Pia Toscano Eliminated From 'American Idol'

April 8, 2011— -- Jennifer Lopez is in shock over Pia Toscano's "American Idol" elimination.

"She was one of the most talented singers we had," Lopez said, calling into Ryan Seacrest's KIIS-FM radio show Friday morning. "I'm still shocked."

Lopez told the "Idol" host that she can't understand why Toscano was voted off.

"Honestly, I don't know what happened," she said. "[Maybe] people thought she was safe, as I did ... Maybe there was something that wasn't connecting [with the audience] that we didn't see."

Toscano's Thursday night elimination was one of "Idol's" biggest surprises. The announcement came after a rollicking performance by Iggy Pop, in which he shed his shirt to belt out "Real Wild Child."

But as host Ryan Seacrest said Toscano's name, the crowd's enthusiasm disappeared. The audience shouted "no" and the judges looked stunned. Lopez, on the verge of tears, said she was angry and speechless. Randy Jackson echoed her anger and Steven Tyler told America their "lack of passion was unforgivable."

If Americans didn't respond during the vote, they certainly did after the results. Twitter lit up instantly with messages of outrage and disbelief.

Toscano remained poised as she accepted the news, tearing up only during a video clip when she talked about how her now deceased grandfather had inspired her to sing. Then she took the microphone from Seacrest and belted out "Stand By You."

Toscano, a native of Howard Beach, N.Y., had once been considered the contest's front-runner. The judges had often compared her vocal chops to divas Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and Celine Dion.

This week, she departed from her trademark ballads to take on her first up-tempo number, Tina Turner's "River Deep, Mountain High," as the contestants performed songs written by inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

Looking less than comfortable moving around the stage, she nonetheless brought the same level of vocal acrobatics to her performance.

Nearly everyone looked surprised when Seacrest announced she was in the bottom three, along with Stefano Lagone. Jacob Lusk took the third seat. Secrest sent Lusk back to safety, leaving Toscano and Lagone, who nodded his head as if he knew he would be going home. Instead, it was Toscano, whom many had presumed could win the competition.

"She's the presumptive winner at this point," The Hollywood Reporter's music editor Shirley Halperin told ABCNews.com a few weeks ago. "Everybody loves her. She can do no wrong, she's a great singer, she's beautiful -- she's got the whole package. You see both guys and girls react to her when she sings."

"She's got to be in the lead by a long mile," Halperin said.

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Pia Toscano 'Idol' Departure Raises Questions

Perhaps it was her departure from her strong suit, the big ballad, that did her in. Or it could have been voters thinking she was safe and not voting for her.

Toscano was already being compared to Chris Daughtry, Jennifer Hudson and Adam Lambert, previous "Idol" contestants who either looked like they would win or were sent home early.

The past two weeks, Toscano had gotten some competition from Illinois native Haley Reinhart, who has had two strong weeks back to back.

Reinhart seems to have found her niche, choosing songs that showcase her bluesy, soulful voice. This week's cover of Janis Joplin's "Piece of My Heart" was an impressive follow-up to her winning rendition of Elton John's "Bennie and the Jets."

Now only two women remain, Reinhart and Georgia native Lauren Alaina, putting the odds in favor of another male Idol. Favorites fellows Casey Abrams, Paul McDonald and James Durbin were put on notice this week by young gun Scotty McCreery.

The 17-year-old country crooner with the deep voice cut loose on stage with his honky-tonk take on Elvis' "That's All Right, Mama," impressing even Jennifer Lopez with some of his moves. McCreery not only sounds like he's about to sell millions of records but he's acting like he could win this "Idol" thing.

Abrams, who was saved from elimination by the judges two weeks ago, appears to be back on track, telling the judges he had to give "150 percent" in his performances now.

"I want to make them proud," he said of the judges. "I want to make America proud, but I want to make these guys proud."

Durbin, considered to be the second coming of Adam Lambert, showed his sensitive side, performing George Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," then weeping at the end.

McDonald, who was in the bottom three last week, turned in a fun, swinging version of Johnny Cash's "Folsom City Blues." Last night, he sat on the couch, looking as surprised as his fellow competitors when Toscano's name was called.