CONGRATS TO PHILLIP & EDDIE IDOL's FAREWELL

Season 11 Idol Winner, Phillip Phillips

I know I'm a little late to the game here, by about a week, but who's counting.....so I'll finally say CONGRATS to Phillip Phillips, American Idol's Season 11 Winner.

It certainly wasn't the outcome I was hoping for, as I thought for many weeks that it would be a Jessica and Joshua finale, as those two were far superior vocally to Phillip. With Joshua ousted the prior week, I thought Jessica was certainly the odds on favorite to take the title. But....America thought otherwise, and as the saying goes, it is what it is. So let it be written.......so let it be done.

With that said, this is my farewell and FINAL post to the Eddie on Idol blog, as I've decided that there will be no more posts on this year's or on any future seasons of American Idol competitions.
It's been a really FUN ride! From the days of posting my personal e-mails season after season to those close to me and who were truly interested in what I had to say, to Kimmy taking those thoughts and posting on my behalf to the Mercury blog, and finally to me taking over the blog the last few seasons. I always tried to be professional, but yet a bit 'edgy' and 'racy', and throw in a bit of that 'eddie-sarcasm' too. I always felt the need to add some flair to the posts, telling it like I thought without mincing words, and maybe at times over-stepping the boundaries of what I should and shouldn't say, but all in all, I tried to have fun with it, and I hope you all enjoyed reading my Idol recaps.

SPECIAL THANKS to those who have followed and supported the Eddie Idol journey for many years, including sweetheart Kathy, brother Ron, cousin Gregory, sister Judy, niece Pam, co-worker and friend 'Orange' Ray, special friends Pete and Mary, Cindy at the Mercury, Eileen and Diane at the Mercury, Publisher Tom Abbott, media partner Jim Lucas, and last but not least, the gal who started me on all this, Kim Toth, who cannot be given enough THANKS for all her support and help through the years. THANKS KIMMY.....YOU ROCK!!!

Final THANKS to all those readers who have taken the time to follow me through the Mercury's 'Town Square',  your support has been very much appreciated!

Now......as Ryan would so often say....it's time to dim the lights.....and here we go........as Eddie Idol is.......OUT!

Cheers........Ed



IDOL FINALE: SONG GRADES....& WHO SHOULD WIN?

Jessica Sanchez and Phillip Phillips, Season 11 AI Finalists

For one last time, well 3 times actually, we watched and listened last night as Jessica Sanchez, the little girl with the BIG voice, and Phillip Phillips, the laid-back guy with the quirky facial expressions, battled each other for a shot at the Season 11 Idol Title. And for much of the night, I thought it was a pretty good battle, until the final performance by Phillip, which had the judges giving him a standing ovation and once again, putting him on a pedestal for America to vote him in as the Season 11 Idol Winner. Will it happen? Probably.....Should it happen? NO, it shouldn't. Let's go Round by Round and hand out some grades here......dim the lights, here we go....

Round 1: Simon Fuller’s Song Choices

Simon Fuller picked “I Have Nothing,” a Whitney song, for Jessica. Phillip got to perform “Stand By Me.”

Jessica had a much tougher song and pulled it off gracefully as she does with all Whitney songs. Well done version....GRADE: A-
Phillip struggled through parts of his as he's done all year trying to reach some notes.....it was just OK, and clearly no way near Jessica....GRADE: B-

ROUND 1 WINNER: JESSICA



Round 2: Contestants’ Favorite Song Choice from Season 11

Jessica....chose to sing 'Prayer", a song she did back in Vegas Week, and it was absolutely an incredible vocal, damn near perfect! She really showed off her control and range vocally, and it was another shining moment for her for sure....GRADE: A
Phillip......chose to perform “Movin’ Out” by Billy Joel, from Billy Joel Week earlier in the season. He surely showed here he can make a song his own! He did it well, with special thanks to the blond sax player as well....GRADE: A-

ROUND 2 WINNER: JESSICA.......by a small margin


Round 3: The potential 1st Hit Singles by each contestant

Jessica.....obviously received some very bad advice here on song choice at a very critical moment, and struggled through 'Change Nothing", a song that was very forgettable. She sounded off key a bit, and the judges did not like it either.....sad way to end the night for her.....GRADE: C+
Phillip.....was obviously schooled correctly and chose to sing "Home", complete with a frekin' marching band to help him through it, wow! Flashbacks for me when Lee DeWyze performed with a marching band in Season 9......and yet another Lee DeWyze-like performance from Phillip, yet the judges do everything they can to heap praise on him and anoint him the winner....GRADE: B

ROUND 3 WINNER: PHILLIP

So....after all that, the edge clearly is in Jessica's favor. And one must wonder, does one final 'winning' performance by Phillip an Idol winner make? It shouldn't!

Going back over the 11 weeks of performances from this season, Jessica has clearly been much more consistent and clearly the better vocalist of the two. It's because of her consistency and her ability to sing a wide range of music, and more so above all else, because of her amazing voice...... 

 I believe Jessica Sanchez should be the Season 11 winner of American Idol.

Will she have the support from America's Votes to pull it off tonight? I sure hope so.....but...I also won't be shocked if it doesn't happen.

MORE FROM EDDIE IDOL WITH MY 'FINAL' SEASON 11 IDOL POST TOMORROW......AFTER THE BIG 2-HOUR+ FINAL SHOW ON FOX TONIGHT!! 

IDOL UPDATE: SEASON 11 FINALE TONIGHT!

Jessica vs. Phillip, Season 11 Finale

Where has Eddie Idol been? No recap of the TOP 3 last week, say it ain't so! YES......I watched the show on some down time during my fishing trip to Potter County, unfortunately, technology was at a minimum up there and I was not able to post any thoughts to the blog. Needless to say, that was probably a good thing....as I was very disappointed in the show itself, worst of the year in my opinion since the TOP 24 was announced, and even more shocked when the BEST male vocalist was voted off with Joshua Ledet leaving and being denied a shot in the Finale tonight against Jessica Sanchez, which was my Season 11 Finale prediction all along.




