AI 9 3-2-10 Elimination Round 2 - The Guys

They survived their first results show. They have seen two of their own sent home. Tonight is about their future, which lies in your hands. It is time for the guys. Live from Hollywood, this is AMERICAN IDOL!

Ryan explains the girls were supposed to perform this evening but Crystal was transported to the hospital and under medical advice should not perform so with the agreement of the guys they are performing instead. I am sure they did not have much to say about it. The machine of American Idol will move forward no matter what.

Once again, we spend enormous amounts of time with the judges. If we cut out this useless banter, each singer would gain at least an additional minute of singing time, which would be an excellent idea. My other suggestion would be to cut all the introductory videos giving even more time for the contestants to sing. The ones tonight were either boring or contained too much information (onesies indeed!).

Randy and Ellen have traded places at the judges table. I wish the producers would make up their minds.

Let us move on to gossiping about the contestants, wait, I mean providing meaningful criticism of their performances.

Michael “Big Mike” Lynche – “This is a Man’s World”

“Big Mike’s” theatrical background gave him an edge because tonight there was some charisma and he commands attention when on the stage. I was also happy he opened his eyes more as well. The best part of the performance was the ending when he threw in the little falsetto note. While this was good, it was not a wow performance. There were times when he was not singing at all and there were moments when he was flat. Clearly, “Big Mike” has a good voice and knows how to perform.

Randy – The season is finally getting started. This was unbelievable, crazy. Randy provides a standing ovation.

Ellen – I like all of your song choices, which have been very different. This will be the performance to beat tonight as you have raised the bar.

Kara – I did not get it until tonight. You owned it. You have gone from a singer to someone who can potentially be a great artist.

Simon – What a difference a week makes, you have gone from being a pussycat to a lion. This was the perfect song and you showed exactly who you are. This is by far your best performance in the competition so far.

John Park – “Gravity”

John was definitely better than last week but there was no wow. The performance did not make me sit up and listen. I did not like the arrangement and it was a boring performance just sitting on the stool. The vocals were okay outside of some pitch issues but it was too safe.

Randy – I like the John Mayer vibe for you but you did not bring anything original to the song. There were some pitch problems causing you to fall flat.

Ellen – I think this was the right song choice but you could have used more soul. Try to feel the song.

Kara – This was much better than last week but I am concerned about your connection and honesty. I do not always believe what you are singing. It may be because you are trying to be perfect but you need to let loose and take risks.

Simon – I believe the Purple Haze will be getting back their teammate. This was a “so what?” performance.

Casey James – “I Don’t Wanna Be”

I did not like this performance at all. I thought his voice sounded shaky and there was no confidence. The whole performance was just off. Casey relied too often on his guitar playing (which was phenomenal) versus singing. It was lazy. I also found his enunciation to be horrible. I understand he was going for a rock vibe but the mumbling was irritating.

Randy – I like you are channeling Jimi Hendrix and I can see you making this type of music as an artist. I am impressed with your guitar playing but it was not the best vocal.

Ellen – I like the song and I think you sounded great but there is a stiffness that comes across to me. It is as if he is good on paper but not in person. You need to perform more.

Kara – I think you took two steps backward tonight. You can play the guitar but this is a singing competition. Your honesty seemed to disappear. You did not sound great and you did not take the song to a different level.

Simon – I agree with Kara. Last week you stood out, this week you turned into the kind of singer you will see in any bar in the country. You do not have the grit in your voice to make this song work. It was more like sand.

Alex Lambert – “Everybody Knows”

Good heavens yet another contestant sitting on a stool and playing the guitar please do not let this be a trend. Luckily, Alex pulls a rabbit out of a hand. I really enjoyed this performance. Alex demonstrates great confidence this week and there is a beautiful gritty tone to his voice. I enjoyed the falsetto at the end as well.

Randy – I liked this performance. I enjoyed you did not do a sound-alike performance. There was improvement and you showed confidence. This is your niche.

Ellen – You are gaining experience and confidence. You have a nice Sam Cooke voice under your mallet. You have the most unique style of all the singers this season.

Kara – Everyone is rooting for you. You have an incredible recordable voice, which people would love to have, and you do not even know what to do with it. This is why I love this show because you are going to learn. People will look back to this show and remember seeing you before you are famous.

Simon – This is a million times better than last week. You should only be nervous if you are useless and Alex you are not useless. You have a great voice but you need to develop a killer instinct and be in this game to win. I wish I could choose your songs. You need to connect to the music. I do not want to hear anymore about your nerves because you are a good singer.

Todrick Hall – “What’s Love got to do with it”

Todrick is going to sing Tina oh please save me now. Todrick butchers another great song. This performance demonstrates Todrick really does not have much vocal range. The falsetto was rough and the chorus was not even in key. Todrick was missing notes right and left throughout the entire number. At least he cut off the coonskin tail! This was just a bloody mess.

Randy – A great singer does not need to work the arrangement you just need to pick a song and sing it. The falsetto was hot.

Ellen – I think you should move. Dancing is one of your strengths and if you are a performer then you need to be a performer. I did not like the song choice. The song is not current and it will not help you get votes. I want you here though.

Kara – Everyone likes you (excuse me Kara do not speak for me) and you got better when you started to move. I liked your original audition but since then you have been all over the place. I want you to go back and give your unique spin on songs.

