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Phillip Phillips gets mostly rave reviews and Joshua Ledet praised on path to what appears to be another all-male finale.By Gil Kaufman Joshua Ledet performs on "American Idol" Photo: Frank Micelotta/ Getty Images You can understand if the contestants on "American Idol" make some bad song choices when left to their own devices. But on Wednesday night's
 triple-play episode, in which Phillip Phillips, Jessica Sanchez and Joshua Ledet had to sing a judge's choice, a tune picked by mentor Jimmy Iovine and one of their own, the selections were ... bizarre. With only two songs from the current millennium, the top three reached back, sometimes way back on a night when it became clear that Sanchez is too green, Ledet is just the right shade of blue(s) and Phillips is, well, whatever he wants to be because he's probably going to win no matter what happens. So, who made it thisclose, but is probably headed home tonight and who can get their big boy pants pressed for the finale? Read on to find out! Joshua Ledet: Randy Jackson picked the Etta James song "I'd Rather Be Blind" for Josh, who busted out the retro mic and some sleepy soul for a performance that simmered but took way too long to boil. It was solid, but even Jennifer Lopez seemed a tad bored with it and it didn't push him any closer to this century. (It was cute, though, how a Kraft commercial using THE SAME SONG aired right after Ledet performed. Synergy!) Josh went big with his choice, John Lennon's "Imagine." And because he's a preacher's kid, he skipped the "no religion too" verse. The pageant-y, 1970s AM lite radio arrangement flattened out the song's emotion, which Ledet tried to pump back in courtesy of some swooping gospel moments. It was a heartstring-tugging layup, but if you really listened it sounded like coasting, or, as JLo politely deemed it, "pulled back and controlled." Jimmy hit Josh in his sweet spot with Mary J. Blige's "No More Drama." Someone knows what they're doing. From the manic bouncing to the nearly out-of-control, bedazzled jacket-dropping spazz at the end, Josh murdered it. That alone made up for the other two tame performances and locked him into next week's finale. A- Phillip Phillips: Steven Tyler was going for melody with "Beggin'" by Madcon. But what he likely did was send tens of millions of "Idol" watchers to Google to find out ... who the hell Madcon is? So, a 2008 cover of a 1967 Four Seasons hit by an obscure Norwegian dance duo? Wouldn't you know it, strummy P managed to make it sound like, oh man, do I even need to say it? (Rhymes with Shave It Bath Hues.) The jammy, vanilla soul frat party rocker is exactly what I expect a P Phil album to sound like. "New Springsteen?" Really Steven? The sexy sax player was back for Phil's choice, "Disease" by Matchbox 20. Yeah, that Matchbox 20. It was moody, conga-y, mid-tempo and so intense he had to sit down on some road cases just to contain the, um, intensity? Like Ledet's "Imagine," this one felt too easy, like a sprinter pulling up in the final 20 yards to avoid injury after looking over his shoulder and realizing he's got it. In a rare bit of real talk from the panel, Lopez called it "easy flowing" and said it lacked the "wow performance" element. Phil's dad loved Jimmy's choice of Bob Seger's "We've Got Tonight," and Iovine dared the pawn shop worker to ignore the 1978 hit's melody. Without his guitar, Phil was forced to awkwardly stroke and caress his thigh as he muscled through the heartland ballad. Between the sappy strings and the suggesting hand fidgeting Phillips looked like he was waiting out the clock in detention. Randy, of course, called it the "perfect song" and Phil's best performance. So, now all you have to do to win this thing is sing the melody of the song and not worry about actually hitting the notes correctly? I give up. You can have him, America. Remember how awesome that nighty-night song was when you don't buy his album in December. B Jessica Sanchez: Lopez aimed for Sanchez's sweet spot with Mariah Carey's "My All," but ended up trapping the singer in a breathy lower register that made Jessica's powerhouse voice sound weak and pitchy. The snoozy lullaby robbed the high schooler of a big moment and may have punched her card home. Did Randy mention he's worked with Mariah? Well, if he thought that was one of the best renditions of a Carey song ever on TV, Carey should lose his number. In the ultimate brown noser move, BeBe chose Aerosmith's power anthem "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing." I kept waiting for girls in swimsuits or evening gowns to start parading around her, but this kind of Velveeta ballad is her sweet spot and while she didn't move the bar any higher, it's exactly what America wanted to hear. But, ugh, that last shouty note was as off as Jennifer's pink pantsuit. Iovine went retro with 1970's "I'll Be There" by the Jackson 5, which despite what he argued, didn't really make Sanchez seem contemporary, and dropped her back down into that lower range that doesn't do her favors. When she kept it up high, Sanchez sounded strong and confident, but the lazy tempo didn't provide the rocket fuel she needed to lock in a spot next week. B- Who do you think nailed it last night? Who deserves to go home? Let us know in comments below. Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Photos 'American Idol' Season 11 Performances

MTV News 'Idol' experts share their choices for Jessica Sanchez, Joshua Ledet and Phillips Phillips.By Gil Kaufman and James Montgomery Joshua Ledet and Phillip Phillips on "American Idol" Photo: FOX The "American Idol" season 11 top three have a lot to prove as we head into Wednesday night's (May 16) second-to-last lap. Likely winner Phillip Phillips has skated through virtually unscathed by pretty much doing a season-long homage to Dave Matthews, while Joshua Ledet has thrilled us with his gritty soul shouting but failed to show much personality along the way (unless you count that one week he wore a flower in his lapel). And Jessica Sanchez? Well, the 16-year-old definitely has powerful pipes and is a diva in the waiting, but she's still not quite ready for prime time. All three will be tested this week when they have to sing three songs: a judges' choice, a tune picked by mentor Jimmy Iovine and, finally, one of their own choosing. Though the track record of MTV News' resident "Idol" experts has been a bit spotty to date (OK, James, we get it, you have gotten it right four more times than Gil), that hasn't stopped Gil Kaufman and James Montgomery from posting their last set of secret-ballot picks before next week's finale. Phillip Phillips He threw us for a curve last week when he went for Damien Rice's "Volcano," and he's already done a DMB cover, so chances are, Phil will steer clear of anything too obvious. I suspect the judges will pick something firmly in his wheelhouse, though, maybe Counting Crows' "Mr. Jones." Iovine has a deep understanding of music and knows that the girls want their hearts melted, so he might opt for something in the classic-rock mode like the Allman Brothers' "Melissa." After the Rice-bomb last week, it's anyone's guess what P-Phunk will choose, so, what the hell, let's go with David Gray's appropriately vanilla 2000 breakthrough smash "Babylon." — Kaufman It's nice of him to take time off from his "Idol" crown fittings (Scotty McCreery was a 7 and three-eighths, BTW) to grace us with his presence this week. I suspect he'll reward us with more of the same anyway. The judges should just have him do a medley of the past four champs' singles — including Lee DeWyze's latest, "Can I Borrow, Like, Five Dollars?" — just to let America realize what they've done, but, of course, they won't. Instead, I'll say they stick him with one of Steven Tyler's songs; maybe they have him do "I Don't Want To Miss a Thing"? As for Iovine's pick, I'm thinking he gives him Santana and Rob Thomas' "Smooth," because Jimmy's mad old, or maybe John Mayer's "Your Body Is a Wonderland," since it will make his female fanbase spontaneously combust. And as for his personal pick? Dude, he's already gone deep-cut twice (with DMB and Rice), so who's to say he doesn't just cover Phish's "Icarus" and call it a day. Regardless, the judges will praise his "uniqueness." — Montgomery Jessica Sanchez It's gonna be an uphill battle for JSanch to shimmy her way into the finale. Aside from the curse of near-elimination and the fact that a girl hasn't won since season six, she's been somewhat erratic lately and her go-to big ballads have landed as often as her uptempos have flopped. The judges want to see her shine, so they will surely gift her with a big, fat ballad along the lines of Anita Baker's "Sweet Love." Jimmy knows she needs to show she can be a contemporary star, which is why he'll opt for Rihanna's "California King Bed." As for what BeBe will pick for