American Idol 2010: Top 10 Guys

[Robyn]

In a strange turn of events, the 10 remaining male contestants were informed Tuesday morning that they would have one less day of preparation and would be switching nights with the ladies. Were they able to pull through and prove to be equal competition to the ladies of Season 9?


Apparently Crystal Bowersox was hospitalized due to complications with her Type I Diabetes and was unable to perform per doctors orders. I secretly wonder if it wasn't a teeth whitening mishap with the American Idol dental improvement program. But either way, the guys were cheated out of an extra day of practice while the ladies had an additional day to work with the stylists on their hair and wardrobe choices.

Michael Lynche

‘It's A Man's Man’s Man’s World’ by James Brown

[Robyn] Green Mile proved his enormous strength by benching one of the tiny contestants (Aaron Kelly or Mullet Boy, not sure) during the clip before his song. I guess that explains why the guitar looks miniature when he is up on the stage. I can’t help but wonder if Israel Kamakawiwo'ole wasn’t really playing a regular sized acoustic guitar back in the day. This was a great song choice for Green Mile and to tell the truth, boss, he should stick to the dirty R&B genre and stray far, far away from John Mayer/Jack Johnson if he wants to achieve any longevity.
[JB] When somebody decides to break out a James Brown song, they'd better be prepared to bring it. While Michael wasn't quite lovin' it up with five chocolate honeys in a hot tub, I think that new baby has lit a fire under Mike and he performed very well tonight. He had a good look and seemed comfortable on stage. My only criticism was his inability to interact with the audience more. Singing with your eyes closed won't cut it.

Simon - You went from pussycat to lion in one week.
Kara - You are a different Mike and I'm feeling it.
Ellen -That was the one to beat.
Randy - You're an R&B star!


John Park

‘Gravity’ by John Mayer

[Robyn] Sitting on a stool with his weird Asian Beatles haircut, John has once again proven that he is completely out of his element. I’m sure he is famous somewhere (local a’capella college circuit)…it’s just not going to happen with the American Idol audience.
[JB] John Park let us know that some of his buddies back home hope he loses so he'll come back and be their lead singer in Purple Haze again. Like Simon said, I think they're going to get their wish. John came across as animated as one of those mannequins in an Old Navy commercial, only less likable. He had no personality and sang in a strange, breathy sound that reminded me of the killer in the movie Student Bodies. (I'll kill next at the football game... ahhhh...) I don't know how he flew under the radar last week, but if he isn't gone this week, he must have photos of Ryan and Simon in bed together.

Simon - Purple Haze may get their lead singer back.
Kara - Way better than last week.
Ellen - Better song choice. Try to feel the song more.
Randy - You didn't bring anything new or spicy to it.

Casey James

‘I Don't Wanna Be’ by Gavin DeGraw

[Robyn] I Don’t Wanna Be ever listening to this song performed on American Idol ever again. I didn’t like it when Elliott Yamin or Chris Richardson sang it and I certainly didn’t like it when Casey James sang it. While it was a poor song choice, he isn’t going anywhere and unless he screws up royally, he is a strong contender for the Top 2. By the by, the pre-performance ritual? Was that Gywneth Paltrow’s head in the box?? For those who aren’t quick enough to catch on, that was a Se7en reference.
[JB] Casey James claims he has never seen American Idol on television before and wants us to believe that since Jesus blew up his television with lightning, he devoted his time to learning to play guitar and sing. Yawn.... I'm already losing interest in this guy. Tonight's performance was a huge disappointment to me. His voice sounded very weak, like he either had a cold or they had potted down his mic to the point I was barely able to hear him. His hair was a little weird and he was grinning like Smiling Bob from the Enzyte commercials. He was all over that guitar, but Idol is about singing, first and foremost.

Simon - This week you turned into somebody trying to be a rock star.
Kara - You took two steps backward tonight.
Ellen - There's a stiffness about you. Everything looked good on paper.
Randy - This is the kind of music I can see you playing and winning with.

Alex Lambert

‘Everybody Knows’ by John Legend

[Robyn] Play on America’s heart strings…check. Come across as the simplistic novice….check. This kid is a sociological genius! Mullet or not, his performance this week was much improved and perhaps enough to squeak him through to the next round.
[JB] Sweet, sweet Alex Lambert came out rocking his Florence Henderson mullet again tonight. He told us how he made up his own language to help him write songs. This kid is OUT there. However, I don't think we should write him off just yet. Alex has that quality of the adorable guy in high school that every girl thinks she can make just right with just a few tweaks. And that said, he pulled off a passable performance tonight. It almost feels like the Producers are sandbagging with this kid and will make him emerge like a butterfly after the Idol makeover. Get rid of that crazy ass sports coat that Uncle Eddie wore in 1976 and cut his hair, we might just have something to get the little girls on their feet.

Simon - Once you start believing in yourself you have a chance.
Kara - There isn't a person out there that isn't rooting for you.
Ellen - Someone took the unripe banana and put it in a paper bag. (seriously, Ellen, WTF?)
Randy - You found your own niche with it.

Todrick Hall

‘What's Love Got to Do with it’ by Tina Turner

[Robyn] After the blatant discrepancy between what the judges say (that they want the contestants to make the song their own), surely this couldn’t happen again, right? WRONG. As I said last week, Todrick reminds me a little of Kanye West in that he does his own thing and in my opinion does it pretty well. He took a song I loved in 3rd grade, changed the arrangement to ‘make it his own’, and was torn to shreds by the panel. This leaves me scratching my head. Do they hate this kid? I am thinking that they do. I am not sure he can go a second week with the idiot public disobeying Simon.
[JB] Todrick decided after last week that he wanted to pick a song that wouldn't be compared to the original singer, so he picked one of Tina's classic songs... one full of soul and longing and love. Unfortunately, Todrick failed to understand that it's not just about the sound, but the feeling of the song to which his version might be compared. Todrick's performance tonight lacked any earnestness or believability. It was like a Muzak version of the song and I think I nodded off somewhere in the middle of it.
Simon - This is not working out at all for you.
Kara - I don't know where Todrick went.
Ellen - Sing and move... use your strengths.
Randy - I didn't love this at all. Just sing.

Jermaine Sellers

‘What's Going On’ by Marvin Gaye

[Robyn] From the outfit to the vocals, this was a mess from beginning to end. This would be my #1 pick to hit the road during the elimination show, however, he may have stated a strong case to America’s God Warrior’s. Church nation will be sending fan mail to Simon’s P.O Box years down the road, wondering when he is going to make that special appearance at Jermaine’s church.
[JB] What's goin' on indeed? Jermaine came out with this look like Little Richard with a frohawk. I don't know who dressed this fool, but his polka dot shirt and bow tie was the only thing entertaining about his performance. Jermaine trying to hit notes was like a watching a blindfolded kid flailing at a piñata. An utter disaster and at this point he was in the lead for worst performance of the night.

Simon - You water down the songs. I'm not sure you're going to be here next week.
Kara - The problem is, you're always doing too much.
Ellen - I like your style... but it didn't work for me.
Randy - It was so close, but so far.

Andrew Garcia

‘You Give Me Something’ by James Morrison

[Robyn] Break Dancer, Gang Banger, Paula Abdul song manipulator extraordinaire. This kid can do anything…except sing James Morrison songs. He didn’t sound bad, he just didn’t look natural, unless you were watching a talent show at San Quentin. Homey needs to start picking better songs or his odds are going to plummet quickly.
[JB] Garcia is still one of my favorites of the guys, but he decided to sing on a stool, too. He sounded pretty good tonight, but I didn't really like the song for him. There's something about those glasses that make it difficult, of the few times that he seemed to actually try, to connect with the audience. I definitely did not feel tonight's performance was one that will keep him alive for long and he will need to find his groove soon or will be in trouble.

