There’s been a major shake-up in our American Idol Power Rankings , considering – ouch! – our number-seed from a week ago has been eliminated. Fare thee well, Skylar Laine . Who will take over the top spot? Which of the final four do you think will will the title? Read on. Find out. Vote. 4. Phillip Phillips . We’ve just been here too many times. He’s white. He’s handsome. He plays the guitar. Very well, mind you. But we know exactly what to expect on a weekly basis and it’s no longer unique or exciting. 3. Hollie Cavanaugh . Not too different of a critique than we have for Phillip, really. A great voice, but not a great deal of stage presence. We can’t think of one performance that really stands out and expected her to be voted off this week. 2. Jessica Sanchez . A beautiful rendition of ” You Are So Beautiful ” on Wednesday, continuing her trend of the Ballad Master. We could easily see her win and would stand up and cheer if so, but… 1. Joshua Ledet … not after the week Ledet enjoyed. Both of his covers on Wednesday were stellar, highlighted by ” Ain’t Too Proud to Beg .” Is he theatrical? Yes. Overly dramatic sometimes? Sure. But we’re big fans of Adam Lambert, so we can’t exactly complain about those traits. What a voice! WHO DO YOU THINK SHOULD WIN?
At this stage, it’s difficult to be shocked by any elimination on American Idol . Only five contestants remained heading into tonight, and all are quite talented, and all enjoyed mostly strong performances on Wednesday . Still, we didn’t see this ousting coming, not once Phillip was deemed safe… and Joshua… and Jessica… It had to be Hollie going home, right? Nope. Over 60 million votes were cast and the finalist who America sent packing was… Skylar Laine ! Yes, she struggled with ” Fortunate Son ,” but enough to get the boot? You tell us: Did Skylar deserve to go home at this point?
After traveling back to the 1960s for their first round of performances last night, the final five on American Idol traveled overseas. They covered a slew of British pop songs, with Joshua Ledet once again leading the way and an interesting race to the bottom unfolding. Who will be eliminated this week? Watch the second set of Idol covers from this week and then vote on the best… Hollie Cavanagh went all Leona Lewis on viewers, following up a version of “River Deep Mountain High” with this solid take on “Bleeding Love.” Hollie Cavanagh – “Bleeding Love” It was back to the guitar for Phillip Phillips for “Time of the Season.” Compare this performance with his rendition of ” The Letter ” now. Phillip Phillips – “Time of the Season” Skylar Laine struggled a bit with her opening song, but did she make up for it with “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me? We think so. Skylar Laine – “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me” Jessica Sanchez slowed it way down and told somebody out there: “You Are So Beautiful.” It was an impressive follow-up to ” Proud Mary .” Jessica Sanchez – “You Are So Beautiful” But nothing could match Joshua Ledet on this night. Was “To Love Somebody” his best audition to date? Decide for yourself.
A hearty round of congratulations are in order for Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr.: the couple is expecting its second child! “She and Freddie are thrilled,” a friend of Gellar and Prinze tells Us Weekly . “They’re amazing parents.” The famous twosome met while filming the classic 1997 thriller I Know What You Did Last Summer , but didn’t start dating until three years later. They then married in September 2002 and welcomed daughter Charlotte Grace in September 2009. The news of Gellar’s pregnancy arrives just as The CW is figuring out the fate of her latest series, Ringer – and let’s just say the beautiful mother will likely have a lot of free time ahead of her to spend with a new baby.
Following a performance night that saw the remaining American Idol contestants cover both Queen and a song of their choice , six finalists awaited their fate this evening. And after both Stefano Langone and Katy Perry took the stage, we were left with Elise Testone, Hollie Cavanagh and Skylar Laine in the bottom three. There’s no way viewers were voting out Laine, right? Right?!? Right. Instead, Elise Testone heard her name called by Ryan Seacrest to conclude the episode. The soulful crooner bid farewell via “Whole Lotta Love,” as J. Lo got up and danced and the crowd offered one final ovation. What do you think? Did America get it right? Should Elise have been eliminated?
The top six tackled Queen songs and their own picks; here’s how they did. By Gil Kaufman Joshua Ledet performs on “American Idol” Photo: FOX It was clear from the opening medley on Wednesday night that Queen night was going to be a struggle for some “American Idol” top six. Ironically, it was the three leading contenders , Joshua Ledet, Skylar Laine and Jessica Sanchez who seemed most uncomfortable, which did note bode well for the evening. With the only real sort of-rocker, Colton Dixon , booted last week, that meant it was do-or-die time for anyone hoping to make it to next months’ finale. And despite a shaky start, Ledet may have punched his card to the finale, where he is likely to face slow-and-steady Phillip Phillips, while Sanchez and Laine just kind of coasted. Despite what Steven and Jennifer said time-and-again, none of these performances are likely to go into the “Idol” all-time vault, but a decent night all around. So, who deserves a coronation? Who fell down and broke their crown? Read on for our “American Idol” report card! Joshua Ledet : Once again, Ledet nailed it, taking a song that could have seriously tripped him up and wrestling it to the ground with some old-school soul. The bass-slapping Sam Cooke run through “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” was crazy good and the vintage mic was a real nice touch. This dude’s got it so in the bag that he sang an obscure India.Arie song, “Ready For Love” that features the lyric “respects the spirit world,” and he still killed it (softly). The only way this guy doesn’t make it to the finale is if his voicebox has a run-in with Metta World Peace’s elbow. A Jessica Sanchez : “Bohemian Rhapsody?” Wow, really Bebe? The Polly Pocket diva picked the dragon slayer and, well, brought a dagger to a sword fight. The first part sounded like a Beyonc
Hollie Cavanagh rises up with ‘The Climb’ and Joshua Ledet racks up two more standing ovations. By Adam Graham Hollie Cavanagh on “American Idol” Photo: Fox If “American Idol” was decided by whoever received the most standing ovations from the judges, Joshua Ledet would have this year’s competition in the bag. Ledet racked up two more standing Os from the judges on Wednesday’s (April 25) “Idol,” which found the contestants singing two songs apiece: One from Queen, and another of their own choosing. That brought Ledet’s unofficial standing ovation season total to 12 — that figure according to Skylar Laine, who ribbed him backstage for receiving a dozen standing Os over the course of the season. Ledet first got a rise out of the judges with his version of “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” which caused Jennifer Lopez to ask, “Is it bad for me to say the Joshua part of the show is my favorite part of the show?” He followed it with a version of India.Arie’s “Ready for Love” — which was sung by Michael Lynche back in “Idol” season nine — which was called “another unbelievable performance” by Randy Jackson. Added an enthusiastic Steven Tyler, “I hope the label finds you a bunch of good songs, man, and you’re off to the moon. I smell the finish line with you.” Hollie Cavanagh received the evening’s other standing ovation from the judges with her second song, “The Climb,” the Miley Cyrus song that seemingly summed up her journey on the show so far. It came after she received so-so marks for her first song, Queen’s “Save Me,” which played into theme of “The Climb” even further. “That’s the Hollie Cavanagh that we love, that’s the one! Hollie is back! Yo!” said Jackson. Added Lopez, “You said it backstage, ‘I gotta step it up,’ and you did! It was perfect.” Steven Tyler’s favorite of the night was Skylar Laine, who opened with “The Show Must Go On” and followed it with Jason Aldean’s “Tattoo’s on This Town.” On the Queen song, Tyler praised her energy and her passion as over-the-top, saying, “the way you hit your notes, for an 18-year-old? Oh my God. That was fabulous.” Lopez said she got “goosies” from Laine, while Jackson dubbed himself a “ginormous” fan of the Mississippi singer. Jessica Sanchez kicked off the show with “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which was shot in black and white while a chorus of Sanchez heads backed her on the oval “Idol” video screen at the back of the stage. For her second song, Sanchez sent a shout-out to her dad, singing a touching version of Luther Vandross’ “Dance With My Father.” Lopez told Sanchez she expected more energy from her during “Rhapsody,” but said her “Dance With My Father” was “the best I’ve ever heard that song sang.” Meanwhile, Jackson summed up her two performances by saying, “every time you get up and sing, you know what’s wrong with it? Absolutely nothing!” Phillip Phillips, who has battled Dave Matthews comparisons from fans all season, seemingly got away from the Matthews talk with his first song, a fun, spirited take on “Fat Bottomed Girls.” “People say that you remind them of Dave Matthews, that didn’t remind me of Dave Matthews at all. That was something totally different,” Lopez said, invoking Matthews name out loud for the first time this season. “That’s the mark of a great singer for me.” And how did Phillip Squared follow it up? With a performance of Dave Matthews’ “The Stone,” on which he sounded like a direct clone of Matthews. Lopez was not pleased, dismissing the song “obscure” and “artsy,” and worrying it would get him voted off the show. Jackson, for his part, admired Phillips’ sticking to his guns. “Die, sink or swim, Phil Phillips will always be Phil Phillips,” he said. “I love that.” Elise Testone took on Queen’s “I Want It All” early and followed it with Jimi Hendrix’s “Bold as Love.” The first song got high marks, though the latter “wasn’t the right song for this time in the competition,” Jackson told her, criticizing her for “boxing” with the song, and saying Hendrix sang “about 1/25 of what you sang” in his original. J. Lo had the opposite reaction. Although she said she wasn’t familiar with the original, “you slayed that song so hard, it didn’t even matter,” she said. Wednesday’s show opened with the Top Six performing a medley of Queen songs, backed by Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor. Thursday’s show will feature performances by Katy Perry and 10th season “Idol” contestant Stefano Langone, and one of the six remaining contestants will be sent home. What did you think of “Idol” on Wednesday? Let us know in the comments! Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page , where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.
