* On her final Super Bowl song, “Like A Prayer”: “It was actually very emotional for me. I almost starting crying. I felt an incredible sense of — I know it sounds cheesy, but — warmth, love, support. Everybody turning on their flashlights, holding up their phones, to see the entire stadium lit up like candles with the video-mapping over us and the choir singing around me — it was like a religious experience.”

* “My daughter is in love with Tom Brady.”

* On working with Nicki Minaj and M.I.A.: “Nicki and M.I.A. are cool because they have youthful energy, and I think they’re badasses in their own rite.”

* On choosing LMFAO for the Super Bowl performance: “To me they’re just pure joy and they crack me up. They have an incredible sense of humor. I was so happy when they agreed to do the show with me. And strangely enough, their song and my song ‘Music’ are in the same key, so it was really easy to do that mashup. They were super easy to work with.”

* On choosing Cee Lo Green for the Super Bowl performance: “I love Cee Lo. I’ve always loved his voice. I feel like he’s someone really up and coming, interesting.”

* On M.I.A.’s bird-flip: “To tell you the truth, I didn’t even know about it. I actually didn’t know until I left… I found out about it in the elevator on my way to go to the car to get to the airport. I was really surprised. I didn’t know anything about it. I wasn’t happy about it, because for me — I understand it’s kind of punk rock and everything — but to me there was such a feeling of love and good energy and positivity. It seemed negative. It’s one of those things that’s such a teenager, kind of, irrelevant thing to do in one respect. But on the other, there was such a feeling of love and unity there. What was the point? It was just out of place.”

* On MDNA: “[There are] a lot of uptempo [tracks], but I also have three ballads, which I haven’t done in awhile. So, something for everyone.”

Madonna also mentions that she’s shooting her video for MDNA track “Girls Gone Wild” soon (so, her next single?), and shot down the rumor that Britney Spears will appear on the song.

Listen to the full interview with Madonna here.

We aren’t sure why Symone falls – is it nerves? Exhaustion? The pressure that comes with only being 16 years old and having your dream within arms’ reach as you compete on the biggest show on television? A combination of all three?

(Jump to 3:30 for Symone’s audition.)

All that’s missing from this alarming scene is Ryan Seacrest’s voiceover asking, “Does Symone die? Or does she live and make it to the second Hollywood round? Find out on the next… American Idol!” Is this how the show’s producers are making sure people stick around — by promising the thrilling conclusion of a teenager’s painful-looking fainting episode? Yeesh.

While we pray for Symone’s well-being, let’s refocus on the talent aspect of American Idol to see which memorable contestants will be continuing their journey — and which hopefuls had their trip to Hollywood cut short.

WHO GOT THROUGH:

**People we loved from the audition rounds. Jonny Keyser (aka Jonathan Rhys Meyers Jr.) from the St. Louis auditions will continue his quest for pop stardom, as will Phillip Phillips (aka Phil²) from the Georgia auditions and Pittsburgh’s quirky dude Reed Grimm, who follows up his Family Matters theme song with an equally adorkable song choice: “I’ve Got A Golden Ticket” from Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory.

**People we didn’t really love at all. Heejan Hun from the Pittsburgh auditions is still having confidence issues (and a weird hand shaking tick, apparently). Jennifer seems to love him, but we think his performance is shaky and underwhelming. And Bizarro theater queen Angie Zederman somehow made it through, despite (probably) not being any less weird than she was during her San Diego audition.

**David Leathers Jr. —aka Mr. Steal Your Girl aka The Youngest Looking 17-Year-Old In The World from the Savannah auditions — takes a gamble by singing a Celine Dion song with the sweetest of falsettos. Men of Hollywood, keep an eye on your girls, because Mr. Steal Your Girl will be hanging around a whole lot longer.

