<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"Can you even BELIEVE what went down on American Idol last night? I cannot. The dangerously talented musican Casey Abrams, a show favorite\u2014and my absolute favorite\u2014was nearly voted off the island and out of the Top 10, but swiftly saved by the judges (they&amp;#039;re given one chance per season to keep someone in the competition who has been eliminated by America). In fact, his being up for elimination was so shocking that I wondered if it was staged\u2014he&amp;#039;s been, according to rumor and my over-developed Googling skills, battling ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease. (Apparently, &amp;quot;episodes&amp;quot; are stress-induced, so I thought perhaps he was bowing out.) Either way, crisis averted, thanks to Jennifer Lopez and the Fly Girls. (Side note: Who isn&amp;#039;t in love with the new judging panel? Steven Tyler is a doll, not to mention the epitome of entertainment\u2014can&amp;#039;t get enough of his sporadic bursts into &amp;quot;Dream On&amp;quot;-esque falsetto; J-Lo is back\u2014need I say more?; and Randy, the now veteran, seems much more at home, as does host Ryan Seacrest. All of which makes for a much more positive, entertaining show.) But Casey&amp;#039;s almost-elimination wasn&amp;#039;t the only surprise last night. In addition to the sweet birthday serenade from Stevie Wonder to Tyler, the bottom three selections were all wrong, except for Thia. (Though I was rooting for the stylish and beautiful 16-year-old in the beginning, she&amp;#039;s yet to proove her place or &amp;quot;it&amp;quot; factor, unfortunately.) But one thing&amp;#039;s for certain: The swoon-worthy Stefano (even if he is a little overwraught) and Abrams did not belong there. In addition to Thia, country crooner Scotty, bluesy babe Haley or African-pop queen Naima did (though many would disagree with the latter mention, who fans think has yet to tap into her true potential). Jacob, James, Pia, Lauren and Paul were all safe as America and God intended. Confession: I&amp;#039;m getting nervous about Paul\u2014we know he&amp;#039;s got moves and a killer smile, but his lovable personality is starting to outshine his vocal talent. So, instead of rounding out the Top 10\u2014which is the group that gets to go on the summer tour with American Idol\u2014last night&amp;#039;s show rounded out the Top 11 thanks to Casey&amp;#039;s save, all of whom will go on tour, Seacrest announced at the end of the show. Next week, two people will be eliminated. In other words, if you&amp;#039;re a Casey fan, vote for him because he has twice the chance of getting the boot\u2014and the judges can&amp;#039;t save him next time! Lost that loving feeling (for Casey)? Reignite the spark by watching his audition (he starts singing at 1:30), along with his standing bass, &amp;quot;I Put a Spell On You&amp;quot; and Beatles performances. Tune in next Thursday for more commentary. -Brynn Mannino, Assistant Editor "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/life/a46348/american-idolayes-i-will-marry-you-casey-abrams-298/>