It was easy to like Chikezie,
but he was just a victim of being on
the wrong show in the wrong year.

First there was Christian Okoye, the original “Nigerian Nightmare,” a nickname he earned as a running back with the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs.

Now we have Chikezie, a modern-day “Nigerian Nightmare” who became the latest casualty on American Idol. He got the boot Wednesday night, following Tuesday’s 30 million votes.

Okoye’s moniker served as a tribute to his durability, consistency and productivity.

Chikezie, however, carries the title for a much different reason. He simply lacked in all three of those areas.

Granted, it was easy to like Chikezie, who often spoke of his Nigerian roots in many of those Idol clips. His warm smile and the effort he put into every performance made him an engaging, lovable character.

The bottom line, however, was he consistently paled in comparison to most of this year’s finalists. There is little to debate that this is the deepest Idol field in the show’s seven-year history, and Chikezie was arguably a victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

If you carefully examine the finalists from Idol’s preceding six seasons, a claim could be made Chikezie
was top-six material in probably half of those competitions. But in a year when we have David Cook,
Brooke White, Michael Johns, David Archuleta and Co., Chikezie does not belong in the same sentence. That’s the bad news.

The good news is those of you who like his singing and adore his personality have nothing to fear. The
modern-day Nightmare will most certainly land a record deal, which is not bad for a ninth-place finisher. We will definitely hear from him again.

He simply will not be the next American Idol.

Which brings us to the question, where do the remaining nine Idol finalists stand as we grow closer
to the stretch run?

Let’s break the
m into three categories: “contenders,” “wannabes” and “thanks for playing.”

CONTENDERS

David Cook: I would have never dreamed I’d have been saying this six weeks ago, but this is the man to
beat.

Michael Johns: The Thunder from Down Under is back. There could be a dandy duel in the offing between Cook and Johns.

David Archuleta: Archuleta is in no danger of being eliminated anytime soon, but his “wow” factor is beginning to fade.

Brooke “Snow” White: The real sleeper. I think the best is yet to come. Now brimming with the confidence to match her talent, I would be worried if I were any of the three names above her.

WANNABES

Jason Castro: His star is in danger of falling fast. Next week is critical to re-establish himself as a legitimate title threat. But if this music thing doesn’t work out, he can always star in the remake of
“Fast Times at Ridgemont High.” And you KNOW what role would be his.

Syesha Mercado: The most underrated talent remaining.

Carly Smithson: Hey, she’s not pregnant. And we hear she promises to smile next week.

THANKS FOR PLAYING

Ramiele Malubay: Methinks the vertically challenged “Rommy” is in a world of hurt.

Kristy Lee Cook: Don’t automatically make her the odds-on favorite to be eliminated next Wednesday. Remember, it’s Dolly Parton week, and this girl is as country as it gets.

Kristy Lee Cook nails “God Bless the U.S.A.”
Is this a great country or what?

With all my heart, I want her to stay.

I’m not sure she can, because we won’t know for a few hours if she survived Tuesday night’s vote. But I want Kristy Lee Cook to remain on American Idol, if for only one more week.

Before our very eyes, the girl who has embodied the 1962 Mets went from worst to first. OK, OK, OK … maybe not first, but at least she escaped the basement.

The girl who only last week was the Choo Choo Coleman of this competition stunned us all with a Tom Seaver-esque masterpiece.

She belted out “God Bless the U.S.A.,” originally sung by Lee Greenwood, pulling this absolute knockdown performance from somewhere within those tight-fittin’ jeans.

On a night when there were multiple magnificent efforts, Kristy Lee stood the tallest, if only because she had been so bad for so long.

So very, very long.

We all moaned — and by “we,” I mean me — when Amanda Overmyer was voted off last week and Kristy Lee survived. Not another week of HER, we said — and by “we,” I mean me.

I raised my fist in triumph with her when all three judges — yes, even Simon — lauded her song choice and performance.

God Bless the U.S.A.! Is this a great country or what?!

Kristy Lee, you were truly amazing. I still want to marry Brooke, but on this night you were incredible. This was your moment.

