Lil Rounds
Gossip

And then there were five.

American Idol is coming down the home stretch of season eight, as it eliminated two more contestants last night (due to last week's save of Matt Giraud by the judges).

The first finalist to go was Lil Rounds, a frequent occupier of a spot in the bottom three. She was comforted by kind words from Ryan Seacrest.

“We need someone like you in this competition,” he said of her drive, adding that Rounds was “one of the most courageous contestants.”

Next, Anoop Desai got the boot. A fan favorite, the crooner lacked the vocal chops to go any farther in the competition.

Did America make the right choice by saying goodbye to Anoop and Lil?

Last season's runner-up, David Archuleta, also performed on the results show. He sang “Touch My Hand,” and said the following to Desai and Rounds: “It’s amazing to see where you can go after this."

What a nice fella.

Lil Rounds accomplished two impressive feats last night:

1. She became the prohibitive favorite on season eight of American Idol;
2. She made Paula Abdul seem witty.

Following an incredible performance  by Rounds (pictured below) of Mary J. Blige's "Be Without You," the rarely-coherent judge said: "I think we'll be seeing you in the next rounds... and the next rounds... and the next!"

Considering the low bar Abdul sets for herself, this was winning material. That sentiment could actually be applied to the entire third group of American Idol semifinalists.

Following a pair of lackluster audition episodes, almost every contestant last night broguth his/her A-game. Among the best:

• Simon Cowell actually compared Von Smith to Clay Aiken following his rendition of “You’re All I Need to Get By” by Marvin Gaye.

• Felicia Barton didn't make the judges regret casting her as a semifinal replacement, as Kara said she was full of attitude and stage presence during her performance of “No One” by Alicia Keys.

• All the judges loved Scott MacIntyre. He sang “Mandolin Rain” by Bruce Hornsby and Kara responded by saying he moves mountains when he steps on that stage.

• Jorge Nunez broke down in tears following a universally-praised performance of “Don’t Let the Sun go Down on Me” by Elton John.

Who was your favorite semifinalist? Click on the photo below for pics of each aspiring singer from last night...

From 147 to 36.

That's the number of contestants that were approved for Hollywood this season, along with the number that will advance to this season's final 36.

Following last night's first set of American Idol auditions in the city, we can name two locks for the top 36 already; and perhaps even the top 12.

Lil Rounds, for starters, received a standing ovation after belting out "I Will Always Love You." Check out the incredible vocals now:

Next up, watch Stephen Fowler discuss the butterflies in his stomach, only to overcome them and impress the judges with a smooth, controlled audition:

Think Fowler has top 12 potential? What about Jorge Nunez and Danny Gokey? Those were the other two crooners that stood out last night.

Let us know who you think is mostly likely to still be singing in May!

While the opening night of American Idol was dominated by Katrina Darrell and her bikini, the second installment of season eight auditions revealed a few contenders.

Foremost among them? Lil Rounds, a singer Randy Jackson referred to as a mixture of Fantasia and Mary J. Blige. Wow. Should we just hand her the trophy right now?

Here's a look at the five contestants that impressed us the most last night:

• Ashley Anderson: From Clarksburg, NJ; sang “Footprints in the Sand “ by Leona Lewis 
• Casey Carlson: From Minneapolis, MN; sang “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton 
• Asa Barnes: From Kansas City, MO; sang  “The Way You Make Me Feel” By Michael Jackson 
• Von Smith: From Greenwood, MO sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” 
• Lil Rounds: From Memphis, TN; sang “All I Do” by Stevie Wonder

Von Smith, left, was all business last night; while bikini photos of contestant Casey Carlson have already surfaced online. Might one of these be the next American Idol?

A series of changes are in store on season eight of American Idol.

While new judge Kara DioGuardi is most prominent among them, the show will also focus more on the early auditions of actual singers, as opposed to complete and utter trainwrecks.

The following promo backs up this welcome change.

Pay special attention to the third contestant featured below; she goes by the name of Lil Rounds and she's rumored to make it far this season...

Want an early look at other American Idol hopefuls, such as Kendall Beard?

Browse through our season eight album of contestants right now!