For the contestants who have made it this far on “American Idol,” going home has a different meaning than being eliminated. That’s because the top three finalists get to go home and enjoy a special day in which they perform in front of fans in their city, appear on radio and TV and usually have the mayor of said city give them a “key” to said city. Pretty heady stuff. But as always, it took the producers an hour to tell us the result that they could have delivered in a few seconds. And without DVR, it would have been excruciating.

To kick things off, Season 3 champ Fantasia performed her new single, “Bittersweet.” It was pretty good and she no doubt has a remarkable voice, but other than that, the performance was sort of bland.

Then the Top 4 lined up on stage and Ryan Seacrest brought their families up on stage to sit where the contestants usually sit. The results would be given “in no particular order.” So the first one to safety? Casey James. The guy I thought would be eliminated this week. Uh-oh.

Then former Idol finalist Chris Daughtry performed, along with the band that bears his name, their latest single, “September.” This dude has pipes and is clearly better than this year’s Daughtry/David Cook hybrid, Lee Dewyze.

Then back to the results. Big Mike….hang tight. That wasn’t a good sign. Lee Dewyze, on his way back to Chicago, but in a good way….safe! Down to Mike and Crystal, and you could already see it in Mike’s face that he knew he wasn’t going to take down Mama Sox.

But first, a performance from legendary rock band Bon Jovi, who sounded pretty good and strangely look like they are 20 years younger than they are. Mrs. Mike pointed out two things–that they have the money to look however they want, and Richie Sambora’s vocals were too loud. And she was right on both counts. Regardless, this band sounds pretty good for a bunch of 50 year olds, and their new song, “Superman Tonight,” wasn’t too bad either.

Back to the results……the person joining Lee and Casey in the Final 3….Crystal Bowersox. Big surprise, eh? Big Mike, heading home. He thanked the judges for keeping him in this thing, but dude should have been sent home when America said so. They need to ditch that save, it’s just so annoying.

So we have a Top 3 of Crystal, Lee and Casey. I’ve been picking Crystal and Lee for the finale all along, and I’m not going to change my stance now. What do you all think? See you next week…

As Fox tries desperately to compete with NBC’s Winter Olympic coverage, they keep unveiling “first time in American Idol history” type stuff, which really is just a small break in format during Hollywood week.
But I’ll give them this…they are getting down to the final 24 quickly. Almost too quickly.

Last night’s two-hour episode began with the final 71 contestants being broken into three rooms. Two rooms would hold those advancing to the next round, and one room full of those heading home. This, after one final shot to impress the judges with a solo performance.

Since they showed bits and pieces of various performances in rapid-fire fashion, we’ll make comments the same way…..

28 year old Angela Martin, who has had the longest string of bad luck any of us has ever seen, was decent but notably shaky in her performance. Of course, her mom was reported missing, I believe right before Hollywood week began. You are not human if you don’t feel bad for Angela…..Casey James did Colbie Caillat’s “Bubbly” and it was a super cool acoustic guitar version (though I personally can’t stand the song)….Jermaine did “Brick House,” and while it was one of the choices available, you have to wonder why dude chose the song played at every single American wedding…another Jermaine, Jermaine Sellers, did a decent version of Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror”….then 19 year old Siobhan, who we haven’t seen much of so far, did an amazing version of Stevie Wonder’s “Livin’ For the City.” Keep an eye on this girl….then guitar-wielding Crystal Bowersox did a pretty good version of Sheryl Crow’s “If it Makes You Happy.” Good but not great…..Alex Lambert broke out his ukelele and did a song that I hate more than “Bubbly,” Jason Mraz’ “I’m Yours.” It was okay, but I still hate the song….then big Michael Lynche also did the Jason Mraz tune, and he was okay but the version was not as good as Lambert’s….17 year old Thaddeus did an awesome version of “Man in the Mirror, much to the delight of his very animated mom…17 year old Charity Vance did “Gravity,” though I’m not sure whose song that is, and it was okay, as was Tasha Layton’s guitar version of Coldplay….Mary Powers, who for my money is way too cocky to make the final 24, was as cover bandy as ever….big Lloyd Thomas, after crying in front of the microphone for a while, did an okay version of “Man in the Mirror”….Brian, the police officer from Tennessee, didn’t do very well but was pleased with some sort of weird hand gesture Simon gave him….20 year old Hope Johnson did a not-very-good rendition of Daughtry’s “Home”….19 year old Shelby Dressel, who has that disorder that affects the nerves on one side of her mouth, chose Boston’s “More than a Feeling,” a very very odd choice both for her and for the producers who made it available, and it was just okay….Aaron Kelly, who forgot the words to Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel,” was still pretty good….Ashley Rodriguez did Jordin Sparks’ “Battlefield,” a curious choice because you then are going to be measured with an Idol champ, and it wasn’t that great….Then Lee Dewyze, Joe Munoz and Haeley Vaughn all went in very rapid-fire fashion, and were all just mediocre, at least in my book….finally there was Janell Wheeler, who was losing her voice during Hollywood week and struggled in her final showing before the judges.

So the contestants were then split into three rooms, and the judges met with them one by one. First, Room 1, and it was a yes for them. That room included Siobhan, Andrew Garcia, Katie Stevens, Casey James and big Michael Lynche. Then Room 2, and they let Simon give this group the bad news that they were going home. This group included Mary Powers (thankfully), Brian the cop, Charity Vance, Lloyd Thomas and Hope Johnson. Finally, Room 3 was a yes, and this set included Ashley Rodriguez, Angela Martin and Shelby Dressel.

So after that, we were down from 71 to 46, as the 25 contestants in Room 2 were sent packing. But wait, there was more than an hour left in the show at this point. So they would begin the next round, which was meeting with each contestant, not in a conference room, but on a small stage in the middle of the Kodak Theatre “for the first time in American Idol history”…..so lame.

One by one, they were ushered to meet the judges by Ryan Seacrest, and the four judges would tell them individually if they had made it to the next round, which was the Final 24, the TV round in which America would do the voting.

First up, Michael Lynche, the dude whose wife had given birth to their first child at the start of Hollywood week. Simon said something about how he didn’t feel Michael believes in himself the way that the judges believe in him, but that the news was good–he was in the Top 24.

Didi Benami was next, and while none of us remember much about Didi, she also advanced. So did Catelyn, who I don’t remember much about and I can’t even picture her now, but I did write “eh” next to her name, so I don’t think I agreed with the choice.

Shelby Dressel was next and she was the first to be told she was going home. Too bad for her, but I have to believe part of the reason was that horrible song choice of “More Than a Feeling.”

Casey James made it to the Top 24, and Kara, who quite obviously has a crush on this dude, lifted one of her legs when hugging Casey, something Randy Jackson noticed and made fun of profusely afterward. Ha! 16 year old Aaron Kelly also made it through, because you always need a short, wimpy Kevin Covais or David Archuleta type….Lee Dewyze, who has a voice like (argh) Scott Stapp from Creed, also made it to the TV round, and I really have no idea why…..so did Todrick, who I think is the dude who sang alongside Fantasia in “The Color Purple.”

Finally, Jessica Furney was told she was going home, but then she unleashed a fury of begging and pleading that was, well, epic. This had to be a producer’s dream, as Jessica repeated over and over, “You have no idea what I can do.” Um, yes, Jessica, they do have an idea, because you just sang for them like four times. As Mrs. Mike pointed out, Jessica had the “crazy eyes” and started to get more and more belligerent with the judges, who simply told her their minds were made up and that was that.

So 7 of the final 24 have been announced with 17 more being chosen tonight–10 more girls and 7 more guys. I have to admit, I’m starting to get nervous for my favorite so far, Andrew Garcia. Seacrest made some comment about a “shocking elimination” and they even showed a dejected Garcia walking down the aisle at the Kodak in previews….please, tell me they didn’t let Lee Dweeby in and not my boy…please, don’t tell me that, because if you do, I’m going to go all Jessica Furney on you.

So that’s it everyone…after tonight we will have our Top 24, and the real competition will begin next Tuesday. Thanks for reading and see you all back here tomorrow….

First, there was a group performance of “School’s Out” with this week’s mentor, Slash, on guitar. Not awful, but not worth watching on your DVR again. I will say that, holy crap, can that dude shred.

Then AI judge Paula Abdul put her judge hat aside and performed her new, highly auto-tuned single, “I’m Just Here For the Music.” It was, as Simon would say, a “forgettable” ditty. But the best part was when Paula did a stair-dive into a group of suit-clad dancing men. That could have ended badly.

Then No Doubt performed their ’90’s hit, “I’m Just a Girl,” with an out of breath Gwen Stefani making us all dizzy with her stage aerobics. Gwen didn’t sound all that great, either, but her and the band have that itch again, and they are hitting the road for a summer reunion tour next week, to be followed by a new album.

Then, on to the results. They had the final 4 of Allison Iraheta, Danny Gokey, Adam Lambert and Kris Allen come out to the front of the stage, and Seacrest was going to send one of them back to safety. That person was….Kris! My boy is in the final 3. Screw you, Simon Cowell and Kara DioGuardi.

After that, Idol alum Chris Daughtry and his band performed a song from their upcoming album Leave This Town, called “No Surprise.” Um, I’m as big a fan of Daughtry as anyone, but this song was not very good…not only that, but who thought it was a good idea to have Chris sing about an octave above his range? Nobody needs to hear the dude straining, and a long tour is going to wreak havoc on his voice if that’s the lead single.

Back to the results…the next person who is in the final 3 is Adam Lambert. Well, duh. You don’t ace a Led Zeppelin tune on Tuesday and risk getting voted off. So it was down to Allison and Danny, this being Gokey’s first time on the chopping block but like Allison’s fifth or so. Seacrest left Danny hanging for about five minutes before saying those magic words, “You are safe.” Allison, who was one of the youngest contestants ever to make it this far, was going home, leaving us with a sausage-fest final 3 of Kris, Adam and Danny.