**Some great ladies: Jen Hirsch (from the Galveston auditions), whose main problem is fidgeting with her hair – though she managed not to rustle one lock while performing “Up To The Mountain”. Erika Van Pelt turned Pink’s “Glitter In The Air” into a whole new song (in a good way) and Jessica Phillips (from the Portland auditions) also wowed the judges and made it to the next round. (Jessica’s man – who is under Jessica’s care after suffering a stroke – was in the house to see her make it through. Aww.)

**Adam Brock took a cue from his conversation with J.Lo during the Pittsburgh auditions, and sings one of her favorite songs, “Walking In Memphis.” Works like a charm – he’s through, too.

WHO’S GOING HOME:

**Travis Orlando, the contestant whose mom ran out on him and his sick dad from the Pittsburgh auditions, will be unfortunately heading home. Jason “Wolf” Hamlin from the San Diego auditions and Ramiro Garcia from the Galveston auditions have a one-way ticket back to their hometowns, too.

**Jane Carrey (whose dad is Jim Carrey, but she sort of looks a lot like Miley Cyrus, no?) is a bit too smiley during her a cappella performance, and that may have cost her a chance at Idol glory.

Who were you sad to see be sent home? Did we get a brief glimpse of our next American Idol in this episode? And Symone is going to be okay, right? (We’re concerned.) Share your thoughts in the comments.

This is the final night of auditions before we head to Hollywood, and oh, what a nice, simple, unexciting audition process it has been. It’s clear that the Simon Cowell days of spouting cleverly evil metaphors are over, but we can’t help but miss the tragically embarrassing Idol moments that kept us laughing days later.

It’s not that we want to see anyone cry when their dreams crumble in front of them; the contestants we enjoyed the most were the foul-mouthed, clueless, overly-confident rejects who would flip the bird at the camera and curse out the judges on their way out the door. Or the hopeless but loveable brief additions to pop culture, like the “Pants On The Ground” guy. (Whatever happened to General Larry Platt, anyway? Is he hanging out somewhere with the Man With The Golden Voice?) Maybe those auditions weren’t sincere (or at least their inclusion on the show wasn’t), but they got people talking because they were wild and, more importantly, memorable.

Although there have been many impressive singers highlighted on the show, there haven’t been many to keep people yammering on around the watercooler (except maybe Jim Carrey’s daughter?). And for the first time this season, we honestly didn’t think there were five contestants interesting enough to include in our audition recap, which is either indicative of the talent in St. Louis, or the fact that a full minute of airtime was handed over to awkwardly previewing Madonna’s new music video for “Give Me All Your Luvin’”. So here are the three you should know heading into Hollywood Week:

The 3 Contestants To Watch From The St. Louis Auditions:

Johnny Keyser, 22. Johnny looks like Jonathan Rhys Meyers and sounds like Jason Mraz. He sings “Change Is Gonna Come,” and by god, we’re swooning as much as the judges. Johnny has enough good looks, confidence, personality and talent to send him to Hollywood only after singing a few notes. We see bright things for this one.

Rochelle Lamb, 28. Rochelle is currently going through a divorce from a man who tried to stop her from pursuing her dream, so she sings “Find Somebody New” by Faith Hill with her adorable daughter by her side. She has a lovely, spunky voice, and as much as we’re totally done with country – the one-two punch of Scotty and Lauren last season wore us out on the genre – we’re rooting for her.

Ethan Jones, 22. Ethan shall be known henceforth as The Contestant With The Bloody Forehead, as, you see, Ethan walked into his audition with a trickle of blood from a cut rolling down his face. (Yikes. We really couldn’t give the guy another five minutes to go dab a tissue on that, Idol producers?) He sings Edwin McCain’s “I’ll Be”, which we specifically marked as one of the 11 Things We Don’t Want To Hear In Season 11, but we guess Ethan didn’t read our post. Ethan isn’t as impressive as good as the judges think he is, but we are a little touched when his estranged dad, who has abused drugs and alcohol his whole life, tells him over the phone that he’s now clean and sober.

