” I had a feeling that my time is up on American Idol”, says Cavanagh who, in her first try, got her rejection letter. She worked hard, probably had some music lessons here and there, and emerged a new person when she tried out. Placing fourth in American Idol is an achievement already for this Texan native.

So, it’s just Philip Philips, the singer who wants to assert his “originality” even if he sounds like a cat, Joshua Ledet who sings like a lady diva and moves like one, and Jessica Sanchez, who at sixteen, wants to fast forward everything just to be a sexy diva.

Randy Jackson says that this year’s top singers are the best of the best. Well, sometimes I don’t believe him. He always say that every single season.

What I am certain about is this–even if Philip Philips wins this season, Jessica is assured of an album and so does Joshua Ledet.

American Idol Results:

As I predicted yesterday, Jessica and Joshua were the first two saved while Phillip Phillips and Hollie Cavanagh were left to see which was going to be eliminated. As expected Hollie was the one that was cut from American Idol, unfortunately it was her time to go. As much as I don’t think Phillip Phillips is worth the American Idol title America got it right with this top three. Cavanaugh sang her best song of the competition by Mylie Cyrus to close the show while her best friend Joshua cried on the couch to her right. The Top 3 will return to their hometowns this week for a “heroes welcome”. American Idol returns next Wednesday at 8:00 EST on FOX.

Jennifer Lopez Idol Performance:

All year I have wondered if JLo really wanted to be apart of American Idol or if she was just collecting a pay check like Stephen Tyler. Last night JLo performed her newest single and must have forgot that this is a family show and young people are the target audience. Lopez, entered the stage with her boobs hanging out, which has been made famous by Christina Aguilera’s performances on The Voice. Then as the performance continued she was flanked by half naked men doing raunchy dance moves. Now, the man that I am I thought she looked good, but the responsible person I am felt that this was very tasteless. Lopez, has been a “judge” for two seasons now and should know that this isn’t the MTV Music Video Awards, its American Idol.

Houston Family Reality Show: 

Once again we see how people in the music and entertainment business will do just about anything for money. It was announced this morning that the family of Whitney Houston will start production on a reality TV show for the Lifetime Network. The show will be called “The Houston Family Chronicles” and will include Whitney’s mom Cissy and her daughter Bobbi Kristina.

“The series will follow Pat and her husband, Gary, Whitney Houston’s brother, as they take on their greatest challenge, supporting and guiding Bobbi Kristina as she faces the world alone, without the one person she relied on the most, her mother,” the network said in a statement.

It has been just about 4 months since the iconic yet troubled singer died unexpectedly while drowning in a bathtub with traces of cocaine in her system. When Houston died we were subjected to 24/7 coverage of her passing and she was idolized, but there is a problem here. Yes, her music was amazing and her voice was second to none but she was hardly an idol, she was a drug addict. This is the wrong message to be sending to our kids, Whitney Houston should not an idol to your kids, our children should idolize their parents and family and be fans of people that are great and have good morals.

While we were forced to see how the Houston grieved over their loss we now see that they overcome the grief quickly. Not 4 months after Whitney Houston’s death they agree to do a reality show about her. Making money off a death is ridiculous and just goes to show you that people will do anything for money. I for one, will not be one of the people watching this show!

Till next time…

Rini

We were devastated by Hollie’s elimination on Idol. But it makes us feel much better to see her answer these 10 questions in such an upbeat manner, just minutes after her elimination.

You can see all of her performances from this season of American Idol right here.

Hollie dishes about Phillip Phillips, mud riding with Skylar Laine, who she would love to do a duet with and her debut album.

Last night, America’s vote determined who would be journeying to their hometown this week for a “hero’s visit.” Joshua Ledet will be visiting Westlake, Louisiana, Phillip Phillips will be visiting Leesburg, Georgia, and Jessica Sanchez will be visiting San Diego, California. McKinney, Texas native Hollie Cavanagh will be going home, but not for a visit.

Cavanagh’s performances of “Faithfully” by Journey and “I Can’t Make You Love Me” by Bonnie Raitt didn’t conjure up enough votes to keep her in the Top 3. However, she will be joining her Idol friends on tour for the American Idol Live! Tour this summer. Until then, she spoke to the media about her time on Idol.

Jamie Ruby with ScifiVision.com
JR: What kind of album do you see yourself making?
HC: I’d like for my album to be kind of on the pop side but with a little bit of soul.  I’d like to make music that’s, you know, on the top of the charts right now.  So somewhere along those lines.
JR: Can you also kind of talk about the Idol mansion and what it’s like living there?
HC: It’s crazy.  The house is so big and, as it got a few of us left, it just seemed bigger each time.  It was a lot of fun and I was very blessed to have been in such a nice house like that, so it was really fun.

