Todrick Hall - "Since U Been Gone" by Kelly Clarkson : I was quite impressed with Todrick's performances during Hollywood week. He seems like quite the polished performer and has the potential to go far. He completely rearranged Kelly Clarkson's famous tune "Since U Been Gone" and turns it into this hyped-up, electronic, dance song and makes it totally unrecognizable to the original! Despite that, it's not that half-bad. He took a big risk by changing up the song as dramatically as he did. I think that in itself is admirable.
Aaron Kelly - "Here Comes Goodbye" by Rascall Flatts : Here we have a contestant who's 16, who we know is a great singer, yet had his ups and downs during Hollywood Week (including forgetting the lyrics). I wasn't all that familiar with this Rascall Flatts tune, but overall I'd say he did a pretty decent job with the song. I wasn't totally blown away by his performance and he did have a few off-notes here and there. But he didn't forget any words and it was overall a pretty solid performance.
Jermaine Sellers - "Get Here" : Here's one contestant that didn't receive a whole lot of air-time during Hollywood week, but when he did, it was probably for all the wrong reasons. He threw the band under the bus after one of his performances and it was not perceived as a good thing (rightly so). Tonight is his shot at redemption, so to speak. Overall, it was an average performance - nothing that really wowed me. He seemed to struggle at times to hit the high falsetto notes and went way over the top with the runs. He really needs to reign it back in.
Tim Urban - "Apologize" by One Republic : So Tim is the last-minute addition to the American Idol puzzle after Chris Golightly's sudden disqualification from the competition. You know, after watching Tim during Hollywood week, there was nothing that really impressed me about his singing abilities. So it surprised me he received a second chance. Needless to say, I remained unimpressed after his rendition of "Apologize." The arrangement of the song was terrible and he was struggling to hit the high notes in the song. It doesn't look too good for him.
Joe Munoz - "You and I Both" by Jason Mraz : I am quite surprised by how many of the male contestants I don't know a whole lot about, yet it seems like the girls have gotten a lot of exposure thus far (producer pimping, anyone?). Anyways, Joe is one of those unfamiliar contestants, yet his performance of this Jason Mraz tune is pretty decent. Sure, he appears to be nervous and hits a few off-pitch notes. But overall it was a pretty pleasant performance. He definitely has a great voice and he's pretty easy to listen to.
Tyler Grady - "American Woman" by the Guess Who : I guess I don't really remember anything memorable out of Tyler so far on his Idol journey, just that he embraces 1970's music and style. How is that going to work in today's contemorary style? Nevertheless, he didn't make it this far based on that, so let's see if he has the vocal chops to advance far. Based on tonight's performance, I'm not entirely impressed. I liked his blusey take on the song to start, but it became rather indulgent and not all that vocally strong. There were several off pitch moments in there.
Lee Dewyze - "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol : I remember Lee's journey during Hollywood week wasn't without its dramatic moments. He was really wondering whether he'd be chosen in the top 24, and finally he heard the words he wanted to hear. Tonight's performance wasn't perfect, but it was one of the better of the night. He really changed the melody of the song and turned it into a new song. He made it more of a rock tune and I found it quite enjoyable to listen to. He needs to work on his vocal abilities a little more, though.
John Park - "God Bless the Child" by : Hmm, I know very little about this guy and I don't forsee him going very far in this. He's one of those contestants labeled as cannon fodder. All of a sudden he made the top 24 last week and it came out of nowhere. As for tonight's performance, it's downright dreadful. Who honestly picks a song like that and expects to get votes for it? It starts off so dreadful and I can barely understand the lyrics he's singing. It gets a tiny bit better but I have no hope for this guy advancing. If he does, it's pure luck.
Michael Lynch - "This Love" by Maroon Five : Michael is the contestant we've probably seen the most prior to tonight's semi-final performances out of them all. His wife had a baby during Hollywood week and that took up more of the show than his actual singing. That being said, he's probably one of the most consistent contestants so far. His performance of this Maroon Five song was pretty decent; one of the best of the night by the boys (but that ain't saying a lot). He didn't bring anything new to the song by any means but he did sing it quite well.
Alex Lambert - "Wonderful World" by James Morrison : Here's a contestant that we haven't seen a lot of singing from prior to tonight's performance round. He was unlucky to find himself in the group with Mary Powers that didn't do so well with their performance during Hollywood week. It kind of amazes me he made it out of that because tonight's performance is not going so good. He's off-pitch pretty steady and seems awfully unsure of himself on stage. He later admits he hasn't done a lot of singing in front of large groups and it shows.
Casey James - "Heaven" by Bryan Adams : I'm left to believe that Casey is a contestant that's flown under the radar and is out to surprise a lot of people. So far, he's more known for his good looks than his singing ability. But tonight, he really stepped it up and picked the perfect song. I am a bit partial to this Bryan Adams tune because it's one that David Archuleta excelled at. Casey does just as well, even though he was at a serious disadvantage by the judges and their antics while he sung. Despite that, he still did quite well.
Andrew Garcia - "Sugar We're Going Down" by Fall Out Boy : Out of 12 semi-final male contestants, Andrew is clearly the front runner to do the best. His Hollywood performance of "Straight Up" by Paula Abdul was probably one of the best out of the lot. Tonight, he re-arranges a Fall Out Boy song to match his style. Overall, it's not half bad. The arrangement is a bit weird and the song does sound more lounge-style. Also, the song seems extremeny high for Andrew. All in all, not his strongest but one of the better performances of the night.
My favorite performers of the night: Andrew Garcia, Casey James, Lee Dewyze, Joe Munoz.
Performances that were so-so: Michael Lynch, Aaron Kelly, Toddrick Hall.
In danger of being voted off: Alex Lambert, John Park, Tyler Grady, Tim Urban, Jermaine Sellers.
Going Home: Tim Urban and John Park. Urban's performance was pretty shaky and downright dreadful. I honestly have no idea why the producers brought him back as opposed to someone else with a little more stage precense and charisma. Park's wasn't much better, especially the way the song first began. It was practically unintelligible! Their terrible performances and their lack of air-time previously should probably do them in. However, the way the guys performed tonight as a whole, I wouldn't be surprised if all of them could be in danger of going home. There were only a couple that really stood out in the crowd. Don't forget to see how it all plays out tonight during the results!
(2/25/10) Actual Eliminees: Tyler Grady and Joe Munoz. Total fail this week, even though I had a feeling Tyler was in danger of being voted off. Ultimately, I didn't pick neither one.
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