Did Ryan Seacrest's Twitter announcement spoil your Wednesday night? Apparently, after taping the show, the "American Idol" host tweeted the results. The problem? It was only 8:43 p.m., and "Idol" hadn't yet aired on the west coast. Doh!

According to the Washington Post, the ratings Wednesday night in the 18-49 age demographic were the show's lowest in history for a "regularly scheduled in-season episode." Coincidence? We may never know. Neither Seacrest nor Fox have commented yet on this major faux pas.

• Did you catch Kara DioGuardi this morning on Fox News Channel's FOX & Friends talking about her dad's run for U.S. Senate? She also discusses Ryan and Simon's playful banter, Ellen's good humor and something about getting all A's at Duke... See for yourself below:

Are you a Kara fan, and do you think her fame will help or hurt her dad's campaign? For fun I dug up the video of Kara upstaging bikini girl on the season finale show for Season 8. Have you seen this?

• Eliminated contestant Lacey Brown was a guest on Ellen this morning where she sang Sixpense None the Richer's "Kiss Me." Her final words to roommate Paige Miles? "Don't even sweat it, 'cause I'm going home. I know it, and I love you, and you better sing your butt off next week.'"

• Remember the colorful "Normund Gentle" from last season? He tells us a little about what it's like when "Idol" gives you the heave-ho.

• Last but not least, a new vlog from my favorite former AI contestant David Archuleta has been posted to his YouTube account here. Enjoy!

It's hoops madness around the country today as the NCAA men's basketball tournament kicks into high gear, with 32 games from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Pacific time.

People who like to predict the results often choose a "sleeper" pick — that's a team that nobody's talking about that you think could shock the world. Is there a sleeper pick to win Season 9 of "American Idol"?

My sleeper pick of the moment is Lee DeWyze. While Crystal Bowersox, Michael Lynche, Casey James and Siobhan Magnus have been, or currently are, all the rage, Lee has quietly been doing his thing. And along the way he seems to be picking up more and more fans.

Who is your current sleeper pick to win it all — either in "AI" or basketball?

On the 'Net

• According to MJ's Big Blog, the theme for the Top 11 performances next Tuesday will be "Teen Idols." Think this might be a challenge for Bowersox?

What songs come to mind with a teen-idol theme? Well, it depends on your age. If you're over 40, it might be:
- "Puppy Love," by Donnie Osmond (if this video isn't the total definition of teen idol, I don't know what is).
- "Put Your Head on My Shoulder," by Paul Anka.
- "Da Doo Ron Ron," by Shaun Cassidy.
- "I'll Be Loving You (Forever)," by New Kids On The Block.

If you're under 40, you might be thinking ...:
- "Burnin' Up," by Jonas Brothers.
- "Baby One More Time," by Britney Spears.
- "The Climb," by Miley Cyrus (already performed this season by Haeley Vaughn).

No word yet on the musical guests for Wednesday's results show.

• Check out this bio on her official site for the story behind Orianthi, a guest performer on last night's results show. She has a hit on the charts now, and is getting a ton of buzz. Her friends call her "Ori," so I shall as well.

• If you were Simon Cowell, who would you invite to sing at your wedding? The rumor is he's signed up Elton John. Fine choice!

It's the "American Idol" Top 12 Results show. Otherwise known as "How to Fill An Hour of Air Time."

Why start with more uncomfortable confrontations between Ryan and Simon? It's weird, it's hostile, it's not funny, and it's not even creative. Someone send them to opposite sides of the room, will ya'? It's like kids arguing in the back seat of mom's car — "He's staring at me!" Grow up, boys, or you'll need a time out!

First, the group sing. What's that? No robotic, miserable lip-synched group performance? Did they get my petition? When even the contestants are complaining about it, you know it's not working. Thank you for small wonders.

On the other hand, how much product placement does Ford pay for? The commercials are fine - I even sort of like the Kris Allen commercials - but the extra air time as they each design a car? Yawn. There's five more minutes of my life that I can't get back.

David Cook performed and showed what it takes to be a real American Idol. He definitely deserved to win in Season 7, and I think he'll continue to have a successful career. Note to the Top 12: THAT's how you rock a Rolling Stones song.

Also showing how to be a rock star: Orianthi. The Australian guitarist knows how to rock! Wow, the girl can play! Good signing, 19 Entertainment.

