ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY TV WATCH

'American Idol': Ryan booted, Justin gets a scare

A Starr is shorn

Last dance: A Starr was born, but not an American Idol.

(Entertainment Weekly) -- Okay, do I need a new contact prescription or was that Justin up there with the other bottom three contestants?

Well, Mr. ''What do you guys think?'' Cocky, look who thinks his fan base is bigger than it is! When Nikki's scoring more votes than you, honey, things ain't looking good. Maybe his whole ''it went to my head for a moment'' apology to the judges for being such a jerk backfired and people realized his talent never blossomed the way they thought it would.

Or maybe people are finally starting to realize that Justin (who, by the way, needs to not chomp on his gum on live TV) isn't the be-all and end-all of performers. Kelly seems to be getting stronger and stronger each week. Could she give Tamyra a run for her money? And though some of my colleagues think Christina is a tad on the boring side, I thought she outperformed every single person on Tuesday night. Still, Justin's got promise, and he's certainly better than Nikki and RJ.

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Then again, I thought Ryan was better than Nikki and RJ also. Of course, when she said she was ''half rock, half pop, half R&B, and one quarter everything,'' I felt like telling her to put that singing career on hold until she graduated from third-grade math. Who knows if Ryan will make it in the music biz? Personally, I think she's got a better shot at being a model or MTV veejay than a singer. (I'd bet anything Hugh Hefner will be on the phone to her reps tomorrow asking if she'd pose for a "Women of 'American Idol'" issue.)

As for next week, I'm betting on Nikki getting the boot. Justin will come back with a killer song, and RJ will squeak by thanks to his plenty of God-fearing boy-band-worshiping pre-pubescent fans.