Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Well, what do you know?

American Idol found itself a judge.

He’ll praise when it’s merited. He’ll criticize when it’s merited.

And he’ll do the latter without being mean.

He just delivered on-point critiques for all 10 top five performances.

He even rated one performer as a 6, which isn’t real good, on a scale of 10.

His name is Jimmy Iovine, and he’s the Idols’ mentor.

Of course, these critiques come one night too late to do the voters at home any good.

So you might want to let him speak one night earlier the rest of this season, Nigel Lythgoe. Just something to think about.

And if you’re looking for a music insider for your panel … oh, say someone to replace a judge as useless as Randy Jackson … I think you’ve found your man.

On to the results recap:

Stock rising: Haley Reinhart!!!! Last week Adam Lambert tweeted that she should win Idol. This week, Kelly Clarkson tweets that Haley just delivered one of her all-time favorite Idol performances and that she thinks Haley or Lauren should win. She generated headlines like this today: Haley shines like a rising sun on NJ.com; Haley Reinhart eclipses the competition, on MTV; Haley shines, but judges still say James has won, on the Washington Post site. And, tonight, Jimmy Iovine said she’s a lock for the finals, if she keeps her confidence up. Well, all that should do wonders for her confidence.

Deserved his fate: Personally, I thought Jacob Lusk deserved this fate before Casey Abrams and before Paul McDonald. But he’s out of the competition now, after an evening when Jimmy rated his performance as a 6.  That might have been kind. Have no fear. Jacob says America loves him, and he’ll now get to make the great R&B album he’s always dreamed of making. Hmm, good luck with that, Jacob. Best of luck to whoever winds up producing it, too.

Improved his standing: Week after week, Scotty McCreery has delivered spot-on vocals on Idol. This week, he showed us he could have fun doing it with his rendition of “Gone.” That might have won over some viewers who found Scotty just a little too country and a little too boring. Oh, and for anyone who was confused by his presence alongside Casey Abrams at the end of last week’s show, Ryan made it perfectly clear tonight: Scotty has never been in the bottom two. Last week’s results were random.

Fading fast:  Lauren Alaina looked like she was about to go into a full-blown meltdown when she landed in the bottom two this week. And this is a contestant already struggling with her confidence. Bottom line: Lauren simply hasn’t lived up to the billing the judges gave her during the auditions. She’s almost always been good. She’s never been great. Next week, we’ll see how she responds.

Download plug of the week: Grab Haley’s “You and I,” that unreleased Lady Gaga song she was scolded for singing. I’ve been listening to it, and loving it, as I wrote this blog. Along with her even better version of “House of the Rising Sun.” Go, Haley!

Coming tomorrow: An exit interview with Jacob Lusk.

Coming this weekend: New rankings for the Idols.