Today is the last day of auditions, as the Hollywood Rounds begin next Wednesday February 8. In our seven episode recaps, we have a total of 33 singers worth keeping an eye on — so refresh yourself on the Savannah, Pittsburgh, San Diego, Aspen, Houston and Portland auditions, and begin campaigning for your favorite to make it to the finals!

What did you think of the St. Louis auditions? Which contestant impressed you the most? Let us know what you think on Facebook, Twitter, or in the comments below.

The Top 5 Contestants To Watch From The Portland Auditions:

Brittany Zika, 21. If you’re going to be in Portland, you might as well begin with a hipster. Enter Brittany, wearing black-framed glasses, suspenders and a hat right out of the costume department of Portlandia. Brittany, who seriously claims that her nickname is “Tripster The Hipster”, has a thing for Sara Bareilles, but instead chooses to sing Brandi Carlisle’s “The Story”. We find her voice sweet and syrupy, and Steven remarks, “You look nothing like how you sound.” We like her, and so do the judges, and she’s off to Hollywood. We hope she abandons the hipster shtick before she gets there.

Jermaine Jones, 24. This self-proclaimed Mama’s Boy has a big heart – and extremely long pants (he’s 6’8 and a half inches tall!). Jermaine sings “Superstar”, and he’s got a low, friendly tone to his voice. We think Jermaine could potentially do very well in this competition – he’s reminds us of Ruben Studdard if you stretched him out.

Britnee Kellogg, 27. Brittani breaks down into tears as soon as she’s asked why she’s there. She has two children, a cheating ex, and a sly sense of revenge, since she chooses to sing “You’re No Good”. Thankfully, she is plenty good, and she’s off to Hollywood. Before Britnee leaves, she asks Jennifer Lopez how she manages to be a mom while having a career, because this is 1954 and no one has figured out how to do that yet.

Romeo Diahn, 22. Talk about a dramatic back story. Romeo and his family fled Liberia in the early 90s and spent years living in a refugee camp in Ghana. He shyly performs Bob Marley’s “Is This Love”, and though it’s nothing special, we’re moved anyway. However, we have to agree with J.Lo (before she lets him through with a “little yes”) that we’re dubious how far Romeo will get in this competition with the types of songs he’ll have to sing. Still, aren’t you curious to hear Romeo on country music night?

Jessica Phillips, 25. Oh man, we’re running out of Kleenex. Jessica’s sob story is that her boyfriend had a stroke, was in a coma, came out of the coma with disabilities, and now she’s his primary caretaker. Remember a few episodes ago when living in a tent in the woods seemed like a tragedy? Well this is a million times worse. Jessica sings “Angel” by Faith Evans, and can you imagine if she was anything other than amazing? If the producers are going to include the audition of someone with this heartbreaking  back story, you better believe they’re going to be awesome. And she is.

Tonight: we get to see the St. Louis auditions, and a preview of Madonna’s new video for “Give Me All Your Luvin’”!

What did you think of the Portland auditions? Which contestant impressed you the most? Let us know what you think on Facebook, Twitter, or in the comments below.

Cheyenne James, 17. To be honest, Cheyenne isn’t that great. But she’s in a montage of auditions that causes a rift between Jennifer, Randy and Steven — because they can’t all agree on the talent, or lack thereof, in front of them — that turns out to be one of the highlights in this otherwise blase episode. “It is Jennifer versus the Boy’s Club,” declares Ryan Seacrest.

Kristine Osorio, 28. Right — on to the good singers, like mother of three Kristine Osorio, who is currently going through a divorce and uses the money she she got by taking out a loan to travel to the Idol audition rather than paying her divorce lawyer. Turns out it’s money well spent, because this tatted-up Texas flower can not only sing — her rendition of Adele’s “One And Only” truly is stunning — she’s also off to Hollywood.

Alejandro Cazares, 26. Oops! Did we say it was time to watch the good singers? ¡Viva la Revolución!