Allison sang Janis Joplin’s “Cry Baby” one more time, this time with no fear, and it was so good that it probably would have been good enough to not get her kicked off if this performance counted. But that’s what nerves will do to you, and you can’t not be nervous at 17. Still, you haven’t heard the last of Allison’s golden pipes, believe me.

I would like to add a parting shot at judges Simon and Kara, who threw Kris so far under the bus Tuesday night that I feared America would heed their comments and vote him off. But not so, just like America proved that Matt wasn’t worth saving, and just like Daughtry went on to be a multi-platinum artist after Simon’s constant dissing, and like David Cook wound up being the popular choice in the finale last year when Simon and the rest of the world all but crowned David Archuleta on that Tuesday. It’s just proof that America likes who they like, and these judges, like many A&R types in the music business, can’t recognize a fan favorite like Kris Allen without poking giant holes in his performances. Good for Kris that he can inwardly tell them to stick it, at least for one more week.

Are we headed for that Adam-Danny cage match? Don’t be so sure. And don’t be so sure Adam is going to skate away with the crown…as we’ve seen in the past, you just never know on “American Idol.”

Your thoughts?

Anyway, as the 72 remaining contestants got ready to sing in front of the judges solo but with some backup singers and a keyboard, the judges began their unenviable task of weeding out the mediocre ones. Then they were separated into four rooms..and you would think that two of the rooms would stay and two would go home, but that’s not exactly what happened. Only one room was sent packing, and I’m pretty sure there were no more than 15 or 20 in that room.

Among them, Kendall, the first girl of the night, attempted Carrie Underwood, and while yours truly is not a Carrie fan in the least, Kendall made Underwood look like Martina McBride…..Keneshe Young, the 16 year old from Cincinnati, who I thought was great, did not make it past this round…India Morrison, who led a fantastic group performance that included buddies Danny and Jamar, did not stand out enough on her own…..and Michael Castro, Jason’s brother, didn’t stay in Hollywood either, though they haven’t shown him performing since his initial audition (really now, how is that possible?).

Anyway, some of these folks moved on and I’ll add my comments…..Matt, the dueling piano player, sang Ray Charles’ “Georgia on my Mind” and it was phenomenal. I’ll go as far as to say Matt will be in the Top 36, maybe the Top 12 even….Jamar sang “Hey There Delilah” and if you can imagine a skinny black dude singing a skinny white kid song, that was about it. I wasn’t impressed but the judges know he can do better….Danny meanwhile, took on an even stranger song choice, “I Hope You Dance” by LeeAnn Womack, and well, let’s just say this guy can make anything sound good. Danny is also going to go far….Anoop sang “My Perogative” and I don’t know about this guy. He looks like such a nerd but man, what a voice….Scott McIntyre, the legally blind dude, sang Daughtry’s “I’m Goine Home,” but he’s not. I know there is a sentimental thing here, but I don’t think Scott is that great of a singer…Lil Rounds, who I have a hard time believing is only 23, also made it through and she has enormous pipes and potential…Nathaniel, the crazy kid who sang with Kristin and Nancy’s “Divas” group, made it through but I just don’t see him getting far….same with Joanna Pacitti, who has had 2 record deals but to me, sings through her nose and seems to be a bit too emotional…..Steven Fowler, who forgot the words twice and even walked off the stage before finishing, was so talented that they could not send him home. So much for Simon saying that if you forget the words, you’re done….Ju’Not, who also sang the Delilah song, did a much better job than Jamar did and I’m saying you should keep an eye on him…finally, Tatiana, who they had switch rooms in mid-deliberation, gave her best performance yet but geez, she is certifiably insane. Ratings, is all I have to say.

There were some other performances worth noting, but I don’t know if these made it to the next round or not….Adam, who kicked the performances off last night with “Believe” by Cher, was very emotive and I just can’t for the life of me figure out why these kids are choosing these ridiculous songs…..and Nick Mitchell, a.k.a. Norman Gentle, who keeps morphing back into Norman mode and keeps moving on. Dude, lose the headband and just sing…you’re freaking talented and don’t need to put on that stupid act! Anyway, I think we’ll be seeing these two (or three) again but I’m not 100% sure.

I am sure, though, that they only elimininated 15-20 contestants last night, after all that. But the rest will be pared down to 36 tonight, after learning their fate at the “judge’s mansion.” Are you kidding me? This show now has to flaunt its money? Well, I guess they deserve a few upgrades here and there after seven seasons of success and being the #1 show on TV.

Okay, we’re heading into the home stretch of the judges having an impact before America starts to take over the reins of voting. Tonight is a two-hour episode as the remaining hopefuls will learn one by one if they made it to the final 36 or not. As Dallas Cowboys’ star Terrell Owens would say, “Get your popcorn ready!”