The judges get their way, with a little help from the blond guy’s poor song choice.
By Jim Cantiello

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Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze on “American Idol”


Photo: AP Images

This week’s “American Idol” had the contestants singing two songs each, which was good news for Crystal Bowersox, better news for Lee DeWyze, and totally irrelevant news to Casey WhatsHisFace.

Round one was the contestants’ choice! That blond guy did himself no favors by picking a song by an artist who’s somehow less famous than he is, and MamaSox went the predictable route with a poor Melissa Etheridge impression. That left Lee DeWyze to steal the show with Skynyrd’s “Simple Man,” which was quite simply his best performance on “Idol,” period.

In round two, the judges picked the music. Kara and Randy did their best to sabotage Ponytail Man’s “Idol” run with a tuneless, low-impact John Mayer song. Meanwhile Ellen DeGeneres finally did some good on the “Idol” stage by allowing Crystal Bowersox to bare her soul with Paul McCartney’s “Maybe I’m Amazed.” The ‘Sox may have hit some bum notes, but the best note she struck was keeping the pronouns the way the Beatle wrote them. She didn’t care that she sounded like a transgendered man in love with a woman, so why should America? A thousand awesome points to MamaSox.

But it was predetermined that it was Lee DeWyze’s night to shine, what with Simon assigning him “Hallelujah” and basically telling America that Lee was going to have “a moment” with the song before the dude had moaned a single note. (Why is it when Paula Abdul critiqued Jason Castro ahead of time everyone freaked, but when Simon Cowell did the same for DeWyze, it became gospel?)

The good news is that DeWyze did not perform the done-to-death (no pun intended) Jeff Buckley arrangement. The bad news is the version DeWyze did was the Overwrought, Overproduced, Overcooked Vegas Spectacular Rendition, complete with strings, horns, timpani, choirs, SteadiCams, angels, furrowed brows and the cast of Cirque du Soleil waiting in the wings, ready to pounce on Lee’s signal, which he never activated. (Also, no bagpipe.) Lee sounded great, but then again, with that setup even Seacrest could have warbled a line and sounded like Pavarotti. It’s a miracle 30 million Americans didn’t choke Tuesday night, given the way “Idol” producers shoved Lee down viewers’ throats.

On Wednesday night’s results show, after an interview segment that lasted approximately 42 minutes, we saw footage from the “Idols” hometown visits! And everyone cried! Casey got emotional when he visited the hospital that saved his life, Crystal got weepy at a stadium and Lee DeWyze sobbed from start to finish. We met doctors, teachers, paint salesmen, local Fox affiliates, AT&T employees and creepy fans who ran next to limousines and plotted to tattoo autographs to their chests. (This … is “American Psycho”!)

To put things in perspective and make the season-nine finale showdown all the more enticing, “Idol” booked Perez Hilton’s pet project Travis Garland as a guest performer, and suddenly this year’s crop of contestants seemed exponentially more appealing. (Also now suddenly appealing? Justin Bieber! Travis Garland should be on standby on Tax Day to make that hell seem like a holiday, too.)

In the end, the results played out exactly the way Simon and company hoped they would. Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox will face off next week, while Casey James was left to sing that John Mayer song again, except this time he performed with a little girl prop. It’s too late to get the “awww, look at the cuteness” votes, Casey.

Did you feel like Simon Cowell was heavy-handed in his promotion of Lee DeWyze this week? Sound off in the comments.

Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page, where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

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Bowersox’s ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’ scores the week’s high marks.
By Eric Ditzian

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Lee DeWyze, Crystal Bowersox, Casey James


Photo: FOX

It’s the week before final exams on “American Idol,” so it’s probably too late to start wondering, “What if?” As in, “What if we had a different top three? What if Lilly Scott or Katelyn Epperly hadn’t been chucked off the show far too early and were still bringing their expectation-defying artistry to the stage?”

It’s certainly too late to imagine our expectations might be proven wrong when it comes to the performances of Crystal Bowersox, Lee DeWyze and Casey James. By this point in the “Idol” school year, we know exactly what we’re going to get from each contestant and, at least in this regard, Tuesday night’s show did not disappoint.

