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….

Such drama was prominent in three of the groups they focused on for the first half of the show. Remember Tatiana from the San Francisco auditions? The psycho with the annoying laugh? Well, watching her try to play nice in a group was just painful. She quit her group, joined another one and then went back to her original group, pissing off everyone along the way but then trying to act like she’s not the crazy one. There was also the group that included Rose and Katrina, a.k.a. “Bikini Girl,” a group that had exactly one singer worthy of advancing, but more on that later. Finally there was the group Tatiana was part of for five minutes….the one with Nancy, Kristin and Nathaniel, who called themselves The Divas. Yep, pretty much.

Well, Katrina was tired from her high heels, and tried to catch a few hours of sleep while her group was trying to rehearse. Then she even told her group she was quitting the competition, and naturally had second thoughts and returned.

Before everyone took the stage, Simon Cowell told them that if they forget the lyrics, it’s automatic dismissal. Yikes. Personally I don’t think that’s fair, because your nerves are already poking out of your skin at this point of Hollywood week, but I’m not a judge on the show.

Then it was on to the show. The group White Chocolate went first, and they were awesome. All four made it through–India, Justin, Chris and Matt……the next group was, as Simon pointed out, “a mess,” but two of them, Jorge and Nick, made it through to the next round….Action Squad was next, and while I thought they were all pretty bad, two of them made it–Alex and Marie, while Ryan and Emily were sent home, Ryan saying Paula Abdul had an evil glare in her eyes while telling them the news.

They then showed how Simon was on the warpath, using words to describe performances such as “excruciating,” “dreadful,” and again, “a mess.” Dude was in rare form for sure.

And then the best performance of the night–Jamar, Danny, Taylor (I don’t remember the fourth) sang Queen’s “Somebody To Love.” It was amazing…all four of them were great singing solo, but they also did some nice backing vocal work. All four went through….they then showed a medley of a few groups singing “Some Kinda Wonderful,” most of them continuing on….and a surprise was peppered in when they sent David Osmond packing.

Then it was the dysfunctional groups’ time to perform. Rose’s group was not as bad as you might have expected, but Rose, Katrina and Lauren were all going home, while Jasmine made them all look like total amateurs. Keep your eyes and ears on Jasmine, I’m telling you now….amazingly, Tatiana’s group all made it to the next round…..finally, The Divas were up. They all huddled in prayer before hitting the stage, with Nathaniel offering this beauty: “God, I know we haven’t been the best of friends, but….”….anyway, Nancy was just awful, and when the judges sent her home while letting Nathaniel and Kristin through, Nancy was very bitter, letting everyone know it on the way out.

In all, 75 made it to the next round, and Seacrest said that after next week we will be down to the final 36. I’m not sure if that means the semi-final round has been expanded from 24 to 36, but if it does, I have mixed feelings. It’s good because more contestants have a chance for America to keep them around, but bad because it waters down that part of the competition, and makes me have to take more notes. Cue the violins!

Anyway, this thing is heating up….and by the way, where is Jason Castro’s brother? Thanks for reading and let’s do this again next week…

There were 147 contestants plucked out of the tens of thousands who auditioned in the eight cities last summer. And in last night’s episode, they whittled it down to 104, meaning only 43 were sent packing. This season, there are makeup artists and vocal coaches to get these singers ready to perform in front of the four judges, and even Barry Manilow was a surprise coach and speaker.

The contestants were then put into groups of eight, and each group had to line up on stage at the Kodak Theatre, and sing a cappella in front of Randy, Paula, Simon and Kara. Then they were asked to either step back or step forward, and one line or the other was told they were through to the next round, and the other line was headed home. Immediate elimination may seem cruel, but that’s Hollywood week, and song choice becomes crucial. With that, here were the good and bad…..

THE BAD

Dennis Brigham, the dude who had a dream about Simon in his initial audition and was liked by three of the four judges (not Simon), was less than stellar this time, and was a no for all four judges. But he kept saying he disagreed and was basically throwing a tantrum on his way out….Jesus Valenzuela, who I was surprised made it through the first time, didn’t make it this time….Erika Wesley, who made it through in San Juan, was not great this time, and every bit of begging the judges did not work, even though Paula dug her. Kind of shows you how much pull Ms. Abdul has, huh?

