American Idol

Tonight we're going to find out insight into the guys' lives, and Michael Lynche says he's huge into theater and has been for a long tie.He went to a performing arts high school and also played football, balancing the physical and performance side. He benches 505 and does so with Alex Lambert and Ryan Seacrest. He thought his performance last week was good, and tonight he'll sing This Is a Man's World, keeping in mind Simon's words last week to not be a supporting act. He's definitely bringing it, and I think he's that main act he wanted to be. It's a powerful song for a powerful guy.



Randy tells Big Mike that he feels like right now this season is getting rolling. He didn't see anyone with eyes with fire last week. For the first time this season, he gives it up and gives Mike a standing ovation. Ellen tells him she has liked every song choice he has made so far, and they've all been so different. It's a great song and dedicational, as we've learned that men have made the car and train. Just so we know, Ellen shares that women have made the medical syringe and water heater. She thinks this is the one to beat for the night.



Kara says she didn't get it until tonight, as he went from a singer to someone who could potentially be a great artist. He owned it tonight and she doesn't know what he went through in the last week, but he's a different Mike, and she's feeling it. Simon agrees it was a big difference, saying it was like going from a pussycat to a lion in a week. That was exactly the right kind of song for him, and it's the type of artist he is. It also didn't sound dated, and it's by far the best performance he's given in the competition so far. Mike gives Ryan a chest bump and mentions he was getting a pedicure, he means coming from the gym, at 10:30, then learned they were on. Ryan was getting a manicure.



Ryan talks with John Park who says his former a cappella group, Purple Haze, has been very supportive, but they do joke that they want him to lose so that he'll come back to perform with them. He admits to watching the tape from last week of himself performing and thinks he was trying to hard with his voice. Tonight he wants to focus on the honesty.



John says what people might not known about him is that English is his second language. He was born in Chicago, but moved to Korea when he was 6. He grew up speaking Korean around his family, and when he came back to Chicago in 4th grade, he learned English.



He felt good about last week's performance, but it was hard to stand up in front of the judges as they ripped on him. He's singing Gravity this week, as it's relevant to what he wants to do. He has a few minor pitch problems, but he is better than last week. The song fits him a lot better.



Randy tells John the John Mayer vibe is his, but he didn't bring anything new to it, and he could only think of Mayer singing it, as it wasn't as good as the original. It was kind of flat with pitch problems as well. Ellen thought it was a better song choice, but agrees there could have been a little more soul in it. He did get more into it than he did in rehearsal. Kara calls it way better than last week, but her concern is sort of what he was talking about with the honestly. She doesn't always believe he's feeling it when he sings, and he really needs to let loose.



Simon thinks Purple Haze might get their lead singer back this week, as there was nothing to get excited about and was a so-what performance. He struggles with the believability of John as well and thinks we'll forget about it in twenty minutes time. Ellen says he has to wow them as he wants people to call him, then corrects herself to say they probably don't have his number, so they should call and vote for him.



Casey James never watched the show before and picked a song with history I Don't Wanna Be. He didn't know when he picked it that it had been done before, but Ryan points out it's been done by Bo Bice, Elliot Yamin, and Chris Richardson. It solidified his choice to do it and hopes it'll be something they can add to the end of the chain.



What people will be surprised to know is that he hasn't had a TV since lightening struck their house and blew out the TV when he was 7. As an adult he has bought his own house and totally rehabbed it. He's asked what his pre-show ritual is and says nothing, but we see him put something in a box which he refuses to talk about until he makes it to the top 10. He has the total rocker look going with the electric guitar and all, but he just can't pull this off like Bo did. That's the danger in doing songs that have been done before.



Randy tells Casey from one musician to the next he loved him channeling Hendrix through the whole thing. He doesn't know if he did the best vocal, but this is the music he can see him doing. He didn't know he could play the guitar like that, though, and it was hot. Ellen says you can't go wrong with that song, and it's a great one to listen to. On paper everything's there, the look, the sound, but there's a stiffness about him. She wishes he'd be more playful.



Kara says they all got the memo that the Cougar is a fan, but tonight Casey took two steps backward for her. Besides the fact that he's a great lead guitar player, this is a singing competition, and everything that was great about him went away. He didn't take the song to another level. Simon asks if he didn't return his calls. He's with Kara, as last week he chose a good song and stood out, but this week he turned into a guy that we cold see in any bar in America. He doesn't have the grit to pull that song off. Casey says it hurt, as Simon backs up his thought saying it was more like sand, and Kara thinks more like dirt.



Alex Lambert is really nervous and admits to having stage fright. He didn't have his guitar last week, making it even worse. He usually throws up before performances and football games, but he hasn't yet tonight. He created his own language when he was in 6th grade and uses it to write melodies of songs sometimes. That's like Mandisa admitting she sucked her thumb until she was 24. He thought he really blew his chances last week after Simon's comments. Tonight he's singing Everybody Knows, and I think this song is very much in his wheelhouse, and perhaps that's why his nerves aren't showing as much.



