Not a bad start

Sanjaya Malakar, the brother half of the brother/sister team: I'm so glad at least one of them made it this far. He's young and adorable and I love how much he loves his sister. You don't see that too often with kids their ages. And great news... America will get to vote for him starting next week... he makes it in.

Anna Kearns, the woman who got to Hollywood based on the fact that she's crazy tall: Well, it looks like the judges came to their senses. They told her no. The funny thing is her disbelief - I mean, she basically admitted that she knew she got as far as she did because of her height. She tells the judges that they don't have anybody like her and when Simon asks her, "because you're tall?" She denies that that's what she meant but then follows it up by admitting she's not the best singer. Well, it looks like her career won't be reaching new heights.

Bernard Williams, the guy from Birmingham who was told to have some humble pie: I remember his performance in Birmingham being a bit dull, and I wonder if there's a reason why they didn't show a short bit from any follow-up performances. My guess is they were just as boring. The judges passed on him, and I'm not surprised.

Eric Davis of Memphis: I could be wrong, but this is the first we've seen of him. No matter - he didn't make it through.

Tami Gosnell, the woman who sounded like Janis Joplin: They said no. This one is a surprise for me. Her voice was so different, so raw. Again, I'm left wishing we could have seen her during Hollywood week. I'd rather see for myself why she was found lacking. I'm disappointed, because I find that many of my early favorites are not making it through - there won't be anyone left to root for.

Melinda Doolittle, the backup singer: It's rare to see Simon Cowell really praise anyone, so his telling Melinda that she was good enough to take the stage herself, that she was no longer a backup singer, was a little touching. And of course, she's on to the next round. There's something so endearing about Melinda - her shy smile, her timid stance, her bold, powerful voice. She's a walking contradiction. Her voice is so amazing, it's hard to believe that she doesn't know it, but that's what is so great about her - there's no arrogance.

And so the first six people have gone up to the big empty room to face the judges and only two have come back with a yes. But what a pair. Melinda and Sanjaya make for a great start, at least in my book.