Baylie Brown, 21. Alright, alright. At least we spared you Phong Vu. On to this sweet 21-year-old nanny who first auditioned back in Season 6 and initially made it through, but crashed and burned during the dreaded group rounds in Hollywood. Randy is the only judge still around to remember, so it’s a somewhat fresh start for Baylie. She gives Bon Jovi’s “Bed Of Roses” a country twist. And with that, she’s off to Hollywood…again.

Ramiro Garcia, 28. This worship leader comes packed with the episode’s required sob story. He was born without ears. Doctors told his parents that he would never be able to hear or speak, but by age 4 he began to have surgeries to build ears — and it was discovered that he actually had ear drums. Appropriately, Ramiro sings “Amazing Grace”. (And how sweet the sound is!) “I like your insides,” Steven tells him. And the other judges agree.

Fifty-four singers made it through to Hollywood during the Texas auditions, though, again, you wouldn’t know it by the length of time spent on both Phong and Alejandro. Oh, well — Idol is off to the Pacific Northwest city of Portland next week.

What did you think of the Houston/Galveston auditions? Which contestant impressed you the most? Let us know what you think on Facebook, Twitter, or in the comments below.

Angie Zeiderman, 25. As mentioned above, Aspen’s best didn’t really impress (us, at least). So let’s start with the most fun hopefuls. Self-described vintage glitter queen (!) Angie Zeiderman is a waitress and part time singer. She struts in wearing her little flowered dress and proceeds to shake, twirl and drop to her knees while singing “If You’ve Got It, Flaunt It” from The Producers. Jennifer Lopez sees something in this Gaga-esque diva, but Randy isn’t into it… until she then sings “Blue Bayou”, and his mind is totally changed. Show the boys your birthday suit, Angie!

Magic Cyclops. This dude of unknown age definitely marches to the beat of his own drum, only that drum is banging away somewhere in the Twilight Zone. Davenport, Iowa native Magic Cyclops has a British accent from, he says, growing up and watching too much PBS programming. He also notes he had to leave his hometown because he owes  a lot of riverboat gambling debt, and he’s the proud owner of 11,000 air guitars (which, according to him, is five less air guitars than some guy in Belgium has). He screams out “Cracklin’ Rose” for the judges, and Neil Diamond must be so, so proud. So does he make it through? Randy gets up to take a bathroom break rather than vote, so there’s your answer.

Haley Smith, 18. Hippie chick Haley Smith loves the outdoors and does housecleaning, buses tables at a restaurant and is a vegetarian who makes sausage out of “ground everything”. She also apparently has a thing for old Rufus and Chaka Khan tunes, as she auditions with “Tell Me Something Good”. We find her interpretation of the R&B song to be sharp and, if we’re honest, kind of grating, but the judges love it and so she’s through.

Jairon Jackson, 19. One of the few decent Aspen auditions comes from this guy. Despite the advice of his friends, he belts out an original number that he wrote, because, as he says, “I have a lot of faith in this song.” J.Lo is instantly smitten with Jairon’s R&B tune, and declares that he’s “a lover.” Do you agree?

Shelby Tweten, 17. Sob story time! Young Shelby was diagnosed as being bipolar last year and has been struggling with depression since 4th grade. “American Idol has given me a reason to stay on my meds,” she says. (Hmmm. If only the same could be said for Magic Cyclops.) The sweet teen’s audition song is Carrie Underwood’s “Temporary Home”, and she’s actually not too bad. We just wonder if she’s going to be emotionally equipped to handle the intense pressure of the dreaded Hollywood Rounds after earning her golden ticket?

When all was said, done and sung, 31 crooners in Colorado made it through to Hollywood. Next up: Idol heads to Houston.

What did you think of the Aspen auditions? Which contestant impressed you the most? Let us know what you think on Facebook, Twitter, or in the comments below.

