American Idol

When American Idol airs, it's like noting else is on television.

So, for this report on last night's TV ratings, why bother pretending as though anything was?

The American Idol Ratings Advantage Goes to…: Casey Carlson, Michael Sarver, and Ann Marie Boskovich, the semifinalists who sang from 9-9:30 p.m. This was the show's most-watched half-hour (26 million viewers).

Idol Time Not Well Spent: Energetic Jackie Tohn, surprisingly-strong Ricky Braddy and potential star Alexis Grace (pictured), drew the leadoff 8-8:30 p.m. slot. This was the show's least-watched half-hour (23 million).

Overall: American Idol, which averaged a night-best 25.1 million from 8-10 p.m., was up a bit from last week (24.9 million) and was down a lot from last year (29 million).