So the guys are back tonight – well, ten of them anyway… due to BoSAWX being in the hospital… and the judges are playing musical chairs… Ellen is getting a little bit closer to Simon and, after a little bit of banter with the judges, we’re ready to start going…

TWELVE LORDS A LEAPING…

now playing: The Payback – James Brown

BIG MIKE… getting to know Big Mike a little better… nothing is negative, it’s all good… singing James Brown WATCH ME!… and immediately he’s a hundred times better than last week… it’s a serious song (“This Is a Man’s World”) and the tone actually fits his vocal a lot better than Maroon 5… it’s actually really solid right now… way better than anything from last week… could use a little more interaction with the crowd… there he goes working the stage a bit… wow… that was a hot one… Randy gives him the first standing ovation of the season… Ellen stands up for women’s rights and says that it’s the one to beat… Kara says she didn’t get it until tonight… he owned it… Simon says it was the transformation between a pussy cat and a lion… by far the best performance for Big Mike…

John Park… i’m gonna need to come up with a nick name for John… singing Gravity by John Mayer… sadly? i don’t know too many John Mayer songs… but perhaps this will be alright… i wanna run through… no wrong song… well, jeepers, he already sounds a lot better, too… just sitting there on a bar stool… a little shaky vocals on the bridge there and the chorus… and when he is on, it’s almost because he’s copying the vocal… not exactly his own identity this week either… much better fit for him though… Randy says it wasn’t anything special and a little bit pitchy… Ellen says it was better than last week, but still a little lacking in the soul department… Kara says – better than last week, but he needs to let loose and take some risks… Simon says Purple Haze is gonna get their lead singer back… it’s a case of the “so whats”…

Casey “Sawyer” James… so Casey has never had a television and never watched Idol… no wonder he’s so perfect… anyway, he’s gonna be singing I Don’t Wanna Be by Gavin DeGraw… i like this song, but it’s done a lot… we’ll see… um… Guitar Hero much… that was actually some good licks there… unfortunately it’s fallen off a cliff since that… it seems as though he’s really struggling to remember (READ???) the lyrics… he’s definitely overthinking the performance… the vocal is really kind of flat and at times awful… the guitar distracts from that, but not nearly enough… i’ll give him a 10 for the guitar, but like a 3, 3 1/2 for the vocal… Randy says this is what he could record and sell and the guitar was hot… Ellen says that everything is there on paper, but he needs to perform better… Kara says that the cougar is still a fan, but he took two steps backwards… Simon jokes that Casey must’ve not called her back… then he agrees that he was simply trying to be a rockstar, but didn’t have the real grit…

now playing: The Banana Boat Song – Harry Belafonte

THE MULLET… this is the guy i think will show the most improvement over the season… i think that he’ll get better from week to week, though that’s so very risky, that i’ll be concerned that he doesn’t make it each week… he’s singing John Legend and playing the guitar… gotta get over these nerves, son… he has such a great tone to his vocal and he’s totally aware of his range, shifting down gears when he needs to… this is still a very tempered performance… clearly still a bit nervous, but overall that’s great… the last note is not too great though… Randy says that he like him and he was way legit… Ellen calls him a banana again… big improvement… Kara says people would die to have his tone of voice and he doesn’t even know how to use it… Simon says it was a million times better than last week, but he needs to turn on the killer instinct…

Toderick “NUTCRACKER”… i think that i was one of five people who liked his version of Kelly’s song last week… but i don’t get this song choice… Tina Turner? we’ll see what happens… i know the song… it’s slower than the original… oh, duh… What’s Love Got to Do With It?… it’s a terribly mellowdramatic arrangement… not sure i’m feeling that… now the mic’s off the stand and in his hand… and it’s picked up a bit… i don’t know… his vocal’s a little fuzzy for me and i wasn’t really feeling the overall performance… Randy says just pick a nice song and sing it… Ellen says sing AND move… DANCE for me little man!… Kara says he’s likeable, but he was way too stiff… Simon says this isn’t working out at all… corny, theme park performance that’s utterly wrong for the show…

Jermaine “ONESEY”… yeah, let’s not be rocking the onesey on national television… singing Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On… and i don’t think that he should’ve made it through last week… his vocal is so strident… i mean he’s got some pipes… but he’s still doing trying to do way too much… and it almost seems like he’s still a bit disconnected from the song… like he’s just out there trying to sing his entire resume with each performance… Randy says it was so close and still too far away… Ellen says she likes his style, but he still pushed it too much… Kara says that he doesn’t have to try to show off every trick in the bag… Simon says that he’ll go to church with him, but that wasn’t even church singing… Jermaine asks what song he should sing next week because he knows that he’ll be here because Jesus is his homeboy, yeah-ee-yea-eee… please… don’t act a fool, homie…

Andrew Garcia… he’s a breakdancer… nice… he’s going to be singing James Morrison – You Give Me Something… i’m completely unfamiliar with it, but he’s pretty much safe regardless of what he sings… sitting on the stool… he’s got a nice mellow vibe going on… and the verse is pretty solid but he’s really forcing the vocal on the chorus and to some extent powering through it, but i’m not sure that’s working out… now he’s all over the chart on these notes… it’s falling apart… hold it together, man… hold it together… Randy says it was the wrong song choice and it was pitchy throughout the whole thing… Ellen says that she disagrees, but he pretty much peaked with his “Straight Up” performance… Kara agrees and says that he needs to do something that makes him stand out… Simon says that he’s been found wanting… disappointing yet again because he can’t find the right song…

now playing: Get Down Tonight – KC and the Sunshine Band

Aaron Kelly… so this dude is Simon star-struck… singing My Girl by the Temptations… what was that show, White Shadow? this was the theme song for it… i think of it every time i hear this song… okay, well, not so much tonight… could someone please teach this boy about soul… this is kind of a strange, terrifying mix between R&B and Country… i’m not feeling it at all… not one bit… he was all over the place… clean up on aisle six… there’s a real mess sitting up on stage there… Randy says that it was good, but got strange, but alright… Ellen says that it wasn’t a good song choice, but he’s got a great voice… Kara liked it, no, really liked it… Simon verifies his age… he didn’t like the song, it was all over the place and a step backwards… Kara interrupts and argues Aaron’s case… i’m ready for him to go home now…

Tim Urban… and we’re back… seems like there’s plenty of time to kill… Tim got crushed last week (rightfully so)… and he’s gonna try to prove himself… i didn’t quite catch the song title… oh, Come On Get Higher by Matt Nathanson… it’s a nicer fit for his voice that’s for sure… he’s still a bit on the weak side though… i’m not sure if it’s confidence or what, but the vocal just isn’t quite there… very long way to go for this guy… he just doesn’t have it… you know, “it”… it’s not there… there is some potential, but he’s going to need to bat his eyes to make it though… Randy says it was karaoke… Ellen plugs Glee – perhaps her first negative remarks… Kara says it was a good song choice, but it’s not all there yet… Simon says that it was a marked improvement from last week…

Lee “Da Wise Guy”… in the pimp spot… he’s kind of like an Elliott Yamin without the incredible vocal… it’s LEE DEWYZE… he was terribly pitchy last week and, because somebody on the producer panel like him, he’s got a chance to shine… singing Lips of an Angel… and slowly making his way to the front of the stage… how very dramatic… he’s pitchy again this week and you just have to wonder who ever told him he could sing… he growls and shouts and sounds HORRIBLE… he’s a paint salesman and listening to him sing is like watching paint dry, chip, and fall on the floor… Randy says it was rough, but he liked it… Ellen says she really likes him… Kara says he can really open up his vocal and do well… Simon says that he’s head and shoulders ahead of all the other guys… i say that they’ll never make up for missing the mark with Daughtry… it didn’t work with Cook and it won’t work here…

AND NOW IT’S TIME TO SAY GOODBYE…

now playing: Should I Stay Or Should I Go – The Clash

alrighty… all in all it was a much better night for the guys than last week… however, there was still plenty of awfulness to go around… it’s gonna be tough to pick who’s going home once again… i can see John, Toderick, Jermaine, Tim, Lee, or Aaron going, but – trying to factor in who will vote and why… i’ve gotta go with.. Jermaine and Tim going home… what do you all think?

peace… love… bdg…