And now they are ten! Bucky, Lisa, and Kevin were all in the bottom three, and suddenly, all seems right and orderly in the world again. Because, if we can all agree on one thing, it's that those three sucked the most on Tuesday night. Am I right? I think I am.

This week's songs were from the 50s, and the quirky and interesting Barry Manilow was there helping everyone out with their arrangements. I love it when the show has professional singers helping the contestants, because they make those pre-song video clips and their comments really give away how they really feel. Barry didn't hesitate to say that Mandisa kicked ass, or that Lisa was really good. But with Kevin and Bucky, he specifically addressed the song, instead of the singer, clearly trying to find a diplomatic way to avoid saying they sucked outright. So, he stuck to comments about the individuals themselves, saying about Kevin something to the effect of, "And I think he finally got it," or about Bucky, "And I think he'll have a lot of fun with it."

Joe's response? "Too bad you won't enjoy it at all, America." And of course, Joe was right - Bucky was truly terrible.

I think I agreed with everything Simon said, except when he said that Katherine was becoming a star. Why no one addressed that sour high note she hit, I'll never know. But her makeup did look 100% better this week than last, and she actually sounded pretty good for most of the song. Star quality? I still need to be convinced of that. But she probably is one of the better contestants.

The dumbest remarks of the night came from Paula, of course. I can't even keep track of half the stupid things she says anymore, but I do remember one thing. She said to Paris, about Paris's sex appeal, "And I forget that you're only seventeen!" What? Seventeen year olds can't be sexy? Seventeen is anywhere from 1-11 months away from being a legal adult, and most seventeen year olds are totally having sex, so for Paula to seem SO shocked that a girl that age can have sex appeal is just ridiculous to me. How many times can I say seventeen?? SEVENTEEN!!

Anyway.

Paris was sexy, and she was good. I love "Fever," and I thought she did a pretty cool rendition of it.

Speaking of sexy - Mandisa! She is full of charisma and attitude, and she has an amazing singing voice. And I'm not one to usually remark on these things, but her hair was so freaking cute! As Simon would say, I LOVED it. (He was so funny the way he kept saying that!)

Also, I know this is neither here nor there, but what was up with Ryan talking to that little kid in the audience all night long? Is she the new Dunkelman? His daughter? Wtf?

Anyway, back to the contestants!

Taylor Hicks! I love him, and I love his dancing, and not knowing the song, I was just eagerly awaiting the moment when that song would take off! And then? ...It didn't. Taylor, what are you doing, man?? Don't pick songs like that! I still voted for him a lot, because I love the way he sings and he's still my favorite. But for the love of god, he's got to pick a better song next week!

Also notable was Chris Daughtry's performance. I thought it was good, and I actually got his voice singing "Walk the Line" stuck in my head yesterday. Catchy, the arrangement he did. But! The judges went on and on about him not compromising, and how he's so good at sticking to who he truly is. And I see what they mean, but I have to ask myself - what if he's just showing a lack of versatility? He can't step outside the box at all? He HAS to stick to that rock style always? Just something I wonder about. (Of course, Carrie Underwood is the same way with her country stylings, and she won, so maybe that is the way to go?)

Lisa sang okay. She is boring to me. And her outfit was terrible, I thought. She seemed already beaten, like she knew she was going to lose, and that does not a fun performance make.

Elliott sang well, though not my favorite performance by him. Still, he's a cool dude, and a great singer.

Kevin sang better than I thought he would, which is not saying much at all.

Ace sang very well, and Barry Manilow was right - the falsetto at the end was good. I don't know that we all melt when he does that, so speak for yourself, Barry. But it was a good performance.

Also, Joe suggested and I now truly believe that Kellie Pickler is retarded. She has to be! Joe made me laugh when she was singing and he said, "She should be wearing a helmet!" Ha! I mean, "I'm a mink!" and "What's a ballsy?" Either she's upping the stupid for the audience, or she is honest to goodness retarded. A hot retard. But retarded, nonetheless. Every blond in America cringes when she opens her mouth, I'm sure. Stop perpetuating sterotypes, Pickler! Anyway, she seemed very out of touch with the emotion of that song ("Walkin' After Midnight" by Patsy Cline) in my opinion. Also, I HATE her accent and how it warps once normal words into weird ear pinching sounds that you can't help cringing over. Or maybe that's just me.

At the end of the first show, Joe and I were pretty convinced that America might vote all weird again and that it could actually be Lisa to go home. So, we were surprised (and perhaps even overjoyed) when, on the second night's show, she was sent back to safety, leaving Bucky or Kevin to go home. YES! Could we send both home at once, perhaps?? Sadly, no, only one at a time. But it was Kevin who finally got the boot, and the world sighed a breath of relief. YAY!!!

Also, is it me, or did Barry Manilow look positively frightened when Bobby wrapped his arm around his shoulder? Bobby's like, "I sang Copacabana and got voted off!" all manic and wide-eyed, hugging him. Poor Barry probably thought he'd be crushed by the gigantic, crazed fan. Anyway, it made me laugh.

And that's that. Another week down! Ten contestants left. How will they do next week?? Stay tuned, America!