herself, well, she's proven a tough one to nail down. She's already hit on Whitney, Jennifer Hudson, Beyoncé, Kelly Clarkson and Alicia Keys but has been light on songs by Pink, so I'm gonna suggest "Don't Let Me Get Me" or "Glitter in the Air," which will allow her to show her rough and smooth sides. Bottom line: She needs three grand slams to make it to next week. — Kaufman Six weeks ago, I would have penned an impassioned plea for her to win the season 11 crown. Now? Eh. She's never really recovered from her (near) elimination, and in her struggles, one glaring weakness keeps rearing its ugly head: Sure, she can sing, but she can't connect to a song to save her life. Simply put, she's not ready. In fact, she's yet to graduate beyond talent-show-standout status. And everyone knows this, which is why I see the judges sticking her with Adele's "Someone Like You" (since it's like the de facto emotional song of our times, and if you can't connect to it then you're almost assuredly a replicant) and Iovine stuffing something from the Interscope stable down her throat (maybe Fergie's "Big Girls Don't Cry" or a Gaga tune). For her own pick? Well, she already did "Dance With My Father," so maybe she stays in the same vein and does Harry Chapin's "Cat's in the Cradle." Or maybe she'll just do Beyoncé again. — Montgomery Joshua Ledet He may not inspire backflips or have the stagecraft of an Usher or Chris Brown, but Ledet has just the kind of big, showy voice "Idol" viewers love (to vote for just enough to secure second place). The judges can't get enough of his old-school soul thing, so they'll go retro with Al Green's "Take Me to the River." Jimmy knows Josh has the chops but not the sound radio is looking for, so he has to convince us there's a record in there somewhere, which means he'll dip into the Usher vault for something smooth like "Confessions Part II" or "Papers." Josh has made some odd choices in the past (Josh Groban?) but has shown a proclivity for songs by divas (both male and female), and he hasn't tried a single tune by Otis Redding yet. Is that possible? In that case, he's got plenty of options, including "I've Got Dreams to Remember," "These Arms of Mine" or "That's How Strong My Love Is." — Kaufman In a perfect world, he'd win "Idol." After all, he's not only the most-talented singer, but the best performer too. But we all know he's going up against a toothy white guy, so second place is about the best Joshua can hope for. The judges, being the myopic bunch they are, will keep him in the retro-soul box and give him something like Bruno Mars' "Grenade" (come to think of it, that would be pretty good). Iovine will be trying to keep him current, so why not Usher's "Climax"? And for his own pick, I have no idea, but if he wants to win, maybe he does fun.'s "We Are Young." After all, graduation is nearly here, and everyone's looking for an anthem. — Montgomery Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Photos 'American Idol' Season 11 Performances

'Just like everybody else that ended up falling in love with them, that's what happened to me,' Rev Run tells MTV News of the Beastie Boys.By Nadeska Alexis Run-DMC and the Beastie Boys in 1987 Photo: Ebet Roberts/ Getty Images In 1986, the Beastie Boys set out on the Raising Hell Tour with LL Cool J, Whodini and Run-DMC, and the chemistry between the groups was instantaneous. Adam Yauch, one-third of the Beasties, died Friday (May 4) after a three-year battle with cancer, and both Rev Run and DMC reached out to MTV News to share their personal memories of Yauch and the Beastie Boys from the days they spent together, early in their respective careers. Reverend Run Developing a Bond: "When I first met [the Beastie Boys], they came to the [Def Jam] office and they were really good rappers, but more than that, they were funny. They were not only friendly, but they were just so funny, it was amazing. Their rhymes were funny and they were funny, so out of everything I can think of, everything with them was fun and humorous, and that was what attracted me to them. One time, on tour, I actually abandoned my bus because I was so intrigued and was so friendly with them that I went and hung on their bus for a night, so that was really cool. I'd never tried anything like that before, so it was kinda crazy, but I wanted to be with them, so I was like, 'Y'all got an extra bunk?' I left my bus and I went and hung on their bus. It was the funnest thing in the word, if 'funnest' is