I have to admit up front, I didn’t see this coming. Not at all. No clue. And I also have to admit I’m sorely disappointed in America’s vote.

The elimination of Lilly Scott before the round of 12 is a brutal travesty.

This is the biggest black eye in American Idol history.

“I don’t know what America wants,” Lilly said moments after hearing the news Thursday night.

I don’t think I’m alone when I say there was potential for a Lilly vs. Crystal matchup in the finals in late May. Well, we don’t have to worry about that. I find it almost impossible to believe America voted her off the show and kept the likes of  … well, more about that in a minute.

Also eliminated were Alex, Katelyn and Todrick.

I also had Alex as a lock for the round of 12. The voice. The mullet. And I thought Katelyn and her great hair would survive for at least another week. Todrick was the only elimination pick of the night I had correct, but it was obvious he was pretty much toast after Wednesday.

But overriding all of that is the loss of Lilly. I am so-o-o-o upset right now. For starters, how in the world are Paige, Katie, Lacey and Tim still alive and Lilly is gone?

TAKE AWAY THE VOTE FROM AMERICA?

The elimination of Lilly at this point in the competition is enough reason to completely take away the vote from America and put it in the hands of the judges or some form of on-air committee.

Sure, the uncertainty of what will happen from week to week is part of the show’s appeal, but this is akin to LeBron James being cut from the NBA or Albert Pujols sent to the minor leagues by the Cardinals.

This was not right. It was not even close. The only moment in Idol history that is comparable came in 2006 when Chris Daughtry was eliminated in fourth place behind Elliott Yamin, Kat McPhee and champ Taylor Hicks.

This was not a good moment in American Idol history.

LOOKING AHEAD

With the loss of Lilly and Alex, in particular, some of the buzz is already missing from the round of 12. Here’s how I view who is left, but after what happened Thursday night, there is a part of me that doesn’t even care right now.

Safe, no matter what they do next week: Crystal, Casey, Didi, Michael, Aaron, Alex.

Need a strong performance to remain relevant: Andrew, Shioban, Lee.

In trouble, no matter how they perform: Katie, Paige, Tim.

THE TOP 10
(last week’s rankings in parentheses)

1. (1.) Crystal Bowersox: Next week’s theme is Rolling Stones songs. It will be interesting to see what kind of spin she puts on Mick Jagger. I hope she selects something along the lines of “As Tears Go By.” That song was originally written for Marianne Faithfull, so it wouldn’t be as if Crystal would be trying to reach beyond the natural boundaries of a song.

2. (3.) Casey James: The Stones could play into Casey’s strength as a “presence.” He’s one of the few in this year’s competition who has the potential to truly “own the stage,” and there are plenty of Stones songs to allow him to do that.

3. (6.) Didi Bename: She’s the 2010 version of Meghan Joy Corkrey — only with a lot more talent.

4. (NR) Michael Lynche: Looking back over the past two years, it has been hard for any of the finalists to string together three straight powerhouse performances. Big Mike currently has two in a row going for him.

5. (8.) Aaron Kelly: Aaron has surprisingly proven to be one of the competition’s most versatile performers. He still needs to work on getting rid of that scowl while he’s singing.

6. (5.) Siobhan Magnus: I really don’t see Siobhan as a pop singer, but watch out, Broadway.

7. (10.) Lee Dewyze: If Lee ever starts to believe he truly belongs here, we’ll have another title threat. I still get the impression he’s much like Alex, simply waiting for the ax to fall.

8. (2.) Andrew Garcia: I have done a complete 180 on Andrew in the past week. I thought the judges had been too hard on him, but I was wrong. He has not progressed at all. And I’m still kind of ticked off at his remarks Wednesday night when he more or less blew off what the judges said, telling us that his fans will continue to vote for him. Well, he’s still in the competition, but for how much longer? Three weeks ago I was envisioning a championship matchup between Andrew and Crystal. That seems like a long, long time ago.

9. (NR) Tim Urban: He’s arguably shown as much improvement as anyone the past two weeks, but I’m still shocked he made it this far.

10. (NR) Lacey Brown: Her quirkiness is her biggest asset, and we see how far that got Lilly. (Yes, I’m still bitter.)

On the bubble: Katie Stevens, Paige Miles.

IDOL THOUGHTS

Michael Lynche was a defensive tackle at the University of Central Florida from 2001-02. The accompanying picture is proof.

Has any frontrunner in Idol history fallen from grace as quickly as Andrew Garcia has since the round of 24 began?

(Note: The following two items were written before Thursday’s show. Considering what transpired, I felt it appropriate not to remove them.)

I think my favorite single performance of the season to date has been Lilly Scott’s “I Fall To Pieces” by Patsy Cline. I keep replaying and replaying and replaying it.

Speaking of Lilly, I had lunch Thursday with a longtime blog contributor, “Nurse Kelly,” and she said Lilly is her least favorite performer. Of course, Nurse Kelly is wrong, but that just shows why Idol is so popular. Everyone views the contestants in a different way. Some are just wrong in those examinations.

FROM AROUND THE IDOL NATION

From People.com: Michael Lynche, obviously determined to come out and just kill, performed “This Woman’s Work.” Well, he killed. He started and ended with a piercing falsetto and, between those two points, danced and sang up a small storm.  What matters is that Kara cried — she became Paula! Tim Urban, the hopeless case who unexpectedly redeemed himself, sang “Hallelujah” and, for once, his voice rang out and he lost his general air of befuddled struggle. Ellen, broking ancient Idol protocol that dates back to the fifth century, rushed on to the stage and game him a hug. “That was fantastic,” she said. The general air of the judges was that they were in the presence of a minor miracle.

From votefortheworst.com: The judges’ tone-deaf inconsistencies and banalities continue, and it’s frustrating because their comments seem to come completely out of the blue.

From MTV.com: Lee Dewyze made it clear that he intends to hang around, coming out strong with a Dave Matthews-like acoustic ramble through Owl City’s “Fireflies.” It wasn’t always on key, but he made up for it with his infectious charm and barroom sandpaper drawl.

From zap2it.com: Now that Crystal’s made the Top 12, next week she needs to change it up or she will become a one-note performer. A very good one-note performer, but one-note nonetheless.

The separation is official. After three weeks of finals competition, there is no doubt about the class of the girls’ side of the Idol bracket.

Crystal, Lilly and Didi are the best, no question. Each possesses a unique sound and presence, although Didi is the weakest of the three when it comes to owning the stage, but we’ll allow her some growing pains for a few more weeks. Crystal and Lilly simply own the spotlight.

Tuesday night solidified the trio’s place in the competition.

THE BEST

1. Crystal Bowersox: Each time she steps on the Idol stage, Crystal raises the bar. This week was no different. Her take on Tracy Chapman’s “Give Me One Reason” might have been better than the original, thanks to Bowersox’s bluesy influence. She is just so go-o-o-o-od. Key comments:

Randy: “Love that, love you, love the honesty.”

Ellen: “I need new adjectives for you. Best performance of the night.”

Kara: “You know what to do.”

Simon: “What you have now is confidence. You are the one everyone has to beat.”

2. Lilly Scott: It’s too bad Lilly had to be in the competition the same year as Crystal. Otherwise, this might be the performer to beat. I think “I Fall To Pieces” by Patsy Cline was her best performance to date. We were able to hear more of her “lower register” as Kara might say. It wouldn’t surprise me to see a Crystal vs. Lilly showdown in the finals. Mark it down, you heard it first on March 9.

Randy: “You’re in a zone right now.”

Ellen: “Loved your originality.”

Kara: “You made Patsy Cline feel current.”

Simon: “You’re very brave choosing a song like that on a night like this. It was cute, quirky… and that’s what you’re all about … but it didn’t have the wow factor.”

Didi Benami

3. Didi Bename: In no way, was Didi’s “Rhiannon” by Fleetwood Mac a marvelous performance, but she has that incredible tone to her voice and this was a great, great showing in that regard. Once she masters the stage presence thing, this will be one dynamite artist. Didi’s going to be around a long time in this competition, simply on the strength of her unique sound. Key comments:

Ellen: “Yes indeedy, Didi. I liked what you did with that song.”

Kara: “One of my favorite moments … of the season.”

Simon: “I thought it was a brilliant song choice.”

THE BORDERLINE

4. Katelyn Epperly: She looks like a star, but her interpretation of Carole King’s “I Feel the Earth Move” was uneven and kind of left me scratching my head. Key comments:

Randy: “Kind of boring.”

Kara: “I just felt like you were going through the motions.”

Simon: “I liked your hair.”

5. Siobhan Magnus: Could she possibly top last week’s “Think” and The Note? She went retro again with “House of the Rising Sun” by the Animals, but put a new spin on it. I kept waiting for her to cut loose, but that trademark Siobhan oomph never quite materialized. Kind of a downer. Kind of disappointing. Obviously, the majority of the judges saw her differently. Only Simon and I agreed.  She has nothing to worry about, as far as being voted off the show. America loves her. Key comments:

Randy: “You take every risk … you’re hot.”

