I’ve been thrust into last minute duties thanks to Hurricane Irene, which has, among other things, knocked out internet along parts of the east coast.

Folks, these were two epic quarter-final matches.   In the first match, #3 Somebody to Love (live in Montreal)(Queen) got off to a sizzling point. At one point yesterday, it was up more than 20 points.  But #6 Landslide (Fleetwood Mac) supporters were undeterred, and the lead for much of today was down to single digits.  In the end, Fleetwood Mac won the voter count, 16-13, and the “10” count, 4-3.   But one number counts above all others, and on that front, total score, Queen advances to the semi-finals 218.2-211.95.

This is Queen’s third trip to the Final Four, with Under Pressure and Bohemian Rhapsody earning the honors in last winter’s Living the Dream tournament.

In what can only be deemed an odd statistical anomaly, people earlier in the alphabet (pre-J) voted overwhelmingly for Queen, while those later in the alphabet voted overwhelmingly for Fleetwood Mac.

If you thought that match-up was epic, wait til’ you see what happened next.   #2 Romeo and Juliet (Dire Straits) and #7 Midnight Train to Georgia (Gladys Knight and the Pips) were both peaking heading into tonight.  Dire Straits pulled off three “10s”, Gladys two.   Mark and co. also won the voter count, 16-14.

For the second time today, however, those numbers didn’t tell the full story, as the Midnight Train rolls on to the Final Four, 221.25-220.9.   For some perspective, that is a difference of .02 points per voter- basically a tie.   Congratulations to Romeo and Juliet, a song that really contended for the title, and in turn, to Guillermo, for his nomination.