And then there were seven.

We lost Andrew Garcia and Katie Stevens on another emotional Wednesday night Idol results show. No surprises, but it still kind of hurts at this stage of the competition.

Even though we all knew this week would be the end for Andrew — and I’m sure he did, too — it’s always sad to lose someone we have rooted for, been frustrated with and feel like we have come to know since January. The same for Katie, the kid with the Katie Holmes smirk, who like Andrew never really found her niche during this competition.

Andrew bowed out with the style and grace I expected of him, thanking everyone from the judges to the viewers at home. And he was right when he said the show provided an opportunity he would never have had. Fittingly, he sounded great in his farewell song. He sounded like the Andrew we had come to know early in the competition, the one that mysteriously disappeared for far too many weeks. It was time for him to leave, but I’ll miss Andrew.

I give Katie props for holding in the tears until the highlight reel of her and Andrew’s Idol journey. That’s when the teenage girl in her showed, and the tears flowed. I don’t think Katie has any real recording history in her future, but the high school kids are always fun to watch on this show to see how they handle the pressure and the criticism. Katie did amazingly well, I thought, and though it was time for her to go, too, I’ll miss that smirk.

Next week is “Inspirational Songs” with Alicia Keys as the mentor. If you ever happen to glance at my “I Have A Lot To Share” blog, you may have noticed I think Alicia Keys is arguably the most beautiful woman in the world, so .. yeah, I’m looking forward to Tuesday night. A lot.

SEASON TOP 7 … Last week’s rankings are in parentheses:

1. (1.) Crystal Bowersox: The Pride of Ohio may not have had her best week — in my opinion — but she remains far and above the finest talent of Season 9. What you need to remember, however, is that four times in the previous eight years the season-long “favorite” has not won the overall competition. Personally, I don’t think that will be the case this year because Crystal is just that much better than everyone else. But you never want to say never on Idol. (Part of me wants Crystal to break out “Hang On Sloopy” some week. Ohio State football fans will understand that.)

2. (2.) Casey James: I almost dropped Casey to No.3 in favor of Big Mike. But I feel Casey’s overall package this season has been stronger … but Big Mike has been gaining ground the past two weeks.

3. (3.) Michael Lynche: The Big Guy has been sporting the Superfly look in recent shows with The Hat. I think it works.

4. (4.) Siobhan Magnus: Has any contestant in recent years sported a more disgusted look than Siobhan when she is getting smacked by the judges? I have to think her attitude turns off a certain percentage of the voters. And that nose ring just annoys the heck out of me.

5. (8.) Tim Urban: As weird as this sounds, Tim (and his Fifth Beatle haircut) is that close to being considered a legitimate threat to reach the finals. Tim Nation grows larger and stronger each week. And remember, he only got into the final 24 when Chris Golightly was disqualified for lying about some of his background information.

6. (6.) Aaron Kelly: I think Aaron and Lee will be on the thinnest ice heading into next week.

7. (7.) Lee Dewyze: Lady Godiva and a few of the regular contributors to this blog have been giving me grief for underestimating Lee’s talents. Sorry, guys, I just don’t see him the class of Crystal, Casey, Big Mike or Siobhan, and his on-stage presence pales in comparison to Tim and Aaron.

IDOL THOUGHTS

34 million votes this week, a season high, according to Ryan Seacrest.

Another cheesy group number spotlighting some of the Elvis classics. This was actually so bad it was good in a campy sort of way.

Simon really looks bored … I think the wear of leaving the show and preparing for  the 2011 debut of X Factor are beginning to take their toll.

Ryan’s strange behavior this year has been noticed by more than myself and the Idol Nation readers. I saw a headline Wednesday that read “Has Ryan Seacrest lost His Freaking Mind?” Good question.

Siobhan had her combat boots on again. Love the boots.

FROM AROUND THE IDOL NATION

From Victoria Leigh Miller, Associated Content: Adam (Lambert) was awesome (as a mentor Tuesday night). He was one of the best mentors they’ve had so far. He was really honest and blunt, and he told them to step it up with their personalities, which is really what they need to do.

From Ann Donahue, Billboard.com: I…I…liked this? Again? I’ve liked Tim Urban performances two weeks in a row? He even managed to sort of do the falsetto that Adam suggested, although it was a bit tentative. I think he’s figured out that there’s one thing he can do pretty well, and he’s going to keep on doing it. He’s so safe for another week – and maybe much, much longer.

