American Idol: The Boy's are still not back in town.

As a last minute switch the boys are performing on Tuesday night with the girls performing on Wednesday. I don't mind this as this year the boys seem to be the musical equivalent of Ambien (I've been having trouble sleeping lately). After tonight's episode I think I will have no problem. I've come to the conclusion that the girls this year are good, sometimes even great. Sure they're not in the Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood or heck even Kimberly Caldwell league, but they're still in a different league then 98% of the boys. At this point the only thing the boys really have going for themselves are that they're good looking and are smart enough to invest in really good hair care products, because its not their singing or performing that they've worked on.

So on to.....Heck, I don't even know if I can call tonight a show.

Michael Lynche – "This is a Man’s World" by James Brown – Michael's problem is that he's a big guy and doesn't have the talent to back it up. I love his personality when he's not threatening people or acting cocky and thinking he's probably the most memorable of the guys this year. It's odd last week I thought he choose a song that was within his limits as a singer, but he delivered it serviceably. This week I think he picked a bigger song and even though he sang it better then I thought he would. He's still not at the level that he really should be being in the top 10 of the boys. I'm not sure that he can ever reach that level, but with the group that we have, I'm sure he will at least make the top 12.

John Park – Gravity by John Mayer – I thought last week he was in way over his head with "God Bless the Child." This week, I think "Gravity" made him crash to the ground and could be the end of him. I mean he's a decent singer who really likes to hold on to those notes even if they're flat most of the time. Even with that, he has zero personality, and no performing skills. He also is unlucky enough to choose songs that seem to have no impact. I could see him coming in 6th place at some bar version of Idol which is a lot better then I think he's going to do on the show.

Casey James – "I Don’t Want to Be" by Gavin Degraw – I felt like I was watching a Calvin Klein model trying to be a Rock Star. Casey does better with the less is more approach, which is probably why he's better with his clothes off. He started off at a disadvantage by picking an overdone Idol song but just stayed still and showed that he was better at playing the guitar then he was at singing. I think in order to make this song stand out you really need a raw sound to your vocals or possibly trying it acoustic instead of giving us the same version we've heard before with less of an impact.

Alex Lambert – "Everybody Knows" by John Legend – I really want to like the guy with the Carol Brady flip but I he's one of those people that you spend a minute talking to and then realize he has no personality and you pretend to get a drink and will talk to anyone around you so you don't have to go back. He does have gorgeous tone to his voice and such an innocent, scared look on his voice, how can you not vote for him. I'm really scared for him and us if he makes the top 12 and will have to do disco or showtunes because he's going to crash and burn.

Todrick Hall – "What’s Love Got to do with It" by Tina Turner – I like Todrick. He seems like a nice guy and he can dance. I think one of his issues is that his voice just isn't where he wants it to be. It's a nice voice with a decent tone but he want's a star voice and he doesn't have one. His other problem is he wants to change the meaning of perfect songs. It's one thing to work on something that isn't that great or only okay and make it sound better but those songs are classics. The moment you hear them on the radio you know what they are. In Todricks arrangements you could hear one of this songs in some cruise ship and still not now what the song is. Also he has to lay off the girl songs.

Jermaine Sellers – "What’s Goin’ On" by Marvin Gaye – Really What's goin On could be applied to every single thing about this bomb. I understand the bowtie, sweater, and shirt but don't and can NOT forgive the hair. At first I thought Grace Jones and Arsenio Hall had a love child. I've come to believe he picks a song based on vocal ability and nothing else. If you take a pill and look back at last weeks performance and then compare it to this one, it's like he throws the term meaning of a song out the window. He shouted Get Here to me so many times while casting scary bug eyes that I would never have crossed the desert on an airplane for him. Tonight I actually thought I heard a lovely breathy sound to his voice in the middle of the song that I loved and then he kept asking "What's Goin' On" so many times I asked George is he new. Also, I don't think he's aware of how he comes across on television and really may want to just listen instead of talking so much. Another pet peeve of mine is when someone blames boring, over the top singing as church music. I think Jennifer Hudson, Fantasia, Mandisa, and many more are all "considered" church singers and they're incredible singers who don't seem to have the problems that Jermine Sellers seems to have.

Andrew Garcia – "You Give Me Something" by James Morrison – First, I hate the scarf. Second, I hate Andrews resemblance to Danny Gokey in any close-ups. Poor guy, couldn't sustain a note to save his life and at the end when he had to jump a few easy notes he was off. I honestly expected seeing Bill Murray coming out singing Star Wars in that bad 70's Cabaret act. I would recommend Ne-Yo's "Closer," or Plain White T's "Hey There Delilah" which I think would be great picks for him.

Aaron Kelly – "My Girl" by the Temptations – First I have to say that I hate this song. Also out of all the songs you could pick from he choose this one. I thought the moving from side to side and the pelvic thrusts were a little distracting. Also that final falsetto note was so painful I could even see Tim Urban hiding his head in shame, or was that be he was set to perform next? Aaron got told last week that he's talented and growing and he pushed it too far this week. I think these are the weeks to try to pick stuff that you know well and can do well so it can build your confidence. I think I would have picked a Michael Buble or maybe Sting. I think he would sound great on something like "Fields of Gold."

Tim Urban – "Come On Get Higher" by Matt Nathanson – I think Tim learned something last week. Keep the camera focused on his face or his arms, pick a song that's not well known so we can't compare him to the original, and deliver it like someone is holding his pet rabbit hostage. He was better then last week but is that really a compliment. I'm scared that he is going to at least make the top 12 due to looks and when he's eliminated soon after he will get offers to be the next Zac Effron. One Day he'll probably be the biggest star or this seasons contestants.

Lee Dewyze – "Lips of an Angel" by Hinder – I like Lee and I think he's without a doubt the best guy this season. There are some issues though that I have with him and it makes me wonder, even if he is the best guy is he good enough to make it in the real work? He has a distinct, raw, current sound to his voice but from what I've heard he has issues with sustaining the notes and a lot of off notes mixed in. I also wonder how successful he's going to be in the grunge world when there are so many superior performers with better styles. He comes across as having zero personality and I hate that he slumps over all the time. I loved the beginning of this song and was starting to move him up in the ranks until he got to the chorus and he lost everything. If he's having problems now can you imagine when the theme is Standards or Selections from the Lawrence Welk show????

I have to say that it's almost like they found 12 (counting Disco Stu and the bus boy from last week) losers. then decided to put them together in a talent school and hoped it would play out like a screwball comedy. I think they would have gotten better performances from these guys if they did that instead. If I could find one boy that I would list as the best of the night it would be Lee. I think John Park and possibly Todrick Hall are ending our pain and suffering this week. I would LOVE to say Jermaine Sellers but I have a feeling he is going to live to see one more week and then have a Tatitana type of meltdown. I'll bring the popcorn!!!!

So join me tomorrow night so we can enjoy some of the actual singers when the girls take the stage.

StevenD