This is homecoming night for the final three "American Idol" contestant. We'll see Danny Gokey in Milwaukee and Kris Allen in Arkansas; chances are, crowds will go ga-ga.

And we'll see Adam Lambert in Los Angeles or San Diego. Hopefully, someone will notice.

Being from California sometimes seems like not having a home town at all. We sort of noticed that when Katherine McPhee returned to LA in 2006; it was the exact opposite of the civic glee that greeted Taylor Hicks in Alabama.

Allison Iraheta is an amazing show-business package. Look past the surface -- the big hair, the bigger voice and the leather jackets -- and you have someone who just turned 17, by way of 13. She's the kewpie doll of rock, Shirley Temple gone punk. And she has the voice to match the flash and flair.

Now, inexplicably, she's gone. Allison never seemed to engage the little girls with telephones. She spent a lot of time in the bottom two or three, then was bounced tonight.

Here are a few of my comments; please add yours:

This is what rock 'n' roll is supposed to be -- ragged, raw, rough and full of zest.

It was "American Idol" rock night, with an added element: Part of the set had almost crashed down before the show; as a result, no one had a run-through performance. You kind of expected it all to end with the phantom swinging down on a chandelier.

Hey, rock isn't about run-throughs. It's supposed to be fun and flawed. Here are a few of my comments, please add yours:

Adam Lambert near the bottom in "American Idol?" Don't even toy with me on that.

There he was, alongside Matt Giraud in the bottom two. Adam looked calm on the outside; inside, he must have been as upset as I was.

Sure, I know there's a reason for it. Various idiots -- like, well, me (see previous blog) -- keep speculating on who will finish second to Adam this season. People start trying to choose; they assume he'll sail through.

After tonight, how do you choose between "American Idol" contestants? Here were four great voices singing four great songs, backed by Ricky Minor's zesty band. The race to finish second is a virtual tie.

First place, of course, is another matter. That's Adam Lambert.

Adam is in a separate class. As a performer, he's Bo-plus, Taylor-plus; as a singer, he's Carrie-plus, Kelly-plus. As a star, he's unique and ready to go.

This is a pivotal week for "American Idol" fans. After all:

-- Today is Allison Iraheta's 17th birthday. For those of you waiting patiently, she's now a year from being a consenting adult.

-- Tuesday is "Rat Pack" night, with the remaining contestants singing songs done by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin or Sammy Davis. They could also do the music of Joey Bishop or Peter Lawford, but I wouldn't advise it.

All over America tonight, children were looking accusingly at their parents and asking: "You listened to THAT?!? Why?"

The medley on "American Idol" seemed determined to assure that disco, already dead, would stay that way.

I'm not talking about the opening bit, with the seven finalists dancing to Paula Abdul's choreography. That was goofy fun.

So they announced that everyone on tonight's "American Idol" would sing songs from the year of their birth. Danny Gokey started by singing "Stand By Me," the 1961 classic.

1961? Wait, is this guy 48 years old?

It turns out that Mickey Gilley happened to record it in 1980, the year of Gokey's birth. Sure, that's what we think of whenever someone mentions Ben E. King's soulful classic -- some guy in a Stetson sang it in Pasadena, Texas.

In the end, Megan Joy offered a parody of Megan Joy.

She danced her silly dance. She sang badly. She weaved and bobbed and lost her place in the lyrics. Then she headed back to Utah. She seemed glad she was going there; I shared the feeling.

Here are a few of my comments; please add yours:

1) Yes, Megan Joy is immensely beautiful. Still, facial and vocal beauty don't automatically match. That fact is known by anyone who heard Pierce Brosnan sing in "Mamma Mia."

Tonight's "American Idol" seemed like a crazy, upside-down pyramid. It was awful at first, then got better and better.

Anoop Desai was kind of OK, which isn't the way to win a contest. Megan Joy was kind of awful, which isn't the way t do anything.

And then everything clicked. Most of the others were good; the final two -- Adam Lambert and Kris Allen -- were wonderful. Here are a few of my comments; please add yours: