VIDEO: Pia Toscano Gets Standing Ovation On 'American Idol'

by UInterviewMarch 3, 2011, 12:00 amNews >

After sizzling performances from the boys of American Idol on Tuesday night, Wednesday night's female renditions seemed a little lukewarm. Scotty McCreery and Jacob Lusk hit the top of DialIdol.com, the website that predicts the show's winners from phone call volume. For the girls' performances, Ta-Tynisa Wilson's "Only Girl," Julie Zorrilla's "Breakaway," and Lauren Alaina's "Turn on the Radio" took the top three DialIdol spots, but it was the strong vocals of Pia Toscano singing The Pretenders' "I'll Stand by You" that got everyone buzzing.

Toscano, a New York makeup artist who has tried out for Idol twice before, blew the audience away and got the first standing ovation of the season from judges Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler, and Randy Jackson. Haley Reinhart took a risk with a rendition of Alicia Keys' "Fallin'", but Jackson said it sounded like "a karaoke kind of thing." Also meeting with criticism was Rachel Zevita's cover of Fiona Apple's "Criminal," which Tyler considered "a little too Broadway." Kendra Chantelle suffered a backhanded compliment from Lopez when she said she felt "like there's more in you" than her interpretation of Christina Aguilera's "Impossible." Naima Adedapo's "Summertime" and Lauren Turner's "Seven Day Fool" also got mixed reviews.

Karen Rodriguez was a favorite for her take on Mariah Carey's "Hero," as was Thia Megia, who performed "Out Here On My Own" from the movie Fame. The judges also lavished Ashthon Jones with praise for her "Love All Over Me."

Of course, there's only so much the judges can do. The real decision is in America's hands, and DialIdol.com has yet to incorrectly predict the winner of Idol. Of course, it's too early to call.

American audiences will have a much better idea of who will advance after Thursday night, when the final 24 get slimmed down to the final 10 contestants. —KIMBERLY STEELE

Watch Toscano's performance here: