American Idol 9 Top 20 (Top 10 Guys) – Recap + Poll + Roundup

by Rickey
March 2, 2010 at 11:21 pm

There was a lot of drama before tonight’s show as Crystal Bowersox went to the hospital and under doctor’s orders could not perform. The show then moved the boys who were scheduled to perform on Wednesday to tonight.

The standouts tonight:

Michael Lynche (don’t forget to vote for him as the Vote for the First pick!) – The judges loved him.

Alex Lambert – The banana has begun to ripen and is still rockin’ the mullet. All-around praise from the judges.

Lee Dewyze – Simon said that he could be the one to beat even if he looked a bit nervous.

Ellen DeGeneres and the judges – Ellen really picked up the judging tonight! Loved, loved, loved it. I thought even Kara DioGuardi was able to step up her game a bit. I felt that everyone was making sense — which has been RARE for the past 8 seasons on American Idol with Paula Abdul on the panel. Ellen’s winners included her long running romance with the banana that is Alex Lambert, and offering to get a neck tattoo.

The others:

Unfortunately, the judges still did not look favorable on some of the guys tonight which include Andrew Garcia. They said that he set the bar so high for himself he just looks blah now. Also, Todrick Hall and Jermaine Sellers just can’t catch a break. Jermaine specially… he obviously is clueless as to what is going on and ended up asking the judges what he should sing next week.

Kara DioGuardi kinda threw Casey James under the bus and had really harsh comments for him tonight. When Simon said he sounded like “sand”, she added that he sounded like “dirt”. Ouch!

I really do hope that Aaron Kelly is safe — so everyone vote for him! He likes Justin Bieber!

My picks to leave on Thursday are John Park and Tim Urban — who Ellen flat out said should just be an actor, though Simon disagreed.

Who was your favorite?

Recaps around the Internet:

The ‘American Idol’ Top 20 Night, Part 1: Crystal Falls Ill, But The Boys Recover (Lyndsey Parker) – Once again, some of the boys didn’t fare so well, and sadly they couldn’t use illness as an excuse for their not-so-siiiiiick performances.

American Idol top 10 men recap, rankings (Rodney Ho) – After last week’s horrendous opening week, the men improved. That’s not saying much but considering they were supposed to perform Wednesday, they held up okay.

Rocking the Onesies and Lithe Mullets: AI9 Top 20 (Melinda Green) – Why do you see 10 guys on stage for this evening’s American Idol? Because Crystal Bowersox is sick. This makes me sad, but at least Ellen DeGeneres kicks things of by being her naturally funny self.

Ann Powers: The men, in their own world (LA Times) – Tuesday night’s “Idol” felt like a save, if only a partial one.

‘American Idol’ Is Full Of Surprises (Maura Johnston) – “… tonight, everyone was improved: There were some singers who could be called “decent” — including the singer who was last week’s laughing stock, who was actually pretty good!”

— Rickey

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39 comments

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I love Casey!

Kathleen

I hope John hangs on for another week. I think he just needs another shot...

ron

my take:

best: casey, lee, michael
good: alex, aaron
just ok: tim, john, andrew
didn't like it: jermaine, todrick

Who Should Go Home: Jermaine, Todrick
Who Will Go Home: John and Either Jermain or Todrick

but like what i said in the girls recap... tomorrow's results could suprise us againD:

thepod

woah, i didnt know alex lambert until last night. he was really good and has a very good singing voice. amazing. im rooting for him to be at least in the top 5 at the least. hope he gets better each week. :)

pastyann

Kara is just nuts. I liked Casey's song. I liked him better last week, but last nignt was ok. I think Kara is dirt.

Ewolfgirl

1) Big Mike - really stepped up! Not my type of music at all, but for that genre he really hit it outta the park.
2) John Park - Booorrrring. Sorry, no emotion, dude. Show him the door.
3) Casey James - ROCKED that electric guitar, to the detriment of his voice. :-( Still needs to work on stage presence; voice, and put the hair back in a ponytail. Too 70's, too distracting when it's down. I want to slap Kara tho with her overcompensation. She said he sang 'like dirt'...c'mon!! Even Simon said 'sand', as opposed to 'grit'. Tho loved Simon's quip "What, Casey wouldn't answer your calls, Kara?" HAHA!
4) Todrick - audition for Glee, dude! You'll get a part for sure. He's got something but it ain't right for here.
5) Jermaine - WAY too over-confidant, imo. Can sing but too many vocal gymnastics and that goofy do's gotta go! (AND I think he should go Thu)
6) Alex - MUCH improved! Smart of him to sit down! I like his voice, but he has zero star power. Way too shy. Think he'll make it thru this week tho.
7) Andrew - Sadly boring. Good voice...just blaa.
8) Tim Urban- Gah, the puppy dog face has gotta go! Much better than last week, and I love Matt Nathanson, but he brought absolutely nothing new to that song...at all.
9) Aaron - Bad song choice for him, but sang pretty good,except for that last pitchy note. Have to agree w/Simon that it was too dang old fashioned. Stick w/the country vibe, kid!
10) Lee: Wow! Awesome song choice. I was really 'feelin it'. Thought he was very believable, but lordy, cinch that belt, boy! Ryan was right; he kept hiking up his pants during the performance. My fav of the night tho!

Gloria

Nice review! Thoughtful. Good read!

Montag Fortz

all this Casey love is lost on me. There are thousands of better guitar players than Casey, and he can't really sing. He just moons the audience, grins a lot and tries unsuccessfully to sing on key. Also I'm sick of all the sissy girl voices--Aaron, Jermaine, Alex, Casey, Todrick. I'll stick with the guys who at least sing like men--Mike and Lee. Too bad Lee can't carry a tune. God what a weak school of fish these guys are. Praying for a lot better from the girls.

Shirley

Casey played a mean guitar. I loved his performance, and felt like I was at a regular concert when he was performing. He doesn't seem nervous like the others, and he seems to be pretty experienced with the guitar. Loved it, and he rocked it out. He has a good voice, but admittedly his voice was off a little, but when you put the pkg together with the guitar and his looks and I just had a good time watching him. I hope he's in the top 10, and he's my fav. I do like Aaron Kelly alot. To me, he reminds me a little of Archuletta, but I actually think I would buy more of Aaron's music. I did purchase Archie's "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me" but honestly, no one compares to David Cook. He's the original, baby!

Kara

I Voted For Lee Aaron Casey and Michael Last Night!!!

pinkanpaula

i enjoy most of the performances, lee dewyze, alex lambert, michael lynche, aaron kelly, andrew garcia were fantastic, the rest are okay except for casey james.
most of the judges fave this season like lee, alex, and aaron are very low profile, i hope people will keep voting for andrew garcia, he's still great

Angeli

I do emphatize with the singers this season. The judges comments are confusing. They should appreciate the singers' taking chances and changing things up yet critique them for whatever. With their too harsh criticisms they're crapping the style of the singers. Just like Todrick who is actually very talented (though not popular with voters), the harshness will warp his natural artistry. I pity Andrew because what Heartless did for Kris in the finals, Andrew already delivered with Straight Up in Hollywood week. A lot of them stepped up and changed things (like dropping the guitars) but still didn't get any sort of appreciation. The ones who should go home are John Park and Tim Urban.

Dan

Glambert's "Ring Of Fire" was not exactly a big hit with judges (or many viewers) when he did it.

Quang Hung

Aaron and John/Jermain to go.

I hate Aaron's falsetto, it's like he's whining not singing. John's performance is boring for me though I like his voice. Nothing to say about Jermain but his bad attitude

Quang Hung

I mean Aaron's vibrato, instead of falsetto

Gloria

Is it just me--or are the judges totally confusing? Dance around. Don't dance around. Pick a song -- make it your own. Don't change up that song. Stick with your instrument. Break out and go without your instrument. Take a risk. That was too big of a risk. Like--WTF?

And Kara. Good grief. What in hell is she EVER talking about? Always in the abstract. Like voices in her head comes out of her mouth. She is driving me crazy this season.

areyouin

It's not just you, Gloria. I think the judges are confusing the singers. Change it up, don't change it so much that it can't be recognized, dance more, don't dance so much, etc. I think they need to bring back the "artistry" term Kara used last season. I think what the judges are trying to get across is that these guys/girls must make the songs their own with subtle, artistic changes ala Kris Allen (yes I'm a big fan), Glambert, and David Cook and even Archie. They all put artistic spins on the songs they changed up. The problem is that none of them have shown that yet. There haven't been any "Ain't No Sunshine" or "Ring of Fire" or "Hello" or "Imagine" moments yet. That's what the judges and fans are looking for because the bar was set with these types of performances, but the judges haven't been able to convey this message even though I think that's what they mean and what they want. These contestants ARE changing things up, but not in an artistic way.

Carol

I completely agree with you!!! Very contradictory this year - I've taken to turning channels when the judges start to talk because they are driving me nuts!

edbert26

My top 6 guys who will make it to the top 12 are surely:

- Lee Dewyze
-Andrew Garcia
-Casey James
-Alex Lambert
-Michael Lynche
-Aaron Kelly

Kody

Alex is the only one in ur list i'm not sure about. I REALLY hope thatTodrick can make it! He is better then what the judges say he is.

Andrew

I pray very very hard to God, please kick Jermaine Sellers out this week.
He is very annoying and he is not a good singer at all!!!

bwatt27

I think Jermaine is hilarious. He really can't sing, but god he cracks me up.

Jennings

I hate to say it, but I agree with Shollia - these Twitter comments are annoying. They clutter up the discussions and add nothing. I don't get it.

Manola

Does Ellen belong to the Boy Scouts?

Lily

TOP 3 :

*ALEX LAMBERT
*LEE DEWYZE
*MICHAEL LYNCHE

abercrombieco2

the top 3 guys are lee andrew and alex the rest are just fillers

trev

John Park and Todrick Hall to go home

jansporter

I think John Park and Tim Urban should be eliminated this week but I think Tim Urban will still get through since he is the VFTW's pick. Tim should not even be in the Top 24 in the first place! Joe Munoz is even more deserving than Tim.

abercrombieco2

joe is better than tim but joe would have gone home this week , or next week , hes not good enough to be in the final 12 and had no chance of winning.

iamyourhomie

Yeah. I too believe John Park is going home (as much as I hate to say it). His performance was just "blah." Hopefully he pulls through but all signs are not looking favorable for him.
On a side note, I know this is mere coincidence...but is it a bit weird that two of the Asian American males who have made the Top 24 (Jose "Sway" Penala and AJ Tabaldo) have both gotten eliminated at the Top 20 mark? Maybe the same will happen to John...Hmmmm

iamyourhomie

Good point Rickey.

Either or...if Andrew were Filipino I specifically said those two contestants because they coincidentaly got eliminated at the Top 20 spot for "being mediocre" and "not memorable" in regards to their performances (and they so happen to be Asian Americans...aka Filipinos). Not that I have anything against John Park or those two contestants in general, it's just that John Park happens to fit that mold when it comes to seasons past.

I'm hoping he overcomes it and makes it past the Top 20, but if we're judging from seasons past, John's chances aren't looking so hot :(

Katherine

In case you didn't realize, Andrew Garcia is Filipino, which would make him 'Asian American.'

[No, you are misinformed. Andrew Garcia is MEXICAN. -- Rickey]

I think John Park was the most boring of the night. I hope he and Jermaine go home this week.

bwatt27

Aaron and Tim... need to go.

bwatt27

@jojo, agreed about Michael. I noticed a few very odd facial movements in the performance. Most of which made me LOL.

@areyouin... you're joking right?

areyouin

Not Aaron ! ! ! ! He can actually sing!

jojo

agree! I thought Casey was great! he can really rock. and I'm confused about this "singing" competition thing. It's not called "American Singer". It's called
American Idol" Most 'idols" today play an instrument. "idols" today possess more charisma than singing talent anyway.

And am I the only one who thinks Michael Lynche looks ridiculous with all his facial movements and gyrations? Granted his singing tonight was his best so far, but I just don't see him as an "idol."