AMERICAN IDOL NIGHT 23 - TOP 11 ELIMINATION!!

Yesterday night, the top 11 contestants tried their hand at songs of the 50's. The performances turned out...well, let's be honest, mediocre. Some were good, some not so much, but just about all of them were just a bit dull.

Speaking of just a bit dull, Barry Manilow was the guest last night, and he'll be performing tonight. I think Idol hates us. I can't imagine a programming executive deciding to feature Manilow on a youth-driven show, where the vast majority of the audience wouldn't recognize anyone who is not currently dating Jessica Simpson. I'd like to imagine it was some fuddy duddy old man making the decision to use Barry, but the truth is that Barry has a CD coming out and he and Fox need anything they can get to promote it.

Stay tuned to see who's going home!

(live blogging, keep refreshing!)

Seacrest is in all black again tonight and it looks like he got a haircut. Sami is not here tonight, so far, even though she would be perfect in all her 7-year-old-ness as the host for this show. There were 35 million votes last night, you slackers. Seacrest introduces the victims and then the judges. Simon and Paula are still feuding, supposedly, and there is a cacophonous sound across America of people not caring.

Recap time, and they just give Kellie and Chris a big old sloppy french kiss. Taylor and Bucky get a slap in the face. Kevin gets some big pimpin' while Lisa gets crapped on. Katharine and Mandisa get the usual treatment. There's something about Ace, but they're being ambiguous about him tonight.

After the break, we'll waste more time to sell more ads...

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Speaking of half-baked performances, I bet Belinda Carlisle is protesting outside the studio at the treatment of the Go-Go's "We Got the Beat." I needed very little more reason to dislike Kevin, but there's the whole underage sex symbol innuendo yet again in the Ford commercial. It makes me thankful that I drive a Chevy, I tell you.

Apparently Barry Manilow debuted at number one on the pop charts, probably because some near-sighted parents thought they were buying a Barney album for their toddlers. Seriously, I know none of you bought the album. Barry decided to skip going to his gig in Vegas to perform for us. Oh, Barry, you shouldn't have. Barry gets all spastic with Ryan, and I just want to take that blue tie and shove it into his pie hole. He's going to sing "Love Is a Many Splendored Thing." Listening to Barry's baritone, I can say with all certainty that Mr. Manilow would've never made it past the first round of American Idol. Barry sort of looks like he got beaten around the head with a stick and then spent about five hours hanging from hooks in his ears and nose. By the way, who let Bobby "Copacabana" Bennett back into the building? Have the security guards flogged! Maybe Bobby should've sung the song. Couldn't have been much worse.

Alrighty then, now that THAT torment is over, we can go to a commercial...

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Ace looks like he's about to wet himself. Ryan is talking crazy fast. Ace is safe this week. Mandisa is safe. Elliott is safe. Slow down Ry guy, I'm having trouble typing this fast! Kellie needs to be in the bottom three. Oh my dear mercy, Kellie actually asked what a "ballsy" is, not realizing the difference between a noun and an adjective. There are just no words, except I am going to step up my Kick Pickler campaign to the next level next week. Icky is safe. Chris is safe. Paris is safe. Would it have taken so much to just say "top row, no worries?" Katharine is safe. Taylor is safe.

Bucky, Lisa, and Kevin are in the bottom three. My bets are on Lisa. We'll find out after the break.

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I definitely think these are the right people in the bottom three, though obviously I want Kellie gone just as soon as possible, and I hope that statement she made during elimination really comes back to bite her in the butt next week. Kevin is the least talented of this week's bottom three, but I suspect it will be Lisa saying goodbye to us tonight.

Time for the moment of truth. Well, my prediction falls short, because Lisa is going to get to go sit down! Good on ya girl, and remember to wear it out next week! Now it's time to choose between Bucky and Kevin. Paula pretends like either of these guys will have a career in music after the show. Bucky gets to sit down right quick, and glory be, Kevin is finally going home!

I am pulling out a cannon now to blow my TV away because Idol has now officially made me hate that Daniel Powter song.

Oh, I am so glad to see this kid go home!!! This means no Kevin on the Idol tour! People, do you realize what a wonderful thing this is??

So, the palate is clean for next week, where we'll see the Top 10 and let's hope that Fox cuts off Kevin's goodbye performance like they did Melissa's last week. Well, no luck, so I guess it's up to me. CLICK!

Keep coming back to Musical Ramblings during the week for more music and entertainment news and for next week's Idol coverage!