And then there were seven. This week’s double elimination on ‘American Idol’ means we’re awfully close to the Top 5, where a lot of people predicted Andrew Garcia would land when he wowed the judges and the viewing audience with his stripped-down cover of former ‘Idol’ judge Paula Abdul’s ‘Straight Up.’ But a string of performances that tarnished Garcia’s standing led him to the bottom three last week and, along with the Kaherine McPhee-ish Katie Stevens, to the door this week

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Exit Interviews: Andrew Garcia and Katie Stevens

, News & Rumors Which two contestants were eliminated from the ‘American Idol’ Top 9 (Elvis Week)? Andrew Garcia and Katie Stevens were sent home tonight

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‘American Idol’ Results April 14 — Who Was Kicked Off?

, MJ’s Take I’ll admit it: I was a little disappointed when I heard Adam Lambert would be mentoring this week. Nothing against Adam — I was rooting for him to win last season.

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MJ’s Take: The Top 9 Channel Elvis, With A Little Help From Adam Lambert

, Blogosphere Aaron Kelly tried (and failed) to outdo season 8 winner Kris Allen on ‘Ain’t No Sunshine.’ Katie Stevens was compared to Christina Aguilera . (What?!) Siobhan Magnus got surprisingly burned on ‘Through The Fire.’ Predictably, Didi Benami cried, Casey James looked hot and Crystal Bowersox pulled ahead even further as this season’s front runner. The most discussed moment, though, was Andrew Garcia redeeming himself with an acoustic take on Chris Brown ‘s ‘Forever.’ The neck-tatted guitarist finally managed to duplicate the success of his Paula Abdul cover during Hollywood Week, at least in the judges’ eyes

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‘American Idol’ Top 10 Performance Show Twitter Roundup

, MJ’s Take This week’s Top 10 performances were a huge improvement over the debacle that was last week’s Top 11 Billboard #1 Hits. Usher came on board to help the kids tackle the R&B/Soul theme, resulting in some pretty decent performances. In an attempt to pump even MORE drama into the performance show, the cameras followed the contestants backstage after their performances.

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MJ’s Take: The ‘American Idol’ Top 10 Makes A Rebound

Filed under: Poll Last night’s Billboard #1 Hits performance theme separated the cream of the ‘Idol’ contestant crop from those who just can’t cut it.

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‘American Idol’ Top 11 Poll: Who Should Go Home?

Filed under: Hot Topics For the past eight years, I’ve tuned in every Tuesday and Wednesday to watch ‘American Idol.’ It was a weekly routine. I would watch the singers, listen to the judges and vote ..

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Experiencing ‘Idol’ Burnout: Eight Seasons Was Enough, Nine Is Too Much

, Life After ‘Idol’ It’s possible that those hoping for a renewal of the Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell tension on Cowell’s new show, ‘The X Factor,’ are about to be straight-up disappointed.

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Paula Abdul in Talks to Host and Judge ‘Star Search’ Reboot

, MJ’s Take Can we bring back the wild card? A do-over

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MJ’s Take on ‘American Idol’ Season 9 Top 12: Can We Get a Do-Over?

With the first round of Hollywood Week behind them, the remaining 96 contestants were faced with the most daunting task of the entire ‘American Idol’ experience: “Group Day.” The group round brings out the best and worst in the contestants as they have to learn to work together, and try to stay cordial, on very little sleep, with near-strangers.

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Hollywood Week Night 2 – Top 5 Moments (VIDEO)