Game Show Newsnet - American Idol: Season 9

Last night, the women gave us their last musical attempt to get into the Top 12. Tonight, the men do the same. Will they stand and deliver? Or will the sleep-fest by the women sound light and lively by comparison?

Lee DiGeorge joins me tonight as we attempt to get through the final men's solo night.

Lee DeWyze

starts us off very current and contemporary with Owl City's 'Fireflies'.
The Good - Hey! No flat spots! Unlike Randy, I liked the song choice because it's contemporary and hip, and the kiddies should like it.
The Bad - When you are performing any sort of song, you want the money note to be the highlight of the song, not the mediocre-night. The problem isn't the pitch as much as it's the lack of breath support through the long notes that seem to fade off into the night...yes, like fireflies.
The Lee - Pitchy, Pitchy, Pitchy. You could do much better than that. (B-)
The Verdict - I really liked the performance. The judges don't necessarily like contemporary song choices, but this was a smart idea. It's solid and Lee should have no problem getting into the Top 12.

Alex Lambert

performs 'Trouble', which could be very appropriate with a lousy performance. Who exactly does he put into trouble?
The Good - He's definitely maturing as an artist. He's still got that nice tone in that voice. From a technical standpoint, it's the best I've heard him.
The Bad - For the second straight song, the money note gets faded out. I also don't think he had the emotional passion, I think that although the banana is ripening, it's a little mushy, but hard like a peach. Alex has to make love to the camera and let himself go, because the emotional passion you needed for that song wasn't there.
The Lee - Solid Performance of a great song. That's completely listenable. Loosen up! (B)
The Verdict - The song was a great choice because it shows us who he is and what his style is. He should have no problem with getting to the Top 12.

Tim Urban

is going to try to get into the Top 12 with Jeff Buckley's 'Hallelujah'. Yes, I'm cringing already.
The Good - Not like this says much, but it's the best that I've heard of him. He was in tune for the performance, and for Tim, that's a big step upwards.
The Bad - See what I said about bringing the emotional game for Alex? Repeat here. He does absolutely nothing with the song and it feels like a big copycat performance.
The Lee - Mr. Urban, you've learned how to play the Idol game! Congrats! Pick a great song and sing it to the best of your ability (B+)
The Verdict - Here's the problem that I had with it. He did nothing with it, and he's up there with a guitar, as was Lee and Alex. Sure, it was a good job, but what did he do to differentiate himself from anyone else? The answer is that he didn't, and I think he may have problems tomorrow.

Andrew Garcia

channeled Paula Abdul, which I think got him this far. He's going to try to do the same with Christina Aguilera's 'Genie in a Bottle'. Can he recapture the magic?
The Good - It's a good idea to go back to the well...er...bottle that helped you out last time. And the vest is tres chic.
The Bad - However, the notes that went off either should have been put back in the bottle...unless the sharpness of the notes made the bottle shatter.
The Lee - This year's Sundance Head. Completely falling apart on the live shows. Can the tweet brigade save you again? (C-)
The Verdict - I agree with all the judges. His song was desperate, and it was pitchy. However, I think the song went right to his fan's wheelhouse. Now the question is...is it enough?

Who's up for some country? Casey James

is, as he wants you to 'Think of Me', the way Keith Urban did.
The Good - It's acoustic guitar night on Idol! If there's anyone that should be doing it this week, it's Casey. It's a great song in terms of showcasing who you are, and this shows who he is.
The Bad - The intent was there. The execution wasn't. Very pitchy at the beginning of the song, and it didn't improve from there. It's also a safe choice, which doesn't show off his vocal range.
The Lee - Oversang by the backup singers. Was unimpressed with the boring performance. (C)
The Verdict - Like Alex, the song was more of a niche carver as to who he is and can be. I think he carved it enough to get to the Top 12.

Aaron Kelly

is also going to try a little country. His song of choice 'I'm already there'. Is he already there in the Top 12?
The Good - I can actually say that his tremolo helps him in this performance. I like the arrangement and we see a passion and swagger from him that we haven't seen before from him.
The Bad - I'm not nuts about the song choice. There's a huge field of pop and he could have gone there, as we already know he can sing country. Aaron's gotta work on that lower register. A flat tire is also already there, and it doesn't move that much.
The Lee - Song was way too big for you. Way too big. That may have hurt you quite a bit. (C)
The Verdict - I agree with Simon that the lyrics aren't the tell all and end all. Like Casey, I think that Aaron sang a great song to his fanbase, and they will respond in kind. But as this was the worst of his 3 performances, and as the rest of the guys have raised their game, I could see him having problems tonight.

Todrick Hall

has been all over the place with his selections. He needs the audience to love him, so why not 'Somebody to Love' by Queen?
The Good - He's singing a song done by a male, so that's a start. He's also got nice background singers...
The Bad - ...who sound better than he does. If the surviving members of the band heard how badly he mangled the pitch from pillar to post, they would send out the rest of the royal family to club him with their scepters.
The Lee - You would have had the R&B Vote with this performance... but even though your performance was one of the best of the night, you're going home. Send a nice thank you card to Michael Lynche. (B)
The Verdict - I don't know what Randy Jackson was smoking, but that sounded hideous. If Michael Lynche comes out and sings Todrick into the floor, he could have massive issues tonight.

Speaking of which, Michael Lynche,

finishes the night with 'A Woman's Worth'. How much will the performance be worth?
The Good - FINALLY a performance that combines all everything; he hit the notes, put passion behind it, and had the stage presence, And he looked dapper in the suit.
The Bad - Where do you go from here? Now he has to try to better himself, and I don't know if he can. Plus he has to buy tissues for the now-crying Kara, who may have switched her man-crush from Casey to Michael.
The Lee - A complete Idol moment. (A)
The Verdict - Someone decided that they wanted to sing. We know Mike will be safe. We also know that Todrick is doomed.

Overall Verdict Michael's performance was the highlight of a very slow, bordering on dreary set of performances. The quality of the vocals was better, but from a performance standpoint, there was some stuff here to be desired. So who is the least desirable?

Trouble: Todrick Hall, Tim Urban, Andrew Garcia, Aaron Kelly

Anytime a singer does very well in a genre and blows out the other singers in the same genre, that other singer has problems. Todrick, meet Michael. Now meet the exit sign. As far as the other singer is concerned, I think Tim Urban has the best performance of his life, and I think that bails him out and sends Garcia packing, because he's going in a sea of guitarists tonight and they were all decent. I think the little fish is going to drown.

OUT: Andrew Garcia and Todrick Hall

The Lee: Top of the Class: Lynche, Urban, Lambert
Middle of the Class: DeWyze, Hall
Bottom of the Class: Garcia, James, Kelly

Who should go home (in my opinion): Kelly and Garcia
Who will ultimately not get enough votes to stay in the competition: Hall and Garcia

Join us later in 24 hours to see who makes the Top 12 and who comes in 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th.

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