The Final 8 Boys: Who will be singing "Hallelujah" and who is in "Trouble"? . . . I've got to work on these titles . . .

Only 8 are left standing . . . who will stay and who will go? It's guys night and THIS is AMERican Idol!

C'mon guys . . . I have really high hopes for tonight. I feel like we are going to get a stand out performance from someone . . . just not sure who.

1. Lee DeWyze is up first with "Firefly" . . . Good idea to go really current . . . AS usual, A's favorite delivers some iffy vocals, but his performance is pinpoint accurate. I'm impressed with his stage presence and I can see him commanding the stage in concert. This boy is safely into the Top 12. Randy thinks it was pitchy but made it his own. Ellen likes that he made it a little rock. Kara thinks he looks confident. Simon thinks there is nothing to rave about, but thinks he has progressed.

2. Alex Lambert - singin "Trouble" . . . this could be really good . . . he looks nervous tonight, but he sounds good . . . he's underplaying the song, and I kind of think that is a good thing . . . better vocals than Lee, but doesn't have the stage presence. Randy thinks it was a good song choice, but didn't have the wow factor. Ellen thinks he's really peaking . . . but doesn't want him to become a cocky banana. Kara thinks the only thing that is stopping him from winning is him. Simon thinks he is concentrating too hard on the performance, and wants him to think about Randy in a bikini. . . .

3. Tim Urban - Jeff Buckley's version of "Hallelujah" . . . This song kinda belongs to Jason Castro "The Cuteness" . . . I'm afraid . . . Is it me or is this boy's voice getting a wee bit better each week . . . I'm surprised. His rendition isn't half bad . . . Whether he should be here or not, I think he's a lock for the Top 12, and this, surprisingly, was a good song choice. Randy thinks he did a pretty good job. Ellen jumped on stage, hugged him, and said it was fantastic. Kara thinks he's kind of in it now, and thought it was an honest interpretation. Simon thought he was smart with the song choice, and thought it was his strongest performance.

4. Andrew Garcia - He's singing "Genie in a Bottle" . . . this could be interesting . . . I'm not sure how I feel about this rendition . . . I like the creativity, but I don't think he changed the vocals that much . . . he just added a guitar. The ending was better, but I'm not sold on this . . . I feel like I'm going to be on the island of unpopular opinion. Randy didn't think he executed it well. Ellen thought it was a great song choice, and thought the ending was very good. Kara thinks he peaked too early, and thought it wasn't great. Simon agrees with Kara, and thought it was a little bit desperate.

5. Casey "My Baby" James - Singing "You'll Think of Me" . . . I'm not familiar with the Urban catalogue . . . I don't necessarily think this song is anything special, but he is singing well, and he's got that stage presence. The song picked up at the end . . . I think he gave a very, solid performance, and he is a lock for the Top 12. Randy thinks it was good but safe. Ellen thought he sounded great. Kara is kinda back on the Casey train. Simon thinks it made him sincere.

6. Aaron Kelly - "I'm Already There" . . . I loathe this song. Very iffy vocals through the first verse . . . chorus is much better, but I want him to remove his vocal chords from his nose. I think this is by far the worst of the night . . . by a longshot. Randy thought it was really good in the middle and the end. Ellen thought it was too much song for him. Kara thinks the song is not relevant to him. Simon thinks what Kara said was rubbish, and thought it was the right type of song for him to do. Why are they pimping him?

7. Todrick Hall . . . I REALLY don't like him . . . and he's singing "Somebody to Love" . . . Ugh . . . I need him to be gone . . . I'm trying not to be biased here, but this is a weird vocal, starting with the falsetto and then dropping two octaves . . . and not quite connecting to the song. He needs to be voted off the island. Randy thought it was one of the best vocals of the last couple of weeks (yikes). Ellen thought he made it sound like a gospel song. Kara thought it was good singing, but thought it was overly dramatic. Simon thought the song was good in parts, and that he is a broadway singer.

8. Big Mike - Singing a little Maxwell . . . The beginning falsetto was a wee bit painful for me, and this song doesn't really work for me . . . again, island of unpopular opinion, big note at the end was good, but there comes that damned falsetto again . . . they are going to love this . . . I did not. Randy thought it was dope. Ellen thought it was beautiful. Kara is crying and thought it was amazing. Simon thought the performance was needed tonight, and nailed it. He thought it was the best performance of all of the live shows . . . I just didn't get it.

My rankings for the night:
Tim,
Adam,
Casey,
Lee
(space),
Big Mike
Andrew
(Huge Space),
Todrick,
Aaron

Ok, so I know I have ranked the eye candy first, but, to be honest, I think Tim, Adam, and Casey were all quite good . . . the tiniest of spaces separates Lee, and then the rest . . . I think that Andrew will go . . . but the other one perplexes me . . . I think Todrick should be voted off the island . . . but little Aaron was reallllllllllllly bad . . . but he's got that Katie Stevens, I am 16, thing . . . I just don't know . . . Ok, I think, much to my chagrin, that Todrick will stay for another ughful week . . . and Andrew and Aaron will bid us adieu . . .