Jane Carrey, 24. If Ace Ventura’s daughter displays a somewhat laid back attitude about her famous father, there’s a good reason. “He’s not the most extravagant celebrity, so it’s been fairly normal,” Jane says during her intro. “It is difficult growing up in the shadow of something and trying to find your place in the world underneath this huge shadow.” At any rate, Jane found her way to Idol, where J.Lo immediately is thrown for a loop. “Do you remember me? I was one of the fly girls,” the onetime In Living Color dancer and Jim Carrey co-star asks. Jane’s reply: “I think I was like 2.” Aaanyway, Jane sings Bonnie Raitt’s “Something To Talk About”, and she’s just alright. The judges see her potential — and likely her ability to up the curiosity factor among viewers — and thus send her through to her hometown of Hollywood.

Ali Shields, 19. Another hopeful who is no stranger to the spotlight at this point is Lodi, California native Ali Shields. Her claim to fame is that she wrote a song for Ellen DeGeneres, which led to the daytime talk show host/former Idol judge calling Ali up on stage and assigning her the gig of doing red carpet interviews at the American Music Awards in 2010 — where she landed her first kiss with Mike Posner. And her second kiss with Usher. And her third kiss with… where were we? Oh, right — Ali’s rap audition. The Femcee spits out Chris Brown’s “Look At Me Now” for the judges and then, upon request from Randy, does some “ghetto dancing”. Classy. Let’s just say her booty-shakin’ is better than her singing on Corinne Bailey Rae’s “Like A Star”. Still, she manages to get a golden ticket. (Personality, it seems, does go a long way.)

Ashley Robles, 26. We’re absolutely smitten with this single mom/insurance account manager/DJ. And, in our minds, she gives the best audition by belting out — not to mention absolutely nailing — Whitney Houston’s version of “I Will Always Love You”. Super cute daughter, too.

Kyle Crews, 19. This blond-haired California native has “a tendency to serenade every pretty girl” he sees at his UC Berkley frat house. Awww. What a charmer. He even flirts with judge Jennifer by dedicating his audition song, Monica’s “Angel Of Mine”, to her. Turns out he’s got the pipes to back up his Casanova ways. (Kyle, you really have got to lose that flannel shirt, though.) “Best male voice we’ve heard yet,” Steven Tyler announces. Do you agree?

Jason “Wolf” Hamlin, 24. The final one we see auditioning in San Diego is golf course mechanic Jason Hamlin, aka Wolf. The burly dude tells Ryan that many of his female friends want him to plant a kiss on the Idol host. Despite this, he declines from doing so… until after his audition. Speaking of which, Wolf sings two songs — Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Midnight Special” and Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues”, the latter on which he plays a guitar his father, who died two years ago, made. Jason is just okay, to be honest. He’s kind of screamy on the Johnny Cash tune, but again, it’s personality that wins the judges over.

Finally Seacrest gets that kiss on the cheek. “Thank you for channeling the ladies,” he mutters to Wolf. And with that, Idol is off to see what talent Colorado has in store for Wednesday’s upcoming episode.

What did you think of the San Diego auditions? Which contestant impressed you the most? Let us know what you think on Facebook, Twitter, or in the comments below.

Tonight was the second episode of American Idol Season 11 — what’s that? You didn’t watch the first night? Well, why not? There were some great contestants, Jennifer Lopez looked painfully gorgeous as usual, and what else are you going to do with your time, read a book? Talk with loved ones? Please! Though the 11th season premiere’s ratings fell short of last season’s — and the previous eight seasons before that, too — perhaps folks were more interested in what talent Pittsburgh, The City Of Champions, had to offer. Head below for the five contestants to keep an eye on, even if for no other reason than the drama that may inevitably surround them come Hollywood Week. 

Top 5 People To Watch from the Pittsburgh auditions:

Heejun Han, 22. Now here’s an interesting one to start off the episode. Heejan, who is originally from Korea, sings Michael Bolton’s “How Am I Supposed To Live Without You”, or as he says it with some curious syntax: “How. Am I. Supposed. To Live. Without You.” The show totally sets up Heejun to be a joke: he’s socially awkward, has all sorts of tics, a lack of self confidence, and even his own family has never heard him sing. But – whaaaaaa??? – he’s actually pretty good! It’s rare for us to get faked out by a contestant set up as a punchline who turns out to actually have a fairly pleasant voice.

Reed Grimm, 26. The very handsome, very lanky Reed has been in a family band a la The Partridge Family for basically his whole life, but apparently it was the classic TGIF show Family Matters that influenced him the most as a singer, as he chooses to perform the ABC sitcom’s theme song. And, against all odds, he makes it extremely entertaining. He’s basically this season’s Casey Abrams — a scatting goofball, and I love him immediately.

Eben Franckewitz, 15. He says people say he looks like Justin Bieber; we think he looks more like Greyson Chance. Unfortunately, his singing ability is much shakier and more Broadway than his teen pop predecessors. The judges sail him to Hollywood anyway, and though we’re not impressed, we’re curious to see how much he progresses as the season continues. (And to see who the pre-teen girls flock to more – the baby-faced Eben, or the zygote-faced Mr. Steal Your Girl.)

Travis Orlando, 17. Travis brings out the biggest sob story of the show so far – his mom bailed on him, his brother, and his sick dad, and now he lives in a shelter and had to drop out of high school. Travis does a decent job with “Isn’t She Lovely” and he seems like a nice kid, but I think he would have been a no had he not turned on the waterworks and had such a depressing back story. Keep an eye on him, though, to see just how often his tragic homelife gets mentioned in future episodes to prove just how high the stakes are for Travis.

Hallie Day, 24. Hallie Day – no relation to Howie Day, mind you – has the most unsettling backstory yet. After dropping out of high school, joining a girl group called Plum Crazy (Congratulations! We found a worse girl group name than Wild Orchid), she suffered depression and attempted to kill herself by swallowing a bunch of pills. Holy cow, this is a bummer. Hallie knows the power of tying your song to your backstory, though, and sings “I Will Survive”, changing it up enough to make a song that has stopped being interesting years ago, interesting again.

We have to add that our favorite part of tonight’s episode didn’t involve any of the above five contestants. Instead, it was The Look Jennifer Lopez gave auditioner/coal miner Shane Bruce when he introduced his performance of Leonard Cohen’s incredibly famous song “Hallelujah”  as follows: “Ever see Shrek? You know that ‘Hallelujah’ song that plays through there?”

Yes, Shane. J.Lo knows of that song. And, like us, she probably never wants to hear it again. (Or at least she doesn’t want to hear it referred to as a song from Shrek.)

What did you think of the Pittsburgh auditions? Which contestant impressed you the most? Let us know what you think on Facebook, Twitter, or in the comments below.

And we’re back! After the inaugural seasons of both The Voice and The X Factor, we’ve returned to the Original Don of singing reality competitions! (Shut up, Star Search, no one remembers you.) As pointed out to us at the very start of the episode, contestants this season have had American Idol in their lives since age 6 – that’s two thirds of their entire lives. For them, there basically was never a time when American Idol wasn’t on the air. (Scary, huh? Feeling old yet?) For me, American Idol premiered as I was preparing to graduate high school, not knowing where my life would take me… and it led me to a job where I blog regularly about American Idol. Funny how those things work out.

For the Season 11 premiere, the show flew down to Savannah, Georgia to seek out some talent. And, lo and behold, there actually was some!

Before we get to the five most promising contestants of the night, let’s talk about the panel. It’s Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler’s second year on the show, and many of our problems with their style of “judging” from last season still hold true — they’re too coddling, they appear afraid of telling contestants the hard truth, they take too many chances on just-okay singers. (We thought we told you not to do that anymore!)

