The Top 11 Movie Night

It was a night of strong performances as the Top 11 finalists sang music from the movies. As expected, MK and Alex continue to be the leaders of the pack. MK Nobilette delivered an impressive and emotional rendition of To make You Feel My Love while Alex Preston added his genuine and raw essence to Falling Slowly.

Surprisingly, Malaya Watson, scored for the second week in a row with her powerhouse vocal on I Am Changing. She is still a wacky doofus, but the voice was there. The other contestant who stepped it up this week was Majesty Rose who took on the current hit from Idina Menzel, Let It Go. Majesty has the stage presence, the style and the great voice to really make some waves in the music business.

My prediction for the bottom three this week is Sam Woolf, Jessica Meuse and Ben Briley. Ben made an unfortunate song choice in Benny and the Jets that had him veer to far away from his fan base. Jessica simply is not translating her experience performing in small clubs to appearing on TV. But Sam was the biggest hot mess and he should definitely be the one going home this week. His attempt at Come Together was sad and droopy. The poor boy has absolutely no personality and he is a fish out of water trying to compete on this big high profile stage.

The Top 12 - Results

The Season 11 Miss American Idol winner, Phillip Phillips, has enjoyed some pretty significant success with his debut album. The two singles, Home and Gone, Gone Gone, are still getting a lot of radio airplay. On tonight's results show he performed the first single from his second album and the wave of success is sure to continue. The single is called Raging Fire and it has already leaped into the Top 10 on itunes.

This week I correctly predicted two of the bottom three. I was right about Jena Irene and Emily Piriz. Unfortunately, the very talented and unique MK Nobilette was in the bottom three for the second time. She is very good and I now even more enthusiastic about voting for her next week.

I was also correct in predicting that Emily would be the lowest vote getter. The judges decided not to use their "save".

The Top 12 bring it Home

Tonight the top 12 finalists performed songs that remind them of home. The best performance of the night came from Alex Preston who delivered a fresh and insightful take on Gavin DeGraw's I Don't Want To Be. Alex is an extremely talented musician and vocalist through and through and he can always be counted on to provide a personal and compelling performance.

Right up there with the best is MK Nobilette who performed Drops of Jupiter by Train. She has a true and genuine personal style that is as unique as her impressive vocal gifts. It was very wrong that she ended up in the bottom three last week and I hope it does not happen again.

I have to give an honorable mention to the most improved of the week: Malaya Watson went from an out of control train wreck last week to a tasteful and classy gospel vocalist and pianist this week.

My prediction for this week's bottom three is Sam Woolf who is simply boring, Jena Irene who is getting lost in the crowd and Emily Piriz who foolishly tried to showcase her voice with a Jennifer Lopez song. It was a very bad choice since Jennifer is a dancer and not really a singer. Poor Emily got lost on stage and was barely noticeable surrounded by the energy of the band. Emily is most likely to be the contestant who is going home this week.

So much Adam Lambert on Glee

Tonight's episode of Glee was quite literally a Season 8 Miss American Idol 1st runner up Adam Lambert glam-stravaganza!!!!

He started out doing a performance of Heart's Barracuda with Rachel. They jammed and banged their heads to this amazing classic rock anthem.

Then, he joined both Santana and Rachel on a cover of Laura Branigan's Gloria. It was like a competition of them all trying to out sing each other. The song never sounded better.

It's rare that a guest star gets to perform more than two songs in one episode, but he then joined Kurt and Demi Lovato for a third song! This time it was the #1 smash by Diana Ross and the Supremes from 1965, The Happening. It was fun and fabulous!

Finally, Adam added his vocals to the grand finale of the night as the entire cast closed the show with an uplifting version of Hold On by Wilson Phillips.

It is so great seeing Adam Lambert on TV every week on the best show on TV!!!!

The Top 13 - Results

Nine months after her crowning as the Season 12 Miss American Idol winner Candice Glover’s "Music Speaks" sold 19,000 copies in its first week. "Music Speaks" enters The Billboard 200 at No. 14. Unfortunately, That's the lowest first-week sales tally for the debut album by an "American Idol" winner in the show's 12-year history. The old record was set in 2010 when Lee DeWyze's "Live It Up" sold 39,000 copies in its first week.

Her appearance on this week's results show will hopefully give her a sales boost. She performed two songs that both showcased her outstanding vocals talents and they were catchy as well. 

The bottom three turned out to be Kristen O'Conner, Malaya Watson and MK Nobilette. My only accurate prediction was that Malaya would be in the bottom three, and it came as quite a surprise that MK, who is one of the best talents of the group, was down there. 

It turned out that Kristen was the lowest vote getter and the judges decided not to use their "save". She is a very pretty and talented young woman and it is a shame that her time in the competition has come to an end too soon. 

The Top 13 of Season 13 Perform

After the top 13 of Season 13 performed there were two stand out who I predict will make it to the finals. The first is MK Nobilette who performed satisfaction by Allen Stone. She delivered this unknown track with complete confidence and her vocals were flawless. The other contestant to watch is Alex Preston. He stood center stage lit up by a red spotlight performing A Beautiful Mess with his guitar. He was mesmerizing as he pulled the audience into his world.

My prediction for the bottom three this week is Sam Woolf, Jena Irene and Malaya Watson. America should definitely be sending Malaya home. She may have a lot of energy and personality but she does not know how to harness all that and put it into a great vocal performance. What she did to the Bruno Mars hit Runaway Baby should never be done again.

Idols are Top Earners!

The Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood tops this year's list of the highest-paid "Idol" alums, pulling in $31 million thanks to platinum-selling "Blown Away," extensive touring and endorsement deals with the likes of Olay. All in all, Underwood has earned $83 million over the past five years, and she's one of many acts continuing to profit from her exposure on the show. 

Kelly Clarkson ranks second with $7 million, banking the bulk of her bucks on the road. She's followed by 2012 winner Phillip Phillips and 2009 runner-up Adam Lambert, who are tied for third with $5 million apiece.

"Adam used the launching pad of 'American Idol' very well to have a successful recording career," says his co-manager Martin Kirkup. "I think the main part of his career still lies ahead of him."

Phillips, meanwhile, has been quick to capitalize on his 2012 "Idol" win. His coronation song, the Mumford-esque "Home," went on to sell more than 4 million copies--the best of any in Idol's history -- and his debut album earned platinum certification. He's been adding to his coffers on the road, playing more than 90 shows in our scoring period.
The show itself, now entering its 13th season, is on a more dubious trajectory.

Ratings have dipped 30 percent each of the past two years, a trend that "Idol"'s brass is trying to stop by revamping the show. There's a new set, new lighting, new theme music and new judges: Harry Connick, Jr. and Jennifer Lopez will join Keith Urban, the lone holdover from last year's trio.

Despite the negative trends, last year's winner Candice Glover should be optimistic: Phillips and Scotty McCreery, who ranks sixth with $3 million, are reversing a trend of recent winners who've gone on to have underwhelming solo careers. Even older victors like Fantasia Barrino (2004) and Taylor Hicks (2006) cracked the list, with $1.5 and $2.5 million in income, respectively.

"The platform of 'American Idol' changed my life," says Hicks, who now owns a restaurant in his native Alabama and recently became the first Idol alum to land a Las Vegas residency. "I am very thankful. ... To have that platform has allowed me to blossom."

Earnings estimates are calculated with the help of data from Pollstar Pro, the RIAA, Nielsen SoundScan as wells industry veterans, the musicians' handlers and some of the artists themselves. These numbers reflect pretax earnings from June 2012 through June 2013.

Older graduates of the show no longer have to worry about handing back the bulk of their bucks to "Idol," but more recent winners must turn over about half of their income -- before paying any remaining agents, managers and attorneys, not to mention Uncle Sam. Last year, McCreery estimated he'd only pocket somewhere around one-fifth of his gross earnings, though he didn't seem to mind too much. "It's depressing when you look at it, but I'm still making a good amount," he said. "I'm not in any way complaining ... I'm doing a lot better than I was a few summers ago, living off the coin jar in my truck."