Aah, it’s Wednesday and there are 8 boys left to sit and judge.

I’ve got a killer sore throat tonight and a bit of a headache, so I’m not in the mood for any bullshit out of the guys. The girls were so boring last night that I wanted to find something else to do. I hope the boys don’t send me off to the medicine cabinet looking for a chemical escape.

Last week America voted just like I thought they would and booted that Godly Queen of Denial, Jermaine Stewart and John Park, who just kept making stupid song choices.

Let’s get to it…

Lee Dewyze has picked “Fireflies” by Owl City. Dude, you can’t copy the effect of an autotuner with just your voice. Luckily you gave that up after the first verse. Unfortunately, you still sound like you’re trying to be Adam Duritz from Counting Crows, and you just aren’t that good. I will say that this is the best performance I’ve seen of Lee’s I’ve seen so far. But that’s a lot like saying one turd is somewhat more aesthetically pleasing than another. Randy thought it was a strange song choice and there were some pitch issues but he “worked it out.” Ellen liked the arrangement, but said his pitch problems “didn’t matter.” Kara called it confident and made the song better. Simon said there was nothing to rave about, but he’s progressed well.

Alex Lambert is performing “Trouble” by Ray Lamontagne. Alex is an odd one to figure out. Tonight his voice sounds a little like Cat Stevens and a Muppet had a love child. It’s not bad, but it’s not altogether good, either. His version of the song wasn’t that special, it stuck pretty closely to the original, but he didn’t seem to have any pitch issues. He also appears to have gotten his nerves in check. There’s enough interesting about him that I’d like to see him stick around awhile. Not to mention the fact that I totally dig his modified mullet and curious scar on his cheek. Randy wasn’t wowed by it. Ellen called him a “mushy banana” in that he’s ripening quickly and getting better and better. Kara said the only thing standing in the way of his winning is his confidence level. Simon wants to see him relax and have a good time but likes his distinct voice.

Tim Urban is tackling “Hallelujah” the Leonard Cohen song that Jeff Buckley popularized. He’s playing acoustic guitar and has switched up the melody a bit. So, I have to admit that I’m pretty shocked by how strong his voice is tonight. The only reason I ever remembered this guy is that he’s easy to look at with his crooked smile and shaggy mop…. I can’t say that I loved the fact that he didn’t complete all of his phrases, perhaps as a stylistic choice, but he sounded quite good. I will remember this performance at least until the end credits roll. Which is more than I can say for What’s His Name that sang first. Randy thought he did a pretty good job. Ellen ran on to the stage and hugged him and called him fantastic. Kara thought he was going home a few weeks ago but thinks he’s in it to win it now. Simon said it was a very smart song choice and called it terrific.

Andrew Garcia has decided to sing “Genie in a Bottle” by Christina Aguilera. I can already tell this will be one of those performances everyone loves. He’s playing acoustic guitar too. Apparently it’s acoustic guitar night on American Idol. There’s not too much to say about his performance. He’s consistently a good singer who for the most part picks decent songs. I think the arrangement would have been better slowed down a touch. Randy thought it was pitchy and didn’t really show his range. Ellen thought it was a great song choice but wishes he had done it a bit different. Kara thinks he peaked so early and has been chasing it since. She’s disappointed that it “just wasn’t great.” Simon thought it was a little bit desperate and over thought.

Casey James is up next with “You’ll Think of Me” by Keith Urban. Hey guess what, he’s also playing acoustic guitar! Shocking! Amazing! Stupendous! There were a few moments tonight that Casey sounded like Bob Segar. It was an interesting song that he performed fairly well. I think he may be the guy to beat… he’s a great guitar player with a decent voice who is smoking hot. And we all know that all the little girlies like a blond with blue eyes, white teeth and a guitar. Randy thought it was a bit too safe of a song choice. Ellen thought it was great. Kara thinks she may be back on the Casey train. We know that is where she would like to be… Simon called it his “second best” and was sincere, but not necessarily memorable.

Aaron Kelly aka TwinklyBits is singing “I’m Already There” by Lonestar. First notes out of the gate were rough. And it so far hasn’t gotten any better. I just can’t buy TwinklyBits singing about his kids. This song is way too old and way too big for him. This is like one of those Star Search Semi-Final performances. That is to say, he’s gotten as far as he has because he’s just oh so put-him-in-your-pocket cute…. but it’s time for the dream to die tonight. His pitch was all over the place, the verses were too low for him, the material too mature, and he just can not compete with the older contestants. I will give him an extra point for NOT playing guitar. That brings his total to 1 point. Randy thought it was really good, but the lower notes were awful. Ellen thought he has sounded better and it was pretty rough. Kara thought he gave it his all, but said the song was completely irrelevant to his life. Simon interrupted Kara and thought it was the right type of song for him to do, though it wasn’t a great vocal.

Todrick Hall is throwing some “Somebody to Love” by Queen at us. What I really hate is that this arrangement has completely pussified a rock anthem into a Baptist church spiritual. Where are the balls? Even the version they did on GLEE had more bite and cock throwing to it. I like Todrick, I think he’s got a better voice than several of the other guys left, but this just totally let the air out of the room. The build didn’t even quite get to the attitude that the song should have started at… I think he was more interested in showcasing those few falsetto notes at the very beginning than in delivering a kick-ass rock song. I would go so far to say that Todrick has never even heard the original Queen version, if he had, he would be embarrassed by this performance. Randy called it one of the best vocals of the season. Ellen called it brave and thought it worked as a gospel song. Kara said it was really good singing but wasn’t sure if it was really good or really bad. Simon said it was good in parts, and thought he would be a good Broadway performer.

Michael Lynche is closing the show tonight with his version of “This Woman’s Work” by Maxwell. There is absolutely no question that Michael can sing. This was a fantastic vocal! It was intense in the right spots, it had just the right amount of softness and falsetto and rough growl. He looked the part, has great stage presence, and delivered the performance of the night. Bravo to the big guy! Randy called it dope and babbled on at length without saying anything. Ellen called it “so beautiful” and said he’s the one to beat. Kara is in tears and said it was amazing. Simon said he nailed it and called it the best performance of any of the live shows of this season.

Here’s my ranking:

1. Michael Lynche
2. Tim Urban
3. Casey James
4. Andrew Garcia
5. Alex Lambert
6. Lee Dewyze
7. Todrick Hall
8. Aaron Kelly

I think Aaron and Todrick are in the most danger. Though, there’s a chance that Alex and Tim are fighting for the same votes, and in that case Tim will beat out Alex. What are your predictions?