Canadian Idol: I Left My Heart With Shaun Francisco

Canadian Idol made its first round of cuts from the top 24 on Wednesday night, and the already stacked male-female imbalance was increased again. Three women and one man (who shouldn't have been cut) got the axe.

Lindsay Barr, Tetiana Ostapowych, Lindsay Robins and Shaun Francisco were all sent packing. The crowd was quiet as the results were revealed, which led me to believe they also shared my surprise. I guess I don't know what Canada's looking for in a singer, because my picks were way off.

This year, contestants preface the results readings by performing selected songs for the audience. To no-one's surprise, none of the performances were noteworthy. Omar Lunan's group was most memorable, with their soulful rendition of "I Heard It Through The Grapevine." Lunan is best in this role.

Another contestant earned some points back, too. Adam Castelli duetted with Barr on Wilson Pickett's "In The Midnight Hour." His musicality was bang on and he completely overpowered her. That isn't usually a positive thing in a duet, but this was a case of one performer simply being stronger than the other.

I'm quite surprised that Shaun Francisco, one of the few Idol wannabes with potential, got the boot. It should have been Jesse Cottam. I was happy to see Lindsay Robins go, though. In her pre-results performance, she further proved why she no longer belongs on the show. Robins thinks she's more skilled than she is, and that can be dangerous — especially when we're forced to listen to her.

I also would have liked to have seen Barr stay, but more for her entertaining personality than her singing.

It will be a whole new ball game, with six females and 14 males remaining, when the show returns on June 30. Get ready.