American Idol - Week Three - 3/10/10

And lo, the boys have performed!
If I actually had to compare the two nights however, I would say the girls etched out the boys over better performances. I was really pleasantly surprised by the sudden reemergence of Tim Urban, who came back strong with a honest performance. I could also finally see the appeal of Alex Lambert's voice, but I think his nerves are just going to be his downfall. I'm still not a fan of Michael Lynche, but I have give the big guy props for an outstanding performance of one of my favorite songs.

You have got to love Ellen for what she did for poor Tim Urban. In the history of Idol, with the exception of the audition rounds, I have never seen a judge got out of his/her seat to give a contestant a congratulatory hug. And this is why Ellen is a great addition; her compassion is genuine. I know that for a fact because I've seen it on her talk show.

Tonight we choose the Top 12! What boys will be with us? Let's see how they did first:

1. LEE DEWYZE – sung “Fireflies” - Despite what the judges said, I don't think this was a good song fit for Lee. I think even one of the judges pointed out that Lee has a harder edge to his voice, and the song was too "weak" to support it. To me, it sounded a little over sung, since Lee has a natural grit to his voice. It's not Lee's best performance, but I don't think he's in danger by any stretch of the imagination. SAFE

2. ALEX LAMBERT – sung “Trouble” - Ah Alex. Really, this guy gets the sympathy vote for sure. Either that, or he needs to fight Tim Urban for the same votes. I like the song trouble, and I can finally see why the judges like Alex's voice. The beginning, I thought was very weak, but when he hit some of the higher notes in the middle, I can really see the gentle tone and twang his voice has. But damn, the nerves are still showing! He's was waaay too stiff on stage, and did not seem relaxed at all. (like Crystal, Michael or Lilly). It's distracting, because at some points, he looks like a deer caught in the headlights. I think his performance was solid, but compared to the rest of the performances tonight, it may be Alex's last week. IN DANGER

3. TIM URBAN – sung “Hallelujah” - Talk about the comeback kid. Just like Didi from last night, Tim came back strong after 2 solid weeks of really weak performances. Remember, again just like Didi, I called Tim out to be eliminated twice already. But finally, he gives me a performance that actually gave me pause. It wasn't the best version of this song, (personally, I loved Justin Timberlake & Matt Morris' version of it on the Hope for Haiti soundtrack), but it was honest, vulnerable, and he finally connected to the song! You saw the emotion in the way he was singing, and you can tell he really put feeling into every word. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but for the first time (and he picked the right time to come back), Tim may not be in danger, and has a very good shot of getting into the Top 12. SAFE

4. ANDREW GARCIA – sung “Genie In A Bottle” - Simon put it the best way, which mirrors my own feeling about Andrew's performance last night: it felt a little desperate. After 2 weeks of judges telling him, "your 'Straight Up' rendition was your best performance" and Andrew trying to find another similar performance, this came off a little too desperate. It's as if he was trying to find a famous song by a famous female artist and redo it, not even thinking about the song itself, and whether or not he could connect to it. Really, how could he possibly connect to "Genie In A Bottle"? I hate to say it, but Andrew has failed to impress me almost three weeks in a row. Though he claims to have fans, I hope that he has enough to get him to the Top 12 next week. Personally, I call that he might be in trouble. IN DANGER

5. CASEY JAMES – sung “You’ll Think of Me” - Again, Simon put it best when he said that though this performance was good, it wasn't memorable. I don't think this was the best song choice for Casey, so I think Randy got it right. I would have picked a more "hard rocking" country song for Casey. But again, I'm not a music producer, so what do I know? Still, mediocre performance or not, Casey is wonderful eye candy, so there's no doubt he's in the Top 12. SAFE

6. AARON KELLY – sung “I’m Already There” - Personally, I love Aaron. He's adorable and a more than decent singer. I just think this song was a bit too big for him at his age. The beginning was very weak, and a bit off-key. But I gotta tell you, once Aaron hit those high keys, it was apparent to me this kid has a very strong voice. Like Randy says he needs to work out a few pitch issues and such, but for the most part, with enough practice and training, this kid could have a great singing career. Will he win the competition? I don't think so, but at the very least, I think he will get into the Top 12. SAFE

7. TODRICK HALL – sung “Somebody To Love” - Simon's description of Todrick's performance was ideal: Broadway. I can see Todrick doing really really well on Broadway. While I can appreciate what a great performance of this Queen classic was, I didn't see "pop star" from it. When Simon said "Broadway", it clicked in my head. I think Todrick could have an outstanding career on Broadway between his dancing and singing. He gave the song a gospel feel, and it definitely worked. Though I felt Todrick did a great job, and Simon said that he just "saved himself" with that performance, I don't think it was enough. I don't think Todrick has built enough of a fan following to make it to next week. I could be wrong, but I don't think we'll be seeing Todrick next week. IN DANGER

8. MICHAEL LYNCHE – sung “This Woman’s Work” - I will give Michael this; this is the closest yet he has come to making me a fan. Seriously, this was an emotion-filled performance that brought Kara to tears. The song is powerful in itself, but Michael added such range and gravitas, that it made a positive impact on his over all performance. I LOVE the original song, and if you've ever seen the dance piece on So You Think You Can Dance, dedicated to breast cancer, you can see how much the words to this song can bring anyone to tears. Michael does not do a good job he does a tremendous job of conveying the raw emotion this song emotes. Slowly but surely, Michael is gaining a fan with me, and if he keeps up with these kind of "wow" moments, I will be a fan before season's end. Not only is Mike safe, he's a lock for the Top 12. SAFE

My Bottom Three Picks: It was really hard to pick a bottom three this week, but I think I'm on the money with my picks: Alex Lambert, Andrew Garcia and Todrick Hall.

My Pick to be Eliminated Tonight: I think Alex Lambert will go, and I will surprisingly say that it's time for Andrew Garcia to go.

We choose the Top 12 tonight! Who are you guys rooting for to get in? Do you agree the girls were better than the guys this week? Next week, we go back to a once a week review, as the Top 12 boys & girls sing together for the first time. What do you guys think? Agree? Disagree? Let’s chat it up!

Until next week my readers, I bid you farewell for now!!