The semifinalists warrant a new poll

So, the time has come. We've closed out the 'Idol' grand champion poll and Kelly Clarkson reigns supreme with 61.4% of the vote. Results at right.

Given that the 24 semifinalists have been chosen, we've started a new poll:

Out of the 24 semifinalists, who do you want to get kicked off 'Idol' first?

Your choices, with a link to their YouTube video audition clip, are...

1. Sanjaya Malakar, 17, WA -- YouTube video here
2. Melinda Doolittle, 29, TN -- YouTube video here
3. Jason 'Sundance' Head, 28, TX -- YouTube video here
4. Leslie Hunt, 24, IL -- NO VIDEO
5. Antonella Barba, 20, NJ -- YouTube video here
6. Other. And feel free to write to us and tell us who should get the boot.

A class act... and not so much

Nicole Tranquillo is in...

And here he comes!!! Jared "JL" Cotter, the hometown boy. The 25-year-old from Coram makes his first singing appearance on "american Idol" and it's awesome... plus he's quite a looker, too. I've been hearing about Jared Cotter for a week or so now and have been eagerly waiting for him to appear. Rumor has it he's in the top 24, but will rumor be a reality? Indeed it is!!! Another Long Islander makes it through to the semifinals.

Amy Krebs make it through too, as does Antonella Barba, the New Jersey girl who is unfortunate enough to be best friends with the bimbo who got booted last night. Antonella is a cute girl, very sweet. She didn't freak out and get all crazy excited when they told her, and she tried to comfort Marisa Rhodes, who didn't make it through. A class act - she was raised well... I think I like her more than I did, just based on how good she was about not making Marisa feel worse than she already did.

And the last man through is Sundance Head. I'm a little surprised. He was an early favorite of mine, but as Hollywood progressed, he really didn't do much to impress, I don't think. But I hope he can be great again. I'm sad to see Thomas Daniels go - he was great. I have a feeling they went with Sundance based on the appeal of his dad - I just hope he makes his dad proud and doesn't make the judges regret their decision. But you know what? Was it really necessary to give the camera the finger? Bad form, Tommy... totally unnecessary.

I'm getting bored

Alaina Alexander, the cry baby: Why wouldn't you want to sit? She's weird. And why is she nervous? She's really good. Why would they say no? Of course they don't... she's in, as are Chris Richardson, the guy the judges said looked like Justin Timberlake, Sabrina Sloan, and Lakisha Jones, the single mother.

Jerome Chism, Joelle James, Matthew Buckstein, Princess Johnson: All rejected.

Nicholas Pedro is in... oh and some other folks too

Olivia Quiba-Hurst, Tatiana McConnico, Monique Vieras: I know we saw Tatiana audition before, but I don't remember the other two. The group of them must have bombed during Hollywood week, because they each got maybe 3/4 of a second of air time explaining that they had been cut.

A.J. Tabaldo: Can't say I remember him, but his Hollywood performance was pretty good. Interested in seeing what he brings to the competition in the coming weeks.

Stephanie Edwards, Leslie Hunt: Again, don't remember seeing them, but they're in.

Nicholas Pedro, super duper hottie who dropped out last year: YES!!! He made it through and I'm glad he didn't just give up after last year - he choked and could have just given up. But instead, he went through the whole thing all over again, and this time it's paying off.

A bunch of favorites

Chris Sligh, the crazy, curly-haired guy: Oh my God, can he sing!!! I'm trying to figure out if Simon was messing with him when he told him that he wasn't one of the better singers. Simon's nuts - Chris can sing. And he's through. Can't wait to see him next week.

Blake Lewis, the beatboxer: I guess he can sing - I mean, the judges let him through, so I assume his voice is pretty great. But all I remember of him is the beatboxing, which is fun, but not really a part of the competition. I just can't recall what his voice sounds like - something to look forward to for next week, I suppose.

Thomas Lowe, the guy who aired for the first time last night: Well, he got a few minutes of air time, but that's where it ends for him... he's not through to the next round.

Rudy Cardenas, the Venezuelan hottie: He's through. I have to be honest - as dreamy as I think he is, I wasn't crazy about his Hollywood performance - hope next week is better for him.

