'IDOL' WATCH: The Top 12 Men

After last night's disappointing performance from the women, America, as well as the judges, was hoping from a step up from gentlemen. And, while they did have a better overall showing than the women, it was another disappointing night from the "Idol" contestants. Several of the performers were good, but none seemed to up the ante and knock their song out of the park.

The night began with Todrick Hall, the singer/dancer from Broadway's The Color Purple. Hall sang a completely revamped version of Kelly Clarkson's Since You've Been Gone. The changes were, at first, quite refreshing, but the song never really made its way back to the original, becoming almost unrecognizable or "completely murdered," as Simon put it. The crowd, however, seemed to enjoy his performance, as it was unique. The issue was, as Simon pointed out, if you're going to rework a song, you have to improve upon it, which Hall's rendition failed to do.

Next up was Aaron Kelly, a 16-year-old who suffered from nerves in Hollywood, forgetting his words on more than one occasion. Although Kelly is not my favorite performer, he came off as likable tonight and gave a performance that should push him past tomorrow night's results show. Kelly sang Here Comes Goodbye by Rascall Flatts and, though he seemed uncomfortable on stage, gave a good performance. With a little more experience, Kelly should gain a surprising number of fans.

Jermaine Sellers followed, singing Get Here by Oleta Adams. Sellers made it clear in Hollywood that he has an impressive range and has the ability to take songs both up (way up!) and down. He attempted to showcase that ability tonight, but wasn't able to hit the top notes, pushing too hard and sounding as though he was screaming at times. Sellers started the song very gently and came off as genuine, but had trouble as the he progressed. The judges felt the song was much too old for him and encouraged him to keep it young and modern should he progress. (I was a big fan of Sellers' "Stanky Leg" in response to the judges' comments.)

Heading into the commercial following Sellers began the first of many awkward transitions on the night. It wasn't really clear what The Situation was, but something seemed off on the production side of things. Before the break, the judges were discussing the band and Simon asked Ryan to explain who Michael (the musical director) was. Ryan told Simon the audience knew who he was and that he should "stick to [his] monitor there, pretty boy." Not really sure what that was about.

The weakest performance of the night came, not surprisingly, from Tim Urban, the contestant who had actually been cut from the top 24, but was brought back in to replace Chris GoLightly. This was the first time "Idol" actually addressed the change, with (what seemed like) a stage version of the phone call Urban received. Urban sang Apologize by One Republic and failed to really impress anyone. It was the wrong choice and he clearly didn't have the ability to sing the falsetto aspect that is so important to the song. Simon tore Urban to shreds: "[We] absolutely made the right decision the first time around not to put you through...I don't think your voice is good enough," though he did tell him he would get some of the pity vote. Urban was out of his element and was unable to match the talent of the competition.

This was the first time audiences got to see a full performance from Joe Munoz, who sang Jason Mraz's You and I Both, and did so rather well. Ellen hit the nail on the head, telling Munoz he is fun to watch because he is so in the song and really understands what he sings. Kara and Randy felt it was the wrong choice, but I think it worked, as the song was both well-known and popular to many watching. Simon told him he lacked star power, but, with some work, Munoz could give the other contestants a run for their money.

Tyler Grady, the 70's rocker, sang American Woman, blending together both versions of the song by The Guess Who and Lenny Kravitz. Grady played up his rock style, but almost to the point where he was a caricature of himself. Grady needs to bring the 70's style into the modern times, as the judges pointed out. Randy called him all style and no substance. When asked where he would take himself after hearing the judges' comments, Grady told Ryan, "I guess I'm gonna go to the mall." Hilarious response. Grady would need a new look next week, were he to make it.

Lee Dewyze, the other rocker of the group, decided to go with a more pop-influenced, alternative song, Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol. DeWyze has such a unique vocal tone and was able to handle the song well using that style. Randy and Kara didn't like that he picked such a small song, but Ellen and Simon liked his performance, calling it the "best...by a mile." DeWyze was impressive tonight and it was nice to see him take his work in a different direction. I'll be very surprised if he's not around next week.

Resident crooner John Park (the third contestant from the Chicagoland area, oddly enough) came off as an authentic person in his interview. Park sang God Bless the Child by by Billie Holiday because he said the song really influenced his decision to come to "Idol." He sounded good, though could use a bit more enunciation, and was able to get through the song with ease. The performance lacked the "oomph" that an "Idol" winner needs and Park will need to gain that spark if he wants to stick around. However, the performance wasn't bad by any means and should save him a spot in next week's show.

Michael Lynche performed next and, like DeWyze and Munoz, chose a current song that audiences would be sure to like, singing This Love by Maroon 5. As always, "Idol" reminded everyone of Lynche's child's birth during Hollywood, though the story seems rather played at this point and it would be nice to focus solely on Lynche's singing ability. And he has talent. Although the song was brought down a few steps and I did miss the pure belt that comes with the original, the performance was enjoyeable and sounded good throughout. Simon said Lynche seemed "like the support act before the main act," and was correct that there was little unique about his performance. Lynche should be fine this week and, if he uses the criticism, could be excellent next week.

Another odd transition followed with Simon, not Ryan, introducing the next singer Alex Lambert. Not really sure what the reason was; it just came off as odd.

Lambert sang Wonderful World by James Morrison with a voice that actually sounds quite like Morrision's. Lambert's biggest problem, however, was his comfort level on stage. He looked lost in front of the cameras and lacked the necessary charisma. The song sounded fine, nothing exceptional, but, providing he makes it through tomorrow night, he will need to work on his performance abilities if he wants to move on in the competition.

Kara's love interest, Casey James, was up next, singing Brian Adams' Heaven. The whole Kara situation proved distracting and needs to be done away with in upcoming weeks, as it took away from James' solid performance. The tempo of the song felt a little slow and the chorus didn't reach the energy it needed, but the song was well-done and memorable. Ellen said it was an excellent song choice and Simon called it "sincere and likable." It will be interesting to see what James can do in the future to mix up his style.

The performer many audience members were waiting for (me included) was the popular Andrew Garcia, who rounded out the night. Garcia sang a remixed version of Fall Out Boy's Sugar We're Going Down, but his rendition made the song feel both somber and, in fact, dull. Garcia sounded good, but didn't pull out the originality we had come to expect from him. Each of the judges was disappointe, though they all noted that his work in Hollywood should carry him through a couple weeks. Garcia seems like he understood the criticism and it will be interesting to see how he rebounds after his first less-than-stellar performance.

Although, on the whole, the gentlemen seemed to fare better than the ladies, very few impressed the judges. The apparently obvious choice to head home is Tim Urban and it is hard to imagine him moving on after tonight. The second seat is up in the air, but I would guess Tyler Grady has made his last appearance on "Idol" (though he could easily exchange places with Sellers, Lambert, or Hall.) Grady just doesn't seem to have the modern style this show needs to earn the necessary votes.

Tomorrow night will feature the first of the results show, where the two men and two women who received the least amount of votes will be sent home. The night will feature a performance by Allison Iraheta, singing her hit song Scars. The first two contestants are generally sent home about halfway through the episode and the final two names are usually revealed at the very end of the hour. The results show airs tomorrow, February 26th, 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 Credits: FrozenBoyfriend, Fox.com

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