"Don't be afraid, because whatever you do is going to be real and authentic."

It's advice. What the hell. It's not true, but it's Mariah Carey, mentoring the "American Idol" kids tonight. Go ahead, warble all over your multi-octave range. Don't be afraid. Whatever you do is going to be real and authentic.

ADDED: Kudos to Mariah for doing the show the Barry Manilow way.

AND: Doing a female singer's songs, all of the male contestants were better than all of the female contestants. It's touching that people appreciate what Jason Castro is doing. He's this year's Elliott. Beyond Elliott really. I don't think anyone in the history of the show has gotten nearly this far without oversinging and showing off. Randy said he sounded like someone singing at a luau on the beach off in the distance. And Paula was all: I want to be at that luau all night long.