Todd Betzold with realitywanted.com
TB: My first question is just of everything you were able to experience and have those moments throughout this season, which one was your best or most favorite moment?
HC: I think probably when I sang “Rolling in the Deep” and “Son of a Preacher Man.”  I think that was definitely my turning point on the show, but definitely also “The Climb” because that was my first standing ovation on the show.
TB: There are only three singers left, so who do you think is going to take it all this season?
HC: I honestly have no idea.  I’m definitely with America and the judges on this one.  I have no idea because the show can go either way and you honestly just don’t know.  But whoever it is, it’s going to be—I mean, they’re all amazing so it’s definitely going to be a fight to the finish line.

Mike Hughes with TVAmerica.
MH: I’m going to ask you—I like to do it as a little different version of that question.  I don’t want you to pick who’s the best or who’s going to win, but you’ve just got this great perspective.  You’ve seen people closer up better than anyone else.  If you could, please, just each person, just tell us a little bit about what you find interesting about that person either as a person or as a performer.  Just something interesting about them.
HC: Phillip is very unique.  The way he performs you don’t see a lot of people perform like that.  He has his very own style and his voice is amazing.  Josh, I mean, he takes you to a whole other place when he sings.  If you watched the show, he amazes everybody each week.  And, of course, Jessica is only 16 and the way she sings—she sounds like she’s in her 20s.  She’s amazing as well as the other two, so it’s definitely going to be tough.  The finale is going to be a big one.
MH: Just to follow up on that one.  Jessica is the only one in school.  Some of the stories talk about—they say you are now a soccer player in high school, but you graduated this last year, didn’t you?
HC: Yes.  I graduated already.
MH: So as you sit there and watch her, you can kind of enjoy the fact that you’re a grown-up and out of school and so on.
HC: Yes.  It was definitely something I was glad I wasn’t doing.

Matt Carter with Examiner.com.
MC: Well, I know you had a pretty close friendship with Joshua while you were on the show and in the mansion and all that.  So when did you guys first become friends and how much downtime did you guys really have to hang out in the midst of everything that is going on?
HC: We started to get really close in Hollywood week and then kind of after that, we were just attached at the hip from there.  When he would rehearse, I would be in there watching him rehearse and when we could ever go out to dinner, we’d go out to dinner.  Like me, Josh, and Skylar, we’d always be out and any time that we had, we just kind of hung out and relaxed and kept each other sane.
MC: What has it been like for you to have, not just praise from people on the show, but so much praise from people who have been on this show—I mean, Carrie Underwood and Lauren Alaina are two people who have been very much in your corner at times this season.
HC: It’s been amazing just to know that they watch the show.  Especially Carrie when I sang her song.  Obviously, it was amazing to get good feedback from Carrie because it was her song, but it’s just crazy the support that we get and it’s just really a blessing.

Michael Jodha with CTV.ca.
MJ: I just wanted to ask you a little bit about your performances from last night.  When you sang “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” Jimmy had said that you didn’t quite understand the song, but afterwards when Ryan was discussing it with you, you said that it was a song you’ve always liked, especially the lyrics.  My question is do you agree with Jimmy’s comments or do you stick by your performance as being as faithful as how you intended to sing the song?
HC: I definitely stand by that song.  I love that song, and I think the lyrics in that song are so beautiful and I’ve loved that song for so long.  I’m really glad I got to perform it.  As far as what Jimmy said, I definitely felt that song, and I understood the meaning of it, but it didn’t come across the way Jimmy wanted it to and that’s fine.  I re-watched it and I do agree that there could have been some parts that I could have did more with it, I guess, but I think I stand by it.  I just really enjoy performing that song.
MJ: One of the performances I really liked was when you did the duet with Jessica.  I’m just curious—how hard was it to actually sit or sing on the swings during “Eternal Flame.”  Like how hard was it to perform that song?
HC: It was interesting but it was a lot of fun.  We had fun in rehearsals with those swings.  We’d try to swing high and get in trouble because the lights up top, but it was a lot of fun.

Michael Weinfeld with the Associated Press Broadcast.
MW: I understand that you woke up that morning with a gut feeling that you were going to be voted off.  Where did that feeling come from, do you think, and had you ever felt that before in previous weeks?
HC: No.  There was definitely something different about that day.  I’m not sure what it was, but I guess it was just my gut just telling me.  I was just preparing myself for it, but at the same time staying hopeful because you never know what could happen.  But I’m not quite sure what the feeling was, but it was just different than every other Thursday.
MW: And when you make it to the final four, the pressure is just incredible.  Where did you go?  What do you guys do to alleviate the pressure and what do you do for fun?
HC: We just kind of hang out at the house or maybe go get some dinner or something like that.  There is not really much we do.  We don’t really go crazy because we’re so tired most of the time so we just kind of hang out with each other and just take our minds off our songs a little bit and just mess around and play jokes on each other and just have a little fun.
MW: What sort of jokes?
HC: Just like pranks—like Josh would always try to scare me like 24 hours of the day.  Skylar did it and Colton did it.  Joshua was trying to buy a bunny to put in Phillip’s room just for the fun of it.  Just crazy things.

