Let's hear it for the boys: Top 8 guys!

Top 8 fellas! I must say.... although it was a very chill night for the men folk, there were some surprises along the way. Some good....and some not so good. Before I get into all of it, I must first AGAIN comment on how annoying the Kara/Simon thing is getting. I think we had gotten used to how stupid he and Paula were that it just didn't matter anymore. But really, WHY must we recreate something that was already so annoying in the first place? I just don't get the need to focus attention on it....which I guess is exactly what I'm doing right now.. so I'm done.

Ok.... here we go.
1.) Lee Dewyze: Ok, Lee....you seem like a charming guy. I bet we'd be friends. I'm just not blown away by anything you do. You've got a fairly decent voice, but there is nothing about it that makes me think that you have any chance at all of winning this thing. The problem with Lee is that in the mix of the 3 or 4 wonderfully creative ladies that are left, and the 2 or 3 guys that out sing him every week, he's just a little bit forgettable. I think he'll be fine to make it through to the top 12...and probably even to the top 10, but I just don't get excited about anything he does.
2.) Alex Lambert: Oh for the love of cuteness! That kid is just TOO adorable for words. I think it's safe to say that I have a slight inappropriate crush on him. I just cannot get over how ridiculously cute he is. AH! And his voice... LOVE it!! His tone, and I've said this pretty much every time I've talked about him, is just amazing. He seemed a tiny bit less nervous tonight. Not by a lot, but he didn't look like he wanted to faint this week. That song was a great choice for him. It was a little mellow, like most of the night actually, but I just think he sounded great. I really like him. I hope he starts to believe in how good he really is.
3.) Tim Urban: Well. Surprise #1 of the night...Tim didn't suck. As soon as Ryan said Tim was gonna be singing "Hallelujah" I thought oh, no! But.... then Tim surprised everyone and actually sang the song really really well. I mean... what?! He wasn't bad. He was even, dare I say, good tonight. And Ellen...she left her seat to HUG him! That might have been just a BIT much, but it's clear that that is for sure the best he has done... ever! I'm happy for Tim cuz let's be honest... who doesn't love the feeling of redeeming themselves from not one, but TWO horrible weeks of singing... but now I'm nervous that he'll be making the top 12... something he should not be doing. If he was getting votes when he sounded awful, I am pretty certain he'll be getting them, and maybe a few more, when he sang so much better tonight. Oh, Tim... you may have just given yourself a second chance. Don't screw it up.
4.) Andrew Garcia: Surprise #2 of the night... Andrew didn't bring his A game like he needed to tonight. I love Andrew. I love his voice, I love his style, I love the fact that he seems like such a great guy. BUT... he just has not been stepping it up as much as he needs to. He was good tonight, he really was. It was a fun song choice and he did a cool arrangement with it, but there was just nothing that "special" about it. For the risk of sounding like Kara, he just didn't have that "wow" moment that we've seen him have before. If he was one of the lowest vote getters last week, I'm a little nervous for him tomorrow night. He does NOT deserve to go home..not for a long time, but I'm just not sure how this is gonna play out. I just fear that he really did peak way too soon and maybe is burning out a little. I hope that's not true cuz I really want him to stick around. He deserves to stick around.
5.) Casey James: Ok, Casey...you sing just fine. You're a good looking dude. You seem like a real stand up guy. I am just not impressed with you. You're easy to listen to and you have a good voice, but there is absolutely nothing about you that makes you stand out to me. I feel like the problem with Casey, for me at least, is that he gets lost in the shuffle of everyone else. He's too safe or something. I think he'll sail through to the top 12 with no problem, I just wonder if he'll ever jump ahead of the pack and give us something to REALLY remember him by other than the fact that Kara basically sexually assaulted him the entire first month of the show.
6.) Aaron Kelly: No. No, no, no. His pitch was all over the place, his voice was shaky, and he looked pretty awkward up there if you ask me. All this "you carry yourself like a 30 year old" stuff... um, no. Maybe he does, but it's an awkward 30 year old then. He is a doll and he doesn't have a BAD voice, but he's just not good enough. I feel like he's just a better sounding version of Sanjaya. Yes, Sanj was HORRENDOUSLY AWFUL, so maybe that comparison isn't fair... but it's just another case of young kid that everyone liked at first and then realized couldn't hack it in the competition. Aaron has a good voice and a lot of potential to get even better, but he really shouldn't be in the top 12. If he doesn't go home this week, that will be surprise #3.
7.) Todrick Hall: What a BIG song to take on! I mean, who does Queen!? (Unless you're Adam and Kris in the finale last season and are performing WITH them!). He actually did a pretty decent job. That falsetto at the beginning was actually right on pitch and he did a good job of putting a little pep into such a chill show. This was for sure the best he's been in the last 3 weeks. If anyone were to slide under the radar this week and get the boot prematurely, I'd say it might be Todrick. Only because I'm not sure how much he's done up until this point to get enough people to rally behind him....even after a good performance like tonight. He SHOULD make it over Tim Urban, but that sneaky little sucker did such a surprisingly good job tonight that it might be cuttin' it close.
8.) Big Mike Lynche: Wow. With the exception of Kara's RIDICULOUS tears, I really enjoyed that entire performance! His falsetto...wow! Who knew he had that in him!? I honestly think that of all the contestants this season, he has so far been the most consist ant as far as pitch is concerned. His voice is just so pretty and he sings with a lot of ease. And that was NOT as easy song to try and do. But he did it! And he did it wonderfully. Kara was BEYOND annoying at the end with her "crying" and laying on Simon....um.. puke!! I know someone else who used to cry after really good performances.... oh, yeah, that's right...it was Paula! Give it up Kara... you are not Paula! Give. It. UP. But back to Big Mike... really great job. Two weeks in a row now he has really done an amazing job. He's sticking around for sure.

Alright...well there ya have it. Before the show even started I would've bet my money on Aaron Kelly and Tim Urban taking serious nose dives into the "you almost made it to the top 12 but not quite" pool. BUT...I'm not so sure about Tim Urban after tonight. I'm nervous for Andrew Garcia, and there is a CHANCE it could wind up being someone like Todrick. I honestly don't know. The girls were much easier to pick last night and I hope I'm right about those two! I think the boy eliminations might surprise some people. Dang that Tim Urban. He ruined everything!

Until tomorrow night.....