There were, of course, myriad disappointments: Bowersox’s first song choice, which came off like a parody of a Bowersox performance; the way the judges bickered among themselves after James’ second performance rather than concentrate on the evaluation at hand; how DeWyze’s purportedly show-stealing performance of “Hallelujah” paled in comparison to Jason Castro’s take on the song years earlier, and maybe even to Tim Urban’s earlier in the season. There were also many highs: MamaSox’s smack-it-outta-the-park rendition of the softball song choice Ellen DeGeneres handed her. Time to get specific and dole out some grades with another edition of our “American Idol” report card. (And don’t miss Jim Cantiello’s “Idol” recap in the MTV Newsroom.)

Excellent

Crystal Bowersox, “Maybe I’m Amazed”: Courtesy of Ellen DeGeneres, MamaSox got the gift of the finest judges’ song choice with this Paul McCartney hit. She didn’t squander the opportunity. Crystal’s voice was delicate in places, powerful in others, and at all times showed off range and emotion that her competitors simply can’t match. We’d take points away for the staging, during which she descended a staircase and generally looked uncomfortable, but we’re guessing all that movement wasn’t her idea. Note for next time, Crystal: If you’re gonna ditch the guitar, stay in one place on the stage and do what you do best: Frickin’ wail!

Good

Lee DeWyze, “Simple Man”: Would it be crazy to say we enjoyed this take on the Lynyrd Skynyrd tune better than his second performance? Less ornate, more honest, fewer bells and whistles, more Lee. We dug the slowly building intro and how he cut the song’s Southern-rock flare with some indie-rock verve. He suffered through some pitch problems in the second half of the tune, but his performance was far and away the finest of the first three songs.

Lee DeWyze, “Hallelujah”: This seems to be the most buzzed-about performance of the evening. Simon Cowell could barely contain his self-satisfaction as he congratulated himself for choosing a tune that allowed Lee to have a “moment.” Only problem was that it wasn’t really Lee’s moment. He was surrounded by half the backup singers in Hollywood and a brassy trumpet, the combined effect of which was to overwhelm the “Idol” hopeful. That’s not to say it wasn’t a good performance, especially by season-nine standards. And Lee showed off genuine emotion, something verging on vulnerability. For the first time, he looked like he actually wants to win. But despite the judges’ effusive praise, Lee’s song was not nearly as powerful as Crystal’s “Maybe I’m Amazed.”

Satisfactory

Crystal Bowersox, “Come to My Window”: You want to know why MamaSox landed in the Satisfactory range on this one? Not because she didn’t sound lovely, or because we didn’t dig the reappearance of her harmonica, or because we fault her for staying true to herself as an artist. It’s for a simple lack of creativity on her part. A Melissa Etheridge song sung pretty much exactly how Melissa Etheridge sings it shows us nothing new about Bowersox. No doubt that cover killed back in her hometown, but up on the “Idol” stage, it was simply tiresome. Not something we’d expect at this point in the competition. There’s a way to respect your own artistry while at the same time surprising your audience. This wasn’t the way. Luckily, she returned for a stellar second performance.

Casey James, “Daughters”: James deserves an apology from Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi for a lazy song choice that almost seemed designed to deny the singer a “moment” in the same way that Bowersox and DeWyze got a chance at theirs. John Mayer’s song is a simple one that requires a voice that can communicate raw emotion; Casey’s just lacks that sort of intensity, phrasing and modularity. What we got instead was a contestant far too laid-back at this point. That’s the Casey we’ve known all along. The only difference seems to be that, for the second week in a row, the judges seem to have tired of his presence on “Idol” and are ripping him to shreds in the hope that voters follow their lead. He deserves better, even if he doesn’t really deserve to call himself an “Idol” top-three finalist.

Unsatisfactory

Casey James, “OK, It’s Alright With Me”: If Jackson and DioGuardi were bent on sabotage in their song choice, James straight up nuked himself with his pick. Let’s just forget about the song choice, because there’s no way to wrap our heads around that one. He was severely uncomfortable on the stage. There was nothing unique about the performance. It was the epitome of small time. Forget about star power. This performance never got off the ground. It’s hard to see any other outcome on Wednesday’s elimination show: James’ “American Idol” run will be coming to an end.

How would you grade the top three on last night’s “American Idol”? Share your report cards in the comments.

Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page, where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

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A tepid ‘Blue Skies’ and harsh words from the judges may have done him in.
By Gil Kaufman

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Casey James


Photo: FOX

Casey James has had a nice run on “American Idol.” But when it’s down to only five contestants, it’s time to prove you’re a superstar, and according to MTV News’ “Idol” brain trust, the Texas native just didn’t do that on Tuesday.

	‘Idol’ Season Nine Performances

“Without a guitar to protect him on Sinatra night, Casey James was awkward, uncomfortable and painful to watch and listen to,” said MTV’s “Idol in 60 Seconds” host Jim Cantiello, faulting James for not being able to deliver on the advice of guest mentor Harry Connick Jr. “His ‘Blue Skies’ earned him some of the worst reviews of his ‘Idol’ career. Even Kara DioGuardi, Casey’s biggest fan, compared his vibrato to a lamb’s bleating.”

Of course, sometimes when the judges get that mean, the contestant can survive by pity votes. But Cantiello thinks it’s too late in the season and stakes are too high for that. “Casey’s borrowed time is about to end,” Cantiello said. “Unless his irresistible sassy mother is able to rally the entire state of Texas to vote like mad.”

In a rare show of unity, our other expert, MJ Santilli, founder of the “Idol” blog MJsBigBlog.com, agreed that James is probably toast. “He’s been in the bottom three two weeks in a row — that’s never a good sign,” said Santilli. “He’s probably splitting votes with Lee Dewyze — whom the judges loved. So, all those votes likely went to Lee.”

Vote-splitting aside, Santilli said James was done in by one even more crucial factor. “His performance was a train wreck,” she said simply. “Easily his personal worst, and perhaps one of the worst performances of the season.” She also agreed that even the pity votes James might get from supporters who thought Kara’s sheep comparison was rude won’t be enough to save him.

What do you think of our experts’ predictions? Share your own in the comments below.

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Despite shaky performances, Tim Urban and Michael Lynche should be safe.
By Gil Kaufman

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Casey James


Photo: Fox

The theme on Tuesday night’s “American Idol” was inspirational songs, but with the exception of Crystal Bowersox’s tearful “People Get Ready,” many of the night’s performances were uninspired at best. While that might make picking who could be eliminated during Wednesday night’s (April 21) “Idol Gives Back” charity extravaganza harder, for MTV News’ “Idol” expert Jim Cantiello, the choice is clear.

	‘American Idol’ Season Nine Performances

” ‘Jealous Guy’ notwithstanding, Casey James’ performances have all been the same thing over and over again,” Cantiello said of the ponytailed Texas guitar slinger, who has carved out a blues-rock niche on the show. “It was only a matter of time before America grew impatient with his lack of growth. Furthermore, it was a night that was supposed to inspire, and thanks to passionate performances from Lee Dewyze and especially Crystal Bowersox it definitely did uplift the spirit at times, but Casey left me stone-cold.”

Cantiello said he didn’t have a visceral reaction to James’ cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Don’t Stop” the way he did to equally shaky performances from Tim Urban and Aaron Kelly, who he also predicted would land in the bottom three alongside James. “It’s never a good thing to go first and deliver a forgettable sound-alike performance,” he said of James. “But what tipped me off to Casey’s impending departure? The crowd didn’t boo Kara, Randy or Ellen when they panned his performance. You could hear a pin drop. Casey had obviously put the entire studio audience to sleep.”

The view was a bit cloudier for MJ Santilli, founder of the “Idol” fan site MJsBigBlog.com. She thought “Teflon” Tim Urban got ambitious with his cover of the Goo Goo Dolls’ “Better Days,” which got universal pans from the judges’ panel for failing to live up to his more solid performances over the past two weeks.

“But I still think he’s amassed enough of a following to keep him safe this week,” she said, adding that she thinks Michael Lynche “is probably not long for this world, but he performed near the end of the lineup, and when Simon Cowell makes statements like ‘You’ll probably still be here next week,’ they usually come true.”

And while she found James to be “safe and boring,” she thought his fanbase was strong enough to keep him in it, so it was perennially on-the-bubble teen Aaron Kelly who she targeted as this week’s boot-ee. “[He's] been on the cusp the past couple of weeks,” she noted of the sometimes awkward high schooler, who failed to deliver sufficient emotion on his take of R. Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly.” “Once again, he bit off more than he could chew last night. And even though he gave it a good try, it was a mediocre vocal and an awkward performance. I think he’ll be heading back to smalltown Pennsylvania very soon.”

One thing is for sure, MJ said: After coming close to seriously turning off “Idol” hard-cores with news that she was on the verge of quitting the show, Bowersox’s bravura performance brought her all the way back into their good graces. “She came back with a fantastic performance, showed some vulnerability — finally — and even wordlessly made amends with Seacrest,” said MJ. “Honestly, she’s going to be hard to beat at this point. And it’s not as if any one of the remaining seven comes close to her talent, confidence and performance skills.”

What do you think of our experts’ predictions? Do you agree? Disagree? Write your comments below.

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Michael Lynche and Katie Stevens also got some praise from the judges for their Lennon/McCartney covers.
By Eric Ditzian

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Casey James performs on “American Idol” Tuesday


Photo: Fox

It was a night of throwbacks on “American Idol,” as the show hit a theme it last visited during season seven, exploring the legendary songbook of Beatles greats John Lennon and Paul McCartney. So how did the 2010 “Idol”-ers fare during the evening’s homage to the musical past? Casey James brought the smoldering soul, Crystal Bowersox and Lee Dewyze hauled out some atypical instruments, and Aaron Kelly nearly put the audience to sleep when the “Idol” show was but minutes old.

Yes, Kelly kicked off the show with “The Long and Winding Road,” a mournful tune from Let It Be and yet another ballad for the teen. During his introductory video, we found out that his cohorts have dubbed him Yoda, but there was nothing wise about this dull performance. It was lacking in energy and the steady vocals he’s displayed in recent weeks.

Randy Jackson nailed it when he called the rendition “sleepy,” as did Ellen DeGeneres when she renamed his version “The Long and Winding Song.” But Simon Cowell summed up Kelly’s by-now-tiresome predictability best when he said, “You’ve got to become young and relevant. … You’re doing the same thing week after week. You’ve got to have a moment and take some risks.”

Back in ’08, Brooke White delivered a piano-driven, goose-bump-inducing take on “Let It Be.” When it came to “Idol” comparisons — not to mention the contrast to the Beatles’ original or Kris Allen’s take earlier this year — a hot-pink-outfitted Katie Stevens had a lot to live up to. Though it didn’t reach the heights of those examples, it was a perfectly fine performance, even if it did have a distinct teen-recital air to it.

The judges didn’t seem to mind or notice. All agreed that Stevens had found her form again after floundering for a few weeks, though they didn’t agree on the reasons why. Simon feted what he believed to be a country vibe to the tune, while Kara and the rest of the crew couldn’t have disagreed more. But no matter! With both ends of the judges’ table in agreement that she rocked, Stevens might well avoid ending up in the bottom three for a third straight week.

Coming off a comeback performance during R&B week, Andrew Garcia and his acoustic guitar opted for a horn-assisted take on the 1964 #1 hit “Can’t Buy Me Love.” The arrangement seemed to morph the house band into a garage-band version of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, which then swallowed much of what Garcia was trying to contribute. No doubt, it was a regression for the guy.

While Ellen loved it, Kara admitted with a shrug, “Aw, I wanted to love it, I do.” Her complaint, as well as Simon’s, was that Garcia has yet to show off a different side of himself. The subtext to that assessment, of course, is that the 24-year-old has yet to bust out a song as memorable as his reworking of “Straight Up” during Hollywood Week. And where was Andrew’s mom? Mrs. Garcia, we miss you!

Season-seven champ David Cook pulled off a goth-tinged rendition of Revolver‘s “Eleanor Rigby” that wowed judges and voters alike in ’08. Variously described by his fellow contestants as a teddy bear, the Incredible Hulk and an insanely loud snorer, Big Mike Lynche took a huge risk with the same tune — and it mostly worked. In terms of the arrangement, the staccato strings ended up obstructing the overall flow of the song, but Mike’s vocals were on point and he earned bonus points for a courageous refashioning of a classic tune. Just like Cook, come to think of it.

Ellen got it right when she said there are many intriguing sides to Lynche. Kara used words like “fire” and “drama” to pinpoint the highs of the theatrical rendition. Simon alone found the whole thing a bit too musical for his tastes, even if he did take time to pay lip service to Fox’s hit musical show “Glee.”

