'IDOL' WATCH: Down to 11

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.

David Cook, the season seven winner, began the night singing the Rolling Stones hit Jumpin' Jack Flash. Cook showed he is the consummate rockstar, giving a great performance and completely owning the stage. It would have been nice to see some of the contestants give this kind of performance last night. A great, upbeat way to start the night.

The other performances on the night were of two of the top songs in the country, with Orianthi singing her hit According to You and Ke$ha being joined by 3OH!3 for their single, Blah Blah Blah.

Orianthi was joined by her band for her spot on performance of According to You. The song was enjoyable; however, it would have been nice to see the singer give a bit more emotion. But, she did sound excellent and almost effortless in, what was overall, a nice performance.

After learning the bottom three consisted of Miles, Urban, and Brown, the judges were asked whether any of the three contestants were worth the use of their save for this season. For those that don't know, the save was recently introduced, allowing the judges to offer one of the contestants a reprieve and a chance to come back again next week, up to week five. Simon responded that "one of them" was worth it and it seemed clear he was talking about Miles, as he consistently tells her she has the best voice of any of the contestants.

Ke$ha sung next, in a much more theatrical performance of her hit Blah Blah Blah. The song featured the singer on stage with four people with full TVs for heads, showing Ke$ha and what appeared to be the music video of the song. She didn't seem to be the strongest dancer and her performance was a little bit lacking, but she seemed to be having fun, nonetheless. 3OH!3 joined her for the rap bridge in the song, though their appearance seemed a little out of place, as though it was done a little haphazardly. I was a big fan of Ke$ha kicking through the TV set at the end of the song, a nice touch.

The performer to be sent home tonight was Lacey Brown, who offered what was my least favorite performance of last night. The song choice was odd (she sang Ruby Tuesday) and it didn't seem like she really understood what she was singing. Brown showed her class when the judges told her she would not be receiving their save and didn't appear overly emotional at the news. She gave a really nice interview with Ryan before saying goodbye and it's possible that, with the right type of style, Brown could have a nice career.

The remaining 11 will perform on Tuesday, March 23rd, with the results show airing next Wednesday, March 24th.

"American Idol" is a reality competition to find new solo musical talent, created by Simon Fuller. It debuted June 11, 2002 on the Fox network and has since become one of the most popular shows on American television. It is currently the #1 TV show in the Nielsen Ratings and is one of only three that have been #1 for five consecutive seasons. The cast of "Idol" includes judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi, and Ellen Degeneres, and host Ryan Seacrest.

The program aims to discover the best singer in the country through a series of nation-wide auditions, and subsequent viewer voting. Through telephone voting, America has chosen past winners Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, and Kris Allen.

Several "Idol" contestants have been seen on the Broadway stage, including Barrino (The Color Purple), Hicks (Grease), Clay Aiken (Spamalot), Diana DeGarmo(Hairspray), Josh Strickland (Tarzan), Tamyra Gray (Rent, Bombay Dreams), and Constantine Maroulis (The Wedding Singer, Rock of Ages).

"American Idol" airs on Tuesday and Wednesday nights on Fox at 8PM EST