episode three...

It's New Orleans...

What a nice change of pace.  Instead of packing the third audition episode of American Idol with the world's worst singers, the producers decided to give us a better early look at the Hollywood contestants.  How generous of them.

And it was only an hour.  What a blessing.  And Gene Simmons as a guest judge.  What a treat.  Now I've been very vocal about hating the intrusion of the guest judges who don't have the heart, it seems, to give the Idols genuine criticism.  "Oh your dress is very nice..."  does not help anyone, and one Paula is more than enough.

But I am really enjoying the placement of the celebrity judges during the audition phase.  Mark McGrath added some fun last week, and Gene Simmons was a hoot last night.  (But, in all honesty, while one Paula is more than enough, so is one Simon.)  I am, however, very grateful that the celebrity judges have been nixed after the preminary rounds.

There's always one standout reject -- remember Keith?  William Hung?  And, until last night I feared it was going to be Mary Roach fancy French G-name, but no more roaches for me.  I don't like rejects who scare me.  I don't like rejects who make me cringe rather than laugh.  I love to laugh.

And Leroy Wells, you made me pee my pants.  I don't know what I enjoyed more about you -- your interesting, never-before-heard and impossible to translate language or your pure joy just about being in front of the judges and on television.  Whichever.  Doesn't matter.  I'll remember you.

I will also remember David Brown, but I have a suspicion we'll be hearing from him again.  And didn't you love the tears of joy upon informing his church that he was headed to Hollywood?

Lindsey Cardinale, Paula was right (not a typo), you do have a unique voice.  I think you'll make the top 24.  Then we'll see.

For those of youwho kept up with me last season, you know that I had a sort of love affair with the much-maligned John Stevens.  Of course that love affair lasted only until he butchered "My Girl" and stayed on the couch while my girl Amy Adams went home, but I found John's crooner stylings very refreshing.  I felt the same last night about Michael Liuzza, who gave us some Blues.  I'm not sure how far his Bluesy style will take him without the teenaged cuteness of John Stevens or JPL, which, of course, attracted the voters with the most dialing tenacity last year, but it will be interesting to see if he can master genres beyond the one he seems smitten with.  I'll be watching.

And then there was that adorable Jeffrey Johnson, the pastor who nailed "In the Still of the Night."  Gene Simmons was right with his observation that Johnson, if he wants to remain in good stead with his church, may have to tailor his song selection.  But, of course, we don't know his church.  Simmons might be making generalizations that are unfounded.  And so might I.

Tonight it's Sin City and, of course, Elvis impersonators coming out of the woodwork.  Then we have to endure two more "bad" audition shows, both next week, and four Hollywood episodes (which I tolerate much more than what we're watching now) before the live competition begins.

We start watching live (and it will be THREE nights a week) and whittling the field down to 12 on Feb. 22.  Once the field is down to the final 12, we go back to twice per week.

It's gonna be a long season, folks, but by all accounts, this is going to be the deepest, richest and most talented group thus far.  Time will tell.