Queen and my thoughts on Smash

Right off the bat, you all know I was not happy about Colton going home last week.   He hadn’t reached my favorite status to win by any means, but I enjoyed his take on songs so much more than Hollie or even Jessica or Skylar.   I cannot stop listening to Broken Heart and Time after Time and Piano Man.  By listening to some interviews and such I do have my theories as to why he was thrown off – he has a major Christian base since he has been very open about his strong faith and the Gaga Bad Romance choice may have alienated that group.   And they cut his backstage interview after he sang September to say he didn’t care what the judges said when in fact he said he didn’t care what the judges said because they are there to be critical and he really loved that song.  Big difference.  Oh well, time to move on.

I must mention JLo’s gold lame tracksuit / harem pants.  NO, NO, NO.  Apparently she can look bad in some outfits.

So this week is themed as the songs of Queen which I have normally liked.  But the twist is the contestants sing one Queen song and then a personal choice.  Not a Jimmy Iovine mentoring week.  My first instinct was that Elise was going to kill it tonight and based on the opening medley, I think I’ll be right.  Joshua and Phillip seem to totally shine in this as well.  Surprised about Joshua actually – did you hear him on Another One Bites the Dust?

Oh that song, such memories.  I had a 45 of Another One Bites the Dust and danced to it as a little girl with my little record player.  Little Rachu dancing to her little white plastic record player.  I loved this song.

Jessica opens with "Bohemian Rhapsody".  And three Jessica heads appeared behind her which was weird and frightening.  As always she did a good job, but it did not give me any goosies or wow me.  B

Skylar -- she has written a song about a pistol.  She's got some Miranda Lambert in her for sure.  "The Show Must Go On" I don't know if I want to hear this song with twang.  But when she hit the high notes, it was incredible.  The judges went crazy over this and I will agree with Jennifer that Skylar knows how to tell a story.  But I wasn't jumping out of my seat.  Ok watched it again and I still feel the same way but really was in awe of that him note.  I do wish she had made it last season and she could have beaten the you know what out of Scotty McCreery.  B+

Joshua -- "Crazy Little Thing Called Love"  Love his cool microphone.  What is that?  I think he is incredible when he does a fast song.  It really shows off his personality.  I loved this.  After seeing his Bruno Mars and this I can see where he will fit into the landscape in pop music today.  Standing ovation.  He has it all the vocals, the personality, the charm.  Totally agree.  JLo says Joshua's part of the show is her favorite part of the show.  Steven loves his unique style.  It is funny because when he isn't singing he is so dry or shy, but he comes alive when he performs.  A-

Elise -- "I Want It All"  This could be her song, so natural.  Love how she kept it so melodic. not a scream fest.  JLo was rocking out and that final note was awesome.  Oh it breaks my heart how scared she is of the judges.  Luckily they loved it -- it was her style.  Randy also told her the 1-4-5 bluesy style suits her.  I have absolutely no idea what he is talking about.  But I really like this girl. B+ 

Phillip -- "Fat Bottomed Girls"  Ha ha, Steven said this was about JLo.  Look, the guy has great style -- in singing that is.  The outfit was way to casual for me this time.  As Randy said, it was good, but this did not make me jump out of my seat.  JLo said he is varying his style and not always sounding like Dave Matthews, agree.  I think putting aside the guitar for a little bit is a good idea.  Makes me want to see him play again.  B

Wow and Hollie gets the last spot?  "Save Me" My god the outfit is about 45 years older than her.  A skinny red silk pantsuit with pumps.  She did well with the chorus, but I don't know or like this song.  Steven thought she did a really good job, JLo felt her emotion but not her enjoyment.  JLo must not have felt my enjoyment either because I had none.  It is time for her to go. C

Judges talk about first round.  JLo says Skylar won, Randy says Hollie needs to step it up and Joshua and Elise were great.  Steven loved Skylar too.  Hmmm, did I miss the Skylar love?

I hate the Emmy Rossum cotton commercial and I miss Kiefer Sutherland but do not want to watch that show.

