American Idol viewers were stunned March 22 when Erika Van Pelt was eliminated, despite a beautiful performance of “New York State Of Mind” the night before. And even though she tried her best to sing for her life, the judges denied her their one save. HollywoodLife.com was backstage after the show, when Erika revealed how she really felt about being voted out of the competition.

What’s the plan now?

“What’s the plan now? The plan is to get a ton of sleep, then get pumped to go on tour. Honestly, here’s the thing: I’m not gonna lie. It really stinks to be the first of the top ten to go home. I’m not gonna make any excuses for that. It really, really is crappy. But on the other side of the coin obviously, I am stoked for tour and it’s just going to be amazing. I am so excited to be on tour, especially with this group of people. We have a ton of fun together, and even through long rehearsal days and hell, we somehow have a good time every time we’re out there. It’s horrible. The stage managers want to kill us because we’re always having too much fun.”

The house was going nuts today, yelling  ”save me, save me” so loudly. What was going through your head at that moment?

“Honestly, I blacked out a little, I feel like. I heard them. But at the same time, I knew I was going home. I knew in my gut that if it were Heejun and I in the bottom two that it would be me to go home. Just because of what has happened in the show thus far. It’s not me being cynical, I was just sort of being realistic about it. I’d been in the bottom for four weeks in a row. America never voted me into the top anything. I got saved once by Randy in the wild card, and every consecutive week after that I got sent to the bottom. I was getting horribly uncomfortable being in that chair every week. Those stools are so uncomfortable! It’s so bad. It’s so bad.”

Is that a little soul-destroying, knowing that you’re giving great performances each week, but its not resonating?

“That’s the really discouraging thing, you know what I mean? For me being so black-and-white, at the end of the day, it would be OK to be sitting in one of those stools had I been out of tune, had I screwed up the lyrics, had I fallen or something, or made an embarrassing fool out of myself. That has been the hardest thing for me because I feel proud of every performance that I have had on stage. I feel vocally that I have given 100 percent. Also, to have that criticism that I wasn’t giving enough, then when I gave a little more it’s too much. It wasn’t enough or too much. At the end of the day, I’m a grown woman who is turning 27 this year. I am not a 15-year-old girl anymore, I have been in the game for a long time. I have been a DJ, I have been touring, I have been around the block. I have seen a lot of the music industry, so I know at the end of the day, I am still going to have fans that are loyal to me — regardless of who America votes for, whatever the American Idol demographic is as a whole. I still have those fans and I hold them very close and dearly and they have been believing in me since the beginning and that won’t stop.”

Do you think the song selection, and being a part of Red Sox nation, thwarted some things?

“You know what? Here is another thing, and I will couple this with the makeover and all this other stuff: At the end of the day I am me. I don’t hate on other artists for being Yankees fans, you know what I’m saying? It’s about the music for me, so if people don’t want to like me because I’m obsessed with the Red Sox and I love Tom Brady and the Patriots and I go to Boston’s Bruins games all the time and I love to be front row at the Boston Celtics games at the TD Beck North, they can be mad about it. It’s all good, because it doesn’t matter what sports I’m cheering for when I get home. I go on stage and give my 100 percent every time, and that’s what it’s about for me. I’m a singer because I love music.”

Have they asked you sing the national anthem yet?

“No, I haven’t gotten the call yet. But I would jump at that opportunity, for sure.”

Yesterday you said you have something up his sleeve. Were those the maracas?

“Well, that was part of it. The funny thing is I had this fun hair-do planned, which I’m now going to have to save for the tour. Buy your tickets now as there are more hair surprises coming from EVP, if you can imagine that. But it wasn’t just maracas, either, it was these little hand clappers — we had kazoos! I said I knew that after last night … I would be in the bottom three. It’s not a cynical thing, because I know my fans voted their butts off for me and I’m so grateful, but I just knew; it was one of those things. I was in the bottom so many weeks. I would’ve had to have had a super stand-out crazy performance  to get really noticed enough to be saved by the voters. I didn’t. It was a good performance, and I felt great about it, it just wasn’t that over-the-top, and sometimes America needs to see that standing ovation from the judges.”

They need to say you had a moment?

“Yes, everyone has their moment. And I talked to Skyler about this every day. I never had my moment. It sounds sad almost, but I never got my moment. But the fun thing for me is that, and America will get to see this too, is when you see me on tour this summer, the person out there without the judges sitting in front, being able to do what I want, doing my hair and makeup myself and probably wearing what I want, they will get to see me — finally. You will have to wait till after the finale, and after the Idol tour, to see it, but it’s coming.”

Now you can see The Hunger Games?

“Now I can see The Hunger Games! I can go see whatever I want for the next couple of weeks, or maybe for not the next week because I’m going to be tied up — but after that, yes.”

