Step right up and get your fresh ratings for the week.

At the Miami audition, Paula Abdul was all over Ghaleb Emachah, but he got the boot tonight on “American Idol.”

It’s no surprise that “American Idol” leads the race, with “House” coming up on its heels. And while most critics didn’t care for “The Grammys,” and the ratings indeed had a slip from former years, the song fest was a welcome break from reruns and came in at the No. 4 slot.

Amy Winehouse performs via satellite from London at “The Grammy Awards.”

Here’s your rundown:

1 AMERICAN IDOL-TUESDAY 9.7
2 AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY 9.2
3 HOUSE 8.1
4 GRAMMY AWARDS 6.0
5 MOMENT OF TRUTH 5.8
6 EXTREME MAKEOVER:HOME ED. 5.5
7 LOST 5.3
8 SURVIVOR: MICRONESIA 4.9
9 DEAL OR NO DEAL-MON 4.6
10 60 MINUTES 4.6
11 20/20 SP EDITION-2/4 4.4
12 TWO AND A HALF MEN 4.3
13 CSI 4.1
14 WITHOUT A TRACE 3.6
15 CSI: NY 3.5
16 LAW AND ORDER 3.5
17 DANCE WAR:BRUNO/CARRIEANN 3.4
18 SMARTER THAN 5TH GRADER 3.3
19 CRIMINAL MINDS 3.3
20 NCIS 3.3
21 OLD CHRISTINE 3.3
22 AMER FUNN HOME VIDEOS 3.3
23 DEAL OR NO DEAL 2/7 3.3
24 AMERICAN GLADIATORS 3.2
25 ELI STONE 3.1
26 TERMINATOR: SRH CNR CHRON 3.1
27 CSI: MIAMI 3.1
28 APPRENTICE 7 3.0
29 DON’T FORGET THE LYRICS 3.0
30 BROTHERS & SISTERS 3.0
31 BUDWEISER SHOOT-OUT 3.0
32 HOUSE-FRI 9P 2.9
33 MOST OUTRAG MOM SP 2/10 2.8
34 WELCOME TO THE CAPTAIN 2.8
35 LAW AND ORDER:CRIM INTENT 2.7
36 DEAL OR NO DEAL-WED 2.7
37 TWO AND A HALF MEN-WED SP 2.7
38 1 VS 100 2.7
39 SUPERNANNY 2.6
HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER 2.6
41 LIPSTICK JUNGLE 2.6
42 BIGGEST LOSER 5 2.6
43 PRISON BREAK 2.6
44 LAS VEGAS 2.6
45 FAMILY GUY SP-2/10 9:30P 2.5
46 LAW AND ORDER-SAT 2.4
47 LAW & ORDER:SVU-SAT 2.4
48 SIMPSONS 2.4
49 NUMB3RS 2.4
48 HOURS MYSTERY 2.4
51 ABC SAT MOVIE OF THE WEEK 2.3
GHOST WHISPERER 2.3
53 FAMILY GUY 2.3
54 WIFE SWAP 2.3
55 LOST-THU 8PM 2.2
56 20/20-FRI 2.2
57 BIG BANG THEORY, THE - SP 2.2
58 KING OF THE HILL 2.1
59 BONES-FRI 8P 2.0
60 MOONLIGHT 1.9
61 CHARLIE BROWN VALENTINE 1.9
62 SUPER TUESDAY-ABC 9PM 1.9
63 FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS 1.8
64 CASHMERE MAFIA 1.8
NBC NEWS:SUPER TUES 2/5 1.8
66 48 HOURS MYSTERY 9PM 1.8
67 LAW & ORDER:CI-SAT 1.8
68 SUPER TUESDAY-ABC 10PM 1.7
69 SUPER TUESDAY-ABC 8PM 1.7
70 FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN 1.6
71 CRIMETIME SATURDAY 8PM 1.5
72 CAMPAIGN 08:SUPER TUESDAY 1.5
73 SMALLVILLE 1.4
74 GREY’S ANATOMY-FRI 8PM 1.4
75 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES-FRI 1.3
76 AMERCN GLADTORS 8P 2/10 1.3
77 AMERCN GLADTORS 7P 2/10 1.3
78 ONE TREE HILL 1.0
79 SUPERNATURAL .9
80 GAME, THE .7
81 GIRLFRIENDS .7
82 REAPER-TUE .6
83 TOP MODEL EXPOSED .6
84 GOSSIP GIRL-MON .5
85 EV HATES CHRIS-SUN2 .4
ONE TREE HILL-WED .4
87 ALIENS IN AMERICA-SUN .4
88 GAME, THE-SUN .3
89 GIRLFRIENDS-SUN .3
90 EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS-SUN .3
91 CW NOW .2

Between the strike and the fires in SoCal, even Jack Bauer didn’t have a chance.

Fox announced today that “24″ would be delayed so the planned rollout of all 24 episodes without interruption could still be a happening thing. They also offered up a tentative winter/spring schedule in the event the writers’ strike continued.

(By the way, if you haven’t checked it out, we’ll give a silent prayer to the L.A. Times which whipped up this schedule about how many shows have been shot, etc.)

Of course, Fox knows “American Idol” will keep them afloat during the tough times no matter what. And we’ll probably get even more of all those weeks of tryouts. For goodness sakes, they could probably run the tryouts every day through the end of the season.

But we’ll hope they don’t.

“American Idol” returns with a two-night, four-hour premiere on Jan. 15 and 16. But it won’t be all reality shows. The impressive “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” will air on Jan. 13 and 14, and the creaky “New Amsterdam,” about an immortal, shows up on Feb. 22. “Gilmore Girls” creator Amy Sherman-Palladino has “The Return of Jezabel James” in March, the Farrelly Brothers’ comedy “Unhitched,” and “ER” alum Julianna Margulies comes back to TV in “Canterbury Law.”

But the rest is a laundry list of reality programming.

The new schedule is subject to change, pending resolution of the strike.

TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES: Again facing relentless Terminators that will stop at nothing until 15-year-old John Connor (Thomas Dekker), the future leader of the resistance, is eliminated, Sarah Connor (Lena Headey) stops running and starts fighting back against fate and the machines that are out to get her son. The show also stars Sumnmer Glau as John’s classmate, the fearless, otherworldly Cameron; and Richard T. Jones as FBI Agent James Ellison.

UNHITCHED: Executive-produced by the Farrelly Brothers, this single-camera comedy revolves around four unattached friends who actually want to be married and must navigate the tricky waters of dating in their 30s. The series stars Craig Bierko, Rashida Jones, Johnny Sneed and Shaun Majumder.

THE RETURN OF JEZEBEL JAMES: From Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino, this comedy stars Parker Posey as Sarah, a successful children’s book editor who reconnects with her estranged and free-spirited younger sister Coco, played by Lauren Ambrose. The series also stars Scott Cohen as Sarah’s no-strings-attached boyfriend, Marcus; Michael Arden as her loyal and slightly terrified assistant, Buddy; and Ron McLarty and Dianne Wiest (in a recurring role) as the girls’ meddlesome parents, Ronald and Talia.

NEW AMSTERDAM: This drama series tells the story of a brilliant and enigmatic New York homicide detective, John Amsterdam (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), who has a profound secret: He is immortal, and will not age until he meets his one true love. Also starring are Zuleikha Robinson as Amsterdam’s new partner, Eva Marquez; Alexie Gilmore as Dr. Sara Dillane; and Stephen Henderson as Omar, Amsterdam’s sole confidant.

CANTERBURY’S LAW: From the producers of “Rescue Me,” this courtroom drama centers on rebellious defense attorney Elizabeth Canterbury (Julianna Margulies), who’s willing to bend the law in order to protect the wrongfully accused. The series also stars Aidan Quinn (in a recurring role) as Canterbury’s husband, Matt; Ben Shenkman as her colleague Russell Krauss; and Keith Robinson and Trieste Dunn as Chester Grant and Molly McConnell, the associates rounding out Canterbury’s legal team.

THE MOMENT OF TRUTH: Game show that puts contestants to the test – the lie detector test – to reveal whether or not they are willing to tell the truth for a chance to win half a million dollars. The new game show is hosted by Mark L. Walberg.

WHEN WOMEN RULE THE WORLD: Set in a primitive, remote location, this unscripted series explores what happens when a group of strong, educated and independent women, tired of living in a man’s world, rule over a group of unsuspecting men used to calling the shots.

FOX JANUARY THROUGH MAY

MONDAY

Monday, Jan. 7:

7:30 PM-CC ET ALLSTATE BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

(LIVE)

Mondays, beginning Jan. 14:

8:00-9:00 PM PRISON BREAK

9:00-10:00 PM TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES

(Time Period Premiere)

Monday, March 3:

8:00-9:00 PM WHEN WOMEN RULE THE WORLD (wt)

(Series Premiere)

9:00-10:00 PM TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES

Mondays, beginning March 10:

8:00-9:00 PM WHEN WOMEN RULE THE WORLD (wt)

9:00-10:00 PM HOUSE (Time Period Premiere)

***************************

TUESDAY

Tuesday, Jan. 1:

8:00 PM-CC ET ALLSTATE SUGAR BOWL (LIVE)

Tuesday, Jan. 15:

8:00-10:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL (Season Premiere, Part 1)

Tuesdays, beginning Jan. 22:

8:00-9:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL (Time Period Premiere)

9:00-10:00 PM HOUSE

Tuesdays, beginning April 1:

8:00-9:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL

9:00-10:00 PM HELL’S KITCHEN (Season Premiere)

***************************

WEDNESDAY

Wednesday, Jan. 2:

7:30 PM-CC ET TOSTITOS FIESTA BOWL (LIVE)

Wednesday, Jan. 16:

8:00-10:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL (Season Premiere, Part 2)

Wednesdays, beginning Jan. 23:

8:00-9:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL

9:00-10:00 PM THE MOMENT OF TRUTH (Series Premiere)

Wednesdays, beginning March 12:

8:00-9:00 PM THE MOMENT OF TRUTH (Time Period Premiere)

9:00-9:30 PM AMERICAN IDOL

9:30-10:00 PM BACK TO YOU (Time Period Premiere)

***************************

THURSDAY

Thursday, Jan. 3:

7:30 PM-CC ET FEDEX ORANGE BOWL (LIVE)

Thursdays, beginning Jan. 10 (No changes to lineup):

8:00-9:00 PM ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5th GRADER?

9:00-10:00 PM DON’T FORGET THE LYRICS!

***************************

FRIDAY

Fridays, beginning Jan. 4:

8:00-9:00 PM BONES (Time Period Premiere)

9:00-10:00 PM HOUSE (Time Period Premiere)

Friday, Feb. 22:

8:00-9:00 PM BONES

9:00-10:00 PM NEW AMSTERDAM (Series Premiere)

Fridays, beginning March 7:

8:00-8:30 PM ‘TIL DEATH (Time Period Premiere)

8:30-9:00 PM THE RETURN OF JEZEBEL JAMES (Series Premiere)

9:00-10:00 PM NEW AMSTERDAM

Fridays, beginning April 11:

8:00-8:30 PM ‘TIL DEATH

8:30-9:00 PM THE RETURN OF JEZEBEL JAMES

9:00-10:00 PM CANTERBURY’S LAW (Series Premiere)

***************************

SATURDAY

Saturdays, beginning Jan. 5: (No changes to lineup)

8:00-8:30 PM COPS

8:30-9:00 PM COPS

9:00-10:00 PM AMERICA’S MOST WANTED: AMERICA FIGHTS BACK

11:00 PM-Midnight MADtv

Midnight-12:30 AM TALKSHOW WITH SPIKE FERESTEN

***************************

SUNDAY

Sundays, beginning Jan. 6: (No changes to lineup)

7:00-7:30 PM VARIOUS COMEDY ENCORES

7:30-8:00 PM VARIOUS COMEDY ENCORES

8:00-9:00 PM THE SIMPSONS

8:30-9:00 PM KING OF THE HILL

9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY

9:30-10:00 PM AMERICAN DAD

Sunday, Jan. 13:

7:00-7:30 PM VARIOUS COMEDY ENCORES (West Coast only)

7:30-8:00 PM VARIOUS COMEDY ENCORES (West Coast only)

8:00-9:00 PM TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES

(Series Premiere)

9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY

9:30-10:00 PM AMERICAN DAD

Sunday, Feb. 3 (Super Bowl Sunday):

6:00 PM ET SUPER BOWL XLII (Approx. 4 hours, LIVE)

Approx. 10:00 PM ET HOUSE (Original episode; guest star Mira Sorvino)

Sundays, beginning March 2:

7:00-7:30 PM COMEDY ENCORES

(West Coast only on 3/2 due to NASCAR)

7:30-8:00 PM COMEDY ENCORES

(West Coast only on 3/2 due to NASCAR)

8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS

8:30-9:00 PM KING OF THE HILL

9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY

9:30-10:00 PM UNHITCHED (Series Premiere)

Sundays, beginning April 13:

7:00-7:30 PM COMEDY ENCORES

7:30-8:00 PM COMEDY ENCORES

8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS

8:30-9:00 PM KING OF THE HILL

9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY

9:30-10:00 PM AMERICAN DAD

Nope. Not even going Code Blue could save the Emmy telecast, which weighed in with only 13.1 million viewers. The only time fewer folks tuned in was the 1990 telecast on Fox.

Compare that to the dazzle of the Oscars, which lured 40.2 million viewers to the telecast. Heck, even the Country Music Awards brought in 16 million people.

GIDGET GETS BLEEPED

We have two words for you: Ryan Seacrest.

There’s nothing special or flashy about Ryan, and he brought the same amateur hour spirit to the Emmys normally reserved for “American Idol.”

RYAN MAKES EVERYONE UNCOMFORTABLE

And James Spader over James Gandolfini for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series? Emmy deserved the hit.

BAD PRESENTERS. BAD, BAD…and then there was James…

Antoria Gillon wasn’t going to let a little thing like going into labor stop her from her dream of becoming the next “American Idol.”

Antoria went into labor while waiting with 13,500 hopefuls at Texas Stadium. As she got closer to her audition time, she realized she was in labor. Determined not to miss her shot at fame, Gillon sang her best while in the midst of contractions.

After completing the audition and learning she will return for the next round, Antoria was taken to a local hospital, where she gave birth to a healthy son – whom she named Jamil Labarron Idol McCowan.

Baby Idol arrived early Tuesday morning and weighed 6 lbs. 7oz.

In the end, Melinda Doolittle’s superior singing abilities were no match for Jordin Sparks’ adorability factor or Blake Lewis’ showmanship in the “American Idol” competition.

Doolittle consistently came through on the vocals, but never quite captured the hearts of “American Idol” voters the way Sparks and Lewis did. Sparks’ vocals kept getting better and better each week, but what keeps her in the game _ and makes her the favorite to win the whole thing _ is that she simply looks and acts like a young teen idol.

From the beginning, the women kept outshining their male counterparts in the competition until Lewis started bringing on his A game. While Doolittle depended on her pipes to get her through, Lewis kept putting his own spin on each song. Last night, he really pull out all beats for a stellar night. He stole the show with “This Love” and brought it home with “When I Get You Alone.”

Simon Cowell chided Sparks for choosing the old tune “I Who Have Nothing,” but it was Doolittle who came off looking old fashioned with the pop tune-turned-ad “I’m A Woman” and wearing a dated pants suit.

Doolittle should be quickly snatched up by a record label, so we won’t shed any tears for her. And we look forward to the Lewis-Sparks showdown next week.

American Idol is down to two contestants? Will it be the very sweet Jordin Sparks or beat-boxer Blake Lewis? I give my take, along with Mercury News news reporter Sandra Gonzales and Contra Costa Times TV critic Chuck Barney.

We discuss Melinda Doolittle leaving the show, the judges, the fans, and give their own predictions for the winner. Mercury News music writer Marian Liu moderates.
Here is the link:
http://www.mercextra.com/listen/index.php?id=355

All the smart money is on Jordin Sparks for the win in this season of “American Idol.”

Until May 22, it’s all just counting down to the inevitable.

Tonight, to no one’s surprise, Blake Lewis and LaKisha Jones were the last two standing in the eliminations. With Blake the lone boy left in the competition, it was obvious that LaKisha would get the boot tonight.

LaKisha looked worried from the start of the program _ a concern that played out in the end when it was announced that she was eliminated from the competition.

LaKisha started out the season strong, but kept dipping along the way while Jordin just keeps gaining ground.

Most of LaKisha’s problems were of her own doing.

She has consistantly chosen bad songs and each week can’t seem to stop from screaming out the lyrics.

Things started to crumble early on in the competition when guest singer Lulu couldn’t convince LaKisha that “Diamonds are Forever” was a bad way to go.

It just went down hill from there.

We suspect Blake is next on the chopping block, with a showdown between the always polished Melinda Doolittle and young Jordin, who just seems more like an “American Idol” kind of girl.

It’s not good to tempt fate.

On Tuesday, Phil Stacey opened the competition with a decent rendition of Bon Jovi’s “Blaze of Glory, ” which proved to be his swan song. (”I’m goin’ down in a blaze of glor-reeee …”).

Even with a strong performance on Tuesday, Stacey has been hanging on my his fingernails throughout the competition. Stacey came back strong during the last two programs, including a nice country performance, but it wasn’t enough to get past the flashier performances.

Stacey got the boot first, followed by Chris Richardson, who wobbled badly through his Bon Jovi tune “Wanted Dead or Alive.”

Things looked bad for the Justin Timberlake wannabe when he couldn’t even remember the words to the song during his practice session with Jon Bon Jovi. Bovi Jovi told him to “find the blue note” in the song. Turned out it just found the brown note.

Blake Lewis, who was in the bottom three, did a fantastic job on doing the Bon Jovi hit “You Give Love a Bad Name” Blake beat-box style. Jon thought he was making a mistake fooling around with a beloved song.

Simon proclaimed after the performance that “half the audience will hate it, and half will love it” and that Lewis’ risk would pay off by saving him from having the ax fall on him this week.

Once again, Simon was right. Blake took a chance and it paid off big time for him.

And after picking bad song after bad song, LaKisha Jones FINALLY chose wisely and belted out “This Ain’t a Love Song.”

Now it’s down to the best of the bunch, with Melinda Doolittle leading the pack. It’s not going to be easy for any of them to catch up to the amazing Melinda, who has been beating the others soundly week after week. She outright spanked the Bon Jovi song “Have a Nice Day.” No wonder Jon wants her to join the band.

Sanjaya says he’s looking into getting a bodyguard.

Can he really be that popular? Or that deluded?

SANJAYA AND LAKISHA IN BOTTOM 2

The kid came across as a naive young man who says he got his GED as a sophomore and thinks of his time on “American Idol” as his “junior and senior year in high school.”

“It was my mom’s idea for me to get my GED,” Sanjaya says in a teleconference with journalists today. “ I got into a little bit of trouble in school and didn’t do my homework. It was a horrible habit that I had. I just wanted to move on and focus on my music.”

And he says that he thinks that Howard Stern and Web sites like votefortheworst had little impact on him.

“I don’t think (they) had enough people voting for me to make a dent in anything,” Sanjaya says. “The reason why I’m here is solely because of the support from my fans.”

So why did he get the boot this week?

“Honestly, I’m not a country singer and I didn’t have enough really strong performances for people to forgive me,” Sanjaya says. “LaKisha had enough strong performances to get her through. So that’s what got me this week.”

