Long Island leaves 'Idol'

Almost 37 million votes came in this week - it's crazy how many people watch this show and pick up the phones to support their favorites! I did not vote this week... I'm still mourning the loss of my Nick Pedro.

I was kind fo surprised to see Sundance be a little arrogant about his performance, especially given the fact that it wasn't a good performance. After Simon criticized his singing, Sundance says backstage, "That is a rock song and that is pretty much how it should have been sung, so I don't know if Simon's heard the song or not..." I don't understand why these contestants can't just accept the criticism, whether they agree with it or not. Just take it - after all, the judges don't make any decisions, America does.

But let's get right to the first cut, shall we?

Lakisha Jones and Blake Lewis are up first and they are... safe
Chris Sligh is... safe
Jordin Sparks is... safe
Phil Stacey is... safe and he's shocked.


Uh oh... Jared Cotter's up... I'm a little scared because I'd really like to see him in the top 12. I don't think he'll win, but it's always fun to root for the hometown boy.

Jared is... the first to go home tonight. I'm a little sad, simply because I really wanted one of those spots to go to Chris Richardson, but I can see why it's Jared. He just didn't put enough personality into his performances.