Just hours before airstrikes on Iraq began, America voted another contestant off the hit Fox reality show, American Idol.

In a programme that went out on the east coast just an hour or so before networks switched to coverage of the first moves in the war, Charles Grigsby was voted off the show. Viewers on the West Coast had to wait until 20:15 PT to see their show, once local affiliates returned from non-stop news coverage to regular programming.

Corey Clark and Julia DeMato joined Grigsby with the lowest votes out of the final eleven, as was. Now with the final ten established, it remains to be seen as to whether they'll survive another round.