- Noticing a big sell towards the top of each episode for the “Idol Live!” tour. The on-sale already took place, it makes me think that tickets aren’t selling well. Last year’s tour went well, and I thought for sure the same would happen again this year.

- As Joshua Ledet said, the top three are all winners regardless of the vote. They all have Interscope Records deals.

- Seacrest and Iovine like jabbing at each other. Although I found it interesting that of all the people in Hollywood to poke fun at Iovine’s height, it was Seacrest.

- Good to see Interscope artist Ester Dean make a cameo. She had a hit of her own in “Drop It Low” but has penned big songs for Rihanna and Katy Perry, among others.

- Lisa Marie Presley came off very Lana Del Ray-awkward-like on stage. Didn’t fit for that audience.

- Nice to see Adam Lambert back on stage but I wasn’t impressed with his performance.

- Jimmy was on point with all of his post-criticisms for the performances, including those targeted at him for the songs he picked for Joshua and Jessica.

- I don’t agree with America – I still thought at Joshua/Phillip finale should have happened but alas, Jessica Sanchez will sing against Phillip Phillips for the “Idol” crown. I predict Phillips will win.

- I was a fan of the three rounds tonight – judges choice, contestant’s choice, Jimmy Iovine’s choice.

- I thought all three singers gave strong first round performances. Steven basically said after each one that they are winners – and let’s face it – they all have record deals waiting for them with Interscope so in a sense they are. I thought Tyler calling Phillip Phillips the next Springsteen though was a bit premature, he gets a speeding ticket on that one.

- I love how each judge has a special connection to each of the final three contestants – Jackson the perfect mentor for the southern, gospel singer; Jennifer Lopez looking after the younger version of her in Jessica; Tyler relating to another free-spirited rocker trying to live in the pop world.

- Ultimately, despite the way he seemed to be making out with the microphone, Joshua won the first round. Great choice on Jackson’s end.

- “I feel like Barack Obama!” screamed Joshua as he received a police escort in his hometown. I think I loved his the most, seemed the most authentic.

- I wasn’t a fan of Joshua’s “Imagine” rendition. Yes it was a departure from the norm and yes he showed great restraint, but that doesn’t mean it sounded good.

- What a gutsy move by Jessica to not only select, but slay “I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing” in front of Tyler.

- Phillip was good but not great with the Matchbox 20 song… too safe of a move for him.

- Round two goes to Jessica – almost by default – but she did do a good job with the track, especially given the circumstances.

- Jimmy Iovine with the Beats Wireless Dock product placement. This guy is a genius.

- Joshua went for the kill, and if he went last this round, he would’ve had it. Another big moment for this kid and it moved him a step closer to the final round.

- Coming off of Ledet’s moving “No Drama” rendition, Sanchez just lacked that extra oomph. She needed to have a similar moment here, and fell short with her Jackson 5 rendition.

- Phillip Phillips ditched the gray, the guitar, and the freestyle melody and delivered one of the best performances of anyone, all season. He gained a lot of new fans tonight (me included) and punched his ticket for the finals.

- To be honest, I had Phillip in the finals before the night began. My theory is that Jessica and Joshua share more fans with each other than either does with Phillip. I have Joshua and Phillip battling for the “Idol” crown next week, and I’m reserving my final choice until after the performance episode!

- I watched both shows from the week late Thursday night and decided to combine the notes because I really didn’t have much to say about the results episode.

- The judges’ style on Wednesday left a little to be desired. JLO’s hair was a mess. I know Randy wears some outlandish articles of clothing, but the pink plaid jacket and matching tie was just too much for me. Sorry, dawg.

- Apparently I’m not the only one that noticed Steven Tyler’s awkward endings to comments – JLO wouldn’t even let him end after Phillip Phillip’s first performance, cutting him off so she could share her two cents with America.

- I think the one consistent thing about Hollie Cavanagh this year, you know from the first note if she’s going to soar or crash. Unfortunately Wednesday, her flights were much too short, especially relative to her competition.

