UPDATE: Looks like I wasn't the only person grumbling about Joanna Pacitti making the cut, since she's been cut from the Top 36. "Idol" producers released a statement that she was "ineligible" for the competition, and she's been replaced by Felicia Barton, whom I don't really remember. I'm glad to hear Pacitti is out, but it's strange that this is all coming up now. Her previous industry dealings were hardly a secret -- in fact, the judges blatantly commented on them. The new rumor is that she has ties to folks in 19 Entertainment, which is the Idol management group. I just think it's funny that they're trying to pretend that this is still a legitimate singing competition when Nick/Normund is still in this thing.

This year, instead of The Chair episode that whittled down our remaining contestants to the semifinalists, the producers decided to change things up and go to Judges' Mansion. It was as silly as it sounds. However, it did add one fun little wrinkle: several of the contestants had to sing for their lives against one of the other question marks. I agreed with almost all of the sing-off decisions, and all in all, there looks to be some talent in the final 36.

-Anoop Desai got through. I like him, he has a good voice and surprising soul, but I question how diverse/marketable he'll be.

-Von Smith is...a lot. He has a big voice and is very shouty. He also seems really immature for this competition (what is he, like 12?).

-The first sing off was between faux-goth Cody Shelton and geeky Alex Wagner-Trugman. Cody made the baffling choice to sing Gavin Rossdale's "Love Remains the Same," and sang it poorly, while Alex belted on "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me." I'm not the biggest fan of Alex's voice - it's a little trilly with too much vibrato - but he was unquestionably the right choice there, and he got through.

-Adam Lambert and his David Cook hair and 10 lbs. of pancake make-up made it. I used to really like Adam but the more I hear from him the less interested I am. He can sing, but I find his tone really unappealing at times. And it's not the Broadway thing, either. It's the shrieky thing.

-Taylor Vaifunua is only 17, and honestly, I don't think she's ready for this. But she's in.

-Jasmine Murray is adorable but I've been underwhelmed by most of her performances. She was flat as hell in her final Hollywood outing. She's in.

-Arianna Afsar is in. Have we ever met her?

-Casey Carlsen is in. Have we met her?

-Megan Corkery hasn't been seen since her initial audition, which I absolutely hated. She's in.

-Mishavonne is in. I vaguely remember her.

-Stevie Wright is in. I vaguely remember her too.

-Joanna Pacitti has no business being in this competition after forgetting her words in almost every round in Hollywood. Simon explicitly stated to the wannabes that if you forget the words you're out. Except if you're Joanna, apparently. She blubbered to the judges that she hasn't had a chance to show them what she can do. Funny; between her initial audition and Hollywood, I think she had at least four. She just sucked during every one of them. Considering she has also already had a record deal and an actual record, I think this makes chance 17. Exactly which chance are you waiting for, Joanna? Oh, how I hope she chokes during semis...

-Kendall Beard is like Carrie Underwood vol. 3 (Pickler being Level 2). She's through. Cute but unremarkable.

-Sing-off 2 featured Jenn Korbee - naturally pretty, good solid voice (a little nasal), singing "Not Ready to Make Nice" - vs. Kristen McNamara, who I'm not a fan of (I haven't liked any of her performances), who picked "I Will Always Love You." It was the best I've heard her sing, but so put on. Kristen made it through, but I'm glad the judges commented on her clothes because the girl is a MESS. It looks like she just got dropped off from Bret Michaels' Skank Bus.

-Alexis Grace has legitimate singing chops, and she looks like my Jem dream come true. I like her!

-Scott MacIntyre: duh. Duh duh duh. The guy is "Idol" gold. Oh, his mom is so pretty!

-Lil Rounds is the shit, and I am so excited to see what she can do. She's probably my favorite girl this year.

-Sing-off 3 came down to some girl named Jesse Langseth, who I don't remember, and Frankie Jordan, who I just DO NOT LIKE. I find her instantly off-putting, and I don't think she's a particularly good singer. Her song choice was TERRIBLE, way too low for her. Jesse seems to think she is the reincarnation of Janis Joplin. I think she can sing, but she's very shticky. Surprisingly, Jesse got through. And Simon's hilarious endnote to Frankie - "You wouldn't have won anyway" - was HILARIOUS! Frankie got argumentative about whether there were eight girls better than her. The woman is delusional.

