Idol Chatter & Voice Views

So, what did we learn tonight on American Idol?

1. The Idol judges can praise Skylar Laine until deer season rolls around, and getting twang into the finals might prove more difficult in Season 11 than in Season 10.

2. Phillip Phillips isn’t feeling great, it might be affecting his performance, which might explain his subpar night on Wednesday, and none of it matters because he still hasn’t seen the bottom 3.

3. Even the scary sight of three detached, larger-than-life Jessica Sanchez heads can’t derail the teen, who just might become the first Idol contestant to convert a save into an appearance in the season finale.

4. We really need Jimmy Iovine’s critiques on performance night. He makes the Idol judging panel look like amateurs.

On with the recap:

Stock rising: I thought Joshua Ledet enjoyed one of his best nights yet on Wednesday, for precisely the reason Jimmy pointed to. He showed us his pop potential with “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” and looked natural doing it. Then he reminded us of how wonderful he is on power ballads, when he doesn’t go over the top. At this point, he’s deserving of a spot in the finale.

Stock sinking: Truth be told, Phillip Phillips hasn’t been special for a month now. The supposed master of changing songs hasn’t sounded like the master of much lately. But, hey, Julianne Hough thinks he’s “yummy,” and similar sentiments might carry him farther than he deserves to go.

Perseverance award: Go ahead, give the all-time perseverance award to Hollie Cavanagh. That’s four trips to the stools of danger in five weeks. And she’s escaped every time. DailIdol.com predicted as much. And I think I’m going to start waiting to read their predictions each week before making my own. Meanwhile, guess what? Hollie finishes no worse than fifth.

Deserved her fate: As much as I hated seeing Elise Testone go home, as much as I thought she had finale-worthy talent, I couldn’t be too upset over her departure because of her inconsistency. And it showed again Wednesday, with a fine performance of “I Want It All” followed by an off-kilter rendition of “Bold As Love.” And, no, Elise, not everyone is familiar with that song.

Favorite non-singing moment of the week: When the Idols were describing one another Wednesday night, and the cast couldn’t help pointing out the strange, in-pain expressions that cross Phillip’s face every time he’s singing. Wow, those really are some faces. Of course, Jessica Sanchez felt the need to make nice on Twitter today: “I was joking when I said @PPhillipsAI11 looks unattractive when he sings. Come on now. When does PP ever look unattractive? lol,” she wrote.

Least favorite non-singing moment of the week: It was boring last year. It was boring this year. I mean, really, did anyone out there find that TMZ segment humorous? If so, please let me know. Because I’m scratching my head wondering why Idol insists on having the cast visit TMZ every year. Especially when none of the advice was: Don’t hide past problems with the law from Idol. Oh, where oh where did Jermaine Jones go?

Favorite comment from Jimmy Iovine: “The three faces of Jessica that came on the screen … they actually scared me. That was less Queen and more Stephen King.”

Like I said, we need him on the live shows.

Editor’s Note:  For a look back at what Jimmy had to say about all the contestants, go here.  For a look back at Elise Testone’s time on Idol, go here.

Coming tomorrow:  A photo gallery from tonight’s show and an exit interview with Elise Testone.

And, I must leave you with this image …