Phillip's home visit

So instead of Joshua we get Phillip Phillips in the Finale tonight, thanks in large part to the judges last week, and let's throw Jimmy Iovine in the mix here too, for putting on a 2-hour 'Phillip Phillips Pimping Show' for us all to watch and languish over. There's no way that Phillip is even close to Joshua vocally. As a musician and stage performer, he may be better, but vocally he can't compete even on his best performance with Joshua.  But....this is what America has given us, so as the old saying goes, to quote EI follower Cindy Levan, 'it is what it is'.

On the other side of the stage we'll have the very talented and top female vocalist of Season 11 in Jessica Sanchez. There was never a question in my mind that Jessica would be in the Finale, she's that good! I said it before and I'll say it again here, she's the BEST vocally on the show in the last two years, and the best since Adam Lambert. Barring Idol setting her up to fail like they did last week with horrible song choices, she should win this thing going away. She's well, and she's trending well ahead of Phillip in social media.  As of noon Sunday, Jessica had nearly 389,500 followers on Twitter to more than 312,000 for Phillip. Jessica also led in Facebook 'likes', nearly 233,500 to a little more than 191,000 for Phillip. That shows she has a very strong following. Hopefully all goes well tonight for Jessica and tomorrow we get our first female Idol winner since Jordan Sparks won in Season 6.

OK.....that's the wrap-up from Eddie Idol on the 'FINALE ON FOX'! Who do you think should win? We'll see what happens after tonight and America votes for the SEASON 11 WINNER tonight on FOX! More from Eddie Idol......after the FINALE performances tonight!

PS--Leave it to Idol to throw one more curve at us. After week after week of two-hour performance shows all year long, Idol is only an hour show tonight, from 8-9 PM. So you can expect a very rushed show, why this decision I have no idea....and one that runs over the one-hour time slot, so set those DVR's accordingly.

IDOL UPDATE: TOP 4 GRADES & WHO GOES HOME?

AI Season 11, TOP 4....Can Hollie get enough votes to hold off the others?

Last night's IDOL TOP 4 Performances show had a dual theme: 'California Dreamin' (contestants picked songs from artists in CA or songs about CA) and 'Songs You Wish You Wrote' (Songs they love and wish were there own). Here's what they chose to perform:

California Dreamin' (Song Choice #1)

• Phillip Phillips-Creedence Clearwater Revival's Have You Ever Seen the Rain
• Jessica Sanchez- Etta James' Steal Away
• Joshua Ledet- Josh Groban's You Raise Me Up
• Holli Cavangh- Journey's Faithfully

Songs You Wish You Wrote (Song Choice #2 w/Jimmy Iovine as the sole Mentor)

• Jessica Sanchez- Jennifer Holliday's And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going
• Hollie Cavanagh- Bonnie Raitt's I Can't Make You Love Me
• Phillip Phillips- Damien Rice's Volcano
• Joshua Ledet- James Brown's It's a Man's Man's Man's World

I found it interesting that several songs chosen were done by the TOP 4 of The Voice over the last two weeks....coincidence? I think not! Oh well....based on what went down last night, and with a celebrity-type visit back home coming up on the line for the TOP 3, dim the lights....here we go!.......

BEST OF THE NIGHT:

JESSICA SANCHEZ.......I know I'll get some arguments here from EI followers Pete and possibly Orange Ray as well, but I rated both of her performances slightly better than Joshua's last night, and her final one, the Dreamgirls hit "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" was arguably one of the BEST ever on the Idol stages! WOW!!!! It was an incredible performance and it was based on that exceptional vocal that I give her the edge over Joshua and a spot in the FINALS....OVERALL GRADE: A 

ALMOST AS GOOD:

JOSHUA LEDET......I graded him in the A's as well, but I wasn't as blown away with either of his songs as the judges were, mainly because I heard both songs performed, and performed better I might add, by Chris Mann and Juliet Simms on "The Voice" over the last two weeks. Don't get me wrong, Joshua had a great night, and he deserves a spot in the FINALS....OVERALL GRADE: A- 

 

BOTTOM 2:

PHILLIP PHILLIPS.....His rendition of CCR "Have You Ever Seen The Rain" was boring and forgettable, and the choice to do an unknown and abstract song "Volcano" was better, thanks mainly to the backup singer who helped him out big time. But I was not as impressed as the judges were. I'm hoping, for the 3rd straight week by the way, that he gets sent home tonight, and I think he deserves to go home more so than Hollie......but sadly....he has all the millions of teen girls supporting his efforts....so he's probably safe...OVERALL GRADE: B-

HOLLIE CAVANAGH......Talk about being thrown under the bus!! YIKES! The Judges may have officially sealed Hollie's fate with the lackluster comments after her 2nd song "I Can't Make You Love Me", which I thought was way better than the judges did. The judges obviously showed NO LOVE at all toward her. It'll be a shock if she's in the TOP 3, and if so, it just might be even a bigger shocker that the person who goes home would be someone other than Phillip....could it happen? Hmmmm....we shall see tonight.....OVERALL GRADE: B-

WHO GOES HOME?:

Well, as I already stated, I think the person who SHOULD go home tonight is PHILLIP PHILLIPS, but sadly, the person most likely headed home early, and not the way she was hoping to go back home to TX, is HOLLIE CAVANAGH.....I'd love to be wrong here.....but NOT at the expense of either Jessica or Joshua! If either of them go home tonight, IDOL should just be embarrassed and pull the show off the air after this season!



OK.....that's the wrap-up from Eddie Idol on this week's TOP 4 performances! Let's see what happens after America votes in your 'IDOL TOP 3' tonight on FOX! More from Eddie Idol......after the show!

IDOL UPDATE: TOP 5 GRADES & WHO GOES HOME?

TOP 5, Season 11, American Idol

Last night the TOP 5 on Idol, with Little Steven  as the mentor, sang two songs each, one from the 60's and one from British hits of the past, leading to some interesting song choices and a variety of performances.  I have no idea how America will vote tonight, but I'll give my thoughts here on who should stay and who should be sent home......dim the lights, here we go....

BEST OF THE NIGHT:

Hollie Cavanaugh......Rising from the ashes similar to Haley Reinhart did last year, Hollie is back! She had two back-to-back stellar performances last night, leading off the show with 'Tina Turner' like energy and finishing with a slowed down version of "Bleeding Love" that was very well done. She's peaking at the right time, and there's no way she deserves to be in the Bottom 3 tonight, but you never know with the way America votes.....OVERALL GRADE: A

ALMOST AS GOOD:

Joshua Ledet.......with yet another standing ovation from the judges on his 2nd song from the Bee Gees that was just outstanding, and an opening Motown song, he's right where he should be at this time, and is light years ahead vocally over his lone male contender in Phillip Phillips. I'll go with the expert opinion of close friend and Idol follower Pete 'R+B' Rosendale, who says, and I quote, "I have not seen an R&B talent like him in my lifetime since Sam Cooke! Yes, he is guilty of over-singing at times... but, let him get with the right producer...and look out!"....gotta' agree with Pete, he's right on with Josh, and knows a thing or two about music.....Joshua is an amazing talent vocally, and in my opinion, is a LOCK for the finals!  ....OVERALL GRADE: A-

GOOD ENOUGH TO BE 'SAFE'?:

Jessica Sanchez......I think she could end up in the 'bottom 3' tonight, but she really sang the Joe Cocker song beautifully, and I think that will save her tonight. She's vocally light years ahead of Skylar, but not that far ahead of Hollie, who is closing the gap the last few weeks! I still think it's Jessica and Josh in the Finals though.........OVERALL GRADE: B+

WHO's IN TROUBLE TONIGHT?:

Skylar Laine......I'm sorry, but I don't get all the hype from the judges on her......she was 'off key' and rushed on the first song by CCR, and even though the 2nd song from Dusty Springfield was more in her wheelhouse, it still wasn't a 'WOW' moment. Based on stage presence and energy, not vocals, she's average at best and I think will be standing on stage with possible elimination tonight......OVERALL GRADE: C+

 

Phillip Phillips......I know.....I said it last week and I'll say it again.....for being only one of two guys left on the show, and an early front-runner to reach the finals, he had yet another very mediocre night last night....his rendition of "Letter" from the Box Tops was average, and the classic Zombies song "Time of The Season" was poorly done, and nothing about it was special like when Blake Lewis performed it in Season 6...I believe PP is in BIG trouble tonight...OVERALL GRADE: C

SO.......WHO GOES HOME TONIGHT?

I say the bottom two tonight are SKYLAR and PHILLIP......and will NOT be surprised at all when it's 'Mr. Double P', PHILLIP PHILLIPS being sent home packing. People have to start seeing that he is very limited in his range vocally, and is not even close to Joshua, Jessica or Holly in vocal talent. He's another glorified Lee DeWyze.....and that ain't all that great....I'm just sayin'....

OK.....that's the wrap-up from Eddie Idol on this week's TOP 5 performances! Let's see what happens after America votes in your 'IDOL FINAL 4' tonight on FOX! More from Eddie Idol......after the show!

IDOL UPDATE: BRITISH WEEK & TOP 5 RANKINGS

Elise perfroms, Top 6

Last week I finally got it right on who would be sent home, as we said goobye to 28 year-old Elise Testone, the oldest of all the Idol contestants remaining in the competition.

For Elise, as Jimmy Iovine said, and I have to agree with, it was a matter of not picking the right songs, which certainly did her in last week


Next up for the remaining TOP 5 Idols — British Week, which we’ve had various twists on this theme in recent years with  Rolling Stones Week,  Beatles Week and  Lennon-McCartney Songbook Week. But the last time we’ve had a 'British Invasion Week' was back in Season 6, when Blake Lewis took on "Time of the Season" by the Zombies, and did such an awesome rendition it seemed for sure that would be his first single.

So as we head into British Invasion Week and tonight's performances , here are my TOP 5 RANKINGS :

1. JESSICA SANCHEZ - I still think she's got the best voice and overall talent, plus I think this is the year that a girl takes the title. If she's not in the Finals, then once again, America just doesn't know talent when they see or hear it!
2. JOSHUA LEDET- He's much better vocally than Phillip Phillips, light years ahead of him in fact, and will have a spot in the Finals in three more weeks.......or my name's not Eddie Idol!
3. PHILLIP PHILLIPS- He's yet to land in the dreaded Bottom 3, even though the last 3-4 weeks he's been mediocre at best on the stage with his performances. He's got a huge fan base, which will keep him in it until it's a choice between he and Joshua for which guy gets the most votes to get to the finals.
4. HOLLIE CAVANAUGH- She's survived the 'Bottom 3' a record 4 times, and maybe this is the week her luck runs out, but I still think she is better and stronger vocally than Skylar Laine, and I have her ranked here by the slimmest of margins over Skylar. 
5. SKYLAR LAINE- I'll give her the edge over Hollie for likability and stage presence, but not vocally, which is why I have her 5th. But I won't be shocked if she's still around for a few more weeks, as I think she has a strong fan base out there with all the C+W folks voting.

What’s your TOP 5 Rankings look like? Who’s your pick for the FINALS and to win it all?

Based on the last few weeks, it will certainly be very interesting to see who lands in the bottom three this week and to see who gets eliminated. More from Eddie Idol after tonight's Idol 'FAB 5' performances on FOX!

IDOL UPDATE: TOP 6 GRADES & WHO GOES HOME?

American Idol, Season 11 TOP 6

Last night's Idol show was a very special one for me, tugging at some awesome memories of growing up with some great 70's music and playing all my vinyl LP's over and over.

Can I just tell you how many times I played QUEEN in my bedroom as a teen, getting screamed at many a night for playing it too loudly I might add!? One of my favorite all time R&R groups, so I was excited to hear the TOP 6 on Idol perform the songs of QUEEN, and to see a few original members of the band performing also. Can't wait for more of it all tonight!

