American Idol

American Idol narrowed its field of finalists to four last night by eliminating Aaron Kelly. But the highlight of the night was a performance by Ms. Lady Gaga.

Ratings are way down this season, but that can't be blamed on the show's roster of results night guest performers, which has been consistently impressive.

GaGa's pre-taped performance, which has been widely anticipated, ran over six minutes in length, but due to time constraints, was cut down to under five.

Time constraints. On an all-filler show!

Still, it's definitely worth watching. Here's Lady Gaga doing her newest hit, "Alejandro," and her staple "Bad Romance" last night on American Idol ...

Lady Gaga on American Idol

Typically great, no? No one will ever accuse her of phoning in a concert, even if it's just two songs. These things are almost like performance art pieces.

Whether it's Lady Gaga hermaphrodite rumors or amputated leg rumors (she supposedly had it done for fun), she's always at the center of controversy.

She's also a powerhouse performer, week in and week out.

And then there were four...

In a somewhat surprising turn of events, Aaron Kelly was eliminated from American Idol last night. The singer was probably the weakest finalist remaining, but Casey James put on such a poor performance on Tuesday that he admitted publicly he deserved to be sent home.

Instead, he wasn't even included in the bottom two. That dishonor fell to Kelly and Michael Lynche.

"I've had a blast," Kelly said upon his elimination.

The results show also included performances by Harry Connick Jr. (above) and Lady Gaga (awesomely insane).

Four contestants remain: James, Lynche, Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox. Which of these do you think should win?

Like Lindsay Lohan without a drink in her hand, or Kim Kardashian without the paparazzi around her, it's official:

Casey James is lost without his guitar.

The one-time favorite is in serious trouble of going home this week, following an abysmal rendition of "Blue Skies" on American Idol last night. Simon Cowell summed him up well, saying Casey wasn't "fantastic" and seemed awkward and embarrassed.

That's an understatement.

Who ruled the night? Lee DeWyze and Michael Lynche. We rank the Harry Connick Jr.-mentored performances below:

1. DeWyze: Ellen said his take on "That's Life" would have won the whole thing for Lee if he sang it on the finale. That's a stretch, but it was definitely our favorite performance. We've heard all season that DeWyze has the most radio-ready voice and this did nothing to diminish that reputation.
2. Lynche: Love him in the fedora. It's the perfect accessory for Big Mike. As usual, he connected with viewers by singing a classic love song, "The Way You Look Tonight."
3. Crystal Bowersox: Eh, nothing special. But we did see a Siobhan-like side, as Crystal talked back to the judges and said she doesn't want to hit high notes simply because she's on American Idol. Might this anti-Idol attitude come back to bite the favorite? Could fans turn on her?
4. Aaron Kelly: Not as bad as Casey, but nothing memorable, either. Really not top-five material, an opinion unchanged following "Fly Me to the Moon."
5. James: The most in danger this week. Not very versatile and utterly confused about what to do without a guitar in his hands.

Who was your favorite? Who would you vote out tonight?

We were shocked to see Siobhan Magnus go home last night.

But that actually wasn't the strangest development on the American Idol results show.

During their weekly Ford commercial, the remaining six finalists made like Robert Pattinson, Kellan Lutz and company, baring fangs and pretending to be vampires... while Michael Lynche fought them off with a garlic pizza.

It was a strange sight all around, though Casey James and Crystal Bowersox actually pull off the look well, don't they? Watch the commercial below now, before Fox yanks it off YouTube:

Twilight Meets American Idol

What do you think of the commercial? Very cool, or very WTF?!?

We ranked her second after Tuesday night's performance show, but American Idol viewers had a different idea about Siobhan Magnus:

They actually voted out this eccentric singer yesterday, cutting season nine down to five finalists.

While it's true Magnus could rely too much on hitting glory notes, and certainly talked back too much to the judges, at least she brought something unique to the Idol table. With the exception of Crystal Bowersox, can that really be said about anyone remaining?

Equally as surprising as Siobhan's elimination? She was joined in the bottom three by Casey James and Michael Lynche. We'd love for someone to tell us how Aaron Kelly avoided that fate.

At least Shakira performed last night. She and her hips always make us happy. She was joined on stage bu Rascal Flatts, and Sons of Sylvia also played for viewers. Check them all out below, and bid farewell to Magnus now...

American Idol fans are already excited about Adam Lambert's upcoming tour.

Now, Fox has given them something else for which they'll need to clear their calendars: the dates and locations of this summer's Idol finalists' tour. When will Crystal Bowersox and company be in your area? Find out now...

• 7/1    Auburn Hills, MI    Palace of Auburn Hills
• 7/2    Milwaukee, WI    Summerfest
• 7/3    Grand Rapids, MI    Van Andel Arena
• 7/5    Hamilton, ON    Copps Coliseum
• 7/7    Wantagh, NY    Nikon at Jones Beach
• 7/10    Atlantic City, NJ    Mark G. Etess Arena
• 7/11    Philadelphia, PA    Wachovia Center

WATCH CASEY JAMES' PERFORMANCE OF "DON'T" RIGHT NOW!

• 7/13    Uncasville, CT    Mohegan Sun Arena
• 7/14    Manchester, NH    Verizon Wireless Arena
• 7/15    Hershey, PA    Giant Center
• 7/17    Albany, NY    Times Union Center
• 7/18    Mansfield, MA    Comcast Center

The Shania Twain pulled into the station this week, and two American Idol finalist sent a message to Crystal Bowersox:

This isn't over yet!

Okay, it probably is. Bowersox didn't hurt her standing as the clear season nine favorite last night, but Siobhan Magnus and Casey James both stood out during country night. We rank the six contestants' performance below:

1. James: He was asked to mix it up, to do more than just rock out with his guitar, and Casey came through this week. He chose the ballad "Don't!" and really showed off his voice. Easily the best male remaining in the competition.
2. Magnus: On "Any Man of Mine," Siobhan hit every note and then some. Never lacking for range or repeating the same performance from week-to-week, her originality is probably all that stands in the way of Crystal and the season nine title.
3. Michael Lynche: Big Mike channeled Luther Vandross for "It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing." With all the guys choosing slower songs, Lynche gets the nod over every dude by Casey because he connects so well with the audience.
4. Bowersox: The judges didn't love her acoustic take on "No One Needs to Know," but let's face it: any performance would have paled compared to "People Get Ready" from last week.
5. Lee DeWyze: Still could end up in the final pairing, but not if he has to sing any more country songs. Just looked uncomfortable trying to make "You're Still the One" into his own.
6. Aaron Kelly: This should be an easy choice. We didn't expect Aaron to make it this far, but it's time to send him home.

Who was your favorite performer of the night?

Barring a collective, nationwide brain fart, Crystal Bowersox will be crowned American Idol champion next month.

But the season nine favorite came close to walking away from the competition a few weeks ago, as the pressure reportedly got to her and Crystal has to be convinced to stay by Ryan Seacrest.

While Bowersox has confirmed via Facebook that she had a "moment of doubt," she was asked by TV Guide Magazine this week if she was 100% committed to the show? Her response: “Of course. Or I wouldn’t be here.”

Who should win season six of American Idol?

As for her Tuesday night rendition of "People Get Ready," a widely praised performance that brought the singer to tears, Crystal reiterated that a certain audience member caused her to break down:

“I love my dad. He’d go through hell and high water for me. He was wearing sunglasses [and] I knew he was trying to hide the fact if he cried. I looked up and saw the mirrored sunglasses and I was like, ‘I know he’s crying.’ And I just [lost it].”

Crystal also ditched the guitar and looked more dressed-up than usual for the single. Asked about the changes, she said:

"Just because I have dreadlocks doesn’t mean I can’t be elegant and pretty. I don’t have to wear jeans and ripped-up clothes. I’m a woman.”

She'll also soon be a champion.

Even the most cynical individual - like one who disparages Angelina Jolie by picking apart her motives and psychoanalyzing her actions with no evidence to back up one's negative claims - must admit:

Idol Gives Back is a very cool event.

The annual special gathers together A-list celebrities from every industry and raises millions of dollars for causes around the globe. Unless your name is Tim Urban, you must consider last night's broadcast to be a major success.

From Jennifer Garner reading to an infant, to Fergie using her sex appeal to encourage donations, we've posted a slew of Idol Gives Back photos below:

The smile-filled journey of Tim Urban came to an end last night, as American Idol viewers voted this finalist off the show.

The elimination didn't come as a shock, giving Tim's lackluster performance of "Better Days" on Tuesday, but the man that joined Urban in the bottom two may have surprised many: Casey James was finally punished for his lack of creativity on a weekly basis.

As for the two-hour broadcast itself, Idol Gives Back is always an impressive event. It brings numerous A-listers together in the name of such charities as Save the Children.

Among this year's highlights:

• Wanda Sykes doing a stand-up routine in which she questioned the cruelty of making eliminated contestants sing the same song for which they were voted out.
• Mary J. Blige singing "Stairway to Heaven" with Randy Jackson on the guitar.
• A reunion of the top 12 stage on stage, as seen below.
• Barack and Michelle Obama appearing in a video message, thanking everyone for giving. "Ya'll are all my dawgs," the President said.
• Annie Lennox taping a segment about an HIV-positive girl in Africa. 
• Jennifer Garner showcasing poverty and how it affects kids in America.
• Testimonials from stars such as Ben Affleck and Morgan Freeman; music from Alicia Keys, the Black Eyed Peas and Carrie Underwood, and comedic bits with George Lopez, Russell Brand and Jonah Hill.

All in all, a wonderful program that raised millions for important causes - but sent one cute, aspiring singer home unhappy.