- Ryan Seacrest’s line about Steven Tyler loving the attention… I mean, duh.

- ANOTHER finalist sick? This time it is Joshua Ledet. This is strange, no? Hollywood week all over again…

- Watching the Jennifer Lopez/Pitbull video debut felt like déjà vu. By the way, maybe the video was “fun” for you and your 20-something boyfriend JLO, but yes, it is a bit racy.

- At least The Wanted sang live… didn’t sound great… but A for effort.

- Audio engineer didn’t cut Seacrest’s mic quick enough before he asked The Wanted’s Max George if George got to first base with JLO. Hilarious.

- Jimmy Iovine BURYING Hollie Cavanagh – “a bad high school performance.” Ouch.

- Kellie Pickler? Thank goodness I DVR these *hits FF button.*

- Iovine again on point with some sound advice for Phillip Phillips. Kid is talented, if he actually listens instead of pretending to know it all he can be a legit star.

- America got it right by voting off DeAndre, and JLO got it wrong for trying to save him AND throwing her fellow judges under the bus in the process. Heaven forbid Steven or Randy do that to her.

- I vote for Gwen Stefani to be a guest mentor every week. Seriously though, I thought her and Tony Kanal were great.

- Love when Jimmy Iovine tells the old-timer stories, like him passing on the “Flashdance” soundtrack.

- I’m sorry but I think I’d rather have a shorter show than the duets. We really can’t judge these contestants on those, right?

- Thought for sure the girl that played Ari’s daughter on “Entourage” was sitting next to DeAndre when he sang. I was wrong, but it looks just like her!

Contestants
- Another good week for DeAndre, showing range and picking a song that fits him perfectly. I still don’t think he belongs on this show though, sorry.
- I thought Elise Testone was pretty good. Steven Tyler didn’t agree. Loved how he ended his critique: “but… yeah.”
- Best performance yet for Phillip Phillips. I might be pulling a 180 on this kid ala Jimmy Iovine.
- Joshua Ledet still has the best voice in this competition.
- I still think Jessica Sanchez will win. Not only will she win, but she’ll have hit singles. Yes, plural.
- Hollie Cavanagh is dead woman walking for Thursday’s results show.
- Colton Dixon’s rehearsal duet with Gwen Stefani – how great was that? His performance was awesome as well, and he receives extra props for crediting Quietdrive with the arrangement he used of “Time After Time.”
- Skylar Laine was good but not great in my opinion. She does deserve credit though for moving out of her country comfort zone.

- Wow first we get a Joe Perry cameo this season, and now “Idol” is plugging Aerosmith’s tour at the top of the show. Who in the band said it was a bad idea for Steven Tyler to do this again?

- Nice of Eric Benet to show up and show some love to DeAndre, even if I think DeAndre should be eliminated.

- So many hashtags/Twitter accounts/celebrity mentions… AHHHHHHH!!!

- Nicki Minaj looked great, performed terribly, and almost made up for it when she asked if she could be a guest judge. JLO’s response that there wasn’t room up there for both of them was priceless.

- Jimmy Iovine almost never pulls a 180, but he must think highly of Stevie Nicks’ opinion after she said Phillip Phillips would be a huge superstar. Apparently now even Iovine is a believer!

- Scotty McCreery, what a superstar. He looked and sounded great, and these days, you don’t go platinum by accident, let alone a million copies sold with your first album. Impressive.

- Did Iovine snub Ryan Seacrest of a handshake after he presented the plaque to Scotty?

- Ultimately, America got it right this week. He sang well, but too little, too late. It was a fun, unexpected ride – but Heejun Han needed to go. Thankfully for “Idol” faithful, they’ll get to see him on tour this summer. I thought it was touching that almost all of the finalists were crying as Han sang for his spot on the show. I also found it telling that the judges actually debated over whether to use their save on him. You didn’t see this debate last week for Erika Van Pelt, who in my opinion, was a far superior singer.

- I find it interesting how much “Idol” is pushing people to Twitter as opposed to Facebook, now even offering up each contestant’s username on screen after the performance. There are far more Facebook than Twitter users, but obviously Twitter is a little better for a more real-time, back-and-forth discussion of the show.

- Great to see Jason Derulo there with former “Idol” Jordin Sparks. I love the contest Derulo is doing in conjunction with the show and Coca-Cola, and certainly encouraging news that he’ll perform on the finale.

- I don’t think Jimmy Iovine has figured out enough ways to incorporate the Beats logo in to “Idol.” No, really Jimmy, why don’t you just make all of the contestants wear the hat you wore tonight?

- I enjoyed Stevie Nicks as a guest mentor because she was knowledgeable yet didn’t try to impose her will on any of the singers.

- I don’t think it is a coincidence that there were so many great performances on the show. Each contestant had the opportunity to choose a song that they felt most comfortable with. I would hope that they could do that correctly at this stage of the competition.

Contestants
- Colton Dixon is in the same lane right now as Chris Daughtry and Adam Lambert. It doesn’t matter if he wins; I’m sure he has a hit single coming to radio later this year.
- I thought Skylar Laine was great. Problem is, she isn’t going to be able to sing a country song tailored for her every week.
- Heejun Han really was “Hee-new-jun” as Jimmy said. If he continues to show that type of talent, with his charm, there is no doubt he can make top 3. This is despite my opinion that he may not be one of the top 5 when it comes to pure voice or skill.
- Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler hit it on the head – Hollie Cavanagh was GOOD… OK… but not as great as she could be with the range she has shown in her voice.
- I would like to issue a speeding ticket to Tyler for comparing DeAndre Brackensick to Prince. C’mon son.
- If America gets it right, and she doesn’t royally screw up, Jessica Sanchez will win “Idol.” What talent and guts to change the tempo of a Beyonce song and nail it on national TV.
- Phillip Phillps was great. Can’t believe I typed that. However, like Skylar, he isn’t going to be able to sing songs in his lane like that every week.
- I got chills when Joshua Ledet hit some of those notes. I’ve said it from Day 1; he may not win, but he has the best voice on this show.
- When Dixon opened the show I thought, “Why wouldn’t ‘Idol’ producers end with him?” Elise Testone was why – and I hope America shows her love with its vote.

- I like the touring prospects of the Top 10 on “Idol” this season. Like last year, there are a lot of different, unique voice and personalities – and I predict ticket sales will not be an issue for a second straight year.

- Jimmy Iovine’s postmortems on each performance are ridiculously on point. I love the new “picture-in-picture” when he starts talking about a judge.

- Huge testament to Elise Testone that her performance was so good, Iovine admitted he was wrong to ask her to change her song selection.

- “Idol” tonight took two steps forward for entertainment and two steps backwards for credibility. The first forward/backward movement came with Lana Del Rey’s performance. I don’t think she sucks, but she isn’t good.

- Joe Perry showing up for Steven Tyler’s birthday celebration was priceless – another classic “Idol” moment.

- Haley Reinhart looked great and sounded okay. I think her single is too pop-sounding for her voice.

- The second forward/backward movement came in America’s decision. No doubt Heejun is entertaining, but sacrificing a talent like Erika Van Pelt for that damages the “Idol” credibility in my opinion.

- Steven Tyler really set the tone and launched the gauntlet down for this one with his claim that if you can’t sing Billy Joel, you can’t sing. Easy there Toxic Brother. I agreed with his assessment that Joel’s songbook is one of America’s best ever, but “Idol” is too diversified, especially this year, to throw all of these artists in just one box.

- I feel that “Idol” is reinventing itself a bit by bringing on Tommy Hilfiger to consult each contestant with their style. This is a new angle for the show and one which can broaden the reach of its audience. The combination of two experienced and successful mentors in Hilfiger and Jimmy Iovine, with added star power like Diddy this week, really adds to the show and brings it up a couple notches from your average talent competition.

