Steven Tyler Eyes the Finish Line on ‘American Idol’

Thursday night means one of the dwindling pool of 'American Idol' contestants is doomed to forever roam the earth in Randy Jackson's clothes, enduring the endless points and stares from small children and people with good taste. Let's check in on the far more stylish Steven Tyler.

As the group of singers went from four down to three, there's a prize for those who remained: a triumphant trip on a private jet to see their families and their adoring hometown crowds. And in a bit of a twist, the person who gets the boot won't be going home -- they'll just cool their heels in a hotel room and prep for the finale, in two weeks.

Yes, this eons-long season finally comes to a close then, at which point your faithful recapper will punch anyone who dares to say the words "American" or "Idol" within earshot of her for at least a month.

Aaaand back to the show.

Talking about Wednesday night's performances, Jimmy Iovine said Phillip is "coming into his own" and "finally delivered on the promise we've been looking for all year," but his words for Hollie weren't as kind, with the great hatted one stating she didn't have the personal or professional experience to pull off Bonnie Raitt's 'I Can't Make You Love Me' and "crashed and burned."

Judges' favorite Joshua earned a split decision -- Jimmy didn't care for his overblown version of Josh Groban's 'You Raise Me Up,' but he was absolutely blown away by the cover of James Brown's 'It's a Man's Man's Man's World.'

Jimmy also had a love/hate relationship with Jessica's two songs, dismissing her Etta James cover but saying her version of 'And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going' was "flawless." (And yeah, it pretty much was. How that tiny little girl infused the soul of a 300-pound soul singer into that song is truly a mystery of physics.)

Ryan Seacrest asked Steven for his thoughts as a singer-songwriter on Phillip's evolution during the progression of the show. "Well, things don't change unless you do," he said. "We've seen Phillip evolve. We've seen him go from 'I don't care' to finding out who he is and still not caring ... it's what I and everybody else love about him."

It doesn't sound like a compliment, but coming from Steven, it was. He went on to say Phillip isn't just a "one and done," he's someone who will "go on, no matter what, and I appreciate that."

And then it was time to lower the boom of elimination, which unsurprisingly came down on Hollie. The perennial bottom-three dweller clearly saw it coming, and didn't even tear up during her final sing-out. (We're guessing she saved the waterworks for when she sees what she'll be forced to wear from Randy's closet.)

That leaves Phillip, Jessica and Joshua to battle it out for a spot in the finale. See you next week.