Was it good having your boyfriend in the audience tonight to console you afterwards?

“Yes, and my best friend was here also, so having my two guys here was certainly important. I was missing my dad and my grandfather and my brother, but that’s OK because I know they were home cheering me on. It’s certainly helpful to have people that love me here to support me and give me a hug. I needed a little bit of that human connection afterwards. It’s sad, and as devastated and heartbroken as I am for this part of the journey to be cut short, I’m so freaked out with excitement over going on tour this summer. I’ve wanted to do that my whole life and it’s funny because Steven Tyler actually said to me as I was leaving the stage, “Now you get to do what I do.” I was like, “What’s that, Steven?” He’s like, ‘Going on tour, man!’”

Were you thinking, ‘Great, I get to judge people?’

“Yes! I get to judge people and crush their dreams! I’m just kidding. I know they all have such good hearts and [the judges] hate giving negative criticism, but it’s the game and they have to. I was pretty stoked about that.”

Watch Erika’s final performance, “New York State Of Mind,” below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

— Reporting by Russ Weakland

American Idol‘s elimination shows are always nail-biters, and the March 22 episode after the Billy Joel showcase was no exception!

Deandre Brackensick, Erika Van Pelt and Heejun Han were all in the bottom 3, and unfortunately Erika was sent packing.

Do YOU think Erika deserved to go home, HollywoodLifers?

– William Earl

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3. ‘American Idol’ Stars Phillip Phillips & Heejun Han Get In Their First Fight — Watch

Even though we’re predicting a female will win this season of American Idol, all three people in the bottom three from the top 12 were girls! What gives?

Elise Testone, Erika Van Pelt and Shannon Magrane were in danger of being eliminated, which was pretty surprising, considering both Elise and Shannon had strong performances this week. Sadly, Shannon, 16, was sent packing — giving Erika and Elise another week to proof themselves to America.

What did you think of tonight’s elimination? Did Shannon deserve to be sent home?

Follow @kirstinbenson

Click here to see an interview with Erika Van Pelt & Skylar Laine!

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It was “Year They Were Born” night on American Idol March 14, which meant each of the top 12 contestants had to choose a song from their birth year. For some, this was a blessing — but for others (especially those born in 1995), it was a complete and utter nightmare. However, no one had as painful of a night as Jermaine Jones, who was disqualified from the competition due to four outstanding arrests. Oh, the drama!

Phillip Phillips: Phillip closed the show last week and opened it tonight for one reason and one reason only: he’s freaking incredible. The 21-year-old singer had surgery on his right kidney last Thursday and STILL managed to sound like a million bucks singing Otis Redding‘s “Hard to Handle.” “It was a great song for you. It was perfect. You sang it. It was perfect! I can’t believe it!” Jennifer Lopez raved.

Jessica Sanchez: Will.i.am called the 16-year-old prodigy a “swagger-naut” because she can wail in a way no barely 5-feet-tall teenager should. I thought her rendition of “Turn the Beat Around” was impressive, but not her best performance. “The problem for me was the song choice,” Randy Jackson said and I agreed. However, as Jessica said after her song (and what she told me the day before), it was hard finding a song that suited her from 1995 — a year chalk full of raps and boy bands. Regardless of her performance tonight, I think she’ll get through to next week.

Heejun Han: Before I start on Heejun’s performance, can we please discuss how sweet his parents were during the intro? I need to meet these happy people! (Also, Heejun told me yesterday his mom is proud of him because “they got the American dream” from American Idol. Talk about pulling at the heart strings!) Unfortunately, his performance of “Right Here Waiting” tonight wasn’t good. Maybe he had a hard time with 1989 too? “I didn’t enjoy this at all,” Randy said. “It was pitchy all over the place…it felt like you were out of breath the whole time.” Ugh. I hope this wasn’t his last Idol performance.

Elise Testone: Elise was walking a thin line this week, since she was the one who the judges saved from elimination last week. Thankfully, she slayed Al Green‘s “Let’s Stay Together” and I can’t wait to see her go far this season. “God, I love your voice!” Stephen Tyler said. “America, Elise is back!” Randy said. “This girl is dope.” If she gets the boot this week, America is officially off its rocker.

Deandre Brackensick: I have a soft spot in my heart for Deandre. He’s precious — on stage and off. Even though there’s no denying the 17-year-old singer has an incredible voice, his version of “Endless Love” wasn’t my favorite. I preferred his performance last week. “Here’s the thing, you can sing anything and you sang that beautifully,” Jennifer said. “But I think Jimmy and Will steered you wrong. I don’t think that was the right song for you.” Agreed. That said, I hope he’s around next week. He deserves another shot.