Simon – This is not working for me. This was a theme park performance because there is no relevance.

Jermaine Sellers – “What’s Goin’ On?”

Please tell me that is not a bow tie and a faux Mohawk hair do – what is wrong with these contestants.

Before I get into how much I hated the performance I must digress and rant about murdering the English language. I have previously outlined some of my tipping points in how people speak and Jermaine hit two of the worst. The first is Adding an "S" to things that do not need it. Mr. Sellers and his “I rocks my…” The second is pronouncing "Ask" as "Axe" - the word is pronounced ASK! HOW HARD IS THAT TO SAY THOSE THREE LETTERS TOGETHER! Let us try it... A-S-K. One more time... A-S-K. That was very good! Now, tell me, where in A-S-K do you get A-X-E? That is RIGHT, YOU DO NOT! So learn how to speak properly because I am going to say what everyone thinks. It makes you sound uneducated and, frankly, totally illiterate. I am sorry but Jermaine irritated me like no other contestant last night.

This performance totally sucked and Jermaine came off once again as a freaking prima donna. Is it necessary to add three different notes in two different octaves when singing every freaking line? No, it is not. This contestant needs to go and go fast. Mr. “I rocks my onesie”.

Randy – This was better than last week (is he nuts?) but not great. You need to pull back more and use less vibrato.

Ellen – I love your style and onesie but the performance did not work for me. You were pushing it too much.

Kara – You do many impressive things but it is too much. You need to focus on the lyrics rather than showing off.

Simon – You water down the songs too much, this is a terrific song, but you played with it too much. No one takes you seriously as an artist.

Andrew Garcia – “You Give Me Something”

We have yet another contestant sitting on a stool. Did everyone hurt his back this week? Andrew at least has the vocal chops to keep our attention but this performance was lacking. It was so generic. Andrew has a terrific voice but he was not quite in tune and when he reached, the chorus there was no power or support so it fell flat. I was disappointed with this performance.

Randy – I did not like this – it was pitchy and all over the place. You are better than this.

Ellen – I disagree because despite a few pitch problems, it was good. You set the bar high with “Straight Up” and this is why we are disappointed. I am a big fan but you need to top yourself.

Kara – “Straight Up” was brilliant and you have not been since. You need to surprise everyone. You were too safe and too much like James Morrison.

Simon – I am frustrated that you have picked two bad songs. You need to be original and stand out from the crowd. You are better than this.

Aaron Kelly – “My Girl”

This performance surprised me the most. I really enjoyed it. Aaron improved immensely from last week. I think he really has some smooth vocals and he did change the song enough without butchering it to call it his own. My only issue is Aaron’s performance skills. This is where I could see his nerves and the head-bobbing thing has to go.

Randy – I was not sure if I would like this but you can really sing. This was 200 percent better than last week.

Ellen – I could see your confidence and I liked how you moved around the stage but the song was forgettable. You did show you could sing but you should have done that with a better song.

Kara – I liked the performance and I like you. You are consistent, you have great control, and you have a nice country twang and vibrato. I am impressed because you are so young.

Simon – I did not like it. I feel you went backwards. You need to be like Justin Bieber (excuse me) and work out what kind of artist you want to be.

Tim Urban – “Come On Get Higher”

Once again, I have to say I was surprised how much I liked this performance as well. I thought it was a solid performance. There were a couple of sharp notes in the chorus but overall I liked listening to it and thought Tim pulled a miracle after last week’s disaster.

Randy – I thought it was all a bit karaoke. There was nothing special or unique about it.

Ellen – You should act and would be good on “Glee”. You are adorable and would be popular if you act.

Kara – I liked the song choice but you did not make the song your own. You look and play the part but it is not all there. Sometimes I see it and then it goes the opposite way.

Simon – I disagree with the rest of the judges. This was a big improvement after last week. I feel like you listened to their criticism. You chose a “young song” and went back to what the judges saw in him earlier. You did not just give a karaoke performance as so many others did tonight. I am impressed by your attitude and work ethic. You did not whine you just went to work.

Lee DeWyze – “Lips of an Angel”

I like Lee and if he can tighten his vocals, i.e. conquer his nerves he might be a player in this competition. I liked the song and his performance. Lee’s diction was perfection. I only had two issues with the performance. First, there was the use of the microphone stand and second was the issue of his pants. Please stop pulling up your pants and get a belt or suspenders.

Randy – Why did you not play the guitar? It was a bold move and I like that you are trying to come out of your comfort zone. I love you. The song had some pitch problems but I liked it.

Ellen – I agree about the pitch problems but do not think it matters. You did not perform a whole lot but your passion came out.

Kara – This was a big improvement. I can hear you on the radio right now. You need to own your stance.

Simon – You need to raise your shoulders. Vocally, you are far above all the other guys. You need to believe in yourself. I am waiting for you to lose your nerves and connect. You may be the one to beat.

This week was not a total train wreck for the men with a few exceptions. I voted but did not spend two hours voting. I voted for everyone but Jermaine. I did manage to get in 247 votes though. The majority of my votes when for “Big Mike”, Alex, Aaron, Tim and Lee.

I believe Todrick and Jermaine should be heading home but my prediction is Jermaine and John will find their journey ending on Thursday night.