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Wow -- I thought we might have our first "Idol" shocker this season. I'm guessing no one thought perceived front-runner Adam Lambert would be in the Bottom 3, much less the Bottom 2 (although did Ryan ever call them the "Bottom 2," or was Adam just kept there for the drama of it?)

Anyway, Matt Giraud went home, which was little surprise to anyone. Which is exactly why they shouldn't have bothered saving him. Oh well. Makes not diff now, I guess.

With them in the Bottom 3 was Kris Allen. I was pleasantly surprised with that, actually. Nothing against Kris (he is very talented), but that meant that Allison Iraheta was in the Top 2 with Danny Gokey! Woot!

It's gettin' really interesting! Definitely the best "Idol" has been at this stage in years! Next week is rock n' roll week, a theme I think Kris might struggle with. The other three should do quite well.

After Tuesday's performances:

Rat Pack night on “American Idol” wasn’t as bad as I’d feared. Actually, I thought it was mostly good. Those songs really do stand the test of time. And I guess it’s a good thing if some of the younger viewers were introduced to those American classics -- even if they are presented in a more modern light.

And finally -- finally -- Danny Gokey showed that he really does have game. He’s been kind of coasting in recent weeks, giving us safe performances (good enough, but not “wow.”) But his take on “Come Rain or Come Shine” was one of the best performances (if not the best) of the night.

He was the fourth to do a ballad, so I was a little ballad-weary at that point. But he kicked it into high gear near the end and really showed his stuff. Maybe envisioning coach Jamie Foxx in your face really does help one excel? I’ll have to try that sometimes (I really like my personal space, though …)

Allison Iraheta was awesome (as usual) with a gritty performance of “Someone to Watch Over Me.” And I still love her. But I can see Simon’s point that she doesn’t exude the confidence that the guys do right now. I worry about her this week, especially because she’s been in the Bottom 3 so much already.

Kris Allen was smooth like buttah with “The Way You Look Tonight.” He was the first crooner of the night, so it was all still fresh then. I thought he did very well, but I wasn’t blown away by it like Randy, Kara and Paula were.

Matt Giraud also did pretty well with “Funny Valentine,” but it almost seemed to be too low for him in the beginning (perhaps the key change wasn’t the best move?). Simon loved it, but I have to agree with Randy and Kara in that there were some parts that were just too much. A little bit of “running” on a song like that goes a long way. But he very well might have won himself another week.

Adam Lambert, who is nearly a sure thing for the finals, rounded up the show with “Feeling Good,” a song that’s been done on “Idol” several times before (and I’ve loved it). This time, I don’t know.

He put on his own mini-Broadway show with an over-the-top, backlit entrance down the stairs. And that’s OK. That’s his thing. But he started it out in its original jazzy form and then transformed it partway through into a rock-ish performance, complete with an “Idol”-logo-like power note near the end. He just didn’t sell it to me. Do it all jazzy (which would have been awesome) or all rock (with no “-ish,” either), but don’t straddle the two.

This time, I don’t think his tinkering with the song worked. Don’t tell the judges that, though. They’ve already crowned him.

I think Allison (boo!) and Matt will be in the Bottom 2 … maybe Kris will round out the Bottom 3 (if they'll still do that)? It’s getting tough now, people! What do you think?

We have our Top 5, and it doesn't include Anoop or Lil, as many of us predicted.

So, thankfully, the judges' use of their save didn't backfire on them this week. Now it's completely up to votes again (more than 45 million people voted this week -- wow!)

Allison was also in the Bottom 3, which worries me. I hope she steps it up a notch and really starts to make a name for herself. I'd love to see her in the Top 3.

Our Idols did a pretty cool disco/dance number, and we were treated to medley from some disco greats (most of which I fast-forwarded through) and a performance by David Archuleta (also ff'd through most of that). Overall, aside from the dance number, performances were disappointing this week. Oh well.

Not sure what next week's theme is. Do you know? If so, please tell us!

After Tuesday's performances:

It could have been a complete disaster. Most disco music does not stand the test of time. But Tuesday’s “American Idol” wasn’t horrible. Let's call it a “beautiful disaster,” in honor of the first Idol, Kelly Clarkson.

Once again, Adam Lambert outshone his competitors. His tender, almost-unrecognizable version of “If I Can’t Have You” from the “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack was nearly perfect. I say nearly perfect ‘cause there was one little screech in there that made me cringe. Really. He needs to hit those power notes without screeching. Ryan noted that the performance seemed to make Paula melt, creating a “pool of Abdul.” I’m sure there were a lot of viewers melting, too.