Paul Kim, the Asian man whose voice knocked my socks off: Of course he's in - and as of right now, he's got my every vote!! Yummy.

Jordan Sparks, the 17-year-old from Seattle, one of the first really good audiotions: Randy tells her that after a great first audition, she kind of fell apart during Hollywood week. He must be messing with her mind because they showed a piece of her performance during Hollywood week and it was ridiculous. And yes, he was messing with her... she's in.

Group is looking good

Brandon Rogers, the other backup singer: I think he's awesome - his look is so honest, so free of gimmicks - his voice clear and beautiful. Not surprised at all to see he made it through. Definitely excited to see what he'll bring next week.

Gina Glocksen, the woman who made it to Hollywood last year before being cut: I feel like we've seen her before and I don't mean last season. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure she's aired during the auditions this season and the fact that I don't remember her means something - at least it does to me. Her voice is really nice, but I guess it just doesn't stand out for me. But I'm glad she made it through - I'd like the chance to see what she can do. And how great for her - after being cut last year, she tried again and this time, it paid off.

Jimmy McNeal, the guy who the judges thought looked like Ruben Studdard: He was really good and I'm wondering what happened to make the judges decide that he didn't deserve a spot in the semifinals. My only guess is that there were just too many great guys this year.

Errick Johnson: I don't believe his audition aired and if it did, then my memory is really failing me, but either way, the journey is over for him.

Haley Scarnato, the wedding singer: I liked her audition in San Antonio - liked how she wasn't delusional about her own skills. She just wanted a chance... and it looks like she's getting one - she's on to the next round.

Philip Stacy, the man who missed his daughter's birth to audition: Looks like the sacrifice was worth it. He makes it through. I'm not surprised, although I do wonder how far he'll go. I liked his audition in Memphis and I enjoyed the piece they showed of him in Hollywood, but I don't know - I just think there are other people I could be crazy about, while he's just OK to me. But I reserve the right to change my mind.

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.

Rooting interest

While we wait for tonight's big show to find out who the top 12 guys/top 12 women are, here's who I'm rooting for on the basis of what we've seen so far:

-Sanjaya Malakar, Indian American brother
-Henry Bejarano, adopted by Bolivians (some say he's already out)
-Nicolas Pedro, who quit last year
-Melinda Doolittle, professional backup singer
-Tami Gosnell, cab driver
-Jordin Sparks, daughter of ex-Giants player
-Sundance Head, beard guy
-Brandon Rogers, 'Elvin from the Cosby Show'
-Jimmy McNeal, 'little fun Ruben'
-Lakisha Jones, Mandisa-like
-Paul Kim, tunnel-voice guy

Some of these may already have been cut--I hate how they don't really show everyone in the Yes/No rooms, I guess FOX wants us all to keep speculating.

Ha ha ha!!!

That's all I have to say... Bimbo New Jersey girl is out! And her best friend is in!!! Aww... how much does that suck??

But one separation did make me sad.. the brother/sister team. It's too bad they didn't make it through together, but the brother really did sing better, so I think they chose wisely.

Back in high school

Watching Baylie Brown go home broke my heart. Especially after seeing bimbo New Jersey girl get through after spending the whole night flirting with boys, and then lying about it when confronted. It reminds me so much of high school - I guess it should - they're all high school girls.

Ugh... and then to have to listen to her talk about how God rewards good people or whatever... yuck... she makes me sick... I'm praying she gets cut before Hollywood week is over.

I wish so much that Baylie could have remembered the words, but you know what? Bimbo New Jersey girl forgot the words too - seems unfair to let her through when Baylie clearly had the better voice. I know... I'm just bitter. I'll get over it...

Changing the subject, it looks like Fidel/Osama/Jesus is out... that's too bad.

Weeding through

So, it's over for Matt Sato, and some other guy we haven't seen on air until the very second they tell him no... nice TV debut, right?

YES!!!!! Shakira wannabe is gone!!! That's all I have to say about that...

Crazy curly haired guy, Chris Sligh, teams up with crazy hot guy Rudy Cardenas, beatboxer Blake Lewis and Thomas Lowe, who I don't believe we've seen before. First off, I think Chris Sligh has the best voice of the group - he was really good, but the group, as a whole, rocked it - adding the beatbox was ridiculous - although I think Blake needs to be careful. The judges may think he's trying to avoid actually singing.

