Motown Philly back again...

Yeah, I wish it was Boyz to Men week all the time.

First of all let me give a shout out to the legendary Elizabeth Taylor. I was honored to be in her presence twice in my lifetime -- once at the CFDA Awards when she was honored as Fashion Icon and once in Cannes at the Victoria's Secret / amfar benefit. What amazing work she did to raise awareness around HIV and AIDS. Phenomenal power and beauty.

And now on to Idol.

JLo / STy Fashion Showdown. Look JLo: Cream pleated miniskirt and a blush sequin long sleeve top - made her a look like an ice skater. Look STy: Animal printed sheer blouse with a black leather vest and of course skin tight pants. STy gets the win because JLo is wearing maybe the craziest eyeshadow ever. It is blue and it goes all the way around her eyes. Seriously.

Shout out to Liv Tyler (and Missy Rayder) in audience.

First up is Casey with "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye. Smart advice to Casey to control the growl. Umm he looks like a serial killer. Very entertaining but was I laughing at him? Yeah, a little. His head is ginormous. Steven called him a "perfect entertainer." He is an original for sure. B+

Thia "Heatwave" This song has definitely been on Idol before (JHud maybe?) She is a gorgeous girl and has got a great voice. Hard to look at her from a fresh perspective - can't shake the robot comparison. If she had started with this song, I would have thought it was genuine, but ummm something is off. B-

Kirsten Dunst in the house.

Jacob "You're All I Need to Get By" I don't think I know this song. Jimmy wants him to control it. Oh, I totally know this song. There is an old guitarist, Bob Babbit on the stage in homage to James Jamerson. Sorry, I had to write that - who are Bob Babbit and James Jamerson? Fantastic performance. This guy is so talented. Steven Tyler got up out of his seat to hug him on stage. Standing O from the judges. Baby Luther! Baby Luther! The voice is like buttah. Why can't he be a Cee Lo? Wowzers. Randy said there was nothing wrong with that performance. A

Julianne Hough aka girlfriend of Ryan is in the house

Ryan invited the audience up for a hug. God, if that happened to me, what would I do? I do not like that much hugging.

Lauren -- Supreme's Keep Me Hanging On. Nice dramatic opening in a zebra print gown. Her voice sounds amazing. Not into moving off the stage with that gown. Very strong, "Well baby you ripped that song another beauty mark, didn't ya?" Umm Steven, run that by me again? The look was great but why didn't she wear the JLo eyeshadow look? A-

Stefano -- So last week's performance I got him and his talent. Now he is doing Hello by Lionel Richie. He never heard it before. Really? He needs to work on the Gaspy eye syndrome -- where is Andrew Lloyd Weber when you need him? God remember David Cook's version? I do and therefore this is a bad choice for me. Why is "my mind" "mah mahnd?" Nasal syndrome big time. He just aged himself with this performance. No, no, no. I could not stand this. He can sing but he just destroyed that song. JLo and Randy said it was the connection that was the problem. I think it was more than that. He doesn't know how to pronounce the word "my" C+

More people in the audience.

Haley -- "You Really Got a Hold on Me" by Smokey Robinson. I love this song. Jimmy worked on her confidence in her stage presence. Why would they make her start on the steps in heels? Super cute outfit. She really got into this. I like the quality of her voice so much and would want her to win if my eyes were closed. But she literally kept her head tilted to one side the whole time and moved around too much. Judges felt she found her place again. "You don't look a day over fabulous," said Steven. JLo said most soulful voice. I want to hear more from her over others FOR SURE. B+

Scotty - "For Once in My Life" by Stevie Wonder. I am so nervous about this. He really looks like the boy from Mad libs. Beginning was very cheesy. Then he stretched his voice and it became earnest and had meaning. So much better than the beginning. Not a winning performance, but I saw what he was trying to do. And he does stick to his style. B

Flashdance lady in the audience.

Pia -- "All in Love is Fair" by Stevie Wonder. Her producer loves her. Jimmy Iovine wants to now help her cement her voice. Love her look. She sounds a little shaky in the beginning. And then she went for it. Something didn't work for me in the arrangement, it felt rushed? but the voice was STELLAR. JLo's advice was smart, she needs to own the stage. WOW, Randy used the word falsetto instead of saying she sang in her false - finally! Randy says no more ballads. "I think that right now you are the closest star in this America Idol universe." Go Steven Tyler, well said.
A-

Paul -- "The Tracks of My Tears" by Smokey Robinson. Paul changes it to a folky rock song. Love it. Love it. Love it. Not dramatic, but so easy and modern. A-

Randy did not say pitchy tonight! What a great group this season.

Naima -- "Dancing in the Streets" Was Geoffrey Rush producing this? It looked like him. Umm Naima is going to do some African dancing. Let's remember, this is a SINGING competition. Remember the David Bowie / Mick Jagger version? I was not a fan of this performance. I can't even talk about it. Her voice was in this weird deep place and the dance was weird. Steven said "It was e to the z to the twiddly dee." B-

You know what is mad crazy about this season? There are so many good people that I am excited to see almost all of them and am not just waiting for my favorite to come on. Love this season.

James -- "Living for the City" Sorry I made fun of this bassist. He must be a legend, my bad. Wow. James is amazing. So smooth. He is rocking out but not screaming. Talk about swagger. I am out of my seat. LOVED this. Loved! JLo turned into a valley girl. James is going a bit too far with taking in the praise. Randy tried to criticize -- take it back Dawg! Steven said "I think sometimes it takes a little bit of being crazy to make a difference in this world and that's what you're about." Agreed. A

Casey B+
Thia B-
Jacob A
Lauren A-
Stefano C+
Haley B+
Scotty B
Pia A-
Paul A-
Naima B-
James A

So James and Jacob rocked it tonight with props to Pia, Paul and Lauren. Bottom three should be Stefano, Thia, Naima with Thia going home. I can't give out an A+ yet, but Jacob was definitely a contender.

Awesome show.

Don't be ashamed of your obsessions..."That would be eto the z to the twiddly dee."