Last week's results, I must admit, were a bit of a surprise, as we said goodbye to a very talented Colton Dixon, and based on that, anything can happen on tonight's results show and the rest of the way! So....sim the lights, and here we go.............

BEST OF THE NIGHT:

Joshua Ledet.......with two standing ovations from the judges, I think it's safe to say he was the cream of the crop last night, and deserves to be given some props. I wasn't blown away or a crazy about his rendition of Queen's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", but it was still pretty damn good and very entertaining, and his 2nd song "Ready For Love" was performed very, very well ....OVERALL GRADE: A-

VERY GOOD:

Skylar Laine......once again, she connected on both songs she performed with the audience and had great stage presence, and showed some nice emotion on the Queen song "The Show Must Go On".....OVERALL GRADE: B+

GOOD ENOUGH TO BE 'SAFE'?:
Hollie Cavanaugh......she picked a lesser-known Queen song in "Save Me" that could hurt her, but she closed the show with a great rendition of "The Climb", which could have her climbing into the TOP 5 tonight .....OVERALL GRADE: B

WHO's IN TROUBLE & IN THE 'BOTTOM 3' TONIGHT? WILL WE BE SHOCKED AGAIN THIS WEEK!?:

Elise Testone........I know, I sound like a broken record here, especially for a contestant I really like, but I think she's in trouble again! Ugh! The Queen song was a memorable moment, and a nice choice with "I Want It All", but her Hendrix pick was not good at all, and the judges were not very complimentary either.........GRADE: C

Jessica Sanchez......just like I thought last week, even though she was not, I think she ends up in the 'bottom 3' tonight, as she did very well on her 2nd song "Dance With My Father", but had a chance to really have a moment with Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody", a Queen classic anthem, and flat out blew it! I was actually hoping that Joshua Ledet would have song that song, think he would have made it way more special.........OVERALL GRADE: C+

Phillip Phillips......for being only one of two guys left on the show, and arguably one of the front-runners to be in the finals, he had a very mediocre night, and has a crappy attitude as well.....his rendition of the classic "Fat Bottomed Girls", one of my most favorite Queen songs by the way, was boring and lacked any creativity....his 2nd song was a Dave Matthews song that was rather obscure and even had the judges baffled...he's in trouble tonight I believe...OVERALL GRADE: C

SO.....WHO GOES HOME TONIGHT?

I say the bottom two tonight are ELISE and PHILLIP......and ELISE, Miss 'Bottom 3' of Season 11 (didn't I say this last week too?) finally gets sent home....but....I for one will NOT be shocked at all if it's Phillip being sent home packing,with his guitar behind his back, but it's highly unlikely that he'll go with 4 girls and only 2 guys left. Sadly....I think ELISE's luck runs out! 

OK.....that's the wrap-up from Eddie Idol on this week's TOP 6 performances! Let's see what happens after America votes in your 'IDOL FAB 5' tonight on FOX!

P.S.--QUEEN ROCKS!!!!!

IDOL UPDATE: TOP 7 REPEAT-GRADES & WHO GOES HOME?

TOP 7, Season 11, American Idol

The TOP 7 Idol Contestant's performed a 'NOW & THEN' song selection on Wednesday night, with the first song from the year 2000 and on, and the 2nd song a selection from 'Classic Soul Songs'. Here's a short version breakdown of the night and who is 'probably' leaving, but after last week's shocking results, who knows how America will vote, and remember.....the judges save was used last week with Jessica, so no one has a safety net tonight. Drum roll please, dim the lights.....here we go....

BEST OF THE TOP 7:

  Hollie Cavanaugh.......YES.......believe it or not, Hollie was the only one of the night in my opinion to have two solid performances and ended up as my 'BEST' of the evening......OVERALL GRADE: A

VERY GOOD:

Phillip Phillips......a solid back-to-back performance.....OVERALL GRADE: B+

Joshua Ledet......solid on both songs and the Sam Cooke song to end the show was awesome....OVERALL GRADE: B+

GOOD ENOUGH TO BE 'SAFE'?:
Skylar Laine......she connected on both songs with the audience and had great stage presence.....OVERALL GRADE: B

IN TROUBLE & BOTTOM 3? DON'T BE SHOCKED AGAIN THIS WEEK!:

Colton Dixon........I thought his first Lady Gaga song was better than his 2nd EW+F song, but neither was great.....GRADE: C+

Elise Testone........Think she's in trouble again, as neither song was a memorable moment, and the judges were not very complimentary either.........GRADE: B-
Jessica Sanchez.......YES.......again I think she ends up here, not because she deserves it, as she was very good on one song and OK on the 2nd,  but just because America is that stupid 2 weeks in a row to not vote for her.....OVERALL GRADE: B

WHO GOES HOME?:

I say the bottom two tonight are ELISE and COLTON.......and ELISE, Miss 'Bottom 3' of Season 11, finally gets sent home!

OK.....that's a quick wrap-up from Eddie Idol on this week's performances! Let's see what happens after America votes tonight on FOX!

IDOL UPDATE: WHO GOES HOME?

OK.....this is VERY 11th hour late and I truly am DVR'ing the tresults show, so here's my thoughts.....dim the lights, which of the TOP 7 are going home tonight?.....here we go....

BEST OF THE TOP 7:

  Jessica Sanchez.....once again she takes TOP honors last night with an amazing song with great control and range.....she's in a class by herself.... GRADE-A+

VERY GOOD:

Skylar Laine......great rendition of a Kelly Pickler song, she really owned it.....GRADE: A

Colton Dixon........another solid night where he took an obscure song and made it his own, something he's very good at doing.......GRADE: A-

GOOD ENOUGH TO BE 'SAFE'? I HOPE!:

Elise Testone........I'm a fan of hers, but being in the sweet #7 'final' spot last night.....she could and should have had a moment, but did not deliver in my opinion, even with a great Lady Gaga song choice....I wasn't impressed as the judges were, but I hope she;'s safe.........GRADE: B

IN TROUBLE & BOTTOM 3? DON'T BE SHOCKED!:

Phillip Phillips......another basic, predictable and boring performance. I don't think he gets it that he's slipping here week by week.........GRADE: C+

Joshua Ledet.......I personally didn't care for his performance at all, and I thought it was very busy and loud, almost screechy....I know that's not a real great professional description, but, I simply didn't think it was very good at all....GRADE: C

Hollie Cavanaugh........I actually liked her performance, more than Joshua's and Phillips,  but for whatever reason, the judges have it in for Hollie, esp Steven....and they all didn't care for her performance....again.....so she's in trouble.....yet again...oh boy.....GRADE: B-

WHO GOES HOME?:

I say the bottom two tonight are HOLLIE and a 'SURPRISE GUY', either PHILLIP or JOSHUA.......and HOLLIE gets sent home, and will not be saved! Should one of the guys end up with lower votes than her, they will indeed be saved by the judges tonight!

OK....that's Eddie Idol's mad-fast, past the 11th hour recap..........and I'm stickin' to it!

IDOL UPDATE: TOP 7 TO PERFORM TONIGHT & RANKINGS

SEASON 11, TOP 7 of AMERICAN IDOL

The TOP 7 will perform tonight on the American Idol stage with this week’s theme, songs of this decade, as in songs recently recorded from 2010-12. Obviously, this should definitely help the younger contestants, who’ve been asked on many a week so far to sing songs from before they were born, almost every week since the finals started. The last time that we had a more current theme, the result was by far the best performance night we’ve had all year on Idol. Hopefully everyone should be able to pick a song they’re comfortable with, and one that isn't too obscure. My advice: pick a song that you love singing, and sing it like it's your own!

OK....let's move on to my TOP 7 RANKINGS headed into tonight's show, drum roll please.......

1.  Jessica Sanchez.......still by far the most talented singer and overall performer in the competition. I see her having another great night on stage tonight!
2. Colton Dixon......has a knack for taking a song and truly turning into something current and making it his own....he's in a fight with Phillip for this 2nd spot.
3. Phillip Phillips.....probably most peoples pick to win it all or at least be in the Finals, but I still think he's too much like Lee DeWyze of two years ago.....boring and predictable!
4. Joshua Ledet.....great voice, maybe 2nd best next to Jessica, but has a tendency to over-sing and scream a bit to much. If he controls that, he's my designated 'dark-horse' for the Finals
5. Elise Testone.....truth be told I'd love to rank her higher here and see her in the Finals, but she's too inconsistent. She needs a BIG night tonight, but sadly, I see her struggling with songs of the last few years. Come on Elise, I'm pulling for 'ya big time!
6. Skylar Laine.....I'm still not sold on the young Reba wanna-be. I think she's got some polishing up to do, and isn't ready or worthy of too much praise and 'over-hype' at this point.
7. Hollie Cavanaugh........tons of potential here and just hasn't been able to find the right songs to connect with the last few weeks. More so than Elise, she is fighting for her Idol life tonight, so she needs that magical performance to turn some votes her way! Tonight's current music theme should help her in a big way.

OK….who's your favorites from the TOP 7? Who's 'in it to win it'? More from Eddie Idol after the TOP 7 perform a current hit on tonight's two-hour (no idea why it's still two hours, could easily be cut to an hour!) show on FOX.

As always, stay tuned for more ‘Eddie Idol’ chatter and grades on each performance…….after the show!

IDOL UPDATE: TOP 8 GRADES....& WHO SHOULD GO HOME?

The 'Songs of the 80's' from the TOP 8 were a bit of a disappointment for me last night, with just a few really great performances, and some that were just very forgettable. In an effort to save time here, I'm not going to go into great detail on a per song basis, but will give out my grades and predict who's in trouble tonight! Dim the lights, here we go.......

BEST OF THE NIGHT:  Jessica Sanchez.....once again she took on another BIG Whitney Houston song in  "How Will I Know" and just nailed it! This girl has stage presence, is polished, and vocally, is just way ahead of anyone else in the competition. GRADE-A+                          

ALMOST AS GOOD:

Joshua Ledet.......spectacular rendition of Simply Red's "If You Don't Know Me By Now" (original from Marvin & the Blue Notes) and sang the hell out of it, but did over-sing on a few spots.....GRADE: A

Colton Dixon........took a classic hit with Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" and made it his own, very well done, maybe his best yet, other than "Piano Man" on Billy Joel night....GRADE: A-

GOOD ENOUGH TO BE 'SAFE':

Phillip Phillips......a solid, consistent performance, but a rather simple version of Genesis' "That's All", but good enough to be in the TOP 7 after tonight....GRADE: B+

Skylar Laine.......the only country-bumpkin left, and a pretty good performance for her with Bette Midler's "Wind Beneath My Wings".....she's safe tonight....GRADE: B

IN TROUBLE & BOTTOM 3:

Elise Testone........although I don't think she was nearly as 'off' as the judges said she was with Foreigner's "I Wanna Know What Love Is"....and if she's the bottom vote getter tonight, I say the judges save could come into play, and I think they'd vote to keep her! I really liked her performance last night more than the judges did, maybe because I like the song so much......GRADE: B-

Hollie Cavanaugh........performed "What a Feeling" from the Flashdance soundtrack, and although she was 'more young and fun' like I thought she should be, it still wasn't good enough, and the judges were hard on her yet again.....if she's the one voted by America to be going home, the judges will NOT execute their save on her....GRADE: C+

Deandre Brakensick......one guy certainly has to be in the bottom 3 tonight, so it might as well be Deandre again. He could be going home tonight, and if it comes down to a judges save, J-Lo will be the only one voting for him to stay on, as she's in love with hair boy...GRADE: C

WHO GOES HOME?:

I say the bottom two tonight are HOLLIE and DEANDRE.......and HOLLIE gets sent home!

So….who do you think goes home tonight? Who’s your favorite guy and gal left? Who's 'in it to win it'? More from Eddie Idol after the TOP 7 are announced after tonight's one-hour results show on FOX. As always, stay tuned for more ‘Eddie Idol’ chatter…….after the show! 

IDOL UPDATE: TOP 8 TO PERFORM 'THE 80's'.....& TOP 8 RANKINGS

AMERICAN IDOL, SEASON 11 'TOP 8'

Idol turns back the clock once again tonight as the TOP 8 will perform 'Songs of the 80's', with each contestant able to pick songs from the genres they’re comfortable with, so that's a good thing. Song choices by all, and for some more importantly than others, will be very critical.

Another good thing is that we will have a performance show without Heejun 'The Horrible' Hun involved in it, as justice was finally served last week, with Heejun being sent home. Needless to say there wasn't a part of me saddened with his departure. THANK YOU AMERICA!

My TOP 8 Rankings going into tonight's 80's show are as follows:

1. Jessica Sanchez.....she's vocally well ahead of the rest of the field, and carries herself on stage way more professionally and with maturity beyond her years.
2. Phillip Phillips.....what you see is what you get with this kid. I think he's a more 'all-around' talented performer and musician, and more than just a singer on stage
3. Elise Testone.......my dark-horse for making the FINALS and on the rise the last few weeks. Tonight I think she's got another great opportunity to shine with 80's music, so song choice will be key, and I think based on the last few weeks, she'll do great!
4. Colton Dixon.....he's been solid, but not sensational by any means, and he's yet to be in the dreaded bottom 3, which I thought he would be last week. I do think he'll do well tonight, and hopefully pick a song that isn't so obscure.
5. Joshua Ledet.....vocally, he's probably the MOST talented male contestant left, but he lacks the overall talent that Phillip and Colton have. He also tends to over-sing his songs. He needs to have a big night tonight, so the right song choice will be very important for him.
6. Hollie Cavanaugh.....may have the most on the line tonight after finding herself in the 'bottom 3' last week and facing elimination. My advice to her is no more ballads, come out looking and singing something 'young and fun' tonight from the 80's.
7. Skylar Laine.....who wants to bet me Skylar sings an 80's classic country song tonight? There's plenty of great songs from the decade for her to choose from, so she better pick one she can put her stamp on tonight!
8. DeAndre Brackensick......how he ended up NOT being in the 'bottom 3' last week was a surprise, and I've just about had enough of falsetto boy. You can only go so far with that, and I think he'll struggle tonight unless he picks a song that will really match his voice.

Just for fun, here's a list of VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 80's , some of which I'm certain we will hear performed on tonight's 2-hour show on FOX.

So….who do you think will do well tonight? Who’s your top Idol contestants? More from Eddie Idol after the TOP 8 perform their 80's magic on tonight's show. As always, stay tuned for more ‘Eddie Idol’ chatter…….after the show!

IDOL UPDATE: TOP 9 GRADES....& WOW! WHAT A GREAT SHOW!

Randy was right last night, there was something in the air! It was one of the best performance shows on Idol I’ve seen in a long, long time. One performance after another , especially the last 4 of the night, were just outstanding! The Idol contestant's sang "Songs of their Idols", and it was a night to remember. America certainly has it's work cut out for them tonight as one contestant will be eliminated, but it's really not going to be as hard as it seems, so let's separate the 'Contenders' from the 'Pretenders' and go from there. Drum roll please....dim the lights.....here we go.....
THE CONTENDERS:

Elise Testone Rocks on Idol

BEST OF THE NIGHT: Elise Testone, with her version of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love".....WOW! Big song to take on for a female voice and she made it work. This girl reminds me so much of Haley Reinhart last year, because she's picking up momentum at just the right time, will pick up votes that Erika Van Pelt was getting before, and is really showing how talented she really is. Way to go Elise, great song choice, super vocals and a fun performance to watch! In case you did note see it, here it is Whole Lotta Love GRADE: A

RUNNER-UP: Jessica Sanchez, with her slowed down version of Beyonce's "Sweet Dreams".....a musical and vocal masterpiece by this young girl! She's got 'IT'.....plain and simple, this girl has what it takes to be great, the makings of a real STAR! Hard to choose between Elise and Jessica last night, both amazing! Here's Jessica's performance of Sweet Dreams GRADE: A

BEST OF THE REST:
Phillip Phillips......performed an obscure song "Still Raining" from his Idol, Mr. Johnny Lang, and it was really good. But there's still something that bothers me abut Phillip....I call it the 'Lee DeWyze' factor. He's just too plain-jane like Lee DeWyze, winner of Season 9, and like DeWyze....I just don't see Phillip selling a lot of records after Idol. Here's Phillips Still Raining performance...GRADE: A-
Joshua Ledet.....who sang the Mariah Carey version of Harry Nilsson's big hit, "Without You", & did a nice job with a BIG and risky song choice. Really took it to another level at the end! GRADE: B+
Colton Dixon.......took a big risk in the 'opening spot' last night by doing a song nobody knew called "Everything" from Lifehouse......thought it was pretty good, but after all the other contestants, it was just OK.....Colton could be in trouble tonight, but trust me, even though he might be pulling the 'religion and faith cards' out a bit too much, he's not going home....GRADE: B
Hollie Cavanaugh.....took on a BIG song with Carrie Underwood's "Jesus Take The Wheel", and sang it pretty good, but it wasn't her best. Hollie could be in trouble tonight as well, wouldn't surprise me at all to see her in the dreaded "Bottom 3". She needs to act, dress and sing younger, more energetic songs, and stay away from all the ballads. GRADE: B-

THE PRETENDERS:

Skylar Laine......sang a Miranda Lambert song "Gunpowder and Lead" and on a night when many folks gave amazing performances, hers was NOT one of them. Bottom 3 tonight and could go home! GRADE: C+
DeAndre Brackensick........sang another song that I'm sure not many folks are familiar with in "Sometimes I Cry", and it was probably DeAndre's best in many weeks, just too much falsetto for me. Could be in trouble tonight and in the 'Bottom 3' after all the other crazy good performances of the evening. GRADE: C
Heejun Hun.......sang a heartfelt ballad with "A Song For You" by Donny Hathaway, and though it might have been his best so far, it's still nowhere near close to being as good as any of the others in the competition. Bottom 3 tonight and hopefully going home! GRADE: C-

OK....so, there you have it, and it seems that the BOTTOM 3 'should' consist of a combination of Heejun, DeAndre, Skylar or Hollie tonight....but something tells me there will be a BIGGER surprise and name in the mix.....and I say it's Colton Dixon that gets shocked! Big EI supporter Pete "YB" Rosendale thinks that a 'judges save' is in the air tonight. If it's Heejun, DeAndre or Skylar singing for their lives, no way any of the three should be saved, it's not worth using it up and a contestant that has no chance of winning it all. If it's any of the others, then YES.....they are worthy of a 'judges save' at this stage of the game. We shall see what happens tonight on FOX!

Also.......performing live on tonight's show is Niki Minaj (sorry, not a fan at all!) and last year's Idol Winner, Scotty 'The Body' McCreery. Speaking of last year's contestants, the music video for Haley Reinhart's debut single "Free" is out. The song is already available on iTunes, a great song, just love it, and today the video for the song was released. Check it out here....Haley Reinhart's "Free"

IDOL UPDATE: TOP 9 TO PERFORM.....& WHY IDOL NEEDS TO CHANGE

TOP 9 Season 11, American Idol

It's TOP 9 time and this week the music performed by the remaining nine Idol contestants should be more current and a bit more interesting than the past few weeks, as they get to sing songs from their own Idols. Of course, some may have 'idols' that are a bit older than others, like 28 year-old Elise Testone.

Erika Van Pelt Sings for her life on Idol

Speaking of older, we lost that 'other' 28 year-old contestant last week when Erika Van Pelt was sent home, despite being much more talented than Heejun 'The Horrible' Hun and singing " I Believe" pretty well as she sang for her life with the judges save. Seeing Erika get cut and Heejun staying on is yet another reason why at some point, Idol rules simply need to change, and in my opinion, it could start with a pretty simple fix.


Once the TOP 12 or TOP 13 are announced, Idol can continue to have America vote and place three contestants with the lowest number of votes in the dreaded 'Bottom 3' each week. After sending one of the three to safety, let the judges then decide which of the bottom two with the lowest # of votes should be sent home. This would eliminate something like last week from happening with Heejun staying on for yet another dreadful performance this week, while someone much more talented like Erika gets sent packing. Don't think there would be any need for the infamous 'judges save' and a contestant 'singing for their life' to even be a topic of conversation until at least the TOP 5. That's my suggestion anyway, and yes.....it does take it out of America's hands to some extent, but would make for it more fair and equitable for all each week, and avoid advancing less talented contestants to yet another week on the show.

OK......that's all for now. More from Eddie Idol coming soon with grades and critique of the TOP 9 after they perform 'Songs of Their Idols' on a 2-hour show from 8-10 PM tonight on Fox....so stay tuned!

IDOL UPDATE: TOP 10 GRADES...and WHO GOES HOME?

The IDOL TOP 10 took pages from the Billy Joel Songbook last night, and there were some outstanding performances, but many that were just OK as well. I'm going to be a little tougher than most critics were on the contestants last night because I'm a Billy Joel fanatic, love his music since I was a teen, and have seen him 6 times in concert.

So....who really nailed his songs and who missed out? Who's in the dreaded 'Bottom 3' tonight? And who's going home tonight? Let's get into each performance here, hand out some grades, and go from there.....dim the lights.....here we go...

• DeAndre Brackensack....Pulled the dreaded kiss of death opening spot and sang "Only The Good Die Young".....great song, but I knew it before he started, a poor song choice for him. If I was Jimmy Iovine, I'd have suggested "All You Wanna' Do Is Dance" for DeAndre, but...too late! GRADE: C- and in the Bottom 3 tonight
• Erika Van Pelt......a new hair-do (suggested by Tommy Hilfiger, who by the way became VERY annoying as the 2-hour show wore on!) and a new look, and a great song choice with "NY State of Mind".....she sang it well and didn't over-sing it, and made it her own song....well done! GRADE: B+.....just not sure she'll get enough love from America to be safe tonight, but I truly think she should be!
• Joshua Ledet....chose to sing "She's Got A Way"......and I think it was way over the top, esp with the choir joining him on stage. He's probably the most talented male vocalist, but last night wasn't his best....GRADE: C+......and wouldn't be shocked if America finds a way to put him in the bottom 3 tonight, but I think he should be safe
• Skylar Laine.....sand "Shameless"....and as much as I know Billy Joel's music, I also know Garth Brook's music....sorry Skylar, this wasn't Garth Brooks night last night, way too country for me and just not very good vocally...GRADE C-.....and Bottom 3 tonight for me
• Elise Testone....chose to sing a rather obscure Billy Joel song with "Vienna", which could hurt her, but she really sang it with a flair and style that made it current and made it her own! Thought for sure she would have been behind the piano last night, but, a very solid performance none the less....GRADE: B+.....but will America place her in the 'bottom 3' for the 3rd straight week? I hope not.....she certainly does NOT deserve being there!
• Phillip Phillips......as I thought he would do, he picked a Billy Joel classic with "Movin' Out" and really made it his own, and 'Phillipized' it! Great job! GRADE: A-
• Hollie Cavanaugh.......chose to sing a Billy Joel ballad with "Honesty", great song choice for her, but the only problem is, she didn't do it any justice vocally. Odd beginning, hard to understand her lyrics, and certainly not her best performance. And 'oh by the way, Tommy' you did her NO favors in dressing her for the night, horrible look! GRADE- C 
• Heejun Hun......chose to sing "My Life", a fun song....surprised everyone with his outfit, going from a suit to a wild shirt and danced all over the stage and in the audience....but still wasn't good at all vocally....GRADES: A for effort and FUN, D- for vocals....Bottom 3 tonight!
• Jessica Sanchez.....sang a rather obscure Billy Joel song from the album "The Stranger" with "Everybody Has a Dream".....worried about the song choice for her, but she absolutely nailed it with great vocals and stage presence! 2nd best of the night! GRADE: A

