Eye On Idol (4/08/11)

Pia Toscano

What an impossibly strange week on American Idol.

First, legendary rock ‘n’ roll degenerate Iggy Pop performed (shirtless!) on the Thursday (4/7) results show. He’s almost 64. So there’s that.

And then, in a shocking turn of events, Pia Toscano–widely thought to be a frontrunner–was sent home.

After several weeks of big ballads, the Idol judges were begging Pia to sing something uptempo. So on Wednesday’s (4/6) Rock & Roll Hall of Fame-themed show, she opted for the Ike & Tina Turner classic “River Deep, Mountain High” and delivered a fiery interpretation that would have likely pleased even crazy, gun-toting Phil Spector.

Yet it wasn’t enough.

So what happened? History suggests that voters assumed she was safe and focused their attention voting for others, which left her at a deficit. Certainly possible. Chris Daughtry can tell you all about that phenomenon.

But there’s also the possibility she may not have been as heavily favored as it seemed. Sure, she was undoubtedly one of the best singers of the season, but winning this game requires more. Look at contestants Scotty McCreery or James Durbin, both of whom have avoided the bottom three so far. They’re respectable singers, of course, but beyond that they’ve managed to harness their populist appeal and build legions of screaming, rabid fans. Listen to the way the audience goes bonkers every time Seacrest calls one of their names.

Still, it’s hard to imagine anyone voting for Stefano Langone doing a merely decent version of “When A Man Loves A Woman” ahead of Pia. Judging by the look on his face when Pia’s name was called instead of his, even Stefano would agree. Pia, if you’re out there, don’t stress too much over this. Jennifer Hudson exited way early in her season and she’s got an Oscar.

Since Scotty McCreery, James Durbin and Lauren Alaina are the only three to avoid the bottom three so far, signs point to them being the contestants to beat.

Oy. What else is going to happen this season? Will Rebecca Black get a results show performance spot to duet on “Friday” with Josh Groban, accompanied by the Flaming Lips and the cast of So You Think You Can Dance?

Fingers crossed.