Pia, Pia, Pia. There’s a considerable amount of difference in what people think Pia’s American Idol legacy was supposed to be. Most of the women thought she was overrated and never had a chance to win (because you know, all women are catty). Most of the men thought she was a top three contender (because you know, all men thought she was hot). I was right in the middle. I thought she had the look and if she was a bit more creative, could’ve been exactly what American Idol was looking for.

But when J. Lo called her out for her lack of performance and dancing, I knew she was in trouble. In past seasons, because Simon wasn’t someone to give easy praise, when he actually did, it was a standout moment. It was something you’d remember and it would stick with you until the elimination show. That’s what J. Lo’s comment was like, but just the opposite. The judges rarely say anything negative, so when she mentioned Pia’s lack of performance and stiffness, it stuck out like a sore thumb. Of course, it was said in J. Lo language and was kind of subtle, but if you saw it for what it was, you knew what she was calling her out on. After that, I wasn’t surprised that Pia was gone. In fact, in this very same place last week, I called her in the bottom three.

Let’s get to the hotlist.

Hotlist
1. Lauren Alaina – She jumps over Jacob for the first time all year.
2. Jacob Lusk – Tone it down just a tad, and don’t do anything on stage that takes away from your vocals.
3. Scotty McCreery – He leaps three spots based on his all of a sudden, immense popularity.
4. James Durbin – He stays consistent.
5. Casey Abrams – He has the shortest window for failure.
6. Stefano Langone – I still enjoy him because I think he can be Elliott Yamin, but he needs to bring his game up.
7. Paul McDonald – I’m just going to have to live with the quirkiness.
8. Haley Reinhart – Hot mess.

The Defeated
1. Poor Young Ashthon Jones
2. Poor Karen Rodriguez
3. Poor Naima Adedapo
4. Poor Thia Megia
5. Pia Toscano

J. Lo Booty Alert
She actually turned around to wave at the crowd behind her so we got a little peak. But the dress wasn’t doing the backside justice.

They’re singing songs from movies tonight. And yet again, we get more will.i.am as Jimmy Iovine’s right-hand man. Paul McDonald is up first with Old Time Rock And Roll. It was fun, spirited, but still weird and it lacked substance for me. But the guy goes out there and performs. You have to give him that. Steven says he likes his wild and crazy abandonment. J. Lo says he closed the show last week and killed it this week. Randall says this is the first number at the Paul McDonald concert.

tati1120 says:

Well, at least Paul had fun with it… Not good otherwise.. #idol

Lauren Alaina is next and Jimmy Iovine says that Lauren sings better than Miley Cyrus and will do The Climb much better than Cyrus. I’d hope so. It’s an interesting pick, but you know the young female voters know this song very well. She should’ve come out in the Hannah Montana wig. You know, I’m surprised that my wife, Kara DioGuardi didn’t write this song. It’s right up her alley. J. Lo says Lauren has a tear and cry in her voice and she sang it so beautifully. Randall thought she did an amazing job. Steven says she moves him beyond tears. Maybe that’s why he wasn’t crying.

KSay4SF says:

I LOVE Lauren Alaina!! (Paul, too) lol Both did awesome! #AmericanIdol

Stefano Langone is up next with End Of The Road. Jee-zus. Like when they tell the girls not to sing Whitney or Mariah, how are you gonna go out and sing Boyz II Men? It’s also a song that was so overplayed in the early 90s that it was sickening to hear after a while. Without the harmony, his version of the song sounds really bare. Randall says Wanya is going to text him and say that Stefano was in slay mode with the song. Let’s hope Brandy’s not there with him. Steven says he knows how to milk a song. J. Lo says it was “hot sh**”. At least I think that’s what she said.

KimmyEason says:

Ok Stefano, this sounds like a cat dying… #timeforyoutogohome #idol10

Scotty McCreery is next with i Cross My Heart. My buddy Matt from Roughstock.com and I were discussing whether Scotty could win the show or not. I still don’t think he will, but we both agreed that he’s probably the most successful artist out of the gate. He’s going to go from this show, to the tour, to immediately cutting his country record. The kid is going to be successful. While Scotty’s singing sometimes bores me, I think he does the nonchalant, aw shucks, delivery perfectly. He shows humbleness on the stage and then knows exactly when to grab the audience. Steven says he picked a “just right” song again. J. Lo says, “Wow.” Randall says if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it and a star is born.

mrbjorke says:

Talk about a song fitting Scotty like a Glove. Here’s a man #Simon would like because he knows who he is. #idol10.

Casey Abrams is up next singing Nature Boy even though Jimmy told him to sing In The Air Tonight. Casey gave it his all and artistically, was right on, but it was a bit old fashioned. I don’t see the voters responding to him well tonight. J. Lo loves the variety. Randall says it was brilliant and genius. Steven says Casey is a true artist.

phreddd says:

Got-DAYUMM, Casey! (imagining dueling upright basses bet. him and Esperanza Spalding right about now) #idol #idol10 #americanidol #woof

kristenmartin says:

Would buy a Casey Abrams album tomorrow. He’s awesome.#idol10

cake_gal says:

The judges have 2 love casey 2 validate the use of the save #Idol10

Haley Reinhart is singing Call Me. Seems right up her alley. She’s wearing the purple go-go boots and the short dress. She knows how she’s sticking around. I’m pretty indifferent to her. I haven’t liked her since Hollywood when she was one of my favorites. But I get why she’s sticking around. Her vocals are ok, but she’s playing up the hot girl angle and her performances are full of energy. Her confidence is also way up. Randall says it wasn’t a showcase for her voice. Uh oh. That’s the first negative feedback of the night. Steven says she sings choruses great. J. Lo says she doesn’t want anymore girls to get voted off so she doesn’t want to say anything negative. Well, she was the reason Pia got voted off.

GingerSnaps says:

Bye, bye, Haley. #Idol

gray_hardy says:

Haley Reinhart = Jessie Spano in Zack Attack #AI #Idol10

Jacob Lusk is singing Bridge Over Trouble Water. Jimmy also scolded him for preaching to the audience last week without even having a record out. I know people will talk about Clay Aiken’s rendition, but really, Jacob sings Clay underneath the table. This might be his best performance in several weeks. He had all the perfect touches. If I buy another Idol single, it will be this one. Steven says the last three notes were incredible. J. Lo says she didn’t want to allow him to give him the goose bumps, but he pulled them out of her. Randall says he did an amazing job on the song.

slaubr says:

Bridge Over Troubled Water, Jacob’s style. My soul is fed. #Idol10

James Durbin is singing Heavy Metal after arguing with Jimmy. Jimmy’s really trying to take control of these kids. He gives us a James performance, much like Scotty gives us Scotty performances. I will give the same critique I gave to Scotty. Some of it feels like deja vu, but you have to give James credit for staying in the pocket and understanding who he is and what he does well. J. Lo says it felt really, really, real. Randall says, “Durbin rocks!” Steven says it was outstanding.

My_intuition69 says:

Get it get it james durbin! And on a side note i miss pia a lot!

I think Haley, Casey, and either Paul or Stefano will be in the bottom three. At first, I thought Casey would go home, but after seeing feedback like this from aerocat, I think Casey’s peeps are going to save him.

I *think* I voted for Casey 50 times, but I can’t be sure b/c I’m a little incapacitated. <3

Aerocat (Beth) might’ve been drinking a bit of wine tonight.

It might be Haley who goes home and then it will be Lauren left with six other dudes.

Seacrest out!

Photo of Pia via Celebuzz!