Top 9

Really? The intro to the show is Landslide by Stevie Nicks? Make a girl cry, why don't you.

So Erika Van Pelt left last week. By all means she was talented, but to quote another show, she did not have the X Factor. Hayley Reinhart, however, who appeared and performed on Thursday's show with a single for an upcoming album was fantastic -- she sings, performs and has a unique sense of style.

So the opener today is with Tommy letting the Idols play and find their own star from within. Oh but they are playing with the new American Idol blah di blah line - how commercial of them. Look I don't mind if there is a glass of Coke or a Ford commercial, but fashion lines that are based on a musical talent show? Nope.

Now I get the Stevie Nicks connection -- she is the mentor! So cool.

Colton --"Everything" Stevie is already a huge fan. I fell hook line and sinker for this guy last week. Not because he is handsome or charming, but because his voice and musical path are the kind of music I love. He is the next generation of David Cook for me. Authentic musicianship. I can even look past the now constant, God put the song in me, this song takes me to church references. However, he was pitchy and hard to understand. I think it sounded better there because Steven and Jlo and Randy went nuts and not in a hype way, in an emotional, well thought out way. And yes, Colton did make another religious reference. (This guy has just locked it in). I love his talent, but this was not my favorite. B

Skylar -- "Gunpowder and Lead" Finally she did what I HAVE BEEN SAYING SHE SHOULD DO. She is Miranda style. Stevie sang harmony with her in rehearsal (how cool is that?) Let's be clear, Miranda can sell these female revenge stories because she lived with them. Her father was a retired police officer turned private investigator and she grew up hearing these torturous Texas "done me wrong" stories. Was worried that Skylar couldn't tell that story with authenticity and she did good because she is a spitfire, but she didn't sell the story. B-

TRIO insert -- Colton, Elise and Phillip perform Landslide. In other words, the cool kids take over. Oh and then they switch to White Wing Dove. Elise hits her stride. Jesus Phil Phillips is the cutest back up singer ever. And then he turns into Lindsay Buckingham and sings Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow. Natural trio - -so much better than the Thursday night group numbers. Steven Tyler praised them with the words of Mick Fleetwood. A grade performance

Heejun -- A reboot. "A Song For You" by Donnie Hathaway. Stevie said it was beautiful and effortless. Jimmy loved his new sensitive attitude and said the comedian was a front. Gorgeous raspy emotional rendition. He can compete with Joshua with this vocal. FABULOUS. The judges give him a STANDING O! Steven said he thinks Heejun didn't now how good his voice was and therefore wasn't taking it seriously. JLo said when he believes and connects he moves people (and admits that his personality is a selling point too). Randy says he is back. Well done. A-

Jason De Rulo has a broken neck and is wearing a black crystal neck brace and he wrote a song called undefeated about his injury. I have no comment. FYI he is dating Jordin Sparks.

Hollie -- "Jesus Takes the Wheel" Stevie tells her a story about her mother dying 2 months ago and that she wants to hear this song for the message, she wants to believe. She then got emotional hearing Hollie perform. And then whispered to Hollie about her belief in her. Oh jeez, I'm crying. The waving robots in the dance pit and the fake light effect snow ruined this for me until Hollie hit the last high note. She can seem not emotional and connected so she should have cut any set shenanigans. Then it would have sold me. Close but no cigar. Randy didn't buy it, JLo bought it and Steven wanted anther song. B

Millie Vanilli -- "Sometimes I Cry" by Eric Benet. MV says Eric Benet (also Hallie Berry's ex husband whom she left because he HIT her) is everything he wants to be. Do the contestants not have access to Google? Umm he got a standing o too. He got compared to Prince. He is a contender, he is back according to Randy, JLo pleaded for votes. NO NO NO. He is Milli Vanilli. C (I personally want to give him an F every time because I can't stand him).