So part 2 gives us little personality insight into each with fun contestant interviews.  What did I learn?  I'm still not into Jessica.

But then she sings "Dance With My Father" by Luther.  I just got the chills, not kidding.  It was like her first Whitney moment.  Magical, amazing, beautiful, emotional.  I loved it.  JLo thought it was the best rendition of that song she has heard.  I have tears in my eyes from this.  Steven is honored to watch her.  Randy said there was nothing wrong with it.  I loved that.  A

Skylar -- Wow Jason Aldean's "Tattoos on This Town"  I am probably the only one (besides Jay ) who knows this song.  And every country fan watching right now.  Smart girl.  She definitely has a career in country and even though the Queen song probably showed more skill, the authenticity of this made it better for me.  Just FYI, Jason Aldean is the one who had that duet with Kelly Clarkson recently.  I still wish she had done Miranda, but this was solid.  Not a wow, but solid.  B+

Joshua -- Loved the piece on him.  Okay, so he is just nervous on stage when he is not singing.  Umm I don't know what this song is -- Ryan, aren't you a DJ?  Announce the song! Okay googled it -- India Arie's "Ready For Love."  Standing Ovation again.  Gorgeous, spine tingling, Steven asks the crowd to cheer louder.  It was a master class.  Randy is exactly right that this kid's ear is out of control.  Steven says he is off to the moon.  This kid is a star.  No doubt. A I'm watching it again.  I would die if someone sang this to me.  Insanely good.  

Elise -- And I have to look this up as well.  And now I feel dumb.  It is "Bold As Love" by Jimi Hendrix.  Steven Tyler is right on that it isn't familiar enough.  JLo said she slayed it so it didn't matter.  Randy said it wasn't the right song.  I agree.  I think she is too intellectual for this competition.  She is like a Joss Stone or other people that I don't necessarily listen to but I know are good.  And we met her husband Wallace!  He is so dorky, love him.  B

Phillip -- Does the Dave Matthews Band finally and brings back the guitar.  I had to look up the song "The Stone"  Eh.  I agree it was too obscure.  JLo said he can sing these songs he loves later but right now "I need you to do songs that are gonna get you on that last show so you can win."  Randy said he is an artist and authentic.  Randy just likes to say things we don't understand.  I really hope this didn't hurt him tonight.  Because I can respect it, but I am worried.  B

Can we talk about Julianne Hough, Ryan's girlfriend, saying Yummy about Phillip bkstg while carrying her WHITE MULBERRY BAYSWATER bag?  Love a product placement for my client.  Ryan's hair is really long.

Hollie -- Love the making fun of her accent.  Oh boy, The Save followed by The Climb?  Lauren Alaina just did this last season.  Sometimes you are going to have to lose, and I hope it is this week or it will be a travesty.  Look she is actually EXCELLENT voice wise, it is her style and lack of personality that don't work for me.  It is really too bad.  But with who is left, she needs to go now.  Oh geez, standing o from the judges.  Ugggh.  B

Jessica B and A (hello inconsistent?)

Skylar B+ and B+

Joshua A- and A

Elise B+ and B

Phillip B and B

Hollie C and B

To wrap this up, Joshua stole the show and Jessica followed closely behind because of her second one.  Skylar was consistent in a great way.  My scores for Hollie were low, but she probably resonated with the crowd.  So is Elise going to suffer because of her poor second song choice?  Please don't let Phillip go home!  This season I don't trust what is going to happen.  JLo is right that he might have taken too big of a risk but Steven says he and all of them have earned their right to do what they want to by making it this far.  Steven says he is most impressed with Skylar -- he loves a country girl - remember how he loved Lauren Alaina?  

So quickly - I finally caught up on Smash and I got back into it.  Do not need the Uma guest star, the Debra Messing plot is so good and now I like Megan Hilty's blonde character.  I get her.  Bernadette Peters as her Mom was incredible.  They are all becoming much more real.  And who knew the Indian guy could dance like a Bollywood star?  By the way, hated that song and dance number, but Debra Messing looked insanely beautiful in the green Indian outfit.  Happy to see it has been renewed but they are pushing out the original creator for a new show runner so we'll see what happens.  But I definitely LOVED the new song that was written for Karen to sing but then Ivy sang it -- incredible.

Okay, this was the longest post ever!  Good night and remember, don't be ashamed of your obsessions or for remembering the dances from your childhood.

Top 7 again...

So the save was used last week to save Jessica. It was the right move. For all the ladies out there, another good move would be to go see The Lucky One with Zac Efron. For all the guys, if you want some motivation to start working out, then this would be a movie for you.

A shout out to Dick Clark. Ryan Seacrest's mentor. A huge part of pop culture. Ryan was right, this type of show would not exist without what Dick Clark did.

This week is now and then, two performances per contestant.

Hollie opens -- "Rolling In the Deep" Probably a move on producer's parts by putting her first to hopefully get rid of her. No mentor except Jimmy this time. He tells her to loosen up and stop feeling nervous. She definitely had better stage presence, nothing weird. And her a cappella opening was strong. The girl has a major once, no doubt. This is a good way for her to go out. (Is that bad, but I just don't see her going to the end so it may be time...) B-

Colton -- "Bad Romance" Jimmy calls out Colton's lock on the female vote. I can't stop listening to Time after Time and Piano Man from my downloads, so so far, he is hitting the right notes for me. However, this performance is not. It is messy and unfeeling, cold if you wish. Is James Durbin back with his heavy metal? I don't think he is in danger so I feel okay to be critical. Judges were supportive but shared my criticism. In the words of Steven "You gotta get low to get high." He would know. B-

Elise -- "Everthing's Gonna Be Alright" by Alicia Keys Jimmy told Elise she is always in the bottom. She is cursed with an amazing voice but not as warm of a persona. She looked great and I think tried to give the audience the opportunity to sing along, but she is better than this. B

Thanks Ryan for making the girl cry on stage when talking about her dog who is dying.

Phillip Phillips -- He takes on Usher's "You Got It Bad" So cool. Loved his little moves and how he stood up from his stool. I mean, I hate the sax, but even that was okay. Totally different take on the song and that was fine. Standing O from the judges -- can we talk about JLo's silver cut out massively sexy dress? Steven Tyler says he makes him feel like a dump because he never knows what he's going to get. JLo says it was sexy and Phillip is adorbs and embarrassed. Randy called him an artist -- duh. A

Jessica -- "Fallen" by Alicia Keys. Agree with Jimmy that she needs to feel it. Great styling. Her skill is dope. But I have not much of an emotional connection -- more of one than with Hollie, but I don't care as much as I do about Elise. And I'm not downloading any of it. Judges gave her tons of support - her talent is otherworldly? Yeah, meaning other than my worldly. B+

Skylar -- "Born This Way" by Gaga. The show needs a country girl and I'm glad it is this one. She is more Loretta Lynn than Faith Hill so the authenticity is there. I liked her look. But the song was a little too hard for me, a little screamy. JLo loved it. Steven loved it Randy loved it. Me? ehh. I would one to see her do some Miranda. B

Joshua -- "I Believe" by Fantasia. Why was he in the bottom 3? I think he doesn't believe in himself as much and maybe it shows? I love his innocence, I really do. Love this version even more than Fantasia's. I like him better than Jessica and Hollie. B+

And now for the Soul Train round.

Hollie -- "Son of A Preacher Man" She finally let go and the judges are happy for her. I'm glad she can go out on this good note, but I say put a fork in her she's done. B-

Colton -- "September" Really? He rearranged an Earth Wind and Fire song? That takes courage. Unfortunately I don't think it paid off. This arrangement didn't suit the song itself. The judges were not feeling the song choice either. B

Elise -- "Let's Get It On" The woman has soul and is smooth, but she wasn't smooth enough for this song. The toughness of her voice took away some of the charm. You can tell she is a vocal teacher because of her skills, but there was too much going on. JLo gave her a very, very, very long speech about showing vulnerability (I spent the speech watching JLo's abs peeking out of her outfit) and Elise explained that the shortness of the performances my be hindering her. Randy said she doesn't know what to sing but then said the song was by Al Green instead of Marvin Gaye. Dummy. B

Phillip Phillips -- "Wait til the Midnight Hour" Oh boy this kid is sooo cool and his little smile is infectious. I am grinning ear to ear. He put down his guitar and did his little bogey dance. I can see him performing with every major player out there. I'd love to hear an original song by him because I hope it is this cool. Or he could just be my private cover artist. JLo wanted to dance with him (me too!) Judges loved it, Steven called him "brilliantly awkward." Perfectly said. A

Kris Allenwhatevs was in the audience.

Jessica -- "Try a Little Tenderness" She was working a lewk. The beginning was weird for me, but then she let it go and her letting it loose gave her authenticity. She's got skillz. A-

Skylar -- "Heard It Through the Grapevine" This one was more melodic than the first, so I liked it. She controlled the screaminess better. Judges really liked her. She will be safe. But I want something more from her. B+

Joshua -- "A Change Is Gonna Come" I think Fantasia performed this too (do we see a finale duet coming?) This guy has real soul, I mean I am riding the soul train. So much better than Hollie or Jessica even. Loved his comment that he was watching JLo's abs. His personality is awesome. A

Hollie -- B- and B- (just because I'm done, but probably B and B+ if I still liked her)

Colton -- B- and B

Elise -- B and B

Phillip -- A and A

Jessica -- B+ and A-

Skylar -- B and B+

Joshua -- A- and A

Phillip won the night hands down, Joshua killed it, Jessica brought it and Skylar kept it going. Colton had a bad night, so maybe he will be in the bottom 3 with Elise and Hollie but I hope Hollie is going home.

Randy was right that tho show has mad talent dawg. I watch the Voice but actually ffwd through the performances to just hear the judges -- I only care about the judges. This show? Lots of talent this season.

Don't be ashamed of your obsessions, even if they involve a former teenage high school musical star or the little dance of the man with two first names.

A day late and a play tall

So I couldn't blog last night because I went to see Death Of a Salesman on Broadway and it was so gut-wrenching that I needed to wallow in it instead of getting into something else. For those of you who could go see this play, go see it. Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Andrew Garfield and every single other member of that cast are jut spectacular. It is so intense. I have been on a Bway high recently from Evita (great if you love the music to see it live, but not the best version it could be) to Once (really? could the love story get any better with a soundtrack like that?) and now Death of A Salesman.

My second high this year? The amount of amazing comedy on TV right now. Happy Endings (A-MAHH-ZING), How I Met Your Mother (LE-GEN-, wait for it, DARY), 2 Broke Girls (a horse in the backyard?), Parks and Recreation (let's start with Tammy 1 and Tammy 2), Modern Family (what do you do when all the girls are in that time of the month?), Up All Night (Ava in the snow suit?), New Girl (LOVE LOVE LOVE a quirky girl) and I am already signed up for Don't Trust the B***** in Apt 23 (Dawson? YES please).

I watched tons of SNL last weekend and if I can send you back to a couple of skits from this season, I would say run to watch all the Quirky Girl skits. Abby Elliott plays Zooey Deschanel who is hosting a talk show with side kick Michael Cera (the kid from Juno) with special guests including Zooey Deschanel playing Mary Kate Olsen and Kristen Wiig playing Drew Barrymoore. HYSTERICAL. Also, watch the Jason Segal episode for the skit "Retirement Party" I don't have anything to say!

Okay, now onto Idol. It was weird to not watch yesterday, but like I said, had to be done.

First of all, THANK YOU AMERICA for voting off Milli Vanilli. It was the right thing to do.

