American Idol Season 11: Top 3

Tonight, fairy princess Hollie Cavanagh floated away from American Idol (her sparkling, crystal-clear voice, sugary sweet disposition, and fighting spirit will be missed) in fourth place, leaving Phillip Phillips, Jessica Sanchez, and Joshua Ledet to battle it out for their spot in the Season 11 finale. But before they sing for their lives next week, the Top 3 will return back to their roots as hometown heroes for their homecomings this weekend. Get ready, Chula Vista, California; Westlake, Louisiana; and Leesburg, Georgia!

American Idol Season 11: Joshua Ledet's World

Jessica Sanchez, Joshua Ledet, Hollie Cavanagh, and Phillip Phillips were at the top of their games tonight! Seriously! The singing was out of this world! “Steal Away”, “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going”, “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World”, “Faithfully”, and “Volcano” are among some of my favourite performances of Season 11. It’s suffice to say that I was thoroughly entertained by this week’s show!

This week, I have to give the showstopper award to King Joshua Ledet. His dynamic, soulful performance of "It's A Man's Man's Man's World" was perfect in every way possible.

The talent and diversity of these kids is both insane and incredible. They bring so much heart and soul and emotion and passion and fire and fierceness to that stage - it’s awe-inspiring to see.

As for who I want in the Top 3, my picks are Jessica, Joshua, and Hollie. The Queen, The King, and The Fairy Princess. Idol royalty!

American Idol Season 11: Top 4

Now that rockin' Country gal Skylar Laine has soared out of the competition, it's now down to Hollie Cavanagh, Phillip Phillips, Jessica Sanchez, and Joshua Ledet. With a Top 4 this tight in talent, it's anyone's game!

American Idol Season 11 Tour

The schedule for the American Idols Live! Tour 2012 has been released! See Season 11 finalists Jessica Sanchez, Hollie Cavanagh, Joshua Ledet, Phillip Phillips, Skylar Laine, Elise Testone, Colton Dixon, Deandre Brackensick, Heejun Han, and Erika Van Pelt at a stadium near you this summer! (source)

Seattle, here I come!

American Idol Season 11: Top 5

Here is the American Idol Season 11 Top 5! Phillip Phillips, Hollie Cavanagh, Joshua Ledet, Skylar Laine, and Jessica Sanchez.

I am going to miss 6th-place finalist Elise Testone. She is my favourite vocalist from this year's group, and her live performances were among the most memorable in my books - "One and Only", "Vienna", "Whole Lotta Love", "I Want It All", "Bold As Love", etc. Keep on rockin' on, Queen Elise!

American Idol Season 11: Top 6

I dare say that American Idol Season 11's Top 6 is one of the most diverse, entertaining, and evenly-matched group of contestants that we've seen since the spectacular Season 7! We've got voices that span across a variety of genres (country, pop, R&B, soul, rock, and acoustic), and, for the first time in years, the female:male ratio is in the ladies' favour!

Although I've been strongly advocating for a female winner during these past few seasons, I recognize the immense talent of this crop of singers, and I strongly believe that any one of them is capable of rightfully taking the Idol title. The race to the finish line is on, and it's bound to be an exhilarating journey to watch!

American Idol Season 11: The Save

Oh, American Idol. I don't understand you sometimes.

Jessica Sanchez received the lowest number of votes this week? The one with the best chance of winning AND finding success in the music industry? How?

Jessica fans, I hope you feel motivated to vote your fingers off for your girl in these upcoming weeks to ensure that she makes it to the finale. Idol, I hope your strategy to save and give a boost to the only woman contestant of colour works.

Honestly, I do, because this girl deserves to become the 11th American Idol champion.

American Idol Season 11: Top 10

Now presenting your American Idol Season 11 Top 10! Phillip Phillips, Elise Testone, Deandre Brackensick, Hollie Cavanagh, Colton Dixon, Skylar Laine, Heejun Han, Jessica Sanchez, Joshua Ledet, and Erika Van Pelt may be performing at a North American city near you this upcoming summer, so stay tuned for tour dates!

Next week, the talented Top 10 will tackle the songbook of Billy Joel. Whoever chooses to cover "Vienna" could potentially win my loyalty (and heart).

American Idol Season 11: Jessica Sanchez

It is hard to believe that it has been a month since we had to say goodbye to Whitney Houston. While she may no longer be with us, her memory continues to live on in the world. As a way of paying their respects to the woman who inspired them to use their voices, many singers in the entertainment industry have taken to covering Whitney's classics in their performances.

This week, during American Idol's Whitney Houston and Stevie Wonder tribute night, one aspiring young diva dared to tackle Whitney's signature song, "I Will Always Love You". While it is a risky maneuver to sing this great beast of a ballad, Jessica Sanchez managed to rise to the occasion with a beautifully effortless rendition that was as close to perfection as one can get. Jessica's performance prompted the judges to praise her for delivering the best vocals of the season and declare her as 'the one' to beat in the competition. If this is just the beginning for the sweet sixteen-year old singer (who is just as stunning on a studio recording as she is in her live performances), then I cannot wait to see what she has in store next!

All hail Princess Jessica.

American Idol Season 11: From Hollywood to Vegas

This week on American Idol, the remaining hopefuls were put through the test of putting on not one, but two, group performances. Traditionally, the group rounds prove to be a challenge for many contestants, as it is not an easy task to successfully blend multiple different voices together while highlighting your own vocal strengths in a matter of two minutes. While several performers fell (some quite literally), many saw their stock in the competition rise. These were two of my favourite group performances from Hollywood and Vegas (on the Viva Elvis stage).

Groovesauce (consisting of Reed Grimm, Creighton Fraker, Aaron Marcellus, Nick Boddington, and Jen Hirsh) singing Sam and Dave's "Hold On, I'm Coming". With their high energy, strong vocal solos, and great background harmonization, it was like this group wandered off of The Sing-Off set and onto the Idol stage! Groovesauce (minus Reed) teamed up again in Vegas as 'The Lady and the Spectacles' for "Sealed With a Kiss".

There were so many solid and diverse performances during Vegas Week. The most memorable one for me was this funkified rendition of Buddy Holly's "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" by Jessica Sanchez, Deandre Brackensick, and Candice Glover. These three young powerhouses were finally able to show off their vocal prowess with big notes, high notes, and several incredible runs. I appreciated their fearlessness and fine usage of hairography.