competition. And because of that, there's a strong case for Haley being in the Top 2. I'll stop this conversation for now, because I can pick it back up when I make my official Top 2 predictions on Thursday morning.

On Wednesday, the Top 3 will perform three songs each (Judge's Choice, Jimmy Iovine's Choice, Individual Choice). Then on Thursday, Il Volo will perform, as will Nicole Scherzinger and 50 Cent. I'm not really familiar at all with Nicole Scherzinger, so this will be a good opportunity for me to see how she is on stage and familiarize myself with her before I see her on The X Factor this fall. See ya then...

P.S.-Speaking of X Factor, I wanted to say that I have secured tickets to see an audition taping of The X Factor in Seattle at the end of June. I can't wait!

Idol-Talk: Season 10 Top 4

American Idol: Top 4
Air Date: Wednesday, May 11, 2011 [8-9:30pm]

Theme: Songs that Inspire / Leiber & Stoller

Source: mjsbigblog.com

The show begins with footage from prior Top 3 homecoming events. This is the week we vote on which three will experience just that during the next week.

Click on each of the below links to open up those studio performances in iTunes. You will not be charged for clicking on these links, only if you click 'buy' in the iTunes Store.

The first round's theme will be Songs that Inspire:

1. James Durbin - Journey's "Don't Stop Believing"
When E! Online broke the news that James would be singing "Don't Stop Believing," I couldn't wait. But I thought they said he would be giving a mindblowing version; the arrangement sounded just like the original, though. But no matter, he did great on it. There were a couple moments where I was worried his pitch would be all over the place like last week, but overall he kept it in check.

2. Haley Reinhart - Michael Jackson's "Earth Song"
While the song fits the theme, it wasn't right for Haley and didn't completely fit her vocal range. There were some pitch issues in the middle. And while I normally love her growl, she went really overboard this time. And I'm not sure voters will like her talking back to the judges in the way she did after Randy and Jennifer critiqued her.

3. Scotty McCreery - Alan Jackson's "Where Were You When the World Topped Turning"
I'm a fan of many of Alan Jackson's songs, including this one. Strategically, it's the perfect song to get votes. And to sing a sing about September 11 not even two weeks after the death of Osama bin Laden - powerful, indeed. The judges focused on the song, but not on his vocals. He started out great, but went down a notch or two at the chorus, then was great again at the end.

4. Lauren Alaina - Martin McBride's "Anyway"
"Anyway" is such a great song, and Lauren went all in with it. Her voice was beautiful, and she's making up for last week's "Unchained Melody." Bringing up the tornados will get her votes. Round 1 might just go to Lauren, if not a tie with James. Based on Round 1, Haley's going home.

The Top 2 will take on the Leiber & Stoller Songbook for Round 2, with Lady Gaga joining Jimmy Iovine as mentor. She was a great mentor, really getting them to connect with the songs and put on a show. Also, they decided to change the performance order, different than Round 1. Wouldn't that make it a little confusing for some voters?

1. Haley Reinhart - "I Who Have Nothing"
This song gave Jordin Sparks one of her best performances back in season 6. After a stumble with "Earth Song" in Round 1, Haley came back for revenge with the judges. And Gaga helped her to put her emotion and attitude into the song and really go for it, and it paid off. There was a moment where I was worried the growl would hurt her, but it didn't.

2. Scotty McCreery - "Young Blood"
This was all about showing off his personality rather the vocals. He had fun working the cameras and audience, and I had fun watching him. But we're heading into the home stretch, and at this stage in the competition, we need a higher caliber performance from a potential winner.

3. Lauren Alaina - Elvis Presley's "Trouble"
Lauren gave us a range tonight - first a ballad, now an upbeat fun song. But she fell victim to what Scotty just went through, in that the upbeat songs showcase the personality rather than the vocals. Her voice was all over the place, especially during the last part.

4. James Durbin - "Love Potion No. 9"
James bookended the night, providing both a brilliant opening (on a Journey song) and now with the closing. His vocals were flawless. And I loved the ending where he kept stopping and teasing us on the final notes. Loved it! I can't wait to see him on tour!

Compilation Album: Top 4 Season 10: Click on this link to see the compilation album in iTunes of all of the above songs.

At the end of the show as the phone lines opened, Ryan reminded us that Daughtry was voted out during this Top 4 round back in season 5, so vote vote vote!

Favorite Performances: James Durbin (both songs) / Lauren Alaina ("Anyway") / Haley Reinhart ("I Who Have Nothing")

My Votes: James Durbin - 100 votes

Bottom 2 Predictions: Haley Reinhart / Lauren Alaina
I'm not sure if they will have a Bottom 2, or if they will just keep announcing who's safe until we have our eliminated contestant. If they will, then I have my predictions just in case. To make a strong case for Lauren, the producers might do away with the Bottom 2 so we don't know who's in the top or near the bottom.

Elimination Prediction: Haley Reinhart

Below is the latest Idol social media stats (the combination of Twitter, Facebook and MySpace). These stats were compiled on 5/10/11 at 11:25pm.

1. Scotty McCreery - 217,008
2. James Durbin - 158,122
3. Lauren Alaina - 138,923
4. Haley Reinhart - 109,945

Again, no changes from last week. And I expect this to be the order everyone ends up being in once all is said and done.

It seems like a given that Haley will be going home tonight. As much as I want her to stay around, I just think the other three have stronger fan bases than her. But again, Haley has grown so much throughout the course of the season and has gained a following along the way, so there is a chance she'll be safe. If she stays, then Lauren will be gone. We all know Scotty and James aren't going anywhere, so Lauren is the only other option. If I personally were to make the call, I would go with Lauren to go home instead of Haley, but I have to look at it more analytically. This is a really hard decision, because all four of them are extremely talented and it's going to be hard to see any of them go. Usually at this stage, there's at least one person who we're ready to see go, but it's different this time.

The Top 4 round has been a strange week on Idol. Most of the huge, shocking eliminations have occurred during this week: Tamyra Gray in season 1, La Toya London in season 3, and what went down as THE most shocking elimination in the history of American Idol, Chris Daughtry in season 5. Last night, I voted the most times I have done this year, for James. I will do whatever I can to make sure he's at the finale. We the fans and voters can't take things for granted and assume our favorites will be here next week, because history has shown us that won't always be the case. But regardless of what I just said, I don't believe Scotty or James will be gone; it'll be one of the girls.

Tonight's a jam-packed results show (8-9pm) with performances by Jordin Sparks, Enrique Iglesias, Lady Gaga, and the premiere of Steve Tyler's new music video. Oh, and one more contestant will be eliminated. With how many guest performers they have booked, I'm thinking there won't be a Bottom 2. See ya then...

Idol-Talk: Season 10 Top 5 Results Show

American Idol 10: Top 5 Results Show
Air Date: Thursday, May 5, 2011 [8-9pm]

Source: @JLuskAI10

60 million votes were cast on Wednesday night, the highest of the season.

The Top 5 perform "Happy Together."

Ryan announces some of the season 11 audition stops. Go to americanidol.com for more info.

Ford Music Video: "Be Yourself"

Video: The Top 5 visit Hell's Kitchen, where Gordon Ramsay instructs each of them to make an omelet. Many of them are disasters. But Lauren wins, with Jacob taking second place. I found this video to be hilarious, and we got to see these singers in a different environment, having fun and showing their personalities. To Be Continued...

Lady Antebellum performs "Just a Kiss."

Video: The Top 5 on song choice and picking out wardrobes.

Ryan says we might be surprised by the results. He didn't say it was a shocker, but that we might be surprised. Last week, he teased that we would be disappointed by the results, and Casey ended up going home. And yes, we were disappointed with that. Now, he says we might be surprised. Scotty and James would be shockers, so I'm ruling them out. No one would be surprised with Jacob going home, so he's ruled out. That leaves Haley, the one who's grown tremendously week in and week out, and Lauren, one who's fan base has grown stronger as the season progresses and has a chance at the Top 2. Since Lauren has a better chance at winning than Haley, I would say that Lauren is the only one to fit Ryan's tease.

The results begin, with Jimmy Iovine's video commentary returning.

James Durbin goes to one side of the stage (I'll call that Group 1).

Lauren Alaina begins Group 2.

Video: We're back in Hell's Kitchen. And the Top 2 from the omelet round are doing a blind taste test. It was hilarious to see their reactions to eating tofu!

Ryan, Randy and Steven are in the audience to introduce Jennifer. They act as if she's actually performing live right there and then, but it was pre-taped last week. You can easily tell when it switches over to the pre-tape and comes back live.

Jennifer Lopez, featuring Pitbull, performs "On the Floor."

Video: Teaser for Jennifer Lopez's new music video.

Jacob Lusk joins Lauren in Group 2.

Haley Reinhart goes over to Group 1 with James.