Exhibit A of what NOT to do: Ke$ha. Lady Gaga, she is not. Please tell me I never have to listen to that again. Where's the Advil?

Oh yeah, there are 12 anxious contestants sweating out results. Yep, we're filling air time but let's keep the chitchat minimal, OK? After all, who really wants to hear from these guys?! Crystal Bowersox explaining that she doesn't think the competition is in the bag (duh). Michael Lynche politicking that he's not corny (yes, you are). Lee Dewyze vowing to "create a moment" while Didi Benami tries not to cry, again. Katie Stevens hears she should sing Pop R&B, no wait, country, no, it's pop rock! Or as Ellen put it, mariachi music would be just fine, too. More constructive advice, yahoo! Be careful what you wish for, Ryan.

In the "Let's not waste any time actually talking to the losers" category, are the bottom three: Paige Miles, Tim Urban and Lacey Brown. All unceremoniously dumped in the Jetsons chairs. They were a legitimate bottom 3 — at least America did better voting this week. Yes, I'm still bitter.

OK, moment of truth - I sort of liked Tim's reggae version of "Under My Thumb." No, not enough to vote for him or download it off iTunes, let's not get carried away. But it wasn't as terrible as "Apologize" either. Good thing, because Tim will be back next week. Yes, he looked genuinely shocked. Or he's a pretty good actor.

Either way, the right person went home tonight, and that was Lacey. Her thin voice was no match for the big stage, the Rolling Stones song book, or the angst of Brandi Carlile's "The Story." Not to mention waving good-bye to the bizarre floral head gear.

And they only took 60 minutes to do it.

We watched the East Coast feed of Wednesday night's "American Idol" results show beginning at 6 p.m. Pacific, 9 p.m. Eastern.

Tim Urban, Paige Miles and Lacey Brown were in the bottom three. In the end, it was Brown who was sent home in 12th place.

• Barely Political created a new web video spoofing Adam Lambert's, "Whataya Want From Me." Here's for a good laugh:
  


• With many strong contestants, I'm not sure how far Lacey Brown will make it. There's some buzz that 'Twilight' fans are voting for her. I admit that I am a 'Twilight' fan but I did not connect 'Twilight' character Alice Cullen with her. But now that I've read that, I'll be thinking of the cute, mousy vampire every time I watch!


• Tune in tonight to see 25-year-old Australian singer and guitarist, Orianthi, as well as David Cook and Ke$ha.


• Don't forget to tune in to the live results chat here, 6 p.m. Pacific. And tomorrow, tune in to Q13 FOX about 7:20 a.m. to hear from the contestant who is booted off tonight. Check out Q13's Idol page.

Who do you think is going home tonight?

It's said that there are two types of people, Rolling Stones fans or Beatles fans. You can like both groups, but one more than the other. I consider myself a Beatles guy, mostly from the influence from my mom who had all of their albums. But looking through the Stones catalog, there are dozens of great and timeless songs. They never broke up, and for decades they've been doing their thing. Can they survive an "American Idol" theme night?

As the show started, I was wondering which of the girls won the pillow fight in PJs (that's how I imagine it anyways) to get "Wild Horses." I was hoping that either Didi Benami or Lacey Brown won, as I see either of them doing a good Sundays version of it. Katie Stevens, however, was the winner of that home-run song, unfortunately (as by state law I am not allowed to imagine her in PJs), but she did a fair job.

Since this is the first time for the Idol contestants on the "big stage" with the "big stairs" (that Ryan Seacrest loves to descend) there are bound to be some hiccups. I like Big Mike Lynch, and he can own the stage like no other, but, man, he's a little scary. I'm afraid that one of the teenage girls in the front row might get a karate chop to the face from one of his tree-trunk forearms.

I was also curious as to how the guitar people would handle the stage. Crystal Bowersox showed once again how you can still entertain while holding a guitar. Casey James worked the slide aptly, but he looked a little strange standing there all by himself. I'm glad that Andrew Garcia abandoned his comfort zone by ditching his instrument for a night, even though he was a tad shaky with the mike stand maneuvers. And let's just forget Tim Urban's reggae take on "Under My Thumb." While we're at it, let's just remove him from the show. Done and done.

Siobhan Magnus, though, was the clear winner of the night with a mesmerizing performance that just gained momentum throughout "Paint it Black." That long, high note near the end was enough to bring the dead (or Keith Richards) to life. A difficult song to pull off, but Siobhan killed it.