Simon - I'm disappointed.
Kara -Today you played it too safe.
Ellen - There were a couple of little problems, but I liked it a lot.
Randy - That wasn't the vibe for you tonight.

Aaron Kelly

‘My Girl’ by The Temptations

[Robyn] All I wrote down in my notes was “weird”. I don’t get it. At all. P.S. Why is Kara wearing a red towel tonight?
[JB] Aaron had a problem with awkwardness last week. There's something about him that gives me a Disney Channel feel. You know, where they can take a kid with minimal singing talent and make them a star (I'm looking at you Miley.) But tonight, Aaron's performance made the coyotes out back start howling. He had this bizarre vibrato thing going that I couldn't figure out whether it was his nerves coming out or planned effect. Either way, it was strange and creepy.

Simon - It was all over the place. The arrangement was too old fashioned.
Kara - I liked it. I like you.
Ellen - The song was a little forgettable.
Randy - That was 200% better than last week.

Tim Urban

‘Come On, Get Higher’ by Matt Nathanson

[Robyn] In the clip before his performance, Tim talks about his family. Do you mean the family you failed to tell you were going on American Idol? I don’t know exactly what it is, but something makes me want to punch this kid right in the face. Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, I hope he sticks around for a while. With Tyler Grady gone, I need something to poke a stick at each week. Please, America. Give this to me.
[JB] Tim would like to forget about last week. Frankly, so would I. A lot of the judges kept commenting tonight how everyone was so much better than last week. That's like saying a car accident is better than an airplane crash. But little Timmy's performance was perhaps worse than last week... maybe because I feel like he should have learned something from his mistakes. I hear this song every day at work and my patients actually prefer getting an injection in the eye to hearing it. Murdered as it was tonight, I can only say that this kid is on life 10 of his nine lives. He is absolutely tone deaf, has no personality and has no business being on Idol.

Simon - I think that was a marked improvement over last week.
Kara - I liked the song choice, but you didn't make it your own.
Ellen - You should act instead. There was no charisma tonight.
Randy - It was very karaoke for me.

Lee Dewyze

‘Lips of an Angel’ by Hinder

[Robyn] It wasn’t too shabby, but he seems to constantly struggle with intonation problems. Someone should also tell him to never, ever pull his pants up during a performance. That’s a big “no no”. But he will be safe and will continue on toward the finish line.
[JB] Last week, Lee made me wonder whether or not he could pull off the rocker thing. I'm still not sure. Tonight he sounded more like Adam Duritz from Counting Crows than Eddie Vedder and maybe this is more the direction he should take. He sounded really good tonight and put on one of the only real performances of the night. He is the only one of the guys that really deserves to be safe from elimination this week in my opinion.

Simon - Vocally, you are head and shoulders above everyone else.
Kara - I thought it was a big improvement from last week.
Ellen - You were really in that song.
Randy - The song had a couple of pitch problems, but I liked it.

Going home:
[Robyn] John Park & Jermaine Sellers
[JB] Tim Urban & John Park

Odds to win Season 9:

Andrew Garcia +350
Didi Benami +1000
Crystal Bowersox +550
Katie Stevens +650
Casey James +600
Jermaine Sellers +4000
Haeley Vaughn +8000
Siobhan Magnus +800
Todrick Hall +3000
Lacey Brown +2500
Tim Urban +8000
Alex Lambert +2200
Michael Lynche +4000
Katelyn Epperly +2000
Lee Dewyze +1200
Aaron Kelly +1200
Paige Miles +3500
Lilly Scott +2000
Michelle Delamor +1800
John Park +4000

[The HOFF]

Lee Dewyze and Michael Lynch were the only two with good performances. Everyone else was just garbage.

[Robyn]

I wouldn't say garbage, but most were not all that impressive. Jermaine Sellers was garbage.

[Enigma]

yeah, sounds unfair. So what's the schedule? Wednesday and Thursday? Thursday and Friday?

[Robyn]

Tuesday and Wednesday show...Thursday results show.