Top 10 Guys (3/1/06)

Once again - Yay Boys!! :-)

Taylor started out; his "high point so far on AI" has been being recognized in public. He sang "Easy," with lots of "Woo!"'s both during & after the actual performance. So many that what had been fun got annoying. He had people stand up for the song, which is a ballad, but I guess he wanted them to sway (heh, my fingers wanted to capitalize that!). He sang well enough, but it fell into the "good, not great" category for me. And the judges, who dissed the song selection (Taylor said he picked it because Lionel is from Alabama like he is, & Ryan said they're even from the same town). I'm already noticing Ace's brother, as he's in the end seat in the front row in the section right next to the girls! - but apparently I missed Bo, who was also there!!)

Elliott was next & tugged at the heartstrings a bit talking about how his mom got sick & was hospitalized (ICU even) during the Hollywood rounds, so it was really hard to him to focus. He's singing a jazzy song called "Moody's Mood for Love" that I don't know. But it's a hard song to sing (as Paula pointed out) with unusual rhythms & lots of quick words, and he nailed it (Paula agreed). Simon said he wouldn't be able to win "with a song like that," but still complimented his confidence & performance.

Next is Ace, who explains how he always has a beanie (knitted cap) in his back pocket & wears them sometimes but it's mostly for "comfort" (& then compares it to a married person having a wedding ring, which doesn't really make sense). He then sings Daniel Bedingfield's song - I think it's called "If You're Not the One," though he said "If I'm Not Made For You." (nerves?) He does well, including a falsetto, but last week's was better (though I like last week's song better in general). Randy & Paula loved it, said good song choice as it showcased his range, but Simon thought he "struggled" with it. Oh and he seemed quite a bit more confident on stage this week (yay!).

Gedeon talked about how after Simon's big warning in Hollywood that anyone who forgot their lyrics would have a "99% chance" of going home, he was very confident but then totally spaced his song. And from that he learned... I was expecting him to say something about not being cocky, but he just said he learned to never forget his lyrics. Oh well. He sang Sam Cooke's "Change is Gonna Come" and it was decent, but he just seems like a novelty act to me (as Taylor actually did this week, too). Did have a nice glory note at the end. Randy loved his song choice and "throwback" style; Paula & Simon pretty much agreed.

Kevin displayed more of his great, snarky sense of humor, talking about going from the quiet, nice kid in a high school class that "girls feel safe around," to all the attention (mentioned emails) he gets now and his "sex symbol" status. :-) He sang "Heard it Through the Grapevine" because he wanted to "have fun," and he did. It was an ok-to-poor performance vocally, but he gets more & more enjoyable the more I see of him. Paula called him "infectious" (in a good way) and Randy loved all of it (including the vocals). Simon was "more realistic" but also admitted he likes him.

Sway talked about how cool it was that both of his parents were here for his performance last week because he hadn't seen them "together" in years, and he hoped that somehow he was helping "other families to come together" too. Sang Stevie's "Overjoyed," and the judges were not (nor was I - many previous contestants have done it much better). In fact they were downright critical, even Paula (he was "disconnected"), and Simon said "pure karaoke." Wonder if they're starting to realize the greater talent & charisma in some of the other guys & change their minds about who they want in the top 12?

Will talked about the Top 24 party and the fun of the red carpet, and meeting Justin Guarini (whom he watched when he was twelve - thanks for the jailbait reminder) and how cool it is that now he's doing the same thing. Sang "Lady" (the Kenny Rogers one - because it's a country song & he wants to represent for Texas) and it was awesome!! Just the thing he needed to show off his strong, steady vocal ability (since anyone who just started watching last week hasn't seen that yet). He also changed up the phrasing quite a bit (as CI2's Kalan did when he sang it) which shows some musicianship. Ended with a big glory note & got standing o. from the audience. Unfortunately the judges weren't as pleased; Randy was just "unimpressed"; Paula said he showed nice tone & control but it was "too safe"; and Simon said it would appeal only to his 11-year-old-girl target audience (ouch! - well I'm more than 3 times that and loved it, so there!).

Bucky talked about food, and even though some of what he said was very similar to Kellie's last night, he seems 100% genuine and I just don't get that from her. Anyway, he said he expects he'll lose weight because the only things he recognizes on menus are vegetables and rice! ;-) He chose Garth Brooks' "The Thunder Rolls," because Garth was one of the first to "put rock in country." He started out the verse just singing at the mic stand - and was really, *really* good!! (And easy on the eyes.) Pulled the mic off & got louder & growly for the chorus, as the song calls for, & it was still good enough but I'd love to hear him do a whole song softly; he has a very nice voice (good control & perfect subtle country inflections) that his growly voice covers up. Audience loved him - s.o. Randy said it was good overall & it was a great song choice; Paula loved the softer beginning as I did. Simon said he's "sincere" but seems more like an opening act than a star, which got boos from the audience (& Randy). Ryan teased him about going out for tuna rolls after the show & he was like, "I want a biscuit." "And some sweet tea." Gotta love him!!

David told us that when he went for his 1st audition with Randy, Paula & Simon that he'd forgotten his belt and used his mom's cell phone charging cord to keep his pants up. He then crooned (and swooned) his way through "The Way You Look Tonight." It was ok; he did his thing, but I don't like the way he sings and he has no versatility (and when Paula initially put him through she made him promise he'd do pop!). Randy said he was bored but that the band sounded great (hee!); Paula said it wasn't his best; and Simon said he lacked charisma (I definitely disagree w/that) and confidence.

Last is Chris - he just talked about how his life is different in general, not "working" (said rehearsals don't feel like work) and "living the dream" instead. And that his kids are the most popular kids in school now. Sang Fuel's "Hemorrhage," again extremely "current" as the judges have said. Did a great job - brought the house down, dawg! Randy said it was a perfect choice & he could totally see him holding his own on the radio right now. Paula asked, "Do you know how good you are?!" And Simon said he was in a "different class" & "set the standard" the rest of the guys should aspire to; that his was the only performance that would hold up "in the real world." Needless to say Chris was a happy guy!

I threw a couple votes in for Elliott & Chris (couldn't get through much), & lots for Bucky & Will. I would like to see Sway, Gedeon, and David be the next to leave. After that it gets harder; Kevin & Bucky are less talented vocally but so entertaining... so at this point I'd like Will, Ace, Chris, Elliott, Bucky, and I guess Taylor as the Finalists. I'd *really* like to keep more guys & fewer girls, but that's not an option. So I'll enjoy them while I can! Yay boys!! :-)