-Allison Iraheta needs a MAKEOVER! She seems to be taking styling tips from Wynonna Judd, and since she's 16, that's a problem. I don't remember seeing her before, but the snippet from Hollywood was impressive. She has an uphill battle making it to the top of her group to the Top 12, but she's interesting.

-Danny Gokey: duh. He's totally Top 12. Meanwhile, his friend Jamar Rogers got cut, which I think is seriously the right decision. His singing was never as good as he thought it was.

-Ricky Braddy made it through. No idea.

-Matt Giraud, made it through, which was expected.

-Jorge Nunez made it through, so glad.

-Ju'not Joyner really impressed me in Hollywood, so I'm glad he's in.

-Brett Keith, no idea, made it through.

-Stephen Fowler should not have made it in. He botched the lyrics TWICE in one number in Hollywood, and then just totally gave up and walked off stage. Even without the complete mindfart, the vocals weren't there. Totally unimpressive, and yet he's Top 36.

-Nick Mitchell was told that if he stops being a huge asshole, the show will not like him anymore. The judges explicitly call it "shtick." So Normund is through, with the explicit instruction that he is to continue to behave like a clown. "Idol," you get what you deserve. I know you think this is the next coming of Sanjaya, but I am telling you, it is going to be 10 times worse. Every other guy who got cut should be incensed.

-Jackie Tohn has a wonderful, multilayered voice, and great stage presence. I really want to see more from her. She's in. She's also a total spaz.

-Tatiana Del Toro. GOD. She wore a terribly unflattering dress - seriously, terribly - and freaking Paula's jewelry. I just have this urge to drown her. Just to get her to stop making noise. Just to end it all. And yet, she's through. This asshole is actually in the Top 36. I would be upset, but I can't wait to watch her get destroyed on a weekly basis. The hate is so strong. I love that they showed her directly checking to see if the camera was on before throwing her wailing celebratory fit. I hope she makes the finals. With Nick/Normund. Can you even imagine the hell that would put the producers through? They deserve it.

-Sing-off: Jackie Midkiff chose "When a Man Loves a Woman" and his fake bake was really distracting. The singing was pretty generic too. Nathaniel Marshall also picked a horribly unflattering outfit - it was totally "Let's Get Physical," and I love Olivia Newton-John, but NEVER, Nathaniel. Never. Nathaniel wants to be "true to himself." He has no idea who he actually is. He could not possibly be any more of a poseur. It would be physically impossible. He oversang the shit out of "I'm Already There." Loud is the new good. He's just so universally awful. And draining. I am exhausted just watching him. And of course he makes it through. So that'll be fun for nobody.

-Jeanine Vailes made it through, never seen her.

-Kai Kalama makes it through. He could be a contender, or he could be an Ace Young: pretty but ultimately shallow of talent.

-Anne Marie Boskovic (or however you spell it) is through, and I'm glad. I wonder if she has the star quality to move to the top of her group.

-Kris Allen is totally yummy, but I don't know him. He's through.

-Final "sing-off": Matt Breitzke vs. Michael Sarver. The blue collar dads. Matt is a decent singer, but I just don't think he offers anything special, and he has very little charisma. Michael meanwhile has a beautiful country voice, and you can totally hear him on a recording. He's just such a better singer! I am in love with him. I think Michael could win it. I really do. I can't even imagine the gay slashfic getting written right now about these two. They're both through. Thanks for the dickery, producers.

So that's your Top 36. We seem to have fewer "Oh, hi; I've never seen you before, so why should I care?" than usual. But still enough that the "big names" get through. Semifinals are much different this year. Instead of Top 12 guys and Top 12 girls competing every week (ugh, save me) we're back to the randomly selected groups of 12, a different group performing each week. Only the top guy and girl, and then the second-highest vote-getter after them, will automatically advance to the Top 12. The last three slots will be decided by the judges in the Wild Card round. It's probably not the fairest way to figure out the Top 12, but it will be a lot less annoying than the past few semi-finals.

Performing next week is Group 1: Casey Carlsen, Stephen Fowler, Jackie Tohn, Ricky Bratty, Anne Marie Boskovic, Brett Keith, Alexis Grace, Michael Sarver, Stevie Wright, Danny Gokey, Tatiana Del Toro, Anoop Desai. WOW. That is a competitive group. I suspect Gokey and Sarver will be the major male contenders and Anne Marie, Alexis, and Tatiana (HA!) will be the ones to watch for the ladies. This just got interesting.