Crystal Bowersox — who shall henceforth be known as MamaSox, per her introductory video — was fighting off both a cold and an arrangement that just was not working at all. Her vocals during Abbey Road‘s “Come Together,” soulful as ever, fought for breathing room among the fat bass line, the electric guitar and … the didgeridoo? Still, MamaSox always keeps it interesting, which is why she remains the most consistently compelling contestant of season nine.

Does it matter that, as Randy noted, it wasn’t close to her best performance of the season? Probably not, because it was still memorable. Do we entirely agree with Kara, who gushed about MamaSox’s slinky sexiness during the song or Simon, who said, “That’s a performance I could hear on the radio”? That, too, is beside the point. Crystal is at the head of the “Idol” class for a reason.

And then we came to “Teflon” Tim Urban. If you didn’t know it before, you knew it after his pre-performance video: The guy likes to smile. Sticking with that upbeat sensibility, Urban chose “All My Loving,” from 1963′s With the Beatles. It veered from solo guitar quietness to full-band ’50s rock swing, but at every turn his vocals actually held steady.

Randy didn’t seem to know what to say, declaring his intention to judge Urban in terms of a “Tim performance,” by which metric the singer did well. Ellen compared him to a shaggy-haired Paul McCartney. An almost apologetic Kara encouraged him to smile after a well-done performance. Refusing the impulse to condescend to the contestant, Simon said, “I thought you did really well with that song.”

One of Casey “Goldilocks” James’ strongest performances to date was his acoustic take on Bryan Adam’s “Heaven.” On Tuesday (April 6), he returned to that stripped-down style with a bold rearrangement of Lennon’s 1971 tune “Jealous Guy,” bringing a soulful growl to the proceedings.

Randy and Kara liked that James showed off his authentically sensitive side, while Ellen decided this was Casey’s finest performance to date. Simon went a step further than Ellen, declaring Casey’s “Jealous Guy” the best performance of any contestant the entire night.

In terms of music, Siobhan Magnus might have been riffing on the Beatles with “Across the Universe,” but her outfit — that punky wedding-dress conglomeration — was a none-too-subtle nod to Madonna in her “Like a Virgin” days. The song itself felt a little like the work of a Disney-imagined fairy godmother, even if it sounded delicately melodious.

None of the judges could suggest anything other than that Magnus is a true original. They variously called her special, crazy and unpredictable, though Kara questioned a newfound politeness she saw in the singer. Said Randy, “No one screams ‘artist’ more than you.” Siobhan’s tearful, post-song speech about her younger sisters may have bored Simon, but it likely tugged the heartstrings of the voting public.

Wrapping up Lennon/McCartney week was Mr. Lee Dewyze, who hauled out a kilt-wearing bagpiper for his rendition of the 1968 hit single “Hey Jude.” Ditching the success he had with a full band last week, he decided to indulge his singer/songwriter impulses with a largely acoustic performance. After an initial faulty note, his vocals were, for the most part, tight, and he continued to improve his onstage presence.

The judges were left cracking up over the bagpipe player — but only Simon was laughing at Dewyze rather than with him. “It was like he turned up on the wrong show,” Simon said, before ending the night with a query we might have liked to ask many of the contestants: “Was it your idea?”

What did you think of tonight’s “Idol” performances? Who was your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!

Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page, where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

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The rest of the semifinalists will be revealed on Wednesday’s show.
By Eric Ditzian

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Casey James on “American Idol” Tuesday


Photo: Fox

Tens of thousands of potential “American Idol” winners became 181 Hollywood Week hopefuls who were then considered, criticized and often condemned until 71 singers gained passage to the next round at Los Angeles’ Kodak Theatre. Tuesday night’s (February 16) show saw that number winnowed once again as the first crooners of the top 24 were announced by Simon Cowell and his fellow “Idol” judges.

Early notable contestants Casey James (he of the shirtless Denver audition), Michael “Big Mike” Lynche (the hulking guy who skipped the birth of his child in favor of a stay at Hollywood Week) and Didi Benami (who sang Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel” in memory of her deceased best friend) all made the top 24. Joining them were dancer-turned-singer Todrick Hall, curly-haired Duffy-ite Katelyn Epperly, high-schooler Aaron Kelly and singer-songwriter Lee Dewyze.

The fates of early favorites like 17-year-old Katie Stevens (tipped by Kara DioGuardi as a possible champ), Andrew Garcia (the acoustic impressario of “Straight Up” renown) and Crystal Bowersox (she of the blond dreads and the soulful growl) were left up in the air until Wednesday’s show, when the rest of the top 24 will be announced.