THE GOOD

Well look, there were far more good than bad last night, so we’ll blaze through as best as we can….Lil Rounds, who took on Whitney Houston, something the judges always warn against, did a really nice job and seems to be a judge favorite…Anoop Desai, who is very nerdy but has a really great voice….Jasmine Murray, who I can’t picture in my head, but I had “awesome” written in my notes….Rose Flack, the 17 year old blonde from Idaho, was nervous and had a rough rehearsal, but made it through…..Stephen Fuller took on Stevie Wonder, another bad idea, but performed admirably…Jorge Nunez, who I also wrote “awesome” next to….Von Smith, who shouted his whole audition but somehow won the judges over….Nick Mitchell, a.k.a. Norman Gentle, was shouty and awful, and yet somehow the judges can’t seem to get past the fact that there is a voice in there somewhere, and let him continue. Or maybe it’s for ratings….Scott, the dude who is legally blind, and Frankie, the girl with the guy’s name, both made it through as well.

Whew.

Jackie Tohn, who is a Janis Joplin old soul type, really has some pipes on her…..Danny, the guy who lost his wife recently to cancer, sang Seal’s “Kiss From a Rose,” and dare I say this, I am predicting Top 12 for this guy right here, right now. He was that good….Danny’s buddy Jamar also made it through….Katrina, who you all know as Bikini Girl, sang Faith Hill’s “Breathe” and I thought it was nasally and annoying, but once again Randy and Simon loved her and Paula and Kara didn’t. She made it to the next round anyway….Jeremy Sarver had a nice enough voice to where Randy said he was one of the best of the day…..David Osmond, naturally, made it through. I mean, he’s a freaking Osmond…..finally, Emily Wynn-Hughes, the band singer who left the band to pursue this, practiced a 1940’s song, chickened out and went with a No Doubt song at the last minute. Bad idea, and the judges chastised her for choosing the wrong song, but let her through anyway.

Okay, I just exhaled again. I can only imagine how tiresome it is for the judges to do this. Anyway, tonight is the infamous group performance round, to see how these contestants work together and how they can perform with the added pressure of relying on someone else. This is where “American Idol” starts to get fun, and we’ll recap it here tomorrow morning. See you then…..Mikey, out.

THE BAD

Adeola, who had quit her job because she was so sure she was going to Hollywood, sang a Jennifer Hudson song and was just awful, and I mean every note was off-key. Lucky for her, Simon Cowell was nice enough to call her former employer and get Adeola her job back. Who said Simon was a tool? That was classy…..Jessica Byers, a 20 year old who sang Celine Dion, was so loud and emotive that she made the audition uncomfortable for everyone. She claimed she was just nervous, but no, she just wasn’t good….Joel Contreras was a crazy rocker dude from San Juan who called himself the “human iPod” and was more talented at being nuts than at singing…Alexis, who auditioned last season and was also a bit of a wack job, returned to the New York City auditions and claimed to have toned down her act through stuff like yoga. Yeah, okay. Alexis attempted Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” and let’s just say she can also go back to being nuts, because she is better at that than at singing. Also true to form, she gave the judges the finger on the way out. Nice.

THE GOOD

Jorge Nunez, a 20 year old from Puerto Rico, sang “My Way” and had a nice Latin flair about him. The judges started saying he may have trouble singing in English, but Simon correctly pointed out that they came to San Juan to find Puerto Rican natives with talent, otherwise they would have gone to Omaha…..Melinda Camille, who admitted she likes to dance naked in her bedroom while singing, sang “Feeling Good” and had a really great voice. No confirmation on whether or not she will bring her clothes to Hollywood….Jackie Tom, who sang Jason Mraz’ “I’m Yours,” picked an odd song but had a nice tone to her voice and got through….Nick Mitchell, who goes under the moniker “Norman Gentle,” had this cabaret thing going on, and tried to inject humor into everything he did. This pissed off Simon to no end, but even he laughed when “Norman” made a crude joke about Simon and Ryan Seacrest. Anyway, when dude stopped joking and sang “Amazing Grace,” I think I speak for all of America when I say it was a pleasant surprise. Norm is off to Cali, and he will no doubt be polarizing to everyone there….after a medley of good auditions and yellow tickets, things were winding down. Next up was Monique, a 16 year old who brought along her 9 year old brother, Christopher. The kid was like a used car salesman to the judges, and since Monique was above average but not great, an assist goes to young Chris for sending his sis to Hollywood….finally there was Patricia, a 20 year old who took on Whitney Houston. That’s never a good idea, because artists like Whitney or Stevie Wonder or Aretha Franklin are just so hard to live up to vocally for an amateur. Anyway, Patricia did earn her ticket, but barely.

So our initial auditions are over, and now we head to Hollywood for the next round. Soon we will have our Top 24 and a clearer picture of who some of the contenders will be. See you all next week!