American Idol:The Top 4 Results Show

Bottom Two:
Syesha Mercado ("Proud Mary," "A Change Is Gonna Come")
Jason Castro ("I Shot the Sheriff," "Mr. Tambourine Man")


Eliminated:
Jason Castro








Watch video of Jason Castro elimination:


Ryan Seacrest opened the show telling us that the nearly 51 million votes received yesterday was a new high total for the season. He also said, and we don't believe, that the Top 3 were all within 1 million votes of each other. Seacrest also briefly reopened the can of worms over Syesha Mercado's performance of "A Change Is Gonna Come" with the judges. Next, the Top 4 performed Steely Dan's "Reelin' in the Years," certainly not a memorable rendition but better than last week's horrific Neil Diamond medley.

Watch video of Top 4 group song, Steely Dan's "Reelin' in the Years":


Right to The Results. Ryan called out David Archuleta, who we thought might be in the Bottom 2 as he was in a dead heat votewise with Syesha according to DialIdol.com. Guess we shouldn't have been surprised (though we were disappointed) when Ryan sent him to safety on the couch.

It's filler time, and we are shown a video of the Top 4 jetting to Las Vegas on a private 737 to see Cirque Du Soleil's Beatles show "Love." David A remarked on the flight, "this is the nicest plane I've ever seen," while lying on the bed in the bedroom (yes, there is one on the jet), Jason told us, "Sleeping in the sky. Woooooooohooooooooo." In Vegas, the contestants were mobbed by fans wherever they went. The trip included "red carpet makeovers" (they contestants didn't look any different to us afterward) and a meet and greet with the cast of "Love."

Watch video of Top 4 in Las Vegas to see Cirque du Soleil's show "The Beatles":


Wasting no time (that will come later), we rushed right back to the results. Ryan called out David Cook, who was, surprise! safe. Which meant the Bottom 2 (or, more accurately, the two left who hadn't yet learned their fates) were Syesha and Jason Castro (as if anyone expected Jason to survive the previous day's debacle). Ryan called them out and appeared to start giving them the results. Jason asked Ryan if he was actually going to tell them then, only halfway through the show. Of course, Ryan wasn't and it was time for a commercial break followed by the Ford commercial. This week it was a bullfight scenario with the Top 4 as matadors and a Ford Mustang as the bull, all done to "Ring of Fire."

Watch video of behind-the-scenes making of the Top 4 Ford commercial:


Watch video of Top 4 Ford commercial "Ring of Fire":


Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we sat through another stupid viewer Q&A session. This was one of the more boring ones (well, honestly, they all are), the highlight of which was when Emily from Pittsburgh asked David Cook for a date when the Idol Tour plays in her city because it also happens to be *happy coincidence!* her birthday. After a guy in audience yells out, "Don't do it," cracking David up, Cook squirms, makes faces, asks what she likes to do, then extricates himself from the embarrassing moment by saying "We'll see." Uh-huh. Other callers inquired about the biggest obstacles the Top 4 has had to overcome, why Simon Cowell hadn't been knighted, how Syesha feels being the only girl in the Top 4, whether the Top 4 has gotten any feedback from artists whose songs they've covered (David C says he heard from Our Lady Peace) and whether Simon had ever acted because the caller thinks he'd be perfect as the next James Bond. Cowell told Seacrest he liked the questions this week, wink, smile.

Watch video of Viewer Q&A asking David Cook on a date:


Next, Maroon 5 performed their new single, "If I Never See Your Face Again," which, on the CD, features Rhianna. We didn't love it and we normally do like their music. Seacrest asked Adam Levine if he had any advice for the Top 4. He told them to get ready to work and that they'll get jaded and hate it, but really they will love it. Swell. Can't wait for fame.

Watch video of Maroon 5 singing "If I Never See Your Face Again":


With another five minutes to kill before Seacrest could boot Castro off the show, Ryan introduced Season 4 runner-up Bo Bice, who sang his new single, "Witness." We've always been a Bo fan, but the song started out really rough. It got better as it went, but never got good enough to become a hit. Ryan asked Bo if he had any advice for the contestants and he told them to practice, practice, practice. We also found out that Bo and his wife are expecting their second child, another boy.

Watch video of Bo Bice singing "Witness":


It was finally time to send everybody home (the loser for good, the Top 3 for their hometown visits and parades, which we'll see next week). As Ryan read the judges' comments from the previous day to Jason, Castro noted that he did, in fact, pack his bags as Simon had advised him to. He also had the funniest line of the night, when he repeated that someone told him that he had shot the Tambourine Man. LOL. Ryan asked him why it's been so tough for him, and Jason said he thought his inexperience was hurting him and that moving up to two songs was difficult. After being eliminated, Ryan told Jason, "I almost feel like you're relieved." Castro said, "There's three songs next week. I don't know what I would've done."

Next week, the Top 3 will each sing three songs – judges’ choice, producers’ choice and finalist’s choice.

RYAN SEACREST CHUCKING "IDOL"?

MSNBC is reporting that Ryan Seacrest is in negotiations to take over Larry King's role at CNN by year's end. The report suggests that Seacrest would be adding this job to his already overloaded radio and TV hosting duties, which is not at all believable. Insiders say he'd likely leave "Idol" after this season, especially because the producers are planning a major retooling of the program.

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