(TIME OUT … Before we dig any deeper into the Idols’ performances, what was with Paula brandishing those Allen Iverson-ish arm wraps? Was she covering up some tats? OK, PLAY BALL …)

The evening’s theme for the final 10 allowed them to pick any song from the year they were born, which ranged from 1979 (Michael Johns) to 1990 (David Archuleta).

David Cook continues to amaze, and his “Billie Jean” selection was almost breathtaking, and I mean that in the manliest of ways. I’m not sure I was as overall ga-ga about it as Randy, Paula and even Simon, but there is not a week that goes by that this guy does not bring his “A” game.

In a way, it was too bad Cook performed immediately after America’s new sweetheart, the girl we — and by “we,” I mean me — call Kristy Lee. I think some of the overall impact of “Billie Jean” was lost in the hoopla surrounding Kristy Lee.

There was finally another Michael Johns sighting, helping erase the disaster of last week’s “A Day in
the Life.” Johns’ “We are the Champions” was no traditional Freddy Mercury rendition — it may have
been better. It’s a song that is actually better suited for Johns’ machismo than the late Mercury’s prancing.

Syesha Mercado was borderline “moment” material with her “If I Were Your Woman.” Paula felt she created magic, but then again, Paula would feel the Keebler elves could create magic.

Brooke White — be still my beating heart — pleasured us with her rendition of the Police classic, “Every Breath You Take.” What made this an almost-killer performance for me was not only the subtle liberties she took with the lyrics, but her hair. The parted-in-the-middle, kind-of-draping-in-your-face, massaging-the-piano-keys image reminded me of Chi Coltrane in 1972 when she wowed us with “Thunder and Lightning.”

The rest of the night’s performances ranged from so-so to woefully disappointing.

Heartthrob David Archuleta was hardly scintillating with “The Voice,” and Ramiele Malubay’s “Alone” did not bring the house down, but there were far worse selections.

Carly Smithson was barely passable with “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” but the evening’s worst showings were Chikezie’s “If Only for One Night” and Jason Castro’s pathetic “Fragile.”

RANKING THE REMAINING 10
Last week’s rankings in parentheses:

1. (3.) DAVID COOK: He also had the night’s funniest line when talking about his baby pictures and his “massive skull.” I really think America is learning to love this guy. He still looks like he needs a shower, though.

2. (1.) DAVID ARCHULETA: What the Boy Wonder is missing is consistency, both in performance and song selection. He has yet to prove he can do a Manny Ramirez and go back-to-back, and he also has yet to prove he can blow you away with an uptempo song. Is he the next American Idol or the next Josh Groban?

3. (5.) BROOKE WHITE: Whenever I see her perform, the Hollies’ old song, “Long Cool Woman,” comes to mind.

4. (7.) MICHAEL JOHNS: By far his best overall outing, but I don’t think we have seen the MOMENT yet.

5. (9.) SYESHA MERCADO: She wins the best-looking-onstage award for the night. She should never go back to that “soft” hair again. She looked gorgeous last night.

6. (4.) JASON CASTRO: Several years ago in a music store in a mall in Strongsville, Ohio, I stood and listened to this bizarre clerk try and tell me how spiritual Sting’s music is. The girl was basically an idiot, and so was Jason Castro for selecting the song he did. Last night’s performance might have been the worst of the season since the competition reached the round of 25.

7. (6.) CARLY SMITHSON: You read it here first last week, and Simon backed me up last night. Carly is simply too tense onstage. Every song does not have to be the end of the world. Carly, who we found out was named for Carly Simon, said she grew up wanting to be the next Madonna or Kylie Minogue. If she is to achieve that dream, she will have to learn how to smile. Right now, this girl is just so-o-o depressing.

8. (10.) RAMIELE MALUBAY: I had such high hopes when I saw she was scheduled to sing “Alone,” my all-time favorite non-Rod Stewart song. Alas, while she was … ummm … “decent,” her rendition was decidedly lacking. And unfortunately, she went from best-dressed a week ago to what-in-the-world-do-you-have-on? I really missed her little white hat.

9. (11.) KRISTY LEE COOK: “When I was a little kid, I was loud,” she said. She’s still loud, but unlike any previous week, she wasn’t annoying.

10. (10.) CHIKEZIE: Game over.

READY, SET, GO: Chikezie, Carly or Ramiele.

The sun came up this morning,
but it is a dark, dark day in Idol nation.
The rock and roll nurse is gone.

With her, went my future
My life is filled with gloom
So day after day,
I stay locked up in my room
I know to you, it might sound strange
But I wish it would rain.

Can you hear the late, great David Ruffin and the Temptations in the background? I could, last night. Over and over and over …

Yes, the sun came up this morning, but it is a dark, dark day, my friends.

Amanda Overmyer, the beloved rock and roll nurse, was voted off American Idol.

This blog had her ranked No. 2 overall in the competition, and I’m not sure what the bigger crime may have been — the ouster of Amanda or that Kristy Lee Cook survived to sing another week.

Oh, the humanity of it all.

What went wrong? How could this have happened? First, the incredible Asia’h Epperson (ranked No. 1 at the time) was left by the side of the road the week before the round of 12 even began.

Now this.

I had such a grand vision for Amanda. Someday, she would marry Rod Stewart and they would ultimately be the proud parents of a swarm of little raspy-voiced rockers running around the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Oh-Hi-Oh.

What’s next? Is someone going to tell me Terrelle Pryor did not sign with Ohio State?

Amanda, Kristy Lee and The Golden Child (Carly Smithson) were the lowest three vote-getters, which in itself was a surprise.

Kristy Lee, of course, is simply terrible, but the much-ballyhooed Carly in the bottom three raised more eyebrows than a Groucho Marx wake.

My only guess about the inclusion of Carly is that her husband scared so many of the voters they took it out on her. You remember Carly’s husband, the guy in the audience with the tattooed FACE.

So now, we have the final 10. Here are their odds of reaching the championship round:

• Brooke White: 5 to 1.
• David Archuleta: 2 to 1.
• Michael Johns: 6 to 1.
• David Cook: 5 to 1.
• Jason Castro: 9 to 1.
• Ramiele Malubay: 20 to 1.
• Syesha Mercado: 13 to 1.
• Chikezie: 30 to 1.
• Carly Smithson: 10 to 1.
• Kristy Lee Cook: 136 million to 1.

Free Asia’h Epperson.
Free Amanda Overmyer.

In our next life, Brooke,
will you marry me?

First of all, did Simon seem especially nasty Tuesday night? If he’d just slap Paula once, I think he would feel a lot better. I know I would.

Secondly, Brooke White won my heart. Finally. I am definitely on the Brooke bandwagon. I thought she had her MOMENT with "Here Comes the Sun." I saw a side of her I did not think existed, one that was not so stilted, one that allowed her to own the stage and let what appears to be an engaging personality finally filter through.

The curly hair helped, too.

It should be noted that none of the Three Stooges — Randy, Paula and Simon — agree with my assessment of Brooke, but they aren’t writing this blog.

The other major highlight of the night saw David Archuleta return to form with "Long and Winding Road,"
a perfect selection for America’s next teen heartthrob. The only possible better choice he could have made might have been "Yesterday."

Archuleta’s "Long and Winding Road" was borderline MOMENT material, but in all fairness, it fell just
short of the incomparable "Imagine" from several weeks ago. If "Imagine" was a 10.0, "Long and Winding Road" was a solid 9.5.

The Kid is back!

The good-but-not-necessarily-great performances belonged to Amanda Overmyer ("Back in the U.S.S.R."), David Cook ("Daytripper"), Syesha Mercado ("Yesterday"), Ramiele Malubay ("I Should Have Known Better"), Carly Smithson ("Blackbird"), Jason Castro ("Michelle") and Chikezie ("I’ve Just Seen A Face").

Worst outings of the night went to the slumping Michael Johns ("A Day in the Life") and the hopelessly
overmatched Kristy Lee Cook ("You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away").

RANKING THE REMAINING 11
Last week’s rankings in parentheses:

1. (5.) DAVID ARCHULETA: Paula babbled something about purity and character. I have no idea what she was trying to say. The bottom line is this kid is the real deal. Go to youtube.com right now and watch his
performance again. You owe it to yourself.

2. (2.) AMANDA OVERMYER: She calls her style that "little southern rock kick thing." And while Tuesday night was far from her best performance, she showed even in an off night she is one of the best. What
really irritates me with The Stooges is they tell her to stay true to that bluesy rocky theme of hers, and
then the next week, they tell her she needs to change up. Sing what you want, Amanda. You will eventually sell more records than Randy and Paula combined, and we all know you can kick Simon’s ascot anytime you want.

3. (3.) DAVID COOK: OK, he came down to earth a little, but we’re watching a star evolve here, folks. Think back to how Blake Lewis got better and better each week in 2007.

4. (4.) JASON CASTRO: I simply love this guy’s laissez-faire approach, and I’m glad to see he refuses to change just because The Stooges say so. Only he could make that goofy "Michelle" song work. I wish the Beatles had never recorded that horrible thing.

5. (9.) BROOKE WHITE: What can I say? I was wrong. In our next life, Brooke, will you marry me?

6. (6.) CARLY SMITHSON: I finally figured out what it is about this girl that does not allow me to warm up to her. She is so S-E-R-I-O-U-S. Brooke let her hair down this week, and a love affair was spawned. Carly, don’t be so uptight. Every song is not life and death.

7. (1.) MICHAEL JOHNS: I’m tired of his potential. I want to see some results. He’s becoming the Jackie Moon of this competition, and I’m not one bit happy about it.

8. (10.) RAMIELE MALUBAY: Did she look great or what?

9. (7.) SYESHA MERCADO: Maybe a new genre will help her.

10. (8.) CHIKEZIE: Lose that harmonica. Now.

11. (12.) KRISTY LEE COOK: I’m to the point I feel sorry for her now. I sure hope she can get her horse
back.

READY, SET, GO: Kristy Lee, possibly Chikezie.

Clay Aiken became the face of
American Idol in season 2 and
didn’t even win the crown.

Before we digest tonight’s Round of 11 performances, let’s look back and remember why we love this show so much.

Here are this blog’s all-time American Idol Top 10, and why:

1. CLAY AIKEN: The runner-up in season 2 became the face of American
Idol in a season that catapulted the show into mainstream America’s
day-to-day water cooler conversations — and Aiken did not even win the
competition!

2. CARRIE UNDERWOOD: The most successful of all the Idols, the
season 4 champion is in the early stages of what will be a long and
fruitful career. She’s the All-American girl.

3. CHRIS DAUGHTRY: The breakthrough rocker. A season after Bo Bice
and Constantine Maroulis teased us with their performances, Daughtry
gave the competition real teeth. That he finished fourth behind Taylor
Hicks, Kat McPhee and Elliott Yamin is inexplicable to this day, but it’s also part of the show’s overall charm.

4. RUBEN STUDDARD: He captured the popular vote over Aiken in 2003
and looked to be a cross between the next Luther Vandross, Peabo Bryson
and Barry White. Unfortunately, the Velvet Teddy Bear has bombed in his
post-Idol career. What he gave to the competition was hope for all the
plus-sizes out there. America loved Ruben and still does … only not
enough to buy his CDs.

5. KELLY CLARKSON: It’s too bad she had to come along in the
inaugural season, which was nothing more than a summer replacement
series. It would have been interesting to see her in a competition like
this
year’s.

6. FANTASIA BARRINO: I’m surprised the season 3 winner has not
enjoyed more "pop" success. Her vocals and style are similar to this
year’s rock and roll nurse, Amanda Overmyer. Barrino has found a home
on the stage, however, and will be a major player in the format for
years to come.

7. KELLIE PICKLER: American fell in love with the dumb blonde who had no
idea what sushi was. She was never a factor in the season 5
championship race but has enjoyed some big-time airplay on country
stations and remains one of the most popular contestants ever.

8. MANDISA: Only Daughtry may wind up with more commercial success
from season 5. Mandisa is emerging as major force in contemporary
Christian music, having been already been nominated for a Grammy. Like
Studdard, Mandisa proved you don’t have to possess a Twiggy figure to
succeed on America’s favorite TV show.

9. BO BICE: Another post-Idol enigma, Bice has enjoyed mild critical and popular success, but nothing like what was forecast for him following his sensational showing on season 4.
Bice arguably came across better on television than he does on the
radio. We’ll always remember his interpretation of the Allman Brothers’
"Tie Me to The Whipping Post."

10. BLAKE LEWIS: If for no other reason, his "Time of the Season"
performance in 2007 was one of the show’s all-time best, and may have
been better than the Zombies’ original effort 39 years earlier. Lewis
and his addictive beatbox style broke new ground on a show that too
often likes to play close to vest.

ON THE BUBBLE: Sanjaya Malakar. Never has someone with so relatively little talent caused such an uproar. He was fun to watch.

The defining moments so far of this year’s competition, from left: David Archuleta’s "Imagine," David Cook’s "Hello" and Chikezie’s "She’s A Woman."

Heading into Tuesday night’s round two of eliminations, here is this blog’s opinion on the top individual performances to date involving the American Idol finalists.

Performances accompanied by a (MOMENT) indicate this was the singer’s defining achievement. The world stood still and jaws dropped to the floor.

1. David Archuleta: "Imagine." This could be the defining interpretation of this entire competition. It was, is and will remain an incredible performance. (MOMENT)

2. David Cook: "Hello" The world discovered what a talent this guy really is with this performance, then he backed it up earlier this week with "Eleanor Rigby." He can win this dance, bay-bee. (MOMENT)

3. Chikezie: "She’s A Woman." He could be new Nigerian Nightmare — sorry, Christian Okoye. Chikezie reached for the throne and was granted a sceptor. Was this a fluke? We may find out Tuesday. (MOMENT)

4. Amanda Overmyer: "I Hate Myself for Lovin’ You." This re-established her as a contender. And now, I don’t expect her to look back. I don’t think this was her "moment," because I sense — insert Def Leppard reference — the best is yet to come.

5. Jason Castro: "Hallelujah." I have thoroughly enjoyed three of Castro’s four efforts.

6. Ramiele Malubay: "You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me." It’s a shame she has not been able to follow up this performance, which despite being only a month ago seems as if it were in another decade. Ramiele is in danger of being ousted next week.

7. Michael Johns: "Light My Fire." Solid every week, but he has not yet enjoyed that exclamation point. The Aussie’s ability to bring his B-plus game each week has been unmatched, but we need that "A" game pretty soon for him to hold on to our No. 1 ranking.

8. Syesha Mercado: "Me and Mr(s). Jones." Her critics say she "sounds like" a lot of different artists, but has shown no true individuality. I disagree.

9. Carly Smithston: "Come Together." Carly brought her best effort this week — finally — but I’d still only give her an 8 on a scale of 1-10. Sorry.

10. Brooke White: "Let It Be." The All-American girl, but the "wow" status has not yet been seen.

11. Kristy Lee Cook: None.

Wednesday night’s departure of David Hernandez was hardly a major surprise. It was pretty obvious from Tuesday’s competition it would probably down to him or Kristy Lee Cook.

Honestly, I figured Kristy Lee would be deep-sixed after that torturous country tribute to the Beatles’ "Eight Days A Week." But in the end it was not only an almost-equally brutal "I Saw Her Standing There" by Hernandez, but his tabloid past that decided his future, or lack thereof.

I have to think this week’s vote was not so much a show of support for Kristy Lee, but a vote against a male stripper advancing any deeper into the competition. If you’re not familiar with that story, just pay a visit to Google and connect the dots.

The most memorable part of the results show came right at the end, moments after Hernandez was told his services would no longer be needed.

"You’ll see me at the top," Hernandez said. "This isn’t it."

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaattt?

David, time for a reality check here, kid. This is the end. It is over, and we will never hear from you again.

"I think America got this absolutely spot on," judge Simon Cowell said of last night’s bottom three.

Syesha Mercado was the other member of the bottom trio after 29 million Americans voted. A case could have been made for several others to have been included in that third and final position, but we’d be splitting hairs.

There was no arguing, however, about the bottom two. Hernandez is gone and Kristy Lee is probably on life support.

