American Idol Week 5: Your Top 24!

Hollywood week was really hurried along this year. Idol upped the editing big time, condensing four days of tryouts and tears into a mere two hours and over two evenings. That's both good and bad news. On the one hand, we don't have to fret about the loser contestants grating our last nerve (i.e. Amanda: "...God rewards good people..." and "We can get any guy back home."). Then again, it is completely great to indulge in the petty arguments during late-night group rehearsals that are sandwiched between a lot of un-tactful flirting in the hotel hallways. For better or worse, it's jolly fun to watch tired 17-year-olds negotiate song choice and choreography. But I'm over it because now we've got our Season 6 family, and we get to start voting.

I should be more honest; rarely do I vote until the crucial, final weeks. I know I should be more active in the process, "get out the vote" if you will, but damn, dude, it can take hours redialing the hotline for the right contestant (and the phone battery gets bleeding hot next to your head.)

Anyway, there is a hot bunch out there for us to hear in the coming weeks, which are made even hotter by the absence of Perla, the Shakira wanna-be, who was plain obnoxious. Very much unlike the beat-boxer guy named Blake, who kicked up a slammin' group audition with 3 other fellas that had Paula on her feet for an ovation. More good news came as funny man Chris cruised to the next round, and when we were introduced to a girl named Leslie Hunt who, despite her awkward manner, already sounds pro.

Signing off for now. Watch out for the boys as they perform live next Tuesday.