But we’re happy to report that there’s at least a little bit of actual judging in place for Season 11. The otherwise likeable Jessica Whitley sounded like a tone-deaf Shakira, and Randy couldn’t even hide his disgust, calling it “awful” while Steven used some basketball metaphor to describe why they’re passing on her. (Jessica threatens that she’ll be back in Texas – can’t wait!) And when Stephanie Renae became the sole person on Earth who would choose to sing Season 4’s coronation song “Inside Your Heaven”, the judges told her to open her mouth more so her vocals wouldn’t sound so nasal. Actual advice! Wow! (Though if they really wanted to give her a tip, it would be to avoid that song altogether.)

The 5 People To Watch from the Savannah auditions:

David Leathers, 17. If you thought Justin Bieber looked young for his age, David must be suffering from Benjamin Button disease, because he looks all of 11-years-old. David’s nickname is “Mr. Steal Your Girl” (”When I sing, all the girls are like, ‘David, I love you!’” he explains) and, coincidentally, was in talent show with Scotty McCreery a few years back… and he finished first, with Scotty coming in second.  David is confident, and he’s definitely got swag. His arrogance might will definitely be a problem in the future, but he’ll be an interesting one to watch.

Amy Brunfield, 24. Amy from Tennessee lives in a tent in the woods with her boyfriend and dog. Seriously – the Blair Witch has better accommodation than Amy. She sings Alicia Keys’ “Superwoman”, and though it doesn’t wow us, we’re feeling charitable enough to want this poor gal to get a free trip to Hollywood. And hey, Jewel once lived in a van, so you never know!

Lauren Mink, 25. This blonde-haired natural beauty sang Gywenth Paltrow’s “Country Strong” better than Gywneth ever could. I really like her, and I hate that I do, because the last thing I want is another country singer to win this thing. But here she is!

Schyler, 16 and Colton Dixon, 19. First utterance of the phrase “In it to win it” wasn’t by Randy, shockingly, but was from Schyler Dixon. Schyler auditioned with her brother Colton during Season 10, but this year he was sitting this one out… until the judges practically beg him to audition. (You’d think, since he didn’t really get that far in the competition last year, why are they going so gaga over him now?) Anyway, we love us some sibling rivalries and family drama, so we’ll be keeping our eyes on these two. (And yes, we know including both Dixons makes this list actually Six People To Watch, but as far as we’re concerned, they count as one person until one inevitably gets voted off before the other one.)

Philip Phillips, 20. The man so nice, they named him twice. If you’re looking for a non-threatening young man who plays the guitar to swoon over this season, here you go. After performing a jolting rendition of “Superstitious”, he picked up his guitar and turned Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” on its head. We’re sold.

What did you think of American Idol’s 11th Season premiere? Which contestant impressed you the most? Let us know what you think on Facebook, Twitter, or in the comments below.

Solange Knowles: “The most beautiful girl in the world.”

Nick Cannon: “Congratulations To Jay-Z And Beyonce On Their Baby Girl!”

Diddy: “Congrats to jay and B! God Bless :) ! And many more!”

Wynter Gordon: “more important than anything tho is Beyonce giving birth to the golden child.”

Kat De Luna: “Congratz to Beyonce and Jay Z! Welcome to the World little Princesa Blue Ivy Carter!”

Ryan Seacrest: “Congrats beyonce and jay-z on their little child of destiny, Blue Ivy! #watchthecrib”

Gwyneth Paltrow: “Welcome to the world Blue! We love you already.”

OneRepublic: “Congrats Beyonce & Sean- it would seem musical royalty has just been born.”

Sky Ferreira: “We’re all really jealous of that baby.”

No word on Twitter from Kanye West or Kelly Rowland yet, two celebrities we’d love to get reactions from. What do you think of the name Blue Ivy, celebrating her parents’ musical success (Blue = The Bueprint, Ivy = IV = 4)?