American Idol

American Idol revealed its 12 season nine finalists last night, eliminating four contestants in the process.

Two of those eliminations were easy to see coming: We'd have gone with Paige Miles and Tim Urban instead, but it's hard to argue with viewers sending Katelyn Epperly (the weakest of this season's singer/songwriters) and Todrick Hall (more of a dancer than a singer) home.

But Lilly Scott and Alex Lambert? Wow. The lessons future contestants can take from these semifinalists would be: don't only sing songs from previous decades; and get over your stage fright.

We wish all booted contestants the best, but it's now time to focus on those remaining. We're not down to the top 12, and we've listed them below, from most likely to win to least likely...

1. Crystal Bowersox
2. Siobhan Magnus
3. Casey James
4. Michael Lynche
5. Didi Benami
6. Lee DeWyze
7. Andrew Garcia
8. Paige Miles
9. Aaron Kelly
10. Katie Stevens
11. Lacey Brown
12. Tim Urban

There's a big drop-off after the top four, as two women and two men really stand out. Do you agree?

Who would you have sent home and who do you consider the favorite?

On American Idol, he's known as "Big Mike."

This moniker, bestowed upon semifinalist Michael Lynche by Ryan Seacrest, refers to the former's massive stature. But it's also now appropriate for the impression made Lynche last night. It was BIG!

Belting out Kate Bush's "This Woman's Work," Lynch literally brought Kara DioGuardi to tears. She had to be comforted by Simon Cowell, while the crowd couldn't stop applauding.

Watch the performance below, and be warned Casey James: you're no longer the male favorite.

This Woman's World

Casey James and Crystal Bowersox who?!?

With a performance of Kate Bush's "This Woman's Work," Michael Lynche established himself as the new American Idol favorite last night.

Showing incredible range, from an amazing falsetto to an impressive baritone, the man known as Big Mike brought Kara DioGuardi to tears. A lot of tears. She could barely get her words of praise out as she choked up. It was actually a very sweet moment.

Below, we've ranked the eight performances from last night. Lynche aside, who was your favorite?

1. Michael Lynche: So this is what happens when your wife is in the audience, huh?
2. Casey James: Not his best performance, and we agree the Keith Urban song was a safe choice... but who else deserves this spot?
3. Alex Lambert: You can stop with the banana references now, Ellen. Solid rendition of a Ray LaMontagne classic proves Lambert is simply a great singer.
4. Andrew Garcia: The judges have forced him to get as creative as possible each week, taking his focus off actual singing, it seems. Can we all just forget about his "Straight Up" arrangement at this point?
5. Todrick Hall: Points of taking a risk. But "Somebody to Love" almost belongs to the Glee cast at this point. We just think of them when we hear it.
6. Aaron Kelly: Solid version of "I'm Already There." We're glad Simon shut Kara up about taking the song so literally and making it seem like a young crooner couldn't take it on.
7. Lee DeWyze: He'll likely stick around, but our least favorite performance from this rocker.
8. Tim Urban: Were we listening to a different version of "Hallelujah?" We didn't buy him at all singing this classic.

While Crystal Bowersox broke out the electric guitar last night and put on an incredible show once again, we highlighted her American Idol performance last week.

Therefore, Siobhan Magnus gets the honor this time. The glassblowing apprentice from Cape Cod, Massachuetts sang an entire verse of "House of the Rising Sun" a cappella, remaining in control throughout.

It was a brave, impressive rendition. Crystal might not have the women's crown sewn up, after all. Watch and enjoy:

Siobhan Magnus on Idol

It turns out the male favorite and the female favorite on American Idol have something in common: an electric guitar.

Last week, Casey James rocked out with this instrument. Last night, similarly, Crystal Bowersox broke it out and, once again, put on the best performance of the evening.

But Siobhan Magnus stepped up and sent a message to Crystal: Not so fast! My unique look and sound, combined with confidence and a great voice, will make this a two-woman race!

Below, we rank the most recent performances by the ladies and ask readers to name their favorite...

1. Crystal Bowersox: We hate to sound like Kara, but Crystal knows exactly who she is as an artist. She strums along and turns hit songs into her own creations.
2. Siobhan Magnus: Different from Crystal in that we have no idea what to expect each week, but similar in terms of her stage presence and comfort in her ability.
3. Didi Benami: Our favorite after the Hollywood rounds. Finally put on a performance worthy of the finals.
4. Lilly Scott: Yes, it would be nice to hear a modern single from Scott. But she still stands out for her look and her sound.
5. Katelyn Epperly: The earth didn't move under our feet from this somewhat cheesy rendition. But we'll be shocked, and sad, if she doesn't move on.
6. Katie Stevens: Why are the judges so focused on Katie's age? All their critiques focus on the fact that she's 17. Relax and just listen to her sing, please.
7. Lacey Brown: Better than the previous two weeks, but also forgettable. Can we get rid of her now?
8. Paige Miles: Solid voice, boring performances. The most likely to be eliminated this week.

Who was your favorite? Who would you send home?

He may be releasing a book and working on a new album, but David Archuleta still has time to watch American Idol.

Asked by The Los Angeles Times about the new crop of contestants, the season seven runner-up said:

“I think they’re really talented. They show a lot of their own personalities, and I liked that about them. And there’s some really good singers, too. Like Andrew Garcia, I like the character that he’s shown. I feel like there’s a lot of pressure for them because people are now expecting them to change up the songs, and they’re not sure exactly what to be showing people.

"It’s matter of balance - changing the song enough to show who you are but still preserving the song for what made it magical.”

As for his upcoming CD?

“I’ve been working on it since January, but I had my first writing sessions in the summer, and I went to Nashville to write in October. Then the Christmas album came out and sort of took over, but I go back to Nashville this week. I just want it to sound more like me.

"I want people to say, ‘This is David talking.’ Instead of just interpreting - and I’m sure there will be songs like that - I want to focus on showing people who I am, what my personality is like and hoping that I leave an impression on people."

He's already left an impression on many people. Years after he exited the Idol stage, David remains one of the show's most popular alums.

After asking American Idol semifinalists to take down their MySpace, YouTube and Facebook pages, it looks like Fox has lightened up a bit.

In the video below, Andrew Garcia, Alex Lambert and Lee Dewyze thank fans for all their love and support, while also giving out the contestants' updated addresses on the aforementioned social networks, along with Twitter.

Enjoy the gracious-filled greetings below and sound off on which male you want to see in the finals:

Idol Thank You Message

If a baseball player were to get a hit three out of every four at bats, he'd be a first ballot Hall of Famer.

If three out of every four couples on The Bachelor got married, viewers might not consider the show more of a farce than Sarah Palin's claims to be a serious political figure.

Still, when American Idol viewers only get three out of four eliminations correct, the one they overlooked stands out the most.

Can anyone out there explain why Lacey Brown will be singing next week, while Michelle Delamor will be watching from home?!? The former simply doesn't have the voice to compete, while the latter comes across as stiff sometimes, but can undoubtedly carry a major tune. Sigh.

We do give America props got eliminating Haeley "I Smile Like a Doll" Vaughn, Jermaine "God is My Homie" Sellers and John "There's Nothing Special About Me" Park.

And after Crystal Bowersox blew us away this week, it's hard to complain about anything. But Delamor deserved to stick around.

It was also nice to see Danny Gokey again. We've posted a photo of his performance below, as well as a few more from the results show:

After last night's incredible rendition of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Long As I Can See The Light," this may need to become a running THG feature:

The Crystal Bowersox Performance of the Week.

Despite being hospitalized earlier in the day for diabetes complications, the American Idol semifinalist strapped on her guitar, didn't complain and established herself as the season nine front-runner.

She even made a funny joke at Simon's expense in the opening video. Check it all out below and sound off: How awesome is Crystal Bowersox?!?

Crystal Bowersox Performance

She went from the hospital bed to the American Idol stage to the leader of the season nine pack in just 24 hours.

Indeed, we aren't the first website to shower Crystal Bowersox with praise - and we definitely won't be the last - but it's well-deserved.

On a night of live performances that overshadowed the guys' lackluster efforts the evening before, Bowersox recovered from a dangerous illness and led the way. We run down the top 10 below...

1. Crystal Bowersox: She gets points for showing up and for not playing the sympathy card. But especially for her unique rendition of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Long As I Can See the Light."
2. Lilly Scott: A close second. Challenged herself with the Sam Cooke classic “A Change is Gonna Come” and was even better than last week. Love her confidence in just who she is.
3. Michelle Delamor: Note to Todrick Hall: this is how you re-arrange a song! Michelle comes across as a professional singer and turned a Creed rock single into a ballad.
4. Siobhan Magnus: The anti-Aretha Franklin sung Franklin's "Think" and showcased her versatility. The place went nuts when she hit her high notes.
5. Katelyn Epperly: Ellen was off base with this critique. The song was supposed to be slow, and the use of the piano proved that Katelyn has multiple sides to her.
6. Katie Stevens: She has a great voice and a great personality. The judges have to get over the fact that she's 17 and just let her sing.
7. Paige Miles: It's always daring to take a song by an American Idol winner, but Miles did Kelly Clarkson's "Walk Away" sort of proud. Definitely needed more of an edge to it.
8. Didi Benami: We felt terrible for when the tears welled up during the judges' criticism. But "Lean On Me?" Really? It's impossible to make that song your own at this point.
9. Lacey Brown: Simply not up to par, vocals-wise, with the other contestants.
10. Haeley Vaughn: We're all for being happy, but her constant smiling freaks us out. She's like a doll of some kind.mi

It's a clear choice, in our view: Lacey and Haeley should go home tonight. What do you think?