Rodney Ho with the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
RH: You took a lot of criticism from some of the judges and some of your fans got really angry.  Do you think that may have actually helped you, in a sense, that your fans kind of rallied around you whenever you were in the bottom three?
HC: A lot of people say how I feel about how people thought that the judges were really hard on me but I kind of took it in a positive way to keep fighting and I think that’s how my fans saw it as well.  They saw me wanting to keep fighting, so I think they just had my back and got me through each week.
RH: You didn’t get a lot of airtime going through Hollywood, but I guess over time, people picked up on you.  Did it worry you when you watched the show and said, “Oh my, God, where am I?”
HC: At the beginning, I was a bit—my friends were like, “Are you sure you tried out this year.  Are you sure you’re on the show?”  I was like, “Yes, I’m coming on there.  I promise.  I got showed in the Vegas week.  I think it helps me, in a sense, though.”  I was okay with it.  I had like 20 different thoughts going through my mind about why or why it wasn’t shown.  I think it was a good thing.

Tiffany Wan with Wetpaint Entertainment.
TW: My first question for you is a lot of people were kind of calling you the dark horse, and I think Randy even said it, kind of the dark horse of the competition.  How did you feel about that description?
HC: I mean I would take it as a compliment, I guess, you could say.  I never really looked into what everyone was saying.  I really was focusing week by week and making sure that my songs were right and my songs were good enough.  I just went out there and I wanted to improve each week.  I think that people were seeing an improvement in me each week.  I definitely feel like I’ve grown so much.  I’m just really proud of that.
TW: My follow-up to you is what do you feel like was your hardest week on the show in terms of the theme?
HC: I think my hardest one was definitely Billy Joel week.  That was one that was not a great one for me.  It was a tough one.
TW: Anything in particular tough about it or just it wasn’t really your strength.
HC: Yes.  It just wasn’t really my style and, obviously, I had like two different songs and then I ended up with “Honesty” and I had never heard that and I was learning it.  It was a very tough song but I got through so I was glad.

Michele Angermiller with the Hollywood Reporter.
MA: I have a question about a lot of contestants this season seemed to have said that they had never heard of the songs that they were assigned by Jimmy or whatever.  Do you think maybe it would be easier if the themes were more current?  Because you are a pop girl.  You always do well on the current songs.
HC: Yes, I mean, sometimes it’s difficult when we get songs and we have no idea what they are, but I guess that is the competition.  You’re going to get songs thrown at you that you don’t know and you have learn.  You don’t have a choice, so that was part of the competition, you could say.  Sometimes we did wish we could sing songs that are on the radio now because a lot of teenagers and all that watch, but I think it would have been nice to have a mixture of both like a lot, but I think they have done that pretty well this year.
MA: Were there any British artists you wish you could have done during British week?
HC: There was a lot.
MA: I’m sure you had a wish list.
HC: I was going to do a Spice Girl song and change it up, but  I stuck to Leona.

Beth Kwiatkowski with Reality TV World.
BK: So when I talked to Skylar last week, she said you were convinced you were going to be the one eliminated but she kept insisting to you that you were going to be surprised.  What was going through your mind last night?  Did you think you were going to be eliminated again and therefore weren’t surprised with the results?  I know you said you had a little bit of a gut feeling, but were you surprised at all?  You didn’t end up crying.  You seemed to take it really well.  It almost seems like you were prepared for the news.
HC: When Skylar was there, I was very shocked at that one because Skylar had killed it every week and she’d done amazing every week.  That was a shock to me.  This week something was just different than I felt last week.  Skylar kept insisting that it wasn’t me going, but you just never know.  But this week I think I just felt it.
BK: Okay.  There hasn’t been a female winner of American Idol since Jordin Sparks and I think it was 2006.  Do you think a woman can actually win at this point or do you think, given the voting public seems to be largely girls, do you think the show is just going to keep having guy winners every year?
HC: I think it’s tough for girls now because there are a lot of girl votes that go for the boys.  But you never know in this show.  The three that are left – they all have the biggest chance to win.  They’re all going to bring it each week.  I know they are.  It’s going to be tough for America, I know that. 
BK: Do you think Jessica Sanchez is capable of pulling that off?
HC: Yes, of course.  She’s amazing.  She’s definitely capable of winning and so is Josh and so is Phillip.  It’s a tough one.

Alex Gonzalez with La Prensa de Houston.
AG: So you’ve had some really amazing mentors this season.  You have Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, and Stephen Tyler giving you advice each week.  Which judge or mentor has given you the best advice and what advice is that?
HC: I think I’ve definitely always felt loyal to Jennifer because she’s been with me—she’s always been rooting for me and always had my back since last year and always believed in me.  I think she’s definitely been a big inspiration for me since last year and this year.  In my mentor sessions, I would definitely say that Stevie Nicks was a big one for me because we kind of had a moment and it got really personal and beyond the lines of me in a singing competition.  She really just cared about us at that moment and wanted to help.
AG: What are you going to miss the most about being on Idol and what are you most looking forward to about going on tour?
HC: I think all the American Idol crew and production and everyone.  It’s so fun working over there with them.  They’re all so nice and just so loveable and you just have a good time.  That’s going to be hard leaving all that.  Even leaving the Idol stage is going to be difficult because we spent so much time there.  It’s like our new home, so it’s going to be difficult, but we’re all excited for the tour—to just start singing for our fans and not being judged and just enjoying.  We love to sing.

Sammi Turano with TV Grapevine.
ST: My first question for you is out of all your fellow competitors, which one do you most want to collaborate with?
HC: I would love to do a duet with Josh.  That would be amazing because he’s amazing.  I’ve done a duet with Jessica and I’ve done one with Skylar so far in the competition, so I’d like to do one with Josh.  That would be pretty fun.
ST: My other question for you was you got a lot of good advice from the judges.  What kind of advice would you give your fellow competitors and future competitors of the show?
HC: I would just say to be confident in yourself and have self belief.  If you’re going to go for it—go for it.  Don’t let anybody steer you in the direction you don’t want to go and stay true to yourself.  Anything could happen and you just have to believe that and keep pushing forward.  If they try to bring you down, you just pick your hat up and you just try harder the next time and prove them wrong.

Mike Hughes with TV America.
MH: Hollie, I’ve never met anyone who moved from Liverpool to Texas.  That’s such an interesting contrast.  When you did that, what did you find interesting about what was different about the way people here live life or something?
HC: It’s like a huge dramatic change.  I went from a completely different lifestyle to this lifestyle but it was a good change.  My dad moved us out there to be here and follow our dreams here and make a better lifestyle for us.  It was a good change.
MH: It was a change in what way?  How do we live differently here?  What did you notice about life being different here?
HC: In England where I lived it was very like you do the same thing every day like see your family and do this or do that.  It’s here there is so much more to do, I guess.  Like I can go out and achieve something like this.  Much more of that makes sense.

Moderator: Unfortunately, we are out of time, so Hollie, do you have any closing remarks?

HC: Just to all my fans just thank you and thank you for everybody’s questions.  I definitely hope to see what happens in the future and we’ll see what happens.  And to all my Holliepops, you are all amazing so thank you guys so much.

Hollie Cavanagh sadly didn’t make the Top 3 on American Idol on May 10. The 18-year-old isn’t letting the elimination get her down, though! She told HollywoodLife.com all about how judge Jennifer Lopez’s sexy performance on the show gave her motivation.

“I honestly thought it was amazing, I think of it as a inspiration because she dominates the stage,” Hollie says about J.Lo’s steamy Idol number with her backup dancer beau, Casper Smart. “Nobody can touch her and she will do what she will do and people are going to love it. I look up to that because that is what I need to learn as a artist.”

As for Hollie’s predictions about who will be crowned the next Idol, she’s surprisingly not convinced the title will go to her BFF Josh Ledet!

“At this point, I am exactly with America,” she says. “I have no idea.”

As for Josh’s feelings about that?

“He would probably agree,” Hollie says. He sits there every week and I’ll be like ‘Your performance was amazing’ and he’ll be like ‘you never know’ and I say it to Jessica and she says ‘you never know” and I say it to Phillip [and he says] ‘you never know.’ America’s sitting there like ‘Oh, I don’t know who’s going to win’ and the judges are sitting there saying that and I’m here saying that. You honestly don’t know but the top 3 are amazing so whoever wins it’s going to be an amazing finale.”

We agree! The American Idol summer tour with top 10 contestants kicks off July 6, and Hollie says she’s already thought about who she’d love to perform with!

“There’s a lot of songs that I’d like to perform,” she says. “I’d like to do mine and DeAndre’s ‘I’m So Excited’ just because I’ve always wanted to do a duet with DeAndre [Brackensick] and then I got the chance… So I would like to do that again. It was really fun. Maybe do a duet with Skylar [Laine] or Josh [Ledet] or something like that, that would be a lot of fun. I think that everyone is so different that even people like me and Jessica [Sanchez] we are such big singers and small, we are still different. I’m more of the pop side and she is more of the full on R & B Soul. So I think that once the tour comes around I think all of that thinking will go out the window. So if we crack on a note people will be thinking that it was the best cracked note they ever heard. Its going to be fun and enjoyable.”

What do YOU think, HollywoodLifers? Who do you think Hollie should do a duet with on the American Idol tour?

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–Reporting by Russ Weakland

More Idol:

1. Jennifer Lopez Performs With 25-Year-Old Lover On ‘Idol’
2. ‘American Idol’ Results: Did Hollie Cavanagh Survive?
3. Simon Cowell Wants To Do Britney Spears ‘X Factor’ Announcement On ‘Idol’

Sadly Thursday Night Hollie’s roller coaster ride came to an end. The 18 year old got the least votes from American and is out of the running to become the next American Idol. Considering there were times that it looked like Hollie would get knocked out, she persevered and delivered week in and week out with strong vocals.

Hollie got better as the competition progressed. Improving on her perceived weakness of connecting with the song and the audience. But in the end the soccer loving girl couldn’t win enough of America’s hearts.

Here is a look back at the Idol run of McKinney’s own Hollie Cavanagh. We know we’ll be seeing a lot more of her then just this.

“All The Man I Need”

“The Power Of Love”

“Jesus Take The Wheel”

“Honesty”

“Flashdance”

“Perfect”

“Son Of A Preacher Man”

“Rolling In The Deep”

“The Climb”

“Save Me”

“Bleeding Love”

“River Deep Mountain High”

“Faithfully”

“I Can’t Make You Love Me”

Jessica Sanchez showing her emotions after singing And I’m telling you by Jennifer Holiday

After eight years, finally, Another Half-Filipino makes to the top 3 of American Idol. As Jessica Sanchez blew everyone’s mind and heart on her unbelievable rendition of And I’m not telling you (I’m not going) by Jennifer Holiday, it is expected that she’s going to advance on the next round, as she proves that she deserved “the save” by the judges.

Back from her previous performances, Sanchez was quite on the rough road after choosing unfamiliar songs which shunned the judges of giving her a standing ovation.

So as she sang And I’m not telling you, I’m not going, she’s definitely back. Everyone was astonished even Jennifer Holiday, hardly believing that a 16-year-old skinny little girl nailed and killed her song.

Anyway, Hollie Cavanagh finally ends her journey. So as Jessica advances to the top 3, we have to show our support by voting her – POWER VOTING FOR JESSICA SANCHEZ

Here’s how it played out.

First off the final four sang California Dreamin’.

The final four get to hear critique of Wednesday night’s performances from resident mentor Jimmy Iovine. First up was Phillip Phillips followed by Hollie Cavanagh. The critique was interupted with a performance from past Idol David Cook before Joshua Ledet and Jessica Sanchez heard Jimmy’s thoughts.

Before any results are revealed judge Jennifer Lopez performs.

Now to the results:

Jessica is first to find out she’s safe, followed by Joshua – should be the final two in my eyes.

Then Hollie is told her journey is over and Phillip is still chasing the dream.

First thing’s first – we lost Skylar last week. While I can’t say that I am surprised to see her go, I am disappointed. I would have rather seen one of our other two remaining girls head home. Skylar may not be as technically gifted as Jessica and Hollie, but she brings WAY more charisma and stage presence. She is a more complete package RIGHT NOW than either of those two.

BUT – the show must go on, and go on it did this week! Our top four (yes, they belong to all of us now) all performed well and, in some cases, made loud claims to the title! But only one can win, and it appears more and more like it will be Joshua. Let me rephrase – it IS Joshua. I don’t even care if he fails to make it to the finals. He IS this year’s American Idol. You can argue for someone else if you want, but you are wrong. This is his season. And last night he declared it to be absolutely so with his performances. And then he bought a creamsicle from Randy.

Alright, back to last night’s show! There were two themes. One was “Artists from, or songs about, California”, which actually could have just been the former since none of the songs were the latter. Round two’s theme was “Song’s you wish you had written”, which Ryan kept wanting to change to “songs you were inspired by” for some reason. Which theme is it, Ryan? Quit writing fake-proposal comedy bits with your girlfriend and make a decision here! And speaking of uncomfortable bits on last night’s show, what was with the Rock of Ages Director chumming it up with the final four at the Idol Mansion? Did anyone else hear the crashing of derailed train metal during this segment? And speaking of train-wrecks, what was with Jessica and Hollie swinging in syncopation at the start of their vocally horrific duet? Natalie calmly stated “I think this is the lamest thing I’ve ever seen on American Idol”. Yes, my dear. I believe you are correct.

