American Idol: A Honky-Tonk Vote.

So last night, I voted for the very first time on an American Idol contestant this season. I know, I know, with my slavish devotion to the ousted John Park and redirected loyalty to Aaron Kelly, you would think that by now, I'd have voted at least once.

Nope. Try as I might, I could never bring myself to pick up the phone and call.

But something changed last night. Not only did I enjoy Paige Miles' version of "Honky Tonk Woman", but I realized something: Girlfriend is not long for this show.

The judges are "eh" about her. The blogosphere doesn't even talk about her. And yet, she might be the only female contestant left who sings songs people would actually buy. She's pop with a little soul and a little country. She reminds me a lot of Kelly Clarkson, actually. And not just because she sang her song a few weeks ago.

Sadly, I don't think Paige is long for this competition. Each week, she's on people's lists of elimination predictions. She's forgettable and I can't surmise anything about her personality.

But still. I really liked her song last night. And so as soon as the show ended, I picked up the phone to vote for her. I called about five times. And EVERY SINGLE TIME, I got through. I got so depressed that other people weren't voting for her, I stopped calling.

I hope I'm wrong about Paige going home soon. But if she leaves us tonight, at least we'll get to hear her sing "Honky Tonk Woman" again.