American Idol Season 8The Top 36 Are ChosenJoanna Pacitti Disqualified!

BREAKING NEWS: The leaked list was dead on correct. So if you watched "Idol" last night and went to bed thinking that one of our favorites -- Joanna Pacitti -- was a semifinalist, well, so did we. But perusing the official Fox release this morning, Pacitti's name is missing and instead the name Felicia Barton, who we watched getting cut last night, appears.

At the very bottom of the press release is this:

[EDITOR’S NOTE: It has been determined that Joanna Pacitti is ineligible to continue in the competition. AMERICAN IDOL contestant Felicia Barton has replaced Ms. Pacitti as part of the Top 36.]

Say wha?

The season hasn't really started yet, but the controversy and scandal apparently has!

EW.com reports:

"Joanna Pacitti, the American Idol season 8 hopeful who was shown advancing to the top 36 on Wednesday night's telecast, has been booted from the competition and replaced by 26-year-old Felicia Barton. "It has been determined that Joanna Pacitti is ineligible to continue in the competition," stated a Fox press release sent early Thursday morning announcing the show's full roster of semifinalists.

For the last several weeks, Pacitti has been the subject of Internet chatter regarding her former deal with A&M Records, which yielded the single "Let It Slide," and more recently, for her rumored close relationship with a pair of 19 Entertainment executives. Specifically, Star magazine reported that Pacitti lived for a time in the same apartment building as 19's Michelle Young and Roger Widynowski, even referring to the former exec as her "best friend"; 19, of course, is the production company behind Idol.

Barton, meanwhile, was shown getting eliminated by the judges during Wednesday night's final Hollywood Week telecast, although a brief clip of her singing "Put Your Records On" during the Louisville, KY, audition round had created a decent amount of buzz among Idol watchers."

A Los Angeles Times story reports: "A source close to the show now tells us that Pacitti was disqualified to 'avoid the appearance of impropriety.'

In the past week, tabloids had been reporting on a private relationship between Pacitti and executives of 19 Management - one of the companies which oversees 'Idol.'"

This season, the "green mile" walk is made at the "judges' mansion" (wherever that was, but it sure looked nice). In addition to some contestants receiving a "yes" and others a "no," the judges are allegedly still undecided about a number of the remaining 52, who are forced into an immediate "sing-off" with another similarly "undecided" contestant (it's always girl vs. girl or boy vs. boy, as they producers apparently want to begin the voting with 18 of each sex). The judges then deliberate for a few minutes after which both contestants stand before Simon Cowell, Kara DioGuardi, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul to learn their fates, with one going through to the Top 36 and the other being eliminated. The only exception to this was Matt Breitzke and Michael Sarver, who were both put through after they faced each other in a sing-off, lending more credence to our belief that all of the sing-offs are scripted stunts created by the producers for drama. After all, if Michael and Matt both made it, who was eliminated? Someone the judges originally put in the "yes" pile. Uh-uh, no way.

Yet a question remains: When Joanna Pacitti was disqualified, shouldn't she have been replaced by someone who lost a sing-off (and was therefore an "undecided") rather than someone who received a definitive "no," as did Felicia Barton? Why replace a "yes" with a "no" rather than an "undecided"? Think about it.

Here is the updated list of this season's 36 semifinals:

Adam Lambert is a 26-year-old stage actor from Hollywood, Calif. He auditioned in San Francisco, singing "Bohemian Rhapsody," by Queen. All four judges voted yes to send him to Hollywood. At the time of his audition, Lambert was in the cast of "Wicked."
Watch video of Adam Lambert Audition
Watch video Adam Lambert Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Adam Lambert making the Top 36

Alex Wagner-Trugman is a 19-year-old college student from Studio City, Calif. He auditioned in Phoenix, singing "Baby Come to Me," by James Ingram. All the judges except for Simon Cowell voted to send him to Hollywood. Wagner-Trugman used to sing in his closet to avoid bothering the rest of his family until he got sick from all the mold in there.
Watch video of Alex Wagner-Trugman Audition
Watch video of Alex Wagner-Trugman Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Alex Wagner-Trugman making the Top 36

Alexis Grace is a 21-year-old musician from Memphis, Tenn. She auditioned in Louisville, singing "Dr. Feelgood," by Aretha Franklin. All four judges voted yes to send her to Hollywood. This is Grace's third year in a row auditioning. She was rejected the first two times. Grace had a baby girl when she was 19 and is engaged to the father, who is in military school.
Watch video of Alexis Grace Audition
Watch video of Alexis Grace Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Alexis Grace making the Top 36