- I’m sure “Rock of Ages” is going to be a great film, but that whole segment is the reason why I believe after the final 7 or 6, both shows should go to an hour.

- Why do they keep insisting on having Phillip cover a Maroon 5 song? Is it a dig at “The Voice” coach Adam Levine?

- The last performances on Wednesday by Phillip, Jessica, and Joshua could have easily been the three best performances in one show for the competition’s entire 11 season run. It is really anybody’s competition between those three.

- I love what Jimmy Iovine said on Thursday about Jessica and Joshua – the singers’ “bag of tricks” can’t be used all the time on every performance. There needs to be more diversity and restraint in their vocals.

- Also, anyone catch Iovine say “us” when he talked about Phillips’ forthcoming album? By his language, it looks like the top 3 on the show already have Interscope Records deals locked up.

- Nice that Jimmy brought along Black Eyed Peas emcee Apl de Ap for Thursday’s results show.

- Props to JLO for both singing and dancing live. Not a bad job. Where was Pitbull?

- America got it right. Simply too little, too late for Hollie, but an amazing job to last as long as she did in this competition.

- I thought one of the bigger items of the evening occurred at the top of the show. Jimmy Iovine went above and beyond words to co-sign on Joshua Ledet. The singer may not have won “Idol”… yet, but he’s apparently already won a record deal. Iovine stated that Interscope would do everything in its power to help Ledet’s career. Ladies and gents, that’s what happens when you blow Stevie Van Zandt’s soxes off in front of Jimmy Iovine.

- Phew, thanks Seacrest for informing us that Matt, not Kiernan, was dimming the lights last night.

- Alright, so I watch these episodes live on my iPad using a Slingbox. The quality is decent but not great. I heard some chatter that Coldplay was lipsyncing its songs. For full disclosure, I’m a huge Coldplay fan. Probably the band’s biggest fan that hasn’t seen it live. I own all the albums and most b-sides. So I’m a homer for Coldplay. But I listened, intently. Chris Martin, while great, wasn’t perfect – which led me to believe he was in fact singing live. Naturally, I enjoyed both performances.

- Carrie Underwood sounded great too. Of course she is among the handful of legit stars that this show has produced over 11 seasons.

- I found Iovine’s criticism of Jessica Sanchez’s outfit as too adult and “burlesque” interesting. Here’s a guy that obviously has seen sex sell first hand, and has probably assisted in selling it himself. Yet, he drew the line with the teenager, and didn’t hesitate to criticize the show’s wardrobe and stylist department in the process. Equally interesting was JLO defending Sanchez and the show. You’d think if anything, it’d be the other way around, right?

- I love how Steven always thanks people that sing well in front of him. And JLO, a lot of people came up to you and complimented Wednesday’s show? Really? I doubt anyone gets near JLO and her bodyguard, c’mon.

- Sorry Skylar fans, America got it right. She had her moments, but the final four all have serious mainstream crossover appeal – something Laine lacked.

- Loved Stevie Van Zandt as a celebrity mentor. He is the only mentor that could really put Jimmy Iovine in his place. The two go way back, to the days when Iovine was an engineer on Bruce Springsteen’s records, and it showed. Iovine and Little Steven play off each other so well, they should have their own TV show.

- Another good trait that Van Zandt brought to the table is honestly, a reason I’ve loved Iovine all season. Unlike the judges who have to deal with public backlash, it seems Iovine and the mentors, especially Van Zandt, speak more freely on what they like and don’t like about the contestants’ performances.

- I respect Jennifer Lopez but I find it disrespectful of how matter-of-fact she is in disagreeing with Randy Jackson. He’s been on the show since day one, and his musical credentials are second-to-none. Jackson always takes the high road, but it is a shame that he has to because of Lopez’s momentary immaturity.

Contestants
- The judges said it: Hollie Cavanagh is peaking, and at the right time. I think she survives this week.
- Phillip Phillips looks like he’s trying to seduce the audience every time he sings. Apparently it’s working. By the way, he isn’t doing too bad in the ladies department either – you see his girlfriend on camera?
- I worry for Joshua Ledet. He still is the best singer in this competition. But after the tour wraps, what does he do? I would have to think that Iovine is already drafting a plan for him in the war room. If there’s anybody in the record business that can make Ledet a star, it’s him.
- I think due to poor song selection in the second round, either Phillip or Skylar goes home.

- I was over this whole “Queen on ‘Idol’” thing yesterday, but that opening number was pretty cool.

- The TMZ bit was brilliant, one of the best segments of the season. Another example of “Idol” evolving as a show. Although, as per my notes last night, it’s obvious the two entities are in bed together.

- Died when Jimmy Iovine called the set behind Jessica’s first performance last night, “Less Queen, more Stephen King.”

- Seacrest looked and sounded much better tonight. How do you recover from a bug so quickly? Clearly he has the best doctors that the best contract in reality TV hosting can buy.

- Who is Kieran and why does Seacrest insist on saying his name before the lights dim?

- Glad Casey Abrams is healthy but from a style perspective, he looked a little rough.

- Wasn’t a fan of Stefano Langone on the show last season, and I’m not a fan of his new single. Too generic sounding for me.

- Props to Katy Perry for singing live, and for putting on a great performance with the set, dancers, etc.

- America got it right. Tyler, Jackson, and Iovine were correct: Elise’s song choice did her in. My next prediction: Hollie goes next week.

- “Idol” might as well come out and announce their public relations partnership with TMZ. Once again the gossip rag broke a story less than an hour before air time, although this time it didn’t involve a contestant but host Ryan Seacrest. The newly re-signed presenter was noticeably fatigued and his voice at times sounded a little weak, yet somehow made it through the two hour show without a hiccup. While some may scoff at the time of money the show throws Seacrest, last night he showed once again why he’s worth every penny, and then some.

- Has Randy Jackson copyrighted “Gotta Have It!” yet? When do the t-shirts come out?

- Loved that Stevie Van Zandt was in the building, of course sitting next to Springsteen producer and record label mogul Jimmy Iovine.

- The Steven Tyler/Jennifer Lopez “big cushion” exchange was awkwardly awesome.

- The JLO/Jackson exchange regarding Elise Testone’s second performance was equally awkward and awesome – and is something we saw more from the two last season. Nice to see that the claws are still sharp and functioning.

Contestants
- I’m going to flip up my notes from this point of the competition moving forward because let’s face it: they’re all talented, they’re all singing well. I’ll simply comment on what performances stood out from others, and the reasons why.
- Skylar Laine is coming on strong. She has the country fan base and she’s showing range and versatility in her voice, something that could lend to snagging the more mainstream vote and winning it all. I’d be surprised if she isn’t top three.
- Joshua Ledet’s finish in this show will be an ultimate tale of if the most talented truly wins. Week in and week out he is a man among kids out there.
- Like Iovine has already, I’ll admit it: I was wrong on Phillip Phillips. Brilliant choice for him to cover a Dave Matthews Band song in his second performance. When he stays in or near his wheel house, I am an unapologetic fan. It is only when he starts covering pop acts like Michael Jackson or Maroon 5 that I get turned off from his style.
- My final four: Jessica, Joshua, Skylar, Phillip. I think Elise goes home this week. Tyler said it best – song choice was too obscure for that show.

- Condensed notes this week due to my crazy schedule with TV. Hey, my radio show doesn’t produce itself yunno!

- Very classy tribute to Dick Clark at the top of Wednesday’s show. There would be no “Idol” without Clark. There probably wouldn’t be a Ryan Seacrest either, right?

- No celebrity mentor on tonight’s show, but I think Jimmy Iovine did a great job riding solo.

- Randy Jackson mixing up Al Green and Marvin Gaye… c’mon son!

- Iovine with the line of the night Wednesday: “Jessica could sing ‘Yankee Doodle Dandy’ and not deserve to be in the bottom three.” And he’s right.

- How repetitive are some of the song arrangements becoming, especially with the cold acapella start?

- Nice to see Kris Allen on Thursday’s show. He won “Idol” yet I feel he is often forgotten about because of the successful career that runner-up Adam Lambert has had.

- More on the results after the contestant notes…

Contestants
- Hollie sounded her best in weeks for performance one, but I still don’t like the Adele song choice. She sounded better and even more comfortable for the second song of the evening.
- Colton Dixon did Lady GaGa justice, and then absolutely ruined a Earth, Wind, and Fire song.
- Elyse sounded great on song one despite the very cheesy dress, wind effects, and acapella start. Even though the judges didn’t like her, I thought she was in her comfort zone for the second performance.
- Phillip is making it harder for me to hate on him, I think he’s talented. That being said, he does the same thing every time to every song. I’m bored.
- Another acapella start with Jessica but she blew the first song out of the water. I didn’t enjoy her second performance as much.
- Iovine rearranged a song he helped to become a huge hit, GaGa’s “Born This Way,” for Skylar and she did a great job with it. I was happy that Skylar showed her range and versatility in the second performance as well. I can see her finishing in the Top 2 or 3 now.
- Joshua still has the best voice in this competition. I think like his idol Fantasia, he doesn’t have mass appeal, so I’m not sure what the future holds for him on this show.

- Colton Dixon’s one misstep cost him a chance to be America’s next “Idol.” While the judges like to look at a contestant’s body of work, it is obvious that voters are on a week-to-week, song-to-song basis. Dixon ruined a classic and it cost him the competition. He handled his dismissal with a lot of grace and class, which could be expected for him. Thankfully for Colton, he didn’t need to win this competition. He has the look, the sound, the fan base, and the promotion behind him now. I’ll be playing Dixon’s first radio single in no time I’m sure.

- I did not like the way in which the bottom three were presented, with singers being told to take different sides of the stage and then one side pronounced safe and the other as the bottom three. It was weird and awkward, and the contestants who somehow aren’t in the bottom three shouldn’t be spotlighted even more for not making it.

- Was not impressed with James Durbin. Bragging about selling 100,000 copies of your album isn’t too cool either, bro.

- Again Jimmy Iovine nails it on the head: Phillip Phillips was like Dave Mathews covering Maroon 5. Awful.

- I thought Jennifer Hudson and Ne-Yo were solid.

- Loved that Skylar Laine wouldn’t play along with Seacrest’s game of which group was the bottom three. Also loved Colton Dixon’s face when he found out that it was Jessica Sanchez in the bottom three.

- The whole save process, while properly used, was weird and interesting. The judges stopping Jessica mid-performance, scolding America, etc. Just awkward but ultimately, the right move. And by the way, can you imagine if the save was burned the week prior on… DeAndre?

- I like how “Idol” is evolving as a show by bringing us more than just footage from the house where the finalists live, or clips of what people are saying back in their home towns. I think Tommy Hilfiger and Jimmy Iovine add a lot to the show – and I really feel moving forward they should continue down this path: bringing in known experts to add layers and dimensions to the show and its contestants.

- Why can’t Steven Tyler end a sentence or thought properly? He always finishes on the most awkward note.

- Iovine had a great line during the show: “When she sings, I believe her. That’s what I’ve gone by my whole life.” The man that created Bruce, U2, and GaGa here people.

- Speaking of GaGa, Akon is the guy crazy enough to take a chance on her, and I thought he did OK as a mentor this week.

Contestants
- Skylar Laine was great but I’m not sure if she can win this competition solely singing country songs.
- You see what Tyler mouthed to the judges after Colton Dixon’s performance? “That was crazy.” He was right.
- I don’t usually comment on the duets, but Elise and Phillip ruined Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know.” Awful interpretation.
- Loved Akon’s anecdote that he wanted to sign and steal away Jessica Sanchez from the show. She was great, as usual.
- Joshua Ledet still has the best voice in this competition, IMHO.
- Another quick side note: Skylar accidentally walking in to Ryan Seacrest’s camera shot before her duet with Colton was hilarious.
- Hollie Cavanagh was better than last week but still isn’t where she should be at this stage of the game.
- Phillip Phillips went 0-for-2 in my book, as he also ruined a Maroon 5 song, and I love that band too.