With at least one hole to fill at the judges’ table next year, Connick’s banter with the contestants — and actual musical advice — is an element so organic to the show that it’s stunning to realize it hadn’t been there all along. And we got plenty of the man, between him playing piano with (and occasionally critiquing) the final five on Tuesday, and his solo and group performances last night. Then the producers through in a video package of Connick goofing off with the gang in rehearsals. I’m not sure what his schedule is like, but he might need to clear a few months in 2011. Not since Adam Lambert (whose own Idol experience is fresh in his memory) has a mentor been so focused on bettering the performers.

Lady Gaga was predictably weird in what appeared to be a pretaped performance. I’m trying to remember if I’ve heard “Alejandro” on the radio yet, but surely I will now. I’m happy to report that Frank Sinatra week is behind us, to be replaced with the Final Four theme of songs from movies. This seems a broad category, and if Casey gets his guitar back it’s up to Mike to save himself from elimination.

Oh, and who did we lose this week? Young Aaron Kelly, whose journey was glittered with the ‘hopes and dreams’ naivete only a 17-year-old could muster. It’s actually a bummer to see him go, but he wasn’t going to win and he will do fine for himself if he can keep smiling. If only he’d done that while singing…

That’s probably partly because none of them are old enough to remember the glory days of the Rat Pack. I’m not either, which might be part of why the night seemed so unforgivably boring. Let’s break it down.

• Aaron (“Fly Me to the Moon”), despite a garbled start, found a swagger but not a smile. He just didn’t have that twinkle, which I guess is the standard at this point given that these five can obviously sing. B
• Casey (“Blue Skies”) didn’t seem to be in his body. His performance didn’t work on any level, other than to make Aaron look good by comparison. C
• Crystal (“Summer Wind”) seems to flail when choosing songs that have a personal meaning for her. She had presence, but it was boring. Two off weeks in a row for her. B+
• Mike (“The Way”) is selling it, but could’ve had a bit  more behind the voice. This is a theme he was almost guaranteed to do well with, but it’s not one I’d imagine to be commercially viable. A-
• Lee (“That’s Life”) has blossomed over the course of the competition and hit it out of the park as the final performer of the night. A

One would think that, for all the judges’ talk of being in it to win it, the theme would’ve been more energetic. Perhaps a viewers choice week is in order, with online voting to pick songs for the contestants. I’m ready to see how the rest of the season plays out.

In a season that was almost teeming with woefully unintelligent people, it’s a surprisingly strong final three teams. Even more so if you had bet against models Brent and Caite, whose single-minded mission was to improve public perception of her after “the Iraq” a few years ago. There are some (like Carol & Brandy) who will never be interested in her redemption, but she has proven tenacious if nothing else. I could’ve done without them making it to the end, but what would that have proven to anyone? She may not be as dumb as she was made out to be, but she comes off way more irritating, as evidenced by her refusal to let poor Brent go to the bathroom during a lengthy task. This isn’t a “pee on yourself for a mil” situation like we saw a couple seasons ago with the sisters. On top of that, they were so far ahead that it was inevitable they’d make the final cut.

Brothers Dan and Jordan struggled with infighting mid-race, but have spent the last several legs focusing on the dream of competing in — and now potentially winning — the race. The screeching has been minimized, but does still rear, as we saw with that cabdriver meltdown. Their “never be alone and in last place” strategy is golden, something I hadn’t considered before but can’t stop thinking about since they brought it up. Given that the detectives had to deal with a speed bump, it was a sure bet they’d gain a little time once the foursome got where they were going. The brothers seem to be salivating the taste of victory and will make for stiff competition to the finish line.

Rounding out a competitive final leg will be the cowboys, Jet and Cord, whose ridiculous names only seem less silly because I’ve heard them for a dozen weeks now. They played the ‘underestimated country bumpkin’ card well and quickly proved that they could tackle anything in their path, usually with speed and freakish accuracy. It’s ridiculous how many first-place finishes they’ve racked up, though that isn’t always an indicator of who will win.

As for the dearly departed detectives, they ran a good race. Things seemed to be coming apart in these last two legs, and sometimes there’s no recovering from a speed bump, however minute. They were truly pleasant guys, neither of whom I initially pegged to go far, and I will remember them for at least a couple more seasons.

It’s hard to say who will cross the finish line first, but I can at least break down the Race finale tropes. There will be an equalizing international flight. In San Francisco, the destination city, two teams will be close together and one will either lead or trail the pack. It’s just about anyone’s game, but if you put the screws to me I’d say advantage: cowboys. See you next week, season finale!

But the death of Jack Donaghy’s mentor and former fictional GE CEO Don Geiss has spurred the show onward. If nothing else, it occasionally forces Jack to focus on something other than his romantic problems, which tend to take over the show and grind it to a storytelling standstill. For a show that thrives on a rapid-fire pace, dragging out a romantic story doesn’t benefit the audience. I don’t think Liz’s “Future Husband” quest was captivating either, but Jack’s romantic prowess seems designed to placate Alec Baldwin, and there is no payoff for viewers who know they can expect Elizabeth Banks and Julianne Moore to be replaced by other boldface names next season.

30 is at its best when it’s playing inside baseball, and the NBC/Kabletown power struggle is right in the strike zone. The “Khonani” episode last week, playing out the Jay/Conan debacle with janitors, was topical and made a sharp point. It feels like the writers room is stretching to develop season arcs when they aren’t always necessary. At least the inevitable three weddings episode developed semi-organically, and hopefully we’ll bear witness to the disaster that’s bound to occur when Liz must appear at all three ceremonies in the same day.

As for last night’s stories, they played to the well-established character traits of Jenna’s vanity and Kenneth’s encyclopedic backwoods knowledge base (“swamp eagle”?). Cheyenne Jackson seems to be getting the Josh treatment, as in he could disappear at any time.

In an early episode of season one, Jack and Kenneth face off in a poker game. At the end, Jack declares, “In five years, we’ll all either be working for him or dead by his hand.” I posit that it would be fantastic for that premonition to come true. But as 30 (which has Baldwin and others under contract for two more years) and TGS demonstrate, television is a business, and a choice between an authentic story and the bottom line is hardly ever a choice.

I hate the feeling that all these musical performances on results night are just something I have to sit through, but they are so hit-or-miss. I suspect more are in our future as our winners pool continues to shrink.

Since I have nothing else to say about last night’s broadcast, here are my predictions on elimination order for the next few weeks. Mike, followed by Aaron, then Casey. Your final two are Lee and Crystal, and I think by the time we get to the end, it’s too close to call. Here’s hoping for better from whatever next week’s theme is.

• Lee (“Still the One”) was a little uneven vocally, but his performance worked overall and was coming from a strong place. A-
• Mike (“It Only Hurts When I’m Breathing”) did fine, I’m just terminally bored with him. Maybe it’s the theatricality Simon’s always complaining about. I can’t quite put my finger on why he doesn’t work for me. B
• Casey (“Don’t”), aside from venturing into new vocal territory, isn’t bringing much to this, other than a reminder that he’s a little bit country. B-
• Crystal (“No One”) could have done without the backup singers in what was her worst performance of the season. She made the stage her home, though, with that mic stand and rug. B
• Aaron (“You Got a Way”) also leans country like Casey, but was boring like Mike. B
• Siobhan (“Any Man of Mine”): I’ve stopped asking what she’s wearing, though she had one of the night’s better vocals before her lame, overdone “I can hold a note” stunt. B+

If this is supposed to be judged based on whose album we’d buy, there’s got to be another metric that can be factored in, like making performances free and measuring the number of downloads a certain performer gets. There was so much to be unimpressed with that I have no idea who to expect will go home this week. My bottom three predictions are Aaron, Casey, and Mike or Siobhan.

It has taken me a few weeks to get caught up on season two of Nurse Jackie, and despite missing Mo-Mo for a minute at the beginning, I am liking it. Thankfully, hospital administrator Gloria Akalitis has a purpose this season, or is at least directly involved in the goings on. Protege Zoey, on the other hand, is less kookily endearing and more often simply odd. The recovering addict in the ER is blending nicely into the mix, cementing a place in this dysfunctional work family by cheating with Dr. O’Hara on both their girlfriends. I’d say “who knew” but this show seems too eager to play the Lesbian Surprise card (see: Coop’s moms), and at this point I’d almost assume every woman whose sexuality isn’t mentioned will likely turn out to be a lesbian.

The family side of things has been remixed interestingly, and now includes Eddie since he can’t be in the hospital scenes anymore. His friendship with Kevin is a delicious level of duplicity, though ultimately I suspect he has to be the loser if everything eventually combusts. As for Jackie’s world crashing down around her, it feels increasingly less likely to happen. Her more immediate threat is Dr. Cooper’s asshattery, and that is looking as menacing as a cardboard cutout by now. On the plus side: next week, Barbara Barrie guest stars!

Meanwhile, there is that multifaceted Tara Gregson. My slow roll of the first season of United States of Tara gave me an appreciation for the alters and the otherwise authentically mundane family matters in the Gregson home. I do wonder about Tara’s parents, who seem bound for an inevitable return. Kate’s liaisons with her seafood restaurant supervisor were spectacular, as was her evolution from bratty teen to supportive sibling. Marshall is representing for the regular gay high school kids, and his story in season two seems like it has potential to quietly break further ground.

Max should win a TV Dad of the Decade Award, even if his marital relationship is in peril. Charmaine reminds me of someone I once knew, and beyond that her whiny tendencies are tempered by those around her. As for Toni Collette, she completely deserved that Emmy, and it is fascinating to watch her performances. As my roommate pointed out when we first met Shoshanna, it’s not expensive to add new characters to a show where they’re played by the same person. Last night’s tornado episode felt like a short play, and the icing on the cake was Kate in the Princess Valhalla costume. The therapy angle Shoshanna has been working feels like a breakthrough is on the horizon, and either way I am hooked on this functional, fictional family of weirdos.

There are just two legs left, and each week my memories of the eliminated teams get fuzzier as their names whiz by in the theme song. Even though I knew something was up when Phil didn’t ask the early check-ins about their achievement of final-three dreams, all this last-minute non-elimination just makes this seem like the longest race ever.

I will be pleased with three out of four possible outcomes, which is pretty good odds for a satisfying season. Either way, there will be a good long break before another race around the world. One of these days I may have to apply for this show.

Then, why not check out my article at Examiner about tonight’s season finale of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution?