Season 9: Top 8 Guys

I’ve had a long-standing hypothesis that Randy Jackson is among the most obnoxious personalities on television. Tonight, as Ryan introduced the judges and Randy proceeded to give a hardy “yeah, yeah, yeah” for each judge (including himself), and then predictably, a resounding “boooooooo” for Simon Cowell, he solidified his place as the single most annoying person who ever has been, or ever will be on television.

But none of that matters because the weather is lovely, the sun was bright today, my windows are open and there is a cool, gentle breeze whispering through my house as I type this. I don’t care if the boys stand up there and perform Vanilla Ice, I’m still going to be in a good mood!

Lee Dewyze – Firefly – This was a very bizarre choice for Lee. He started out a little nasal-sounding. And he stayed that way. He sounded horrible. The song is supposed to sound mystical and dreamy, not like you swallowed rocks before you sang. That was icky. I don’t know what the judges were talking about. It was absolutely terrible.

Alex Lambert – Trouble – This, on the other hand, was a perfect song choice for the mullet-haired wonder. Alex still looked really stiff on the stage, but I think he has turned himself into a serious contender. I love the tone of his voice. I really want to listen to an entire album of his already. And that’s saying a lot, considering the slim pickins we have as far as the men are concerned this season.

Bonus Question: Despite Alex's great performance, only one judge gave him a positive review. Name that judge.

Tim Urban – Hallelujah – Before he even sang a note, I knew this was Tim Urban’s proverbial kiss goodbye to the American Idol stage. Nobody can possibly surpass Jason Castro’s monumental performance of this song a mere two years ago. Jason had one of the biggest performances in Idol history with this song. Tim sounded okay, but with Jason’s performance in my mind, I would be doing Tim a favor if I called his version mediocre. He didn’t sing with the tenderness and vulnerability the song begs. Tim missed a few notes, and it just wasn’t there for me. Maybe I’m biased, though. The judges seemed to disagree.

Andrew Garcia – Genie in a Bottle – Wow. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard that song. I almost didn’t recognize it until he got to the chorus. I liked his interpretation of this song; I just hope Andrew doesn’t become a one-trick pony, taking originally female pop-songs and turning them into acoustic coffee-house hits. I thought he sounded really good with the song, though. It was my favorite performance of the night up to that point in the competition. I think the judges were a little unfair in their criticism of him.

Bonus Question: In the comments below, please list who you think is the best judge and who you think is the worst, and don’t forget to list your reasons why! Because these judges are killing me tonight (in the bad way)!

Casey James – You’ll Think of Me – I think Casey is slowly becoming one of my favorites of the male contestants…and it has nothing to do with how he looks with his shirt off. I think he is very adept at interpreting songs with a raw emotion and then conveying them in a way that isn’t cheesy. I thought Casey sounded great singing it tonight. Yes, Randy, he is good at the blues vibe, but he can also show different facets of himself as an artist.

Bonus Question: Who is married to the person who originally sang “You’ll Think of Me”

Aaron Kelly – I’m Already There – Aaron gave a cheesefest of a performance tonight. It all started when he began with his first chorus of “I’m Allllllllready there,” as he slowly stood from his stool and stepped into the spotlight with his hand stretched in the air. Aaron’s voice is lacking almost as much as his stage presence. He’s simply not as good at singing as all of his competitors. He’s very plastic to me, like David Archuleta. It’s like he’s been bred from infancy to be a stage performer and everything he does is so rehearsed and polished, that it’s too rehearsed and polished. I’m not digging Aaron and I think he’ll be going home this week along with the other child contestant, Katie Stevens.

Bonus Question: Despite Aaron's subpar performance, only one judge gave him negative reviews. Name that judge.

Todrick Hall – Somebody to Love – As I sit here during the commercial break, Ryan Seacrest has just announced that Todrick will be singing something by Queen, and then the camera cut to Todrick with his black leather/tweed jacket with a multitude of zippers and those strange little half-gloves that everyone seems to be sporting on the show this season. I must admit I’m nervous. Queen is my favorite, you see, and I know there is no way, eh hem, NO WAY in this world that Todrick has the capacity to do justice to a Queen song. Oh, the humanity! I am offended at the very thought. I hope Todrick proves me wrong. Well, I will give Todrick props this week for not trying to overhaul a song into a tacky overdone anthem. However, Todrick’s vocals fell flat and boring about midway through the song and he never quite got there. He doesn’t have the range to sing Freddie Mercury and I’m afraid we’ll be hearing this song again tomorrow night. Once again, I disagreed with the judges.

Michael Lynche – This Woman’s Work – Well, I was not expecting that falsetto at the beginning of the song. For a minute I thought I was listening to Jordan Knight and the New Kids on the Block circa 1991! This performance seemed to drag on for a long time. Michael’s movement on stage is always very strange to me. It’s unnatural on him for some reason. I didn’t like this performance because I couldn’t figure out what it was supposed to be. Everyone knows I’m not the biggest R&B fan, but all that aside, I just didn’t get it this time.

Well, I'm still in a wonderful mood because of the fresh air, but I have successfully chosen 3 men to go home tomorrow night instead of just two. It would be more fair if they would accept more girls this year since they are better. I'm holding out hope that we'll get rid of one female and 3 males tomorrow night. I know it's not going to happen, but a girl can dream, can't she?

After tomorrow night's show, we'll know who the Top 12 contestants are, and you'll get your points for your selections. Be expecting a lovely points recap on Friday!