And now to the Top 7:

Skylar -- "Didn't You Know How Much I Love You" by Kellie Pickler Yup, it is crazy to think this girl has become a success if you only know her from this show, but Kellie Pickler has really developed a serious country music career. And this is a good song. Skylar rocked it out. Sang the **blank** out of it with integrity and credibility. B+

Colton -- Jimmy told him to fight against Phillip Phillips. That he needs to step out of the box. Colton is singing the song that Rihanna sings in Eminem's "Love the Way you Lie" by Skylar Grey. Never knew who sang the original. Fact: Skylar sings the song with Diddy, Coming Home that was his most recent hit. Adding it to my downloads. Fantastic. His voice and his emotional touchstone. He is so cool. A-

Love this duos moment and Phillip and Elise are doing my new favorite song Goyte's Somebody I Used to Know. AMAZING. OBSESSED. It has had a big week with Glee featuring it this week and now the band will be at Coachella this weekend. Crazy how these things build up so fast. Again these two proved that they are super cool. Elise is getting better and better. Steven Tyler is also listening to it constantly. WERD!

Jessica -- "Stuttering" by Jasmine Sullivan. Never heard of it but Jimmy and (oh have I mentioned him) guest mentor Akon are obsessed with Jessica. She is wearing a jeweled mega shoulder powered top and sitting on a piano. I am always intrigued by singers who power belt while seated. I need to stand up and power it out, but these people must be better than me, so they can sit and belt it out. Okay I am obviously not that interested in this because I am writing about singing methods. Of course, she is a great singer, she is just not interesting to me. This is about my personal taste. JLo I think agrees with me because she wants her to take us on a journey like Joshua does. Well said. B

Joshua is 20 going on 75. Fantasia wished him a Happy Birthday via video -- from Fantasia to Mantasia. Kills me. "Runaway Baby" by Bruno Mars. Good for him for upping the tempo. Fantastic choice. Randy convinces JLo and Sty to stand o. Sty tells him to get the number of the dancer (umm have a feeling she isn't his type), JLo loves the dynamics. He is so sweet yet crazy talented. A

Wow Colton and Skylar duet again also. Love them allowing them to keep their same pairings. Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson -- can we say, hand us the money? Fantastic choice. But Skylar is no Kelly Clarkson, she is really good, but that is a tough comparison because Kelly sings that song effortlessly. They should sing a Sugarland song with her twang. Steven said they made love to each other singing the song, blecch. JLo knows music. Randy did not love that.

Hollie -- For the song from the last 3 years theme, Hollie chooses "Perfect" by Pink. Oh god, the ice skaters outfit? That is a bad decision. Too Broadway. Oh Hollie, stop over enunciating, put on jeans and a sparky top if you must. She is Renee Fleming trying to sing a pop song. Phenomenal voice and talent but the style is completely off. I'm done. C because she looks like the Bjork Swan costume. Judges were over it. I'm over it.

Phillip -- "Give A Little More" by Maroon 5, Jimmy and Akon hate it. Jimmy pushes the competition with him and Colton again. Uggh, smooth. But I could do without the blonde sax player. He has his own dance party. Hysterical. I don't know this song, but I was bopping, but not his best. Judges weren't into it either. B

Can we talk about how excited I am to see Zac Efron's The Lucky One?

Poor Jessica and Joshua get Hollie added to their group. They sing Kelly Clarkson's Stronger. Joshua killed it with the girls. It was awesome but I think that is just because it is a fantastic song. Thanks Kelly. You are awesome and your album helps me run a little faster.

Elise -- Jason Segal comes on the screen to tell Elise that he loves her -- really ? Awesome, I love him. Plus I saw his girlfriend Michelle Williams at Death of a Salesman last night. She came by herself to watch. I wanted to ask her if she wanted a friend to sit with because I would be that. Can we talk about Elise's funny friend who made the voting video? Elise is singing my favorite karaoke song Gaga's "You and I." Can she do it better than me? Her voice just wiggles all over the place in a good way. She did a great job making it her own. I may steal some of these inflections as my own. JLo says she is last so often because she is a closer. A-

Judges recap and love Skylar, Elise, Joshua and I agree it was nice to see them sing new songs.

Skylar B+

Colton A

Jessica B

Joshua A-

Hollie C

Phillip B

Elise A-

My top 3 were Colton, Joshua and Elise. It is time for Hollie to go home.

And so now to the results show. They open with Pink's Raise Your Glass. No, didn't cut it as much as I love the song. But funny moments seeing Phillip pump his fist -- everyone else was jumping up and down, but he refused. Elise kicked it.