Jessica -- "Sweet Dreams or a Beautiful Nightmare" by Beyonce. She came through a red doorway and took on a slowed down version of the song. She kicked this song's *ss. Vocal acrobatics with passion and drama. Am I buying the song? No, but she brought it. Jlo loved the rendition. Steven thought it was delicious. Randy loved her maturity for her age. He groaned during his critique. B+

TRIO Insert 2 -- MV, Joshua, Heejun perform Michael Jackson. MV was disgraceful. Heejun stayed cool and Joshua rocked it out and moonwalked. I would give them a B+ but I hate Milli Vanilli.

Phillip Phillips -- "Still Rainin'" by Johnny Lange. Stevie says, "I think he's going to be very famous and I think that's because he has a certain magic and you cannot deny it." And then to him, she says, "Had you been Lindsay's and my friend, in 1975, Mick Fleetwood would have said, 'I want all 3 of you to join Fleetwood Mac', no doubt because you are that good." And she said he is gorgeous. This man is a star. An authentic, genuine, serious star. Standing ovation. JLo says it is too much (how good he is), Steven loves it, Randy is friends with Johnny Lange. A

Joshua -- "Without You" by Mariah Carey. Jimmy calls it one of the 5 most challenging songs ever. Originally it is a man's song. Vocally, he goes nutso. He is on fire. And then he breaks down in tears and wipes his snot and gets another standing o (let's be clear, Heejun (because he surprised them), Phil (because he is hot) only deserved standing o's) Very emotional. Steven loves seeing an emotional breakdown. Jlo calls him a phenom. A-

Randy keeps pimping Colton for throwing down the gauntlet with his show opener. Is he trying to make sure the opening spot doesn't kill Colton? He should absolutely not go home, but this was overkill for tonight's episode.

Trio number 3 is Jessica, Hollie, Skylar. Compared with authenticity of Phil, Joshua, Colton and probably what is to come from Elise, this trio seems out of sync and more showcasey...

Elise -- "Whole Lotta Love" Gets the pimp spot because she is so technically good, but she needs to win over hearts. Zeppelin? Stevie says Robert Plant would be proud. Jimmy has them jam together on Stevie's Dreams. Stevie would hire her to sing with her, called her a kindred spirit and says it is her night. Wow. Elise had fire and energy and spunk and blew it out of the park. It was a full on rock concert. Really? They almost didn't stand? Steven said she made Robert Plant proud, JLo said it was rock star stuff, Randy said it was amazing. A

Colton -- B

Skylar -- B

Heejun -- A-

Hollie -- B-

MV -- C

Jessica -- B

Phil -- A-

Joshua -- B+

Elise -- A

So Elise won the night with Phil and Surprisingly Heejun hitting it. A certain someone whom I have dubbed with a nickname of a duo who won a Grammy but then lost it because they were lip-syncing needs to go home.

Randy, Steven and Jennifer would not pinpoint who should go home.

Don't be ashamed of your obsessions or hating lip syncers.

Billy Joel and the Top 10

I gotta tell you, I know every single song in the Billy Joel repertoire and this could either be freakin' great or superbly terrible. I also need to tell you that I am on day 3 of a juice cleanse so this post could be deliriously good or a terrible mess.

One side note. Just caught up on Parks and Recreation and it is hilarious. Of course I love Adam Scott tons more after Friends with Kids (did I tell you to go see that movie?) but the fact that Tom (Aziz Ansari) is now kind of dating Anne (Rashida Jones) may be the most funny combo I've ever seen. He sings to her to ask her out and it is hilar. I love how on TV everyone ends up dating everyone is a cast.

Weird opener with "And So It Goes" and the sadness over Shannon leaving. There are just so many better girls better than her, it had to happen.

Diddy is in the house with Jimmy and Tommy Hilfiger is now in as style consultant. Full disclosure, I work with Tommy, and he is a really nice man. Very smart and really nice. So I'm going to see how the style work goes, feels like filler right now.

