American Idol

From a giant tub of crawfish to a standing ovation for all in attendance, it was a good night for Joshua Ledet on Wednesday.

The American Idol finalist first received a gift of those creatures from his friends in Louisiana, and then proceeded to gift viewers with a beautiful cover of Michael Bolton's "When a Man Loves a Woman."

He hit every note and every emotion, forcing Jennifer, Steven and Randy out of their seats long before the song even ended. The former said it was "the best thing I've ever seen on American Idol."

That's quite high praise. Was it deserved? Watch Ledet in action now and prepare yourself for many more weeks of Mantasia...

Joshua Ledet - "When a Man Loves a Woman"

American Idol viewers may see the last of DeAndre Brackensick, his hair and his falsetto this week.

That's because the season 11 finalist struggled mightily last night, at first trying out "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" for Will.I.Am and Jimmy Iovine, only to be told it was the wrong song choice. Tough start.

But the eventual decision to go with "Endless Love" didn't result in a marked improvement, as Randy referred to it as too "boring and safe," while it was clear DeAndre never seemed comfortable on stage. Might this be Brackensick swan song?

DeAndre Brackensick - "Endless Love"

Among American Idol men who did impress last night? Colton Dixon.

Barack Obama who?!?

Prior to taking the stage on American Idol last night, Elise Testone briefly matched up against the President and, we must say, bested Obama in a "Let's Stay Together" sing-off. She then showed voters why she doesn't belong in the bottom three this time around.

We're not sure what she meant by "people are going to be making babies" while she performed (okay, we do know), as Elise told the camera, but, hey, whatever. All we know is that Elise is making progress...

Elise Testone - "Let's Stay Together"

Aside from Testone, Skylar Laine was a female finalist who very much impressed last night.

Might we have a new American Idol favorite on the men's side?

With Phillip Phillips struggling a bit last night, Colton Dixon took to the stage and also took Will.I.Am's words to heart, making a scarcely known single ("Broken Heart" by White Lion) into his own.

Clearly comfortable on stage, Dixon brought the early 1990s rock anthem into the mainstream, perhaps earning a crush from Jennifer Lopez in the process, as he referred to him as a "lover" and commented on his look.

Steven Tyler was a lot more to the point, telling Colton the performance was "dope." We agree. Do you?

Colton Dixon - "Broken Heart"

Skylar Laine has one clear advantage on season 11 of American Idol: this young finalist knows exactly who she is and exactly what kind of artist she wants to be.

A country rocker at heart, Skyler took on Bonnie Raitt's "Love Sneaking Up on You" last night, despite Jimmy Iovine telling her in the days leading up to the show that it wasn't the right song choice.

But Laine chose wisely, belting out a fun version and receiving praise across the board from the judges, especially Jennifer Lopez, who told the hopeful she "killed" it and Steven Tyler, who said quite simply: "I haven’t heard you sing a song bad yet."

Might Skylar be sneaking up on voters as a legitimate contender?

Skylar Laine - "Love Sneaking Up On You"

It wasn't a great night for the presumed favorites on American Idol.

All three judges criticized Jessica Sanchez for turning the beat around, while Phillip Phillips also paid for putting down his guitar and picking up a Black Crowes cover.

Randy Jackson made his feelings clear, telling Phillips "you are like a fish out of water doing this" in response to his take on "Hard to Handle," while Jennifer Lopez was a bit more forgiving.

"It just comes out of you," she told the season 11 hopeful. Watch this laid back crooner try to rock out a bit more than usual now and judge the performance below:

Phillip Phillips - "Hard to Handle"

Jessica Sanchez Turned the Beat Around on American Idol last night.

But, given her amazing cover of Whitney Houston a week ago, should she really have taken such a different approach this time around? The judges had an easy answer to that question yesterday: NO.

"I love your voice, but you can’t stray too far," Steven Tyler told Jessica," randomly adding: I love those pants."

Both Randy and J. Lo, meanwhile, questioned Sanchez's vibrato. Were they too harsh on her? Is she still the favorite? Listen to her version of this Gloria Estefan classic and decide for yourself:

Jessica Sanchez - "Turn The Beat Around"

As previously reported, Jermaine Jones will be cut from American Idol tonight - and now we have a much clearer idea why.

The 6'8" finalist is reportedly anything but a gentle giant, as TMZ has uncovered details from his March 5, 2011 arrest.

Jermaine Jones - "Knocks Me Off My Feet"

It stemmed from an incident at a Howard Johnson hotel in New Jersey, where Jones gave police a phony name and was charged with public nuisance and obstruction of justice, while also possessing outstanding warrants.

Jermaine Jones is reportedly getting kicked off American Idol.

The finalist was already in trouble for lying about the status of his relationship with his father, according to TMZ, when producers dug deeper into his past and uncovered a couple more untruths:

He has a criminal history. Jones has been arrested twice, providing a fake name to police on both occasions. One of the incidents also involved violence, sources confirm.

American Idol insiders say Jones will appear on tomorrow night's performance show, but will then be given the axe. It's unclear exactly how it will all go down.

Should Jermaine be kicked off the show?

Jermaine Jones is reportedly a very tall liar.

According to TMZ, the American Idol finalist told producers last week that his father abandoned him a decade ago, only to suddenly reappear in his life immediately after Jones was named one of the season's final 13.

Jermaine went on to label him a "lousy father" and said he didn't want contact with the man.

But now that man, Kevin Jones, says his son's story is simply ridiculous; the two have a perfectly normal relationship and even dined together last Wednesday and Thursday, while Jones was in the Idol crowd during last week's performance show.

Why would Jones concoct such a tale? For sympathy and attention, executives believes - and they are peeved.

But, with this lie now going public, the real question remains: Will viewers punish Jermaine for it? Stay tuned.