Steven Tyler Leaves American Idol Before His Rabbit Gets Boiled

I have no idea what Steven Tyler meant when he said, "After some long, hard, thoughts, I've decided it's time to let go of my mistress 'American Idol' before she boils my rabbit.

Boils his rabbit?

Tyler also said, "I strayed from my first love, Aerosmith, and I'm back, but instead of begging on my hands and knees, I've got two fists in the air and I'm kicking the door open with my band. The next few years are going to be dedicated to kicking some serious ass, the ultimate in auditory takeover. Idol was over the top fun, and I loved every minute of it. Now it's time to bring Rock back."

I've never understood why some viewers thought the former American Idol judge was drug addled.

Jennifer Lopez is also making noises about leaving American Idol.

If she goes, that leaves Randy Jackson and Ryan Seacrest as the only remaining originals.

Apparently the ratings for American Idol took a dive this year. What with way too many singing competitions on TV, a ratings dive is not too surprising. That and maybe viewers have tired of year after year of WGWG (White Guy With Guitar) winners. With none of them rising to the Kelly Clarkson/Carrie Underwood superstar zone.

I have some hope for Phillip Phillips and his guitar, though.

American Idol's Casey Abrams Ends His Song By Kissing Jennifer Lopez Causing Steven Tyler to Erupt in F-Bombing

As one week of American Idol slides into the next, it seems, for me, the more I am exposed to those remaining the less I'm finding them entertaining.

Why? I don't really know.

The fast forward button gets a heavy workout. I FF right past Jacob Lusk.

The oddest moment of the night was Casey Abrams kissing the most beautiful woman in the world, Jennifer Lopez, which had Steven Tyler let loose with a series of F-Bombing along with an irrational diatribe about Casey being so f----ing good that he was pissing off millions of Americans Huh?

The songs this week were supposed to be from this century. I really did not know any of the songs. Except I think I'd heard Scotty McCreery's "Swingin," before. But I think it was back in the previous century. Scotty was up first and for the first time he received some mild criticism from the judges.

James Durbin was over the top. Again. But everyone seemed to like it. James marched in, in uniform, with a marching band and proceeded to wail out a song called "Uprising" by Muse. I am not familiar with Muse or "Uprising."

Stefano Langone seemed to do well with a song called "Closer" by someone called Ne-Yo. Jennifer said he had his "swag going on." He is such a little guy. About a foot shorter than short Ryan Seacrest. I don't know how much real swag Stefano can actually have going on.

Lauren Alaina closed out the show with Sara Evans' "Born to Fly." Again, I did not know that song.

Apparently I am pretty much ignorant about any music that has come from this century.

Pia Toscano's Shocking Elimination From American Idol Leaves Jennifer Lopez Speechless

Apparently a lot of people thought Pia Toscano was the best singer this year on American Idol.

But, they didn't vote, so she got the least votes and left the show on Thursday's results show.

The judges were in shock.

The audience was booing.

The night before, after Pia sang, Steven Tyler said something like a million men in a million bars were having a drink over Pia singing. I did not quite get what that meant, exactly, but those million men weren't doing any American Idol voting.

After Pia got the boot, Jennifer Lopez said "I am shocked. I am angry, I don't even know what to say." She looked stunned, like she was about to cry.

Randy Jackson said, in an unusually long sentence, for him, "I'm never upset on this show, and I'm never really mad, but this, like, this makes me mad. What is going on?"

In the bottom 3, with Pia, were Jacob Lusk and Stefano Langone.

I fast forwarded past Russell Brand giving personality lessons.

I fast forwarded right past Constantine Maroulis singing Unchained Melody.

I also fast forwarded quickly past a shirtless Iggy Pop.

I don't really see why it is so shocking that Pia Toscano did not attract enough votes. What are the demographics of the voters? I'd guess teenage and younger girls. Who are they going to be voting for? Scotty McCreery and James Durbin and Paul McDonald, maybe.

The tween girls likely also would be voting for the cute girls. But, a sultry singer with an older vibe, like Pia, she would likely not be the type the tween girls would gravitate to.

Methinks if American Idol wants to have some control over this type travesty that maybe they should adopt the Dancing with the Stars method, thus taking some power away from all the little girls and their power voting.

After Scotty McCreery's rock and roll Elvis rendition, singing "That's All right", I think he's the front runner.

American Idol's Top 12 Girls Bring Glamor & Good Singing To The Show

Part Two of the Top 24 of the newly glamorized American Idol was as good as Part One.

I don't recollect previous seasons of American Idol having anywhere this level of talent.

Wednesday night was the girls turn to perform before a live audience in a taped show.

I don't remember there being a previous season of American Idol where all the girls are this good-looking.

Is it the Jennifer Lopez effect that has glammed up American Idol?

I like how, with Randy Jackson sitting in the Simon Cowell seat, he is, in the words of Carlotta Camano, "playing the bad cop this year." Only in a much kinder and gentler way than the abrasive Simon Cowell. I think I've already opined that I will find it very amusing when Cowell's new X-Factor show hits the air and bombs.

First up last night was TaTynisa Wilson singing "Only Girl (In the World)" in a performance that had Steven and Jennifer singing its praise with Randy Jackson chuckling and saying "I've got a feeling this is going to happen a lot this season." And then playing the aforementioned "bad cop," saying there were pitch issues.

The girl who cleans toilets, Naima Adedapo, sang "Summertime." Again the two newbies loved it, while Randy Jackson said Fantasia sang it much better. I saw this girl has a big tattoo on her back. The first tattoo I've noticed on anyone this year, unlike last year. The tattoo had me thinking if I scrubbed toilets for a living I really do not think I'd be wasting any money on a tattoo. This is a talented girl, though. She designed the dress she was wearing.

Kendra Chantelle sang "Impossible." She looked slick in tight black pants and high heels. All the judges liked her performance. It seemed like a slow boring ballad to me.

Rachel Zevita through off a cape as she sang "Criminal." This time the judges were in agreement again. Agreeing it was a mess.

Karen Rodriguez wowed the judges with "Hero," which had Jennifer Lopez saying "wow" multiple times.

Lauren Turner's "Seven Day Fool" had Randy Jackson singing her praises, saying, "That's how you do it. I loved the whole bluesy, soul flavor in you."

Have I mentioned another nice thing this season is finding out that Randy Jackson can be articulate and speak in complete sentences with a vocabulary that goes beyond, "Yo, dawg?"

Ashton Jones was a real cutey, singing a song I'd not heard before, "I've Got Love All Over Me." Jennifer told Ashton she had the makings of a diva. That is high praise, seeing as it was coming from a top notch diva.

Julie Zorrilla sang Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway." Julie is another cutey, but Jennifer Lopez told her she was not singing from her heart.

Haley Reinhart's "Fallin;" got the first "It was karaoke" of the night, courtesy of Randy Jackson. To which Steven Tyler wittily said, "If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong."

Is Steven Tyler going to be able to keep coming up with great original one-liners? Or will he start to repeat himself and grow stale, like Simon Cowell?

Thia Megia sang "Out Here On My Own." She did good. And looked good. After she was done Ryan Seacrest asked to see proof that she was really only 15.

Lauren Alaina sang the Reba McEntire hit, "Turn On the Radio." The judges, the audience, everyone loved it. Randy Jackson compared Lauren to a combo of Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood.

Last up, in the spotlight spot, was Pia Toscano singing "I'll Stand By You," which had the judges in standing ovation mode for the only time of the night. Jennifer Lopez said, “I knew that you were a standout, but honestly, I feel like you were a little tricky because you were saving that for when it counted! It was out of this world.”

So, American Idol is off to a SUPER good start. Last season, at this point, it was so bad I was ready to bail. Did not like most of the singers, did not like the addition of Ellen DeGeneres. And never liked Kara DioGuardi.

I think I'll likely watch the entire results show tonight. Usually that is not the case.

