American Idol...Casey bites dust! Justin Bieber a hit!

An electric stage performance by Justin Bieber drove pretty bodacious babes into a frenzy, Idol hometown visits - in what amounted to Hero's welcomes - brought tears to the eye, and a Perez hopeful stormed the stage to take a grab at the brass ring.

On one of those rare occasions, the Judges were weepy, too.

In fact,  all four struggled  to hold back tears - but ended up wearing their hearts on their sleeves - nonetheless.

What an emotional night!

When the big 3 finalists graced the Idol stage - somehow - it all seemed right.

The scuttlebutt this past week at water coolers around the Nation was ominous for the sexy heartthrob.

Casey's "got to go" appeared to be the mantra.

For the handsome stud it had been a thrill ride, of sorts.

As his popularity soared into the stratosphere, the low-key musician often accommodated the scheming shifty-eyed  producers looking to exploit his - um - talent.

The soap contender tossed off his shirt right, left, and center to boost the ratings and win over a female (or male) fan or two at the drop of a hat, in fact.

But, when push came to shove, the people had spoken.

Last night Casey sang his swan song.

Now - Katie Bowersox and Lee DeWiez - are left to belt it out next week in the finals!

The one that nabs the golden prize will probably be climbing the charts shortly after that - the potent power of an Idol plaudit - is that sweet and promising.

To underscore that point?

It  didn't escape my attention that during the course of watching the show, a band singer in the lounge of my Hotel downstairs, chose Adam Lambert's catchy tune - What do you Want for me? - to open her set.

There were a number of surprises last night - enough jolts and adrenalin  rushes - to satisfy even the toughest critics.

For instance, Ryan Seacrest suddenly announced that Perez Hilton was on hand, to introduce a young performer that he "discovered".

Perez - in black "t" (with a ubiquitous caption etched on its face) and jeans beamed

"So, what did you see in Travis Garland," the metrosexual man of-the-hour pointedly asked the Queen of the Blogs.

Did I hear a snicker or two in the audience?

"The fact that he is better than Justin Timberlake."

Unfortunately, that did not turn out to be the case.

Ah, the prooof is in the pudding, as they say.

I found his dance routine sluggish.

After all, it appeared he was trying to recall tricky steps that his backup dancers performed with ease.

The tune - Believe - was mediocre at best.

Efforts by the studio suits to jazz up the number with a myriad of nifty effects didn't manage to disguise the fact the composition was weak and nothing to write home about.

Perez, what were you thinking?

Multi-talented Timberlake must be having a big laugh this morning.

Don't look for a day job, Justin.

In one touching moment, Crystal Bowersox was reunited with her young child, as family and loved ones gazed on choked up with emotion.

Is Ms. Bowersox part of a biker clan?

At a big blow out, the Mayor of the City presented Bowersox with the key to her home town, Toledo.

Crystal later held a concert in the park - Bowerstock - which was packed with well-wishers and signaled the innovative musician is on her way into the big leagues.

Very deserving!

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