American Idol

Did Lauren Alaina ruin her chance at advancing to the American Idol finale last night?

The beautiful, talented singer stumbled during a key change on "If I Die Young," the kind of mistake that will either garner her sympathy from fans - or lead to her ousting, considering competitors Haley Reinhart and Scotty McCreery both had strong nights.

Lauren Alaina - If I Die Young

But Alaina did shine on her two other renditions, most notably having a blast while belting out "Wild One."

"When you let yourself go is when you're your best," Randy told Lauren after that performance.

Watch it, and her cover of "I Hope You Dance" below. Will viewers give Alaina an opportunity to make up for her mistake on next week's finale?

You Oughta Know, American Idol fans: Haley Reinhart is in it to win it!

The talented crooner took to the stage three times last night, covering songs made famous by Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac and Alanis Morissette.

Haley Reinhart - What Is And What Should Never Be

While the results were mixed (we loved "What Is and What Should Never Be," but Haley struggled during the verses on Morissette's revenge-based classic), there's no doubt that Reinhart stood out from Lauren Alaina and Scotty McCreery. That's what happens when you actually fall during a performance when your dad plays guitar for you on stage.

Check out one of Haley's renditions above and two more below. Think we'll be seeing her in the finals?

With Beyonce serving as his mentor, and with millions of eyes on him last night, Scotty McCreery all but assured himself of a spot in the American Idol finale.

The aspiring country artist went three-for-three in terms of impressive performances, kicking off this week's performance show with a strong ballad. In response to his version of "Amazed," Steven Tyler said what we're all thinking: this guy keeps getting better and better...

Scotty McCreery - Amazed

From there, Jimmy Iovine selected Thompson Square's "Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not" for Scotty's next cover, breaking out the acoustic guitar for a version of the track that led Randy Jackson to compare the crooner to Garth Brooks.

Ridiculously high praise? Of course. But watch McCreery belt out this tune and also "She Believes in Me" below and it's easy to see why folks are getting carried away.

James Durbin has to be honest: he didn't see his elimination coming on Thursday night.

The aspiring rocker tells MTV he "definitely" was surprised by the development, and has spent the time since remember why he originally auditioned.

"It's for my family and to try and give a voice to a genre of music that seems like it's slowly fading away," Durbin says. "I really accomplished a lot on the show, and I'm grateful for the opportunity."

We all saw James fight back tears after learning of his fate, but he's now accepted it. And is excited about all the future has in store.

"I haven't failed at all," he said. "This is just the beginning.

The rocker is out, and three remain.

As American Idol heads into the final run of season 10, taking us to the hometowns of its remaining contestants next week, three distinct singers remain.

1. Scotty McCreery: The all-American boy, seemingly came out of the womb with the perfect voice for country music. As consistent as any performer this season, but also as predictable.
2. Lauren Alaina: Carrie Underwood, 2.0? A similar look and sound to the season four champion. An early favorite who has built up momentum each week.
3. Haley Reinhart: The clear underdog. Has openly battled with judges, notably Randy Jackson, who have been critical of her recent renditions. Viewers have come to embrace her fighting attitude.

So, who will it be? Who should it be?

Despite having two chances to sing for the votes of viewers on Tuesday night, no American Idol finalist distinguished himself or herself this week.

There was no clear cut favorite to stick around or to be sent home, making this evening's elimination the most difficult of the season to predict.

So, which unlucky crooner won't be taking us back to his hometown next week?

Lady Gaga served as a guest mentor last night on American Idol.

New tri-colored hairstyle aside, her outfit was fairly run-of-the-mill ... save for the GIANT stiletto heels. Heels made out of clear plastic penises.

When Gaga hit the set, producers smacked an American Idol logo over her sexually explicit stilettos because each had a Lucite penis for a heel.

That or they were conveniently cropped just outside the screen. You could say they got the shaft. Note the subtle censorship of the Lady's footwear ...

Lady Gaga: American Idol Mentor

Phallic footwear aside, Gaga proved in mentoring the Idol stars that an intelligent, thoughtful young woman exists beneath that bombastic persona.

No matter who goes home tonight, this was an experience James Durbin, Scotty McCreery, Haley Reinhart and Lauren Alaina will never forget.

NOTE: Void of Course, a London brand, sells the heels for $4,500!

Scotty McCreery pressed the right emotional buttons on American Idol last night.

First, the country crooner honored his country, putting on a simple performance of Alan Jackson's "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)," an apt choice considering the recent killing of Osama Bin Laden.

Steven referred to the cover as "beautiful," while J. Lo praised what Scotty "stands for."

Scotty McCreery - Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)

It was McCreery's second song of the night, however, that caused Randy to say he was ready for "superstardom." You've gotta watch Scotty get hokey and hilarious while giving us his version of "Young Blood."

Haley Reinhart had a moment on American Idol last night.

That's what Randy Jackson said about the finalist's cover of "I Who Have Nothing." Haley was joined on stage by a string section and responded perfectly to Lady GaGa's advice to give fans "drama."

Reinhart surely did, as J. Lo deemed it "one of the best performances of the year."

Haley Reinhart - I Who Have Nothing

Prior to this incredible rendition, Haley delivered a somewhat shaky version of Michael Jackson's "Earth Song." The judges questioned her song choice and we've posted a video of it below for readers to sound off on. Enjoy!

Lauren Alaina got personal on American Idol this week, performing the Martina McBride hit "Anyway" because "I can really relate to it, with all the devastation in my hometown and the South from the tornadoes last week."

From there, the finalist did McBride and everyone who suffered through such a tragedy proud, belting out a cover that caused Steven to say she broke his heart and J. Lo to gush:

"That was exactly what you have to do. It was a great, great vocal performance."

Lauren Alaina - Anyway

However, Alaina's follow-up performance of Elvis "Trouble" came off a bit forced to the judges. Tyler said he "wasn't sure if [he] believed" the act on stage or not, while Randy somehow said we saw the "gun side" of the crooner.

Might "Trouble" place Lauren in danger of elimination? Watch the audition now and decide for yourself: