American Idol: Season 11 Top 9 Perform

Okay, so that was one actually decent night of Idol performances!  But, it should be little surprise why.  The Idol producers pretty much said to this group, "Okay, you know that song you've been singing your whole life by the artist you idolize?  You can sing that this week."  Of course they're all going to sound their best.  They sang their favorite songs!  Obviously, this top 12 is here for a reason, so you let them have free reign on the song they want to sing, and they're going to sound their best.  You'd hope at least.  Obviously, there are still 1 or 2 artists that I can live without, and 1 artist that I still find absolutely predictable even if she is good!  But we'll get there.   In any case, I'm sure whoever is booted tonight will most likely be a surprise to the judges and maybe America.  So, there's a solid chance that tonight will be "SAVE" night.  I know who I'd pick to go home though, there's absolutely no question.  Let's not waste any time and get to the recap!

American Idol: Season 11 Top 10 Perform

Hello America!  Well, I've been waiting since season 2 for another night like this on the Idol stage.  Maybe the correct word is actually "DREADING".   You see, Billy Joel isn't just a legendary songwriter, pianist, vocalist.  He just happens to be my musical inspiration in life (outside of my family of course).  My parents took me to my first Billy Joel concert when I was 8 years old.  It was THE BRIDGE tour.  It was FANTASTIC.   I became so obsessed with Billy that I'd bring his music into 2nd grade for show and tell.  I would listen to tapes non-stop learning all the words.  Of course, this caused my Dad to have to mute out all of the "curse words" on those tapes.  Ahh good times.  Anyway, I also started playing piano when I was 4, and seeing this "Piano Man" on stage gave me the motivation to stick with the keys until I mastered them.  Well, that and my mother forcing me to play until I was at least 18! (thanks Mom!)   Anyway, I've seen Billy 10 times since that 1st performance, got laughed at in college when I told people he was my favorite artist before they really knew me, and cringed every time Billy got drunk and crashed into someone's living room with his car.  Sure, not the best role model in life, but that's what makes his music so good and meaningful.  As Jimmy Iovine said, Billy has had a pretty rough life and you can feel it in his music.  These green kids here don't know how to FEEL Billy's music.  And they couldn't in season 2 either.  So, I was prepared for the worst.  I can't objectively judge a Billy Joel night.  I'm too close to the music.  So, there were only a couple stand-out performances to me.  And let's just say this, the minute someone said "I didn't know this song until I heard it last week" I wrote them off immediately.   And Steven Tyler...FOR SHAME!!! You never heard of "She's Got a Way" ??!?!?!?!   I was speechless. 

Anyway, enough of my life story, let's get onto describing the butchering (and some brilliant renditions) of some legendary music!

American Idol: Season 11 Top "12" Perform

Hello Idol fans!   Another year, another weird controversy.  That's right folks, Jermaine Jones has left us as quickly as he returned to us.  He has some silly warrants out that pretty much made no sense and that disqualified him.  In all honesty, the spectacle they made of it with bringing out Nigel and Ken to fire him in front of the cameras made LESS sense.  But, whatever.  If you noticed, Ryan Seacrest chose his words carefully that everyone is in "danger" of elimination.  But he never once said that someone will be booted tonight.  At the end he said something about seeing who is going to make the tour.  My guess, before even getting into the recap is that no one will be eliminated tonight and EVERYONE left will make the tour.  I think they had a top 11 go on tour before.  But one thing they cannot do is mess with the Idol schedule.  If they eliminated someone tonight, then there would have to be a week at some point where no one goes home.  I haven't heard any mentions of the Judges' save this year either but maybe that's who they'll get around sending someone home.  I don't know.  But as far as the recap goes, I'll pick a bottom 3 and a "supposed" ousted contestant.  We'll see how things go!   This will be short again.

American Idol: Season 11 - Top 13 Perform

Hello everyone!  An episode filled with highlights medium-lights and low-lights.  It pitted the recently deceased Whitney Houston (RIP) for the girls against Stevie Wonder for the boys.  In a weird turn of events, it sounds like they're going all "X-Factor" on us for this results show.  We'll get a bottom girl and a bottom guy and the judges will pick who stays.  Weird, but whatever!  Pressed for time today, so let's get right into my commentary.