Jimmy comes on screen to compare Hollie and Jessica and says Hollie has bad habits to make her sound stiff. Jessica says she has been working hard all her life (17 whole years of it). Yes, it is make a group results night. Hollie to the right, Jessica to the left.

Heavy Metal rocker James Durbin comes out to perform. He is blonde. He is really heavy metal. Nope, can't do it. FFwrd. He sounds good, but nope not my thing.

Elise and Phillip come to the center of the stage. And my DVR cut it off. Why do I need to deal with this nonsense? Well, cut to the chase.

America is retarded and Jessica, Elise and Joshua were in the bottom 3. WHAT? The judges stepped in and save Jessica before she finished singing. You know what -- they only have 2 more episodes to use this, so they should have gone for it. Huffington Post (which I had to refer to) said this proved the show's audience is racist because Jessica and Joshua can't beat Colton and Phillip. Umm, let me just say Ruben, Fantasia and Jordin. Dumb.

Luckily it all worked out, but next week, I better not regret that they saved Jessica. I don't want her to win, but I agree she shouldn't go yet. However, if she went after Hollie, I'd be okay with that. So we'll see.

Now go online and watch all my comedy suggestions. Don't be ashamed of copying my TV habits, I'm flattered.

Top 8 do the 80s

First of all, love the opening moments set to Mister Mister's Broken Wing. If only it was Kyrie Elaison! Great 80s shot of Randy Jackson aka Arsenio Hall. Not sure if we need the 80s when we already did year they were born which included some 80's and Billy Joel who of course had a lot of 80s.

Wow Gwen Stefani and Tony Kanal are the mentors (umm they are 90s, but ok). And tonight there are duets!

My comments on last week's exit of my favorite, funny guy, Heejun. Better him to go than any of the more talented voices, but I will miss his humor. Can he come on once in a while to entertain me? Surprised that Hollie and Skylar were in bottom 3 over Milli Vanilli.

Thank you Idol Producers for putting Milli Vanilli first (usually the worst spot) - "I Like It" by DeBarge. It is time for him to go. Jimmy already thinks he is in the bottom 3. I didn't really listen because I can't stand him, but the judges fell hook line and sinker. I guess it wasn't as bad as last time. t can't believe he was not in the bottom 3 last week. Oh god, screaming girls. That's why he is here. Ryan asked him how he felt about going first and Deandre said "it is the DULL edge of the sword" not DOUBLE, but DULL. Listen MV, you are the DULL edge my friend. I am not assigning him any letter any more, because I can't stand him.

Elise -- Gwen tells her her voice is sick. Tony said she gave them Goosebumps and and Gwen corrected him and said they are called "Goosies" on the show. That was funny. Elise was going to rock out on Hallelujah which is overdone and then went with Foreigner's "I Wanna Know What Love Is" Her confidence is so strong now and she is unique but her talent is so genuine. Gwen loves her. Steven Tyler is rocking out. The choir comes out behind her Major. Major. Major. Steven Tyler says the song is not right for her? WHAT? JLo says it wasn't right. WHAT? Was I watching the same song? Shoot, they just put her in jeopardy. B+ ( I went back to watch it, and I guess it may have been a little pitchy, but I'm not convinced).

Colton and Skylar do Kenny Rogers and Dolly's Island's in the Stream. Colton has gone blonde. I was going to jump all over this because it is so cutesy that it can be a problem, but I actually enjoyed it. As did the judges.

Phillip Phillips -- "That's All" by Genesis. Gwen said he is sexy. Uggh so annoyed that Idol is not allowing singles to be purchased this season. I want to make a Phillip Phillips album and they won't let me! This was a tough one for him. Glad he got to play with his brother. Loved his choice and his little smile, but vocally he did not bring it - it was kind of high for him. The judges didn't notice that. Ok. B

Duet from Hollie and Milli Vanilli doing the Pointer Sisters? I am laughing so loudly right now. Seriously, rolling on the floor while I type. Hollie looks ridiculous in pumps that are too big for her, black sequin pants and Milli Vanilli, now known as the other Pointer Sister, and Hollie are doing choreographed hair sweeping moves. OH MY GOODNESS, this was insanity. How can the judges not call this out as being corny and awful? Uggh.

Steven Tyler said he doesn't love the theme because he wasn't really around for the 80's (in other words, he was a little drugged at that time). Ha

Joshua -- "If You Don't Know Me By Now" by Simply Red. Gwen thinks he can overdo it. But they loved it. Oh man, this brings back memories. Arti, are you reading this? Hawaii, 1989, this played on the radio a zillion times. I am not usually a go to church kind of girl, but that was fabulous. And actually every time he does this, I love it. It feels so genuine. A-

Jessica Sanchez -- "How Will I Know" by Whitney. 2 Whitney's? Umm no, I'm not ready for that. She sounds too harsh. I liked her look though. This song is bouncy and light, she hit it all, but she hit it too hard. Maybe Milli Vanilli should have bounced with her to lighten her up. No doubt the girl can sing, but something didn't jive. Randy says she is effortless like Whitney, I don't agree. Randy calls her an Olympic performer? Take it down a notch. B

Duet "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" from Elise and Phillip. It is originally Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty. FANTASTIC. So cool. Really Pointer Sisters are going to get compared to this? These judges better get their act together. If this is a kids show, then start only allowing 15 yr olds to compete. Judges loved it. I loved it.

Hollie -- "What a Feeling" from Flashdance. Gwen tells her to add an edge to it. Live TV moment problem. The keyboard was broken. Ryan ad libbed. This girl just sounds too old and not real. It is a copycat thing. Too much verbrato, too much bad Broadway, the cheesy keytar did not help. No doubt ( excuse the pun) that the girl can sing, but I think she is never going to be cool enough. Steve said her pitch was all over the place. JLo says she doesn't let go. B-

OOH David Beckham Burger King commercial! Really good. Really good.

Joshua and Jessica duet on Aretha and George Michael's "I Knew You Were Waiting For Me" Not into their black tie attire, but very into their retro gospel vibe. And their voices. Jessica didn't overdo it and Joshua always does but it doesn't bother me. Standing O and Steven Tyler was going nuts. Randy worked on this song too -- when he looked like Arsenio Hall. JLo calls it as the finals. Umm let's not go nuts now.

Colton -- "Time After Time" Gwen and Tony live for this song and then Gwen sang with him. He was so happy. Love the rock twist on this. Completely modern. He is really really skinny. He sounds a little Billie Jo Armstrong from Green Day tonight. I loved it. If these judges give him garbage I am going to kill them. I love JLo's hair tonight. Randy called him out for being current. Love that he was honest that he did not create that version but ripped it off -- honest but still cool. B+

Skylar -- "Wind Beneath My Wings" They wanted her to do 9 to 5 originally, but were blown away by the ballad. She is a mini Reba (I am not a Reba fan, by the way). I like that she keeps it straight forward. It is not overdone. And then she kills it in the upper register. Wow, that was incredible. Jlo was crying, I was crying. I think she shouted a bit at the end, but I was on the ride with her. Judges were supportive as they should be. Good choice. A-

Randy gave shout outs to all but Hollie and Elise. I really hope people voted for Elise. Not time for her to go.

MV / Pointer Sister 2 -- WHATEVER

Elise - B+ Screw the judges

Phillip -- B (But he is adorbs)

Joshua -- A-

Jessica -- B

Hollie -- B-

Colton -- B+

Skylar -- A-

And for fun, let's judge the duets:

Colton and Skylar -- B

The Pointer Sisters -- F-----

Elise and Phillip -- A (and coolio)

Joshua and Jessica -- A (but old school)

I think Joshua and Skylar took the night, with Colton and Elise right there. My vote for Bottom 3 is the two Pointer Sisters but Elise will probably join them because the judges screwed her. I want MV out but I think Hollie is going home tomorrow.

Did I ever tell you not to be ashamed of your obsessions? You are the Wind Beneath My Wings.