AI9: Top 12 Guys

After a lackluster showing by the Top 12 girls on Tuesday night, we looked to the guys to bring the goods tonight. It was not to be. They were as dull as the girls. This may be the most boring pool of semifinalists the show has ever seen. Here's hoping that all the contestants get some inspiration and up the game next week. Otherwise, it is going to be a long, dreary season.

Following is the It's Destiny! panel's take on the AI9 Top 12 Guys.

Todrick Hall "Since U Been Gone"
Liza: So I know that changing tunes up is like the key to success on Idol these days, but dang, Todrick, if we don't know what the heck you're singing, you're taking it too far. At least make it sound a little bit like the same song! The melody was gone, the whole feel of the song was gone. Ugh. He totally massacred it. As Simon said, "It was verging on stupid, what you just did." AGREED.
Score: 4.0
Destiny: I loved the risk he took and that he was having fun. This show needs some punch this season, so he get points for that. I didn't love the arrangement though. I agree that he needed to keep the original melody, especially of the chorus. Too bad it didn’t all work out, because he has a great voice and interesting potential.
Score: 7.0

Aaron Kelly "Here Comes Goodbye"
Liza: Oh look another ballad by Aaron. Oh and look - split screen pimpage. He has a good voice, but I cannot watch him sing. The way he stands is so awkward and weird. I think they want him to be Archie v2.0, but he's not nearly as good as Archie. After watching the rest of the episode, though, this is in the top half of performances on the night. Scary.
Score: 6.5
Destiny: I totally agree that they are trying desperately to make Aaron the next Archuleta, but I also agree that he is nowhere near as good a singer. I can’t believe the judges didn't call him out for his pitch problems tonight. I don't want them to be mean, but at least be accurate.
Score: 6.0

Jermaine Sellers "Get Here"
Liza: Oh man, I don't think there's been such an unlikeable contestant on this show since Corey Clark. "I got made out to look like a diva," he said after Ryan asked him about Hollywood week. Oh really? You were MADE OUT to be a diva? No, honey, you just WERE. And then to make matters worse, when Ryan asked if he and Michael made up, Jermaine goes, "Who is Michael?" OH HALE NO. BUH-BYE! Oh, and his performance? Um, song choice was bad (this isn't Season 1, dude), he was breathy through most of the first part of the song, and then when he started belting, he did his Wanya impression again with the ridiculous runs, and then he hit some really rank notes.
Score: 3.5
Destiny: This song makes me miss Justin Guarini. And so does this performance. What in the world was Jermaine thinking with this arrangement? It did nothing for his voice. Yikes. What a mess. I like this guy, too, so that's a real shame. I think you are being too hard on him, Liza. The whole Hollywood Week calling out the band thing didn’t bother me, because he had 30 seconds to fight for his life in a high-stakes situation, and the band got it wrong- he SHOULD have made it known that that was not his arrangement. And I believed him tonight when he said that he got confused because he thought Seacrest was talking about Michael Jackson because he was thinking of “Man In The Mirror” when he asked if he had made up with "Michael." Throw in the adrenaline and chaos of just having performed on live TV, I totally get his confusion. But the fact still remains that this was a mess of a performance tonight.
Score: 4.0

Tim Urban "Apologize"
Liza: You know who needs to apologize? Chris Golightly for signing a contract a few weeks before auditioning, getting disqualified from the show, and causing the producers to bring Tim back for this awful performance. His falsetto .... OUCH.
Score: 3.0
Destiny: Yeah, the falsetto didn't quite work. Very weak. But he's cute and has a pop sound. Combine that with the backstory and his tears, and he will probably get enough votes to make it through to next week. Hopefully he will step up his musicality.
Score: 5.0

Joe Munoz "You And I Both"
Liza: I was bracing myself for the worst, because it seems like when most Idol contestants sing my favorite songs, they butcher them, but that was surprisingly pretty good, if not a little bit copycat. I'd even go so far as to call it the best of the night for me. Which is way surprising. Simon was being way too harsh with him. He was so much better than the other clowns who went before him.
Score: 7.5
Destiny: I liked his Latin Pop treatment of this song (I didn’t think it was copycat). Sounds good! And he looked cute tonight. Best thing we've heard so far. Way to come out of nowhere, Joe!
Score: 8.3

Tyler Grady "American Woman"
Liza: That was an interesting opening - very bluesy. I think I would have liked it better if he had kept it all the way through because everything after that was just as Simon said - "pretend to be a rock star school"! It's totally true - in his package, he was talking about his persona and being a stage performer and all that. It's all so disingenuous and cliched. Although I do think he's doing it partially to mask his mediocre vocals.
Score: 5.0
Destiny: Not the best voice, and I agree that the persona is so put-on. But he's fun to have around, especially considering the lackluster bunch of semifinalists we have this season. And his mall comment was funny!
Score: 5.0

Lee Dewyze "Chasing Cars"
Liza: So this is one of my favorite songs of all time. I'm kind of terrified that he's going to ruin it. He didn't ruin it, but he also didn't quite get it just right. It started out well, but he totally changed the melody when he got to the chorus. I don't think this song quite works with his raspy-ish vocals, but it was probably one of the more interesting performances of the night.
Score: 7.0
Destiny: His Elliott Yamin vibe is kind of charming, but too bad he doesn't have a stellar solid voice like Yamin. That was shaky, yo. Maybe he can pull it together next week. I can envision his charm taking him a long distance in this competition, especially considering the rest of the contestants.
Score: 5.5

John Park "God Bless The Child"
Liza: On the plus side, John showed A LOT more personality in his package than I had expected. On the minus side, he picked a really boring and non-current song. He has an interesting voice, though, and I'm a sucker for deep voices, but he really needs to pick it up with something current and relevant.
Score: 6.25
Destiny: Why this song??? I don't get the choice at all. And then he didn't exactly sing it that well. A total miss.
Score: 4.5

Michael Lynche "This Love"
Liza: Unlike Todrick, Big Mike changed up the melody in a way that made sense, and he kept the integrity of the song. Relative to the rest of the group, this was one of the better performances of the night (even if he basically used his guitar as a prop). I do have to laugh at Kara noting that they'd be more critical if the others hadn't sucked so much earlier. I think she's right.
Score: 7.0
Destiny: Yeah, I, too, have to agree with Kara (gasp) that if the night were full of good performances that this one would not have been received so highly. The arrangement was a little rushed and uninspired, though he did sound good on this song. It wasn't greatness, but his command of the stage gave him a boost and made him a standout amongst this sleepy bunch.
Score: 7.0

Alex Lambert "Wonderful World"
Liza: I'm sorry - I couldn't get past that hair. A mullet? Really? Good song choice, but it was soooo copycat. And the performance was very, very awkward. He did look terrified.
Score: 5.0
Destiny: He did look so nervous throughout this! He needs to work on his performance skills & his haircut, but his voice is definitely one of the strongest of the season. If he can pull it together, this could be the start of a long run on this show.
Score: 8.0

Casey James "Heaven"
Liza: His vocals are alright, but he's seriously skeevy. And Kara is EMBARRASSING herself. "You're eye candy, but you're also ear candy." Oh brother. He's not even that cute! But I guess everything is relative, right? No other cute boys, no other good voices.
Score: 7.0
Destiny: He's not that cute, Liza? Skeevy? Are you serious? He's so pretty! And it's always so lovely when the pretty has talent and cool stage presence. Something to look forward to each week. Not GREATness, but this was nice.
Score: 7.9

Andrew Garcia "Sugar We're Going Down"
Liza: Oh lookie here ... Andrew in the pimp spot. SHOCKER! He's already turning into a one-trick pony with his acoustic arrangements, and it's only week one in the semifinals. :| MIX IT UP! That was some serious pimping by the judges, who were pretty much excusing his mediocre performance by reminding everyone of his Paula Abdul cover. Pfffft.
Score: 6.25
Destiny: I do not share your strong negative feelings about this one, Liza. I thought this was an above-average performance. His voice is definitely the most distinct in the competition. He’s not the most exciting thing in the world, but he definitely sounds great. And as for mixing it up, I’m not complaining yet. You never know what the show is going to air or rehash about you, so it was wise on this first week of voting to stick to what has worked for him.
Score: 8.2

Who Should Be Eliminated
Liza: Jermaine, Tim
Destiny: John/Jermaine/Tim

Who Will Be Eliminated
Liza: Jermaine, Tim
Destiny: John, Jermaine

Flavor of The Episode
Liza: Butchering good songs as only Idol can
Destiny: Mediocrity In Da House!

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