Allison Iraheta is a 16-year-old high-school student from Sherman Oaks, Calif., originally from Los Angeles. She auditioned in San Fancisco, singing "Natural Woman," by Aretha Franklin. It is unknown from the aired clip which judges put her through to Hollywood.
Watch video of Allison Iraheta Audition
Watch video of Allison Iraheta Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Allison Iraheta making the Top 36

Anne Marie Boskovich is a 22-year-old waitress and nanny originally from Ventura, Calif., now living in Nashville, Tenn. She auditioned in Jacksonville, singing "Bubbly," by Colbie Caillat. All four judges voted yes to send her to Hollywood.
Watch video of Anne Marie Boskovich Audition
Watch video of Anne Marie Boskovich Hollywood Week Intro

Anoop "Dog" Desai is a 21-year-old college student from Chapel Hill, N.C. He auditioned in Kansas City, singing "Thank You," by Boyz II Men. All four judges voted yes to send him to Hollywood.
Watch video of Anoop Desai Audition
Watch video of Anoop Desai Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Anoop Desai making the Top 36

Arianna Ayesha Afsar is a 17-year-old high-school student from San Diego, Calif. She auditioned in Phoenix, singing "Put Your Records On," by Corrine Bailey Rae. All four judges voted yes to send her to Hollywood. Afsar has won her share of teenage beauty pagents.
Watch video of Arianna Afsar Audition
Watch video of Arianna Afsar Hollywood Week Intro

Brent Keith Smith is a 29-year-old traveling musician and guitar player from Blanchester, Ohio now living in Nashville, Tenn. He auditioned in Louisville, singing "Can't Get Enough of Your Love," by Bad Company. All four judges voted yes to send him to Hollywood. Smith appeared as a contestant on Nashville Star and also released a video and single from the CMT film "Dale." Smith is married.
Watch video of Brent Keith Audition
Watch video of Brent Keith Hollywood Week Intro

Casey Carlson is a 20-year-old "bubble tea maker" from Minneapolis, Minn. She auditioned in Kansas City, singing "A Thousand Miles," by Vanessa Carlton. All four judges voted yes to send her to Hollywood.
Watch video of Casey Carlson Audition
Watch video of Casey Carlson Hollywood Week Intro

Daniel J. "Danny" Gokey is a 28-year-old music teacher from Milwaukee, Wisc. He auditioned in Kansas City, singing "I Heard It through the Grapevine," by Marvin Gaye. All four judges voted yes to send him to Hollywood. Gokey's wife died from congenital heart disease four weeks before his audition.
Watch video of Danny Gokey Audition
Watch video of Danny Gokey Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Danny Gokey making the Top 36

Felicia Barton is a 26-year-old from Virginia Beach, Va. She auditioned in Louisville, singing "Girl Put Your Records On," by Corinne Bailey Rae. She began singing before she could talk, and her first public performance was at age 2. She is married and has a son.
Watch video of Felicia Barton Audition

Jaclyn "Jackie" Tohn is a 28-year-old singer-actress from New York. She auditioned in New York (East Rutherford, N.J.), singing "I'm Yours," by Jason Mraz and "I'll Do It All." All four judges voted yes to send her to Hollywood. Tohn has released two albums independently, "Beguiling" and "The Golden Girl" EP. Music Connection Magazine recently listed Tohn in their Top 100 unsigned artists. She has appeared in films and on TV series such as "The Sopranos," "Veronica Mars," "The Closer" and "The Nanny." Tohn is a member of AFTRA, AEA and SAG. Here is her professional resume.
Watch video of Jackie Tohn Audition
Watch video of Jackie Tohn Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Jackie Tohn making the Top 36

Jasmine Murray is a 16-year-old high-school student from Starkville, Miss. She auditioned in Jacksonville, singing "Big Girls Don't Cry," by Fergie. All four judges voted yes to send her to Hollywood.
Watch video of Jasmine Murray Audition
Watch video of Jasmine Murray Hollywood Week Intro

Jeanine Vailes is a 28-year-old who auditioned in San Francisco.
Watch video of Jeanine Vailes Hollywood Week Intro


Jessica "Jesse" Langseth is a 25-year-old from Minneapolis, Minn. She auditioned in Kansas City. Langseth's brother is Grammy Award-winner Johnny Lang.
Watch video of Jesse Langseth Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Jesse Langseth making the Top 36

Joanna Pacitti SELECTED THEN DISQUALIFIEDis a 24-year-old singer from Philadelphia, Penn. She auditioned in Louisville, singing "We Belong," by Pat Benatar. All four judges voted yes to send her to Hollywood. As a child, she was cast as the lead in the Broadway revival of "Annie," but was replaced by her stand-in before the show opened. Pacitti was previously signed by A&M Records and then Geffen Records but currently does not have a label. She has appeared on the soundtracks for "Legally Blonde," "First Daughter" and "Bratz." She released her debut album, "This Crazy Life," in 2006.
Watch video of Joanna Pacitti Audition
Watch video of Joanna Pacitti Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Joanna Pacitti making the Top 36

Jorge Nuñez-Mendez is a 21-year-old college student from Carolina, Puerto Rico. He auditioned in San Juan, singing "My Way" in Spanish and "What a Wonderful World" in English. All four judges voted yes to send him to Hollywood.
Watch video of Jorge Nuñez Audition
Watch video of Jorge Nuñez Hollywood Week

Ju'Not Joyner is a 26-year-old from Bowie, Md. He also auditioned during Season 7 and made it to Hollywood before being eliminated.
Watch video of Ju'Not Joyner Hollywood Week Intro

Kai Kalama is a 26-year-old musician from San Clemente, Calif. He auditioned in San Francisco, singing "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," by The Platters. All four judges voted yes to send him to Hollywood. During the day, Kalama cares for his mother, who has a seizure disorder.
Watch video of Kai Kalama Audition
Watch video of Kai Kalama Hollywood Week Intro

Kendall Beard Kendall Beard is a 24-year-old singer from Austin, Texas. She auditioned in San Juan, singing "The Ashes," by Martina McBride. All four judges voted yes to send her to Hollywood. Beard has released a self-titled debut album. She graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a B.A. in Communication Studies.
Watch video of Kendall Beard Audition
Watch video of Kendall Beard Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Kendall Beard making the Top 36

Kris Allen is a 23-year-old college student majoring in business from Conway, Ark. He auditioned in Louisville, singing "A Song for You," by Leon Russell. His brother also auditioned in Louisville, but didn't make it. It is unknown from the aired clip which judges put him through to Hollywood.
Watch video of Kris Allen Audition
Watch video of Kris Allen Hollywood Week Intro

Kristen McNamara is a 23-year-old from Napa Valley, Calif. She auditioned in Louisville.
Watch video of Kristen McNamara Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Kristen McNamara making the Top 36

Lil Rounds is a 24-year-old customer-service representative from Memphis, Tenn. She auditioned in Kansas City, singing "All I Do," by Stevie Wonder. All four judges voted yes to send her to Hollywood. Rounds is married with three children. The family's home was destroyed by a tornado and they are living in temporary housing.
Watch video of Lil Rounds Audition
Watch video of Lil Rounds Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Lil Rounds making the Top 36

Matt Breitzke is a 27-year-old welder from Bixby, Okla. He auditioned in Kansas City, singing "Ain't No Sunshine," by Bill Withers. All the judges except for Randy Jackson voted yes to send him to Hollywood. Breitzke is married and has a son.
Watch video of Matt Breitzke Audition
Watch video of Matt Breitzke Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Matt Breitzke making the Top 36

Matt Giraud is a 23-year-old dueling piano player from Kalamazoo, Mich. He auditioned in Louisville, singing "I Don't Want to Be," by Gavin DeGraw. All four judges voted yes to send him to Hollywood.
Watch video of Matt Giraud Audition
Watch video of Matt Giraud Hollywood Week Intro

Megan Corkrey is a 23-year-old font designer from Salt Lake City, Utah. She auditioned in Salt Lake City on her birthday, singing "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man," from the musical "Showboat." All four judges voted yes to send her to Hollywood.
Watch video of Megan Corkrey Audition
Watch video of Megan Corkrey Hollywood Week Intro

Michael Sarver is a 27-year-old roughneck on an oil rig from Jasper, Texas. He auditioned in Phoenix, singing "Thank You," by Boyz II Men. All four judges voted yes to send him to Hollywood. He is married with two children.
Watch video of Michael Sarver Audition
Watch video of Michael Sarver Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Michael Sarver making the Top 36

Mishavonna Henson is an 18-year-old from Irvine, Calif. She auditioned in Phoenix. In Season 7, Henson also made it to Hollywood and was cut on the second day.
Watch video of Mishavonna Henson Hollywood Week Intro

Nathaniel "Nate" Marshall is a 19-year-old singer from Malone, N.Y. He auditioned in New York (East Rutherford, N.J.). Marshall auditioned three times before finally making it. He has released several albums.
Watch video of Nate Marshall Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Nate Marshall making the Top 36

Nick "Normund Gentle" Mitchell is a 27-year-old sketch comedy artist from Stratton, Vt., now living in Brookfield, Conn. He auditioned in New York (East Rutherford, N.J.) singing "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from "Dream Girls" and "Amazing Grace." All the judges except for Simon Cowell voted to send him to Hollywood.
Watch video of Nick Mitchell Audition
Watch video of Nick Mitchell Week Intro
Watch video of Nick Mitchell making the Top 36

Ricky Braddy Jr. is a 25-year-old restaurant manager and student originally from Elizabeth City, N.C. now living in Nashville, Tenn. He auditioned in Louisville.
Watch video of Ricky Braddy Hollywood Week Intro

Scott Douglas MacIntyre is a 23-year-old singer from Scottsdale, Ariz. He auditioned in Phoenix, singing "And So It Goes," by Billy Joel. All four judges voted yes to send him to Hollywood. MacIntyre started college at 14 years old and graduated at 19. He is almost blind and plays several instruments including the piano. Classically trained, MacIntyre has been internationally profiled on CNN, Headline News, Sky News Europe, Global Television Network, USA Today, national and local news, radio and print media as a pianist, vocalist and songwriter. He has independently produced, engineered, and released six full-length CDs and has written in genres spanning pop, rock, punk, jazz and classical.
Watch video of Scott MacIntyre Audition
Watch video of Scott MacIntyre Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Scott MacIntyre making the Top 36

Stephen Fowler is a 26-year-old from Cleveland, Ohio. He auditioned in New York (East Rutherford, N.J.). Fowler is married.
Watch video of Stephen Fowler Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Stephen Fowler making the Top 36

Stevie Wright is a 16-year-old high-school student from Phelan, Calif. She auditioned in Phoenix, singing "At Last," by Etta James. All four judges voted yes to send her to Hollywood.
Watch video of Stevie Wright Audition

Tatiana Nicole del Torro is a 24-year-old singer-actor-model from San Juan, Puerto Rico. She auditioned in San Francisco, singing "Never Loved a Man," by Aretha Franklin. All the judges except for Simon Cowell voted yes to send her to Hollywood.
Watch video of Tatiana Nicole del Torro Audition
Watch video of Tatiana Nicole del Torro Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Tatiana Nicole del Torro making the Top 36

Taylor Vaifanua is a 16-year-old high-school student from Hurricane, Utah. She auditioned in Salt Lake City, signing "Joyful, Joyful." All four judges voted yes to send her to Hollywood.
Watch video of Taylor Vaifanua Audition
Watch video of Taylor Vaifanua Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Taylor Vaifanua making the Top 36

Von Smith is a 22-year-old student from Greenwood, Mo. He auditioned in Kansas City, singing "Over the Rainbow." All four judges voted yes to send him to Hollywood.
Watch video of Von Smith Audition
Watch video of Von Smith Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Von Smith making the Top 36

Watch video of Top 36 recap

And the ones who didn't make it:
Watch video of Cody Sheldon being eliminated in a sing-off with Alex Wagner-Trugman

Watch video of T.K. Hash, Chris Chatman and Reggi Beasley being eliminated

Watch video of Jenn Korbee being eliminated in a sing-off with Kristen McNamara

Watch video of Frankie Jordan being eliminated in a sing-off with Jesse Langseth

Watch video of Jamar Rogers being eliminated

Watch video of Jackie Midkiff being eliminated in a sing-off with Nate Marshall

Also eliminated were: Felicia Barton, Ashley Hollister, Devon Baldwin, Shera Lawrence and Derik Lavers.

At the end of the show, Ryan Seacrest informed us that the 36 semifinalists will be presented in groups of 12 for the next three weeks.