Okay.  Let’s rank each round, starting with the California round:

1.  Joshua Ledet – “You Raise Me Up”   So good.  Dude is on another plain.  And Stephen actually thought he was a plane, which I didn’t work very hard to try to understand.  They even pulled out the A.I. choir for this one, as Joshua actually WAS lifted up.  This sounded great.
2. Phillip Phillips – “Have You Ever Seen The Rain”  Strong vocals tonight from Phillip.  He was pulling from somewhere deeper than I’ve heard him go before.  This was rough and gravelly, and I liked it a lot.  BUT – I still think he is stronger when he has guitar in hand.  Still, good to see Phillip pushing himself again.
3. Jessica Sanchez – “Steal Away”   This Etta James song felt way to mature for Jessica.  I didn’t buy her singing it, which made it uninteresting.  Technically?  Sure, she’s solid.  But I still don’t connect to any emotion from Jessica and can’t shake a general dislike for her.
4. Hollie Cavanagh – “Faithfully”   The judges went coo-coo for Cocoa-puffs on this one.  I had a completely different reaction and thought this was easily the worst performance of the night (save for the throw-away group sing).  It seems clear that Hollie chose this song so she could dazzle on the final notes, which she kind of did.  But everything leading up to that sounded too low and out of her register.  And I felt she was not at all connected to the emotion of this song.  Bad song choice for Jessica.

And now round two, in which I thought everyone was great and it almost makes no difference which order I put them in.  Except for…

1.  Joshua Ledet –“ It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World”   Oh.  My.  GOD.  Seriously, why are we even letting America vote anymore?  All that can happen is that they might screw things up and vote Joshua out.  I mean, you know Skyler’s votes are going to get split between Jessica and Hollie and completely get in the way of what’s right.  Can’t we just end the show early and declare Joshua the winner?
2. Jessica Sanchez – “And I Am Telling You”   Wow.  This was awesome.  Look, I admit I don’t like Jessica because she is void of any emotional connection to the songs she sings, but she delivered this with everything she had inside of her.  She was emotionally exhausted by the end.  Amazing performance.
3. Phillip Phillips – “Volcano”   I can’t believe I am ranking this third, it was so good.  This is why I like Phillip – he’s an artist, not just a vocalist.  This was Phillip the artist doing his thing with excellence.  It was haunting and engaging and beautiful.
4. Hollie Cavanagh – “I Can’t Make You Love Me”   Wow.  Are the judges watching a completely different show when Hollie performs?  They practically cried tears of joy over her mediocre performance of ”Faithfully”, then had no kind words for her on this one, which she absolutely owned!  This was a beautiful and deeply connected performance.  My only criticism is that she and the arrangement tried to go to big toward the end, and this is a song that delivers it’s power by staying small.  Still, this was a great song choice for Hollie and she delivered it beautifully, despite what the judges were told to say.

So, despite my defense of Hollie’s second performance last night, I believe it is her turn to go.  Honestly, she should have left us about three or four weeks ago.  But, I like how she has shown improvement during her prolonged stay and actually seems to be developing into a marketable talent for someone.  But probably not Jimmy.  And speaking of Jimmy, I need to go watch the results show and see if he and I still see things eye to eye.  Be back in a bit.

Cavanagh closed out the show by performing Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb,” remaining composed while fellow contestant Joshua Ledet wept as she sang.

Almost 70 million votes were cast to determine Thursday’s outcome. Audience voting was based on performances on Wednesday night’s episode during which contestants sang songs by artists from California, followed by songs they wished they had written.

Cavanagh first belted out “Faithfully” by rock band Journey, and the show’s judges marveled that she was hitting her stride. Panelist Randy Jackson said her rendition “did him proud.”

The judges, however, were less enthusiastic about her second selection, Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me.” Jackson called it “the wrong choice at the wrong time.” Jennifer Lopez told her there was “a little too much vibrato,” and mentor Jimmy Iovine was the most blunt, saying Cavanagh “crashed and burned.”

At 18-years-old, Cavanagh’s failure was chalked up to her lack of real-life experience with heartbreak that was needed to infuse the song with proper emotion.

On Thursday’s elimination episode, Lopez rose from the judges’ table to perform her new song “Dance Again.” Season 7 winner David Cook also stopped by to serenade audiences with his “The Last Song I’ll Write for You.”

“Idol”, which first aired in on Fox in 2002, has launched the careers of singers Kelly Clarkson, Adam Lambert, and Jennifer Husdon, among many others. Now in its 11th season, the show continues to be the most watched reality show in America.