Milli Vanilli -- I can't. "Only the Good Die Young" I am so happy he got first slot which can be the slot of death. Diddy is giving him the down low how the song is about being the bad boy and trying to get with a girl and this kid goes all Wham, brass band, dancing from side to side with it. Enough. Go home. Steven says it is too happy, JLo liked it, Randy wasn't jumping up and down. I was, in pain. F-

Erika -- "New York State of Mind" Diddy tells her not to oversing and to get raw. He is cracking me up. Tommy tells Erika to cut her hair with a punk cut. Oh god, so nervous. Jet black short, short cut. It does punk her up, wow daring. Maybe the haircut worked, her voice sounds incredible tonight. Deep, strong, powerful and solid. I liked it. The judges liked it but thought she could have gone further. B+

Joshua -- I like Tommy's advice that Joshua dress up in black tie. "She's Got a Way" Diddy told him to not go "screamy" God Diddy is funny. Joshua was not feeling the song. Not as good as last week, but he really does know how to build that emotion. JLo didn't think he was as connected to the lyrics as he could have been. Steven Tyler didn't know this song. Huh? Where has he been for the past 20 years? B

Skyler -- She is blown away by Diddy. "Shameless" Oh boy, Garth Brooks did it so she picked it. I'll try to get past that. Diddy got up and was blown away. She wanted his autograph. I hate when they walk around. The beginning was shaky, but when she went up in her upper register, more powerful. She showed off her pipes, but the connection wasn't there. This is a song of desperation and she didn't hit that. Umm Randy, Brad Paisley did not cover this song. WRONG. B-

Elise -- "Vienna" Jimmy is probably right that Vienna might be risky because the audience don't know it. Diddy pushed her to do it with some staging changes and Tommy pushed her to wear bell bottoms and Elise nixed it. Very smooth cool performance. She really got into it - and enjoyed it. She may be too cerebral for this audience. Interesting ending. Judges gave her a standing ovation. They loved it. Randy really went over the top in his praise. I think they went a bit too far with the praise. B+

Phil -- "Movin' Out" Tommy tells him not to wear grey because he will lose votes. Umm it doesn't matter what he is wearing, he will not lose votes. Diddy tells him to not play the guitar and to get into the groove. He even brought out some girls for Phil to sing to. Phil kept the guitar, but also kept the groove. God this guy is so cool. Oh and he wore the grey too. Take that mentors. The growl was perfect. Steven Tyler said he "Phillip Phillips'd it" and threw him a scarf to wear. Randy said "Those that do, should" Umm, Randy I think you got that phrase wrong too. A-

Hollie -- She was amazing last week but her look was very off. She told Tommy she loves sparkle though and so they put her in a high waisted, morning coat pantsuit with a silver bustier. Totally works for her age. COME ON. "Honesty" Diddy and Jimmy tried to explain the meaning of the song so she could have a connection. She obviously didn't get it, because standing on a glitter platform with red lips and Veronica Lake hair is not in the same vibe as this gut wrenching, you did me wrong song. Her voice is incredible, but the vibe was off. Steven said she was pitchy, Jlo likes to use baby when she gives criticism. She used a baby for Hollie. B

Hi Haley Reinhart!! Can't wait to hear you tomorrow!

Heejun -- This could be a great week for Heejun with this theme. He asked Diddy for advice on handling criticism. Umm, this guy gets in to gun fights, so maybe not the best person to ask for advice. Diddy thinks Heejun is a con man. Heejun told Tommy he is inspired by fellow contestant Jessica Sanchez's style. (I was crying laughing). He started as a ballad and then stopped the piano threw off his coat and said he wanted to dance. He sang "My Life" with attitude. At the end he hit a stride with his voice but in the beginning it was not very strong. But the energy. I mean, I am smiling from ear to ear. The judges had fun but Steven said he should take it a little more seriously. C+

Jessica Sanchez -- "Everybody Has a Dream" Diddy thinks she is over singing and he doesn't believe her. Can these people get new hairstylists? Jessica looks like an 80's Asian call girl. Her voice is out of control good and she has more grit than Hollie which makes it sound a little more believable. Standing Ovation from the judges. Again, really? Steven thanks her for letting him hear her sing. Something isn't meshing for me. B

Colton -- Hitting the piano, oh yeah. "Piano Man" Colton was mad at Tommy for discrediting his hair. Diddy wanted to buy his version. Me too. This was a moment. The red piano, his look, his AMAZING arrangement, the cool voice. I am SOO into this. Steven praised his musicianship. I was blown away. I just loved it. For me, this is turning into a Phillip / Colton showdown from a credible, believable artist standpoint. A

Oh my god. To watch Colton and then go to Milli Vanilli's performance? It made me gag.