The revelation that the Lennon and McCartney songbook would be used again next week was good news for everyone but Kristy Lee. She’s caught in the ultimate Catch-22. If she drops her country schtick, she’s terrible. If she keeps the country sound and tries to adapt it to another Beatles song, she’s got about as much chance of advancing as Larry the Cable Guy.

I liked the new twist on the bottom three, having them sing their previous night’s songs at different intervals in the show. That is much better than having the poor sap (or sappette) having to try and belt out a tune after being voted off the show at the very end. That always had such an uneasy and unfair feel to it.

The new way is better theater, makes more sense and is kinder to the contestants. At times, we tend to forget, but they are human.

Free Asia’h Epperson!

This is why we like to say American Idol is more than a television show. It’s a lifestyle.

Without this show, we would be slightly emptier and the world a poorer place.

Who in their right mind saw coming what materialized Tuesday night? Who knew, I ask you, who knew that:

• Teen idol David Archuleta would be absolutely horrible on this night that paid tribute to songwriters John Lennon and Paul McCartney, that he would have looked more comfortable as Billy Barty’s understudy than a possible American Idol? What diminutive David did to "We Can Work It Out" was difficult to watch, especially when he surprisingly forgot the lyrics.

• Chikezie, who readily admitted that he was lucky to be among the top 12, would give the performance of his Idol-loving life. Chikezie’s tribute to "She’s A Woman"  was as stirring as it was surprising. I have to honestly say I preferred it to the original.

• The rock and roll nurse, Amanda Overmyer, delivering a second straight killer effort that accented her considerable strengths: a stage presence that requires — actually, demands — us to look, coupled with her now-familiar bluesy, razor-edged voice that can draw you in from that recliner in the comfort of your own living room. Not only that, but make you stand up and cheer. She deserves major kudos for both her choice of "You Can’t Do That" and her interpretation.

• Speaking of second straight knockout performances, David Cook may not look like an American Idol, but I have a suspicion his fan base doubled for the second straight week. Cook and Overmyer are arguably the two premier interpreters of a song in this competition. They are able to mold it to fit both their needs and those of the audience. For 40 years, I have loathed "Eleanor Rigby" (sorry, Beatles fans), but on this Tuesday night, I loved it.

And those were not the only outstanding — or horrible — performances. Let’s not forget:

• Carly Smithson and her best-to-date performance with "Come Together" and Jason Castro with "If I Fell."

At work, I’m surrounded by Carly-ites, but I’m still not seeing her as an American Idol. I will gladly give
her credit for her showing Tuesday night, but I don’t  know how much better she can be … and she’s simply not good enough to be the next American Idol.

We have seen basically the same performance from Castro for four straight weeks, but in at least three
of those he has been outstanding, including Tuesday night. His soft, blue-eyed soulful style connects well
with a listening audience, something only Paula Abdul seems to "get" among the three judges.

Brooke White ("Let It Be") and Michael Johns ("Across the Universe") were solid, but not spectacular. I’m not sure what the love affair Simon has with Brooke is all about, but she is simply not THAT good. As Simon tends to say, "Sorry." She’s just not.

Syesha Mercado ("Got to Get You Into My Life") suffered through a rather uneven performance.

Ramiele Malubay ("In My Life") has gone downhill three straight weeks. I’m through with her.

David Hernandez ("I Saw Her Standing There") would have had the worst performance of the night if not for Kristy Lee Cook ("Eight Days A Week"). Simon said Kristy Lee sounded like Dolly Parton on helium. That was a bit harsh, but to too far off.

RANKING THE TOP 12
(Last week’s rankings in parentheses)

1. (1.) Michael Johns: Still the name to beat, but the field tightened considerably Tuesday. Prediction:
Johns will enjoy his "moment" next week. His time has come.

2. (4.) Amanda Overmyer: She never looked — or sounded — better. We have a race, my friends.

3. (6.) David Cook: I’m a believer.

4. (7.) Jason Castro: He is not the "next" anyone, he is the "first" Jason Castro.

5. (2.) David Archuleta: We’ll give him a mulligan.

6. (8.) Carly Smithson: I said a week ago she couldn’t finish in the top six. Well, she might.