Theme weeks are not easy, and like many folks, I thought last night was going to be one rolling train wreck after another. I mean these kids had to get up and perform songs that their grandparents listened to while at make-out point. Oh yeah, I went there, implanting an awesome image in your brain to kick off hump Wednesday.

So with my expectations very low, I came out of the two-hour Rolling Stones marathon impressed. I also need to come clean and admit I am not a Stones fan either. I do however appreciate their massive footprint on rock 'n' roll. I was looking forward to last night's "American Idol" as much as I look forward to flying to Burbank to see my gentle dentist for wussies, Dr. Amano and my favorite hygienist Sandy. Shocker. I'm high maintenance.

Putting my phobias aside for now, I, like many of you, keep hearing how this season's talent is weak.

Last night the Top 12 Idol hopefuls proved they have more talent than many people are giving them credit for. Let's get on with the show as I break down Route 66: the six women and men who rocked and rolled into your living rooms.

Start Me Up!

Didi Benami: "Play With Fire"

Lacey Brown: "Ruby Tuesday"

We blogged Tuesday night's Top 12 performances on "American Idol."

Here's how the evening unfolded:

5:00 - "This ... is 'American Idol!'"

5:03 - It's a slaute to the Rolling Stones as host Ryan Seacrest extolls the "greatest rock 'n' roll band in the world."

5:05 - Michael Lynche is first up tonight. He's telling us about his childhood in St. Petersburg, Fla. He's singing "Miss You." More high notes for his intro! I don't think they're as effective as they were last week. He's turning this into a pretty average R&B song. I was on the Michael bus, but I think we've just his a speed bump. Unmemorable.
Randy: "Dawg, you slayed it. Way to start the show."
Ellen:"Well, what's not to love about that, Mike? Good, good, good."
Kara: "Being hot on stage - you did that."
Simon: "If I'm being honest, I thought the performance, at times, was kind of corny. You sang it well, but ... it was verging at times ... a tiny bit desperate."

5:15 - Ryan's talking with Didi Benami. We're learning about her family, her mother. She's singing "Playin' With Fire." She's looking great tonight, I must say - her best look yet. Hmmm. Maybe I'm a sourpuss today, but I wasn't thrilled by this performance either.
Randy: "That was one of your best performances. You're on fire."
Ellen: "I thought you sounded great."
Kara: "What I liked tonight that I saw was an intensity. Both weeks you're moving toward who you are as an artist."
Simon: "I thought you were gonna lose it, but I've been a fan of yours for the last two weeks. Solid, but not brilliant, performance."

5:22 - "I grew up in a town called Cool," says Casey James. He says his whole family plays instruments and sings. He's singing "It's All Over Now," sporting an electric guitar. It's a fun choice and he's doing pretty well. Still not a "moment," but pretty much what we're used to with Casey.
Randy: "You're back to the Casey I love. I loved it -- you are back."
Ellen: "I thought it was fantastic."
Kara: "Tonight, you WERE a rock star. This was your best performance since we met."
Simon: "You sang it well. For me, that was like an audition performance. But you've got to push yourself. Not just a guy standing there with a guitar. Just Be a star."

5:33 - Lacey Brown is from Amarillo, Texas. Her parents are pastors, she got started singing at church. She's singing "Ruby Tuesday." With a twang, uggghh. My bad mood continues, so I think this is easily the worst of the night so far. Yawn. Borderline excruciating.
Randy: "Definitely very interesting arrangement. I actually was pleasantly surprised."
Ellen: "It was a tiny bit sleepy for me."
Kara: "It was 50-50 for me. There definitely were some issues."
Simon: "You perform like an actress. Nothing wrong with the vocals ... stop overthinking. Just let yourself go."

5:41 - Will Andrew Garcia finally make us forget how he's not living up to his performance of "Straight Up"? First though, he's telling us about his musician-singer father, and how they grew up with no money. He's singing "Gimme Shelter." Yup, he has finally ditched the acoustic guitar. And moving around the stage? Not quite Jagger-esque though. I gotta give him props for changing things up tonight.
Randy: "It was just pitchy everywhere."
Ellen: "What do I know - I think that was your best performance yet."
Kara: "I felt it at times, but most of the times I didn't. It was the connection that bothered me the most. [Simon: Did you want him to come the stage with a tank?]"
Simon: "I think you gave it 100 percent."