Colton won this night and Phil was amazing. Elise and Erika proved their musicianship. Hollie and Jessica need to stop acting so old and Joshua needs to make sure he connects. Milli? Time to cut them braids and hit the road. The judges called out Jessica, Colton, Elise and Phil.

Milli Vanilli - F-

Erika - B+

Joshua - B+

Skylar - B-

Elise - B+

Phil - A-

Hollie - B

Heejun - C+

Jessica - B

Colton - A

I am going to listen to Colton's song over and over and download it right away. This is a shout out for JLo, don't be ashamed if you dated Diddy when he was Puffy and couldn't remember his name tonight.

So much to say.

Before we get to the show, let me urge all of my pals to go see "Friends with Kids." This movie was fabulous. The conversations, the situations, the acting was so natural, I just wanted the movie to go on forever. I would have watched 20 years of their lives. It is funny, sad, just perfect. Go see it!

And if you have yet to download Carrie Underwood's Good Girl, DO IT NOW. Run to it, drink to it, sing to it, just listen to it!

The show opens with the announcement that a finalist has been kicked off. For those that don't keep up with Idol news as I do, it was the gentle giant Jermaine. Apparently Jermaine was not so gentle of a giant, but a criminal. He lied to producers about outstanding warrants and some other stuff. But instead of just announcing it, the producers are creating a not needed cliffhanger about it to discuss later? Come on.

Phil Phillips -- "Hard to Handle" WillIam says he nailed it even though he was on his way to the hospital for a kidney stone surgery. I'm glad Phil didn't pass away from baby dead bowel syndrome. He is cute. I'm not a fan of trombones, but his growly voice was still great. A- VOTE

Jessica Sanchez -- "Turn the Beat Around" WillIam called her a swaggernaut. He was going crazy listening to her. Please do not point to your ear when you say "love to hear percussion." That is a no no. She can Sang, but I despise this song. From Diana DeGarmo to now, I absolutely hate this song. So Gloria, no love for you and the Sound Machine. Steven tells her to stick to ballads, JLo used the word syncopated, Randy talked about verbrato again and then sang with verbrato to once again explain what it is. Jessica blamed the year she was born. Listen no doubt we need to support. B VOTE

I'm not comfortable with the commercials for JLo and Mark Anthony's new show. Creepy. Remember when he was all over the show last year?

Heejun -- His adorable parents spoke with subtitles. "Right Here Waiting" First of all, Heejun was again adorable in the session. He asked WillIam for an autograph and asked for Fergie's number. Love him. Second of all, I LOVE this song. The thought that Heejun was born the year that I was 13 and sang this song at a karaoke competition in Hawaii (long story) makes me throw up a little bit, but because I love this song so much, I will get over it. His dorky bow tie is amazing. He may not win this competition for his voice, but his personality has already made him a star. Randy says wrong song and that he has lost his R&B swagger, I kind of agree. He needs to be careful on song choice. He has a beautiful girlfriend in the audience! B VOTE because he makes me laugh and he will always win over Milli Vanilli.

Elise -- "Let's Stay Together" WillIam said she should duet with Obama who recently sang a bit of this. She has a unique Taylor Dayne quality, but I can't get over how old she looks. Much better than last week. She had a good time and Steven loved her voice. Umm i just realized her last name is Testone which made me think of testosterone which she has maybe some of because she has a little bit of a mannish voice. Man, I am bad tonight. I'm not so into her but she brang it. B

Milli Vanilli -- I think his parents are my age. Ugggh "Can You Feel the Love" was going to be his song, but WillIam bullied him out of it. He switched to "Endless Love" That can't be right, they weren't the same year, this is weird. Oh Luther and Mariah did it in 94 so he is allowed. 94, jesus, I could have been his Teen Mom. I can't take him seriously. Judges were not into the song choice because it was too boring. I can't remember his real name. C

Shannon -- needs to bring it this episode. "Don't Speak" Jimmy suggests it while promoting a new phone. Really? But she picks "One Sweet Day" by Mariah Carey. She suffers from wanna be a black female balladeer syndrome. WillIam doubts she can breathe right through it. She could be so good if she stopped trying to be a Mariah. She's over thinking it and ends up sounding 75 years old. The judges really liked it. I'm glad she redeemed herself but not my fave. B-

OMG just remembered my grading system! I forgot to do it last week!

Colton -- loves Daughtry and Colton said they hooked up, poor choice of words. "Broken Heart" by White Lion. Never heard this song but it is right up his Daughtry / David Cook / Rachna Shah alley. Steven didn't like it, JLo did, Randy liked it cause he likes this guy. Me too! B+ VOTE

Erika -- somewhat normal of a birth year at 1985. "Heaven" by Bryan Adams. Boy this was a great memory song for me. If we had more time together I'd tell you about the boy that inspired Heaven for me at age 10. But that is a long story. Another great look for Erika. Song was great with her new take on it, but not mind blowing. Steven said she was too busy with it, good point. JLo loves her look too. Randy liked it 8 out of 10. B+ VOTE

Yikes, they taped the producers kicking off Jermaine? This is not right. I am so uncomfortable. He is not allowed to be on the program because he has 4 outstanding warrants against him. They showed his rehearsal clip singing "Somewhere Out There" beautifully. The whole thing just gave me the heeby jeebs.

This show is not giving me what it gave me last week. I need some energy!

Skylar comes out and she decides to sing "Love Sneaking Up on You" by Bonnie Raitt but Jimmy and WillIam try to change her mind. She sticks to her gut. She does a good job but the song is very repetitive. Her energy was strong. The judges liked it, I liked it, and WillIam referred to Coolio so cool. B+ VOTE

Joshua -- God bless his parents for having 8 kids. "When a Man Loves a Woman" WillIam felt it, he felt it. We did too. We all went to the church of Joshua. Old school style that blows up into star power. Did you see him take off his jacket while he was singing? Fantastic. A VOTE

Hollie -- WillIam is blown away by her. She goes for Celine's "Power of Love." I'm not at all into the 80 yr old woman's gown. But my god, the voice is so smooth and big and it seems so easy for her. I do not even know what she should do with a recording career, her voice is so big, I don't know who can write for a voice that big? Judges loved it, but gave her a few slight demerits. Tough to go after Joshua. A- VOTE

Phil A- (he always gets bonus points for being adorbs)

Jessica B

Heejun B (his personality gets an A+)

Elise B

Milli Vanilli C

Shannon B-

Colton B+

Erika B+

Skylar B+

Joshua A

Hollie A-

Joshua stole the night. Not sure if they are sending someone home since they kicked off the criminal giant, but if someone is going, I say Milli or Shannon. Judges all said Joshua, Hollie and Phillip were safest and gave props to Elise, Skylar, Colton. Randy said Heejun is going home. Come on Randy!

We'll see what happens - go see FRIENDS WITH KIDS!!

Don't be ashamed of your obsessions or for using the word adorbs.

The Top 13 perform!

First of all, happy to see everything survived on the DVR. I of course immediately caught up on Idol to get rady for tonight's first top 13 performances. I was very happy with the picks for the top 13 -- surprised by some who I didn't know were as good as they were like Skyler and both Joshua's and Hollie Cavanaugh. Right now Hollie, Phil and Jessica are my tops but it is an open field.

Mary J is the guest mentor and the guys are singing Stevie while the girls sing Whitney. Too soon, y'all, too soon.

Joshua Ledet -- With the Stevie WOnder song that jet lag is keeping me from naming. This guy rocks it out. I think his energy is great, but not sure where he fits in today's landscape. VOTE

Elise -- "I'm Your Baby" She had a tough session with Mary J and Jimmy. They changed her song but I do think it was the right choice. She is just so tough sounding, she has to be careful it doesn't come off cold. Good job but the emotion was off. She did look less Kesha, but seriously looks older than me. Maybe she should go brunette?

Jermaine -- "Knocks Me Off My Feet" This is the gentle giant. Once again, where does he fit in the landscape, but for now, I enjoy him. He makes me smile. He is seriously from another time.

Erika Van Pelt -- "I believe in You and Me" So glad this woman made it in. Saying woman because she too seems to be 40 yrs old. Her hair and make-up were really good and clean, but the gown was horrific. Great job. She didn't push too hard and got the depth. VOTE

KEY NOTE: JLo needs to stop with the "goosies" It was cute once in a while, but enough. You are not 4 years old. "Goosies" - that's retarded.

Colton Dixon -- "Lately" Definitely the most contemporary voice in the competition. He reminds me of Bertrand in my Paris office. Super skinny BERT! Obviously Stevie is not his thing, but he did a good job at retaining his personality and showcasing his voice. VOTE

Shannon Magrane -- "I Have Nothing" This girl confuses me. She reminds me of Shailene Woodley from the Descendents but then she starts singing like a much older black woman. It seems she did great in the rehearsal, but she did not carry this off tonight. She had a hard time. Jennifer was great with her words of support.

Milli Vanilli -- "Master Blaster" Milli Vanilli was on a rasta colored stage tonight. I cannot keep a straight face through this. Is this a 1985 Lionel Richie video? I actually liked his save me song last week. I just can't with the "jam on."

Skyler Laine -- "Where do Broken Hearts Go?" This girl blew me away last week. Mary got goosies with this. She is so honky tonk with that accent. Hey if Whitney can do Dolly, why can't Dolly do Whitney? I used to stand on my parents living room windowsill (the reverb on a window is amazing) singing this to the empty house. Yep, I did. Her voice is so effortlessly on pitch. It is so stylistic but she can sing anything. VOTE Randy gave her a "That was Hot"

HeeJun -- "All is Love is Fair" This guy is my favorite and I hope he stays on all season. Not because he has the best voice but because he is the most entertaining person ever. I want him to come hang out with me. He gave signed pictures of himself to Jimmy and Mary J saying he loves Jimmy but he loves Mary J more. Hysterical. On the singing part, he has a good voice but needs to find a modern song at some point to blast it out of the park. He did a really good job though with grand song. VOTE

Hollie Cavanagh -- "All the Man that I need" This girl is like 4 feet tall. And her voice is 25 feet tall. Is she Australian? God the styling of her is so 90's prom. She did Whitney justice. I can't imagine what that sounds like in person. Oh that ending. Killed me. Just killed me. VOTE VOTE VOTE

Jeremy Rosado -- "Ribbon in the Sky" Love this teddy bear. He did a good job. His voice is soft and sweet and I do love his heart. I want to see him go through this process VOTE

Jessica -- "I Will Always Love You" She is the one to try to do this. Seriously, her and Hollie should take this all the way to the end. She has this Jennifer Hudson in that little Asian body of hers. Yes it was a copycat of Whitney's version, but for her to do it so effortlessly, why not go for it? Man, this girl is incredible. VOTE VOTE VOTE

Phillip Phillips -- "Superstition" This guy is hot. As Jimmy said, he is that rare find of great musician and great singer. And might I add, HOTTIE. He is zoo cool. Calling Chris Martin and Dave Matthews, watch your back. VOTE VOTE VOTE

Winners of the night? Here's my ranking

Jessica

Phillip

Hollie

Skylar

Joshua Ledet

Erika

Heejun

Colton

Jeremy R

Jermaine

Shannon

Elise

Milli Vanilli

Probably Elise is going.

Great show that keep me going through the jet lag! Randy says Joshua and Jessica were best of night, Jennifer says Shannon and Steven says Shannon and Elise were at bottom. Steven rates Jessica as tops.

Don't be ashamed of your obsessions -- or watching two Ryan Gosling movies on the plane home like I did.