''American Idol'': Old Dog, New Tricks

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Whereas last season Simon seemed exhausted maintaining his ongoing verbal sparring match with Ryan Seacrest, this year you can see he's rediscovered the joy of it. I howled with laughter when Simon called on Ryan to help a female production assistant with sweep-up duty, then accused the host of being ''patronizing to a woman'' when he refused to help. But funnier still was Simon playfully coming to the PA's aid while saying, ''Are we still on camera? Let me do that for you. I don't allow women to do things like that,'' and then treating the dustpan as if it were a mysterious device from an alien planet.

Simon's ability to deliver punch line after punch line is all the more remarkable when you consider he's the only voice of reason on the judges' panel. Why on earth did Paundy (the tone-deaf amalgam of Paula and Randy) say yes to Hollywood cannon fodder like the aforementioned Alesha, unless it was just a set-up for Simon's ''You're going to Dollywood'' quip? And while the gorgeous plus-size model JoAnne Borgella might have a shot over at America's Next Top Model, the unpleasant upper register she showcased on Celine Dion's ''I Love You'' has no place on Idol. So how come only Simon had the common sense to vote no?

To be fair to Paundy, I was happy Simon got vetoed in the cases of Cardin Lee McKinney, whose ''One Night Only'' may have been breathy and a little old-fashioned, but it nonetheless possessed a lovely tone and the appropriate emotional gusto, and Chikeze Eze, whose mild arrogance wasn't enough to make me dislike his strong, unfussy ''All the Woman I Need.''

Oh, and on the subject of contestants who are a little too self-possessed, can we discuss 17-year-old Danny Noriega? For a kid who admitted on camera that he fell apart from nerves during last season's audition process, you'd have thought he'd maybe be a little more, well, humble when he entered the audition room. But nope, there he was interrupting the judges and delivering his quips as if he were channeling egomaniacal Christian from the current season of Project Runway. I mean, yeah, Danny proved he can sing on key with his saucy rendition of ''Proud Mary,'' but it all struck me as a tad theatrical for a pop-star wannabe. Perhaps he could pass some of his bravado onto skittish but talented Amy Davis, whose lovely ''Blue Bayou'' got a little rushed and wobbly toward the end. Either way, on a night that promised the ''Best of the Rest,'' Amy and Danny could only hope to fight it out for second prize. Simon, after all, was the golden boy.

So what do you think? Are you glad the auditions are over and that we're headed to Hollywood? Did anyone else find it a little odd that Paula followed her ''very pretty'' compliment of Amy by promptly demanding to know her ''ethnic background''? Finally, was that shot in the previews of an emotional Kayla Hatfield taken in the final-24 room? If so, way to spoil Hollywood Week suspense, producers!

If you have strong feelings about this week in Idol and you'd like to discuss them as a call-in guest on the next episode of Idolatry, please shoot an e-mail to Idolatry@ew.com, and be sure to include a phone number where we can reach you on Thursday mornings.