Ellen: “You are why I love music.”

Simon: “I was underimpressed.”

6. Katie Stevens: Poor, confused Katie. She has no idea what she is doing. She is trying, but she’s just overmatched. Her version of “Breakaway” by Kelly Clarkson wasn’t horrible, it just wasn’t great, and at this stage of the game it has simply has to be. Key comments:

Ellen: “You were singing the words, but I don’t think you were feeling them.”

Kara: “I don’t think you know you are as an artists yet.”

7. Lacey Brown: Maybe my TV needs adjusted, but I was even less impressed with Lacey than Katie. The judges seemed to like “The Story” by Randy Carlisle, but I felt it was the second-worst overall performance of the evening, although nowhere near as bad as Paige Miles’ effort. Lacey was rather boring and pitchy (I don’t think I have ever used that term before), but at least she looked great. I have to think she’ll join Paige in being voted off Thursday night, even if the judges feel otherwise. Key comments:

Randy: “Your best performance in a long time.”

Kara: “Performances like this are why you got here.”

Simon: “I didn’t love the song, but you sang it really, really well.”

Paige Miles

THE DISASTER

8. Paige Miles: The absolute worst performance of the night by a mile. She sang “Smile” by Charlie Chaplin and it was wretched, wretched, wretched. Off key, boring, blah. There were more things wrong with this performance than the Illinois state budget. Pack your bags, babe. The party’s over.

Randy: “It didn’t work at all.”

Simon: “It was a horrible choice and the arrangement was terrible.”

IDOL THOUGHTS

Jason Castro’s new album will be in stores April 13.

The hour-long format was so much better, not so much wasted time and meaningless chatter. It is easier to get a better feel for the artists when they are grouped closer together, instead of one song every 10 to 12 minutes.

I liked Kara’s straight hair look.

Simon seemed in an especially chipper mood. Maybe that engagement thing is working for him.

FROM AROUND THE IDOL NATION

From Billboard.com: Steve Lillywhite wants to “help America find the next Elvis Presley.” And that’s why the Grammy Award-winning producer — with U2, the Dave Matthews Band, Jason Mraz, Morrissey, the Rolling Stgones, Phish and scores of others on his resume — wants to be American Idol’s next Simon Cowell. The British-born, New York-based Lillywhite has mounted a full-scale campaign to be considered for the job Cowell will be vacating after this season to helm the U.S. rollout of his British TV series The X Factor. Lillywhite has hired an agent and publicist. He’s also posted a short clip on YouTube extolling his bona-fides, and he’s recently filmed “a slightly more professional” video that will be out soon.

From APP.com: Simon Cowell believes a woman is likely to win his final season on American Idol. “We’ve had a few years of guys winning the show, and I would say there is definitely a better chance of a girl winning the show this year, certainly, than last year,” Cowell said.

From Michael Slezak, Entertainment Weekly: Yes, yes, I realize that sentiment is as corn-filled as a Frito-pie. But after enduring 16 consecutive episodes of Idol that left me wondering if, perhaps, our nation’s pool of undiscovered singing talent had dried up — and that had me feeling a little wistful for the days of Mikalah Gordon and Anthony Fedorov! — I’m relieved to discover there’s a little life in Idol yet. In fact, based on the promise of performances by Katelyn Epperly, Lilly Scott, Crystal Bowersox, Siobhan Magnus, and even Michelle Delamor and Didi Benami, the show appears, in fact, to have a lot of strength left.

From ContactMusic.com: Simon Cowell has fired back at “idiot” Sting for dismissing the music mogul’s reality singing contests as “televised karaoke.” The former Police frontman blasted Cowell last year, claiming the talent spotter was exploiting talentless wannabees, who are then “humiliated” in a bid to boost television ratings on shows like American Idol and The X Factor. Sting said, “The X Factor is a preposterous show and you have judges who have no recognizable talent apart from self-promotion, advising them (contestants) what to wear and how to look. It is appalling.” Cowell didn’t respond straight away but now he’s taking aim at Sting, slamming the star for begrudging anybody else a chance to become a star. In a new interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan, who is a judge on Cowell’s America’s Got Talent show, he says, “First of all, anybody who at the age of 60 calls himself Sting is an idiot. I find those kind of people … who come from quite humble beginnings and they’re (now) living in these stately homes, professing to know everything about everything in the world, and what the contestants may or may not feel … They can say that because they’ve got everything they want in their lives, but what they’re really saying is anybody else who needs a shot shouldn’t be allowed to do it.”