So finally they get rid of the filler! I don't know how long the show is going to be tomorrow but they raced through the contestants tonight I wish it were a bit longer to get some more critiques from the judges.

AI: I was not pleased with the "fast pass" to the Top 10 from the judges. The whole point of this show is for people to get the chance to vote for their favorites. Disagreeing with that popularity contest is as American as, well, American Idol. Boo. That said, I was pleased with three of the four that the judges chose. La'Porsha, Dalton and Trent should definitely all be in the Top 10. And even Olivia, although she's not my cup of tea, was not a terrible choice, although I'd have switched her out for Mackenzie.

Of the Idol aspirants who had to perform, I really only enjoyed Avalon and Mackenzie. I'd be perfectly happy just adding the two of them and skipping directly to a top 6. I really like Jenn, but she misses way too many of her notes for me to continue to write it off as just "quirkiness" or "nerves". Nonetheless, she'd be next on my list to round out a top 10 if we simply must have top 10. So that's 7. And then it gets real dicey. I still like Lee, but he was terrible last night and he's way too young to be on the show yet, so that's a no. I'd say the same about Jeneve, except for the part about actually liking her. She seems very sweet but she also seems like someone who can't sing all that well. Manny is boring and not a star although his vocal on Higher Ground wasn't offensive, so there's that, I guess. Sonika is like musical wallpaper she's so bland. If she gets on the show, she'd just be playing for the Pia Toscano Memorial Belter Gone Too Soon for Being Boring spot. I suppose every season needs that, though. Thomas, Gianna, and Tristan are all actively bad, so those are definite nos.

My enthusiastically in the Top 10:
La'Porsha
Trent
Dalton
Mackenzie
Avalon

My "I'm rooting for you so do better than you have done" in the top 10:
Jenn

My "I guess" in the top 10:
Olivia
Sonika

My "We still need two more and you are less bad than others" top 10:
Lee
Manny

So, yeah. Those are my picks for AI Top 10.

I thought Gianna did better last night but tonight she was back to her lackluster performance.

I was "eh" about Sonika until tonight I thought she did really well.

Also wondered if Harry Connick Jr was going to say something about the runs La'Porsha did, I think it could have been better if she had cut out a couple but she slayed.

Avalon was frustrating because it felt forced and like she wasn't sure what she was doing. Dalton was -- I like the song and he made it more interesting but he could do so much better.

Lee is getting the voters who go for the cute adorable young guy. But he seems like the youngest there, even though he's not.

Kelly - she was scattered but that song...even if I wasn't emotional I would be crying. It looked like Keith Urban was trying not to bawl during the song.

I guess 2 are getting eliminated (I missed part of it due to channel switching) but if I were going to guess I'd say maybe Avalon is in trouble (which I don't think she should be but she did have an off night) and I would like Lee Jean to go jsut because I don't think he's strong enough but I think he'll get the votes. I'm going to say Trent might be in trouble or Mackenzie (and he shouldn't he's better than Lee but I'm thinking about the demographics that vote a lot).

So I thought all the under 17s except Olivia were horrible last night. Tristan, well, the less said the better. Bless her heart. Lee made a terrible song choice and then he sang it terribly. Gianna chose a song that was clearly too mature for her and then she only hit about half of the notes in the song and sang it like one of those animatronic robots on It's a Small World. In my perfect world, I'd want all of them to go home next week, but only two people are going home anyway, so there goes that dream. I think at least one of those three will get the boot while the other two stay. If I had to bet money on it, I'd guess the stayers would be Lee, because of the cute boy factor (but he is in way over his head), and Tristan because she has the country vote cornered, she has the weepy back story, and they've been pushing her like crazy.

My top two by far were La'Porsha and Sonika. I loved what La'Porsha did to Diamonds. I think she sounded like what Rihanna thinks she sounds like when she sings! It was a perfect Idol performance for me. I just hope it didn't come too early for her such that it's all kinda downhill for her from here, because that could wind up sending her home before her time. I was shocked by how good Sonika was on Bring Me to Life. She should do more in that Evanescence/Paramore lane. It really suits her.