Finally, there's just Scotty McCreery left. Ryan tells him he's safe and not in the Bottom 2, and tells him to join the group that he thinks is safe. This is a tradition on American Idol, starting with George Huff back in season 3, who joined the group of Fantasia, La Toya London and Jennifer Hudson, only to find out that those three were actually the Bottom 3 (with J-Hud being sent home). And I still remember season 4 when Bo Bice was placed in this situation and refused to pick a group and sat down in the middle between the two groups.

Scotty refuses to join a group, and Ryan takes him over to Group 1, with James and Haley.

Lauren Alaina - Bottom 2
Jacob Lusk - Bottom 2 (Correct Prediction)

And now to the final results of the night:

Jacob Lusk - Eliminated (Correct Prediction)

Lauren's safe!

Jacob ends the show with "A House is Not a Home," ending the song with runs that are all over the place; he's just havin' fun and going out in his own way.

I'm seriously not understanding Ryan's tease earlier in the show that we might be surprised by the results. He must have just done that to freak us out, because out of the Top 5, Jacob's the only one I'd be least surprised to see go home. Oh well...

I have to say, the four that we have left are all really talented. There is no one in this group of Scotty, James, Lauren and Haley who is particularly weak or terrible, now that Jacob's gone. So I'm excited for the few remaining weeks we have left of the season; it should be good!

Next Wednesday, the Top 4 take on songs of Leiber & Stoller (I assume two songs each again), with Lady Gaga as mentor (can't wait!!!). Then during Thursday's results show, we'll watch the music video premiere of Steven Tyler's new single, and season 6 winner Jordin Sparks will perform. See ya then...

Idol-Talk: Season 10 Top 5

American Idol 10: Top 5
Air Date: Wednesday, May 4, 2011 [8-9:30pm]

Theme: Now & Then

Source: mjsbigblog.com

Sheryl Crow joins Jimmy Iovine as the mentor this week.

Click on each of the below links to open up those studio performances in iTunes. You will not be charged for clicking on these links, only if you click 'buy' in the iTunes Store.

The first round tonight will be the contemporary songs (aka the Now in Now & Then)...

1. James Durbin - 30 Seconds to Mars' "Closer to the Edge"
He started off a bit rough; since he's in his element in the upper register, the low notes at the start were flat. But he soon kicked it back up and delivered more solid vocals the rest of the way.

2. Jacob Lusk - Jordin Sparks/Chris Brown's "No Air"
Jordin Sparks has put out some great songs, and this is one of those. Jacob had the potential to do well with it, but failed miserably. For most of the song, he sang in extremely high notes; it seemed he tried to go even higher, but couldn't (as evident by his voice cracking). It felt to me as if he was trying to outdo James with those notes. And what was up with the wiggling motions he made with his body? If this is what he wants to do post-Idol, then he won't make it.

3. Lauren Alaina - Carrie Underwood's "Flat on the Floor"
I cringe whenever they do Idol covers, and I was curious to see if Lauren could pull it off (especially since both Carrie and Lauren are pop/country). And she just let loose and brought it. I love the song, and this is what Lauren should be doing. If she stays like this, she has a chance at the Final 2.

4. Scotty McCreery - Montgomery Gentry's "Gone"
Two excellent performances in a row! Scotty bores me many times, but when he delivers the way he did here, I'm a fan. If he continues along these lines, I could be on board, both on the show and after. His voice was perfect, he showed personality and proved why he should win.

5. Haley Reinhart - Lady Gaga's "You and I" (unreleased song)
Haley and Gaga in the same sentence? But you know what? It worked! I don't get why Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson were bashing her choosing this song. She brought her own style to the song, and I didn't really find anything wrong with it. I hope die-hard Gaga fans come out against the judges for what they said about the song.

And the final round will be the older songs (aka Then)...

1. James Durbin - Harry Nilsson's "Without You"
I love him choosing all different styles of songs. And to get emotional - it shows a deeper side to him than just the heavy metal/rock n' roll. In terms of the vocals, he was all over the place, flat on the low notes, sharp on the high notes. But he'll be here next week, especially since he'll gets sympathy votes. On a related note, Kelly Clarkson brilliantly sang this song back in season 1 (and I have to say that this one still goes to Kelly).

2. Jacob Lusk - Nazareth's "Love Hurts"
Now, that was much, much better than the first song. Even though this one also had a lot of high notes, he kept them more in check this time around. Depending on how the rest of the night goes, this could save him. But I hope it doesn't

3. Lauren Alaina - Righteous Brothers' "Unchained Melody"
Whenever I hear this on Idol, I think of Simon, since it's his favorite song. Would he have approved? Who knows, but Lauren delivered some beautiful vocals. However, the overall performance was just okay. The high note in this song is one of my favorite parts of the song, but Lauren didn't even try to attempt it, which was disappointing. And I wish she would have injected more emotion into it.

4. Scotty McCreery - "You're Always On My Mind"
With both Lauren and Scotty, their first songs should have been in this round, to save the best for last. Just when I put praise on him, Scotty has to go and return to the boring. He brought nothing new to this overdone song.

5. Haley Reinhart - The Animals' "The House of the Rising Sun"
I hope she's here next week, because this was one of the best performances of the night. The a capella at the start was beautiful, and she didn't lose anything when the music began accompanying her. What a great way to end the night!

Compilation Album: Top 5 Season 10: Click on this link to see the compilation album in iTunes of all of the above songs.

Favorite Performances: Haley Reinhart (both songs) / Lauren Alaina ("Flat on the Floor") / Scotty McCreery ("Gone")

My Votes: James Durbin - 60 votes
                  Haley Reinhart - 20 votes

Bottom 2 Predictions: Jacob Lusk / Haley Reinhart

Elimination Prediction: Jacob Lusk

Below is the latest Idol social media stats (the combination of Twitter, Facebook and MySpace). These stats were compiled on 5/3/11 at 10:10pm.

1. Scotty McCreery - 197,501
2. James Durbin - 140,331
3. Lauren Alaina - 126,290
4. Haley Reinhart - 92,866
5. Jacob Lusk - 55,703

The names in blue haven't changed their positions from last week to this week. The order remains the exact same as last week, so I don't really have much to add on this.

Jacob Lusk is guaranteed a spot in the Bottom 2. But the other spot may not be as easy to predict. I personally would not pick Haley to be there, but with the criticisms she received from the judges and the fact that she is usually in the bottom, that's why I'm going with her. There's a chance that James could join Jacob, but even if he is, he'll be safe because of receiving the sympathy votes for crying. Could Lauren and Scotty end up there? I doubt Scotty will be, but it could go either way with Lauren. But back to Haley for a moment. She was unfairly criticized by the judges, and I hope her fans came out in full force last night. This was actually only the second times this season where I voted for someone other than James (but of course I can't skimp on voting for James either), because she certainly deserves to stay, especially after giving the best performances of the night.

We've been waiting for weeks for Jacob to leave. Last week was just ridiculous that Jacob outlasted Casey. Scotty, James and Lauren have strong, solid fan bases. Haley stole the show last night. So that leaves Jacob, who was almost unbearable to listen to last night. If he stays, I am just going to be speechless. And when he is eliminated tonight, then we'll have a really solid Top 4 with a lot of talent to go around.

Tonight, we'll find out who makes the Top 4 (8-9pm). Can you believe we're almost at the finish line?! And there will be performances by Lady Antebellum and Jennifer Lopez. See ya then...

Idol-Talk: Season 10 Top 6 Results Show

American Idol 10: Top 6 Results Show
Air Date: Thursday, April 28, 2011 [8-9pm]

Source: @CAbramsAI10

At the start of the episode, Ryan Seacrest says, "A lot of fans are going to be disappointed with tonight's results." I didn't quite know what to make of this statement. Whenever there's a shocking or semi-shocking outcome, Ryan usually teases it right from the get-go. Whenever he does this, I try to pick up on key words he throws into that teaser. You notice he didn't say it would be a shocking elimination, but rather that a lot of people would be disappointed. If it was shocking, it would have been either Scotty or James. Using the word 'disappointed' tells me that it could be Casey Abrams or possibly Lauren Alaina. And then it wouldn't really be a shocker if Jacob or Haley got the boot. And when I was sifting through the names in this way, Casey's name kept coming back to me. And, unfortunately, I was right.

You know, Casey might not have always been consistently great (some were great and there were a few okay ones thrown in there as well), but he certainly brought a lot of energy to the show and we never knew what kind of style he would bring to the stage. Ever since the judges saved him, I never thought he had a chance of winning after that moment. But unlike someone like Pia, who while really talented, never brought the excitement or stage presence that Casey almost always did. I thought he would at least make it to the Top four or five. But I can't wait to see him on tour!

Video: Top 6 at the British Consulate for Brit Week. Just when I think I can escape from the beyond annoying royal wedding coverage and gossip for an hour by watching American Idol, think again!

