Joshua Ledet
Joshua Ledet was determined to stay stoic, even after Phillip Phillips and Jessica Sanchez were announced as American Idol's Season 11 finalists and his own journey came to an end. But after the lights dimmed on his final performance — and a tearful Jennifer Lopez threw her arms around his neck — Ledet could no longer keep his emotions in check.
"Honestly I didn't think I was going to cry," Ledet told reporters after the show.
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American Idol
With the 11th Season of American Idol complete, we feel like things are getting a little tired in Hollywood. Don't get us wrong: Phillip Phillips is a deserving champ, but it was just a bit too predictable that he'd win, even in the face of some amazing competition. Will a girl, even one as talented as Jessica Sanchez, really have a chance to win ever again now that the young girls of America have proven their voting supremacy?
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Colton Dixon
Two weeks ago, Randy Jackson chided the American Idol audience for not racking up enough votes for the undeniably talented Jessica Sanchez, who was on the brink of elimination until the judges wielded their save to keep her. The underlying message to the viewers was twofold: Vote for talent over flash, and just vote, period.
And vote they did. The following week, 53 million votes rolled in, the highest number of votes for Season 11 to date. Not only was Jessica safe, but she had enough votes to keep her out of the Bottom 3.
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American Idol
Jessica Sanchez may have had the lowest number of votes on American Idol last week, but she earned the judges' save in a moment even more dramatically befuddling than last season's save of Casey Abrams.
Before Jessica could even sing a full verse of her "save me" song, the Idol judges stormed the stage. Jennifer Lopez yanked the mic from her hand and said, "This is crazy! Yes, we're using the save. You ain't going home. Go sit down; go sit down." Randy Jackson then admonished the...
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Colton
Some thoughts on the highs and lows and assorted other TV news that caught my eye this week:
DEAD MAN WALKING: So there I was watching AMC's The Walking Dead last Sunday — the first piece of TV I hungrily consumed after a week of mostly TV-free vacation (except for the Oscars, which I should have passed on) — and as self-righteous Dale (Jeffrey DeMunn) yammers on about everyone's humanity being at stake if they execute their prisoner (Randall the Outsider), I start rolling my eyes and going, "Oh, die already, you blowhard."
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Jessica Sanchez
As American Idol's Top 13 took the stage Wednesday night, some dominated with their showstopping voices (Jessica Sanchez! Joshua Ledet!) while others let nerves get the best of them (better luck next time, Shannon Magrane). But some of last night's most entertaining storylines occurred when the cameras ...
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American Idol
While American Idol hasn't changed its format significantly for its 11th season, there are some surprises in store.
On a call earlier this month, judge Randy Jackson sidestepped questions about the new performance challenges, but teased that everything will be tougher this year — to the point that medics were even called in to treat fainting people auditioning in the Hollywood rounds, which begin Thursday (8/7c, Fox). Is this an indication that Idol has turned up the heat?
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Randy Jackson, Mariah Carey
From the sound of it, American Idol's Randy Jackson wishes rival competition show The X Factor the best, especially in light of its massive shake-up.
"I'm sad to hear about all what's going on with that show," Jackson told reporters on a call on Thursday. "But all of those people are dear friends of mine as you know. I have not spoken to Paula [Abdul]. I mean, we texted back and forth. "
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American Idol
As American Idol kicks off its 11th season with auditions Wednesday and Thursday at 8/7c on Fox, can it continue to reign over its rival singing competitions on TV (and all other shows, for that matter)?
Although Simon Cowell's The X Factor crowns its winner in the fall, NBC's The Voice will be nipping at Idol's heels when it premieres its second season on Feb. 5 after the Super Bowl. Charismatic banter among the coaches and those cool, swiveling chairs may bring in some viewers, but the Idol crew isn't sweating it, judging from a...
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American Idol
What other music competition shows?
The American Idol team came out swinging Sunday when reporters at Fox's winter TV preview asked how they felt about the threat of similar formats like The X Factor and NBC's The Voice; the latter which will air during the same time frame as Idol this year.
"Idol is still the best TV show that's come on anywhere," Randy Jackson said. "We're the original.
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