Next down for me but all still good last night were Dalton, Mackenzie and Olivia. I hate that Delilah song and I think the re-imagining was the least successful that Dalton has done, but Dalton is always good. Mackenzie was bound for a let down after being so spectacular with his original, but he did a good job with the Ed Sheeran song. He is gonna need to shake it up soon, though. And Olivia did a lovely job with a gloopy Katy Perry song, but she just does nothing for me.

After that litlle cluster, I've got Avalon, whom I still adore, but that was not a good song choice for her at all. And then there's Trent, who wasn't bad, I suppose, but I barely remember his performance at all and that is not a good thing when you got the pimp slot.

Anyway, I predict Gianna going home from the terrible teen trio and maybe Avalon in a shock boot, which will make me very sad. I'd prefer for both Gianna and Tristan to go, though. We'll see. It's been a long time since I could predict this show at all.

And to sum up, Kelly Clarkson!

PR:AS - I love that they didn't break down the winning team and give one person the win. Should've sent both of the losing team home, too.

I was surprised by the bottom three a little but. Most of the performances were great.

My mind went weird and everytime they said Grammys I heard Oscars adn that threw me off for a long time. OH! Grammys! Duh!

La'Porsha is owning those songs. Dalton should have done something different he was too safe. Lee Jean needs to go home. Olivia Rocks should have stayed (although I don't think anyone can pick Trouble and then throw the high notes in like that). Sonika needed to look at Olivia's performance for pointers on what to do. Trent looked amazing! and so much better when not pulling faces and that was just, his voice was great. Avalon's wheelhouse is an interesting one and I like it.

Was also wondering if Olivia could have tackled Kate Bush but I don't think Kate Bush is Idol material.

La'Porsha was the only one that I really liked last night. And I don't even like Halo, but she made me enjoy it. I was mad that they made her dye her 'fro though.

I wanted MacKenzie to do more with I Wanna Dance with Somebody. I always think of Sam Smith's acoustic cover of How Will I know as the white boy Whitney cover high water mark. Something like that would've been amazing. MacKenzie's cover was just a'ight. I liked Avalon doing The Weeknd and I'm glad that she stayed. She should've never been in the bottom 3 anyway. Did not care for Olivia's watered down Pink or whatever Gianna thought that she was doing and so I'm not sad that either of them went home, but it really should've been Lee. He wasn't good last week and his Kings of Leon cover this week barely left a mark.

I barely remember what the others sang which it not the sign of the greatest week. Sonika's Kelly cover - well, she tried that. Not nearly enough sass, but I guess she was mostly in tune, so, you know, good for her. Dalton was the least interesting he's ever been. I felt like I was in a bar watching half way decent karaoke. Also, Radioactive needs to go on the list of songs banned from every being covered on reality singing shows ever again because I'm over it. Done. I would like to hear Trent do...something different. When a Man Loves a Woman was such an expected choice from him. We don't need another Michael Bolton. We already have one. I wanna know that he can do something that feels more current and of the moment.

If I missed someone, they felt missable to me.

I didn't need to see Demi Lovato or Harry Connick, Jr. performing. If we must have guest performers, let them all be former Idols like Kelly last week. Show still not about the judges.

Oh, Tristan! Yeah, whatever. She was more in tune than last week? Vince Gill is probably not somewhere wishing she hadn't sung his song? There's your moment of damning with faint praise.

I noticed La'Porsha didn't really do any runs this week which was nice to hear her just hold the notes and hear her voice.

Dalton was so disappointing the more I think about it the more disapointed I was. Dude you remade Andrew Lloyd Weber so it wasn't recognizable at first ==fight for that!

I wanted to see Avalon up and working the stage, she's really good at it and just sitting there was okay but I like to see her move around.

Sonika was trying to be...rocker,..kind of ..but her hands and body language was all wrong. She needed to be making fists instead of gesturing. Every time I was like "make a fist! bend your knees" there's no grit to her voice, which worked against what she was trying to do.

X-Tina has Patti Labelle as her guest mentor on The Voice this season. It's kind of the best thing ever!

PR: I'm not sure, but I think "I couldn't find any fabric that looked like the Sistine Chapel" is the silliest complaint I've heard on this show.