The end of the beginning of the journey

Here we are: the last day of the Hollywood rounds. Of the people who survived the group rounds, 60 will advance to take part in some Idol product placement, where they will go to the Mirage in Las Vegas to sing Beatles songs as that group is whittled down to 40. Those singers will, in turn, be culled to 20 semi-finalists whom "America" will advance to the final 10.

Here is where the singers get their first taste of how they will be judged if they make it to the voting rounds. Instead of singing acappella or in a group, they have the option of singing solo, with their own instrument or with the band.

First to be shown are three girls, all of whom are reasonably good.

Some leftover thoughts from last night:

• Psycho Crying Chick needs to go. She has the same effect on me as a hobbit who asks me to deliver pie or mail: I want to slap someone upside the head.
  
  
• I'm not going to miss SOB girl Tiffany Rios. Attention whores like here should never have gotten through the door, but I guess her big boobs blinded Steven and Randy.
  
  
• Tourette's/Aspergers Guy (T/AG) annoys me, too. Get a job!
  
  
• Jacee should not have been sent to Hollywood at 15. While he's going to get a gazillion sympathy votes, Idol is going to swallow him whole and expel him through the blow-hole.
  
  
• Does Clint have as many different pairs of glasses as Gokey? He strikes me as a belter. I want to punch him, too.
  
  
• What's with all of the unemployed singers on the show? It's not like they're students or single parents and not working. Is it the economy? Or are we just propping up too many people in our capitalist welfare state?

Early on, I'm happy that we're getting to hear a lot of the better singers, although they throw in some gratuitous footage of people singing off-key and forgetting their lyrics, the latter of which should result in automatic elimination, regardless of how much they raise the eye candy meter.

Is ADHD blonde guy Carson the second coming of Norman Gentle? At least he can rock. He seems like a lot more fun than the guy who will also get a million sympathy votes because his fiancee was left brain damaged by a car accident.

Speaking of whom, Idol has led to people raising money for he and Juliana Ramos. Read more here.

Hey, Colton and Brett, Mike Score and Kenny G called and they want their hair back.

Lots more good singers are being shown, which is both a good sign (as an indicator of talent) and a portent of the bad singing that was edited to be shown at the end of the sequence.

How deep was the songbook for this round? Like 10 different songs? Did Nigel blow this year's budget on the Beatles catalog?

Annoying blonde Jacqueline is apparently sick and withdraws. At least she can come back next year. Or go on to sign a deal to appear on the Reality Kings website.

Chelsea is crying and that's usually a bad sign. But her singing isn't awful. It was certainly better than some of the others we've seen. Plus, she's not annoying like some of the others we've seen. For the record, I don't think she should get back together with Giovanni Ribisi.

I'm sure our friend Beckeye wants John Wayne Schultz to advance because she likes male eye candy. Jennifer does, too.

Psycho Crying Chick forgets the words and leaves the stage in tears, knowing that it means she's gone.

Jacee does pretty well, but Scotty mush-mouthes the words.

We didn't see T/AG, nor did we see OIG (Obama Intern Girl), but they get some face time in passing.

After everyone sings, we get some manufactured drama in the form of the Rooms of Doom™. The remaining singers are divided into 4 groups and each group will learn whether they're eliminated as a group. Traditionally, this is where one of the judges stalls for time while making the kids sweat until they finally reveal their fate. And just as he does every year, Seacrest promises a "twist".

In the first room are (among others) PCC, Jacee, Seth Rogan, Clint, T/AG and Kenny G. They are sent through; the only surprise is PCC, who should have been eliminated based on her forgetting the lyrics, but I think her overall catalog carried her through.

The next group to get the news includes some people who don't really know and they get eliminated. Here's a tip: If you're going to get eliminated, this is the point at which you want to get sent home. You can still come back next year, and you know how the Idol system works now. Not everyone will try out again, and not everyone who does try out again will make it back to Hollywood, but we've seen people in the past come back for more and make it to the voting rounds.

The fourth group also gets advanced and there is some nice male eye candy for Jennifer and Beckeye. I just hope there is a Kimberley Caldwell or Becky O'Donohue in there for me.

Next week, the kids are singing Beatles songs in Vegas. Hopefully they will have the option to sing more than one of 6 songs.

High Lord. Mithril-Hunter. Out.