•   Colton Dixon......stayed true to himself and chose the 'ultimate' Billy Joel classic with "Piano Man".....only contestant of the night to really also stay true to the Piano' Man's music with a performance that was truly magical.....BEST OF THE NIGHT......by far! GRADE: A+

So who's in trouble tonight and should be in the Bottom 3?
Heejun Hun, DeAndre Brackensack and Skylar Laine.......in my opinion anyway....but America always finds a way to screw it up, so don't be at all surprised if either Elise Testone or Erika Van Pelt is here again sitting in a bottom 3 chair for a 3rd straight week!
Who Goes Home? Without a doubt.....it SHOULD be Heejun Hun......but again, America just might be stupid enough to put him thru 'safely' for the 2nd consecutive week! Good Lord I hope not!!

Also on the one hour results show tonight......HALEY REINHART.........singing her first single "Free" off her debut album, so I'm looking forward to seeing my favorite girl from last season's Idol, who finished 3rd in last year's competition.

So….who do you think goes home tonight? Who’s your favorite guy and gal this year? More from Eddie Idol after the TOP 9 are announced after tonight's show. As always, stay tuned for more ‘Eddie Idol’ chatter…….after the show!

IDOL UPDATE: TOP 10 TO PERFORM BILLY JOEL SONGBOOK

Idol Season 11: The Top 10 Touring Group

Last week's Idol shows gave us our TOP 10 who will make up the Idol group who gets to Summer Tour across the USA, and Idol also gave us a few surprises during Thursday's single elimination show. I wasn't shocked that Shannon Magrane was in the bottom 3, but was shocked that America was stupid enough to send her home with the lowest # of votes, yet vote enough for Heejun 'The Horrible' Hun to put him into the TOP 10. What a joke! UGH!! I hope folks who voted for him and attend the summer shows cringe when he sings on tour.

Also a surprise was seeing Elise Testone, after a great performance last week, end up yet again in the dreaded 'bottom 3', along with her 28-year old friend Erika Van Pelt, who also sang well last week. Seeing this trend two weeks in a row tells me that neither girl is a threat to win this season, most likely because of their age (both at 28), and that both will be going home before too long in the coming weeks of competition. That's too bad, because I think that Elise especially, is quite talented.

Heading into tonight's how, here's how I would rank the remaining 5 girls and 5 guys that are left, based on vocal and overall stage talent shown so far, and NOT what America thinks:

Girls: 1) Jessica Sanchez 2) Hollie Cavanaugh 3) Elise Testone 4) Skylar Laine 5) Erika Van Pelt 

Guys: 1) Joshua Ledet 2) Phillip Phillips 3) Colton Dixon 4) DeAndre Brackensick 5) Heejun Hun

Singer/Songwriter Billy Joel

Tonight should be a great show as FINALLY, and for the first time on the Idol stage, we get to hear contestants perform songs from the Billy Joel Songbook. Should be a BIG advantage for Colton Dixon and Elise Testone, both piano players that surely will shine with a classic BJ song, and also Phillip Phillips, who I'm sure will make one Billy Joel classic his own and could outshine everybody tonight. I expect big things from all three on the stage this evening!

We'll see if I'm right, as I'll be posting comments after the show, so stay tuned!

  

IDOL UPDATE: TOP 11 (Not 12?) RECAP....and WHO GOES HOME?

Another busy work week, and spring projects with the warm weather, so for the 2nd straight week I’ll keep last nights two-hour TOP 11 performances on Idol brief. Last night's Idol show came with a new and interesting announcement that one of the TOP 12 contestants would be disqualified....WOW!?
Later on in the show Ryan and Idol's producers announced that Jermaine Jones, the 'Gentle Giant', would be going home early because of as many as four outstanding warrants against him. So, looks like Jermaine isn't such a 'gentle giant' after all.

Which makes tonight's one-hour show on Fox VERY special, because after tonight's single elimination, it'll be the TOP 10 who are left and, of course, it's these contestants who will make up your IDOL TOURING GROUP who participate in the upcoming summer concert tour across the USA.

So......as we count down the hours until the TOURING TOP 10 is officially announced tonight.....drum roll please and dim the lights, here we go.....

The BEST performances from last night:

Wasn't even close last night! JOSHUA LEDET was the BEST, and he brought down the house with an incredible version of Michael Bolton's "When A Man Loves A Women"......standing ovation worthy and an A+ Grade! Also performing very well last night, and ending up in my TOP 4 were: Elise Testone, Hollie Cavnaugh and Phillip Phillips.

Next 4 and all should be SAFE for at least another week:
Grading with B's last night with solid performances were: Colton Dixon, Erika Van Pelt, Jessica Sanchez and Skylar Laine

Who's in Trouble tonight and 'should be' in the BOTTOM 3?

Grading out in the C's or D's and most likely to end up in the dreaded BOTTOM 3 tonight are: Shannon Magrane, DeAndre Brackensick and the absolute WORST OF THE NIGHT.....Heejun Hun......these three should all be worried heading into tonight's single elimination, but I will NOT be surprised if Erika Van Pelt is in the BOTTOM 3 instea of one of the others mentioned here.

Who Goes Home?

If America has ANY ears and sense of GOOD vs. BAD vocal talent on this show, HEEJUN HUN should be sent packing and NOT become a part of the TOP 10 TOURING GROUP.....please!!.....send him home and end the misery here! 

So….who do you think goes home tonight? Who’s your favorite guys and gals in the TOP 11? More from Eddie Idol on the TOP 10 are announced after tonight's show. As always, stay tuned for more ‘Eddie Idol’ chatter…….after the break!