And so we begin…(after the flip, that is.)

*  “The Lady Vanishes“ turned out to be Alfred Hitchcock‘s penultimate English film before launching his Hollywood blockbuster career with “Rebecca.” Since it came out within a few years of the somewhat better known “The Man Who Knew Too Much” in 1934 and “The 39 Steps” the following year, this 1938 box office smash sometimes tends to get lost in the shuffle. That’s a crime because “The Lady Vanishes” is one of Hitch’s jolliest and most entertaining films, even if Hitch himself might have played it down because of all the justified attention the writing team of Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder received for their classic screenplay.

Like the master’s self-homaging “North by Northwest,” “The Lady Vanishes” is set largely aboard a train and features an in-the-dark protagonist suddenly embroiled in dangerous espionage shenanigans. The innocent who gets in over her head this time is a mostly charming but also somewhat entitled young lady of means (Margaret Lockwood) who has already had a run-in with a rude but chivalrous musicologist (Michael Redgrave). When she befriends a lovably hobbitish Englishwoman (Dame May Whitty) who disappears not only from the train but, apparently, from the memory of everyone she has encountered, something is very obviously up. Chills, suspense, comedy and romance definitely ensue, with an accent on comedy and romance.

Contemporary audiences might be a bit thrown off by the fact that the film opens as a light comedy with only the barest hint of a thriller element until a genuinely shocking murder about half an hour in. They might also be thrown by the use of very obvious miniatures for the establishing shots of a small Balkan village that open the film. Go with it — once the thriller elements kick in, it’s one tense little ride.

Also those miniatures, necessitated by a lowish budget — even Hitchcock, no stickler for realism, worried about them — are a fun reminder than this is a movie, not real life, and the lengthy intro is a pretty delightful comedy set-up which, among other treats, features one of the English screen’s most popular classic era comedy teams. Though they teamed up for the first time on “The Lady Vanishes,” actors Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne would come to be at least as tied to cricket-obsessed travelers Charters and Calidicott as John Cho and Kal Penn are seemingly forever wed to cannabis-loving journeyers Harold and Kumar.

Radford and Wayne would reprise their roles, sometimes under different character names and sometimes not, in a number of films. Their films ranged from a segment of the 1945 anthology horror classic “Dead of Night” to low budget vehicles like “Crooks Tour,” which is featured on this typically chock-full-of-greatness Criterion disc, a Blu-Ray update of a 2007 release. You can also see them in “Night Train to Munich”, a worthy World War II-era follow-up from writers Gilliat and Launder directed by Carol Reed (“The Third Man“) that is very nearly as much fun as “The Lady Vanishes.”

* While we’re on the topic of great thrillers set aboard trains, if you were one of the masses left perhaps a bit less than overwhelmed by 2009’s “The Taking of Pelham 123,” taking a look back at the nifty though special-feature free Blu-Ray edition of the crackling 1974 “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three“ may reveal something about the way violent action thrillers should actually be made, or at least the way I think they should be made.

Grumpy-not-yet-old-man Walter Matthau stars as a hang-dog head of the New York subway police who suddenly finds himself confronted by a group of murderous hijackers. Led by a wiley, utterly ruthless ex-mercenary played by the equally superb Robert Shaw (“Jaws“), the gang requests a cool million in return for the lives of a group of luckless passengers.

With a screenplay by one of the wittiest scenarists of his day, Peter Stone (“Charade,” “1776”), this adaptation of a novel by John Godey blends R-rated suspense with plenty of black comedy and satire. It’s main target is the brutality of contemporary urban life. “Screw the goddamn passengers! What the hell did they expect for their lousy 35 cents – to live forever?” asks the world’s most callous dispatcher who seems to be angling for a position in the hardline Giuliani administration two decades early. Few movies not made by Sidney Lumet or Spike Lee capture the contentious  humor of the people of New York with this much accuracy and aplomb.

The top-notch supporting cast includes Hector Elizondo, Woody Allen pal Tony Roberts at his absolute best as an ultra-blunt deputy mayor, and Jerry Stiller — best known today as both Ben and George Costanza’s dad — as a lackadasical deputy. “Reservoir Dogs” fans will take note of the color coded names of the hijackers, Ringo Lam’s 1987 Hong Kong crime flick, “City on Fire,” was not the only movie Quentin Tarantino was borrowing from.

* We’re incredibly late for Valentine’s Day (and even later if you know when the Blu-Ray dropped) but, even among French films, there are few productions as purely romantic as 1934’s “L’Atalante.” The most famous of the two features included on Criterion’s “The Complete Jean Vigo,” it’s a moving, evocatively filmed, and extremely simple fable about a the highs and lows of love as experienced by the captain of a small canal barge (Jean Dasté) and his lovely bride (Dita Parlo). Delicate but also fierce in its gritty depiction of down-at-the-heels pre-World War II France, it also features a great comic performance by the legendary comic Michel Simon as a lovable old sea salt whose blood would probably test out at 40 proof.

Since writer-director Jean Vigo died at 29 the same year as his best known film was released, he has attained a sort of John Keats-like status among cinephiles enchanted by his romantic, melancholy surrealism. As sad as Vigo’s early passing remains, it at least means that it’s not hard to put the great cineaste’s complete works on a single disc and you can watch them all in a single long afternoon. These include the anarchy laden boarding school drama, “Zero de Conduit” (“Zero for Conduct”), and some frequently arresting experimental silent shorts.

* Is there a stranger, more interesting, confounding, and compelling 1990s movie than Todd Haynes’ seductive and mostly very entertaining 1998 ode to 1970s glam-rock, “Velvet Goldmine“? Somewhat hampered by the refusal of David Bowie to allow any of his songs to be used, Haynes nevertheless takes advantage of a treasure trove of iconic pop from such stalwarts as Lou Reed, Brian Eno, Roxy Music, and, of course, T-Rex, as well as such contemporary (14 years ago) bands as Pulp and Grant Lee Buffalo.

Although I once felt like a pretty lonely fan of this odd amalgam of rock and roll musical and off-kilter “Citizen Kane” rip-off by way of Phillip Dick and George Orwell, I’m glad to see the young folks have recognized it’s problematic brilliance. The new Blu-Ray, naturally looks superb, sounds amazing, and is a great vehicle for Haynes’ appropriately stylized vision. The commentary by Haynes and producer Christine Vachon is also a must for anyone who’s interested in the film and its many antecedents.

* It’s a thrill to finally see 1958’s “The Big Country“ in high definition 1080p on a big screen TV, but it would be even greater to see it in 35mm on an actual movie screen. Still, the home version ain’t bad for this big, big epic in which the characters themselves are obsessed with just how very, very large their little piece of the American West happens to be. Directed by William Wyler (“The Best Years of Our Lives,” “Roman Holiday“) and co-produced by liberal-minded star Gregory Peck, this very unusual epic western plays today as something of an enjoyably longwinded rebuttal to the those in public life for whom every problem may be solved by a war.

As with “The Lady Vanishes,” I could easily spend days writing about this film — and I’d link to a blog post about it on my old web site right now if I hadn’t been hacked — but all you need to know is that it’s much more than a message picture. There’s some really stirring action pieces, in particular an epic final three-way confrontation and a lengthy fight featuring Peck and his unbending romantic rival, played by Charlton Heston, who was cajoled by Wyler into taking a gig between playing Moses in “The Ten Commandments” and taking on the part of Judah Ben Hur in Wyler’s follow-up epic. It’s definitely one of my two or three favorite Heston performances.

“The Big Country” is also chock of sexy late-fifties romance, sexiness largely supplied by its two outstanding female leads, Carroll Baker (“Baby Doll”) and Jean Simmons (from “Guys & Dolls,” “Elmer Gantry” — not Kiss!). It’s a perfect movie for a long Sunday afternoon. I don’t like to say “they don’t make ’em like this anymore,” but I really do wish this kind of grand “something for everyone” mass entertainment still existed at the movies.

* There was a time when featuring a television star in a movie was pretty much considered the box office kiss of death. Since it starred two stars of a hugely successful TV series and did, in fact, bomb miserably, 1972’s “Hickey and Boggs“ might have been Exhibit A for that viewpoint. The real marketing problem, however, was that the stars were Bill Cosby and the late Robert Culp of “I Spy,” a lighthearted globetrotting buddy spy show that no one would have considered edgy or groundbreaking in any way if it weren’t for the fact that Cosby was the first African-American star of a U.S. TV show. The movie is anything but lighthearted.

Cosby and Culp had become buddies in real life and both were men of some real artistic ambition. Clearly, Culp — a cartoonist in his youth — wanted to be a serious filmmaker and he went all-in on this very dark tale post-noir about two down on their luck Los Angeles PIs. Though beset with a somewhat shambling and overly complicated screenplay by a young Walter Hill, it was clear that Culp had a strong sense of style and an eye for striking and stylish visuals. This really good looking transfer on a on-demand DVD is the first time the film has been available for a decent home video viewing in some time. (A previous DVD is, by all accounts, horribly inferior so be sure you’re getting the new MGM edition.)

* It’s fortunate for everyone that, unlike Jean Vigo, the very skilled director Alan Rudolph has enjoyed a good long life and a lengthy career, because if his filmmaking had ended with 1976’s “Welcome to L.A.,“ I wonder if anyone would remember him. This is a tough film to sit through and not in a good way, despite the requisite first-rate cast.

Presented by Rudolph’s mentor, Robert Altman, clearly the idea is to present something of a West coast follow-up to Altman’s heartland masterpiece, “Nashville.” Set largely in the Los Angeles music business, the results are mostly kind of unwelcome, as are the musical stylings of singer-songwriter Richard Baskin whose work, along with stars Keith Carradine and Geraldine Chaplin, had also been featured in “Nashville.” Baskin’s songs, like the movie, are morose without being engaging in any particular way.

Also featuring a young Harvey Keitel, Sissy Spacek, and Sally Kellerman (the original Hotlips from Altman’s film version of  “M*A*S*H”), this is a movie that only a young man could have made. It sports the special bitterness of those who have recently figured that life is not always what your parents said it would be. On the plus side, Angelenos might get some fun out of spotting old L.A. locations now long gone or transformed. On the other hand, there’s more of that stuff in Altman’s great “The Long Goodbye” and,  yes, “Hickey and Boggs.” Watch those instead.

Last night’s Nashville auditions on “American Idol” were as far on both ends of the spectrum as could be, but that’s what the producers of the show I’m sure would prefer. Here is how it went down…..

HOLLYWOOD BOUND
The duo of Chelsee Oaks and Rob Bolin was unique—they are formerly an item romantically but still are musically, and still live together despite the fact that Chelsee has a new boyfriend. Yikes. The whole thing was made even sadder by the fact that they were both really good, especially Rob. And both made it to Hollywood, with Steven and Jennifer proclaiming that they would get back together while in Hollywood…..Stormy Henley, a Miss Teen USA winner from Crossville, Tennessee, was pretty good but not great. J-Lo said no but Steven and Randy were enamored, just as Simon Cowell would have been without even hearing her sing….22 year old Adrienne Beasley, an African American from Kentucky with white parents who are farmers, had a great voice and Steven accurately pointed out that there is “something special in there”…..Jackie Wilson, 28, had the jitters but did a nice version of “Till You Come Back to Me,” and had the judges flipping out. I mean, she was good, but not that good….a few rapid-fire Hollywood bound folks were 25 year old Paul McDonald, 25 year old Jimmie Allen and Danny Pate, who did a cool version of “Papa Was a Rolling Stone”…..Matt Dillard, a 27 year old dude in overalls from south of Nashville, came from a family that takes care of foster children. Amazingly, this dude with overalls and a cowboy hat sang Josh Groban. It was weird, but really good….and they closed with 15 year old Lauren Alaina, from Roscoe, Georgia. This was also the sob story of the night, as she has been inspired by her cousin Holly, who is recovering from brain surgery but was on hand to cheer her on. Lauren was insanely talented, and Steven even said “I think we may have found ‘the one.’” I’m certainly not going to argue. She was that good…and only 15!

BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR OR NEVER
Christina Caffrey kicked things off last night and she was a high talker who incorporated sound effects into her audition. She did “I Hope You Dance” and it was pretty bad, maybe one of the worst auditions of the season so far…..Allen, 26, a tattoo artist from Ohio, sang Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man,” and didn’t even have to hear the judges’ verdict to know he didn’t make it, but he was a good soldier about it….Kameela Merricks, who sang Chaka Khan’s “Sweet Thing,” was just awful. Steven said, “Brutal honesty—this isn’t for you”….but she was not as awful as Latoya Moore, a self-proclaimed star, and Randy correctly said her voice was bordering on annoying. Bordering? J-Lo said Randy was mean but I think he did Latoya a favor.

