Idol Chatter & Voice Views

All three remaining guys in the bottom three?

A male singer going home for the third straight week to start the finals?

For just the second time in American Idol history?

Pat yourselves on the back, Idol voters. You got it right.

Hallelujah, you will support the gals. At least when there are no other viable options.

And while Devin Velez did one heck of a job on that exit song, fact is, the Idol judges got it right, too.

They declined to use their save on him, holding it for another week, despite chants of “Save! Save! Save!” from the studio audience.

Those folks must have a short memory. To them, I’d say three words: “Remember Jessica Sanchez.”

Jessica was a front-runner last year but found herself as the low vote-getter on Top 7 night, though I still suspect the results were the figment of someone’s we-need-to-boost-ratings imagination.

Anyway, the judges used their save on Jessica. She went on to make the finals.

And, if the results had been based on vocal talent, she would have won.

Next week, if voters get too lazy, Angie Miller, Kress Harrison or Candice Glover might find themselves in the same situation.

Would they be worthy of a save? Oh, yeah. But the judges have just one.

On to the recap:

Stock rising: Janelle Arthur got major kudos from Jimmy Iovine for last night’s rendition of “You Keep Me Hanging On” and deserved every word of praise she heard. Jimmy said he wouldn’t hesitate to put that performance on an album. It might have been my favorite this season because of the way Janelle changed up the song. After her Vegas stumbles, I’d pretty much written off Janelle as a serious contender for the Idol crown. I might just have to rethink that.

Stock sinking: Yep, that was Lazaro Arbos standing in the bottom three Thursday night. After Angie, he’s the second most popular contestant on Facebook and Twitter. After he bounced back in his solo performance Wednesday, I thought he’d advance to the Top 7 with ease. But he probably paid the price for a group number in which he missed nearly every cue. Truth be told, he should be the next contestant to hit the road.

Very, very lucky: The judges can praise Burnell Taylor all they want. But the fact that he landed in the bottom three tells me lots of viewers share my opinion: What’s the big deal? It’s the same performance, week after week after week. Burnell sings a ballad reasonably well and I’ve forgotten everything about it by the time the next commercial break ends. And the way Burnell threw Lazaro under the bus in front of a nationwide audience after Wednesday’s group number … well, let’s just say it wasn’t very classy.

Deserved his fate: Look, fans of Devin can scream for the save all they want. But the guy clearly was not connecting with the audience. He had finished in the bottom two on Top 10 week. He had finished in the bottom three on Top 9 week. Had the judges used their save, he would likely have found himself right back in the bottom three on Top 7 week. But he deserves credit for going out in classy fashion, and with a stellar vocal.

What’s Idol doing? I’ve long heard Idol viewers say the last 5 minutes were the only part of a results show worth watching. Well, the last two weeks, Idol’s made it easier to do just that. In previous years, results have been sprinkled throughout the hour-long show. Last night, the results didn’t start coming until 8:45 p.m. From a ratings standpoint, I’m not sure it’s a wise format to repeat.

A bit of trivia: The last time Idol voters ousted three straight guys at the start of the finals was Season 1, when EJay Day, Jim Varraros and A.J. Gill were the first to depart. That year’s final four consisted of Kelly Clarkson, Justin Guarini, Nikki McKibbin and Tamyra Gray. Right now, it’s tough to envision a guy making the final four in Season 12.

Check back late Friday afternoon for an exit interview with Devin Velez.

And check back early next week for the latest Idol rankings.