I'm watching a repeat of the Seattle show when I should be writing an essay and I got a strong feeling that all 3 judges wanted to committ suicide when that weird guy butchered Unchained Melody.

I think it's a compromise. I read on Yahoo a few days back that Fox was defending Idol from critics who said it was now just a glorified Gong Show designed to market embarrassing con-*test*-('")ants for ratings. The sob story was probably there to make it less exploitative yet keep the whole heartbreak angle.

The auditions are great fun but I really feel for the judges to go through that many people and have to sit through the bad ones for so long just for TV sake.

After watching Scott Savol pray to Fake Jesus a couple of seasons back, I was happy to see him get his own spot on the show.

This episode killed me with the humor. The girl and her dinners, the scary unblinking girl, a singing Castro (and who says he looks like Osama Bin Laden? Do these people know what Osama Bin Laden looks like? This is why we can't find him--everyone's looking for a pasty white hippie!).

I know! Osama? No. More like "Unaboma." I didn't think he was that good, either. I also didn't care for the guy whose dad lost his #1 because of the Beatles, or the guy whose wife just had a baby.

So far my favorite is Melinda. (Or was it Miranda? No, I think Melinda.) She was the nervous back-up singer. She was adorably sweet, and I liked her voice.

I hope Castro Jesus gets a little farther because I really want to see what's under the beard. And you know they're gonna make him shave it.

And dear god, that little zombie girl with the hazel contacts...

That was a good episode. Since they only had an hour they didn't get to drag on with the horrible singers and the sob stories. Thank god.

I liked the bearded guy and I really hope they shave him. He may look pretty decent under there. I loved the shy backup singer girl. Wow! If she gains some self confidence the show is hers.

The guy who missed the birth of his baby wasn't that great. He was really loud at the beginning of every song. Simon was right.

The chick with the red hair who flipped out wasn't that bad. I don't know why they didn't pick her. They've picked worse.

ETA, that guy Sundance? Wow. Liked him too.

I was totally rooting for Taylor last season, but even I laughed at the line "Well, he blew Taylor out of the water."

Someone elsewhere called Sean (Castro) Osama bin Jesus, which made me nearly fall out of my chair laughing. I liked him, though! It's the first time I've really really liked a con-*test*-('")ant in an audition in a while--everyone else seems to grow on me during Hollywood.

I was sure that Castro Jesus was a fake-for-fame con-*test*-('")ant, to the point of looking for the extensions in his beard hair. I just didn't think that anyone who would say, unironically, "we're all poor. . .inside" would really want to audition for a giant glossy thing like American Idol. And I think he might still be a fake-for-fame con-*test*-('")ant who happened to get through, to his surprise as much as mine. I guess we'll see, in Hollywood.

I also noticed that out of the people who made it through, the producers have been focusing on those who showed a certain level of modesty this time around. With maybe one exception so far, anyone who has gone in with the "I AM the next American Idol!" attitude has crashed and burned.

EDIT: Pumpkin Cake, that's what I thought of Taylor last season. Hell, I still have my suspicions.

I will say, no lie, I liked Taylor from Day One. [It is why I am so horrifyingly hooked on the show now - nothing like having your guy actually WIN.]

I'm with you, though: Sean (Castro) Osama bin Jesus to the Final Two!!! (Along with Backup Singer, who rocked the house.)

*runs off to Snarkchat for the 2 hour special!*

Stupid East Coast time zone! I hate you SO MUCH!

*shakes fist eastwards*