American Idol Top 3: "Choice."

That's a fun little ironic theme. Don't get me wrong, I totally get that Idol is first and foremost a television show, and only then is it about forwarding the contestants' careers. Still, last night's show was so lopsidedly produced that no such Paula-puppet was needed. To their credit, it seemed like the judges actually struggled a little (only a little) with acting like the good doobies that the producers wanted them to be.

The judges' song choices were, as always, amazing. This is usually my favorite Idol round because it's the first time that the judges really get to impart their true expertise on the contestants. Yes, even Paula and Randy are relevant. They get song choice. They get that you have to work within your limitations (of which both have in spades). Simon's pick for Cook was by far the most daring and the most successful. I couldn't hear it work before Cook made it work, in a way he didn't with Music of the Night. It was a straightforward rendition with a smattering of rock. I'm not a Cook fan, but that was very cool. Paula's pick for Archuleta was equally cool. Arch gets criticized for singing old ballads well and nothing else. The insight into taking a Billy Joel song is that these songs are timeless, in a way that only a master like Joel can produce. Arch gets his old-time ballad, but we get a radio ready hit.

Syesha got the underside of the bus view all night. Everyone wants an all-David finale, so she was just cannon fodder all night. None of her songs were memorable, and that's her weakness: she has had no "Idol Moment." Arch had Imagine, and Cook had Always Be My Baby. Syesha has teeth and a pretty dress that looked like it was two shades of champagne. That's not a good thing.

I'm confused by the Producers' Picks. What makes the producers music experts? They know how to put on good TV, but that's it. This seemed like a blatant way to favor/disfavor the contestants. And Cook's bombastic crap showed how the producers wanted it. For goodness sake, they even had Diane Warren in the audience, and they had Simon praise the song as one of the all time greats. What? Dude, I listen to N'Sync on repeat, and even I hated that song.

In the end, it only matters if big and little David don't both make it to the final. That's what the producers and what we want. Syesha, make a beeline to Broadway. Honey, you are made for the Great White Way.

Hellga.

NBC kept her! The second season of the new version premiered tonight, and my love--that absolutely awful gladiator--is still there. Contenders, be afrai- er, happy. I sure gosh golly am.

Day One.

One full day as a newly minted J.D. Feels good.

American Idol Top 4: Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame

This was a pretty cool theme overall. Pretty pleased about that. But I'm getting tired of this season already. No one excites me. No one makes me want to come back for me. And I don't think that anyone this season did that for me. There's no Blake Lewis, no Chris Daughtry, no Anthony Fedorov, no Fantasia, no K.Lo, and no Tamyra. I'd agree with the judges that this season overall had the best singers--I thought everyone starting at about the, oh, top 9 or so were solid. That's different from other seasons, where you usually had to wait until the top 4 or top 5 until you really saw the true contenders. But this season, I don't see any one true star that I can get behind.

I actually liked Jason Castro. I think the judges were just punishing him for telling the truth, because he didn't really do anything different than he usually does. He was laid back, chill, and had a cool vibe going. The judges liked it before, but now are ready to throw him under the bus.

Which is where Syesha should go. It's dawning on everyone now that she's a stage star, not a recording star. There is a difference, and personally, I don't think one is necessarily better than the other. If anything, stage acts are cooler. It has nothing to do with her being fake, but it has everything to do with the fact that she should be playing Aida, and not Idol.

Let's just get on with the David v. David showdown, shall we? How cool would it be to spread the finale over TWO weeks. Talk about an awesome twist. Kick off both Jason and Syesha (although I think only Jason will go), and have wet puppy noses v. the Joker become a 2 week event. I'd DVR all of it.

Primary.

Is this what Ohio feels like? Today is the first national election where my vote might--might--actually matter. In 2000 I was in Massachusetts, and in 2004 I was in New York. This fall, I'll be in Washington DC. Even for the midterm elections, there were no national ballots that I was going to influence. But NOW... I'm in North Carolina, and by some weird twist of a nip, Obama and Clinton are still going at it. No one thought this would happen, and while Indiana is the bigger deal today, I'm gonna take whatever I can get.

Atlanta: Done.

Phew.

Final.

I'm currently taking the final final of my life. It is a 24-hour take home exam. The only thing I've been able to conclude is . . .

I am just astoundingly talented at distracting myself.