The first group of 12 are: Casey Carlson, Stephen Fowler, Jackie Tohn, Ricky Braddy, Anne Marie Boskovich, Brent Keith, Alexis Grace, Michael Sarver, Stevie Wright, Danny Gokey, Tatiana Del Toro and Anoop Desai

Watch video of semifinalist Group 1 dance

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American Idol Season 8Hollywood Week Day 4

Hollywood Week Day 4, and its time to trim the troupe even further after a solo performance by each remaining contestant. But this time they can be accompanied by a backing band, backing vocals and even play an intrument of their choice. Their song choices are once again limited to a list provided by the producers. Too many of the choices are songs made famous by former "Idol" contestants, and, well, they just sound wrong -- or worse yet -- bad, sung by other people. Whether this is yet another attempt to further promote the careers of former contestants that 19 Entertainment still manages is unclear. Yet there it is.

After the solos the contestants will be split into four groups and wait for hours in holding rooms outside the Kodak Theater where Hollywood Week has been held, while Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi decide their fates and whittle the remaining singers from 72 down to 50. All the wannabe stars will be trying to figure out whether or not they've been placed in a "safe" room by scanning who has been placed in there with them. But it could either way.

And as we watch the judges place pictures in "yes," "no" and "maybe" piles and then switch them around and around until they've reach what they feel is the perfect mix, we realize how arbitrary it can be whether or not you make it to the next round. In fact, at one point during the evening, we are shown footage of annoying drama queen Tatiana Del Toro being taken from one room and placed in another. The others in the room she is moved to are a bit stunned when she enters and now figure their chances of getting through have dropped considerably. Of course, we had hope this means that Tatiana is being cut (does anybody in the world feel differently about that?), until we scan and see the rest of the group includes Brent Keith and Matt Breitzke, two contestants we were fairly confident would be selected. On the other hand, there are a lot on unfamiliar faces in the room that we haven't, as yet, seen during the season. And, uh-oh, there's Nick "Normund Gentle" Mitchell. So which way will this room, designated Room 4, go? We're thinking cut.

But before we go through the drama of who will stay and who will go, we see and hear some of the solos. Performance order is determined randomly, by drawing numbers. "And drawing lucky No. 1," says Ryan Seacrest, "was Adam Lambert." Adam tells the judges he wants to be on the show to take a song "we've heard a million times and twist it." Er, where have we heard that before? Hmmm, could it be David Cook or Chris Daughtry? Adam's background is musical theater and he is still playing the role, complete with guy liner. He is a cute guy, but to this point we've found his voice, though good, to be too high for our taste. Will he change our minds when he changes up Cher's "Believe"? No. He does fine, but he still does nothing for us.

Watch video of Adam Lambert singing "Believe"

Dueling piano player Matt Giraud does a nice bluesy version of Ray Charles' "Georgia," accompanying himself on keyboard. He wasn't a favorite of ours when he auditioned, but has begun to grow on us the more we've seen him perform during Hollywood Week. His group, White Chocolate, did a great rap-sing version of "I Want You Back," and now this. We put him in our "yes" pile. The other contestants and judges love him, too. Randy, Paula and Kara give him a standing O. Simon? we don't think he stands for anyone, with the exception of the season finale.

Watch video of Matt Giraud singing "Georgia"

They came together from Milwaukee to Kansas City. Mo., to audition, roomed together in Hollywood, performed together in the same group on Group Day, and have seemed inseparable since the "Idol" Season 8 process began. So it makes sense that we'd see bartender Jamar Rogers and music teacher Danny Gokey perform one right after another on Day 4 (though we don't believe they actually picked consecutive numbers, this was just some creative editing). Jamar was up first, singing the Plain White Ts "Hey There Delilah." It's pleasant, but we're going to like a later version we hear better. The judges, particularly Kara, who screams "Wooooo" as he finishes, really seem to like him. But as he goes backstage, Jamar tells Danny he thinks he could have done better. Danny tells him, "What? Are you kidding me?" Now it's Danny's turn, and he sings Lee Ann Womack's "I Hope You Dance." We really like this song and have never heard a guy sing it, but Danny pulls it off with aplomb. He changes it up in a much better way that Adam changed up "Believe." Paula loves it so much, so looks like she's going to explode as he sings. Score! Will Danny and Jamar wind up in the same holding room? Will they be safe?

Watch video of Jamar Rogers singing "Hey There Delilah" and Danny Gokey singing "I Hope You Dance"

One of this season's favorites, Anoop Desai, takes on Bobby Brown's "My Perogative." He gives it a nice R&B sound, but when he starts pounding his chest as if he's from the 'hood, well we're just not buying it. He's way to innocent looking for that. Anoop is followed by Jorge Nunez doing "Closer" by Ne-Yo, and we like the tiny little snippet they show us from it. Paula is standing and dancing. Apparently she liked it as well. Anoop and Jorge have been given so much face time to date, it's hard to believe they're anything but safe.

Watch video of Anoop Desai singing "My Perogative" and Jorge Nunez singing "Closer"

Scott McIntyre, who is nearly blind, has also received a lot of face time during Season 8. He gets some more accompanying himself on the keyboard for Daughtry's "Home." Though we're sure that Scott will make the 36 semi-finalist cut -- if for no other reason than the producers will love the mileage they can get out of having a blind contestant -- we probably wouldn't place him there. Yes, we know, Scott has already recorded a gazillion records, but his voice is just so bland and undistinctive to us that we can't picture ever running out to buy, or even listen to, anything he records. It's like that easy listening background music they play in the dentist's office. It'll relax you when you hear it, but you won't recall it 5 minutes later. And, sorry, his version of "Home" was lame. Scott tells us after his performance that although he couldn't see it, he heard that Paula gave him a standing O and that means he had absolutely the greatest time of his life up there. No disrespect intended, but from what we viewed, the standing O looked as if it was given more out of respect for everything he's achieved in spite of his physical limitations, rather than for a "wow" performance. And make no mistake, most unlimited people -- including us -- haven't achieved anywhere near what Scott has, and we admire and respect him for that. But that alone is not enough reason, for us any way, to make it to the semis.

Watch video of Scott McIntyre singing "Home"

Next we get a taste of blond Texan Kendall Beard (Beard is such a not good last name for a girl) singing Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats." It's an object lesson in why contestants shouldn't sing songs recorded by former "Idol" contestants. Kendall may be able to sing, but she can neither get close to Underwood's clear beautiful voice nor Carrie's version of this song. All Beard demonstrates is how limited she is by comparison. At best, we'd put her in our "maybe" pile. But she is pretty and blond and, along with drama, that seems to be what the judges producers are looking for this year. Great voice optional.

Watch video of Kendall Beard singing "Before He Cheats"

We get about 16 seconds each of Stevie Wright singing Colbie Caillat's "Bubbly" and Lil Rounds, redeeming herself from earlier Hollywood Week shouting with Alicia Keys "I Ain't Got You." We want to hear more from both of these ladies and put them on our "yes" pile.

Watch video of Stevie Wright singing "Bubbly" and Lil Rounds singing "I Ain't Got You"

Ditzy drama queen Kristen McNamara is up next. But before she also proves our earlier point by singing Kelly Clarkson's "Because of You," Ryan decides to have a little fun with her. He asks Kristen why she never let fellow group member Nancy Wilson get to her. Kristen, who makes Kellie Pickler look like a brain trust, answers, "My mom always told me that loose lips sink ships," in a total misuse of the WWII catchphrase. Duh! Next, Ryan asks Kristen what she would say he told her that Nancy was sitting right behind them and wanted to apologize to Kristen. As you may recall, Nancy told Kristen "fuck you" after Wilson was eliminated on group day, blaming her woes on the drama caused by hysterical Nate Marshall and Kristin "I have to take a break and rest my voice" McNamara. Startled, Kristen swings around in her seat to see no Nancy sitting there. She turns back to Ryan and says, "That was a lie. My heart stopped," and hitting Ryan on the shoulder, "Ryaaaan." Kristen has a big 'ol voice, but she also has a distractingly big 'ol mouth, reminiscent of Steven Tyler. But in every way she lives up to "Blondie" appellation Simon bestowed on her on group day, so we figure that she's also probably safe as well.

Watch video of Kristen McNamara singing "Because of You"

To date, we barely seen more than a peek of Mishavonna Henson, who we find out auditioned and made it to Hollywood last season, where she was eliminated on Day 2. She tells us she's back this year with a vengeance. We weren't that impressed by her rendition of Michael Buble's "Everything." Some parts sounded good, others off. Vocally, it feels like Kristy Lee Cook all over again, though she looks more like Gina Glocksen with long hair. We'd put her in the "no" pile. But will the judges feel the same way?

