After last night’s episode of “American Idol” from Hollywood week whittled the contestants down from 100 to 50, it’s safe to say things are really heating up. I’m guessing that the live portion of the show will begin on March 2, unless it begins next Thursday, February 24. Either way, I, along with all of you I’m sure , am ready for the real competition to begin. Here is a brief run-down of last night…

Basically, the first 50 minutes or so of the episode showed the contestants singing, by themselves, one more time for the judges. Ashley Sullivan, who almost quit during the group round and is, well, a bit of a basket case, sang Michael Buble’s “Everything” to her boyfriend, but she forgot most of the words and melted down right there on stage. Yikes.

Stefano, the dude who survived a horrible car accident a few years back; Jovanny Baretto, the young Marc Anthony; and Jacee Badeaux, the loveable pudgy 15 year old, all performed. So did Scotty McCreery, but the dude finally had to learn a different song than that, “Baby, turn the lights down low…” one. He and Taynisha Wilson, who both auditioned in Milwaukee originally, sang LeeAnn Womack’s “I Hope You Dance,” but neither impressed me, or, so it seemed, the judges.

Chelsee Oaks lost her “best friend,” Jacqueline, to some sort of flu that made the latter have to bail from the competition. Really, best friend after meeting like five days ago? Chelsee was finally all alone after her ex-boyfriend Rob Bolin was also sent packing on Tuesday night. And she sounded pretty awful.

So as they always do this time of year, the judges had the singers break into four rooms, with two of them being “staying” and two being “leaving.” In Room 1, there was Jacee and Ashley, but also a few that I knew were too good to go home–including Casey, the Seth Rogen lookalike; Robbie Rosen, the Andy Pettitte lookalike; and Lauren Alaina, the incredible 15 year old from Georgia. Sure enough, they were all staying, including little Jacee, who again, Simon Cowell would have never even allowed to Hollywood. And Ashley, who quite honestly, should have gone home last night, but she must be a ratings booster.

In Room 2, they showed two people I did not honestly remember at all–Brielle and Corey. Okay. Adios.

In Room 3, were Mark Gutierrez and Chelsee. That’s all folks for those two and others in the room I didn’t recognize.

So Room 4 was good news, and that one included the likes of Carson Higgins, the surfer kid from Malibu who is annoying and fun to watch at the same time; Julie Zorrilla, the girl whose family bolted from Colombia; and Scotty McCreery, who is probably being kept around for one more week to have the country fans watch. Because seriously, were there any Carrie Underwood or Bucky Covington types in this batch? I don’t think so.

So next week, these 50 contestants have to sing Beatles songs before the judges decide who will reach the semi-finals. After that, I’m pretty sure America will start the voting process. Okay, then….bring it on already!

“American Idol” is hitting its stride now, as last night was the dreaded “group night” portion of Hollywood week. For those of you new to the show, or who need a reminder, what they do is let the contestants form groups–but judge them individually. They also give them a song choice from a list of 20 songs, but give them that list at around 8pm, and force them to practice deep into the night, and audition for the judges early in the morning. I know they want to create a pressure cooker situation, but come on. Is it really necessary to not give them a full day to practice?

The first hour of the show was devoted to showing the groups forming, losing/gaining members and all of the drama that typically goes along with group night. Not surprisingly, no one wanted to work with Tiffany Rios, who had disrespected every other contestant last week by stating, “I’m sick of watching all of these people try to do what I know I can do.” Yikes. And she was surprsed nobody wanted her in their group? She wound up pairing up with someone named Jessica, whom she stole from another group already formed. The producers had to make an exception and let them be a duo. Also, Scott McCreery (young deep-voiced country dude) and Jacee Badeaux (pudgy Louisiana 15 year old kid that Simon Cowell would have eaten for lunch) could not find groups but ultimately latched on.

Here are some of the highlights and low-lights:

STAYING IN HOLLYWOOD
Jordan Dorsey, a great singer but one with a huge ego that was overly critical of other singers when putting his group together, wound up in a five-person group with 16 year old Robbie Rosen (young Andy Pettitte) and all of them in the group are moving on to the next round…440, a group of young ladies, also all made it to the next level…..15 year old Loren Alaina and her group of young Southern women sang to Steven Tyler, whom they invited up on stage. It was amusing and I thought they all sounded great, but the judges only let Loren through…..Aaron Gutierrez made it but his brother Mark did not, although they didn’t show their performances…..then a group called The Hits did a really nice job though I neglected to write down what song they did or who was in the group. Sorry about that…..the DBs had crappy harmonies, but James Durbin and and dude named Caleb made it through while a young lady named Emma (who J-Lo had said would be swallowed up by Hollywood) did not. Their version of Queen’s “Somebody To Love” also paled in comparsion to the next group of 15 and 16 year olds who were being coached by their mamas. Wow, just wow, they were amazing….the harp playing Seth Rogan lookalike Casey and Juli Zorilla made it through from their group….so did Chris Medina, the dude who takes care of his wheelchair bound fiancee….the Sugar Mamas & Babies were Brett Lowenstern and Jacee Badeaux’s group, and while the judges sent four of them through and made Jacee hang in the balance, they ultimately sent him through. Really, I didn’t think he was that great last night but is clearly a fan favorite already, including having Mrs. Mike as a fan…..then they showed the group that kicked Jacee out, which included Scott McCreery, and all four of them made it through….finally, exes Rob and Chelsee along with Jacqueline (one half of the couple along with that Nick dude who was booted off last week) could not get it all together, mostly Rob. The girls made it through (though really, Jacqueline was all over the place) and Rob just didn’t want to be there, and didn’t even try to learn the lyrics or dance moves. Which is really a shame, because he has a great voice.

BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR OR NEVER
Among those not moving on were both Tiffany Rios and her partner Jessica. Mercifully, Tiffany was going home, but not because of her attitude–because of her loud and screachy pipes…Matt Dillard, the dude from southern Tennessee who is a farmer and wore overalls to his first audition, didn’t make the cut…Janelle Arthur and Aly Jados, and someone else in their group named Carolyn, who started arguing with the judges, all did not make it…..Paris Tassin, the mom of the girl with special needs who connected with J-Lo, also was not quite good enough…..same with a girl named Emilee from the San Fran auditions who had the “baby girl” voice. Whew. We just didn’t need another “bird girl” (what was her name again?….you all know who I mean!). And of course, poor Rob. I have to say, I think Rob really blew it. He should have found another group to work with from the start, because he let his emotions and bitterness toward Chelsee get in the way, but he’s a better singer than 90 percent of the other guys in Hollywood.

So there you have it…about 100 contestants survived the group rounds, and now the judges will cut the 100 down to about 50 tonight. That means we are inching closer to the show being live, which is when the fun really begins. So see you back here tomorrow and let’s keep this party going…

Last night was Episode 7 of this season’s “American Idol” on FOX. That means it was the last night of initial audition footage, and tonight we get into Hollywood week. But first, a recap from last night’s San Francisco auditions:

HOLLYWOOD BOUND
The first few that they showed going to Hollywood were 21 year old Brittany Mazur; Lara Johnston; and Matthew Nuss. I wrote down next to Lara that she was all technique and I wrote “eh” next to Matthew. Sometimes I’m not quite sure what the judges are smoking, or that they are a bit too lenient…but Stefano Langone, who went next, was quite a story. He was in a life-threatening car accident two years ago, but pulled through. He talked about the desire to win “American Idol” burning in him, and when someone goes through something like that and to top it off, has the talent AND the burning drive, look out. I’m just saying, keep an eye on this kid. He did an awesome version of “Heard it Through the Grapevine” and J-Lo even suggested the word “star” to Stefano….Clint Jun Gamboa, a karaoke host from Los Angeles, was pretty damn good…after a medley of good auditions, some with women in short dresses that caught the eyes of Randy and Steven, the next Hollywood-bound contestant was Julie Zorrilla, a 20 year old beauty originally from Colombia. Her family was rich but constantly extorted by the army, so they left and came to LA for a better life. Good for us, because she was awesome and did a super cool version of the classic, “Summertime”….Emily Anne Reed, whose house burned down like last week, sang “You’re Getting To Bet a Habit,” and she was really good, kind of old-timey but very unique. Steven said no, but Randy and Jennifer said yes resoundingly…..and finally, 21 year old James Durbin from Santa Cruz, whose dad always played in bands and toured but died when James was 9 of a drug overdose, was quite a story. He and his girlfriend Heidi have a little daughter and though he has no job, they make ends meet somehow, and now he wants a better life for his family. Thankfully, he didn’t suck. Dude did a super cool version of Led Zeppelin’s “You Shook Me” and then even did Aerosmith’s “Dream On,” with Steven’s permission of course. This dude was really good and worth keeping an eye on.

BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR OR NEVER
The show kicked off last night with 22 year old Inessa, who kept proclaiming that she was a star. That’s never a good sign. Anyway, Inessa is an import from the Ukraine, and they showed video clips of her doing sexy dance moves that made me want to turn away from the TV—that’s because Inessa looks like she’s TWELVE. And being from the Ukraine, maybe she is. But waiting for her outside was her HUSBAND, an oriental looking middle aged dude who clearly bought Inessa online as a mail order bride. Seriously, how old can she really be?…..24 year old Drew Beaumier, who was a human car, and yes you read that correctly, sang (wait for it….) “Born to be Wild.” His vocals were average, but the gimmick was amazing. I mean, dude literally could get down on the ground and look like a toy car that actually functioned…..among a medley of bad auditions were two Daves—Combs and Johnston—the former having long hair and saying all rockers should have long hair but disappointing Steven to no end.

So that’s it, folks. We head to Hollywood tonight, and here are a few contestants I want you to keep an eye on from the initial auditions:
16 year old Robbie Rosen from Merrick, NY who looks like a young Andy Pettitte; 25 year old Caleb; a girl named Devin who worked at a burger joint in NYC where they sing at the tables; Jordan Dorsey, a 21 year old teacher who did “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”…..16 year old Brad Lowenstern, who was picked on a lot growing up but did an amazing version of “Bohemian Rhapsody” for his audition….Chelsee Oaks, one half of the “ex” duo with Rob Bolin, who, believe me, will stand out on her own without that guy…..Lauren Alaina, the 15 year old who had the sister with brain cancer, from Roscoe Georgia. Believe me, this girl has ridiculous pipes at that age, and I would venture to say she is finalist material…..19 year old Casey Abrams, who looks like Seth Rogan and sang Ray Charles’ “I Don’t Need No Doctor,” is also finalist material. Yes, he was that good, even as goofy as he seemed with his little accordion instrument….the brothers, Mark and Aaron Gutierrez, as long as they are not swallowed up by Hollywood, will also go far….then of course, Stefano Langone, Julie Zorrilla and James Durbin from last night. Those are my picks to go far, but I’m sure to be at least half wrong. So let’s get this Hollywood party started!

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….

One thing we always notice during the Hollywood group round on “American Idol” is that dysfunction sometimes gets in the way, making the contestants involved sound worse than they would individually. But let’s face it…working together is something any Idol hopeful has to be good at.

In all, 96 contestants made it through to this round, while 85 were eliminated. And as they broke into groups, you could already sense that some of them had their act together and some had a ton of trouble working in teams.

They kept flashing to big Mike, whose wife was having a baby back home….I can’t even imagine how that felt for him to be away from his family at that point.

Anyway, the first group they showed was Fate, with Michelle, Ashley and Charity…all three made it through. Next up was “Team Awesome,” a group featuring Big Mike, Big Seth, another Michael and Tim Urban. Big Mike an Tim made it through to the next round, which means two things….Mike has to remain in Hollywood and away from his new daughter, and the judges are smoking crack for letting Tim through. Every time I see this kid sing, I cringe, and I have no idea what they see in him.

Next up was Neopolitan, featuring Liz, Jessica and Thaddeus, and all three advanced. Then came Destiny’s Wild, with Todrick, Theri, Jareb, and Siobhan. They were okay, but the judges let all four of them advance. Then came the Mighty Rangers (really with that name?)…..a 5-person group featuring Tori, Maddie, Mark, Kimberly and Danny. Only Tori and Maddie made it through, which prompted Mark to literally cry on camera for about 5 minutes.

Next up, Phoenix…and they lost one member before they started, Cat, who walked out of the competition because she couldn’t handle the drama of group day. Nice. From that group, Jeff and Jermaine advanced while Ben and Moorea (who had made it this far last season too) went home.

Middle C was next and all of them were great–Janelle, Jermaine and Casey James……same with 3 Men and a Baby, featuring Andrew Garcia, Katie Stevens and JB…for some reason I didn’t write down the fourth, but all of them advanced.

Finally, The Dreamers were up, the group that seemed to be the most dysfunctional of all, led by 28 year old Mary Towers. Mary was bossing everyone around, including the dude playing piano, and was not making any friends whatsoever. Still, she was one of three from her group that advanced.

So now we’re down to 71, as 25 more contestants went home following the group round. 12 guys and 12 girls will make up the live TV contingent, so they have lots more trimming to do next week. They didn’t show as much judge banter last night, so hopefully they will have more of that next week as they did Tuesday.

That’s it for this week, folks….see you all in Hollywood again next Wednesday!