Jennifer Lopez Breakdown Over Chris Medina To Be Continued Tonight On American Idol

I enjoyed the Beatles in Vegas deal on American Idol Wednesday night. I think there were something like 80 who got bused to Vegas.

I know I should not hit the FF button, and if I didn't I might not get confused.

At about the hour mark 7 or 8 singers names were called, like the kid with the deep voice, Scotty McCreery.

Scotty and the others who stepped forward were moving on. But it was the end for the others, including the blonde kid who looked sort of goofy, but seemed to sing and perform in an entertaining way.

Then in the next hour we heard some more singing and then long walks to a chair in front of the judges where the singer gets told if they are in the Top 24 or not.

I think it'd been whittled down to 40, when the long walks began. When Scotty was told he was moving on, was it to the group of 40 he was moving?

I am just too easily confused.

The final one to take the long walk Wednesday night was Chris Medina. The guy with the fiancée who was badly injured and who he has stuck with. It was a memorable back story. And you could not help but like the guy. Though he needs to lose weight and get a haircut.

It was Jennifer Lopez who delivered the news that Medina would not be in the Top 24. He took it well. Randy, Jennifer and Steven all hugged him. As he walked away Jennifer got more and more emotional. We kept cutting from Chris back to Jennifer, crying, worrying that she had not delivered the news in a good way. Both Randy and Steven were very reassuring.

This went on and on, cutting between Chris and Jennifer's breakdown. Then the judges' take a break while Jennifer tries to compose herself. Will it just be Steven and Randy delivering the news to the remaining contestants? And then "To Be Continued."

It all seemed a bit contrived. But, it also seemed all quite real.

 I really thought American Idol had jumped the shark last year, and re-jumped it with the new judges. But, instead, it's like the show has hugely improved. And I am now a Jennifer Lopez fan. She is just so darn nice. As is Steven Tyler.

Everything about "Hollywood Week" has been an amped up production compared to previous years. What does this portend for the live shows? I'm thinking it portends good things.

American Idol Season 10 With Steven Tyler & Jennifer Lopez Off to a Good Start

I had been of the opinion that American Idol jumped the shark when Paula Abdul left, replaced by Ellen DeGeneres and Kara DioGuardi. The departure of Simon Cowell seemed to me to be the final straw in the American Idol coffin.

But.

I think I was wrong. Wednesday night's first episode of the new season of American Idol really seemed like a new and improved version.

And getting rid of, what had started to seem to me, the repetitively, evermore less amusing, Simon Cowell, seems to have been a healthy change.

Sort of like getting rid of a tumor you did not realize was cancerous.

Last year, or was it the year before, American Idol hype said it would be a kinder, gentler American Idol, reflective of the tough economic times. But, I really did not notice much difference. A lot of the same making fun of unfortunate, clueless souls was still very much an element.

Last night there really was none of that old American Idol style meanness. The goofy, talentless auditioners who did appear were treated respectfully and pretty much gently. My favorite of those was the totally clueless Boy Scout.

Right from the very first audition there was a big difference, with Steven Tyler sort of singing along. It was like both he and Jennifer Lopez were more humanely, honestly connected to those trying out than Simon Cowell ever came close to being.

All in all, the new American Idol just has a way more positive feel to it. At least so far.

And I like the enhanced back stories. The daughter of a cancer survivor, a new American from Kosovo, a 16 year old kid who spent time in a homeless shelter. I think my favorite may have been the Singing Waitress.

Both Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez surprised me. Tyler due to how funny he is. Lopez due to how honestly nice she seemed. The poor lady was devastated the first time she knew she had to say no to someone. As auditions continued saying no did not get much easier, with Jennifer at one point saying, "Oh, my God, I hate this! Why did I sign up for this? I want to go home."

American Idol seemed to find some interesting singers in New Jersey. I've pretty much gone from figuring I'd be bailing on American Idol, to now I am solidly in for the duration.

A very pleasant surprise.

And one more thing. Randy Jackson appears to have lost a lot of weight and I thought he came across way better with his new judge partners.