OK, tonight's "American Idol" results are tough to figure.

Scotty McCreery, a potential country superstar, was in the bottom three. So was Jacob Lusk, the show's best pure singer. And Casey Abrams (the best musician) was voted out -- again. This time, the judges couldn't save him.

What do we make of it? A few conclusions:

1) It's helpful, in the early rounds, to have an odd niche. When there are 13 contestants, 10 percent of the votes can mean survival. As the field shrinks, however, it's best to be near the pop mainstream.

So it turns out that Scotty McCreery takes direction very well.

Last week, his song was easy and bland. Viewers gave him a pass anyway -- he is, after all, young and cute -- but judges told him they need more.

This time, they got it. McCreery's "You've Got a Friend" had all the passion that the previous week lacked. This guy could be a country star right now.

A few other comments and a prediction:

OK, all of us -- including Stefano Langone -- thought that Stefano Langone would be leaving "American Idol" soon. He took everything, including a huge hug from James Durbin, in stride.

The real surprise may be just how deeply music is embedded into Langone's life. He talks about things viewers never saw -- original music, piano, more; he talks with contagious enthusiasm. Here's the story I sent to papers, after a group interview this afternoon:

By MIKE HUGHES

On Wednesday, "American Idol" producer Ken Warwick told reporters that the voting procedures may be tweaked next season. "It's something that w're going to have a long discussion about," he said.

And tonight, we again saw that a change is needed.

The shock wasn't that Stefano Langone was sent home. He's been in the bottom two or three most weeks; two weeks ago (when Pia Toscano was ousted) he seemed stunned that it wasn't him.

It's really possible to be too casual and, I must admit, too country. On tonight's "American Idol," Scotty McCreery pushed that to the limit.

The typical country song shows off the story, not the singer. That means it doesn't work well in a singing competition.

Kellie Pickler learned that a few years ago, when she chose a pleasantly bland song. "You had an entire year to pick from and you chose 'Soap Suds in the Bucket'?" Simon Cowell groaned.

This is a time for teens to rule Fox. On Tuesday, "Glee" brings back Charice, a sensational 18-year-old; on Wednesday, "America  Idol" starts its new week with two teens -- Scotty McReery and Lauren Alaina -- as front-runners.

My previous blog is an interview with Charice. Now here's a look at the most recent "Idol" departure (Paul McDonald, an old-timer at 26) and at the show in general:

By MIKE HUGHES

Some random thoughts:

1) Really, Paul McDonald had to be ousted from "American Idol." I never did get his music and there were no easy choices to send home instead. Haley Reinhart and Stefano Langone -- who were in the bottom three yet again -- deserved to stay. Besides, McDonald seems happy no matter what.

2) Unlike most weeks, I won't have an "Idol" story here on Friday. I'll still catch the group interview with McDonald, but the story will come later, before next week's shows.

OK, it's lucky Jennifer Lopez remembered to have hair tonight.
"American Idol" made a big thing about People magazine naming her the
most beautiful woman in the world, with lots of close-ups.

Fortunately,
she looked pretty good -- Paula Abdul good, Steven Tyler good -- so
that was OK. Some nights, she kind of forgets and piles her hair up in
the air, barely becoming the most beautiful woman in the deli line. A
few comments:

What do we make of tonight's "American Idol" atrocity? A few things:

1) Little girls should be banned from all phones, computers and text-messages.

2) Pia Toscano is now the new Jennifer Hudson or Chris Daughtry. Which is not, come to think of it, such a bad thing.

3) I mean it. Any responsible parents will ban their daughters from using electronic devices on Wednesdays, between 10 p.m. and midnight.

In some ways, Thia Megia and Naima Adedapo are exact opposites.

One is barely 16; the other has five children and step-children. One is the daughter of Filipino immigrants; the other, many generations American, is deeply schooled in African culture.

What they have in common, however, is that both were blitzed Thursday by this male-dominated year of "American Idol." Here's the story I sent to papers today:

By MIKE HUGHES