A.I. 2010 - Top 8 boys compete

American_Idol_logo It's generally been opined that the girls in this year's batch of Idol contestants are the more talented ones. As these three weeks have shown though, it's one thing to have talent, but it's another thing to know what to do with said talent. This came to a head with this week's two episodes, last night's snoozefest by the girls, and this week's wildly inconsistent, but at least entertaining round with the boys.

Obviously to really drive this point home, I'll be talking SPOILERS so bookmark this page or save it in your RSS Reader if you don't want to know who sang what and how much I hate Kara DioGuardi.

I'll say this about the guys: number one, their song choice is more varied in genre and style so it doesn't feel like I'm listening to the same track over and over. Number two, they're more apt to perform and do something whacky, as opposed to the girls who are content to just plop down on that black bench and croon, or moan, or warble, or yell. And number three, though the girls have more talent, it seems like every week there is another guy who "gets it" and improves tremendously on last week's performance. The girls are more stagnant, to the point where the guys are clearly better performers, better song pickers, soon we'll be at the point where talentwise, it's all even.

This is not to say though that all of the guys are better than the girls, lord no. But what is clear is that the gulf between the best of the girls (Bowersox) and the lows of the girls (Brown) is so immense, whereas the guys tend to clump together in the upper spectrum of passability. To put it another way, I'd mute several of the girls if I weren't doing a blog, not so much the guys.

Another thing about this particular episode I'd like to point out is how annoying Kara DiaBlahblahblah has been. Between the annoying cozying up to Simon at the beginning of the episode, where Simon genuinely looked uncomfortable (compare it to the Ellen shtick he did the other night); the weird, unknowledgeable comments; and finally, the probably-genuine-but-man-did-that-seem-fake tears she shed after the last performance, it's all becoming too much for one to stomach. Despite what she may think, this is still a singing competition with a premium supposedly attached to the singing. As entertaining as Simon is (used to be?), in the bigger scheme of things, it's the songs we want to listen to, not this loony judge nonsense.

1. Lee DeWyze - "Fireflies" by Owl City

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I really, really like this song. Period. I'm not particularly thrilled that he chose this song nor am I thrilled about his rendition of it. There's a twinge of folk rock in his version, along the lines of maybe The Dave Matthews Band or Hootie and the Blowfish if you were alive back then, but the phrase "YouTube artist" has been thrown around a lot lately and it really, really, fits this guy. To wit: if I were Simon, I'd tell him that I have no idea what kind of an album he'd produce besides an album of modern pop covers.

The first three judges were all okay with it. Randy pointed out that it had a few pitch problems but that he made it his own, Ellen liked it, and Kara commented on his confidence and what he did (stripping the techno song to just a guitar), saying that it was solid. Simon correctly pointed out though that there was nothing to rave about the performance and that he didn't have a moment. And based on last night's recap/review, Simon sure does know a thing or two about moments.

2. Alex Lambert - "Trouble" by Ray LaMontagne

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I liked Lambert a lot last week, but the song he picked this go-around emphasized his weird vocal tone, and not in a good way. It was almost frog-like, croaking and off-putting and comical, when I think the intention was to channel John Mayer. Coupled with the fact that it didn't allow him to really show a lot of range and I thought this was a bit of a flop.

Randy opined that it felt a bit too fast, to which I wanted to remind him that we only had an hour-long show today. Ellen brought back the banana references, calling him a mushy banana and telling him not to become a cocky banana. That is a clear-cut case of not knowing when to let a joke die. It was Kara's turn to launch Zen koans at a singer ("Be you. Let go.") and then Simon closed it down by projecting the mental image of Randy in a bikini in all of our heads.

3. Tim Urban - "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen

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With full disclosure, I still hate and can't stand Tim Urban, whose mullet hair is fast approaching Sanjaya-levels of fullness. A faux-hawk cannot be far behind I fear. He chose a song that I don't particularly like either, and I thought he was overacting the entire time. Vocally, it did nothing for me, not even as a cover.

Of course, the entire panel disagreed, starting off with Randy saying that he did a pretty good job, Ellen coming over to give him a hug (apparently she didn't get the memo that they needed to keep things moving in this one-hour show), Kara gave the WILD comment that he was on top of the boys right now, which is utterly ridiculous, and finally, Simon wanted to take credit for his strong performance. Whatever.

4. Andrew Garcia - "Genie in a Bottle" by Christina Aguilera

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Here's another YouTube artist, but at least he's actually doing work by reimagining songs that were originally done by female artists. On the other hand, that seems to be all that he's capable of. To wit: I have no idea what kind of song he would "normally" sing. In this one, his words slur together as he tries to do all of the various vocals, when there used to be clear demarkations for the lead and the back-up singers. It's a mess, and this is more novelty than act.

Randy thought it didn't work and was pitchy, and said that Garcia made the song feel like it only had three notes. Ellen talked about how "the genie came out of the bottle too late" or how in other words, he only attempted to do something vocally towards the end. Kara said that he peaked too early, but then of course, they were the ones who keep bringing up the whole "Straight Up by Paula Abdul" thing each week, and finally Simon thought it was desperate. I like him more than DeWyze because of the creativity factor, but DeWyze is the better singer. One of them though, is leaving, I feel.

5. Casey James - "You'll Think of Me" by Keith Urban

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After going hard-edge on us last week, James shows us his softer side, by going stripped down with just an acoustic guitar. There's genuine emotion in this one, and legit vocal tremors. He's come a long way from being "that guy who took off his shirt" as there's a certain savviness in his song choice, showing off his range, both vocally and emotionally, while still sticking to his personality.

Big Dog Jackson thought it was a safe choice though. Ellen thought he looked more comfortable on a stool and strumming (I think he can do that and rock out). Kara says she's back on the Casey train but that he's missing that spark. Simon thought it made him sincere but he asserted that it wouldn't be something we'd be raving about after the performance. True, but methinks it gets him safe to the next week.

6. Aaron Kelly - "I'm Already There" by Lonestar

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I thought Kelly and Lambert were great last week but they both take steps back this time. Kelly began trembly before building up to power, but when he got up from the stool and began to stand, well first the whole concept came off as horribly choreographed, and second, he keeps doing this awkward-looking hip thrust motion that I will let our more green-minded readers imagine. I was hoping he'd do something new and un-country, personally.

Randy thought that he still had some work to do but commended him all the same. Ellen compared him to a 30-year-old which may or may not be a compliment. Kara began to talk about how the song didn't suit him because first it was in third person (as if he could have had a hand in that when it was being written), and second, because the song was about a dad calling his kids and little boy Kelly seemed more like the one to be called and...Simon cut her off at that point by calling her comment, "complete and utter rubbish," saying that a good song is a good song.

Now on one hand, I appreciate Simon shutting Kara up, but Simon has long been the one complaining about people picking songs that are not of their age, or songs that make people sound old. I should know this, as a Katie Stevens fan. It came off to me as extremely hypocritical and, as he himself said, "we're confusing the contestants." Damn right, and not to mention pissing off the viewers.

7. Todrick Hall - "Somebody to Love" by Queen

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I love this song and I love his gospel take on it, with the choir/back-up singers. I love the movement, the showmanship, as befits his dancer background too. He chose a Queen song though, and that needs a lot of power, since Freddy Mercury was all about power, and he didn't have it. Even a few shouts here and there would have been great, but none were forthcoming. It was like a tamer version of the song, and "tamer" is something you rarely want to be on this show.

To my surprise, Randy proclaimed that "Todrick is back" and that he proved that he "could really sing," labeling it as one of the best vocals of the night. Ellen gave him props for his bravery and for not going softly into the night on a chair singing an emo-singer/songwriter piece (whoops, that was for the girls). Kara whined about it being dramatic, as if she had never heard a Queen song in her life, which further infuriated me. Finally Simon said that it was good only in parts, but that it told the audience that he was a Broadway singer. And boy, aren't those all the rage lately? "It may have saved you," Cowell adds.

8. Michael Lynche - "This Woman's Work" by Kate Bush

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After some talk from Ryan Seacrest about he had gone from being a pussycat to a lion, Lynche begins with a few mews. Irony, folks. The performance was classic R&B, technically very good, and he played the stage very well, but I didn't feel, perhaps mainly because this isn't my usual kind of music, that it was a memorable performance. Clearly it was heads and shoulders above the rest, but from a larger point of view? Eh.

Randy was shocked speechless at how good it was. At what point, he simply repeated "really" three times. They pay him a lot of money to be speechless. Ellen proclaimed him the one to beat. Kara sobbed tears of joy and, what felt to me, fakery. Simon crowned it as the best performance of all the live shows so far this season.

Could Lynche win? Possibly, but I have two words to counter that: Ruben. Studdard.

And on that note, I bid you all a good night.

My top 3:
Michael Lynche, Casey James...and I don't have a third. Great. I'll toss Todrick Hall in there too then.

My bottom 3:
Lee DeWyze, Andrew Garcia, Tim Urban.

All videos uploaded to Youtube by VdovinaHD.

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