Audiences vote for their favorite performers by phone and text message each week as contestants are challenged by a variety of musical styles. The winner receives a recording contract following the final episode later this month.

So with the inevitable out if the way, I can turn my attention to some interesting things. The first interesting thing is this: according to TV Guide, My Girl Jessica will be the first Idolist to score a national gig! Just four days after the Idol finale, she will be performing at the National Memorial Day Concert event airing May 27 on PBS. She will be singing the national anthem and The Prayer.

And speaking of My Girl performing, how about the comment by Tommy Mottola[1] who called Jimmy to say he will be going to see her in concert? That’s a strong statement.

Another interesting thing is given what Evil Eye Jimmy had to say about last night’s performances[2], what did The Most Evil Genius of Evil Genius Producers Nigel Lythgoe think? Here are his two tweets from last night in order:

• Without question Joshua and Jessica were outstanding with their final songs.
• Phillip’s “Volcano” proved to me that he is a true artist. I was disappointed with Hollie’s songs. I wish she’d stuck to her first choice!

I wonder what other song My Reinstated Girl Hollie had in mind and which performance Nigel thought needed replacing. It also strikes me that he, like Jimmy and I, thinks more of Joshua and My Girl Jessica than he does of Five-Note P².

Having said that, Evil Eye Jimmy was spot on regarding FNP² about the addition of the sax on Have You Ever Seen the Rain. I did notice it and thought it was cool but was too bored by the vocal to pay it any more mind. That’s why he’s Jimmy Iovine and I’m just some self-proclaimed know-it-all who writes a blog. And please note FNP² fans, I did agree with Jimmy and Nigel how good he was on Volcano last night and said so in the blog.[3]

So the Idol fight to the finish is down to the last three. Despite one momentous Bottom Three scare given to us involving my Girl Jessica and Joshua, this is the right Top Three. From the start, these were the three that were the most impressive and the most unique. The fact that each is so different stylistically is one of the reasons this season has been so enjoyable and you can include people like Skylar, Elise, Colton and DeAndre in that group of people who really stood apart in terms of style.

I’m already on record as thinking the winner should be either Joshua or My Girl Jessica. By getting to at least third, Joshua now has the second-best finish by a male of color.[4] However, I won’t be a bit surprised if Five-Note P² wins given the trend of the last four years’ winners and the fact that he has never been in the Bottom Three. Not since Season Two has the winner been in the Bottom Three.

But the far more interesting question is this: who needs to win? In other words, which Idolists’ careers need the validation of the title American Idol? And that question I will answer in my next article.

But before their fate was revealed the foursome kicked the show off with a snoozy version of “California Dreamin”” by the Mamas and Papas.

Then, we got down to business, or so we thought. First up, double P as Ryan said. Jimmy called Phillip’s performance the beginning of Phillip coming into his own. But Ryan didn’t reveal a thing. He told Phillip to return to “the couch,” but said, those are not the results. Which means what?

Next up was Hollie, who struggled on her second showing last night. Jimmy understood why the judges were okay with Hollie’s Journey showing, but he didn’t agree. And of her Bonnie Raitt performance, Jimmy said, “she hit the opera button” and “crashed and burned.” But still, the torture for us and them continued as she too was sent back to the couch.

Read more: http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2012/05/10/american-idol-season-11-who-was-voted-off-tv-recap-4/?mod=google_news_blog

Image from Mike Licht, Notionscapital.com via Flickr, used under Creative Commons

Josh and Jessica deserve to stay on. Phillip and Hollie will probably stay on. Will this crazy show prove me wrong?

First, here are the musical performances in order they were on the show.
1. Top 4 – “California Dreamin’” This performance reminded me of the Disney Hall of Presidents. When the lead vocal fell to a contestant, they suddenly became animated and emotionally invested. When they fell to the background they became stiff like an inert animatronic. Based on Josh’s expressions they were probably lip synching in the background.

2. Ford Music Video: The behind the scenes montage was longer than the video itself. Jessica can conjure up plantlife.

3. David Cook – “The Last Song I’ll Write For You” The guy who started the whole “only low key white guys with acoustic guitars win Idol” thing is boring me to tears. The midtempo neo-grunge adult contemporary music sounds really dated. David isn’t even doing anything interesting vocally. If Chris Daughtry performed this song back in season 5, he would have been accused of phoning it in.

4. Jennifer Lopez – “Dance Again” I get the feeling whoever wrote this song was listening to a lot of Moroder-era Donna Summer. I understand the idea, but the execution feels like everyone involved is going through the motions. By the end of the song, J.Lo wasn’t even trying to lip synch (though she can still dance.) The takeaway: when you finally make it, you never have to perform live again. Singing live is for chumps.

Bottom 2
1. Hollie Cavanagh: The Freddy Krueger of Idol (six proper films in the franchise before it went meta, six times in the bottom for Hollie) continues to lurk in the depths of this show’s rankings, ready to eviscerate every contestant slightly less popular than her.

2. Phillip Phillips: Haha made you look. He’s totally going to win. At least Josh and Jessica will make him work for it.

The Loser
Let’s call this episode Freddy’s Dead, because after this round Hollie is finally out of the game! I flung a lot of venom Hollie’s way, but I commend her for lasting this long. She beat out at least a few contestants who I felt were far more talented (cry for Elise and Skylar), despite having a performance style barely beyond pageant contestant. It was a shame because Hollie really could sing. Going forward I think she should try work out the music she likes beyond what she thinks will work in a performance competition. From there she can find the emotional connection that she was lacking in her Idol run. This crazy show did prove me wrong, at least halfway. Two weeks left!

After airing the weekly Ford commercial where Phillip was conspicuously missing, he was called up to hear his fate.  Hometown Hero’s welcome and final 3?  Or an end to a long journey?

After a review of last night’s performances and Jimmy Iovine’s opinion, Ryan sent him back to the couches to keep waiting.

What an annoying way to fill the hour and keep suspense.

Hollie was up next with the same fate as Phillip…to wait on the couches.

David Cook returned to promote his new single, “The Last Song I’ll Write For You”.  This is a beautiful heartache song, and it was great to see Cook, a real rocker, back on the idol stage.

Joshua got pulled up with the same result, as was Jessica.

All four contestants sat on the couch, each anxiously awaiting the news.  They’d have to wait a little more, however, as Jennifer Lopez commanded the arena with a sultry song and dance.

I’m not sure how appropriate it is for a judge on a talent show to be promoting her own upcoming music and tour, especially in a sexy outfit.  One thing’s for sure, though.  She is gorgeous, has fun dance music, and her tour with Enrique Iglesias is gonna be en fuego!!!  Lots of fun and international times to come!!!

Dim the lights, here we go, the first person heading to the final three is…

Jessica Sanchez!

The second person to make it through…

Joshua Ledet!!

Inset painful commercial break here.

Two left.  Phillip Phillips?  Or Hollie Cavanagh?  Both go home, but one gets to do so as part of the final three.

Oh the agony of being so close…

Two different styles.  Both talented.  One more comfortable on stage.  One with a more powerful voice.

Last person in is…

Phillip Phillips!!!

Best wishes to Hollie.  She’s evolved so much from the beginning.  Her swan song was the torturous words of the lovely tune, “The Climb”.

Final 3.  Game on.

The remaining four had to sing four times: one solo of a California song, a solo of a song they wish they had written, a duet of a California song and a group song.

Here’s my rundown and some videos of Wednesday night’s performances:

CALIFORNIA ROUND (song had to be about California or performed a by a California band)

Phillip Phillips, CCR’s Have You Ever Seen The Rain – Sounded like so many of his other songs. Best thing about that performance was the sax player.

Hollie Cavanagh, Journey’s Faithfully – Wonderful voice. Wasn’t excited by the song. Her high notes are amazing.

Joshua Ledet, Josh Grobin’s You Raise Me Up – Based on talent and past performances the title should be Joshua’s to lose. Another stellar performance.

Jessica Sanchez, Etta James’ Steal Away – I love when she gets down with the bluesy stuff. That was some great singing. Wow.

Phillip and Joshua, Maroon 5′s This Love – Definitely better than last week’s duet. Sounded good together.

Hollie and Jessica, The Bangles’ Eternal Flame – Great song for the voices. I didn’t get the swings at the start of the song.

All four, Foreigner’s Waiting For A Girl Like You – It was OK. There voices meshed really well together.

WISH THEY WROTE ROUND

Phillip Phillips, Damien Rice’s Volcano – Now that sounded more original. That was better Phillip. The judges raved how much that was what Phillip is all about.

Hollie Cavanagh, Bonnie Rait’s I Can’t Make You Love Me – Very emotional song. Her voice is so pure.

Joshua Ledet, James Brown’s It’s A Man’s World – The judges are right. He is the best singer they’ve ever had on the show – no contest. Best performance ever on the show? Judges couldn’t wait to get up for their standing ovation.

Jessica Sanchez, Jennifer Holliday’s And I’m Telling You – Only one left who could legitimately knock off Joshua. She can really blow as judge Randy Jackson would say. Only 16 -Yikes. She really commits to a song. Judges on their feet again.

What a way to wrap up a show with those final two performances.