Your Top 2: Phillip Phillips and Jessica Sanchez
Joshua Ledet is eliminated!
Phil Phillips won the post-show Coin Toss that determines singing order for next week’s Final. Phillip chose to go second.
Tonight’s American Idol Top 3 results show features performances by Idol alum, Adam Lambert, who will sing his new single, “Never Close Our Eyes” and Lisa Marie Presley will perform.
Plus, we find which two Idol finalists will go head to head in next week’s finale!
Download Studio Performances From American Idol
I’ll be live blogging all the action at Entertainment Weekly. Join me there, will you? After, I’ll be back with a recap. Watch this space for photos and videos.
Entertainment Weekly Live Blog
As it turns out, I care more about the American Idol finale than I thought I did, because I was seriously bummed when Joshua Ledet was eliminated tonight. He would have been entertaining as hell performing in the final two. Now I feel totally deprived. In the end, he’ll be fine. Jimmy has already come out and said he’ll be signing him. The Top two always get signed. So, everybody wins. Hooray.
When I predicted Joshua in the Final Two, I underestimated Jessica Sanchez’s fanbase. It looks like she’s got people, who will vote for her no matter what. Because based on her performances last night, she should have been sent home. It’s really, really odd that the only time Jessica was ever in the bottom 3 was the week she was eliminated. Could it be that a saved contestant could actually win American Idol? And if so, what would be the ramifications of such a thing? I’m not totally on board with the save. If Jessica wins, I will probably have mixed feelings about it. On one hand, I think she deserves it and will be a better winner than Phil. But on the other hand, I really don’t like the judges interfering with the will of the people. It’s just not the American Idol way. Call me old school, what can I say!
Phil Philips, of course, also has people. Who has more people? I’m not really sure. And for that reason, next week’s finale will be anyone’s game.
It was a truly great singout from Joshua as he left the Idol stage tonight. Although he won’t be competing next week, I look forward to a performance from him on the finale. If the top contestants will be paired with celebrities, I can’t wait to see who he’ll be singing with.
Almost 90 million votes were cast last night for the Top 3. The excitement mounts!
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The finalists perform “Got to Get You into My Life” by the Beatles. The arrangement is the horn-heavy Earth Wind and Fire version, tailor made for Joshua and Jessica. But Phil manages to hold his own somewhat.
The Ford video is a black and white take-off on silent films and is once again Phil free. Josh and Jessica seem be having fun in a 20 second Keystone Cops style caper.
Ryan Seacrest quizzes the final 3 on how they are feeling as they sit on stools awaiting their fate. All 3 are nervous, but feel each one deserves a shot in the final 2. “We’re all winners at this point,” says Joshua. It’s time for some results. Sort of.
Joshua takes center stage. We take a look back at last night plus Jimmy’s reaction. Jimmy feels Joshua had a good night, but the judges were being very generous on “I’d Rather Go Blind.” It sounded really good on his voice, said Jimmy, but it showed him nothing about where Josh could go in his career. Jimmy gives it 8 out of 10. Not amazing, but pretty good. He would not have given the performance a standing ovation. “I think I was lying down at the time,” quipped Jimmy. Joshua is the most exciting showman in the contest, Jimmy notes, but he did not feel “Imagine” was the best song choice. Because of its simple melody, Josh had to overcompensate with riffs and runs. Jimmy felt it didn’t work. It was slightly overblown and over emotional. “Imagine” is a song that rests in its subtlety. It just “sat there” for Jimmy. The last song “No More Drama,” by Mary J Blige was Jimmy’s choice and after Josh’s performance, he regretted it, feeling he gave Josh a song that didn’t have enough melody—something Joshua needs. Jimmy takes 100% of the blame for the song falling flat. He feels Joshua belongs in the finale 100%.
After, Ryan sends Joshua back to his seat. These results won’t be coming until the end of the show.