a word." Their Effect on Hip-Hop: "I think they were blowing people's minds. I was out on tour right before I met them, and when they came along, it was just amazing. I ended up actually writing songs with them, like 'Paul Revere.' And then they took one of our songs 'Slow and Low' — we left a tape in the studio and they did it over — so I was really kinda involved with them in a little bit of production, along with Rick Rubin. They actually picked up Dr. Dre as a DJ for a while, which was really cool. So they had Dre DJing, and in my mind, they were just so dope on the mic — especially Adam Yauch. He had a really incredible style of rhyme, and I was like, 'This dude is amazing.' Just like everybody else that ended up falling in love with them, that's what was happening to me — I was like, 'Wow, these white kids could rap.' And Adam Yauch has this special type of rasp in his voice that made him incredible to me, so he stood out as a real vintage type of incredible MC. It was intriguing to see white guys rapping like that, being so cool, plus sticking to their roots, so they were true to themselves." Remembering Adam Yauch with Beastie Boys' Essential Hits Fondest Memory: "Them taking the Mercedes-Benz emblems [and wearing them around their necks] or hearing that kids were taking the Mercedes-Benz emblems off of cars. I remember getting to London and the press was so scared of what might happen, because the Beastie Boys were there. It was a phenomenon when I got overseas, to hear what the press was thinking about what the Beastie Boys might do. All of that stuff was just really shocking to me. The press loved Run-DMC, but it was a different type of thing that they thought the Beastie Boys were gonna bring to town with them." Recent Memories: "A couple years ago, me and a couple of people that were working on filming 'Run's House' on MTV went to their show in Brooklyn, and I came out on onstage and waved to the audience right before 'No Sleep Till Brooklyn.' I did so much with them over the years that I just want to keep the love alive. My tribute to them is just to tell them that I love them and what they did for hip-hop culture is legendary." DMC Developing a Bond: "It was instant. Right away, they drank Budweiser and we drank 40 ounces of Olde English. We wore gold chains and Cadillac emblems, and they took the emblems right off Volkswagens and put them on their necks. The thing that worked with us was it was the same feeling but different expression. Their sneakers could be dirty and muddy and they could've had them since fifth grade, and our sneakers had to be clean, but we both rocked the music, the presentation. The personality was expressed from the same heart, with the same heart and feeling. We lived together, we toured the world together, we played together, we got drunk together, we laughed together, we cried together. You know what was good about them? It wasn't an act. It wasn't white rappers trying to be black — they were themselves, and we respected that. Real recognized real. At times you thought you were in a movie, but it wasn't like they were just doing it to just to do it. It's really them: energetic, exciting, spontaneous and very creative too." Their Effect on Hip-Hop: "The Beastie Boys are one of the greatest groups, and I'm not just talking hip-hop — the Beastie Boys are one of the greatest groups in history. You could call them the Ramones of hip-hop. Even greater than that, they were a great rock and roll band. They made it possible for Eminem, Vanilla Ice and all these other white rappers that came up to have a place to be. They made it acceptable." Fondest Memory: "On the Together Forever Tour, we were over in Europe, and the stage got really, really wet, because they were opening cans of beer and spraying it everywhere, so the stage was like a danger zone. We were on the side of the stage watching their show, thinking, 'One of them is going to bust they ass,' and MCA slipped and flew about 20 feet up in the air, came down real hard and we thought he was dead ... but then he got up and they just kept going. It was the craziest thing ever." Recent Memories: "I saw them constantly over the years. If I go to New York, I'll see them. If I'm in L.A., I see 'em. If I go to a Rage Against the Machine show, I see 'em. If I go to a radio show, if I go to a movie premiere, I see 'em. If I walk by the basketball courts in the Village, I see them out there playing. I would always see them. It was cool, because you would always see them doing the things that they rapped about, that they said they did, and in the places they said they did. They were always at the skateboard park. They were always in the studio. They were always at the club where some new indie band was premiering." Tune in to MTV tonight at 8 p.m. for "Adam Yauch: Remembering a Beastie Boy," an hour-long special hosted by Sway celebrating the life and career of Adam "MCA" Yauch, including his biggest moments and remembrances from his friends and peers. Share your memories of Adam on Twitter using the hashtag #RIPMCA. Related Videos Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch: 1964-2012 Related Photos The Beastie Boys' Adam 'MCA' Yauch: A Life In Photos Related Artists Beastie Boys Run Of Run-DMC

Singer reveals eating disorder, feelings about deadly car crash and secret affair with Boyz II Men singer.By Gil Kaufman Brandy on VH1's "Behind the Music" Photo: VH1 For the past 15 years, VH1's "Behind the Music" has chronicled the ups, downs and back ups of countless musicians' lives and careers. The show has traced the roller-coaster of fame rides by the likes of everyone from Aerosmith to Vanilla Ice, Motley Crue, Milli Vanilla, Madonna, 50 Cent and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The formula is beyond predictable by now: wide-eyed musician(s) with prodigious talent has meteoric rise to fame, tragedy strikes in the form of drug addiction/death of close friend/label rip-off/career tank or any number of other obstacles, but not before said artist manages to rise above and make it back to the spotlight. Except when they don't, as in the case of such tragic figures as Aaliyah, the Notorious B.I.G. or Rick James. But this week VH1 brought us the story of , the world-beating 1990s star whose resume of drama made for one of the most quintessential episodes in the show's long history. And, in another of the show's impressive traditions, Brandy opened up about some major issues that have never been dealt with in public in quite this way. Like Missy Elliott revealing her serious health issues last year or Nas providing the most detail to date about his failed marriage to Kelis, Brandy put all her cards on the table, revealing for the first time that she hid her teenage affair with Boyz II Men singer Wanya Morris from her family and fans for years, struggled with anorexia and bulimia as well as talking about her fake marriage to music producer Robert Smith that was concocted to cover up her out-of-wedlock child. The latter, she says, almost destroyed her career for good. She also discussed her reaction to the death of mentor and good friend, Whitney Houston, who died on Brandy's birthday in February, just days after Houston had given Brandy words of encouragement about her revived career. The capper was her emotional discussion of the December 2006 car accident she caused on a California highway that took the life of a 38-year-old mother of two. "It was just one of those experiences you wish would never happen to anybody," she said. "That was one of the worst times of my life ... someone lost their life and now everyone is saying that I'm to blame." Though she escaped a manslaughter prosecution in the case, the incident clearly had a profound effect on the singer and her reaction provided one of the most emotional moments in the series' history. "Still to this day people ... they know that that's a button," she said tearfully. "They know that they can call me a murderer, or call me someone that killed someone ... they know that that is a button for me." This season has already seen a return to the tragic death of Aaliyah in a plane crash, Nas' struggle to deal with the death of his mother and the dissolution of his marriage, T-Pain's heartbreaking battle to break free of his domineering father, Akon's controversial car-boosting past and The Game's battles with his label and former mentor 50 Cent. But of all the classic tragic stories of rappers and rock bands tested by death, drugs and disorder (Pink Floyd, AC/DC, Metallica, T.I., Motley Crue, Leif Garrett, Def Leppard and DMX), Brandy's stands out as one of the most emotionally wrenching stories of the modern pop era. And, thankfully for her, with a new album on the way and a steady relationship, as well as another hit single with pal Monica, Brandy's story appears to be conforming to the formula just fine. Related Videos Behind The Music: Brandy Related Artists Brandy