The first hour was pretty awesome, actually. Though I’m not a fan of Blake, he held it down with Doug E. Fresh. His beatboxing talent is undeniable, the singing voice is just a little shakey.

The group numbers with Smokey Robinson, and Gladys Knight were hugely entertaining.

The two old schoolers are still wonderful talents to watch, and though the Idol wannabes are perhaps not the most rhythmically gifted people (the choreography was just funny to watch), vocally they all sounded great.

Except for Sanjaya, of course. I am a HUGE Joe Perry fan. I think maybe he was the first guitar God that I fell in love with, and no matter how old he gets he still looks seriously, seriously hot. But why, American Idol producers did you have to make Sanjaya sing again? It was like watching a drunken frat boy sing karaoke badly. How much better would Gina have been? I love Gina.

Of the old Idols, I still love her the best. Her opening song was a little weird, and she started off with some pitch problems, but by the end I think she proved how good her voice is. And she was feeling that song—there’s no wrath like that of a woman scorned, huh? When she came back to sing Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band with my lover she sounded amazing. I could have done without her bouncing so much, but what are you gonna do?

Another great moment, I thought, was Melinda singing with BeBe, and CeCe Winans. How could the producers not cash in on the backup singer taking center stage with her old employers? But it was great, and they looked so proud of her. For the first time since the show began, I thought Melinda let loose a little bit. She did not, however, lose the perpetual state of shock. But I would have looked like that too singing with Gladys Knight.

Taylor Hicks—boring. And mediocre. Carrie Underwood—not a huge fan, but she was fine last night. Ruben Studdard—I always wanted him to do better than he has. His voice still sounds like honey, and his number with Jordin was precious (again with her dress in that one too!).

But after an hour, I was ready for the show to be over. I know we were pulling out all the stops, but Bette Midler can’t even really sing (whoa, that was bad), and I could have probably done without seeing the African Boys Choir again. By the end of the show, they had run over so much that announcing the winner seemed really rushed, and anti-climactic.

So Jordin won. What a huge surprise. She deserved it over Blake. If she deserved it over some of the other contestants, I’m not so sure. I can’t comment on her performance of This Is My Now last night cause that song is just so bad I couldn’t listen again, and turned it off.

If you just can’t wait for Jordin’s album to come out, you can order her pre-Idol demo, For Now. If you just haven’t gotten enough of this season’s Idols, you can already get your tickets for the tour.

If you’re like me, you’re just happy it’s over, and hopefully we’ll never hear from some of those contestants again.

I definitely think that Blake is the weakest up there. He sounded better than he normally does, despite some really obvious pitch issues in Roxanne. I did love him singing This Love—I think it was by far his best performance of the season. But I can’t get over his really bad sense of style, and I’m getting tired of looking at that face he makes when he sings. He gets all serious, and looks like he’s trying to seduce the camera and I think it just looks… stupid. Smile, maybe. I don’t know—I’m a hater.

The girls were awesome. Jordin’s last song? My God. I got chills. I know it’s an old song, but I still nearly wept listening to her sing it. And Melinda? I’m a huge fan of old school R&B and she definitely has that vibe. She just owns every song she sings. I wasn’t super impressed with the Whitney Houston song—but the judges were, so what do I know? I just wish they had given her something more youthful because I worry she doesn’t appeal to as much of the audience as she could.

Other thoughts? I would appreciate Randy speaking less. I’m tired of the “check it out, check out, aight yo,” thing he does. And could he be a bigger name dropper? He always manages to slip in that he worked with whomever. And yeah, he’s a pretty talented producer who has worked with a lot of people, but Randy—no one really cares.

And as the weeks go on, my love of Simon gets exponentially bigger. Seriously. I love him! People think he’s mean. I think he’s honest, right on point, and extremely good looking. Yummy.

My fingers are crossed for Jordin and Melinda, but we shall see what happens tonight.

Things I pondered after the show: Who in God’s name let Blake walk out onstage in that shirt? The faux-tuxedo T-shirt thing is like what your embarrassing uncle wears to be funny. Not only would I never allow anyone I know walk out of the house (or possibly even around the living room) in one of those, but I would fire the stylist on the show for letting it happen.

Next—how many years do you need to be on air before you don’t screw up the sound, Idol crew? When the Barry Gibb medley started off you couldn’t hear anyone at all, then you could only hear Melinda, then they all just sounded really bad. Which was not necessarily the sound crew’s fault. I repeat—Worst. Idol. Ever.

Moving swiftly along to Pink being there. Even though she wasn’t there cause that song was recorded for the Idol Gives Back show. Anywho…song was OK, although I do think Pink has an amazing voice. But can I just say girl looked H.O.T. in that dress. Her body is bangin’! She’s always trucking around with her husband, sometimes looking like her thighs could suffocate you in a matter of seconds, but daaaaaamn. She looked good.

Last, but certainly not least—holy-Barry-Gibb-nipple action, Batman! I was scared. They took center stage through his not so good, nobody-really-cares-that-you-can-still-sorta-sing performance. He looks like a nice guy, but I saw way too much of him last night. Keep that at home for the wife, Mr. Gibb.

There’s debate among my crazy Idol pool about who’s going out next. We all think the finals should be Jordin and Melinda, but we wonder if Ms. Doolittle will get aced out because of Blake’s teenage fan club. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

Here’s to hoping next week is better. If it’s not—I vow to not watch another season ever again.