7. (3.) Syesha Mercado: She wasn’t THAT BAD. She just got in the way of a tidal wave of big nights.

8. (12.) Chikezie: He was awesome, but can he sustain the momentum?

9. (10.) Brooke White: Seems like a nice person, with a nice a story and a nice voice. She’s nice. Not great, but nice.

10. (5.) Ramiele Malubay: What happened, Ramiele?

11. (9.) David Hernandez: Can’t he just go away?

12. (11.) Kristy Lee Cook: She should have been gone LAST week.

(Free Asia’h Epperson!)

Can’t get enough of American Idol?

If so, check your local, cable and satellite TV listings for "American Idol Rewind," which is currently showing the famed 2003 season that featured Ruben Studdard, shown at left, and Clay Aiken, not to mention Kimberly Locke, Josh Gracin, Carmen Rasmussen and Kimberly Caldwell.

This is also the season of the much-publicized scandal involving judge Paula Abdul and contestant Corey Clark, who was disqualified after making the round of 12 because of a shady background. The alleged affair with Abdul surfaced later and hyped the show’s already-uber ratings.

"Rewind" is in the early stages of the round of 12 finals, so there’s plenty of good stuff ahead. Aiken has yet to sing "Bridge Over Troubled Water," and Caldwell has yet to be bounced in what I still feel was a highly controversial elimination. (Maybe not to the degree of Asia’h Epperson’s ouster last week, but at the time it triggered quite a reaction.)

I think you’ll find a slightly different tone — and look — among at least two of the judges. Randy Jackson seems to be a bit more biting than I remember, and even goofy Paula wasn’t quite so syrupy. Simon has always been Simon, so there’s not too much difference there. Same acerbic comments and same black, white and gray T-shirts.

Speaking of Paula, she looks more … shall we say … ummm… "aware" of what’s going on around her. You have to admit, the past couple of years, you never know what she is going to (try and) say.

I think a great idea for Idol’s next marketing venture would be boxed sets, season by season. I know the first one I would buy would be this one.

Part of the fun surrounding each American Idol competition is when
that particular season’s "scandal" will arise, and to what degree it
will affect the contestant(s) in question.

So far this year we have the alleged reports linking David Hernandez
to a three-year stint as a male stripper and a couple of off-color
pictures of Ramiele Malubay.

None of these type of controversies ever — or at least rarely –
receive any on-air time, although judge Simon Cowell reportedly
muttered something about stripping, off camera, immediately after
Hernandez’s song ended Tuesday night.

Here’s my take on the five "best" American Idol scandals sicne the show’s inception seven years ago:

1. DID SHE OR DIDN’T SHE? Judge Paula Abdul was romantically linked
to final 12 performer Corey Clark in 2003, creating such a tidal wave
of negative publicity. ABC News spent an hour devoted to the subject,
which did little but hype the hit show even more. Ironically, Clark
wound up getting kicked off the show because of a previously unknown
criminal charge in his background.

2. NOTHING YET PROVEN: Where there is smoke, there is often fire,
and if this Hernandez thing is true there could be a full-blown inferno
soon to follow. This is a new kind of problem for Idol officials to
deal with, and if pictures surface Hernandez will likely get bounced.
Idol once ousted a female singer when pornographic images surfaced on
the Internet during the competition.

3. WHAT WAS SHE THINKING?: Remember the suggestive pictures of
Antonella Barba that surfaced in 2007? Fortunately, she was not around
too long to endure the avalanche of criticism that followed. There were
also pornographic pictures that were originally thought to involve
Barba, but they were later proven to be a hoax.

4. SIMON ROLLING HIS EYES: Last year it was Cowell who was subjected
to the heat when the cameras caught him rolling his eyes when a
contestant was talking about the shooting tragedy at Virginia Tech. Fox
issued a formal apology, and Cowell obviously survived.

5. WHAT WAS SHE THINKING, PART 2: The pictures of Malubay currently
making the rounds do not appear to be any reason for major alarm, but
this could change if she advances to the final four or five singers –
which she should. That’s when the heat might get turned up. It’s a
minor firestorm she will probably survive — unless there are more
pictures out there somewhere.