Shannon Magrane: Shannon is only 16 years old and sometimes it shows when she’s performing. Not to compare her to Jessica, but you can tell she hasn’t had as much experience on stage and I don’t think her voice is as mature. However, she conquered Mariah Carey‘s “One Sweet Day” pretty well. “That was not an easy undertaking. I was honestly terrified for you,” Jennifer said. “But you did a beautiful job with that.” Not my favorite performance, but much improved from last week.

Colton Dixon: Colton chose a song from 1991 that is so obscure (“Broken Heart” by White Lion), even the band didn’t know it, so he had to ditch them for just a piano. Even though hard rock isn’t my first choice when it comes to music genres, I still loved Colton’s performance. It was refreshing to see someone so passionate about a song. The judges gave mixed reviews. Stephen hated it, Jennifer loved it and Randy thought “the song didn’t matter” because “you performed it dope.” Agreed.

Erika Van Pelt: Unlike last week, Erika had the opportunity to really own her song, “Heaven,” and rock out, which is the kind of music that fits her voice best. Some of her notes weren’t pitch perfect, but overall, she had an okay-ish performance…something felt off. “You had too much going on with it,” Stephen said. I think Jimmy and Will.i.am pointed her in the wrong direction with the accompaniment. This might have been her swan song.

Jermaine Jones: Oh, boy. I can’t believe they showed the conversation executive producers had with Jermaine telling him he was kicked off the show. Nice ratings ploy, Fox.

Skylar Laine: I’m proud Skyler stuck to her guns and didn’t switch her song, even though her mentors tried to stop her from singing “Love Sneakin’ Up On You” by Bonnie Raitt. She has such a fun and quirky personality and it shows in her performances. Skyler is one of my favorites, by far. “Skylar! You’ve got so much heart and soul,” Stephen said. “I haven’t heard you sing a bad song yet.”

Joshua Ledet: Joshua means business! He’s so soft spoken in real life and then he gets on the stage and wails. I loved hearing him sing Michael Bolton‘s version of “When a Man Loves a Woman,” because it felt like it was second nature to him. He stayed true to the song and didn’t try to switch it up a ton, which I also appreciated. Turns out, the judges loved it too and gave him a standing ovation. “Joshua! That was so good, we were up half way through it!” Stephen yelled, over Jennifer’s screaming. “That was phenomenal and incredible on every level,” Randy said. Jennifer interrupted, raving, “That was the best thing I’ve ever seen on American Idol.” If Joshua’s performance tonight didn’t save him from the bottom three, I don’t know what will.

Hollie Cavanagh: Hollie has an incredible voice and I’m thrilled beyond belief she came back again this season to give it another shot. It seems like she’s matured so much from the crying girl we saw in the audition room season 10. Case in point: her performance tonight — she sang Celine Dion‘s “The Power of Love” flawlessly in a gorgeous gown and it couldn’t have been better. “Wow. Wow. You and Joshua, they really saved the best for last,” Jennifer said. “I don’t know where your voice comes from, but it’s heaven above,” Stephen complimented.

I still can’t believe the level of talent this season. It’s absurd. Out of tonight’s performances, my favorites were Hollie, Joshua, Elise and Phil. Even though I’m obsessed with them personally, my least favorite performances were probably Heejun’s and Erika’s, as much as it pains me to say it.

Honestly, I wish we could just eliminate Jermaine and skip yanking anyone out of the competition tomorrow. Ugh.

Who was your favorite tonight — and most importantly, who’s going home tomorrow?

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Follow @kirstinbenson

Click here to see an interview with Erika Van Pelt & Skylar Laine!

More ‘American Idol’ News

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Stevie Wonder and Whitney Houston songs are notoriously difficult for singers, so I wasn’t too optimistic heading into tonight’s American Idol. However, these top 13 singers are so talented, no one crashed and burned too badly. In fact, one incredible singer — Jessica Sanchez — even brought all three judges to their feet after her flawless rendition of “I Will Always Love You.”

Joshua Ledet: Joshua started off the competition with a bang. His voice is clearly perfect for Stevie Wonder songs. I thought he performed “I Wish” really well. Although it’s not my favorite genre of music, I couldn’t have asked for a stronger performance. “If you feel the beat and rock like that, you can do anything,” Randy Jackson raved. “Flawless.”

Elise Testone: I love Elise’s sound. It’s gravely and strong. Unfortunately, I don’t think she picked the right song (“I’m Your Baby Tonight”) for the occasion, but she said producers changed her song last minute — ugh. The judges gave her a ton of constructive criticism, but overall the consensus was the same as mine. “Whitney [Houston]‘s a beast,” Jennifer Lopez said. “It’s undeniable you have an amazing voice, that’s for sure. I just don’t think this was your best. There were timing issues and there were other things.”