Watch video of Mishavonna Henson singing "Everything"

Definitely in our "no" pile, in fact on the top and in first place, is pain in the ass drama queen and general all-around psycho Tatiana Del Toro, who again gets more face time than almost any other contestant. We'll be shocked if she makes and shocked if she doesn't. Please America, make a vow, now. If Tatiana gets through to the semifinals, DO NOT VOTE FOR HER. She would no doubt be the sweetheart of Vote for the Worst, but she must be obliterated ASAP. The producers subject us to nearly a minute review of how the judges have hated her from the beginning, leading to the question: Why the hell is she still here? At this point, there is no question in our mind that this is intentional and totally scripted. In a real competition the psycho would have been long gone. Are the producers trying to ensure that Tatiana will be the next contestant committing suicide outside of Paula's house? With her arrogance intact, she takes on Whitney Houston's "I'm Your Baby Tonight," including some of the backing vocals. The beginning is shaky, but the last notes are superb. Doing some weird twirling around backstage, she tells us, "I think I did awesome." We're being played by the producers, readers. Vote no, no, no, no, to infinity.

Watch video of Tatiana Del Toro singing "I'm Your Baby Tonight"

In stark contrast to Tatiana's 1 min. and 38 sec. showcase, a mere 35 seconds are given over to spotlighting Alexis Grace, Kenny Haufpouer AND Jasmine Murray. Hmmmm, that averages less than 12 seconds each. Alexis sounds slightly better than Kendall did on "Before He Cheats"; Kenny sounds interesting on his few seconds of Jason Mraz' "I'm Yours"; and Jasmine sounds off key on Jordin Spark's "Tattoo." Yet, at the beginning of the clip, Ryan says, "Three others who should also be happy with their performances ..." so we take that to mean all three wound up on the judges' "yes" pile. Alexis would have gotten a "maybe" from us, the other two a "yes," but for Jasmine it would have been based on prior performances, not on what we heard here.

Watch video of Alexis Grace singing "Before He Cheats," Kenny Haufpouer singing "I'm Yours" and Jasmine Murray singing "Tattoo"

In so many ways, Rihanna's "Disturbia" was the perfect song for drama queen Nate Marshall. He also gets too much face time so we can review his group histrionics intercut with his accompanying himself on guitar for "Disturbia." Frankly, we've never been much impressed -- actually more distressed -- by Nate. Therefore, he jumps over to our "no" list to keep Tatiana company. 'Nuff said.

Watch video of Nate Marshall singing "Disturbia"

Joanna Pacitti, a favorite of ours, has a disastrous solo, totally forgetting the words of "I Ain't Got You." We take our former "yes" vote and move her to the "maybe" pile. And elfin-faced Casey Carlson suffers the same fate taking on "Tattoo." She scuttles over to our "no" pile. If these ladies can't handle the pressure of Hollywood Week, how are they going to fare when they have to perform for all of America?

Watch video of Joanna Pacitti singing "I Ain't Got You" and Casey Carlson singing "Tattoo"

And the lyric fumbles don't end there. Stephen Fowler thought that the words would be the last of his problems for David Cook's "Time of My Life." Though he tells us the song isn't wordy or lyrically tongue-twisting, he forgot it still takes a memory, which temporarily seems to abandon him at the keyboards. He asks to begin again. Simon shrugs. Fowler screws up again and leaves the stage. Paula says, "Too bad." There's a voice there waiting to be heard, but we'll have to say "no" to Stephen this year.

Watch video of Stephen Fowler singing "Time of My Life"

Though we think there is a real voice hiding inside of Nick Mitchell, we've only been treated to the stylings of his alter ego, "Normund Gentle." Ryan tells us that Nick tried to be himself on group day, but wasn't taken seriously. Simon termed the group "atrocious" and said that Nick tried to influence the group to be a joke. Perhaps figuring he had nothing to lose at this point, it was the persona of Normund who took the stage and had the judges (well some of them, anyway) in stitches with his performance of "Georgia." But "Idol" isn't a sketch comedy or variety show, it's the search for the best pop singer. So what's up? Besides, Nick is a visual performer. How could he ever sell CDs? We put him on our "no" list, but are convinced that the producers will keep him, if only for the buzz and resulting ratings he'll generate.

Watch video of Nick "Normund Gentle" Mitchell singing "Georgia"

Anne Marie Boskovich also sings "I Hope You'll Dance," from what Ryan tells us, a very popular choice of the contestants. Though she's a bit off pitch in places, we like Anne Marie in the same way we like Brooke White, so we put her in our "yes" pile.