Randy tells Alex what he loves about his package is that he has his own language too. This is such an improvement over last week and he loves the guitar and the confidence. It wasn't as soundalike as it has been in the past. "Way legit tonight." Ellen says it's like someone took an unripened banana and put it in the paper bag to ripen it more quickly. She doesn't know how he improved so quickly and the confidence is improved as well. He doesn't have the experience, but is gaining it so quickly. Under the mullet he has a great voice, and she thinks he has a more unique than anyone else here.



Kara says there isn't a person out there that isn't rooting for Alex, as you can't miss what he did last week to how he improved this week. He has an incredible recording voice and he doesn't even know what to do with it. That's why she loves the show, as it'll help him learn that. Simon tells him that was a million times better than last week. The only time he should be nervous is if he was useless, and he's not. He has a good voice, and the only issue he has with Alex is that he's not taking part to win. He needs to get the killer instinct. Once he starts to connect more and believes he has a chance, we'll see a different person. Simon doesn't want to hear anymore about Alex throwing up because of his nerves, because he is a good singer.



Ryan has a couch chat with Todrick Hall about the heat he got from changing the Kelly Clarkson song, and this week he went in and watched what was said last week and took it all in, changing the song just enough to make it his own. Ryan asks why he chose a Tina Turner song this week, and he replies he really felt it and didn't think he'd be compared to the regular artist.



Todrick first started dancing when he was 9 as a soldier in Nutcracker, then became their first African-American Prince, making him realize there's nothing he can't do because of race. He tries to do a few push-ups before each performance to get his blood pumping and because it makes his pecs look a bit bigger onstage. You're onstage with Big Mike. There's nothing you can do. He wants to be able to fuse dancing and singing together, like Paula Abdul does. He sings What's Love Got to Do With It and he changes the song enough that I recognized it by the lyrics, not the melody, so he might still not get that direction of that whole not changing it too much thing.



Randy tells Todrick that he's obviously one of the best that they found, and that's why he's there. He tells him the run at the end of the song was hot. But what he finds hard both weeks is that a great song doesn't need a new arrangement. Great is great and just needs someone to sing it greatly. He just wants Todrick to sing a nice song and not change the beats or the arrangements. Just sing ... for once. Ellen wouldn't say just sing, as she'd say sing and move. He's a dancer and he should go with his strength. She wants him to be a performer. It was the wrong song to sing, and it's a hard song to sing anyway.



Kara tells Todrick they all like him, and Ellen's right about the dancing, as when he started moving he got better. The song he sang in his audition was a simple melody and was great. But ever since then he's been all over the place. They lost that Todrick they loved. Simon would tell him move and don't sing, as it's not working for him. It was just one of the those performances he had the misfortune to see. It was a very corny bad version of a Tina Turner song. He's getting this completely and utterly wrong. Randy tells Todrick he obviously has the skill, but if he'd just sing the song ... Todrick says if he's here next week, he'll just come out and sing like he used to do in church. He thought they wanted them to come out and take songs and make them they're own. Yeah, but not recreate it.



Jermaine Sellers says "It ain't clothes that make the person; it's the person that makes the clothes. That's why I rocks my onesie." His dad will leave the heat off all night in their house, so he puts the onesie on and walks through the house not as bothered. He rocks his onesie, and he's not ashamed of it. He gives his voice a steam bath before each show as it opens him up. He has to learn to take Simon's comments with a grain of salt, but feels he's a young guy with an old spirit, and that's why he sang Get Here. Tonight he sings What's Going On. What he's doing, though, is basically singing Get Here. It kind of sounds the same, but better.



Randy tells Jermaine it's definitely better than last week, but was so close yet so far at the same time. The first falsetto he hit, Randy thought was it, but other than that it just wasn't a great performance. He needed to pull it back even more, though, as Marvin Gaye wasn't that type of guy with the vibrato and all. Ellen knows it doesn't feel good to get these notes, but she's starting with the positive. She thinks Jermaine has great and she loves that he rocks his onesie. She thinks the song was off a little bit and that he pushed too hard again.



Kara recognizes Jermaine can do all these things which is impressive, but he always does too much. He as to pull it back and look at the meaning of the song. It feels forced and like he's trying to show them every trick. All he needs is one trick that means something. Simon tells him they're all frustrated and disappointed, as he waters down the songs. That is one of the best pop songs of all time, but he makes it lose the importance, as he plays around it so much, nobody can take him seriously as an artist.



Jermaine just wants the judges to come to church with him some week, and Simon wants to take him off on that offer. He doesn't think that's church singing, though, and thinks it's more cabaret. He asks what he should sing next week, and Simon says he might not be there next week. Ellen says they're good songs, but he should perhaps do a Frankie Beverly and Maze song. Jermaine says he's taking it all seriously and he's a God-fearing guy, so thinks will keep him on the show.



