Because Qaasim Middleton was saved last week, TWO contestants will DEFINITELY be going home this week! We’re live blogging the performances and results. Join us!

NEXT WEEK! The Kelly Clarkson Songbook! PLUS The American Idol Season 1 winner will be on hand to mentor! YAY!

The performances were better this week than last. I’m still disappointed with the song choices though. I wish Idol would make it easier for the kids to choose interesting tunes. The short list of songs has to go!

The best performances this week were from Clark Beckham, Jax and Quentin Alexander. Tyanna Jones handled that upbeat Whitney Houston song well, as I expected she would. But after last week’s scare, she lost a little bit of that sparkle in her eye. I hope her confidence doesn’t erode under the enormous pressure of the competition. She’s is such a special talent! Quentin wins all the awards for always putting on a show in every respect. He’s an artist AND a showman. Props to Qaasim for delivering a solid vocal performance tonight. He proved me wrong. He can sing. Not incredibly, but it’s possible for him to stay in tune. Having said that–please bring back the dance moves! Rayvon Owen basically saying “Thanks, but no thanks!” to all of the advice he’s getting behind the scenes could hurt him as far as votes are concerned. Idol is a learning opportunity he should be taking, gratefully.

Daniel needs to go back to high school. Yesterday. He’s not improving. The judges are coddling him, too. Adanna deserved to stay in his place. It’s disappointing to lose 3 girls in a row. I was really curious to see what Adanna would do with a Joan Jett song. Now we’ll never know. As far as Maddie is concerned–it was her time to go. She wasn’t improving at all. I do feel bad that her elimination came on the heels of a serious health scare.

Next week, there’s a “twitter twist” which is described in a press release as an “opportunity to save their favorite contestants from elimination using the Idol Fan Save on Twitter.” I hate leaving saves up to such a small section of fans. I’m wondering if The Powers that Be figured they’ll get a younger demo voting via twitter. I mean, if Caleb Johnson had gone up against Alex Preston on twitter, would he still have won? Hm.

Let’s watch the American Idol Top 11 sing the National Anthem at the Auto 400! We see the Idols busy busy busy! Crazy schedule, but they are all living the dream!

Judge Harry Connick Jr’s shirt reads “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me”. Jlo’s dress is SKIN TIGHT! I was hoping she would be sporting some big 80s hair. David Hasselhoff hands over the results envelope to Ryan Seacrest! Hoff says he doesn’t remember much about the 80’s. He’s stripping. Please don’t do that. STOP STOP STOP. NOOOOO HE’S SINGING a medley of 80’s hits. It’s horrifying. WHYYYYYY? MAKE IT STOP MOMMY.

Next, it’s a Boy George video package. His string of hits were fantastic. He burned out pretty fast, though. Boy emphasizes vulnerability, singing from the heart. Enjoy what you’re doing, he tells the Top 11. Next it’s a fun GROUP NUMBER. The Top 11 sing “Karma Chameleon” with Boy George! YAY. Yikes. TECH. Turn up Boy George’s microphone. I can’t hear him. OK. No wonder Boy’s mic was potted down. His voice has really deteriorated. Too bad.

Daniel Seavey – You Make My Dreams Come True by Hall & Oats – Boy thinks Daniel has great chops. Hm. He tells him to relax. Daniel thinks the advice is perfect. Jennifer warns him that he HAS to improve.  And of course, he’s not improving at all. Daniel’s “chops” are about on par with a singer at a middle school assembly performance. His voice continues to crack. Cutsey pandering to the camera and the audience sure gets him the votes. But that “voice.” NOT SO MUCH. Ugh. Daniel looks good on camera, says Keith. But it takes a while for him to get comfortable on stage. Jlo thought the song sat in the right place for him. Harry asks what he loves to do. “Make people happy” says Daniel. That got him a bazillion more votes. Sigh. Harry thought the vocal was better than last week. Ditch the choreography, he says, just get out there and have fun. UUUGGGHHHH. –  1-866-436-5703 – Text 3 to 21523 – Download from iTunes

Quentin Alexander – In The Air Tonight by Phil Collins – Ha. Quentin was lost in his own thoughts when his chair lit up. Boy loves his fashion! Quentin continues to work on his pitch. BREATH is key to pitch, says Boy. Harry hopes he can match his risk taking to great technique. Wow. This performance: Tribal, haunting, mesmerizing. This guy knows how to take his audience on a ride. Beautiful. Bathed in blue light, the effect is otherworldly. GREAT performance. So glad Quentin is safe this week! The crowd goes wild. Jlo loves when he smiles. “Your cool factor was on 1000” she says. “It’s a home run.” Harry says he digs as deeply as he can into the lyrics. Harry suggests he change the tempo in the future. He still loved it. Keith called it a killer song choice. He appreciated the majesty and artistry.  He could lay even MORE authority to future performances. 1-866-436-5711 – Text 11 to 21523 – Download from iTunes

Joey Cook – Girls Just Want to Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper – Joey describes her look as “Madonna in space.” She was REAL EXCITED to meet Boy. He and Scott want more dynamics in the performance.  I’m not loving his arrangement. It’s TOO  fast. She’s hopping around like the energizer bunny. It’s weird. She switches up to a reggae thing in the third verse and it’s even weirder.  It’s a fun performance, but a total throw away. I wish she’d done the slower arrangement of the song. She could have had a moment with that. Harry thought she seemed distracted. He felt she was holding back. Keith found moments of inconsistency, but he’s sure his  wife and daughters are dancing around at home. Jlo says she looks adorable. In theory, it was a good choice, but she couldn’t find her groove. Boy George comes on stage to give her a hug! She looks a little distraught. – 1-866-436-5710 – Text 10 to 21523 – Download from iTunes