Sanjaya, whose father is a construction worker, says he still wants to go to college at the Berklee School of Music some day, but right now he feels is the time to focus on his career and “ `American Idol’ was a great way to do that.”

The 17-year-old says the only time he felt he was in over his head was during Hollywood week.

“That was completely intense. I had my sister there and she really supported me,” Sanjaya says. “I just wanted to get past that.”

He says it was surreal for him to become a cultural phenomenon. And he still isn’t sure what to make of it.

“You just don’t have the slightest idea of the capacity of this show and the impact of this show,” he says. “Once in a while, you get inklings.”

“I had no idea,” he says. “It seems kind of unnatural. I’m just a guy from Federal Way. It’s crazy.”

He says he liked the skit “Saturday Night Live” did on him, and believes you have to be able to laugh at yourself.

Which brings us, of course, to Simon Cowell.

“I think he had gotten to a point where I hadn’t fulfilled the potential (he thought I had in the beginning) and didn’t think I belonged there, which is OK,” Sanjaya says.

Sanjaya says he’s looking forward to being part of the season finale and to go on tour. After that, he’ll be looking at opportunities in acting, modeling and perhaps even Broadway.

Well, we won’t have Sanjaya to kick around any more.

Sorry, little cowboy. Time to pack up the pony and hit the trail.

Despite the efforts of Howard Stern, www.votefortheworst.com and little girls all over the planet, Sanjaya finally got the boot. We blame it on the headband. And the fact that he cheated by singing a non-country song on country night.

Oh, and also because, as Simon the eye-roller mentioned on Tuesday, Sanjaya sounded like some of the rejects from the auditions blooper reels.

We can imagine Simon’s doing the happy Snoopy dance right about now.

Sanjaya warbled out a horrendous version of Bonnie Raitt’s “Something to Talk About” while barely containing his frizzed-out hair in a tall red bandana.

When the votes were read on Wednesday night, the bottom three included Sanjaya, Blake Lewis and LaKisha Jones. Although both Lewis and Jones have proven themselves to be good singers, it’s time for both to kick up their games.

Lewis looked a little geeky _ and non-country _ in a blue argyle sweater singing the Tim McGraw barely-country ballad “When the Stars Go Blue” and LaKisha test drove former “American Idol” winner Carrie Underwood’s hit “Jesus Take the Wheel.”

Each week, LaKisha has ignored the advice of the guest vocal coaches and, as a result, she’s been making some poor song choices. I hate to say it, LaKisha, but I have a little bit of Mandisa deja vu going on right now. I think it’s getting close, and you won’t make it into the top two.

My picks right now are Jordin Sparks, who might just win this whole thing because of her youth and spunk combined with great talent, and power singer Melinda Doolittle who can do no wrong.

A notable change in the cellar-dwellers: For the first time in weeks, Phil Stacey didn’t make it into the bottom three. Phil’s been doing a good job these last couple of weeks and it finally paid off for him.

It now comes down to week to week as to who might be kicked off the show next. If LaKisha doesn’t start paying attention, she could be next.

Did Simon Crowell really roll his eyes when Chris Richardson offered a heartfelt comment about the tragedy at Virginia Tech?

Simon’s telling anyone who will listen that he was horrified to see himself on TV having that reaction.

TMZ reported this morning that Simon says “I couldn’t hear what Chris had said. I was talking to Paula. My reaction (rolling his eyes) was to what he had said previously, that singing nasally is a form of singing.”

Do we believe Simon?

Actually, he probably wasn’t paying attention to what Chris was saying, because Simon’s notorious rude when it comes to the post comments comments by the contestants.

He’s had his say and then he tends to jabber with the other judges while Ryan Seacrest talks to the singers.

But that hasty little comment Simon made later in the program was absolutely damage control. He offered up his own sympathies to the families which sounded rushed and, to use terms Simon has used on the contestants, I just didn’t feel it.

click here for video of Simon’s eye-roll and his own condolence to the Virginia Tech families.