It’s time for some FOX synergy! A little video package, featuring Jennifer Lopez, pimps the new movie, “Ice Age Continental Drift”. Esther Dean invites the Top 4 (Hi Hollie!) to sing backup on a song from the film sung by Jlo, Drake and Queen Latifa. Whee!
Lisa Marie Presley takes the stage. Fun Fact: Elvis Presley Enterprises and American Idol are owned by the same parent company, CKx. Just so you know. She sings “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet.” Moody slide guitar gives the song an early 90’s feel? Lisa Marie sings slightly better than Lana Del Rey.
Lisa Marie Presley – You Aint See Nothing Yet -… by IdolxMuzic
Ryan announces American Idol 12 auditions in Los Angeles (June 7), New Jersey (June 23) and Chicago (July 12). More cities and dates will be announced next week.
Jessica Sanchez takes center stage. At this point of the completion, says Jimmy, what a contestant needs is a shock and awe moment. The Mariah Carey song Jessica sang is beautiful tender and poignant. Jessica is a powerful singer, but it didn’t come together enough. Steven said the song could win Jessica the competition. Jimmy disagrees. Regarding “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” Jimmy says he’s looking for more. She’s got it and the song was good, but it’s going to take all elements coming together. To win she has to have the most magical moment she’s had so far. Jimmy chose “I’ll be There” for Jessica because there are moments when she reminds him of Michael. But he forgot Jermaine had sung the verse—something he should have taken into consideration when he chose the song. He thinks it hurt her. Jessica is worthy of singing on the Grammys, says Jimmy. She’s got an incredible gift. If she gets into the finale, it’s about the songs, he says. After Jimmy’s critique, Jessica heads back to the stools.
Carole Bayer Sager and Rita Wilson are sitting next to Jimmy Iovine and weigh in on the death of the Queen of Disco, Donna Summer. Jimmy says, “Everyone in the dance music business today owes something to Donna Summer. Donna was a guest judge Season 3 and performed on the Season 7 finale.
Adam Lambert is next, performing his single, ‘Never Close Our Eyes.” As always he completely freaks the audience out with his incredible rangy vocals. The giant eyeball on the back screen is scaring me a little.
Phillip Phillips takes center stage. Jimmy thinks Phillip did a great job with “Beggin’”—it was entertaining and fun. Phil’s sound is becoming more and more original and less derivative of other artists, says Jimmy. It didn’t steal the show, but as one of 3 songs, it was very good. No harm, no foul. Jimmy likes that Phillip is willing to risk everything—go down in flames just to experiment. But “Disease” was a total snooze fest. It wasn’t a strong enough song to sing at this point in the competition. However, Jimmy feels Phillip won the night with Bob Seeger’s “Why Don’t You Stay.” Hands down, the best performance he’s done in the entire contest. He hit notes that Jimmy didn’t think he could hit. He was flawless, he said. In the song, there is a dark mood and an aching soul that Phillip dug down deep and pulled out of himself. Jimmy says Phil sounded emotionally, exactly what he saw when he cried in his homecoming video.
Jessica and Joshua join Phillip center stage. Randy wishes them all the best of luck. They are the best three Idol has ever had and all have big careers in front of them, says Randy. To lose anyone is heartbreaking for Jlo, who feels connected to each one. She feels the result is a toss up. Steven loves them all so much because they have the courage to have a dream.
Back from the break and it’s finally time to find out who made it into the American Idol finale. After nearly 90 million votes, the first person to compete in the Season 11 finale is…Jessica Sanchez! She looks totally shocked. Now, the person going head to head with Jessica is….Phillip Phillips!
It’s time to say goodbye for now to Joshua Ledet. We look at his journey on American Idol. The audience is on their feet as Josh sings out with “This is a Man’s Man’s Man’s World”. He hugs his fellow Top 3, slaps hands with the girls in the pit. He heads over to the judges table where Jlo motions at him to come around for a hug. After bit hugs with the judges, he pulls his mom up on stage as he finishes his song. And we’re out.
Final Result & Elimination by IdolxMuzic