Andrew Garcia has been a breakdancer since middle school, and what he loves about it is that you can be free with it. There's a lot of technique, and swag to it like music. He uses that same thing in his own music. After last week's critique, he's going to take into consideration what they said, but he's still going to sing what he knows how to do best and what makes him feel best. Tonight that's You Give Me Something to show them this is what he feels good singing. He'll have little tweaks here and there in the song and just have fun with it. It's just okay until he totally kills it in the bridge and leaves the comfort of the chair. I think all the guys save for a few are way over analyzing everything. We want to see you have fun, and if you're not, we see it.



Randy loves James Morrison too, but he doesn't think this was the vibe for Andrew tonight. It was real pitchy and all over the place. He sees Andrew with his guitar and doing his thing, unique and quirky like Jason Mraz. Ellen disagrees and thought there were a few pitch problems, but she liked him a lot. She notes he set the bar so high with the Paula Abdul song, She's still a huge fan and thinking of getting his name tattooed on her neck.



Kara agrees that the problem is Andrew doing Straight Up so well, and it feels like him going down. He's a rhythmic singer and and has to stay on the rhythm. Last week it was a different take, and this week he played it too safe. She likes being surprised and needs a new one right now. Simon tells him once again it's just frustration. The fact that he hasn't managed to choose the right song for two weeks is a problem. With this song, we'll never look back and say it's an incredible version of that and is just okay, and he's better than okay.



Something we don't know about Aaron Kelly is that he loves photography. No one can tell him it's the right way or wrong way and he can just do it his way. Even the most plain things turns into something the camera will find. Dude, music is the same way. The plain thing turn into something and our ears find it. He didn't notice some things about his performance last week until he went back and watched it. He didn't think he'd make it this far, and it's still becoming real to him. Simon told him to just believe in himself after the show. He's singing My Girl tonight and while i find too much vibrato in it, it's nice to hear him just letting go and having fun with it, kind of like he does with his camera.



Randy wasn't sure if he was going to like it, but when he started the song he remembered this is the guy he loved in Hollywood, It got a little weird in some parts, but he can really sing, and that was 200% better than last week. Ellen likes his new confidence and how he used the stage. He sings well and the song was forgettable, so she wishes he had chosen a different song.



Kara liked it and she really likes Aaron. She likes that every time he steps out, it's consistent. She likes the country twang, the great vibrato, the control, and appreciates that he's not doing one thing one week and the next something different. She thinks he'll get better and better. Simon didn't like the song as it was all over the place, but feels Aaron needs to work out what kind of artist he needs to be. He was too old-fashioned and needs to show what kind of artist he wants to be. Aaron is feeling more confident and Ryan asks him if he likes Justin Bieber.



Something we don't know about Tim Urban is his large family with four brothers and five sisters. There's a year or two between each of them, so it like being born into a group of friends. On thing he does before performances is take the time to pray. He jokes last week was a great confidence booster, and knows that Simon was right. He' snot going to try and be an artist he's not tonight and is singing Come On Get High. This song choice makes so much of a difference, as he's just comfortable out here singing a song that he likes.



Randy tells Tim he didn't really get it, and it was kind of karaoke and nothing special, with some pitch problems involved. Ellen has said it before and says if he was on Glee and was singing as part of his acting, girls would go crazy. There's no stage presence, but he's so adorable, so if he acted and sang a little bit in the performance, he'd have it made. She doesn't think singing is his strong point.



Kara actually liked the song choice, and she sees him more in that lane, but he didn't make it his own. It's frustrating because he looks the part and plays the part, but it's not all there yet. She still wants to see him next week though. Simon disagrees with the others and says it's a marked improvement, because he really listened to the criticism and chose a better song. He went back to what they liked about him personally and was more relevant than the other singers they saw. He's impressed not with the performance, but with his attitude and work ethic.



Last up tonight is Lee Dewyze who says high school for him was pretty rough, as he made bad choices. He got placed in an alternative school and a teacher, Amy, really helped him find his way. He's a nice guy and always was, but made bad decisions. He couldn't believe Simon called his performance last week the best by a mile and knows he can do even better than that. He's going to arrange something a little different for tonight and hopes the judges enjoy it. Tonight he's singing Lips of an Angel, and man this guy gets it. He's like a David Cook or Kris Allen to me. He just comes out with no big stuff every week, just himself. He sings it and gets it and gets it done.



Randy calls it a bold move for Lee to come out and do it without his guitar. He's a huge fan of his, and while it had a few pitch problems, he liked it. Ellen agrees, and says he didn't move around or perform, but there was so much passion and intensity and it came out as a great performance as he was really into that song.



Kara thought it was a big improvement on last week. The one thing she can say about him is that she could hear him on the radio right now. It's very commercial, but he needs to own his stance a little. Simon was going to say that too, that he needs to raise his shoulders. He is head and shoulders above the others right now. It's all self-belief. Simon thinks he looks terrified right now, and Lee admits he's not a front guy. Simon's just waiting for him to totally connect, lose the nerves, and if he does, be the one to beat.