Tyanna Jones – I Wanna Dance with Somebody by Whitney Houston – Scott is confident she can handle a Whitney Houston song. Harry notes that Tyanna can handle good critique. I didn’t love that, but the performance is way better than last week.I wanted even MORE energy from her!  She handled the phrasing ably, and hit those notes pretty cleanly. She continues to be adorable. The judges noticed she was in her head a little. She did lose her nerve a little this week, I think. I hope she doesn’t allow a bad week to shake her confidence. Keep going Tyanna! You are so talented. Harry liked the “housed up” arrangement–it gave the song a contemporary feel. He thought it was strong and warns her not to become complacent. Fight for it every time, he says. – 1-866-436-5705 – Text 5 to 21523 – Download from iTunes

Jax – You Give Love a Bad Name by Bon Jovi  Boy thinks she has the bones of a great performer, but she needs to feel it, not think it. Scott believes the 80’s are right in her wheelhouse.  Jax sits at the piano for this one.  It’s very dramatic.  LOVING her hair.  Wow. She’s doing an amazing job channeling the era, while remaining contemporary. She loses it a bit in the middle–a few vocal blips here and there, but this is a very entertaining performance. JAX is back. Jlo loves her 80’s punk attitude. I’m getting a Joan Jett vibe. “This is the Jax who walked into the room when we loved you.”  She thought she ended it strong. Harry says her originality brought her here, intrigue has kept her.  He wishes she would have stayed at the piano. Keith suggests she change things in rehearsal when she’s feeling overwhelmed by the band. But overall, he liked it. 1-866-436-5707 – Text 7 to 21523 – Download from iTunes

Nick Fradiani – Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson – CONNECTING says Scott. Boy is worried he might panic and lose his pitch. Nick realizes that, at this point, he needs a moment. Jlo says “go out and own that stage…sing it to somebody special.” The vocals are really good as always. I remain unmoved, however. He needs to CALM DOWN and sink his teeth into the song. He’s just super hyper, moving around the stage, with his brow furrowed. Harry liked the song choice and vocal. Harry thinks Nick is a sweet kind soul. More important than being hot. Keith suggests he smile more. “Sometimes you look like you’re meeting your girlfriend’s dad for the first time.” Exactly! Once he gets caught up in the song, he’s exactly where he needs to be, says Jlo. Ryan wanted to know who he was singing to. Everybody! Nick says. Attempt to pry? Unsuccessful. – 1-866-436-5706 – Text 6 to 21523 – Download from iTunes

Harry is loving Boy George’s mentoring! Boy says he loves singers. He’s going out on tour soon.

Ha ha! This week’s surprise performer is Salt n Pepper singing “Push it.” Oh my. The judges are up dancing. Jlo kind of slapping Harry’s butt. Alrighty then. This is kind of a mess.

Clark Beckham – Every Breath You Take by The Police – Boy thinks Clark has a beautiful voice. He suggests that he take the song down a key. But it wasn’t comfortable, and Clark switched it back. Performing at the piano the key seems to be working out for him! Oh, there were no need for changes. He frigging nailed that bridge. Really beautiful rendition. Jlo made a good point. The song in his hands brought out the pain and melancholy, rather than the original song’s creepy and stalkerish vibe. Gorgeous phrasing, with a beautifully constructed arrangement-this boy can SANG. Keith felt it showed a “heart” side of him. It took the audience on a journey. He brought out the melancholy in the song. Jlo got the goosies! It really showcased his voice, she says. Harry compliments him on being able to stand right where he is and pull a song off. – 1-866-436-5709 – Text 9 to 21523 – Download from iTunes

Scott says the singers have to keep raising the bar. He feels they have this week.

Qaasim Middleton – Addicted to Love  by Robert Palmer – We see a replay of Qaasim dropping the mic last week. He says the holy spirit caught him. Boy loves his voice, in the room. He feels Qaasim is a great story teller. “I’m a vocalist, that’s what I do,” says Qaasim. Hm. Well, he’s managing to stay on key more or less. But without the dancing and footwork, the performance is a little boring. But I have to say, this is his best vocal performance to date. That probably bought him another week. Jlo loves it. She liked seeing him a little reserved. Harry thinks his weakness is an inability to sacrifice the performance for the voice–but not this week. Keith thought it had a beautiful quality. He wants to hear something more vulnerable next–he suspects Qaasim has a big fragile heart. – 1-866-436-5708 – Text 8 to 21523– Download from iTunes

The bottom 3 come up onto the stage. But are they really the bottom 3? The last person to perform is…Rayvon Owen.

Maddie Walker and Adanna Duru are eliminated!

Rayvon Owen – Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears – Scott feels like he’s behind a wall, Rayvon seems to disagree with the criticism he’s been getting. Hm. Boy says he can’t read him. So, it seems Rayvon is not taking any suggestions to heart. It’s not a good look! This was your typical Rayvon performance. Great tone, embellished with his usual falsetto tricks. It was a solid performance, with a few pitch issues. But it felt as if there was SOMETHING missing. A strong interpretation is usually lacking for Harry, but not this time. He thought it was solid. He could ditch the falsetto once in awhile, though. Jlo advises him NOT to be afraid to go out of his comfort zone. It’s the only way to grow. Have an open mind! She’s correct. 1-866-436-5702 – Text 2 to 21523–  Download from iTunes

Bye girls. We won’t be hearing them sing tonight. We saved a boy last week, so that 3 girls could go home first. Hm. Watch out for a twist on twitter next week.

We’re down to the Top 9 and not ONE WORD about the tour. From what I’m hearing, the contestants haven’t heard anything about it either. I think it’s been canned this year.