Semi Finals: Top 10 Guys

So tonight we have the Top 10 guys due to some sudden illness that put Crystal Bowersox in the hospital and prevented her from performing. Let's hope whatever the issue is gets resolved so she can sing tomorrow! After a weak 1st round of performances from both the girls and guys last week, I go into tonight with hopes that everyone steps up their game. Let's see how everyone did. Again, I rate the performances from 1 note to 5 notes with 5 being the best then rank the guys here from best to worst based on that rating system. So, here we go...

Alex Lambert ♪♪♪♪ - 1 million times better from last week (I said this about 2 minutes before Simon did!). Now I see why he made the Top 24! Also, the extended video package of him discussing his nerves will DEFINITELY endear him to people and help him in the votes too. Aside from that, Alex did a complete turn around and picked a song that showcased his unique vocals perfectly. He definitely earned top honors in my book tonight. Let’s hope he keeps this train going because he is definitely unique among the guys. I really enjoyed his performance tonight. I still think he needs to work on connecting with the audience, but tonight was a BIG step in the right direction. 

Lee DeWyze ♪♪♪ ½ - Much better than last week except for the completely obvious nervousness he had without his guitar. However, Lee has found his niche, the "bad boy rocker", which we established thanks to his video package. That, I believe, will help carry him through to the Finals. I know quite a few women who have said he is their favorite, and after last week’s performance we all know it is not because of his performance. However, I love his gravelly voice which also makes him stand out from the other guys and this week he showcased that much better. Lee is becoming my 2nd favorite guy this season and with continued improvement he could become my favorite (especially if my current favorite does not step up his game). It also did not hurt to have the “pimp spot” of going last tonight. I will agree with Simon though, Lee needs to let go and just connect with the song and the moment he does that is the moment Lee will take the competition by the horns.

Mike Lynch ♪♪♪ ½ - Mike definitely has a solid voice and has been the most consistent of the guys and probably the best stage presence of all the guys too. But he is just not wowing me. I do not know what Randy is raving about. Yes, it was better than last week for sure, but I would not be getting out of my chair for this performance. That aside, Mike is definitely moving in the right direction, this is the type of music he should stick with, it fits his voice nicely. I'm just waiting for a "wow moment" from Mike.

Todrick Hall ♪♪♪ - I liked it, he made it his own without going overboard, I thought he owned it. I have no idea why the judges spit so much venom at him. I will be honest, I did not have high hopes for Todrick going into the Semi Finals, I actually was more of a Jermaine fan, but each week my opinion is changing. I have no doubt that Todrick and Jermaine are so similar that eventually one will cancel out the other in votes and I think when that happens (maybe this week?) Todrick will be the one left standing.I enjoy the fact that Todrick takes songs and changes them up, which is what the judges say they want, yet they turn around and tell him he does it TOO much. Poor Todrick, I felt his pain as the judges talked out both sides of their mouth to him.

Tim Urban ♪♪♪ - Much better performance this week, not as if that is saying much though since I predicted he would go home last week, but I was proud to see him step up. He definitely chose a better song for his voice this week which was nice to see. The other thing Tim has going for him is the latest submission of shirtless pictures that surfaced on the internet today (talk about perfect timing). As if it was not obvious last week that his looks carried him through a terrible performance, this will only fuel that fire. I predict another week’s pass for Mr. Urban due to the “Hunk Factor” that will have young ladies voting like mad to keep him around no matter what he sounds like. I will agree with Ellen though, I could totally see him on “Glee”.

Andrew Garcia ♪♪ ½ - This is NOT the Andrew Garcia I picked as a front runner in his initial audition. The vibe was weird and he was pitchy and dropping notes all over. I agree with Ellen, he set the bar SO HIGH with his rendition of “Straight Up” and he is not showing he can maintain that. I was ready to call him the winner in the beginning of this competition but now I am starting to worry about him. He has greatness in him, I hope he can find it and bring it out next week! We need another "wow moment" from him!

Aaron Kelly ♪♪ ½ - I liked it for the most part up until the end. The falsetto note was rough and it seemed to go downhill from there. He definitely has the country singer voice and he showed that in this version, even though there was not much else to it. The version was a little on the boring side and the only noteable change was the country twang Aaron added vocally. He needs to work on his vocal control too because at times his notes sound shaky, but nerves are probably contributing to that right now too. Along with being the youngest guy, he is green in regards to performing, so he has the most catching up to do. Not much else to say about this one.

Casey James ♪♪ ½ - I wish the Idol stylists would stop making Casey look like Bucky Covington, because in my opinion that hairstyle is making him lose cred. It’s awful, make it stop. In regards to his vocal performance, not much better. I want the bluesy-rocker I saw in Hollywood to come back. I was not thrilled when Casey said he was performing this song, it has never gone over well with any contestant except Elliott Yamin in Season 5. Casey’s vocals were choppy and did not flow well, I just did not get it at all. His stage presence did not match up with the song either. You cannot sing “I don’t wanna be” and have a big smile on your face the whole time. That song has spunk and grit in the lyrics, but it did not show in Casey’s stage presence. Disappointing. I am holding out hope for the Casey we saw in the beginning.

John Park ♪♪ ½ - Again, John has a decent voice, but he is very boring on stage. He seemed vacant while singing. When he is looking at the camera it is like a blank stare in his eyes. I scored John the same this week as I did last week, but I feel this performance was actually of lesser quality then last week. I am waiting for something to click with John and for him to make a connection with us as the audience. He apparently has a large fan base, so we will see if they keep him around another week.

Jermaine Sellers ♪♪ - Too much once again. We get it, you sing high, but can you do anything else? To me it was just all over the place. Like I said last week…"settle down Jermaine”. He also went overboard with the whole “I got God” thing and came off cocky. Eh. I got God too Jermaine, and I am hoping He sides with me and sends you back to your church for this Sunday’s service. Sorry to be harsh, but your attitude has proven to be much to lofty for you to back up. I think being knocked back a couple notches will prove the best thing for you and any chance of a future career you might have.

So, there is my take on tonight. Based on my ranking Jermaine and John should be going home Thursday. However, I have this funny feeling that Mike Lynch may be in some trouble this week based on a few factors. First, he has been just ok for the last 2 weeks and sometimes consistency equals complacency with voters. Add to that the fact that Randy and the other judges RAVED about him tonight, which may cause the voters to assume he is safe and spend time voting on others they think are in trouble. But, I only got 1 out of 4 predictions right last week, so we will see how well I do this go around. My preference would be Jermaine and John this week, but we will see if my theory about Mike proves true.

Tomorrow night we have the girls. Let's hope Crystal is better and can perform! I will be back after the girls perform tomorrow night to give my thoughts and predictions so check back! See you then!