But whatever, they got a full standing ovation. It was fabulous. And of course, they're all through to the next round.

Sundance makes it through too, but he's on thin ice, for sure, after forgetting the words.

Familiar faces

Matt Sato, the 16-year-old who felt unloved by his parents, makes it through to the next round. And I felt for him, I really did. It was obvious how much he longed for acceptance and approval from his parents and I was just so excited to see him get it. It's a little heart-breaking that they couldn't offer him the support he needed until he managed to get on a TV show, but you know what? All that matters is that they're finally seeing how talented he is - maybe it's the first time they really bothered to pay attention... I hope it's not the last time.

Crazy curly-haired guy who wanted to make David Hasselhoff cry makes it through as does Nick Pedro, the super cutie who's on his second trip to Hollywood. Also through to the next round are Fidel/Osama/Jesus, the bald guy who missed his daughter's birth by being at the auditions, and the cutie backup singer, who had toured with Christina Aguilera. Oooh and Sundance, whose father had a hit song in the 60s.

Coward

Just a quick aside. There's nothing more aggravating than a coward. Brian Miller, the 19-year-old who is in Hollywood for the second time, sings the same song he sang in his first audition... sickening. It angered me two seasons ago when Anthony Fedorov did it and it's just as irritating now. If you have faith in your voice, you should be able to sing any song. There's no excuse for relying on one song you think you can sing well... Ugh

Bittersweet results

I still love Baylie Brown - I still want to know where I can buy her album. She's just got that something special and she's only 16 years old. And even the judges told her she was very good - a few of the other contestants gave her a standing ovation. I hope she makes it to the top 24.

Ashlyn Carr, the teen who made all the crazy faces when she sang and who was arrested for putting sugar in her ex-boyfriend's gas tank, gets booted. I'm OK with that, as I think most of America will be. She just barely made it to Hollywood, anyway, so it's no big surprise to see her go.

Sarah Burgess, the girl who lied to her father about where she was so she could audition for "Idol," is also cut. A little sad - would have been nice to see her fulfill a dream, but she's so young - she's got plenty of time still to get better.

But Porcelana Patina!!!! My girl!!! The "American Idol" soldier, the one who worked out like crazy to prepare for her audition, doesn't make it either. It's really unfortunate that they don't let us see at least a second or two of the performances, so we could at least judge it for ourselves. I was so looking forward to watching her craziness evolve into something wonderful. I hope she comes back next year - "Idol" could use a woman with her edginess.

Do we really need another Shakira?

Shakira wannabe is annoying. Perla Meneses gets off the plane acting like she's already a superstar and manages to get on my last nerve in record time.

And then instead of trying to show the judges that she has her own sound - that she is different from anything out there right now - she decides to sing, you guessed it, a Shakira song. Give me a break.

Next up is the Army reservist that I think most people were secretly hoping would do really well. Based on the snippet they showed of her singing in Hollywood, I'd say that if she gets through it's based on her appeal, not her voice.

But she doesn't make it - it's a little sad, but at the same time, it seems fair - her voice was only OK.

What is really incredibly unfair and obviously biased is how stupid Perla what's-her-name gets through. I guess even nowadays, you can get pretty far in life if you shake all the right things. I'm disgusted.

Easy come, easy go

First thing I noticed about Hollywood week is Lisa Morrison - they only showed her for maybe 2 seconds, but it was long enough for me to see that she's from Selden!!! A Long Islander made it to Hollywood, so I'm hoping she lasts a while - it's always fun to root for a hometown girl.

Well, that was quick... The first six girls are out - just like that.

Bucky, wife split

Looks like the pressure of trying to be a superstar got to Season 5 finalist Bucky Covington. He and his wife are separating after 7 years of marriage, People magazine reports. For the full article, click here.

See Simon yell (at you)

Here's a sneak peek at the latest iteration of the virtual Idol karaoke game from our friends at KTLA.

The clips of a virtual Simon insulting the singer are priceless--and for Ace Young fans, he gives some singing lessons near the end.