Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Hey, that was a pretty classy 500th episode of American Idol, right?

The flashback clips at the opening brought back lots of fond memories, from horrible auditions to triumphant moments.

And those well wishes from past Idol winners at each commercial break were a really nice touch.

Ryan Seacrest greets fans on the 500th episode of American Idol. (FOX Photo)

But, of course, a 500th episode celebration was not the main focus of the night.

The main focus was determining who should advance to next week’s Season 13 finale.

And when the curtain closed, I think that was pretty clear.

Best of the Night: At the top of the show, we were told Caleb Johnson was suffering from some pretty serious vocal cord issues. He could barely talk. And you could tell it was affecting his performance on his first two songs of the night. But he took the stage for a third time hellbent on proving he belongs in next week’s finals, delivered one of the strongest vocals of the night, hit big notes all over the place and punctuated the performance by slamming the mic stand into the stage three or four times. Message received, Caleb.

Jennifer Lopez snaps a selfie on the 500th episode of American Idol. (FOX Photo)

Runner-up: As rambunctious as Caleb’s performance was, it might not have been the best vocal of the night. That probably belonged to Jena Irene. The teen from Michigan slipped into her magical spot behind her piano and performed a magical version of Radiohead’s “Creep,” proving once again that she is the best singer on Season 13. After the performance, Jennifer Lopez said she thinks Jena is “going to be so hard to beat.”

Worst of the night: The judges gave Caleb “Demons” by Imagine Dragons in a clear attempt to get the rocker from North Carolina to sing something more current after a steady dose of classic rock for most of Season 13. Healthy, Caleb might have excelled on the song. In his weakened vocal condition he wasn’t up to it. The judges pretended that the performance went well. It really didn’t.

Best line of the night: Keith Urban to Jena after her performance of “Creep”: “The only thing I disagreed with is at the end (of the song), you (sang) ‘I don’t belong here.’ You so belong, here, Jena.”

Baffled by American Idol: The show ended an hour ago on the East Coast, and downloads of tonight’s songs still aren’t on iTunes. When they’re posted, we’ll probably only get one song per artist. Just like last week, when we couldn’t download Jena’s wonderful rendition of “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” Not sure why. The Voice manages to make each performance night song available on iTunes.

What should happen Thursday night: Jena Irene and Caleb Johnson advance to the Idol finals. Alex Preston was solid Wednesday night, but there were two “moments” on the show, and neither came from him.

What will happen Thursday night: Jena Irene had better advance. But this might be the most unpredictable Top 3 Idol has had in quite some time. I wouldn’t be shocked by any pairing of two singers.

For a photo gallery from Wednesday’s show, head here.

And for song by song grades, head here.