The show kicks off with news reports about last week’s tiff between Quentin and Harry. I wonder how much the show will dwell on it? I’m pretty much over it. The recap of last week covers all the Idols, and ends with Joey Cook’s sad elimination. I can’t believe she won’t be singing tonight. Sigh.

Jennifer Lopez does a little twirl as she enters the studio in a flowy dress. “I had to walk slower today…Sorry!” she says. “Epic songs from mega superstars” is how host Ryan Seacrest describes tonight’s vague theme. The soccer team people bring Ryan the results, along with a t-shirt emblazoned with a “14,” to the strains, of “We are the Champions.” We’re pimping soccer tonight, because FOX will be airing the Women’s FIFA World Cup soon.

THE WINNER OF AMERICAN IDOL WILL RECORD THE OFFICIAL THEME OF the FIFA Woman’s worlds cup. So there’s that.

It’s the final twitter fan save of the season THANK GOD.

The first set of video packages feature parents reminiscing about how cute their little darlings were. They also send out heartfelt good wishes to them.

Jax – Are You Gonna Be My Girl by Jet – The sonogram said she was a boy. Oops She’s a real daddy’s girl. She talks about how he was a first responder at 911. Her music took his mind off the pain of surviving alone. He lost most of his brothers in the tragedy. Jax cries cries as she talks about him. It’s odd that she changed the gender of the song, but not the title. That was a little confusing. It’s an odd song choice–a song from a few years ago that came and went. Pretty much a one hit wonder. Maybe it’s a tune she’s performed live before? She started off a little shaky, but gained confidence as she sang. It was a fun performance, but kind of a throw away.  “That’s the way to open a show! I thought you did great, especially at the end,” says Keith. Jlo feels that she’s SO ready for tour. She loves her abandon. Harry can imagine what a Jax concert would be like. He’s hoping to be comped! ‘That was strong,” he says. She saw the Season 5 concert when she was 6 or 7! She loved Kat McPhee.  Amazon – iTunes

We get an instant replay of Jlo’s twirl. Her dress literally cut Harry’s butt or something. He compared it to the butterfly effect. They felt it in Taiwan! Or something.

Nick Fradiani – Harder to Breathe by Maroon 5 –  Nick’s parents say he was a good baby. He loved sports. After an injury, he turned to music. Dad is a musician too. They talk every day on the phone. Aw. Dad is still gigging full time. He’s riding on Nick’s coat tails a little! Nick’s playing guitar as he performs a serviceable cover of “Harder to Breath.” Tonight he’s Adam Levine. Who will he be next time? I’m still getting generic vibes off of his very competent, but unexciting performances. Jlo liked it, but she wishes he would have engaged the audience more. She thinks he’s getting “better and better every week.” Harry calls it “really scary in the competition. You’re getting better every week. That’s the kind of music I hear you singing.” Keith thinks he’s finding his lane. He’s got to work on his performance next. He noticed that Nick’s eyes were darting around as he sang. Keith gives a demonstration–he even brings a tiny guitar prop! Harry is amused.Nick picked that song at the last minute. They are pushing Nick hard. The producers obviously don’t want this to be a one-horse race: Party of Clark. Apparently, there was an issue with the band when Nick started. He says it threw him off a little.

Clark Beckham – Yesterday by The Beatles – Clark would perform at his grandmother’s nursing home. He didn’t become driven to be a musician until a realization one night at a college gig.  Dressed in a suit, he stands at the mic, backed with strings. He changed that song up enough to make it his own. But there was something so…closed off about his interpretation? It never felt like he actually let go. He seemed more in his head during that performance than even usual. There were some nice ad libs near the end. His phrasing is often surprising.  Clark needs to learn to bleed a little. Harry liked that he didn’t use any high notes gratuitously. The whole thing had structure. “Terrific. Really nice job,” he says. Keith compared his rendition to Sam Smith. But he felt it was a little too contained. Jennifer thought it was risky. “I think you did a beautiful job,” she says.

Tyanna Jones – Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus – Everybody has a “T” name in this very large family. It’s a large family. Finances were tight. Being homeless was hard. Tyanna’s is rocking the dreads tonight! She looks like she’s ready to party. A fun song, but like Jax…another throw away. Leave songs like “Party in the USA” to folks *coughlikemileycyruscough* who can’t sing. It was a waste of her beautiful voice. It was a decent performance, though. She’s going to be fun on tour. She’s very comfortable on stage.  Jennifer felt her youth came through on that. She liked it a lot. Harry felt it was a smart song choice. “You killed it.” Harry points out that the performance was easy for her. I think, too easy, perhaps.   Amazon – iTunes

Sigh. Just as we predicted. Rayvon Owen and Quentin Alexander are the bottom 2.

Quentin Alexander –  Light My Fire by The Doors – Quentin grew up in the tough 9th ward of New Orleans. His mom kept her kids inside. She protected his kids. She worked 10-12 hours a week. She cries talking about her baby.  I have to say, I kept waiting for something to happen during this performance. The vocal was really good, but I wanted a little more grit and and power behind his vocal. The Doors version of this song is EXPLOSIVE. I was waiting for that. Jlo thinks he’s a centered performer. But she wanted a little more vocal “pow.” She’s right. She wanted a little more “stank” on it. Harry thought he sang it a little conservatively, while the band played a great arrangement. He dug it, actually. Keith likes that he swims in his own direction. He calls him “anti-plankton” because they all swim in the same direction! – Amazon – iTunes

Rayvon Owen – I’m Not the Only One by Sam Smith – The first time he sang was in church. Ah! He was so nerdy looking as a kid. This is a perfect song choice for Rayvon. It shows off his range and phrasing. He slips up a little at the end. But overall, a lovely, solid performance. Wow. We get a recap of Rayvon’s performance after the break, before the judges comments. That doesn’t seem fair, does it? Harry calls it a fantastic vocal performance and “flawless.” Keith thought he could have made the song a hit. Jennifer thinks that performance could keep him out of the bottom next week. –  Amazon – iTunes

Scott took the Idols down to the Dolby theater, where the final will take place, for a tour and a little chat.

Nick Fradiani – Maggie Mae by Rod Stewart – Scott tells Nick that he has momentum on his side. He needs to change COULD to CAN! It’s another competent, enjoyable performance from Nick. I honestly don’t know what else to say? His consistency is really his strength. And now that he’s gaining confidence, it lends even more appeal to his presentation, while he remains kind of a cypher. This is fun bar band stuff. But I’m not seeing a star. Keith notes that he’s taking everything to heart. He took Keith’s advice about how to hold his guitar! Keith gives another demonstration. He’s very animated tonight! Jennifer reminds Nick to mix it up a little next time. Yes. He’s pretty much the same every week. It might not matter, though. Harry wonders if he could sustain a 2 or 3 hour show? Nick is sure he can, because he’s done it before. Nick used to sing the tune with his dad. – Amazon – iTunes

Tyanna Jones – Heaven by Bryan Adams – Tyanna tells Scott that she believes she has the potential to win American Idol. Her beautiful vibrato and gorgeous head voice is on full display here. She’s all grown up with her braids piled high on her head and a silvery gown. This song could have used a big moment, but it had some very pretty little ones. Still, in the end, a little too pageanty and high school talent show. Somebody has to talk to this kid about taking a few risks. That was so safe. It wasn’t a favorite for Jennifer, but she liked seeing her in this light. Harry thought she sang it very well, but he wouldn’t have imagine her choosing this song. She’s most comfortable singing ballads, but she loves to dance. Keith likes that her answer is kind of vague? A mark of a true artist, he said. Actually, more like a kid who hasn’t figured out who she is yet… The vocal coach, Dorian, chose the song for her. She had never heard it before. Hm.

There’s some snapchat artist out in the audience. He filmed a Ford commercial with the kids. It’s a snap chat safari! He turns them all into animals via snap chat. This guy makes a living doing these dopey drawings?

Clark Beckham – Boyfriend by Justin Bieber – Clark has asked the folks behind the scenes to push him. Scott is impressed. Clark dirties up “Boyfriend” a little, with an acoustic guitar. He’s flanked by guitarists and a percussionist. It’s jazzy and cool and he seems WAY looser and more relaxed than he did on Yesterday. Thumbs up. He needed this performance right now, with Nick on his heels. He just took him over. Harry thinks he’s a great melody singer. He didn’t think it was the right song. Oh. He’s wrong. He thought he needed to stretch it out more. Keith thought he needed to feel it from a different place. Jennifer didn’t think it was the best thing either. Huh. Wow. I don’t agree. The crowd agrees with me as they boo. Oh. The parents in the audience. STANK FACE. That performance was more interesting than Nick’s karaoke covers, dudes. Harry wants the audience to boo louder. They oblige. Amazon – iTunes

These instant replay bits with Harry are really a waste of time.

Jax – White Flag by Dido – Scott advises Jax NOT to stop taking risks. She says she couldn’t even if she tried. Jax sits at the piano for this one, with her hair up. She singing at the keys and STAYING THERE! Yes. This is a gorgeous moment for Jax. She gets a little weepy as she sings. Beautiful, simple, heartfelt. This is Jax a her best! Keith was completely riveted to the performance. “That was exactly what you needed to do,” says Jlo, “Everything about you is so perfectly ready to be in this business.” Harry says, “It was PHENOMENAL.”

Quentin Alexander – Shake it Out by Florence + the Machine – C’MON QUENTIN KILL IT! You can do it! Is he sending a message to the universe with this song? Shake it out baby. He’s having some pitch problems, unfortunately. I love the song choice, but I wanted him to REALLY go for it. I wanted intense. Jlo felt it was a good vocal. Harry asks him if he’d let producers auto tune him? He says NO. Harry doesn’t auto tune either. Keith thinks he’d be very clear on the kind of record he wants to make. He has really good artistic instincts, he says.

Rayvon Owen – Go Your Own Way by Fleetwood Mac – This mid tempo gem from Fleetwood Mac really is not a great save me song. And indeed, I’m not sure why Rayvon chose this. It’s not a great vocal. It doesn’t show off his smooth vocals. Rayvon is the ballad king, and really not much else. Wow. That was kind of a train wreck to be honest. He screeched that last note. Harry wonders what kind of guidance he’d take as an artist from a producer. He’d say it would be a collaborative effort. Jennifer says it’s a great way to finish the show. She compliments his fighting spirit.

What was with Harry and his pretentious pageant bot questions to the contestants in the second half of the show, rather than just giving them a damn critique?

GET READY! It’s time to twitter vote. Use these hashtags for the next 5 minutes:

#SaveRayvon
#SaveQuentin

Rayvon Owen is saved for the 4th time.

Quentin Alexander is Eliminated.

UGH. Does anybody want to buy an American Idol Live tour ticket?

Vote via Google (Search for “Idol Vote”), Facebook & AmericanIdol.com – Click for Info

Clark Beckham – 1-866-436-5709 – Text 9 to 21523
Nick Fradiani – 1-866-436-5706 – Text 6 to 21523
Jax  – 1-866-436-5707 – Text 7 to 21523
Tyanna Jones – 1-866-436-5705 – Text 5 to 21523
Rayvon Owen – 1-866-436-5702 – Text 2 to 21523