Who do you think is gettin voted off next?

We said goodbye to two contestants last night, and I have to say, I’m a little sad. I was never a Phil fan— there was something about him that really skeeved me out—but the boy could sing. If I closed my eyes while he performed, I actually kind of liked him. His eyes are just so big, and his head is just so… shiny.

Even sadder is seeing Chris go. He may not have been the most talented one up there, but there was just something about him (perhaps it was the mega watt smile) that made him one of my favorites. In the immortal words of Randy, I think he had the “Yo Factor.” I’m surprised because, while Blake’s rendition of You Give Love a Bad Name may have been innovative, I’m in the group of people who hated it—leave a good song alone. And I’m over the fact that you can beat box. I get it.

At least Phil has more time to spend with his wife and baby, and Chris can canoodle ‘til all hours of the night with Miss LC. I’m sure we’ll be hearing more from both of them.

The beginning of the show was the best part for me—they introduce Randy and he throws up his hand like he always does. They introduce Paula, and she attempts to throw up some sort of sign that ends up in an “L” shape, which she then puts up against her forehead. Is that not the international sign for loser? Oh, Paula… my week would be so boring without more of your drunken antics. I also found it amusing that Simon was hysterical when they called his relationship with his lady “very serious.” I wonder if they had a fight about that? I would have been slightly hurt…

Jon Bon Jovi remains one of the best looking musicians ever (I really do love him and his tight pants), and while I wished the song they played had rocked a little harder, they still sound great. I guess all their songs can’t be as classic as Livin’ on a Prayer, and Dead or Alive.

The show being an hour was a little over the top for me. I watch Ryan acting befuddled on E! far too frequently. And Robin Thicke’s performance was… mediocre. He has a nice enough voice, but I think he would have been voted off if he was a contestant. And most of the time, I like him. Apparently, he’s a studio kind of guy.

It was nice to the camaraderie among the contestants—all the girls crying, and the big groups hugs. I was touched. Seriously. I really want them all to win.

And now there are four. I’m glad that Jordin gets another week to show off her talent, and I honestly never get tired of hearing Melinda sing. As for LaKisha—girl, you redeemed yourself this week, and owned that Bon Jovi song. Keep it up, and I bet Blake gets voted off next.

Who is next?

It might seem corny to say, but I thought the energy exuded by Ryan, Ellen (who, as always, was hilarious—“what’s the big surprise? I mean, am I being kicked off”), all the performers, and the contestants was tangible. I felt like they were proud to be a part of what was going on. And maybe I just fell for a great act, but I would like to believe they were.

I know there has been a lot of controversy about Idol Gives Back—whether they really do care, or is it a publicity stunt? Is the money actually going to end up where it should? But a friend of mine works at the food bank featured at the end of Tuesday’s show, and she said that when Simon showed up he was extremely humble and kind, and was genuinely touched by what the people there were doing. I think, whether they went into this or not with good intentions, they certainly left with a changed perspective.

Anyway, back to the show. In terms of celebrity performers—Kelly Clarkson, to me, owned it. It was great to see legends like Earth Wind and Fire, and Annie Lennox, but Kelly—our original American Idol—sounded incredible. Live the dream, Kelly!

Josh Groban…. Eh, kind of corny, but I respect his talent enough. I did think that choreographing the hug from the African chorus at the end was a bit much, but those kids with the missing teeth were cute enough to get away with it.

The Celine Dion, Elvis duet was… weird. Was this weird to anyone else? First of all, Celine Dion? I know she covered that (awful) song, but could you pick a person less compatible with the King? Having him standing there, doing his Elvis thing (you know, that knee-jerk move he does when he’s getting ready to swing his hips) was kind of spectacular. But good ol’ camel toe and her too prominent French accent ruined it for me. I feel like she’s a parody of herself at this point.

Two things that really pissed me off: Why did Bono not perform? Why!!! And where is his Irish accent when he talks? I waited the whole show to see if he would sing, and… I was pissed. Isn’t he Mr. Charity? He was there to do the mentoring thing, so not just sing a little ditty for the people at home? Hmmm… something is strange here.

Second—how dare you Ryan Seacrest, and the writers of American Idol to lead me to believe that you were kicking Jordin off! And then wait far too long to tell me it was all a joke! I was about to throw something at the TV. I am rooting for that Amazon chick with a voice like an angel who only gets better every week. And after LaKisha’s performance the night before… I would have been pissed.

Watching clips from Africa was extremely emotional for me—I read newspapers, and watch the news, but it doesn’t ever make it easier to see things like this. The extreme poverty, the sickness, and knowing things like Darfur are taking place, is a serious slap in the face for me— whose biggest problem right now is not having weekend plans. And if it takes a show like American Idol to educate kids, and others about the problems in Africa then so be it.

I have to wonder, though, especially with the realities our own country faced after the destruction of Hurricane Katrina, why we don’t every once in awhile focus on our own people’s problems. There is extreme poverty in the good ol’ U.S. of A. as well, and we tend to forget about it. Or how about raising some money to reinstate the art programs that have been slashed from public schools across the country?

But American Idol did a good thing. And I hope that all the money they raised during the show, and through selling all of last night’s performances on iTunes will make a great impact on the lives of the people in Africa. Good on you, AI.

And don’t you dare let Jordin go home.

Watch Kelly Clarkson & Jeff Beck’s performance: