The filler was a bunch a crap.  Obviously they need to cut the show time down to an hour instead of giving a bunch of made up scenes with the group making fun of each other.  The judges were more critical this round which they should have been, well except for Steven Tyler who still acted like he swallowed the happy pill.  Yes, Steven, we would like to drink some of your Kool Aid.

Scotty was up first and I have to say WTH was he thinking to pick “Swingin”?  I mean come on!  This is the Top 7.  The judges all felt the same way and he should have sang a much better song choice. 

James Durbin saved the night from being a total waste of time by singing Muse!  I love this band and this is the type of song James needed to sing.  A really awesome song choice for him.  His voice is clean like Rob Halford’s and he commanded the stage and stole the show IMO.  Steven loves that he’s going in a T-Rex direction.  I guess he means he’s killing off the competition lol.

Haley sang Adele who is incredibly hot right now and did an okay job with it.  This isn’t my cup of tea as far as music goes but it suited her for the most part.  I actually agreed with Steven when he said it started out slow but picked up towards the middle and end.

I’m getting tired of Jacob Lusk.  He has an emotional performance with ever song he chooses. If he is going to remain another week I wish he would pick a more upbeat song so we don’t have to see him cry anymore.  Get a grip, dude!

Casey was awful singing Maroon Five.  His voice grates my nerves and the whole getting in JLo’s face and kissing her on the cheek was a definite creeper moment.  JLo turned her head because Casey was so close to her face. 

Stefano was so bad I had to stop listening and Lauren could have done something so much more to show off her powerful voice than “Born to Fly”.  I agreed with Steven when he said she should pick a Shania Twain song.  Hmmmm, I guess I agreed with Steven more than I thought last night so perhaps I did drink a little Kool Aid.  LOL

I don’t know who is going home tonight and personally I don’t care as long as it’s not James.  I would love to see Casey or Jacob leave us tonight though.  Who were your favorites and who is in danger of going home?

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Paul McDonald pretty much sucked with “Old Time Rock and Roll”.  This guy is getting on my nerves and it is time for him to goooo.  Another one who needs to get voted off is Casey Abrams.  I was like oh goody he’s playing the upright bass again.  Yes! LOL.  He should have taken advice from Jimmy Iovine but went with his own choice and I thought it was awful yet the judges give him a standing ovation and say they hope America gets it.  Well guess what judges?  Maybe if you’re a big jazz fan or something but the majority of viewers don’t care for that kind of 1940′s bs. 

Lauren and Stefano were ok.  I wasn’t a fan of either song choice.  Lauren with “The Climb” was ok but that song is so Miley Cyrus it’s hard to get past that and it did nothing to showcase her powerful voice.  All Stefano did was show us why we should have kept Pia in the competition.  I’m thinking if Paul is voted off tonight, he will be the new VFTW pick. 

Scotty took a risk singing George Strait because he is considered to most country fans to be like a god of country music.  I thought he did ok with it but he did get lost behind the back up singers a couple times.  I don’t think he is as good as he is made out to be.  I happen to really like that song so I can give credit just for trying.

I felt bad for Haley.  I loved how she dressed.  She seemed more edgy last night and imo has come a long way from when we first heard her sing.  She is bashed by the judges and doesn’t deserve it.  So far I am pretty much disagreeing with everything the judges have to say because I thought Haley nailed it.

What I don’t get about Jacob Lusk is why don’t the judges ever tell him to sing something more than just a ballad?  They gave Pia such a hard time about that yet we see time and time again Jacob doing the same thing and getting praised for it.  Yes he sings well and there was nothing technically wrong with his performance of “Bridge of Troubled Water” but then you remember Clay Aiken and how he had his moment with that song and for Jacob it was just another in a long line of same sounding performances.  It’s getting a little old to me. 

 I’d love to see Paul or Casey go home tonight but the judges may have ended the career of Haley instead.  Whatever to Jennifer saying she doesn’t want another female voted out.  I don’t believe it for a second.

Who do you think is in danger of leaving tonight?

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Eliminated American Idol 2011 contestant Pia Toscano is going to be just fine.  According to multiple sources, Pia is in talks with Interscope Records about signing a contract however this has not yet been confirmed.  Pia did say in a recent interview, “I’m looking forward to any opportunities that are to come but I’m really just focused on the [upcoming 'Idol'] tour right now and getting some much needed rest that I haven’t gotten.”  She went on to list several producers she would like to work with including Rodney Jenkins, Harvey Mason Jr. and Ron Fair. 

Personally I think a deal has been reached for the best technical singer we had in the competition and I’m hoping we will hear an announcement soon.  She has mentioned looking up to Alicia Keyes and Christina Aguilera and would love to collaborate with either them and even sing a duet with Idol’s Jennifer Lopez. 

In other Pia news, she has been seen about Los Angeles with Dancing With Stars Pro, Mark Ballas.  When questioned by reporters on how they met, Mark wasn’t very forthcoming and just said “around” but since DWTS and American Idol are filmed right next door to each other it isn’t too hard to think they could have just bumped into each other.  Mark went on to say about his new friend, ”She is an amazing talent and this is probably going to turn out good for her. I think she’s going to be all right. There’s always light at the end of the tunnel and she’s got a ridiculously amazing voice and I think she’ll be fine.”

I agree with Mark, Pia has a gift and getting voted off Idol could be the best thing that’s ever happened to her.  We’ll have to wait and see. What do you think?

Update: Interscope might want to get a Pia single or even album out there as fast as possible, but according to PopEater, there’s no chance that American Idol producers will let that happen.

“No way do the producers want a contestant who was kicked off having a hit record when the winner hasn’t even been announced yet,” another ‘Idol’ insider tells me. “The first hit song has always been from the winner and this year will be no different.”

That makes sense to me. It would definitely undercut the eventual winner to have Pia put out a song at this point. Suddenly this competition would turn in to American “who can get to the Top 13 and then get eliminated first so he/she can put out a single” Idol. There’s just no way FOX can fit all that into a title screen.

Meanwhile, you can check out Pia’s appearance from this morning on The Today Show in the video below where she deflects questions about a potential contract and even whether or not she has a favorite in the remaining Top 8.

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Jacob Lusk just had to change his song from “Let’s Get It On” because it was about sex (shame!) to “Man in the Mirror” which he sang rather well.  However his remark about if he’s in the bottom it will be because America didn’t look at theirselves in the mirror was rather blunt and personally I didn’t care for that.  What if he had totally bombed?  Is he that good that he can make a such a cocky statement?  He killed the song and I would be shocked if he landed in the bottom three.

I liked Haley Reinhart for the first time this season.  I mean I wasn’t jumping up dancing or anything but I liked the edgy look and the growl in her voice.  I think it’s really cool to see this other side of her.  Steven Tyler certainly enjoyed it because he said that Janis Joplin gave rock the voice in 1968 and Haley did that again tonight.  I mean seriously Steven goes way over board with his compliments. 

Sorry Casey Abrams fans, I just don’t see it.  I don’t like the crazy beard and I just don’t care for this guy at all.  When Randy said he was making the upright bass co0l, I was like WTH?  Really?  I don’t think so.

Big disappointment for me with Lauren Alaina singing “Natural Woman”.  She could have really got down and gave us some incredible vocals last night.  It was boring and forgettable.  Steven has an awkward moment when he tells her she is a natural born woman and Randy agreed with me when he said it was good because of the difficulty of the song but he wasn’t overly impressed.

James Durbin gives us a ballad and we hear that he really can carry a tune.  He’s much better singing rock.  The judges are excited because he is showing vulnerability.  James is crying.  Give me a break.  I didn’t care for the Elvis song by Scotty.  I thought Paul trashed Johnny Cash and Stefano did the best I’d ever heard him even though I hated his song choice.

Pia finally showed some life and tried to perform.  Much better than I’ve ever seen her.  She has amazing vocals!  I’d like to see more upbeat songs like that.  Maybe she’ll continue to improve on her performance and if so, has a real shot at winning this thing. 

Who did you like and dislike from last night?

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Steven Tyler, who was so awesome to watch during the audition rounds has become useless as a judge.  Even when the contestants need some serious critiques, he is NOT giving it to them.  He wants to see all rainbows and sunshine and that’s ok but when you’ve got people like Naima who most definitely need to hear where she’s going wrong, Steven is not the man for the job.  I find myself agreeing more and more with Randy on his comments and even JLo is turning up the heat on our hopefuls. 

I’m not a Paul McDonald fan but for the second week in a row I have loved his song choice.  I am so glad he sang “Rocket Man” because every time I hear that song I think about the comedy cartoon Family Guy.  In one episode the baby Stewie is sitting on chair smoking a cigarette and reciting this song like a poem so for me, it was perfect for Paul to sing with a more mellow quirky vibe that he does so well. 

I loved Lauren’s interpretation of “Candle in the Wind”.  I loved the country vibe and Jimmy is right, many Elton songs can be sang as country music.  Thia did a decent job with “Daniel” and Haley was all right with “Benny and the Jets” although I wasn’t nearly as excited as the judges when she sang.  Best of the night once again goes to James Durbin.  He picked an awesome song and got out there and performed like he was the lead act at a concert.  I loved the piano on fire at the end.  I loved how he played to the audience.  I loved everything about it lol. 

Two people will go home tonight on American Idol and I think it should be Naima and either Haley or Stefano but we’ll have to wait and watch tonight.  Who was your favorite last night?

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Everyone’s seemingly favorite, Casey Abrams was up first unsurprisingly singing “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”.  I mean I know this is one of the great songs of all time and blah, blah, blah but seriously I wasn’t impressed.  Casey’s look reminds me of the characters in a movie my son watches called “Where the Wild Things Are” lol but it’s not about that, it’s about his voice which to me is not all that.  I want him to sing  a song that I would want to hear on the radio today and he has yet to do that.

Thia was ok.  She tried something upbeat and it almost worked for her.  The energy died somewhere in the middle but for being the youngest contestant in the competition is was ok.  All the judges were impressed. 

Jacob Lusk was one of the best of the night as he should have been with the theme for this week because this is the type of music I can see him recording.  He puts so much feeling and passion behind his performance which caused Steven Tyler to jump up on stage and give him a big hug!  (Steven I want some of whatever you had to get the party started lol jk.)  Ryan then brings a line of girls up on stage to give Jacob hugs and kisses.  Congrats Jacob! 

Haley Reinhart and Lauren Alaina were just ok for me.  Scotty McCreery was way out of his comfort zone but tried to pull off “For Once In My Life”.  I’m not at all impressed but the judges all got some kind of tingly over his low notes.  Stefano had some serious pitch problems with “Hello” and should be in the bottom three this week in my opinion. 

Pia chooses another slow ballad where she can stand behind the microphone like a robot.  I’m sick of the ballads from this girl and she is my favorite female in the show so please next week sing something up beat!  I actually liked Paul McDonald’s version of “Tracks of My Tears”.  I thought it was different and quirky and it absolutely worked for him and I am NOT a Paul fan!  Naima showed us she can be a performer.  Her vocals were better but far from perfect but when you throw in the African dancing around stage with her arms flailing, how can you go wrong? LOL

James Durbin rocked!  I love this guy!  He picked an excellent song to go with his screaming voice and didn’t disappoint the crowd as he soaked up their praise and waved to the audience.  I thought “Living For The City” was a great song choice for him and he has earned the pimp spot.  They should close the show with him every week! 

Who was your favorite last night?  And who do you think is in danger of going home?  For me, the bottom three should be Haley, Stefano and Thia even though I like her sound better than Naima.  Based on last night, Stefano should be sent packing!

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For the majority of the contestants this will be fine because they’re going to sing sappy ballads anyway but what about Scotty McCreery and James Durbin?  How are they suppose to find their niche singing Stevie Wonder or Marvin Gaye?  Jacob Lusk should rule this week and come out on top since this is right up his ally with song choice. 

In other news, Nigel Lythgoe has tweeted that he doesn’t class X Factor as a talent show and says the following about Simon Cowell:  ”In a way, I’m delighted Simon’s left American Idol. He’s given us the opportunity to refurbish it,” he said. “Everyone said that it would be the end. And what’s happened? The ratings are equal to last year’s, we got 30 million votes the other evening, and if we lost 50% of our audience we would still be the number one show.”  Let’s see if Simon fires back later on today. 

What do you think about the motown theme week and do you think the contestants will make the songs their own?

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Way too many ballads!  Please don’t sing Tina Turner, Whitney Houston or even Kurt Cobain unless you plan on nailing it and sounding even better than the original.  I will say that Pia Toscano did well even though I didn’t care for her song choice at all and James Durbin could have picked a much better song than “I’ll be there for you” but he is still one of my favs this season. 

I’ve tried to like Paul McDonald but each week he drives me further away.  I’ll concede he was better than last week but singing Elton John didn’t do him any favors.  I thought Jacob Lusk started out a little pitchy but then he got to the chorus and he was doing great until he went up an octave.  He doesn’t need to do that with every song.  I know that’s going to be his “thing” but he could have done so much better had he just stuck to holding it down a notch. 

Casey Abrams was awful.  When I heard he was singing Nirvana with the electric bass I got kind of excited.  I thought he could pull it off but I was so wrong.  Kurt Cobain is one of the best all time alternative rock singers and I’m sure that performance last night had him turning in his grave.  Don’t take on a legend if you can’t pull it off!  Kurt had raw natural talent and he was a tormented soul so it works for him.  Casey tried way too hard and came off as screechy.  And why were there horns in the song? 

Stefano Langone gets my praise for best of the night.  He has a great attitude and he sang his butt off.  He was our shining star of the night even though I didn’t like his song choice, he still nailed it.  He needs to connect with us and not keep his eyes closed during the song.  A future Glee cast member perhaps? LOL

I have no idea who is going home tonight but my guess would be Karen Rodriguez or Hailey Reinhart.  Neither one has impressed me since the show began.  What were your thoughts on last nights episode?

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Each winner from the past 9 seasons are represented along with some runner up favorites like Adam Lambert, Clay Aiken and fourth place finisher Chris Daughtry.   The CD is available on iTunes and on Amazon so grab your copy today.

Here’s your play list:

1. Kelly Clarkson – “Since U Been Gone”
2. Ruben Studdard – “Superstar”
3. Clay Aiken – “Invisible”
4. Fantasia – “When I See U”
5. Carrie Underwood – “Before He Cheats”
6. Taylor Hicks – “Takin’ It To The Streets”
7. Daughtry – “Home”
8. Jordin Sparks (duet with Chris Brown) – “No Air”
9. David Cook – “Light On”
10. Kris Allen – “Live Like We’re Dying”
11. Adam Lambert – “Whataya Want From Me”
12. Lee DeWyze – “Sweet Serendipity”

Is there a person or song that should have been included on this list?

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Steven Tyler is for sure trying to be Mr. Nice Guy.  I want my hard core rocker back!  I want him to be brutally honest for just one show.  Not Simon Cowell like but just not quite so sweet to the singers.  We don’t need him to act like Paula.  We want his honest opinion and you can’t tell me on some of those contestants they were any good at all.  Like Paul McDonald.  WTH?  I’m not impressed with this guy.  He was pitchy and picked a song most people didn’t know.  Even Tyler had to tell him to nail it next time.  He’s VFTW’s pick so he might squeek into the top 12.

Even though I do not care for Celine Dion type of music, but wow can Pia Toscano sing!  She absolutely sang that high note at the end and was flawless.  I want to hear her sing something next week that’s not so slow.  Hopefully she’ll give us some tempo and really perform for today’s listeners.

James Durbin caught me off guard singing Paul McCarthy but again WOW!  He’s a rocker through and through but this guy has such a nice quality and tone.  He did an outstanding job!  He’s by far my favorite!  Scotty McCreery also had a nice Garth Brooks sound a like tone.  He is not unique with his talent but it doesn’t matter because he’s got what it takes to put out a country album right now.  

I wasn’t as impressed as most with Jacob Lusk.  The screams he did at the end seemed to go on and on.  I thought it was a bit much and over done.  The rest were just middle of the road for me except Naima who was just awful in my opinion.  If I had my way she would be the one going home tonight.  Casey Abrams is starting to grow on me.  I love how he can interpret songs and make them his own.

Who was the stand out to you last night?

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