Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Well, I haven’t seen any tweets from Nigel Lythgoe alerting us to a shocking elimination on American Idol tonight.

And tweets along those lines preceded the ouster of Colton Dixon and the save of Jessica Sanchez.

But Nigel did weigh in on last night’s performances.

“Without question, Joshua and Jessica were outstanding with their final songs,” he wrote.

Then he followed up with this: “Phillip’s ‘Volcano’ proved to me that he is a true artist. I was disappointed with Hollie’s songs. I wish she’d stuck to her first choice!”

More bad news for Hollie, who most Idol watchers predict will go home tonight. Myself  included.

But as we march toward the inevitable, we should be treated to an entertaining evening.

David Cook is back on the Idol stage. Hooray for that. He’ll be performing a new single, “The Last Song I’ll Write for You,” which is now available on iTunes (where fans are loving it) and amazon.com.

I’ve seen David perform twice in York, and he put on a great show both times. Just an excellent vocalist. And, by the way, Nigel, one of the best “artists” we’ve ever seen on Idol.

Now there’s a guy with a knack for picking a cover song, then finding an arrangement that works for him.  Perhaps Idol’s best ever.

Oh, and we’ll be treated to a live version of Jennifer Lopez’s new single, “Dance Again.”

Mostly I’m interested in whether that performance is appropriate for “middle America” after Jennifer’s critique of Jessica Sanchez’s little white dress.

Jessica, by the way, looked great again last night in outfits that weren’t quite so tight, but flashed just a bit of skin. Hope it wasn’t too much for Jimmy Iovine. Because nothing — absolutely nothing — should detract from her show-closing performance of “I’m Telling You” from Wednesday night.

The Performances

We open the show with a group number, “California Dreamin.”   These group numbers are where the vocals of Joshua and Jessica really stand out.  And this is coming off much better than their group number last night.

David Cook time.  He performs his new single.  Nice to see him back on the Idol stage. Brings back memories of one of the best seasons of Idol ever.  Nice song. Loved the ending. Best of luck, David.

Jennifer Lopez time.  She’ll sing “Dance Again.”  Nope, no sexual innuendo in that performance.  Perfectly appropriate for the most conservative viewers.

The Results

Phillip Phillips:  Jimmy Iovine thinks Phillip is beginning to find himself and his voice.  On the “Volcano” performance, Jimmy says Phillip finally fulfilled the promise Idol thought he was capable of all year.  Everything about that performance worked, Jimmy said.

 Hollie Cavanagh:  Jimmy says he doesn’t think Hollie understood her second song last night — that she hit the chorus “and crashed and burned” compared to the other singers.  Ouch, tough words.  But, hey, the voters, not Jimmy, get the final word, don’t they.

 Joshua Ledet:  Jimmy wasn’t thrilled with the gospel rendition of “Raise You Up.” “He can’t use that trick on every song, every time,” Jimmy said.  On the other hand, Jimmy said James Brown and Joshua came together to create a performance you rarely see on Idol.  Note that he didn’t say, the best he’d ever, ever seen.

Jessica Sanchez: Jimmy says Jessica did a good job on “Steal Away,” but he’s not certain impersonating a older blues singer was a good idea.  On the other hand, Jimmy said Jessica brought all her artillery and used it perfectly.  He called her performance “shock and awe.”

Jessica Sanchez makes the top 3.

Joshua Ledet makes the top 3.

That leaves Phillip Phillips and Hollie Cavanagh at mid-stage with Ryan.

And the contestant heading into the top 3 is Phillip Phillips.

Hollie is eliminated on American Idol.

Shame.  She had a heck of a run on Season 11.