From Michael Slezak, Popwatch: The judges kept their comments (Tuesday night) positively spartan, and mostly totally useless. Randy Jackson, please define “in the zone.” Ellen DeGeneres, if all nine singers are “great” or “fantastic,” why bother sitting behind the judges’ table and offering feedback? And Simon, sometimes Kara DioGuardi has a point — like when she tried to tell Lee his “A Little Less Conversation” would’ve benefited from a flirtier, sexier vibe.

From Dalton Ross, NY1.com: While it may be a bit premature to say the reign of American Idol is over, the show is definitely suffering from a lackluster season and a glut of lackluster singers. Make no mistake, American Idol has had plenty of bad singers, like Camile Velasco, Carmen Rasmusen or Sanjaya Malakar. Yet never has there been a final group that was so consistently underwhelming, and not even in an amusing way. At least Sanjaya was spectacularly bad. The new crop has been the worst thing possible — unentertainingly bad. Aaron Kelly, Tim Urban, Katie Stevens and others are neither good nor awful enough to truly enjoy. They just sort of exist as easily-forgettable performers that fail to inspire much of anything.  American Idol is also suffering the lack of any true breakout performer. In years past, singers like Adam Lambert and Chris Daughtry brought heat and excitement to the show, even if they didn’t end up winning. Now, there is no performer this year that you have to watch each and every week. Sure, Crystal and Siobhan have some talent, and Big Mike has a fun personality, but none of the three are transcending the show in any way. While the lack of talent is the biggest problem this season, the judging is also problematic. Oh, how I miss Paula Abdul. She was absurd, but wonderfully so. You never knew what sort of nonsensical rambling was going to come out of her mouth, which made her the perfect person for live television. Randy, Kara and new judge Ellen DeGeneres, however, are a mix of bland and blander. Simon Cowell looks like he’s counting down the minutes until he can jump to his own creation, X Factor, which starts in 2011. The way this season is shaping up, I can’t say I blame him.

I have a 3-year-old niece named Kennedi, who can melt you with her smile and big, bright eyes. When Kennedi is excited, she will occasionally exclaim, “O-M-G!” Her parents have taught her to use that in place of any potential “bad” words.

If Kennedi happened to see Tim Urban’s Idol performance Tuesday night, I can guarantee you some of those OMGs were flying right and left.

Urban, the one-time punch line to every Idol joke earlier this season, has ascended to contender status. No, he’s not going to be the next American Idol, but our one-time favorite doormat is blossoming right before our very eyes. The top five is now a possibility.

Tim’s “(I Can’t Help) Falling In Love With You” was scintillating in a most understated way. After this performance, I declare myself a card-carrying member of Urban Renewal. He put an incredible spin on the Elvis classic, one that would not have had the King rolling over in his grave, but one that would at least make him smile. Thank you, thank you very much.

Here’s the rest of the rundown from Elvis Week, with Adam Lambert serving as guest mentor:

THE BRILLIANT

1. Tim Urban
Song: “(I Can’t Help) Falling In Love With You.”
Comment: This was Teflon Tim’s finest offering ever. Hands down. Outside of about three or four Crystal performances this season, there have been none I would honestly say “I would buy that” about — until this guy, the one we used to love to hate, gave us this eye-opening interpretation of my all-time favorite Elvis song.
Randy: “I actually liked it.”
Ellen: “I really enjoyed it.”
Kara: “Probably my favorite Tim performance ever.”
Simon: “”You have managed to go from zero to hero.”

2. Siobhan Magnus
Song: “Suspicious Minds”
Comment: Great night for Siobhan, despite a few of the comments from a couple of the judges who I thought were way off base. There are times when Kara and Simon simply go overtime to pick apart what appears to most of the free world to have been an incredible performance. This was one of those nights.
Randy: “I’m happy the big vocals are back.”
Ellen: “I really liked it a lot.”
Kara: “I wasn’t crazy about it.”
Simon: “It sounded very erratic. I think you lost who you were two or three weeks ago.”

3. Michael Lynche
Song: “In The Ghetto.”
Comment: Big Mike and Tim were on the exact same page, getting all soft and acoustic on us. Big Mike deserved to be saved a week ago and he showed us why with this performance.
Randy: “Those were high vocals, baby.”
Ellen: “I’m glad we saved you.”
Kara: “A great song.”
Simon: “One of my favorite performances.”

THE BEST

4. Aaron Kelly
Song: “Blue Suede Shoes.”
Comment: This was a pivotal week for The Kid. He needed to show us a different side, and he did. He needed to step up his game, and he did. I firmly believe he’s back in the game. Lee Dewyze needs to watch Aaron’s performances. Aaron has the stage presence Lee needs.
Randy: “It was a half-a-half for me.”
Ellen: “You didn’t get all the way there, but you did a really good job.”
Kara: “It felt more current and young. I … liked it.”
Simon: “I wasn’t crazy about it.”

5. Crystal Bowersox
Song: “Saved”
Comment: This was not one of those jaw-dropping performances by Crystal. She gave us a little more up-tempo sound with this Gospel-flavored effort. What I discovered during this number was I prefer the Bonnie Raitt/Tracy Chapman form of Crystal much more. Oh, she was solid as usual — and I’m not contesting that — I just like laid-back Crystal better.
Randy: “You have this whole blues cool vibe going. It was dope.”
Ellen: “Fantastic.”
Kara: “You did some really good things tonight.”
Simon: “You chose something that suited you … and didn’t fall into the karaoke trap.”

6. Casey James
Song: “Lawdy Miss Clawdy.”
Comment: Casey is much like Lee. Similar voices, but Casey stands out with what he brings to the stage. This was a bad song selection — in fact, just a bad song — but Casey’s personality pulled it from forgettable to passable.
Randy: “Another solid performance.”
Ellen: “It wasn’t as exciting as I would have liked to see.”
Kara: “I want to see more next week.”
Simon: “A wasted opportunity.”

7. Lee Dewyze
Song: “A Little Less Conversation.”
Comment: I love to hear him but it seems tough to watch him. I’m not sure he will ever be comfortable in front of a big audience. Obviously, the judges see more progress in that area than I have.
Randy: “You are in the zone.”
Ellen: “That sounded like a brand new song.”
Kara: “You really went for it, and I loved it. Maybe just a little lighter, more playful.”
Simon: “That was on the money.”

THE BAD

8. Katie Stevens
Song: “Baby What Do You Want Me To Do”
Comment: It wasn’t bad. It wasn’t great. It just kind of was. I think Katie is leaving us.
Randy: “Nice vocals.”
Ellen: “It was a very horny song, a lot of horns.”
Kara: “You showed us, girl.”
Simon: “It was very loud and annoying. I didn’t like the song very much.”

THE DISASTER

9. Andrew Garcia
Song: “Hound Dog”
Comment: When Andrew has a poor performance, I seem to start noticing that tattoo on his neck a lot more. I noticed the tattoo quite a bit during this performance.
Randy: “That was not good … I didn’t get it at all.”
Ellen: “I wish you had put a little more swagger into it, but I think you pulled it off.”
Kara: “I wanted to feel more from that performance.”
Simon: “All of your coolness is being sucked out of you.”

IDOL THOUGHTS

Did you notice the show ended at 8:28 CST so “Glee” could get a head start on the competition?

The opening conversation between Ryan and Adam Lambert was a bit awkward, eh?

Speaking of Adam, he pretty much told us Andrew was going to be toast with his performance. And he was right.

Best bets to go Wednesday night; Andrew and Katie.

FROM AROUND THE IDOL NATION

From People and RealityTVMagazine.com: The stars of American Idol will be appearing on another hit Fox show this May: The Simpsons! Animated versions of Ryan Seacrest, Ellen DeGeneres, Simon Cowell, Kara Dioguardi and Randy Jackson will all be featured in the May 23 season finale of the cartoon. The show will follow bartender Moe Syzslak’s quest to replace Simon on the Idol judging panel. This won’t be the first time Simon has allowed himself to be animated for the series. In 2004, Cowell voiced a character named Henry in an episode titled “Smart and Smarter” about baby Maggie’s genius potential. This will, however, be the first time he’s played himself on the animated sitcom.

From Movieline.com: Simon’s never struck a magnificent brotherhood with his co-panelists, but he seems to harvest a particular antagonism with handsy colleague Kara DioGuardi. Simon dismissed her criticisms of Andrew Garcia’s “Gimme Shelter” rendition and Paige Miles’ “Walk Away” with memorable acidity. He regularly deflects Kara’s coos with a turned cheek. But most of all, he just doesn’t do much to bolster Kara’s consistency as a judge, and his unceremonious monotone always renders Kara’s monologues contrived in comparison. He’s not known for playing Mr. Nice Guy, but Simon hardly seems interested in playing on the same field as the songwriting panelist.

From Votefortheworst.com: Idol can take solace that most of Dancing With The Stars’ audience is old fogies …. Because of this, Idol can charge three times as much for a 30-second ad. Idol collects about $642,000 for a 30-second ad, while DWTS asks about $209,000. This means Idol makes over $28 million in advertising during one two-hour show.

From Entertainment Weekly: American Idol Season 7 finalist Brooke White and Justin Gaston, current star of the If I Can Dream web series, will perform together on Wednesday’s results show.