I cannot say tonight’s Grand Ole Opry-themed edition of American Idol gave us the kind of magical, "whoa mama I just saw a star up thar!" performance that we’d seen multiple times (think "Daydream" or "Hello" or "Imagine" or "Love Is a Battlefield" or "Crazy on You") by this point in season 7. But that’s not to say I’m not excited by the take-home message of tonight’s two-hour telecast.

The judges have been (not so subtly) driving home the idea that season 8 was a two-way, or at best a three- or four-way race. But while Lil Rounds, Adam Lambert, and Danny Gokey all performed well enough that they shouldn’t have any problem making the Idol tour, four or five key rivals tonight served notice that they are (as Randy Jackson likes to say) "in it to win it, Dawgs!" And, as an Idoloonie who gets a little sour and cranky when by mid-March, you pretty much know which contestants will be the last two standing, I’ve got to give a seal-clapping, not-entirely-steady standing O to said singers. Place your bets, ladies and gents, we’ve got ourselves a horse race!

On that note, I am off to write my full TV Watch recap, which will post here on EW.com early tomorrow morning. In the meantime, don’t forget to sign up for EW.com’s Idol Prediction Challenge. Even if you got crushed in last week’s standings, or forgot to sign up, you still have a shot to sit atop the Week Two leaderboard, where you can point and jeer at your fellow players, including yours truly, plus season 6 supahstar Melinda Doolittle, and my Idolatry cohorts Kristen Baldwin, Missy Schwartz, Annie Barrett, and Jessica Shaw. So before you post on the message boards, go forth and prognosticate. Yay!

More on ‘American Idol’
‘American Idol’: What should the Top 11 sing for Grand Ole Opry Night?
‘American Idol’ Power List: Who’s hot (and not) going into top 11 performance night?
‘American Idol’ recap: Two Birds, One Show
‘American Idol’: Why are you afraid of being gay? (When you already are.)
‘American Idol’ recap: This Is Thriller Night!
‘American Idol’: Our Advice for the Top 13
‘American Idol’: On the scene at the Top 13 results show
Jorge Nunez Q&A: ‘Nothing to Be Sad About’
Jasmine Murray Q&A: ‘I Know Now That This Is What I Want to Do’
‘American Idol’: Tracking the Top 13 Finalists with our Idol Tote Board
EW’s ‘Idol’ Headquarters

It’s 7:59 p.m. EDT, and that means we’re all seconds away from finding out who’s getting the dreaded lead-off position and who’s getting the coveted pimp slot on tonight’s top 11 performance episode of American Idol (which features that awkwardly phrased theme of "songs popularized by members of the Grand Ole Opry.") As Kristen Baldwin and I noted in this week’s preview episode of Idolatry, the country-music theme could spell trouble for Anoop Desai and Scott MacIntyre, but then again, last season’s trip to the Dolly Patron songbook drew some great performances from singers who hadn’t really exhibited a country edge (namely, Jason Castro, Michael Johns, and Carly Smithson). Anyhow, we decided to try a little something new this week and give you a blog post where you can share your thoughts on the telecast as it unfolds. I’ll be back at 10 p.m. to share my first impressions, and then I’ll be working till the wee small hours on my full TV Watch recap. In the interim, go do your witty, wacky, Idoloonie best in the comments section below!

More on ‘American Idol’:
‘American Idol’: What should the Top 11 sing for Grand Ole Opry Night?
‘Idolatry’: Jorge Nunez on ‘Idol’ subtitles; Jasmine Murray on Bikini Girl
‘American Idol’ Power List: Who’s hot (and not) going into top 11 performance night?

True confessions time: My knowledge of country music is limited, and my knowledge of the "music popularized by members of the Grand Ole Opry" stretches the outer definitions of the word "knowledge." But is that gonna stop me from suggesting songs for tonight for the top 11 contestants of American Idol‘s eighth season? Can I get a "Hell naw"?

For the record, those cantankerous pranksters over at Vote For The Worst claim they’ve got an early list of songs that the current batch of Idol hopefuls were allowed to choose from (click here to see it); interestingly enough, an Idol spokesperson declined to comment on its accuracy. (Hmmm!) From that list, I am truly hoping we hear none of the following tonight: Dolly Patron’s "I Will Always Love You" (yes, Lil, I’m talkin’ to you!); Martina McBride’s "A Broken Wing" (overdone-on-Idol alert); Trace Adkins’ "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk"; Garth Brooks’ "Friends in Low Places"; Johnny Cash’s "I Walk the Line" (done too well by Daughtry back in season 5, thanks); and Trisha Yearwood’s "How Do I Live." And note to the four remaining female contestants: I know you might be tempted to cover Carrie Underwood’s "Jesus Take the Wheel," "Before He Cheats," or "Last Name," but do you really think it’s wise to put your vocal up against that of a megapopular former Idol champ in her chart-topping prime?Nyet!

One other point of interest: While VFTW includes several Johnny Cash tunes among the list of eligible songs, the Grand Ole Opry Web site doesn’t actually list him as a member. (Who knew?) You can click here to check their full roster of artists, then head down to the comments section to suggest songs for your favorite (and least favorite) contestants. And feel free to skip my picks. No, seriously!

Adam Lambert: Johnny Cash’s "Folsom Prison Blues"
Alexis Grace: Trisha Yearwood’s "This Is Me You’re Talking To"
Allison Iraheta: Hank Williams’ "I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry"(those who’ve heard Cowboy Junkies’ version are nodding their heads)
Anoop Desai: Reba McEntire’s "You Lie"
Danny Gokey: Josh Turner’s "Firecracker"

addCredit(“American Idol: Ray Mickshaw/Fox; Randy Travis: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images”)

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