That’s it. Next week the auditions head to Austin with more crazy people in tow. Should be fun. See you all next week!

Richard Schickel, however, is a more complicated case. Also a strong documentary filmmaker who mainly covers filmmakers of the classic era and his favorite contemporary director, Clint Eastwood, as well as a highly readable writer, I’ve nevertheless have always felt somewhat suspicious of him going back to his eighties reviews in Time Magazine. Those feelings crystallized to some extent when I heard him and critic Emanuel Levy take to task a rabbi on Los Angeles public radio while discussing Robert Benigni’s “Life is Beautiful.” They all but called him a bad Jew for not finding the film offensive and daring to admit he was moved by it, or at least that’s how I remember it.

Still, I’ve enjoyed not only several of his cinephile-friendly documentaries, but also some really good audio commentaries recently featuring Schickel discussing another one of his — and my — favorites, Howard Hawks. I’ve been in a forgiving mood.

Then, however, some editor at the L.A. Times had a very bad idea last week. I guess there’s no law that says, say, that if someone hates Picasso or Oscar Wilde or whomever, they should not review a new biography of them.  Ideally, I suppose, by itself that should not be a deal-breaker — as long as the writer in question can step away from their dislike of the subject enough to actually review the book rather than simply yell to the heavens that the revered creator being chronicled is wildly overrated while slipping in some snide remarks at the author’s expense for daring to think her subject is worth composing an entire book about.

Schickel, however, is clearly not big enough to do that, as he proved in writing this anti-Robert Altman screed disguised as a book review for the Los Angeles Times.  You can read Anne Thompson‘s take and then Patrick Goldstein‘s critique and defense of Altman, which also includes a letter from Altman’s one-time protegee, Alan Rudolph, a pretty strong and prolific filmmaker in his own right.

Again, there’s no law that says a critic cannot despise the output of a director widely seen as a great master. I happen to really and truly hate the three or four films I’ve managed to sit through by Michelangelo Antonioni, yet I know a lot of great critics and filmmakers have had their lives changed by his work. Even if we disagree, a certain amount of respect is due to all those people who are just as smart or smarter than me but who simply see something I don’t. At minimum, then, Altman’s many admirers deserve at least the respect of writing a proper book review.

Also, if you’re going to claim that you’re not disliking him simply for having a loose filmmaking style, citing such top-ranking classical formalists as Bergman and Renoir won’t get you very far. I’d like to know if Schickel has any respect for the more improvisational and experimental French, Italian, and English New Wave directors and neorealists (not my favorite style, by the way) who obviously influenced Altman far more.

As for me, I don’t see the relevance of whether or not Altman was constantly using alcohol and pot. Apparently, Winston Churchill was forever nursing a brandy, which allowed the possible ADHD sufferer to concentrate enough to fight Hitler and save Western Civilization. Whether or not Altman actually had a drug problem or was self-medicating is not for us to know or even care — whatever he was doing, he lived to eighty-one despite serious illnesses and made 45 films starting when he was about 45 with “M*A*S*H” (he’d made films previously, but he was primarily a television director before that), several of them regarded as masterpieces and a number of hits that also happened to be really good movies, and some really good movies that weren’t hits. To paraphrase Abe Lincoln, let’s find out what he was having and ship a case/pound of it to all our directors.

***

And now, two movie moments from probably my two favorite Altman films, Nashville and The Long Goodbye. Coincidentally, they both feature stand-out work from, among others, two  performers who became known via “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In,” specifically Lily Tomlin in maybe my favorite scene in any film of the 1970s, and the late Henry Gibson.

I was going to cover some of the usual folderol I cover here today, but, sadly, we have another passing to note with the death at 73 of Henry Gibson from cancer.

Gibson — whose stage name derives from an early character he did with roommate Jon Voight — was a personal favorite of mine. Not a large man, he was the kind of actor who might have one or two scenes in a movie, but was pretty much guaranteed to bring something detailed and memorable to his usually hilarious scenes; a relatively recent case in point was his great turn as the befuddled shocked clergyman towards the end of “Wedding Crashers.” He’s also familar to fans of “Boston Legal” as one of the show’s recurring judges.