Jermaine Jones: Jermaine has such a gentle aura about him; when he sings, I feel safe. There’s no stress he’s going to hit the notes or anything like that and he sang “Knocks Me Off My Feet” flawlessly. “That song fit you like an Armani suit,” Stephen Tyler said. (Can we please talk about how he dwarfs Ryan Seacrest? Ryan looked three feet tall standing next to him. LOL.)

Erika Van Pelt: I’m glad the judges brought Erika back for the top 13. She’s been in this business for a long time and it’s refreshing to see such a mature soul on a show packed with super young singers. That said, her rendition of “I Believe in You and Me” was…good. It wasn’t my favorite song from Erika. She’s such a rocker, it’s hard to hear her sing Whitney Houston. “I feel like you’re playing it a little bit safe,” J. Lo said, but complimenting her on her tone and emotion. (P.S. Ryan looked like a little boy next to Erika also. They should get him a step stool for some of these contestants.)

Colton Dixon: Colton is another singer who wouldn’t usually sing Stevie Wonder, but he’s so talented he still managed to knocked it out of the park. The ending was fantastic. I hope he’s around for awhile so we can really see him in his element. “That was outstanding!” Stephen said. “That was great, man.”

Shannon Magrane: Shannon sang one of my favorite Whitney songs, “I Have Nothing,” but I think nerves got the best of her. In the preview clip, she gave me chills. Her voice was PERFECT. However, during the live show, she kind of choked. Stephen looked confused after the performance. “Shannon, I think your nerves got the best of you, baby,” he said (JINX!). “You kind of crashed and burned on the turnaround.” Yikes.

Deandre Brackensick: Deandre is precious. He was so excited to sing “Master Blaster (Jammin’)” and it showed. He tied his long hair back and got down and dirty with the song, dancing around the stage with the band. I really enjoyed it. “You have rhythm, you have soul. You have swag up there,” Jennifer said. “I love what you did up there.”

Skylar Laine: I was nervous for Skylar this week. The day before the show, she told me she didn’t really listen to Whitney at all growing up. Plus, she’s a country singer. However, in true musical genius form, she killed “Where Do Broken Hearts Go.” The first verse was a litte shaky, but by the time she got to the chorus, I had chills. This girl can sing. “You kept it together and you gave us the biggest moment of the night!” Jennifer said. I’m officially obsessed with her.

Heejun Han: How can you not get a kick out of Heejun? He definitely wins the “Best Personality” award in my book. He makes me laugh every week — and then I tear up when he sings. Tonight his rendition of “All in Love is Fair” was seamless. “It wasn’t perfect, but it was really good,” Randy said, smiling.

Hollie Cavanagh: Hollie looks like she’s 12 years old, so when she comes out and nails a song like “All the Man That I Need,” I just shake my head in disbelief. The pipes on this chick are un-freakin-believable. She’s fantastic — and all three judges agreed.

Jeremy Rosado: Jeremy is sweet and sounded good singing “Ribbon in the Sky,” but I won’t remember this performance next week. Compared to his competition tonight, he wasn’t the best. Meh. “You didn’t get a chance to fly like you usually do, but it doesn’t matter. It wasn’t in that song,” Stephen commented.

Jessica Sanchez: Going into tonight, Jessica was definitely my favorite singer of the season and she proved me right with a version of “I Will Always Love You” that gave me chills and had all three judges on their feet. “This is what it’s really all about! Finding the best talents in all of America,” Randy said. “And America, this is one of the best talents in the country.” Jennifer was so choked up, she could barely even talk. “God bless you,” she said. Safe to say, Jessica will be with us another week.

Phillip Phillips: Poor Phillip had to follow “The Chosen One,” but if anyone can charm, it’s him. He makes me giggle like I’m 13 and watching Justin Bieber. Tonight he was standing on stage with his guitar, rocking out to “Superstition” with the band and I felt like I was at his concert. He’s a pro. “You just took it…and you made it your own and you killed it,” Jennifer said.

Overall, I think this is the strongest top 13 we’ve seen in a long time. There were two or three performances I didn’t love (Shannon and Elise…), but for the most part, they were all fantastic. It’s so nice to see girls doing well too — maybe this year we’ll have a female winner!

Oh, and I forgot to mention a slight plot twist. Stealing straight from The X Factor, Idol has implemented the following rule: America will vote on the lowest girl and guy and then the judges will choose who is eliminated from the bottom two.

What did you think of tonight’s performances? Who do you think will be in the bottom two tomorrow — and most importantly, who will be voted off the show?

And watch Jessica perform “I Will Always Love You” below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Follow @kirstinbenson

More ‘American Idol’ News

1. Ryan Seacrest Being Replaced By Neil Patrick Harris On ‘American Idol’?
2. Will Ryan Seacrest Be Fired From ‘American Idol?’
3. Scotty McCreery Is Youngest Guy To Ever Debut At The Top Of The All-Genre Charts With His First Album!