American Idol: Top 12 Guys Perform

Todrick Hall (24) is the actor/dancer of the competition. He decides to go with Kelly Clarkson's, "Since You've Been Gone." He totally changes up the arrangement and decides that doing a slam poetry version is the way to go. Not a good call. It doesn't show off any of his vocal skills and I question after that performance if he has any. I appreciate that Todrick is trying to make the song fresh but for a first performance I would have preferred to really hear him sing. Ellen appreciates the enthusiasm from the crowd but admits the singing wasn't the greatest. Randy is a fan but he didn't like the arrangement. Kara agrees with Randy. What the hell is she wearing? Simon nails it with a dancer trying to sing comment.

Aaron Kelly goes with a Rascal Flatt song and DH immediately comments on his lack of stage presence. He's obviously nervous. I wonder why he decided on a country song rather than an Aaron Carter one. They are doppelgangers after all. There are some pitchy notes but Aaron does get a little more comfortable as the song progresses. Simon shows some sympathy and calls it quite a good performance. He encourages Aaron to gain some confidence. Kara comments on his raw, natural talent. Randy agrees. I have a feeling that Randy will be getting the short end of the stick this season from me in my recaps. He's just so blah. Ellen loves it.

Jermaine Sellers (27) goes with "Get Here." Did we see him in the auditions? I can't remember him. Jermaine doesn't do himself any favors by picking this boring song. Wasn't this song the anthem of the first Iraq war? I seem to remember it being really popular and used for commercials and other background montages. Yes, I am that bored by Jermaine's performance that I'd prefer talking about the insipid song. Ellen loves his look and the song. Really, Ellen? She doesn't think he really felt the song. Randy didn't like the song selection but likes his look. Kara didn't think that the vocal runs were meaningful and it felt old. Simon thought Jermaine over-sang the song. And predicts that Jermaine is going home.

Tim Urban goes with a One Republic song, "Apologize." Good choice in that it's instantly recognizable. Bad choice in that he doesn't do it nearly as well as the lead singer for that band. The falsetto notes are absolutely terrible. But he has the Twilight hair so he could be safe, regardless. If the readers don't know, Tim replaced another contestant who was kicked out because of a previous recording contract. Simon references it and says that the judges were correct in not letting him through the first time. Kara said that the music overpowered him. Randy thinks it was the wrong song. Ellen feels bad for Tim.

I'm really feeling the fatigue of four judges commenting. Get rid of Randy or Kara and give that salary to Simon to stay on with a panel of only three judges. We meet Joe Munoz for the first time. He is the Mexican version of David Archuleta. He picks a Jason Mraz song. Joe is a good singer but has a weird warbling in his voice at times. DH likes him except for the mumbling. Ellen thinks Joe was really comfortable on stage. Randy didn't think it was the perfect song choice but that Joe has a great voice. Kara actually likes the song selection and thinks Joe has been the best so far. Simon kind of agrees with Kara but thinks Joe needs a lot of work.

Tyler Grady (23) is the broken wrist guy and decides to go with "American Woman." Most of us know this song as the Lenny Kravitz remake. It's a great song choice for his style. He does a decent job but his voice gets lost in the music occasionally. I expected a lot more energy and connection to the song than Tyler shows here. Simon thinks that people will remember the performance but for the wrong reasons. Kara agrees. The camera flashes on Tyler and he looks bored. Randy says it was style over substance. A pithy, accurate comment. There might be hope for Randy yet. Ellen thinks Tyler is a pale version of his '70s heroes.

Lee Dewyze (23) goes with "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol. I love this song! Winter of 2008 when we drove up North we must have heard it a 100 times. Got to love Sirius. He's the first guy to accompany himself on guitar. It's a great song selection for his voice but Lee changes it up with his more gravely intonations. A very good job. Ellen thought there was some screaming instead of singing but liked it overall. Randy disagrees with "E" and thought that Lee should have picked a rocker song. Wow, there is no winning for these contestants, is there? Kara agrees that the range was too small for Lee. Simon totally agrees with me and my heart breaks a little more that this is his last season.

John Park (21) is the token Asian. He goes with "God Bless The Child." A very, very interesting song selection and one that I think will bite him in the ass. John starts out very soft and boring. I think part of the problem is that the pitch is too low for him. Even when the song picks up I am still yawning. A long three minutes. Simon thinks that John's voice was flat and not good enough to sing the song. Kara agrees. Randy agrees. Ellen liked the performance and hopes that the audience votes for John.

Big Mike says how proud he is of his wife so I thaw a little at him missing the birth of his daughter. He goes with "This Love" by Maroon 5. A tough song. I did not realize he played the guitar...not that he did that much with it during the performance. It's a decent performance but, dare I say it? A little karaoke. He's totally safe though. He's got the good guy thing going for him. Ellen loves Mike's personality. Randy agrees. Kara enjoys the energy of the performance. Simon called it the support act before the main act. He thinks Mike can do better.

Alex Lambert picks "Wonderful World" and I feel like I should know this song but he doesn't do a good enough version of it for me to remember. You probably know Alex from the painfulness of the group round where he was a supporting player in the Mary Powers melt down. Unfortunately we seem him melt down on stage with a terrible performance. Simon was happy that the song was over. Kara wants to give Alex a hug. No need to keep shoveling shit on the poor boy. Randy also comments on Alex's potential. Given his lack of exposure during the audition rounds I have to take the judges' word for it. Ellen calls him adorable and comments on the mullet. Awesomeness.

Casey James goes with "Heaven." This guy did a 180 for me from his shirtless audition to his kick ass auditions at Hollywood week. True to form he accompanies himself on the guitar. And does a great job putting a more rock edge on a sappy pop song. DH notes that Simon and Ryan will totally play up the Kara/Casey angle all season long. And I have a feeling that Casey will be in the competition for a very long time. DH is totally right when the other judges make Kara go first. Kara comments on an occasional pitchiness. She lobs it over to Ellen who says that Kara was undressing Casey with her eyes. Randy makes a funny when saying they both share the model vibe. Simon comments on their shared good looks and really liked the performance. This guy is going far.

Who can top that performance? My boy Andrew Garcia. Yes, I'm actively rooting for this guy. I get a great David Cook vibe off of him. He selects "Sugar, I'm Going Down" by the Fallout Boys. I'm immediately nervous because I don't know this song. But not to worry, Andrew kicks some serious ass. He is excellent at controlling his voice, the pace and doing it all while playing the guitar. Andrew is extremely talented. After the first week, he could take the crown. Simon totally disagrees with me and calls it indulgent. OK, Simon. I have to pick on you for this one because he can't make crazy arrangement every single time. Kara thought it was a strange rendition of the song. I'm still standing strong with my label of awesomeness. Randy agrees with Kara and Simon. Ellen agrees with the other three. I'm ignoring them and still think Andrew was the best of the night.

So, who's out? Jermaine, John Park or Todrick. Also potentially on the chopping block is Alex Lambert.

SJ out.