Idol Chatter: Hotlanta

Jaded Insider nearly forgot about last night’s “American Idol” (apparently there’s a mildly important election going on … and on that note, J.I. also hopes you remembered to vote), but thankfully our trusty TiVo caught last night’s episode in all it’s half-baked Southern-fried glory.

The night took us to Atlanta, the city where we first met two former “Idol” contestants-cum-Broadway actors, the Oprah-blessed “Color Purple” star/frequent absentee Fantasia Burrino and “Spamalot’s” newest addition, the long-haired I’ve-never-actually-seen-“Monty Python” Clay Aiken. And compared to the past few episodes, Atlanta brought a slightly more amusing mixed bag of contestants.

The Good: “Good” singers were in short supply, save the sweet and soulful 16-year-old whose 93-year-old grandma got camera shy. Miss “omg I kissed a pig and milked a cow” South Florida had a pretty decent voice, but that hardly made up for all that giggling annoyance. There was also a nice montage of Paula’s inability to speak under the influence tell contestants no.

The Bad: The Indiana “girl Chris Daughtry” who rides a “big-girl bike” sang yet another Janis Joplin song. OK, we get that Daughtry opened up this imaginary “Idol” hard-rocker position that's now required to be filled each season, but that doesn't make it less irritating. The only thing this girl has going for her is that she’s somewhat more hardcore than the I-rebelled-against-my-suburban-upbringing-by-dying-my-hair-red Gina Glocksen types.

The Ugly: Making all the contestants sing “Glamorous” was like FOX was trying to say “Look! People in the South can (sorta) spell!” And we don’t mean to be insensitive, but it was hard to imagine that the girl whose dad died two days before the audition stuck it out and didn’t go home. She was the first to make Paula tear up this season, though.

Tonight: World’s cutest puppy sits in Simon’s lap, America collectively sighs "awww."