So we’ve hit the last of the quadruple dismissal shows and we finally have our top 12. I don’t mind that Todrick is gone; but Alex could have stayed instead of Tim. Lilly and Katelyn were out for the girls and we are stuck with Paige. This is going to be a really weird top 12, it should be interesting to see who gets knocked out the first few weeks. Guess we’ll just have to wait for next week to see.

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I really did come into tonight with lowered expectations, this season has just totally failed to live up to all the pre-show hype. I do think that for the most part we seeing contestants gaining confidence and developing some stage presence, if only this was always accompanied by solid vocals.

1. Lee DeWyze -Fireflies ~ Owl City (Adam Young) – It was okay, and I’m happy to see he’s gaining some confidence on the stage. He should make it through and hopefully he will settle into his sound.
2. Alex Lambert – Trouble ~ Ray LaMontagne – This song is nearing over done proportions on this show, but for the first time he doesn’t have that totally deer in the headlights look.
3. Tim Urban ~ Hallelujah – Jeff Buckley – I never thought I’d see myself type this; but I like Jason Castro’s performance better. It was a little rough and it lacked some of the range and drama I’m used to getting from this song.
4. Andrew Garcia – Genie in a Bottle ~ Christina Aguilera – I was seriously dreading this performance, I couldn’t quite wrap my head around what it would sound like. I liked it, he was at the very least true to his style and he did something he believed in.
5. Casey James – You’ll Think of Me ~ Keith Urban – There’s still quite a bit more vibrato to his tone than I usually care for but he at least delivers a solid performance.
6. Aaron Kelly – I’m Already There ~ Lonestar – He had one of the worst starts I’ve ever heard but he managed to pick himself up by the chorus. He really is way too young for this competition, but he is still just so dang cute, and when he smiles…
7. Todrick Hall – Somebody to Love ~ Queen – I need to start this by admitting that I couldn’t remember his name. I was like two left to go Big Mike and some other guy. He was better this week in that he kept close enough to the song that at least I recognized it; but it was still way over the top.
8. Michael Lynch – This Woman’s Work ~ Maxwell – WOW!!!!!

So that was the top 8 guys and it’s obvious that Mike is going to the top 12, and I figure Todrick and Tim or Aaron will go home. I guess there’s no way to know for sure other than to watch the results tomorrow night. For now I’ll just go play on the ps3.

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Yes, it’s time again for my semi-coherent Idol ramblings. A little bit of a switch up with the guys on Tuesday, as Crystal Bowersox was hospitalized today and unable to perform. Wonder what they’ll do if she is unable to perform tomorrow?

Overall, this was a better week for the guys, even if some of them didn’t pay quite as close attention to the judges comments as they should have.

1. Michael Lynch – This Is A Man’s World ~ James Brown – Wow, from perky and fun to the total package, what a difference a week makes. He didn’t just sing, he performed. I’ve always liked his voice and this performance really showed how much he is capable of.
2. John Park – Gravity ~ John Mayer – This is a favorite of mine, and I don’t know that he brought anything to it. He’s got a decent voice, he just hasn’t connected to the audience or his inner star.
3. Casey James – I Don’t Want To Be ~ Gavin DeGraw – Sorry, Bo’s version is still my favorite. He wasn’t hideous, but he wasn’t great either. And could we please stop beating the dead cougar.
4. Alex Lambert – Everybody Know ~ John Legend – Well, I’ll give him this he lost most of the deer in the headlights look and when he smiles it really lights up his whole face. The singing was better this week, but there is still something I’m not quite getting.
5. Todrick Hall – What’s Love Got To Do With It ~ Tina Turner – Okay, so at least this week I could recognize the song, but I think he really is trying too hard. It will be interesting to see what he does next week, IF he makes it through.
6. Jermaine Sellers -What’s Going On ~ Marvin Gaye – I love this song, just not this particular rendition. Another one trying to hard to sell what he’s got. He seems to lack some connection with the audience as well.
7. Andrew Garcia – You Give Me Something ~ James Morrison – He is like the king of slightly quirky arrangements, but he’s having serious trouble living up to his Hollywood week rendition of Straight Up. I like his voice, and I hope he can find his stride in this competition.
8. Aaron Kelly – My Girl ~ Temptations – I wrote in my notes, “He is just so dang cute!” Not 1 minute later my mother turns to me and says, “He is just so dang cute!” Seriously, he is the cutest little puppy. He’s got a decent voice and he is gaining some confidence on stage.
9. Tim Urban – Come On Get Higher ~ Matt Nathanson – Another song I like, and he is way better than he was last week, but he is still one of the weaker singers in the group. I hear he has VFTW support, hope he seizes the time he gets to work on his singing and performance skills.
10. Lee DeWyze – Lips Of An Angel ~ Hinder – Some seriously fun song choices this week. I love his voice, and I’m intrigued by his style. If he can get past the pitch issues and just own the stage, he will be a major contender in this competition.

