American Idol

Resident ‘American Idol‘ country rocker Skylar Laine channeled her inner pop star tonight while singing Whitney Houston‘s ‘Where Do Broken Hearts Go.’ Skylar had an early disadvantage, admitting that she had never listened to Houston growing up. We find that hard to believe.

Heejun Han is the comic relief every time the camera pans his way, but tonight  the ‘American Idol‘ contestant brought a quiet and moving performance of Stevie Wonder‘s ‘All in Love Is Fair.’

You’ve gotta love the 16-year-olds on ‘American Idol,’ the youngsters stepping up to the plate of one of the most intimidating stages in the country and singing their hearts out. With nerves running painfully high among the ‘Idol’ Top 13 tonight, some stars-to-be are ramping up the energetic vibe, while others are losing their cool in the spotlight...

Stevie Wonder is not Colton Dixon‘s wheelhouse, since he is an alt rock singer. So he was easily the most challenged of the boys on tonight’s episode of ‘American Idol‘ (March 7) when he sang ‘Lately.’ That said, he bravely and gamely soldiered on. He was flat at some points and sharp at others. Was it a flawless performance? No way. But it was not reason enough to send him home.

Now that we’ve got our Top 13, it’s time for the contestants on ‘American Idol’ to prove they deserve to be there. This couldn’t be truer for Jermaine Jones who was brought back by the judges last week, and battled it out as a wildcard for his spot.

Erika Van Pelt courageously took on Whitney Houston‘s ‘I Believe In You and Me ’ on ‘American Idol‘ tonight, a big song requiring impeccable vocals. Erika more than lived up to the challenge, filling the shoes of the recently departed Houston.

Favorite soulstress Elise Testone wields the power in her gravelly voice to wrap an entire audience into whatever she sings, but this week she struggled to sieze the moment and left judges feeling lukewarm. Testone, who wowed us last week with her take on Adele‘s ‘One and Only’ just couldn’t quite get there with late pop diva Whitney Houston‘s ‘I’m Your Baby Tonight.’

Joshua Ledet went first on tonight’s episode (March 7) of ‘American Idol‘ and he absolutely tore through Stevie Wonder’s ‘I Wish,’ delivering a performance so full of soul that we think they heard him all the way up there in heaven. He was grooving while singing and even gave J. Lo a shout out from the stage, mid-song, which was a very nice touch. It was evidence of his charm and he exuded confide

Tonight (Feb. 29) marked the second live performance episode of ‘American Idol‘ Season 11. All the girls performed this evening, with only half able to go through to next week. It was another mixed bag of talent, with country gals and torch singers sharing the stage. We also tried to keep track of how many times Randy Jackson said “Yo” but it was futile. It’s like every other word.

‘American Idol‘ saved the best for last tonight as Elise Testone closed out the Top 12 girls with an impassioned and soulful performance of Adele‘s ’One and Only.’  She was the second girl of the night to sing the song after Jen Hirsh performed it admirably. But Elise, the oldest contestant this season at 28, was able to infuse more life experience into Adele’s dramatic lyrics.

‘American Idol’ contestant Shannon Magrane may look like your average high school prom queen, but when the 16-year-old opens her mouth she has a voice that far transcends her teenage years. Singing ‘Go Light Your World’ by Kathy Troccoli, she remained strong and consistent from the first note until the very last.

With only two girls left to perform, Jessica Sanchez took the ‘American Idol‘ stage tonight to chat first with Ryan Seacrest about the emotional week she’s had while losing her voice and having to visit the doctor. When asked how she thought her voice would hold up for her performance, the 16-year-old San Diego native was obviously apprehensive.