Following the judges’ save of Jessica Sanchez last night, the top 7 finalists on American Idol returned to the stage last night, singing two tracks apiece: a “Now” hit from 2000 and beyond; and a “Then” soul cover. Which contestant impressed you most with his/her first performance? Watch, listen and vote below… Hollie Cavanagh took quite a risk to opening the evening, belting out a version of 2011’s biggest hit, Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep.” Hollie Cavanagh – “Rolling In The Deep” Colton Dixon then went all gaga on viewers. Lady Gaga, that is! Check out his version of “Bad Romance” now. Colton Dixon – “Bad Romance” Elise Testone proceeded to give us the first Alicia Keys rendition of the night, taking on the heartfelt ballad “No One.” Elise Testone – “No One” Phillips Phillips may not remind many of Usher, but he did that Atlanta native proud with a take on “U Got It Bad,” remaining one of the season 11 favorites. Phillip Phillips – “U Got It Bad” Jessica Sanchez , taking advantage of her second life on the show, also took on Keys, this time via the hit single “Fallin.” Jessica Sanchez – “Fallin” It was then back to Gaga for Skylar Laine , who made it very clear to the audience: folks, she was “Born This Way.” Skylar Laine – “Born This Way” Joshua Ledet closed the first half of the evening with “I Believe,” an appropriate choice for someone known as “Mantasia,” wouldn’t you say? Joshua Ledet – “I Believe” Seven performances down, seven to go. Which of the “Now” selections did you like best?
The first trailer for Magic Mike , a semi-autobiographical exploration of the younger, male stripper days of star Channing Tatum, has just been released. Based on Tatum’s stint in the profession before he made it big, Mike tells the story of an upstart male stripper taken under the wing of more experienced colleagues. With this kind of supporting cast – Matthew McConaughey, Alex Pettyfer, Joe Manganiello, Adam Rodriguez, Gabriel Iglesias, Cody Horn, Olivia Munn and even director Steven Soderbergh – Magic Mike may be a must-see … Magic Mike Trailer
Seven finalists. 14 performances. On last night’s American Idol , the remaining contestants sang a pair of tracks each: first, they covered a “Now” single from the year 2000 and beyond . Then, they went with a soul-based “Then” song, tackling artists such as Marvin Gaye and Otis Redding. Relive the latter half of the evening below and then vote on your favorite… Hollie Cavanagh for hour number-two started with “Son Of A Preacher Man,” one of our favorite singles from that era. Hollie Cavanagh – “Son Of A Preacher Man” Up next, Colton Dixon went from Lady Gaga to Earth, Wine and Fire, sitting behind a piano for a version of “September.” Colton Dixon – “September” Elise Testone then got us into the mood via the Marvin Gaye classic “Let’s Get It On.” Will it help her move on? Elise Testone – “Let’s Get It On” Phillip Phillips proceeded to show off his versatility, following an Usher cover with a rendition of “Midnight Hour.” Phillip Phillips – “Midnight Hour” From there, Jessica Sanchez made a plea to “Try A Little Tenderness,” as she hopes to avoid another placement in the bottom three. The judges, of course, are all out of saves. Jessica Sanchez – “Try A Little Tenderness” Skylar Laine , who also did Lady Gaga proud with her first performance, then lamented how she “Heard It Through the Grapevine.” We adore her. Skylar Laine – “Heard It Through The Grapevine” Finally, Joshua Ledet took us home by telling the world that “A Change is Gonna Come.” Joshua Ledet – “A Change is Gonna Come” Which of these performances did you like best?
