Backstage Pass

In a risky move, the Long Island singer sat before a baby grand piano and delivered a surprisingly forceful rendition of R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion," ending with a sustained yowl of anguish and a dramatic flourish on the keys.

Supernova drummer Tommy Lee sounded positively excited. "I wrote this song for Supernova on piano that is gorgeous," he told Star. "I could totally hear your voice on the track." (On Wednesday, the band chose Star to reprise the song as an encore.)

An unexpected result of Star's performance was that it seemed to dishearten Rossi, the show's clear front-runner, who took the stage immediately afterward.

Rossi's cover of Hole's "Celebrity Skin" was so listless and lackadaisical that the Supernova crew exchanged puzzled looks throughout. Rossi got his first taste of bad reviews from the judges, and guitarist Gilby Clarke sounded genuinely concerned when he asked, "Is anything going on?"

As for Long Islander Jill Gioia, she endured another round of thumbs-down after her version of Simple Minds' "Don't You (Forget About Me)." Lee didn't like her upper-register vocals, while Clarke said she "oversang."

Guest judge Dave Navarro was even less kind: "There comes a time in every rock show where people want to get something to drink, grab a beer, go to the bathroom," he said. "That would have been that moment. That was really not very good."

Gioia was one of three women in the bottom three Wednesday along with Pike and youngster Dana Andrews. But Gioia made a shrewd move: Perhaps remembering that Clarke had toured with the band Heart, she chose to perform that group's power-ballad "Alone." It was a tour-de-force that showed off Gioia's formidable vocal presence.

"In our opinion, you've made some horrible creative choices," Clarke told her. "But tonight, you saved yourself."

In the end Andrews was sent packing, leaving 10 contestants. With Rossi revealing a chink in his armor and hunky Toby Rand also placing low in preliminary voting, Star may be moving ahead in the race.