- Speaking of the mentors, I agreed with all of them, all night, on everything. What’s different about Hilfiger and Iovine compared to the judges is that they know what mainstream America likes and what they’ll throw disposable income behind.You may not like what they have to say, but chances are they’re both correct.

- JLO wanting to call Diddy, “Puffy” at the end… dead.

Contestants
- I take back what I said last week about Deandre Brackensick. When he doesn’t start jumping all over the place with his voice, he can do good, and he did well this week.
- I thought Diddy’s advice to Erika Van Pelt, and her reaction, were great. EVP ended up doing a great job with the song, and I love her new hair as well.
- Joshua Ledet started weak and ended strong. I’m over JLO baby-ing him.
- I love how Iovine called out Diddy for liking Skylar Laine because she asked for his autograph. Laine did well, especially at the middle and end of the song.
- Elise Testone had her moment this week. Amazing.
- Sorry, I agreed with all of the mentors, and I still don’t like Phillip Phillips. I think he ruins classic songs.
- Hallie Cavanagh has had better weeks, but she was still good this week. I liked the style advice she received.
- The interaction between Diddy and Heejun Han was priceless. Ultimately, Tyler is right – if Han wants to make a real run in this competition, he needs to take it a little more serious.
- Jessica Sanchez is near-perfection. What more can you say?
- Colton Dixon was good. I don’t say great because with this songbook and that song, he almost had an unfair advantage. But you know I’ve been a fan of his from the get-go.

Please excuse the combined notes for the episodes in this thread, as I was away on vacation last week when “Idol” aired.

- Obviously the big news surrounding the show this week was the elimination of Jermaine Jones, not by America’s vote, but from “Idol” producers. If you’ve read my notes on the show this season, you know I wasn’t a fan of Jones for this show from the outset. I thought he had a great voice, but ultimately did not think he was the right fit for a show essentially trying to find the country’s next big pop star. There was something else about him that rubbed me the wrong way as well, and apparently I wasn’t the only one that felt this way. Jones had four outstanding warrants stemming from all sorts of run-ins with the law, from harassment to open containers of alcohol in public. He shouldn’t have been on the show in the first place, gets a second chance from the judges for essentially no reason, and then still finds himself off the show. Jones lied and ultimately cost someone else their dream. Now, instead of hoping for viewers to vote for him, he’ll have to hope for a judge to show mercy on him.

Contestants
- I enjoyed Phillip Phillips this week, which I don’t think I could honestly say… ever.
- Jessica Sanchez is clearly the odds-on favorite to win, and she showed why with her performance.
- Elise Testone proved that she’s great… with the right song.
- Something we haven’t seen a lot of this season – JLO criticizing Randy Jackson for his criticisms, as she did after Heejun Han’s performance. Sorry Jennifer, Heejun deserved it.
- Deandre Brackensick can do no right with me, sorry.
- “One Sweet Day” came out the year Shannon Magrane was born? I feel old. Poor song selection but still love her voice.
- Colton Dixon is still ready for a hit radio single, like now.
- Erika Van Pelt is usually great, and had her first OK since joining the show. Even her fellow New Englander, Steven Tyler, criticized her.
- Skylar Laine knocked it out of the park, again.
- Joshua Ledet still has the best voice of the finalists. Not sure if he’ll win, but wow he can sing.
- Even with a tough song, Hollie Cavanagh did a great job.

Ultimately Shannon Magrane’s poor song selection led to her demise. If she would have stayed in that “Lauren Alaina/country lane” she would still be on the show, but she didn’t and she is not.

- Loving these results shows with Jimmy’s unfiltered critiques of each performance, usually coming after the fluff-filled praise from the three judges. Although as I mentioned in last night’s notes – all three, especially Randy, were a bit more critical of the contestants this time around.

