'IDOL' WATCH: The Top 10 Men

"Idol" surprised viewers tonight, sending the gentlemen on to perform instead of the previously scheduled women. At the top of the episode, Ryan Seacrest explained that fan favorite Crystal Bowersox was taken to the hospital and was recommended to not perform by her doctors. "Idol" producers, as well as the guys themselves, were accommodating and decided to go tonight and allow Bowersox the night to rest.

Thankfully, the gentlemen had a much better showing than last week.

The night stared out strong, with likely the best performance of the night coming from Michael Lynche. Singing This is a Man's World by JAmes Brown, Lynche was able to make an older song feel both new and current. His vocals were impeccable and the performance was spot on. Randy told Lynche he "had the fire" and Simon called it "exactly the right kind of song." Lynche set the bar high right from the get-go. (I was also a huge fan of the clip of him curling Aaron Kelly...wow.)

John Park chose Gravity by John Mayer and the performance was rough. Park was a bit pitchy and couldn't carry the big song. Although it was a better choice than last week, it still didn't have the wow factor that it needed. Simon was quite correct in calling it a "so-what" performance. Park needs to make a more upbeat choice for next week, should he remain around.

Casey James came out next and showed a bit more of his rock side. James tore it up on electric guitar with Gavin DeGraw's I Don't Wanna Be. But, along with the extra emphasis on the guitar came a bit of a slide in the vocals. This is a singing competition and if James wants to be taken seriously he has to spend more time on his singing. That's not to say he should ignore his other musical talents, but the vocals must be solid before he can have the whole package. His performance wasn't poor enough to send him home this week, but he will need to come back strong in his next performance.

Alex Lambert easily earns the most improved award. Lambert seemed to be able to rid himself of much of his nerves from last week and came out strong with John Legend's Everybody Knows. Lambert had his guitar out tonight and completely owned the song. Kara correctly called his voice "very recordable," as his slight rasp makes him really stand out. Lambert was great and has really upped the ante for the other men.

One of the bigger misses on the night came from Todrick D. Hall, the singer/dancer who failed to use his strengths to his advantage. Again, Hall did too much with the song, changing the melody and remixing the accompaniment beyond what was necessary. The judges pleaded with him to do less with the song, should he make it to next week, and use his technical abilities to show his uniqueness. Simon said his performances have been "completely and utterly wrong" and Hall will have a lot to prove if he's able to make it through.

Jermaine Sellers chose to pick an older, slower song again this week, which seems to completely contrast with his personality and style. Sellers dresses young, but always seems to come out and sing something for the older crowd. The song wasn't that bad, but it wasn't very good either. Overall, the song was simply boring. The judges called him out for having a poor choice in songs and called his performance "watered down." Sellers has the singing chops, but has yet to put them to good use.

Andrew Garcia was again a disappointment. Singing You Give Me Something by James Morrison, the song felt too serious for Garcia's upbeat personality. Even in his interview, Garcia was showing off his break dancing skills, coming off as quirky and upbeat. The song type seemed to be at odds with the kind of performer Garcia is. The judges commented on his song choice as well, and Simon said, "That was just okay and you're better than okay." Simon's right. Garcia needs to pick up where he left off with Straight Up, otherwise he will begin to lag behind singers like Lynche and DeWyze.

Aaron Kelly, the young singer who, last week, came out strong, took a step back this week with his performance of My Girl by The Temptations. The song, which has been sung over and over, lacked anything new to really draw in the crowd. Kelly wasn't bad, per se, he just didn't do anything to make himself stand out. Kara, Randy, and Ellen enjoyed his performance, with Randy saying, "You can really sing." Simon, however, called the song old-fashioned and said Kelly doesn't know what kind of singer he wants to be.

Another contestant who made a major improvement over last week was Tim Urban. He clearly has the weakest voice of anyone remaining in the contest, but his ability to take criticism and use it could keep him around longer than anyone expected. The performance wasn't great, but it wasn't bad by any means. Kara commended him for his song choice, but said he hasn't gotten the whole package to come together yet. Urban had a much better showing than I expected and really impressed me compared to what he did last week.

The final performance of the night came from Lee Dewyze, who left behind his guitar and opted for a stand-and-sing. This is clearly not the type of performer DeWyze is, but it didn't come off as a bad performance. Singing Lips of an Angel by Hinder, DeWyze used his unique tone to make the song his own. The judges enjoyed his performance and Randy praised him for making a "bold move." DeWyze had another solid showing this week and should be around for quite a while.

The gentlemen had a major improvement from the weak showing last week. Lynche really showed his star power and blew most of the other singers out of the water, coming off as a seasoned professional. It seems to me the outlook is most bleak for John Park and Todrick Hall, though Jermaine Sellers didn't come off particularly well, either.

The women will take the stage tomorrow night, including, hopefully, a healthy Crystal Bowersox. It will be interesting to see how women rebound after several less-than-stellar performance last week, and if they will be able to match the level the guys had tonight.

The next episode of "American Idol" airs tomorrow, March 3rd, at 8PM EST on Fox.

"American Idol" is a reality competition to find new solo musical talent, created by Simon Fuller. It debuted June 11, 2002 on the Fox network and has since become one of the most popular shows on American television. It is currently the #1 TV show in the Nielsen Ratings and is one of only three that have been #1 for five consecutive seasons. The cast of "Idol" includes judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi, and Ellen Degeneres, and host Ryan Seacrest.

The program aims to discover the best singer in the country through a series of nation-wide auditions, and subsequent viewer voting. Through telephone voting, America has chosen past winners Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, and Kris Allen.

Several "Idol" contestants have been seen on the Broadway stage, including Barrino (The Color Purple), Hicks (Grease), Clay Aiken (Spamalot), Diana DeGarmo(Hairspray), Josh Strickland (Tarzan), Tamyra Gray (Rent, Bombay Dreams), and Constantine Maroulis (The Wedding Singer, Rock of Ages).

"American Idol" airs on Tuesday and Wednesday nights on Fox at 8PM EST

Photo Credit: AmericanIdol.com