The guys were up tonight. For the most part I was disappointed by the performances. Halfway through the show I was so bored by the songs I tuned out.

Big Mike was awesome. I'm glad he didn't pull another one of those dashboard hula numbers like he did last week.

John was better than last week, but that's not saying much considering the last performance.

Casey was OK. He's just not believable as a Nickelback-knockoff. I think that's what he's trying to do.

I like the sound of Alex but to watch him he's just uninteresting. I find that I look around the room at other things when he's performing because he doesn't do anything to captivate me.

Todrick was pleasant this week. Nothing wowing about that.

Jermaine was uninteresting as well. He's probably one of my picks to go home.

Andrew is totally losing my interest for tonight's show. I think this was the breaking point that had my mind wandering.

Aaron was OK but totally different than how we know him. Be the Archuleta shy guy and not some gangsta Bieber they're comparing him to. Ick. I can totally see Aaron changing his look as the season goes on and coming out like he's some hood.

I liked Tim. There wasn't too much memorable about the song but it was decent.

Lee was really good. He looks like a roughed up Kris Allen. I really like what he did with his song.

Oh the faked group numbers. How I've missed thee! Two dozen people all with different styles (if you can even call it that for some of them) trying to perform together on one of TV's smallest stages -- literally -- it is a very small area.

One hour and four eliminations. That's the pace I like Idol to be at!

It was probably no surprise that the shakey performances earlier this week saw Janell, Ashley, Joe and Tyler going home. Did I remember the girls' performances? Not at all. They didn't even look familiar to me.

Returning to the Idol stage was Kris Allen and Allison Iraheta. Nice to see them again. Can't really say I miss them too terribly much, but it was nice to see them just the same!

The boys tonight. Lots to recap, so let's get going.

Todrick's Since U Been Gone was original, but maybe too original as he bastardized the song so much that we couldn't understand what he was singing most of the time.

Aaron is still adorably cute and will get the Archuleta fan vote this season. He's smily, he's got good stage presence. He'll be around for a long time.

Jermaine's screeching and screaming made me squint and cringe. I think one of the windows in my hotel room cracked. I'm going to check in the morning.

Tim's karaoke performance was a perfect fit for a country bar. Perhaps he'll be packing his things and headlining next week. But, if you recall, he's hot according to the judges, so he'll likely stick around.

Joe sounded like someone was karate chopping his throat during the chorus. It was too warbly. I will give him credit that he worked the camera nicely. He has an intense look that draws you in. Kara probably wants to do him but we haven't heard that yet.

Tyler isn't interesting. He screamed. He seemed like a look-alike. Totally unoriginal.

Lee looks like a cross between Danny Gokey and Norman Gentle from last season. He was great. Some of the notes rattled the already cracked windows, but it was a really cool performance.

John was boring. The song was so low I thought he was going to break into Old Man River. Too many runs in it, it was like that's all he had to offer. And if it was, it certainly wasn't an offering I'd be willing to take for any length of time.

Big Mike was funny because he's this huge man and he's bopping back and forth like a hula girl on your dashboard or a bobblehead. It didn't work. It seemed awkward. The only thing I liked was the delivery of his last line. That was cool.

Alex looked terrified. He was stiff, nervous, uncomfortable. Simon's right, we were left sitting there wondering when it was going to be over to put him out of his misery. Time to pack your bags?

Casey thinks Kara is a "huge star"? What rock has he been under? And if he thinks flattering her when she wrote the song for last year's winner and it got pulled from the summer tour will benefit him, he's focusing on the wrong person to advance his music career! He was good and definitely did Bryan Adams proud with that version of Heaven. And did you notice how glossy Kara got during the song? I think she was sweating like crazy.

Andrew was annoying. He lost me by the chorus. I tuned out.

Hollywood Week and the related drama began tonight. A very rushed show, many people's dreams were crushed. I'm surprised no one used the illness excuse to be rushed to hospital to get checked out, although it is only day 1. Illness would fit in better on group day, anyway. It's best to piss off your teammates before embarrassing the entire group on stage in front of the judges! Can't wait for it! Eeeeeek!

Ellen also made her judging debut tonight. She had a bit of comic relief at the beginning but then didn't have too much to say except for she liked it or she didn't. Perhaps we'll get her a little more outspoken as the hours drag on in the auditions.

As for the quick glimpses we got tonight, there's a could standouts in my mind.

Skiiboski, as annoying as he was, I actually liked him. He was too over the top for me during his first audition but he didn't bug the crap out of me tonight. Too bad he's going. And good on you for being the first to stand there like a fool begging for another chance!

Andrew's Paula Abdul song was great. Reminded me of a Jason Mraz-ish or Kris Allen-ish kind of thing. Very good. I'm just not keen on the neck tattoo.

Haeley Vaughn was my favourite of the night. Her nerves didn't get the best of her and her sweet sound was perfect for her guitar playing. Loved it!

Lilly Scott was good and so was Tim Urban.

I'm surprised Justin the cancer hottie was booted. Although, aside from his sex appeal there wasn't much to him in Hollywood. I'm sure Kara was ready to jump him. Maybe she'll get a chance in a wild card round.

On the subject of Kara, she might have had a miss with Kris Allen's No Boundaries, but I was shocked to hear she actually wrote a good song in Terrified as sung by waitress Didi Benami.

Last and certainly least was tattoo mom whose teeth were browner than her guitar. She was good but I dunno about the show biz thing for her.

Tonight my faves Haeley and Andrew neck tattoo Garcia made it. I was expecting them and sure enough they're in the top 24.

Katie Stevens is also performing live next week. She seems like a good kid.

An observation is that too many contestants try doing the fake out after hearing the verdict and going out to the waiting room. I'm not sure if they're trying to fool us (who already know by the time they leave the room) or Seacrest (who also knows when they leave the room). It's a toss-up, but regardless, it's annoying.

Live performances next week. If you're taping it, remember, live shows often run long!

Ding, dong, Mary Powers is gone. So what if that didn't rhyme, she's off Idol and I couldn't be happier. I did like her at first but with her pushy attitude last week and her diva ways tonight (not to mention brutalizing Katy Perry's Hot N Cold) it was time for her to go. I can't imagine the audience would have liked her anyway.

I still really like Angela Martin. I'm so glad Aaron Kelly is going through, despite him messing up the words. He reminds me of David Archuleta. It's the boy next door that will probably get lots of screaming teen votes.

Lee Dewyze and Joe Munoz are also in my good books.

I'm still loving Haeley. She's remarkable. Just a fun bubbly personality.

Andrew Garcia's vocal style impresses me but I'm still afraid of him with that neck tattoo.

A long night of performances.

Paige opened the show as though she was a warm-up act. There wasn't anything memorable or outstanding about the performance.

Ashley was boring. I actually tuned her out and flipped channels a little bit during her performance.

Janell's Heart song seemed like a karaoke or drunken bar performance. I think she got distracted and started speaking a part of the song. There was something odd about it.

Lilly was entertaining. Probably the most memorable (in a good way). She was animated and it was fun to watch.

Katelyn looked like an '80s drag queen. She sounded OK, but it was just a strange look for her. And how great was that when Kara predicted Katelyn called her a bitch! Hilarious.

Haeley was getting on my nerves last week when we saw a little more of her performances. Tonight she put me over the edge. The whiney yodel lines are too much. I hate when singers end every line with a fluctuation in their voice. Don't do it. It's not talent, it's annoying.

Lacey I liked a lot despite the judges tearing a piece out of her.

Michelle's Alicia Keys seemed like a very weird key. I guess it worked. But I was comparing it to the sound of the original and that was distracting for me.

Didi was sexy and playful and fun. She was entertaining to watch.

Siobhan reminded me of a Ms. America pageant performance. It was too theatrical. Her mouth movements were overdone as though she was performing to a theatre with people hundreds of yards away. It's TV -- we're up close and can see you just fine.

Crystal's pack (video before performance) said the "only reason" she's there is to give her kid what he needs. So she's just on the show for the money. So much for doing it for the love of music. Aside from that, she was entertaining. But like the judges said, she wasn't anything different than a street corner performer.

Katie was OK, however, I don't really have an opinion either way on her.