Watch video of Anne Marie Boskovich singing "I Hope You'll Dance"

As the hour begins to wind down, we hear JuNot Joyner, who made crashed and burned in Hollywood last year, singing the night's better version of "Hey There Delilah." There's something very engaging about JuNot and we think his voice could potentially prove to be gangbusters, so we put him on our "yes" pile.

Watch video of JuNot Joyner singing "Hey There Delilah"

In the same holding room are Kaylan Lloyd, who is concerned about her performance of "I Ain't Got You" and Leneshe Young, who sang Sara Bareilles' "Love Song." Though it wasn't a horrible audition, Simon ends Kaylan's performance early. It doesn't look promising and Kaylan tears up backstage and in the holding area. On the other hand, Leneshe sparkled on "Love Song." She's got a great voice, great personality and is adorable. Is Kaylan safe or is Leneshe inexplicably in trouble? We put Kaylan on the "maybe" pile and Leneshe on the "yes" pile.

Watch video of Kaylan Lloyd singing "I Ain't Got You" and Leneshe Young singing "Love Song"

In spite of adoring Kai Kalama's audition, this is the first time we've seen him during Hollywood Week and his voice is shot when he takes on Stevie Wonder's "Part Time Lover." We love him, but he goes on the "no" pile. In the holding room with Kai is oil roughneck Michael Sarver whose Hollywood Week has been smooth as glass. He has no trouble with O Town's "All or Nothing." Hmmm, is this good news for Kai? We move Kai to our "maybe" list and Michael to the "yes" list.

Watch video of Kai Kalama singing "Part Time Lover" and Michael Sarver singing "All or Nothing"

Last up is adorable India Morrison who, according to Ryan has "a trying audition." We are shown a few scant seconds and can't even decipher what song she is singing. But again, she's placed in Leneshe Young's holding room. Good for India, or really bad news for Leneshe?

Watch video of India Morrison

The judges have finished making their selections. Simon takes off for a flight London (oh, please), while Kara, Randy and Paula visit each room with their verdicts. First up is Room 2, whose occupants -- including Nate Marshall, Casey Carlson, Joanna Pacitti, Stephen Fowler, Alex Wagner-Trugman, Arianna Afsar, Kai Kalama, Alexis Grace, Michael Sarver, Jasmine Murray, Kenny Haufpouer, Von Smith, Ricky Braddy and Shera Lawrence -- rejoice when they learn they are safe!

Watch video of the verdict for Room 2

The occupants of Room 3 -- including including Michael Castro, India Morrison, Kaylan Lloyd, Leneshe Young, Ryan Johnson and Justin Williams -- are unnerved by the screams of happiness they hear, knowing their odds have just gotten a bit worse. And yes, worse they were. The room is cut.

Watch video of the verdict for Room 3

On to Room 1, which has been waiting the longest. But we are fairly sure that these are the safest of the safe, probably all garnering definite "yes" votes, as its occupants include Danny Gokey, Jamar Rogers, Kendall Beard, Kristen McNamara, Anoop Desai, Mishavonna Henson, Jackie Tohn, John Twiford, Taylor Vaifanua, Adam Lambert, Lil Rounds, Scott Macintyre, Stevie Wright, Jeanine Vailes, Ariana Asfar and Meghan Corkrey. And we are right. They are all safe.

Watch video of the verdict for Room 1

So what about Room 4? It's the biggest question mark of all. It includes Ann Marie Boskovich, Cody Sheldon, Tatiana Del Toro, Brent Keith, Jenn Korbee, Matt Breitzke, Jackie Midkiff, JuNot Joyner, Nick Mitchell, Felicia Barton, T.K. Hash, Devon Baldwin, Chris Chatman and Jesse Langseth. After hearing cheering in two other rooms, there is widespread uncertainly and gloom, nearing despair and almost wailing in Tatiana case (cut, cut, cut please). The room contains some seemingly definite yesses, but also some seemingly definite nos. Plus, there are a whole bunch we've never even seen perform this season. Fortunately, we didn't have to put money on it, 'cause we would have bet wrong. They also are safe! Only Room 3 cut.

Watch video of the verdict for Room 4

Tonight the judges narrow the field to the 36 semifinalists who begin performing for our votes next week. You won't want to miss it. Be there.

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