With his eccentric but unassuming air, he gained his greatest fame as a cast member on “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In,” a faster paced, but more shtick-laden late sixties/early seventies forerunner of SNL. His signature bit involved him reciting absurd, vaguely counter-cultural, poetry in his ultra deadpan style while holding a giant flower and bowing with exaggerated politeness at the end. (He was famously spoofed on the show by John Wayne, who brought his own unique socio-political sensibilities to his verse.)

Numerous movie and TV roles followed, including probably the closest Henry Gibson ever got to a leading film role, cast brilliantly against type as a controlling and hypocritical country music patriarch in Robert Altman’s masterpiece, “Nashville.” Later, he’d play out-and-out villains, but usually in more comical contexts. Fans of eighties comedies have a special affection for his commanding role as the patriarch of a very strange family who loom in Tom Hanks‘s fevered imagination in Joe Dante’s comedy horror homage, “The ‘Burbs.” He was also the head neo-Nazi in “The Blues Brothers.”

All in all, the loss of Gibson at the relatively young age of 73 is a sad one and hit me personally a bit harder than expected. I’ve loved Gibson’s work since childhood and, whether he was playing a Napoleonic villain or a gentle preacher totally out of his depth, there was an abiding soulful quality to his work that made him all the more funny. Truly original performers like him are few and far between.

****

My friend, Zayne, has a very nice remembrance of Mr. Gibson at More a Legend than a Blog, and Edward Copeland shares my appreciation of his work as country music legend Haven Hamilton.

There’s less of him than I’d like on YouTube, but I did find a few fine moments of Gibson, which you can check out after the flip.

I suppose this bit from 1977’s “The Kentucky Fried Movie” could be considered to be in questionable taste to use in an obituary post, but I think Gibson would want us to use it. For one thing, it highlights his deadpan genius. For another, death comes to us all — and funny is funny.

Here is a rather hysterical clip featuring Gibson, once again cast brilliantly against his usually gentle persona, as a fashionably dressed ultra-bad guy incarcerating Lynda Carter on an episode of “Wonder Woman.” (Apparently, the father of whoever posted this was one of the captive athletes in the scene.)

The scene I really would have liked to post here is the opening number from 1975’s “Nashville,” “200 Years,” which Gibson wrote for his character to sing. I did, however, find an online video someone made of the song, a patriotic anthem written with the coming bicentennial in mind. In the dispassionate context of Robert Altman’s classic satirical look at American culture in the mid-seventies, the song is definitely ironic — though not sarcastic. Even listening to it here accompanied by a more straightforwardly patriotic assortment of images than Gibson or Altman intended, however, you can get an idea of the kind of commitment Gibson brought to his work. This song really sounds just like it would had Gibson been an actual talented but somewhat self-righteous middle-aged country superstar, circa 1975. Also, I think Gibson might have enjoyed the slightly incongruous final image on this video.

THE VERY GOOD

Allison Iraheta sang Patty Loveless’ “Blame It On The Heart” and while I had my doubts about this young (16!) hopeful, Allison proved last night that she is not only going to hang around a bit, but that she could be a contender to win it all. Her voice is just sick. Kara said Allison can sing anything in her own style, Paula said it was rock solid, Simon said it was good but tuneless in spots, and Randy strongly disagreed with Simon, saying it was “dope.” I agree, it was dope.

Danny Gokey came out dressed in this weird white jacket that made him look like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from “Ghostbusters.” Really, whose idea was that? Danny started off slowly with Underwood’s “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” but in the chorus he soared to heights that few in this competition can match. And to be honest, I hate this song. Kara said the second half of the song was amazing, Paula said it was brilliant, Simon agreed with Paula but said he hated the marshmallow suit and that it looked like Danny was going on a polar expedition, and Randy agreed with Kara that he only liked the second half of the song.

Anoop Desai was close to being eliminated last week, so he knew he had to step up his game. And he did just that, with a solid performance of Willie Nelson’s “You Are Always on My Mind.” Paula declared, “Anoop is back!” and that he touched her heart (please…), Simon said Anoop went from “zero to hero” and that it was an excellent song choice, Randy said he showed great skills and that he loved the arrangement, and Kara said Anoop took a classic song and made it sound amazing. Indeed.

Matt Giraud closed the night with Carrie Underwood’s “So Small,” but did a really cool piano version of it. This kid is a dark horse…..remember, his day job is as a dueling piano player, and his only blemish so far was that awful Coldplay song a few weeks ago. Kara said there is nothing small about Matt and that he is a true talent, Paula said it was authentic and honest, Simon said Matt doesn’t get enough credit for his vocal skills the way Adam and Danny do, and Randy said it was his favorite performance of the night.

THE GOOD

Kris Allen put his guitar aside and performed Garth Brooks’ “To Make It For My Love,” and I thought it was a bit safe and somewhat boring even. But not the judges, who loved it. Paula said she was pleasantly surprised and that Kris showed a vulnerability. Does anyone else not understand what that means in “American Idol” terms? Simon said it was terrific and that Kris actually has a shot to win it all, Randy said he liked that Kris took a chance, and Kara said she didn’t even feel like it was a country song.

Adam Lambert did the obscure Dilana version of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” and this week, I actually bought into the hype. I thought it was cool and that Adam showed some real skills with his vocals and the arrangement. Randy Travis was a bit spooked, both by Adam’s choice of arrangement and by his black nail polish. Kara said it was strange but she liked it, Paula said Adam stands out and stayed true to his style, Simon said, and I quote, “What the hell was that?” and called it “indulgent rubbish,” and Randy said he disagreed with Simon and thought it was fresh and hot.

Lil Rounds took on Martina McBride’s “Independence Day,” and it’s hard for me to believe she hasn’t been exposed to much country music as she claims, because she lives in Memphis. But anyway, it wasn’t Lil’s best, but she still displayed some powerful vocal ability in the chorus. Randy said the chorus was the best part, Kara said Lil is a great singer, but it took a while during the song for her to show it, Paula said everything is going right for Lil, and Simon said he likened the performance to someone being asked to sing a song she doesn’t know very well at a wedding. Huh? I really didn’t think it was that bad.

THE MEDIOCRE

Okay, so Michael Sarver is the only contestant who country music comes naturally to, since he is a Texas oil rig worker. Michael did Garth Brooks’ “Ain’t Going Down ‘Til the Sun Comes Up,” and it was, for me, just okay. Michael is obviously talented but it was a bland performance. Randy said it was a cool choice but didn’t show him a lot vocally, Kara said we got to see Michael’s personality, Paula said it was fun, and Simon used the words “clumsy” and “karaoke.”

Scott McIntyre sang Martina McBride’s “Wild Angels” and while I’m not a huge fan of Scott’s, it wasn’t bad at all. Not as good as everyone else, but not bad. Paula said it was another impressive performance but that she wants to see Scott without the piano, Simon disagreed and ridiculed Paula but he didn’t think it was a great song choice, Randy said it was “not hot,” and Kara said Scott needs to up his game next time. If there is a next time, that is.

Alexis Grace sang Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” and she has a great voice but didn’t really show much of it last night. Randy said it as a great choice but not a great performance, Kara said Alexis lost her edge this week, Paula said it was effective, and Simon said it was just okay and called it a “soundalike” performance. That’s a more polite way of saying “karaoke.” But I don’t disagree with any of those assessments.

Megan Joy Corkrey was sick with the flu this week, so she gets extra credit for being a trooper. And her version of the classic “Go Walking After Midnight” wasn’t bad, but was a bit weird, even for Megan. Randy said he was quite impressed, Kara said it was the perfect song and gave Megan credit for battling the flu, Paula also called Megan a “fighter,” and Simon said he thought it was better than last week’s showing. I’m not sure about that, but okay.

So there you have it. I believe they said Brad Paisley is performing tonight, and hopefully he will sound better than Kanye West or Kelly Clarkson did last week. As for who will be eliminated, that’s a tough call this week. Really, it’s going to be a tough call every week this season, because the talent bar is so high. But here it is…..Michael, Lil, Scott and Megan and maybe even Alexis are going to be at or near the bottom, and honestly, I think this is the week Scott goes home. I’d love to hear what you all think, so please leave your comments below. Thanks for reading and we’ll be back tomorrow with the results…

Oh, but first, check out this recent article by Fox News columnist Randee Dawn about the importance of song selection on “American Idol,” an article in which I was quoted.