With the reality-show circus of the audition rounds and the manufactured drama of group day behind us, one could not be faulted in thinking Tuesday’s episode would focus, finally, on the music. Yet the show oddly skipped over nearly the entire round of tunes — as contestants sang for the first time with a backing band — in favor of 10- or 15-second flashes of a chosen few contestants. The result was an overall disjointed viewing experience, denying us true insight into everyone’s performances and leaving us frustratingly detached from the tension of the elimination. For all the actual music “Idol” producers aired, the show rightfully should have lasted as long as a network sitcom rather than the two-hour snoozefest Fox offered up as entertainment.

What little we did see veered from the enticing to the forgettable. Casey James did his cowboy-cool singer-songwriter thing with a cover of Colbie Caillat’s “Bubbly” and 19-year-old Siobhan Magnus came out of her shell of shyness during a lively version of Stevie Wonder’s “Living for the City.” Crystal Bowersox hauled out the harmonica for a powerful take on Sheryl Crow’s “If It Makes You Happy.” Coming off his funky rejiggering of Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up,” Andrew Garcia stuck with the female artists as he busted out Adele’s “Chasing Pavements” competently, if considerably less memorably.

Meanwhile Alex Lambert flubbed a ukulele-driven channeling — a la Jason Castro — of Jason Mraz, and both Jermaine Sellers and Thaddeus Johnson found themselves struggling to stay on the same page with the band. Mom-rocker Mary Powers’ rendition of Katy Perry’s “Hot n Cold” had Simon saying, by way of the most backhanded of compliments, “I think she’s interesting because she’s old.”

As all this action zipped by at a frenzied pace, the contestants bided their time in one of three holding rooms and the judges traded photos of them in an attempt to cull their choices. One of the rooms, we were teased all episode, would be eliminated. To begin, judges visited room one, which housed Casey James, Lilly Scott, Katie Stevens and Siobhan Magnus. After a not particularly convincing bit of you-might-be-going-home misdirection, Ellen DeGeneres announced, “Ya’ll are going through!”

Room two was not as lucky — when it was Simon’s turn to deliver the verdict, he told singers like Mary Powers, Charity Vance and Hope Johnson, “It’s bad news. You haven’t made it.”

The judges then popped over to room three to let those contestants — among them Janell Wheeler, Ashley Rodriguez and Shelby Dressel — that they were still in the running for the coveted top 24. “It’s really hard to tell you this, but you guys are going to stay,” DioGuardi said.

At the end of this round of elimination, 46 contestants were left sweating it out. They wouldn’t have another chance to flex their vocal cords — rather, the judges gathered onstage at the Kodak to call each singer one by one for a face-to-face elimination round. The question of why the show had to have two rounds of elimination on Tuesday — stretching the show to two hours instead of one — should hardly need to be answered after nine seasons of “Idol.”

In all, seven of the top 24 singers were announced. While Big Mike was called onstage first and made the cut, reports indicate he has in fact been booted from the competition after his father was said to have broken the show’s confidentiality agreement. Didi Benami and Kaitlin Epperly, the second and third contestants brought in front of the judges, became the first and second women to make it through to the top 24. Casey James sauntered up in a paisley button-down and bounded away a fist-pumping, Kara-hugging member of the semifinalists. Sixteen-year-old shy guy Aaron Kelly battled through ups and downs during Hollywood Week but ended the night on a high note. Lee Dewyze, accused by Simon of having no charisma, nonetheless convinced the judges he had the confidence to go far this season. Only two singers were sent home: Shelby Dressel (who suffers from partial paralyzation of her face) and two-time Hollywood Week bootee Jessica Furney.

The remaining 17 contenders in the top 24 will be revealed on Wednesday. “The drama continues tomorrow night,” as Ryan Seacrest put it at show’s end, just before the screen flashed to an image of a closed bathroom stall behind which a heartbroken contestant had fled to bawl his eyes out.

Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page, where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

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Casey Johnson died from complications related to her diabetes, the Los Angeles Coroner’s Office told TVGuide.com.

The Johnson & Johnson heiress died of diabetic ketoacidosis, a life-threatening condition caused by a lack of insulin and high blood sugar, chief coroner Ed Winter said.

Casey Johnson dead at 30

“She wasn’t …

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