So now the silly part is over and "American Idol" gets serious. A dozen people sang tonight; only three will advance on Wednesday. Here are a few comments; also, I'll have an interview with the three survivors Thursday afternoon:
1) If you had one chance to show what a great basketball shot you were, would you choose a lay-up? Probably not, yet several people tried terribly simple songs, ones with little range and less passion. There was Brent Keith doing "Hick Town," Stevie Wright doing Taylor Swift, Casey Carlson doing something forgettable. They were OK, but your ambition should extend beyond drawing a shrug.
2) I will grant that Casey Carlson is really, really attractive. It was like Valerie Bertinelli, at 20, sort of being a pop star.
3) On the flip side is Alexis Grace. She's a 21-year-old mom with multi-colored hair and an ability to tackle a song. She was terrific.
4) If you're going to try something big, you have to do it right. Simon Cowell summed up Jackie Tohn perfectly: "I think you actually played the clown tonight."
5) Hey, the show had enough time to talk to moms and dads and not-quite cousins. Couldn't it have let the contestants sing for more than a minute-20-seconds each?
6) There are several guys who have the right combination -- good voice and great likability. They include Michael Sarver, Danny Gokey and Anoop Desai. Gokey, a widower, has the intriguing story; Desai gets extra credit for coining the nickname Anoop Dogg.
7) The judges keep telling people not to try to do songs linked with icons. Tonight, people did songs by Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley. What, did the Celine Dion and Stevie Wonder people back out?
8) Actually, I thought Ann Marie Boskovitch did a good job singing "Natural Woman." Still, it was a bit daring to do it while looking at Randy Jackson, one of Aretha's producers.
9) My preferences to advance: Alexis Grace, best female (and best overall); Danny Gokey, best male; Ann Marie Boskovitch, third-best.
10) My prediction to advance: Danny Gokey, top male (and best vote-getter overall); Alexis Grace, top female; Anoop Desai third. That third spot, however, could also go to Sarver or Ricky Braddy or (despite a bad night) Tatiana Del Toro. We'll see soon.