'American Idol' top 11 results show: A circus of events!

This week’s “American Idol” top 11 results night was probably the most exciting episode of the show, packed with one surprise after another, not the least of which were the results themselves which put Casey Abrams in the bottom, subject to elimination, only to be saved by the judges – deservedly so.

It was like a three-ring circus, with ringmaster Ryan Seacrest guiding the audience through the entertainment experience, including  an impromptu appearance of legend Stevie Wonder, who led the crowd in singing “Happy Birthday” to judge Steven Tyler and the fake-out news that Hulk Hogan delivered to Paul McDonald and James Durbin that “they were in danger.”

Marc Anthony (J.Lo’s hubby) giving advice to the idols and performances by "Idol" alum Jennifer Hudson and Sugarland also were part of the act.

None in my group thought that Casey Abrams would be in danger, but we did correctly pick Stefano Langone and Thia Megia to be in the bottom three, and our favorite of the night was James Durbin.

Tweens Nicky T. and Deanna T. felt the best performances were from James and Pia.  

Haley Reinhart was also a favorite of Nicky’s this week, and he was glad to see her finally escape being one of the bottom three.

For Nicky, the worst of the night were Casey Abrams, Jacob Lusk and Naima Adedepo, adding that their performances were annoying.

Deanna’s favorite part overall for the two nights was, hands down, the Sugarland performance.  She and her mom Gina (whose ringtone on her phone is a Sugarland tune) are HUGE fans.

They loved the WWE moments with Hulk Hogan, which were silly but entertaining and funny.

They felt that Casey might be in danger . . . and he was . . . and if he was, they figured he would get the save, and he did (and they were glad he did, not their favorite, but definitely a talented guy).

However, even though they thought it might happen, it didn't prepare them for just how exciting it would be.  

Randy Jackson’s interruption of Casey's performance, and Casey's reaction was very exciting, and it was a true "feel good" moment in television, reminding them of the reason they tune in every week and why they love “American Idol.”
 
Here are my granddaughter Alex’s noteworthy comments which have more to do with how the contestants looked than how they performed.  

Casey Abrams:  “His hair looks so funny.”  And I agree with her . . . he looked like the character Michael Landon played in “I Was a Teenage Werewolf.”

Jacob Lusk:  “Why are all of those people hugging him?”  We thought it showed a bit of favoritism.

Lauren Alaina & Haley Reinhart:  She noticed that their hair was straightened – no comments about their performances.

Scotty McCreery:  “Why does he tilt his head like that?”

Pia Toscano:  She didn’t connect with the ballad Pia sang.

Naima Adedapo:  She sang along with the song while playing with her cat Bama; she was also intrigued with the dance moves. (Alex is in her second year of dance school, and she LOVES to dance.)

James Durbin:  She enjoyed his performance, smiling whenever he screamed.

She also noticed the braid in judge Steven Tyler’s hair.

The girl is detail-oriented!

The top 11 will be singing tunes from the catalog of Sir Elton John on next Wednesday’s show – ever mindful that TWO will be eliminated.  

Jamie Foxx and will.i.am (of The Black Eyed Peas) will be performing a song from the soundtrack of the animated film “Rio” on next Thursday’s results show.  

In addition, Fantasia, “American Idol” season three winner, will debut her new single “Collard Greens & Cornbread,” a tune from her album “Back To Me.”