Now, who do I think goes home on Thursday, ummm… Best guess says Jermaine and Todrick, with John hot on their heels. So that’s it until tomorrow when the top 10 girls hit the stage. I’m off to check out a few office furniture sites and see if I can find a more comfortable chair.

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Wow, talk about a night that was all over the place, these guys surely didn’t look like the best of the bunch. Like the girls, everyone had the flubs and rough spots, and the judges comments didn’t really make it easier to figure out what was going on.

I swear the judges were passing around Paula’s incoherent judge pass, each one trying to out do the other with their totally off the wall comments. And the crud with Casey James and Kara, it’s got to stop, they have taken something that was uncomfortable at best and turned it into a something really ugly.

All right, with that said here’s what I thought of the top 12 guys.

1. Todrick Hall – 24 – Arlington, TX – Since You’ve Been Gone ~ Kelly Clarkson – I think he over did it and lost sight of the fact that this is a singing competition, but I do give him credit for taking a risk, I didn’t love the performance but I didn’t hate it either
2. Aaron Kelly – 16 – Sonestown, PA – Here Comes Goodbye ~ Rascal Flatts – He had a few rough, pitchy spots but overall it was a good performance vocally, he needs to gain some confindence but that will come with time
3. Jermaine Sellers – 27 – Joliet, IL – Get Here ~ Brenda Russell, Oleta Adams – I’ve really enjoyed him in the past, but not so much tonight, it was screechy in the chorus and it lacked connection
4. Tim Urban – 20 – Duncanville, TX – Apologize ~ One Republic – that was really rough, and his lack of confidence really shows, I don’t know if he’ll last another week, if I was him I’m not sure I’d want to
5. Joe Muñoz – 20 – Huntington Park, CA – You and I Both ~ Jason Mraz – there were good places and rough places, but overall it was an okay performance, he looks pretty comfortable on stage and he seems connected to the music
6. Tyler Grady – 20 – Nazareth, PA – American Woman ~ The Guess Who, Lenny Kravitz – he has that whole stage presence/performance skills thing down, but it all seems just a little too rehearsed, and I have to agree with the judges that the vocals need a lot more attention than they seem to have gotten, he take criticism well though
7. Lee DeWyze – 23 – Mount Prospect/Chicago, IL – Chasing Cars ~ Snow Patrol – it was a off in places and he lost the gravel and gained some screech in the chorus, I like the overall tone of his voice though and I look forward to hearing what he does next week
8. John Park – 21 – Evanston, IL – God Bless the Child ~ Billie Holiday – I like the effortlessness of his voice, but he needs to work on connecting with the audience, I would love to hear him doing something a lot more current next week
9. Michael Lynch – 26 – St. Petersburg, FL – This Love ~ Maroon 5 – there was nothing really wrong with this performance it’s just that by this point in the show I was hoping for anyone to really step it up and remind me of why I watch this show, maybe next week
10. Alex Lambert – 19 -North Richland Hills, TX – Wonderful World ~ James Morrison – he looked like a deer in the headlights even before he got on stage, I like the tone of his voice, but it was uncomfortable watching him perform, reminds me of Julia DeMato from season 2, nice voice but zero stage presence
11. Casey James – 27 – Fort Worth, TX – Heaven ~ Bryan Adams – Okay there was this odd trilling vibrato at the end of his phrases that annoyed me, but overall it was one of the better performances of the night, now if only the judges knew how to act, the poor guy deserves a free ride to next week the behaved so poorly
12. Andrew Garcia – 24 – Moreno Valley, CA – Sugar We’re Going Down ~ Fall Out Boy – I like it, it was a unique and different twist on a popular song, I’m not sure I’d want to listen to it all the time, but he’s good enough to take a few risks, I look forward to hearing what he comes up with next week

So there it is my semi-coherent thoughts on the top 12 guys. It was a rough night for these guys, but unlike those who are searching for safe and effective psoriatic arthritis treatments, their pain is short lived and coupled with the chance for fame.

As for who got my votes it was Andrew Garcia, Lee DeWyze, and Michael Lynch. Who do I think is going home, I think it should by Tim Urban and Alex Lambert, but my gut says Jermaine Sellers, Todrick Hall, or John Park are more likely candidates. We’ll find out later today during the first results show of the season featuring a performance by Allison Iraheta.

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