- Lauren Alaina grew up fast, huh? She definitely looked a little slimmer as well, and sounded great.

- I find it funny that this JLO/punch joke has legs and will probably carry out all season.

- The mics were hot when Erika Van Pelt went to go sit besides Elise Testone in the bottom 3 stools and she says, “Well, it’s the old ladies!” Too funny.

- Of course Ryan Seacrest brings up Phillip Phillips trip to the doctor’s office earlier in the day – although from the quick, playful banter, the two made it seem much less serious than TMZ made it out to be.

- I thought Mary J. Blige sounded great.

- Ultimately, Jimmy Iovine was right – Jeremy Rosado is eliminated. I’ve made it clear that I’m not a fan of Jermaine Jones or Deandre Brackensick, but on this night America didn’t agree with me completely.

- The Top 13 performed, with special mentors Jimmy Iovine and Mary J. Blige. The guys performed Stevie Wonder songs – the girls took on Whitney Houston’s catalog.

- I loved Jimmy and Mary J. because they were both very honest with the contestants.

- It was cool to watch Mary J. explain to a contestant what they should do, and then effortlessly belt out a note or three.

- As far as the judges, I really enjoyed seeing Randy Jackson keep it a little more real and not be afraid to offer criticism, even after his cohorts heaped praise upon a performance.

Contestants
- In my opinion, Joshua Ledet was the best performer of the evening, again. Obviously Stevie is in his wheelhouse.
- Elise Testone wasn’t bad but wasn’t great. That was a common theme for talented contestants out of their comfort zone.
- Jermaine Jones was good but I still don’t think he’s a good fit for this competition.
- Erika Van Pelt didn’t bring it 100% tonight – again I think most of this was due to artist/song selection.
- Colton Dixon was surprisingly good.
- I really hope Shannon Magrane didn’t ruin her chances with this one performance – she’s a much better singer than that.
- Deandre Brackensick was certainly in his zone but like Jermaine, I don’t think he’s in this for the long haul.
- Whitney Houston took a country song and made it her’s – Skylar Laine near pulled off the flip.
- I figured it out – our expectations are lower for Heejun Han, so when he kills it, we think that much more of him.
- Hollie Cavanagh was great, again.
- JLO cries every time Jeremy Rosado sings. It hasn’t gotten old, yet. And the kid is really, really good.
- Jessica Sanchez was good. Not standing-O good, but good.
- This performance was the most I’ve liked Phillip Phillips yet… but I still didn’t like him much.

- I didn’t think there were a lot of hard decisions to be made with tonight’s episode. There is a lot of talent this season, but not an abundance where people were going to get robbed.

- I’m very happy that Jimmy Iovine is back. If you compare what Iovine said about each contestant to what I wrote – it is virtually identical, sans Heejun Han, Phillip Phillips, and Jermaine Jones.

- The “Beats” audio dock in the background of Iovine’s camera shot is great – Interscope has a partnership with Dr. Dre and Monster on the Beats brand, which has done very well for itself.

- Iovine had the line of the night when he noted that while Joshua Ledet is good, they have to be careful not to turn him in to Sister Act III. I lost it!

- Loved the raw emotion shown by all three judges tonight, whether they were defending comments against critiques from Iovine or crying over America’s vote.

- You have to remember with Iovine too, he’s going to be a little more critical and honest than the judges because he’s not in this for the popularity or the ratings – he wants stars that he can turn revenue on. Think about it: who from last year has come through for him in that sense?

- Overall I’m happy with the Final 13. I don’t think Jermaine Jones deserved the second chance, let alone America’s vote in the top 10. I’m still not a fan of Deandre Brackensick and I think he’ll be one of the first to be eliminated. Loved JLO’s save of Jeremy Rosado.

- For the ladies – Erika Van Pelt needed the save, and is worthy. Again, if you look back at my notes, I was dead-on with my picks of the ladies. A perfect six-for-six.