Also awesome was Kris Allen’s stripped-down version of Donna Summer’s “She Works Hard of the Money.” It was cool and original, something all of the contestants should be striving for by now.

Danny Gokey wasn’t overly original with Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September,” but it still rocked. It still feels to me like he needs to up his game, though, as we get down to the Top 5 and fewer. I really want him to surprise me one week (pleasantly surprise me, of course).

Allison Iraheta gave us a rocker, slower-paced “Hot Stuff” (also by Donna Summer) and I loved it. Some of the judges weren’t keen on the arrangement, but I thought it was awesome. I hope it was enough to keep her around for another week. I still think she’s struggling with getting viewers to vote for her. And once again, the judges keep fixating on her being “only 16.” We get it. She’s young and she has a fabulous voice. Enough already!

Matt Giraud probably bought himself another week with the Bee Gees' “Stayin’ Alive” (complete with his Timberlake-esque hat). It was enjoyable enough, but it wasn’t a performance that will really stand out. But it was better than two others performances, so I think he’s safe this time around.

Lil Rounds kicked off the show with a thud by doing Chaka Kahn’s “I’m Every Woman” exactly how you’d expect her to do it -- in a way that makes you go, “eh” again. She’s going home. It’s too bad. She is a good singer. She just stinks at song choice and stage presence.

Joining her in the Bottom 2 will be Anoop Desai, unfortunately. I love Anoop, but I could not wait for his performance of “Dim All the Lights” to end. Ugh. And that last note was soooo cringe-inducing. Overall he’s a great singer. But this song choice and his general stage presence leaves much to be desired.

So what did you think? Who will go home Wednesday night?

Well, that was dumb.

The judges finally used their much-hyped save (making "Idol history," as Ryan proclaimed) to keep Matt Giraud around for another week.

So let's all keep our fingers crossed that the likes of Adam Lambert, Allison Iraheta, Kris Allen or Danny Gokey aren't voted off next week. 'Cause if one of them is, I'm guessing the judges are going to regret this week's decision -- big time.

Matt is a decent enough singer, but I totally agree with Simon (again): There's no way he's going to win. They should have saved their save for someone who has a chance of winning. Keeping someone around for another week or two is just pointless.

Joining Matt in the Bottom 3 were Lil Rounds and Anoop Desai. Not a huge surprise; it's getting to the point where even someone good like Anoop will be in the Bottom 3.

Jennifer Hudson performed and was awesome, of course. Miley Cyrus -- and her out-of-control hair -- performed and made me wonder if she'd make on "Idol" as a contestant.

Next week two peeps go home and it's disco week. Ugh. Why must they torture us?!

After Tuesday's performances:

It was movie night on “American Idol” Tuesday, and the contestants were coached by movie “legend” Quentin Tarantino (can you be a “legend” at age 46? I digress …)

Actually, Tarantino did a decent job of coaching the kids. And we were spared his judging this year (it got monotonous in Season 3. “Aw right? Aw right? Aw right?”)

Only two judges gave their take on each contestant this week, too, in an effort to avoid last week’s over-run fiasco. I guess that was easlier than asking Paula to stop rambling on incoherently ...

This week’s performances would have pretty snooze-tastic if not for front-runner Adam Lambert. Most of the contestants chose ballads -- some of which have been so overplayed on the radio that my dear husband’s repeated response was something along the lines of “aaiiighiii!” (he tried to spell it for me, but I may have missed a few letters; you get the idea).

The ever-versatile and entertaining Adam belted out “Born to be Wild” like a pro. Some might think it was over the top. Or that he screamed too much. But I chalk that up to the song and not the singer. You have to be over the top with this song; if you don’t, then perhaps you’re not “Born to be Wild.” I loved it. His vocal range and the ease with which he can switch from “Tracks of My Tears” to this is quite impressive. If you put together his “Idol” performances so far, you’d have a kickin’ CD. You just can’t say that about anyone else this year.

Allison Iraheta did as well as she could with the gag-worthy “Don’t Want To Miss a Thing.” I still love her and will try not to fault her for selecting this terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad song. Simon is right: She’s the girls’ only hope for a finalist this year.

Anoop Desai stayed safely in his crooning niche with “(Everything I Do) I Do it for You.” It wasn’t bad. He put his own little spin on it here and there. But it didn’t blow me away. I’m really doubting he’ll make it past Top 5 at this point.

