Paige Miles News

Tonight, 'American Idol' presented a special episode, benefitting 'Idol Gives Back,' the historic Emmy Award-winning television event and music celebration, that has raised more than $140 million to benefit charities around the world and across the United States. Tonight, 'Idol' saluted a number of charities, including Feeding America, Save the Children, the United Nations Foundation, the Elton John Aids Foundation, and Idol Aid.

'Idol' is down to 10. Tonight was by far one of the most important nights of 'Idol;' those who make it through tonight earn a spot on the summer tour and (presumably) the opportunity to sell a ton of records. On such an important night, there as at least one surprise, with the bottom three consisting of Paige Miles, Tim Urban, and, shockingly, Katie Stevens. Stevens wasn't bad last night, and it's a bit of a surprise to see her among this group.

'American Idol' featured the teen sensation Miley Cryus as the contestant's coach on their songs for this week. Cyrus was surprisingly helpful in her comments to the top 11 and it was clear she had done her homework, knowing each person's strengths and weaknesses. Several singers gave strong performances this week, while the weaker contestants missed the mark again. The theme was back to number one Billboard hits and, even though it seems like it should be easy to make a good song choice out of the thousands of possibilities, it was still a struggle for many of the singers.

Miley Cyrus will appear as a guest mentor on AMERICAN IDOL and help the Top 11 finalists - Didi Benami, Crystal Bowersox, Lee Dewyze, Andrew Garcia, Casey James, Aaron Kelly, Michael Lynche, Siobhan Magnus, Paige Miles, Katie Stevens and Tim Urban - prepare for their performances on a Billboard No.1 Hits-themed show airing Tuesday, March 23 (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX.

It is now down to 11 'American Idol' hopefuls as another contestant, Lacey Brown, was eliminated during the results show that aired last night, Wednesday, March 17th. American Idol season 7 winner David Cook made an appearance and sang the Rolling Stones hit 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' and guest performer Ke$sha took to the stage to sing her hit 'Blah Blah Blah'.

Tonight, 'Idol' was forced to let go of the first of the top 12. After a night of good performances, it's tough to see the performers go home, but it's clear that some deserve it more than others. The bottom three on the night were Lacey Brown, Paige Miles, and Tim Urban, the three performers who had the weakest performances. The drama was high tonight, as 'Idol' as we found out who would be the first to go.

'Idol' has finally reached the top 12 contestants of season nine, where they make the jump from a small, intimate stage to the full audience at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. This is where the eventual 'Idol' winner will be crowned and it presents a new set of challenges to the singers, who now have a fill a much larger space with their talent. Luckily, many of the contestants were able to step up immediately, as the performances tonight were, in general, very strong. It was an excellent showing and proved why each of the contestants has earned their way into the top 12.

Pop sensations Ke$ha and Orianthi will take the stage on this week's live AMERICAN IDOL results show Wednesday, March 17 (9:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX.

Pop sensations Ke$ha and Orianthi will take the stage on this week's live AMERICAN IDOL results show Wednesday, March 17 (9:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX.

A night with a number of surprises rounded out the final separation of the guys and girls, as America found out the twelve contestants that will make up the finals of "American Idol." Each of the contestants sent home this evening had standout performance within the past three weeks and many contestants who did make it through were shocked at their fate.

Ladies night tonight featured the top eight women remaining on "Idol." On a night that Simon called "the worst night to go" and is widely regarded as one of the more important nights in the competition, several contestants came out strong, while a few made terrible choices that may spell the end of the show for them. It seemed a generally safe night for many of the contestants, but was entertaining nonetheless.

The top 16 contestants of FOX's 'American Idol' pose for the camera as they get ready to move ahead to next week's showdown.

The women were back tonight and ready to perform after last night's last minute switch. The theme was still Billboard Chart Toppers and the night had some songs that were up to Billboard caliber. Others, however, fell flat, as contestants were again plagued by poor song choices. Of all the judges, Randy seemed most frustrated by the multitude of poor choices. Hopefully this is a skill that will come with time and the contestants will get better. Some of the ladies, however, knew exactly where they wanted to be and were spot on in their selection.

In a year where 'Idol' is clearly pushing for a female winner, the first performances by the top twelve women was quite a letdown. Even the judges seemed to notice a rather lackluster group of performances from each of the twelve female finalists, with Simon seemingly growing more and more frustrated as the night went on. There were few bright spots in the evening that should have been a step up from the final performance in Hollywood, but none of the contestants progressed, with many of them taking a step backward on the first night.

After learning the first seven of the Top 24 last night, tonight's episode left audiences in anticipation, waiting to see if their favorite singers would be selected through to the next round. Some of the choices seemed obvious (i.e. Andrew Garcia), while others left audiences wondering if they would receive good news or leave the judging room in tears.

On Wednesday, AMERICAN IDOL revealed the remaining 17 semifinalists in the season's top 24 contenders. (Spoiler Warning: Do not read ahead if you don't want to know yet who the top 24 are.)