God, I love TiVo!!

And Super Slo-Mo. And Freeze frame. And American Idol..and the fact

that it's Live on FOX.

What better way to start the night's competition than a good ol' fashioned wardrobe malfunction? For those of you that missed it,or blinked or don't have TiVo (I won't point at fingers with strings tied on them because you know who you are) let me fill you in. The lovely Katharine McPhee started the night with what I thought was a great vocal performance. But the judges seem to think that she may have lost a little ground in the polls tonight. I would almost bet the farm that she's in no danger this week of going home. But the real attention-grabber was when she did a little squat move and accidentally(?) popped one too many buttons loose on the front of her dress. Not only did the McThighs make a seemingly unplanned appearance, but when she took a huge swinging step and turned(This is where the Tivo really shines)...well...let's just say that we caught a glimpse of her McUndies. That's got to be worth a few votes. Huh? And I wonder if I was the only one besides Chuck to notice the cute little mole on her left breast just outside the neckline of her dress? Did I mention that TiVo has a freeze frame? AND Super Slo-Mo? I did? OK, well then...why don't we just move along? I can always go back and watch it again later. And again. God, I love TiVo.

Elliot is still hanging tough this week. He may turn out to be the sleeper in this thing yet as far as the guys go. He's like the guy that's always near the couple with the shaky relationship...to be the "one there to catch her when she falls."

I'm afraid it's time to Pick Pickler...to join the others that have gone home before her. She's had a good run but her nerves are killing her. And she admits it. She'll likely be on a plane tomorrow night headed back to Grampa's farm in North Carolina.

Paris is still around but I'm afraid she will not last much longer. Her voice is really amazing but she just isn't the level of "performer" that's needed this late in the game.

Taylor, Taylor Taylor.... My boy was indeed off tonight. But even on an off night, he's still way better than your "hotel lounge singer", as Simon compared his perfomance tonight.

What is it about the final acts lately? Last week, the McPheever drove it home. And tonight, Chris Daughtry showed UP!! The whole acoustic intro, of which I am a huge fan of the Spanish guitar sound,(Carlos Santana, unplugged -Esteban) set the tone early and when the percussions jumped in, he put his all into it and it really showed. If we were boxing, I'd give tonight's round to Chris. No doubt about it.

On to the Nashville Star competition...

From 20,000 down to 3. It's down to the nut-cuttin' now. Next week is the finale of Nashville Star and it's going to be a battle royale. The hot MILF, Nicole Jamrose surprised the heck out of me by garnering enough votes last week to beat out Matt Mason, who left the show tonight with all but the guarantee of a very prolific future in the music industry. Nicole sang a kick-ass cover of the Dixie Chicks' "Sin Wagon" but I still think she will be 2nd runner-up at best.

The voice of Casey Rivers is unbelievable at times. He sang the old gospel hymn "How Great Thou Art" better than Elvis ever has. But he's had some so-so nights and one downright flop. He just hasn't been as consistent as Chris Young.

The head judge, Anastasia Brown, picked Chris tonight as the next Nashville Star. She admitted Casey had the voice...at times. But Chris has proven himself every single week to be not only a great singer/performer, but a fantastic musician and songwriter as well. And I have to agree with Anastasia. By definition of the show's "mission"...Chris Young is it. He's the whole statement personified. And he's been my pick from the beginning. And my wife's. And my daughter's. I'm anxious to see if it's just us. Or if everyone else thinks like us.

By the way...the four finalists will be touring together with the Nashville Star Band (with the hot fiddler in the short skirts) backing them up. And guess what else? They'll be within 60 miles of my hometown later this summer. I think I might have to take a little road trip. It'll be cool to be able to say "I saw him playing in a beer joint one night back in '06...now look at him...all big-timing." You can check the dates here to see if you might be near one of the projected venues.