Top 6 perform a medley of Carole King songs.

Ford Music Video: "Our House"

Crystal Bowersox performs "Ridin' on the Radio." She's bringing the total Crystal flavor with her signature funky mike stand and the huge rug covering the stage. Loved it!

Ryan asks the Top 6 questions provided by fans.

When Ryan calls up each of the contestants to face the results, we are shown a video with a performance recap as well as Jimmy Iovine's blunt and honest commentary on each of the performances. Not everyone may be on board with Jimmy yet, but I find it refreshing to have those brutally honest critiques on Idol. Steven, Jennifer and Randy have for the most part acted as if almost every performance is great and "beautiful," to quote Steven Tyler.

Haley Reinhart is called up first. After her video, the audio is gone for a moment, as we realize that Haley must have been bleeped after reacting to Jimmy's comments. But no matter, Haley is safe!

Scotty McCreery: Ryan tells Scotty to hang tight and sit back on the couch for a moment.

Lauren Alaina: Lauren also is asked to sit back down and wait out her results as well.

Casey Abrams: Ryan says the results will be coming soon...

James Durbin is rightly safe!

We're left with Jacob Lusk, Casey, Lauren and Scotty. Lauren is safe, which means that Jacob Casey and Scotty are in danger of going home. But never does Ryan say they are in the Bottom 3. I wonder if this is just something Nigel is trying out to mess with our heads, or if someone like Scotty or James was in the bottom and he didn't want us to see that. I doubt James was there, but still, I wonder why they did it this way. By making it seem as if Scotty's in danger, you know darn well that Nigel has now put that thought in his fan's heads to ramp up the voting even more to ensure Scotty wins.

Bruno Mars performs "Lazy Song."

Ryan wants to reiterate that the results are in random order, meaning the two safe people in this group may or may not have been in the Bottom 3. Jacob is safe. What!? I could understand it better if someone like Haley went home instead of Jacob, but to have him safe as a result of someone like Casey or Scotty going home? I don't get it.

Casey Abrams - Eliminated

Scotty's safe.

After the goodbye video, Casey performs "I Put a Spell on You." During the song, he gives hugs and kisses to each of the judges as well as many audience members. When he's back on stage and singing the final line, "You're mine," he's facing Haley and singing it to her. Well, I think that pretty much confirms they're together. I was actually expecting the song to end with him kissing her, but oh well.

Next Wednesday, the Top 5 will be performing two songs each, with the theme being Now & Then. Then on Thursday, Jennifer Lopez will take to the stage for "On the Floor" with Pitbull, and Lady Antebellum singing as well. And while I don't think it's confirmed, I thought I remember reading that Lady Gaga will premiere her "Judas" music video during the show also. See ya then...

Idol-Talk: Season 10 Top 6

American Idol 10: Top 6
Air Date: Wednesday, April 27, 2011 [8-9:30pm]

Theme: Carole King

Source: @mjsbigblog.com

Kenny "Babyface" Edmund joins Jimmy Iovine as a mentor for the Top 6.

The American Idols Live! Tour 2011 has been announced. Tickets will go on sale May 13; visit americanidol.com for all the information. Can't wait for this year's tour!

Each contestant will have two phone lines this week to help with voting.

Click on each of the below links to open up those studio performances in iTunes. You will not be charged for clicking on these links, unless you click 'buy' in the iTunes Store.

1. Jacob Lusk - "Oh No Not My Baby"
Out of everybody, Jacob has been most at risk of going home (and I'm glad Jimmy said as much). He needed to come out and give it his all. And you know what? He did. There were a few notes that were off, but you could tell he had a lot of fun and I had fun watching. Going first will hurt him, but if he goes, at least he would have gone out on a high.

2. Lauren Alaina - "Where You Lead"
She's starting to get back to her normal self again. That confidence showed through when she worked the stage and interacted with that one audience member. There were a few moments that bored me a tad (mainly at the start), but moments like the chorus were great. Did she plan to pull a random audience member up to the stage?

Haley Reinhart & Casey Abrams - "I Feel the Earth Move"
In the intro video, it was obvious that they're an item - they have great chemistry. And after their genius jazz duet two weeks ago, I think we were all wanting more from them. As far as the performance went, they put their chemistry to good use with beautiful harmony together. They had fun up there.

3. Scotty McCreery - "You've Got a Friend"
If you look at my past comments, you'll know I'm not the biggest fan of Scotty's. But tonight, he surprised me. Usually his slower songs bore me, but it wasn't so much that way this time. The arrangement, though, was interesting; there were times I didn't recognize the song. But if he can continue to be as good as he was here, then maybe I'll be more on board with him.

4. James Durbin - "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow"
Lately, we've had the rock and theatrical from James. This time, he changed it up and showed us another side of him. There were a few sharp notes in there, but it didn't distract me from how he performed it. The a capella at the start was brilliant, and I would've loved to hear him sing an entire song that way. I loved it!

Scotty McCreery & Lauren Alaina - "Up on the Roof"
I guess it seems obvious that they would pair the two country crooners together. This slow song allowed their voices to really come through, and I thought their voices really played off each other really well.

5. Casey Abrams - "Hi De Ho"
When they said the song title, did anyone think of Wilson from Home Improvement? Anyway...I haven't been that on board with his past couple songs, but I got really into this one. I liked the way he went around the stage, from the pianist to the guitarist to the backup singers. I loved the beat of the song - Casey's getting back to being Casey.

6. Haley Reinhart - "Beautiful"
Instead of going straight into the song after the intro video, we got Ryan and Haley on stage explaining a technical snafu. After Ryan left, did anyone notice him dancing next to the musicians? And did anyone feel like this could have been an ode to Steven Tyler's most over-used word: beautiful? But with Haley - I loved the ending more than the start; the vocals weren't perfect. But her voice is still great, regardless.

Jacob Lusk & James Durbin - "I'm Into Something Good"
I'm not sure if I was completely in love with this. James was definitely the star of the performance; I could hear the warble back in Jacob's voice. And what is the deal with singers and Jennifer Lopez lately? First Iggy Pop getting up in her face. Then Casey did pretty much the same thing and then kissed her. And now Jacob and James come up behind her and slide her chair away from the desk. That really caught her off guard. But they had fun together, working off each other really well.

Compilation Album: Top 6 Season 10: Click on this link to see the compilation album in iTunes of all of the above songs.

Favorite Performances: James Durbin / Casey Abrams / Scotty McCreery

My Votes: James Durbin - 80 votes

Bottom 3 Prediction: Jacob Lusk / Lauren Alaina / Haley Reinhart

Elimination Prediction: Jacob Lusk

Below is the latest Idol social media stats (the combination of Twitter, Facebook and MySpace). These stats were compiled on 4/27/11 at 5:05pm.

1. Scotty McCreery - 180,903
2. Casey Abrams - 134,858
3. James Durbin - 120,014
4. Lauren Alaina - 114,486
5. Haley Reinhart - 78,038
6. Jacob Lusk - 52,578

The names in blue haven't changed their positions from last week to this week. James had finally inched up from four to third place. And I expected him to stay there when Paul left, but Lauren took Paul's place, leaving James to head back to fourth. But now Lauren and James have switched places for the second time, and James is in third. It seems like James is slowly closing the gap with Casey. I would love to see a switch there pretty soon.

I have to say, this was a pretty solid and strong night of performances. There really weren't any terrible sets at all, which is refreshing for a change.

This week, it seems pretty obvious that Jacob will be the one heading home. While he did better than he normally does, he's been at the end of his run for a while now, and he sang first. And as usual, Haley will also return to the Bottom 3. What could help her beat Jacob is the fact that she performed last (not counting the final duet). I enjoyed her song, but she was a little off at times. Since we're at the point where half of the singers will be in the Bottom 3 this week, I don't think there's any way Haley can be anywhere other than in the bottom group. So, Jacob and Haley are obvious choices. But for that final spot, it could either be Lauren or Casey. Scotty and James will be safe, and rightly so, which leaves either Lauren or Casey. I could easily see either one being there. Some people might not have been completely on board with the style that Casey brought to his song, which could put him in danger. Lately, Lauren's fanbase has gotten stronger and stronger (based on her social media stats), which could help her. But voters may have forgotten about her by the end of the night.

Tonight, the competition will be narrowed down to the Top 5 (8-9pm). After Lee Dewyze returned this year earlier in the season, I was hoping that Crystal would be invited back as well. And here we go: Crystal Bowersox will perform tonight during the results show; I believe she will be performing "Ridin' with the Radio." Bruno Mars will also take to the Idol stage to perform. And Jennifer Lopez will perform her new single, "On the Floor," featuring Pit Bull, in a pre-taped performance. See ya then...

