Jessica Sanchez sang Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” on American Idol this week, and with it, may have established herself as the Season 11 frontrunner. Seriously. If Jessica Sanchez wasn’t in your Top 5 heading into Wednesday night, she is now. It was awesome, in one word. Don’t believe us? Take it from the panel: Jennifer Lopez: [at a loss for words] “Just, just amazing.” Randy Jackson: “This is one of the hardest songs to sing.” Steven Tyler: “You may be The One. You just made 40 million people cry.” LOL. Try 20 million at best, Steve … which is no small feat of course. In any case, listen to the nearly flawless performance and try to hold back the tears below … Jessica Sanchez – “I Will Always Love You” (American Idol Top 13)
Looking skinny and sounding as great as ever, Mariah Carey took to the stage in New York City last night for the first time since giving birth 10 months ago. “Do you love them babies?” she asked the crowd at one point of Moroccan and Monroe . “I really wanted to bring them here tonight, but Monroe is sometimes shy and takes a while to warm up to an audience. Rock and roll! Nah, but it’s late. It’s time for them to be asleep.” Donning a skintight black dress and covered in diamonds, Carey broke into such tracks as “It’s Like That,” “Obsessed,” “I’ll Be There,” and a new version of “Shake You Off.” Watch the latter below: Mariah Carey – “Shake You Off” (Live in NYC)
With the final 13 on American Idol announced last night, THG will be pairing off various contestants over the next few days to determine who readers believe is the early favorite. First up, we pitted Phillip Phillips against Colton Dixon . Both talented, both appealing to a certain female demographic. Which of these remaining men has the best chance to take home the season 11 title? Now, it’s the ladies’ turn. Both Hollie Cavanagh and Jessica Sanchez wowed the judges and the viewers during their semifinal performances. We’d give the early nod to Hollie, but we’re just one website. What do YOU think? Which is most likely to win it all? Vote now:
There’s a Haley, a Hollie and a Hallie. There’s also the daughter of a World Series pitcher and a young woman who auditioned five years ago and has now made a triumphant return. Indeed, it’s a mixed, talented bag of female American Idol semifinalists. They’ll perform live for the first time on Wednesday night, so now is the time to place your early bets. Sort through the following Fox promotional pics and then select a favorite and let’s see if one of these females can break the string of male Idol champions… WHO IS YOUR FEMALE FAVORITE?
‘300’ actor reportedly entered treatment three weeks ago for substance abuse and ‘pain management.’ By Jocelyn Vena Gerard Butler Photo: George Napolitano/FilmMagic Gerard Butler is currently seeking treatment at the Betty Ford Center. According to TMZ , the actor is in rehab for a number of substance-abuse problems including prescription drugs and cocaine, but the focus of his problems are in “pain management.” The site reports that his problems stem back to 2006, when he was shooting “300” and the physical demand took a toll on him. The problem was reportedly aggravated on December 18, when he hurt himself on the set of “Of Men and Mavericks” while surfing. He reportedly entered the rehab facility three weeks ago after he realized he had been using prescription drugs too much and didn’t want it to become a full-on addiction. The site reports he is expected to leave sometime Friday (February 24). He actually opened up about the surfing incident when he appeared on “The Graham Norton Show,” calling it a “pretty close call” back in January. “The movie that I’m making is about big surf. I had been out there paddling … and then suddenly these waves came out of nowhere. I’m paddling on my board and it came and it was about 30 feet high. I was under… I ripped my leash off. I’m just tumbling, tumbling, tumbling. And then I felt the next wave go. All I’m thinking is, ‘There’s a whole film crew out there,’ ” he recalled. “I’ve had a few hairy experiences in training for this movie. This time, I was under for almost a minute.” The incident took place at Maverick, a surf site near Half Moon Bay, California. The film follows Jay Moriarty, a famed young surfer who died at 22 free-diving. Butler plays his mentor, Frosty Hesson.
We break down this year’s remaining ‘Idol’ hopefuls, from Aaron Marcellus to Skylar Laine, and everyone in between. By James Montgomery Members of the “American Idol” Top 24 Photo: FOX On Thursday, after approximately 4,256 hours of auditions, callbacks, comparisons, falsettos and fainting spells (not to mention the occasional bit of nudity and some stuff on a battleship), “American Idol” finally whittled the masses of dreamers down to the Top 24. It was a ride, to say the very least, but at long last, we know the names and faces of the folks who will battle it out to become the heir to Scotty McCreery’s crown. Of course, keeping track of all the hopefuls can get rather difficult (especially since so many of them are country singers), which is why we’ve once again taken it upon ourselves to break down each of them in handy-dandy bios. Because how else are you supposed to tell your Hallie Days from your Heejun Hans? So here’s our guide to the Top 24 — we’re not even going to get into the whole “Surprise Save” that’ll be unveiled next week … haven’t we been through enough already? — alphabetized and cross-referenced for your perusing pleasure. Aaron Marcellus : Throwback soul singer too frequently overshadowed by groupmates (and fellow Top 24ers) Creighton Fraker and Jen Hirsch. Seems like he could have a moment at some point during the live shows. Sort of looks like Godfrey . Adam Brock : Secretomotoristic father/crooner/possessor of magical handkerchief who barely made it to the Top 24. Kind of a combination of Casey Abrams and Ruben Studdard, only with better facial hair. Baylie Brown : Pop-country pinup who returns to the competition after making a run as a teen. Could charitably be described as “Carrie Underwood Lite.” Probably gets lots of dirty looks from Skylar Laine. Brielle Von Hugel : Empirically named progeny of cloying stage mom, who, not surprisingly, carries herself as a diva-in-training. Wearer of impressively knitted half-blouses. Capable of putting some stank on it. Chase Likens : Unassuming country dude who sort of recalls Neon Bible -era Win Butler. Vest enthusiast. Uh, yeah. Chelsea Sorrell : Small-town gal whose childhood dreams included being both “a mom and a country singer.” As far as we can tell, she’s halfway there. Had some rough patches, still made the Top 24. Dropper of many “Y’alls.” Colton Dixon : Sorta-emo guy who looks like a Tim Burton illustration. Outlasted his sister during Hollywood Week, none too happy about that fact. Gives off a slightly Christian vibe, which, coupled with the fact that he’s from Tennessee, probably means he knows Hayley Williams. Creighton Fraker : Lithe-voiced/creatively haired cabaret singer who flaunted his lack of employment for maximum impact. Seen wearing fuzzy rabbit ears during “Idol” vignettes. Slightly odd, yet may be one of the best male singers in the competition. Deandre Brackensick : Lion-maned teen with equally epic moniker, he’s been down this path before. Finally made the Top 24, yet needs to find his zone to advance in the competition. Eben Franckewitz : Polite 15-year-old Bieber-ite who bested David Leathers Jr. to nab the final guy’s spot (outrage!) Overall lack of confidence nearly as glaring as his bad posture. Proud recipient of the coveted “You’re cute!” endorsement from Jennifer Lopez. Elise Testone : Likeable lifer who absolutely kills it every time she takes the stage. Raspy/sultry notes for days. Can put some stank on it. Still, will probably will get voted off early. If you squint, she kind of resembles Ke$ha. Erika Van Pelt : Effervescent wedding singer with brassy voice. Kind of a surprise addition to the Top 24. Has a massive back tattoo, ala Crystal Bowersox, yet will probably not make it as far as the ‘Sox. Haley Johnsen : Vaguely indie smokeshow from the Pacific Northwest. Voice like a steam kettle, yet also capable of some stank when the situation demands it. Like Megan Joy, minus the tattoo sleeve. Hallie Day : Former girl-group member/cautionary tale who appropriately owned Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive.” Dark horse. Lips single-handedly keeping Blistex in business. Choice of husband a source of inspiration for slightly chunky dudes everywhere. Heejun Han : Buttery-voiced, slightly catty people’s champ. Seems to understand the inherent ridiculousness of this entire contest. Frequent hugger. Deflects any perceived criticisms (i.e. “He’s kind of a jerk”) by working with the mentally challenged. Cunning. Hollie Cavanagh : Last girl in. Scouser/Southern accent makes her sound like Paul McCartney running a cattle auction. Good voice. Appears to be very nice, also appears to be channeling every single girl who sat behind you in Social Studies, neither of which bode well for her chances of winning. Jen Hirsch : Big ( big! )-voiced belter who may very well be the one to beat. Miles of stank. Likeable. Kind of recalls a supercharged Haley Reinhart, yet could definitely out-Reinhart Reinhart herself. We hope she wins. Jeremy Rosado : Only member of the highly touted Leathers/Sprague/Carruba contingent to make the Top 24 (until Leathers gets in as the “Surprise Save” next week). R&B-esque upper register, yet may not possess the, uh, fortitude to impress voters. Jessica Sanchez : Supremely driven 16-year-old who can sing the phonebook. Age belies her supreme diva-tude. Could see her winning the whole thing, could also see her flaming out when producers fail to secure correct shade of white linens for her dressing room. Maximum stank. Joshua Ledet : Twitchy balladeer/preternaturally old soul with talent to spare, yet appears to lack the self confidence required to make a deep run. Makes goofy faces whilst singing, which only makes him more likeable. Phillip Phillips : Oddball dreamboat/pawnshop employee whose bizarre name seems to suggest he had really mean parents. Probably wants to read you his poetry. Definitely owns hemp garments. Could conceivably win this whole thing if he stops with the whole “Dave Matthews foot shuffle” thing. Reed Grimm : All-grown-up stage kid who is eternally on. Name recalls Marvel Comics supervillan. Occasionally breaks into ill-advised bouts of scatting. Made sure everyone knew he could play the drums. Sort of looks like Ethan from “Lost.” Is annoying. Shannon Magrane : Talented offspring of former MLB pitcher with career .460 winning percentage. Unwilling target of Steven Tyler’s creepy (and borderline illegal) advances. Has undoubtedly met Harold Reynolds, which makes us jealous. Skylar Laine : Sparkplug Southern gal who keeps getting compared to Bonnie Raitt. Can effectively handle an ATV, yet was also hospitalized during Hollywood Week. Will probably be outshined by both Brown and Sorrell, despite being more talented than either of them. Reminder that sometimes life isn’t fair. Got a favorite to win it all? Let us know in the comments below. Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page , where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Photos ‘American Idol’ Season 11 Top 24 And Wildcard Contestants
And then there were 14. With 10 more to go, of course. On last night’s installment of American Idol , Randy, Steven and Jennifer broke the hearts of some contestants, while making the dreams of others come true, as they started the process of whittling 42 hopefuls down to the 24 semifinalists that will compete live next week. Did one of your favorites make the cut? Let’s take a look at the first 14 semifinalists on season 11, with the final group to be named this evening… Baylie Brown Las Vegas Audition Jen Hirsh : A winery worker, referred to by Randy as “one of the best singers this year.” Creighton Fraker : Discovered late in life that his birth father was the lead singer of a heavy metal band. Joshua Ledet : “Hallelujah,” he simply shouted upon hearing the great news. Haley Johnsen : Said she has one mission: To “break out of my shyness and gain confidence.” Now has her chance. Elise Testone : Also referred to as “one of the best singers we’ve seen” by Randy, says she can feel “in my heart” that this is her time to shine. Reed Grimm : Played the drums again and broke out in a dance when named a semifinalist. Erika van Pelt : This mobile DJ and wedding singer was teased by J. Lo before being told: We’re going to take one more chance on you.” Chelsea Sorrell : A fan of Carrie Underwood, dreams of being a mom and a country singer. Baylie Brown : Failed to advance this far on season six when she forgot the words during Group Round. Heejun Han : Hails from Queens, said it’s the dream of every Asian man to hug Jennifer Lopez. Jessica Sanchez : Faces serious pressure, saying: “My mom is unemployed because of my music career. I’m tired of seeing my family struggle.” Phil Phillips : Works at a pawnshop, Randy worries his unique might “not play in front of everyone else.” Colton Dixon : Considered a “veteran,” is moving on after a couple of failed previous years. His sister did not make the Vegas cut. Brielle von Hugel : “This just proved to me that this is my life and I’m doing it,” she said after getting the news.
Heejun Han was among the contestants who will move on to the live episodes; 10 more will be announced Thursday. By Adam Graham Reed Grimm celebrates on “American Idol” Photo: Fox Rest easy, America. Heejun Han made it through. Han, the biggest personality to emerge on “American Idol” so far this season, was revealed on Wednesday’s (February 22) episode as one of the 24 seminfinalists who will make it through to the live episodes, which begin next week. From a final pool of 42, 14 semifinalists were unveiled during Wednesday’s episode; the final 10 will be made public during Thursday’s one-hour episode. Joining Han — producers cued “Hey Jude,” which almost sounds like “Heejun,” when he made it through — on the guys’ side are the incredibly named Phillip Phillips; tiny soul man Creighton Fraker; former family band singer Reed Grimm; gospel-voiced Joshua Ledet; and the mohawk-mulleted Colton Dixon. Representing for the ladies are Erika Van Pelt, Jen Hirsh, Haley Johnsen, Elise Testone, Chelsea Sorrell, Baylie Brown, Jessica Sanchez and Brielle Von Hugel. This being “American Idol,” however, a simple “you made it!” is never quite dramatic enough. Instead, the judges have to drag out their decisions, cruelly suggesting the contestants have been cut and telling them everything short of, “You’ll never sing in this town again, baby,” before waiting a beat and then adding, “because this town’s no longer big enough for you, because you made it through!” Consider Randy Jackson’s speech on Wednesday to Ledet. “You know what, sometimes in life, you know, you do these shows and you do these things, and sometimes the better singers don’t quite make it, because everything doesn’t quite line up,” Jackson told him. “You know, it’s heartbreaking for us, you know what I mean? It’s like, that’s why this day is so hard, because we have to say ‘bye’ to so many people that we love that are so talented, that everything just didn’t line up. And this season’s definitely tough, you know; we’re trying to find the exact right 24. So for you man, you made it bro.” Ledet reacted to the news by singing, “Thank you, Jesus.” Likewise, when Jennifer Lopez told Van Pelt the news that she’d made it through, she framed it by telling her — deep breath — “You know, watching everybody over the past few days, we were just saying some people just blew us away, but we had a lot of people who didn’t do as amazing as we thought they were gonna do, and unfortunately you were one of those people. Because we had our eye on you so much from the beginning, because of that voice that comes out of that body, you know? And we’re all such fans, and so yesterday was difficult, ’cause we have to decide who we’re gonna take a chance on and who we’re gonna say, ‘Maybe next time.’ ” Then she told dropped the hammer: “We’re gonna take one more chance on you, Erika.” Well, at least it’s more dramatic than just texting the singers, “congrats, u made it!” “Idol” also got rid of a few familiar faces during Wednesday’s episode, and this year’s resident cowboy contestant Richie Law was one of the singers shown the door. Others who were cut included St. Louis standout Lauren Gray and an assortment of contestants who haven’t received much camera time, including Blaire Sieber, Naomi Gillies, Neco Starr, Clayton Farhat, River St. James and Caleb Johnson. Most of them seemed to be delivered the news in a less-harsh manner than the ones who made it to the next round. Thursday’s episode is set to showcase the rest of this year’s semifinalists, as well as reveal the fate of Adam Brock, the family man whose destiny hung in the balance during Wednesday’s cliffhanger ending. What did you think of Wednesday’s “Idol,” and are you ready to vote for Heejun already? Let us know in the comments!
