Idol Idle

My wife was actually surprised to see Carly and Syesha in the bottom two tonight, while Jason and Brooke skated.

This is just "Idol" being "Idol," though - by this point in the season, each of the performers has an established fan base and, for both Jason and Brooke, being out-and-out bad was a smarter choice than simply being adequate.

It is too bad that Syesha and Carly both had one of their better moments, respectively, at this late stage, but that was Michael Johns' problem, too: He started getting good too late to win over the 12-year-old girls that really vote for this thing.

Of course, Smithson and Johns were also both foreigners on "American Idol," which couldn't have been an advantage (although if David Archuleta had an accent, the tweeners would just love him all the more).

I do find it pretty interesting how loyal an audience Brooke has. It seems like she would appeal to an older audience, but she obviously has some staying power. We shall see. The other interesting question is whether Jason Castro's good looks will keep him in it long enough to knock out one of the major contenders (other than the two Davids, naturally).

I guess I'd peg the rest of the road as: Syesha, Brooke, Jason, David and then David wins it all!

Ooh, I'm so tricky.

COUNTERPOINT: Meanwhile, according to the Los Angeles Times, Carly's ouster is sure sign of the decline of Western civilization - "Carly Smithson’s booting is not simply unjust; it threatens to undermine the very premise of 'American Idol.'"

Umm, okay. I think their reviewer hasn't bought an album in the last 20 years, 'cause Carly Smithson was never going anywhere but the adult contemporary charts. Archuleta and Cook may each be annoying in their own way, but I think both are clearly capable of putting an album on the top 40 chart.