American Idol 2011

Spoiler alert – for me! My stupid DVR decided to skip American Idol last night, so I didn’t get to see the contestants cut down to the top 36. Of course, that doesn’t mean I can’t tell you who made it, but let’s start with some controversy (yum).

Joanna Pacitti – the one who Idol fans have been complaining about because she’s already had a record contract and is friends with two of the show’s producers – was voted into the top 36 last night. But this morning, a press release from Fox played a different tune: ”It has been determined that Joanna Pacitti is ineligible to continue in the competition. American Idol contestant Felicia Barton has replaced Ms. Pacitti as part of the Top 36,” (which she deserves because she probably spent her childhood being called “Belicia Farton”).

According to Entertainment Weekly: “For the last several weeks, Pacitti has been the subject of Internet chatter regarding her former deal with A&M Records, which yielded the single ‘Let It Slide’ … and more recently, for her rumored close relationship with a pair of 19 Entertainment executives. Specifically, Star magazine reported that Pacitti lived for a time in the same apartment building as 19′s Michelle Young and Roger Widynowski, even referring to the former exec as her ‘best friend’; 19, of course, is the production company behind Idol.”

I’m glad Felicia Barton is getting a second chance. She’s actually a really good singer. I don’t know why she was cut in the first place. But one could get a brain hemorrhage trying to figure out the logic behind some of the judges’ choices. Like why has goofball “Norman Gentle” made it this far? His voice is not so great, and he hasn’t taken the competition seriously. While others are pursuing their dream with everything they’ve got, Norman treats it like a joke. Sure, he’s slightly amusing, but as Simon always says, this is a singing contest.

Here is a list of the Top 36:

• Arianna Afsar, 16, San Diego, Calif.
• Kris Allen, 23, Conway, Ark.
• Felicia Barton, 26, Virginia Beach, Va.
• Kendall Beard, 23, Austin, Texas
• Anne Marie Boskovich, 22, Nashville, Tenn.
• Ricky Braddy, 25, Nashville, Tenn.
• Matt Breitzke, 27, Bixby, Okla.
• Casey Carlson, 20, Minneapolis
• Megan Corkrey, 22, Sandy, Utah
• Tatiana Del Toro, 23, Los Angeles
• Anoop Desai, 21, Chapel Hill, N.C.
• Stephen Fowler, 26, Beachwood, Ohio
• Matt Giraud, 23, Kalamazoo, Mich.
• Danny Gokey, 28, Milwaukee
• Alexis Grace, 20, Memphis, Tenn.
• Mishavonna Henson, 18, Irvine, Calif.
• Allison Iraheta, 16, Los Angeles
• Ju’Not Joyner, 26, Bowie, Md.
• Kai Kalama, 26, San Clemente, Calif.
• Brent Keith, 28, Blanchester, Ohio
• Adam Lambert, 26, Los Angeles
• Jesse Langseth, 25, Minneapolis
• Scott MacIntyre, 23, Scottsdale, Ariz.
• Nathaniel Marshall, 18, Malone, N.Y.
• Kristen McNamara, 22, Napa, Calif.
• Nick Mitchell, 27, Brookfield, Conn.
• Jasmine Murray, 16, Starkville, Miss.
• Jorge Nuñez, 20, Carolina, Puerto Rico
• Lil Rounds, 23, Memphis, Tenn.
• Michael Sarver, 27, Jasper, Texas
• Von Smith, 22, Kansas City, Mo.
• Jackie Tohn, 27, Los Angeles
• Taylor Vaifanua, 16, Hurricane, Utah
• Jeanine Vailes, 27, Sherman Oaks, Calif.
• Alex Wagner-Trugman, 19, Los Angeles
• Stevie Wright, 16, Phelan, Calif.