Matt Giraud took all the Latin flavor out of the awesome “Have You Ever Loved a Woman?” and it ended up just weird and bland. He replaced that Latin flavor with a bunch of runs and some falsetto. Yuck. Proof positive that changing something doesn’t automatically make it better.

Danny Gokey (without glasses!) did his thing with “Endless Love.” It was good, but it didn’t “wow” me. Simon liked it, but called him out on doing everything so straight and not being more creative. I have to agree -- if they are going to ask that of other contestants, they should ask that of Danny, too. He can’t just do the same thing week after week and expect us to be blown away.

Kris Allen took a risk with the lesser-known “Falling Slowly” (which very deservedly won the Oscar for Best Song this year, btw) and did pretty well with it. Randy wasn’t crazy about it, but Kara loved it. I still can’t get over how he contorts his mouth around while he’s singing, though. I’m better with him when I don’t watch him sing (although he is a cutie).

Lil Rounds. Oh, Lil. She tried. Kind of. She performed “The Rose,” switching it up with a gospel-y feel in the middle. And that part was good. Why didn’t she just do the whole thing like that? It still just didn’t seem to fit her. She seemed uncomfortable. I just don’t know. I think she’s definitely in the Bottom 3, probably with Matt and I don’t know who else.

Results are Wednesday night, of course. And Jennifer Hudson (yay!) and some chick named Miley Cyrus (sigh) will perform.

What did you think? Who will go home this week -- or will the judges finally use their stupid "save"?

Complete with flapping of wings and some bizarre crowing, Megan Joy flew the coop Wednesday night, to the glee of many and the disappointment of a few who just thought she was cute.

And she was, er, is. She'll just have to be cute at home.

In the Bottom 3 with her were Anoop Desai (understandable) and Allison Iraheta (not shocking, considering her outfit Tuesday, but not deserving).

Next week contestants sing songs from the year they were born. I've enjoyed this theme in the past ... well, at least until I realize how young these kids are and how old I am. Sigh.

After Tuesday's performances:

I was looking forward to “American Idol” Tuesday. With the contestants having the iTunes 100 to choose from, the possibilities seemed endless.

Unfortunately, they were endless, and some of our fearless singers made some major missteps. Sigh.

The awesome

Again, Adam Lambert ruled with Wild Cherry’s “Play That Funky Music.” It was entertaining and fun and a breath of fresh air after some cringe-inducing performances earlier in the show. I could have done without one or two of his screeches, though. But at least they were “in tune” screeches. Whatever that means. He’s definitely the one to beat lately.

Kris Allen gave us a sweet performance of Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine.” I loved that the strings were up there with him. The whole thing was super-classy. Very nice.

Milwaukee’s pride Danny Gokey rebounded a bit this week with “What Hurts the Most” from Rascal Flatts. He did a great job, and the song really seemed to fit him. It wasn’t my favorite performance of the night, though. (That honor goes to Adam).

Scott MacIntyre may have saved himself this week by singing some classic Billy Joel: “Just the Way You Are.” It was the perfect choice. He really embraced it, and the audience picked up on that. He was also sporting a darker hairdo (although I think it still needs some de-poofing).

Eh ...

Allison Iraheta performed No Doubt’s “Don’t Speak” with her guitar and her bizarre Christmas-tree-like outfit. Her vocals were good, but as the song went on it got a little much for me. She should have just done the whole thing softly like she began it.

Lil Rounds belted out “Surrender” by Celine Dion and probably helped her standing a little. We got those “moments” we’ve been wanting from her. But Celine? Ugh. Celine songs should be banned from “Idol.” The contestants either can’t do them justice or come off too old (the latter was the case with Lil).

Matt Giraud looked kinda goofy playing his keyboard in the “mosh pit” as he sang the Fray’s “You Found Me.” It was OK. But, like the judges, I prefer the Justin Timberlake-like Matt.

Noooo!

Anoop Desai sang some Usher song that I hated so much I don’t even want to look up what the title is (I couldn’t understand what he said on the show). Stupid song. But Anoop’s probably still safe, with his legion of young female fans.

Megan Joy croaked her way through “Turn the Lights Down Low,” a Bob Marley/Lauryn Hill song I’ve never heard. It was complete with stilly hand gestures pointing up to the moon. She’s done. Please, please let her be done.

What did you think? Who gets the ticket home this week?

And does anyone else think it's a little over-the-top the way Mr. Announcer Guy introduces the judges and Ryan as they descend from the stairs? For the millionth time: It's not about you guys!