Idol-Talk: Season 10 Top 7 Results Show

American Idol 10: Top 7 Results Show
Air Date: Thursday, April 21, 2011 [8-9pm]

Source: @SLangoneAI10

Over 52 million votes were cast on Wednesday night.

Lauren Alaina, Haley Reinhart, Stefano Langone and Jacob Lusk perform "Hey, Soul Sister."

Ford Music Video: "World."

Casey Abrams, Scotty McCreery and James Durbin perform "Viva La Vida."

During Ryan's couch chat with the contestants, Casey shows a piece of art he received from a fan.

Casey and Jacob are up first to face the results:
Casey is safe!
Jacob Lusk - Bottom 3 (Correct Prediction)

David Cook performs "The Last Goodbye."

Video: The Top 7 go to a Dodgers game, then bowling and finally to the spa.

Lauren, James and Stefano are next:
Stefano Langone - Bottom 3 (Correct Prediction)
Lauren and James are safe!

Finally, only Haley and Scotty are left:
Scotty's safe.
Haley Reinhart - Bottom 3 (Correct Prediction)

Immediately, Ryan tells Haley that she's safe.

Katy Perry becomes a Lady Gaga-wannabe and performs "E.T" featuring Kanye West. It was oh so obvious that she was lip-syncing. Near the start of the song when she began walking towards the front of the stage, you could hear her voice singing but her lips weren't moving. Then, when she did start to move her lips, they weren't matching with the vocal. So, she tries to imitate Lady Gaga by dressing outlandishly. But Katy, if you're going to emulate her, you should try singing live. Gaga doesn't lip-sync.

The final results:
Stefano Langone - Eliminated (Correct Prediction)
Jacob's safe.

Stefano performs "Lately." James is visibly upset over Stefano going home. Based on that and their interaction after the song, they must have become close friends.

Now that Stefano's gone, none of the judge's Wild Card picks are left. This goes to show that the Wild Card round doesn't really impact the final outcome. The only exception to that was Clay Aiken, who made it to second place. But even with him, it was America's Wild Card pick and not by the judges. Another choice that made an impact post-Idol, though not on who won, was Jennifer Hudson (chosen by Randy).

Next Wednesday, the Top 7 will perform Songs of Carole King. And I can't, can't, can't wait for Crystal Bowersox to perform on Thursday! See ya then...

Idol-Talk: Season 10 Top 7

American Idol 10: Top 7
Air Date: Wednesday, April 20, 2011 [8-9:30pm]

Theme: Songs from the 21st Century

Source: mjsbigblog.com

At the top of the show, the Top 13 contestants that have been eliminated so far (Ashthon Jones, Karen Rodriguez, Naima Adedapo, Thia Megia, Pia Toscano, Paul McDonald) perform Pink's "So What." Paul sounded terrible against the girl's voices. Since Idol has made most of this year's episodes 90 minutes long, they're getting to that point now where they need filler. Enter: "So What." With only six next week, what will they do to fill the time then? Bring them back again? I doubt they'll have time for the Top 6 to do two songs each, so who knows.

After the song, the camera cuts to Mark Ballas (and his father Corky) from Dancing with the Stars, who is supposedly dating Pia. The two shows are on different networks, so it's obvious both are playing this up as much as they can: having Mark on Idol this week (Ryan even trying to get him to say something about it), and Pia will be on Dancing next week.

Click on each of the below links to open up those studio performances in iTunes. You will not be charged for clicking on these links, unless you click 'buy' in the iTunes Store.

1. Scotty McCreery - LeAnn Rimes' "Swingin'"
Another pretty solid vocal from Scotty. I actually really enjoyed it as it started. But he lost me at the chorus; that's when it started to feel pretty much the same as we've always seen/heard from him. Nothing necessarily wrong, but like Jennifer and Randy said, he needs to step it up and not take the safe route. But the audience just went wild whenever he hit the low notes. And when he went for it during the final note, he knew the reaction he would get, so he played it up as he was preparing to go for those notes.

2. James Durbin - Muse's "Uprising"
It looks like Lee Dewyze's bagpiper from last year has brought along his marching band drummers for James. From the outfit to the theatrics and the way he owned the stage (including the way he carried the mike stand), I almost could've mistaken him for Adam Lambert. He owned that part of the performance, but the vocals weren't the best. So I'm not sure if it was one of his best, but regardless, just when we thought his high notes couldn't get any higher, it did. This might be better as an iTunes studio recording.

3. Haley Reinhart - Adele's "Rolling in the Deep"
I was excited to find out she was doing Adele, because Adele has such a beautiful and unique voice, and the style of her songs fit Haley really well. To follow up on what Randy said, it wasn't perfect, but she's recovering from last week. On the plus side, she shone best during the chorus. As an aside, did anyone notice that Casey Abrams was missing from her intro video (where the others are supposed to talk about the singer who's about to perform)? Maybe he didn't want to do it because he thought it would show through his feelings for her (since they are rumored to be dating). But I think that his absence made it even more apparent.

4. Jacob Lusk - Luther Vandross' "Dance with My Father"
If you look at the types of songs he's sung so far, it's not surprising he would go with this one. I'm glad Randy called him out on the vocals and saying they need some constructive comments once in a while (is he listening to us?), because it was just okay. After being thrown off during the first line, I wasn't sure how the rest would go, but he came back with the same warble vibrato he normally gives us. Unfortunately, he may be safe because of why he sang this song (dedicating it to his deceased father).

5. Casey Abrams - Maroon 5's "Harder to Breathe"
I can't believe Casey had the nerve to kiss Jennifer on the cheek at the end there (let along get up in her face, closer than even Iggy Pop did to her). I'm not sure if the performance was the most cohesive. Some places such as the chorus just felt like it didn't match up to the original. But he picked it up during the last quarter of the song. And what was it that Steven Tyler said to cause him to be bleeped for the longest time? Randy and Jennifer's jaws were on the floor.

6. Stefano Langone - Ne-Yo's "Closer"
I wouldn't be surprised if this is the style he goes towards post-Idol. But regardless, I wasn't blown away - he didn't match up to the original. On the plus side, though, he improved greatly during the last half when holding out his notes. And he felt more comfortable on stage (dancing, and working the audience). The sex appeal that he obviously purposefully added in will help him with voters, but will it be enough to save him?

7. Lauren Alaina - Sara Evans' "Born To Fly"
It thought it was a pleasant performance. Nothing much more than that. The song didn't allow her to belt it out, so it may have been a safe song choice. I was a little let down when she basically said she's not as confident in what she can do. In order to change that, she needs to take risks, because it could pay off. She needs to believe in herself.

Compilation Album - Top 7 Season 10: Click on this link to see the compilation album in iTunes of all of the above songs.

Favorite Performance: I don't know that I had a favorite performance this week.

My Votes: James Durbin - 60 votes
Some busy signals at the start.

Bottom 3 Prediction: Haley Reinhart / Jacob Lusk / Stefano Langone

Elimination Prediction: Stefano Langone

Below is the latest Idol social media stats (the combination of Twitter, Facebook and MySpace). These stats were compiled on 4/19/11 at 10:30pm.

1. Scotty McCreery - 161,487
2. Casey Abrams - 116,542
3. Lauren Alaina - 98,650
4. James Durbin - 98,221
5. Stefano Langone - 74,549
6. Haley Reinhart - 62,463
7. Jacob Lusk - 47,103

The names in blue haven't changed their positions from last week to this week. Last week, Paul sailed above James. But now that he's out of the equation, I would have expected James to reclaim 3rd place. But Lauren, surprisingly, took that spot, keeping James in 4th. It seems she is slowly but surely gaining a bigger following. This shows that she has a chance at making the Top 2.

Haley, Jacob and Stefano have pretty much always seemed to be at risk. And except for Casey, it's only been those three in the bottom 3, of the remaining contestants. And it seems obvious that it will be those three in the bottom group this time around. I would just love to see Scotty in the bottom, but even though he performed first, I doubt that'll ever happen. And if it does, it will only make his fans make sure he wins. James wasn't at his best, but he knows how to put on a show, and I really hope he's not in danger. I could easily see him making it all the way to the final two without ever being in danger. Even though there was that strange week with Casey almost being eliminated a while ago, I can't figure out where he might stand in terms of the voting. And as I mentioned above with the social media stats, Lauren is continuously gathering a stronger fan base and will be safe.

Now, back to Haley, Jacob and Stefano. Haley is recovering from last week, so I hope she is safe. Jacob should have been gone a long time ago, but I have a feeling that he'll be safe. He will get the sympathy vote for dedicating the song to his deceased father. That leaves Stefano. The only way I can see him staying on is if his fan base voted even more due to the sex appeal factor that Stefano added in.

Tonight, yet another contestant will be eliminated (8-9pm). And season 7 champ David Cook will perform his new single, plus a performance by Katy Perry. See ya then...