McGhee, we hardly knew ye

Was anyone actually surprised when Melissa McGhee got kicked off American Idol last night? No? That's what I thought. Even she didn't look stunned to be headed home to Florida, greeting the news with an only mildly crestfallen shrug.

In many ways her exit was inevitable. Not only did she forget the words to her song (for shame! Bad "Idol" finalist!) and sort of waver throughout, but she had that First One Kicked Off quality: You know, the kind of decent-enough but hardly unique voice, personality and nondescript appearance common to pretty much every "Idol" finalist who's gotten the boot in the early weeks, along the lines of someone you went to high school with and now can only vaguely picture, and who might cause you to think "I know that person from somewhere, sorta, kinda, maybe," if you passed him or her at the mall or a bar, or such. Come to think of it, that's probably where most people will be seeing Melissa from now on.

That aside, I was 66 percent wrong about last night's bottom three, an error rate I hope to avoid in my recently completed NCAA tournament bracket. Kellie Pickler: not in the bottom three! Bucky Covington: Also not in the bottom three! Ace Young, with his dark, flowing locks and the sort of handsomness that causes at least Paula to swoon and predict he'll stick around the competition a long time? In the bottom three, along with Lisa Tucker. But you know what, I'm ok with that, because in the end, the person who did get kicked off deserved to go.

Next week: Barry Manilow returns to "Idol" for 1950's night. Be afraid, be very afraid.

Random asides:

You know you've crossed the "Idol" line when... You make a homemade sign cheering on the show's host, as one woman apparently did Wednesday. Ryan Seacrest started the evening standing next to said woman and sign, which was on yellow posterboard and said "RYAN."

"Puberty," the before and after: Kevin Covais, 16, doesn't usually, uh, exude testosterone anyway, but he looked about 10 years old sitting next to Ace Young.

What exactly was he doing back there? Bucky sure did emerge smiling from the back of the SUV shown during the commercial where the Final 12 sang Toad the Wet Sprocket's "All I Want."