American Idol 9, February 24 Recap: Man, Oh, Man

The boys come into this round believing themselves to be the underdogs. If that's true based on the underwhelming girls' episode, we should all preemptively cringe. But hey, there should be at least one decent performance, right? This... is American Idol.

Randy is asked by Ryan to rate this group of guys. He likes their feeling and diversity, and asks them to be true to themselves. The girls blew it out. Really? Kara knows there are a lot of big nerves, since this is the first live show for many. Having been in a bikini on stage, Kara advises the men to think about safe place. "Little House on the Prairie," says Simon. Ellen, on her first time live, was shocked about the difference between the stage and the screen. You hear every single flaw at home, so if they sound bad there, they sound worse at home. Simon heard an awful lot of nerves at rehearsal, and reminds the men if they forget the words, their careers are over.

First up on the eyeball-shaped stage is Todrick Hall. The 24-year-old of Arlington, Texas, is an actor, writer, and a dancer. He wrote his audition song in the shower. People know his song now. Being in the top 24 is such a cool experience for him.

Todrick decides to switch up "Since U Been Gone." Mistake #1: Choosing a song by an Idol winner, let alone Kelly Clarkson. Mistake #2: Adding way too much melisma. Mistake #3: Thanks to switching up the melody so much, I can't even tell if there is a melody anymore. Todrick gets points for taking an Idol winner's song in a new direction, but no points for singing it like crap. He only gets a 5 out of 10.

Ellen says this is what she's looking for. She liked Todrick's dancer stage presence. The chorus was rough, but she liked everything else. Randy is a fan, but to him, it didn't even sound like the same song. That was sort of the point, wasn't it? He warns Todrick not to go over the top. Kara agrees because Todrick is a strong enough singer, so he should just change it naturally. She appreciates that he took a risk, but he should pull back next time. Simon thinks Todrick came over as dancer trying to sing. He's all for risks that are improvements, but Todrick murdered the original song to the point where it was verging on stupid.

After an intense criticism from Simon, Todrick doesn't have much to say. He even questioned the change in the song himself. Still, he heard this version of song in his own head, so at least he keeps his creativity points. At least until we find an identical version on YouTube, then he'll be worthless.

Perhaps 16-year-old Aaron Kelly of Sonestown, Pennsylvania, will give the guys some credence. Aaron believes his defining moment so far has been his performance of "Angel." He lost his words, but he found them again. He's still sinking into the surreal experience that is the top 24.

Aaron has chosen "Here Comes Goodbye" by Rascal Flatts. Since Chris Sligh wrote this, does it count as an Idol song? His raspy voice is pretty good for the country-pop genre. There are a few awful notes, and his performance just consists of Aaron standing there. Still, it was pretty good for a so far mediocre week. 7.

Bearing in mind this was Aaron's first live performance, Simon thought it was good. Still, he thinks Aaron looks embarrassed to be there. The song isn't very memorable (is that a "ha ha" to Sligh?), but Simon says he'll be here next week. Aaron is Kara's favorite kind of contestant because he has raw talent. She believes Aaron is a natural and will get better every week with the feedback. She likes the pop-country lane he's taking. Randy says this is a big song, and Aaron has a huge voice. There were pitchy moments, though, and Aaron should believe in himself. Ellen believes he'll be here a long time, and she loves how humble he is.

Simon noticed Aaron winking at the girls during the rolling of his tape. Okay, then...

Up next is Jermaine Sellers, the 27-year-old church singer from Joliet, Illinois. Jermaine had a specific way to perform "Man in the Mirror" that didn't work out. His whining made him look like "Booboo the Clown," or something. This Idol journey will be about his city and his family.

Jermaine tries his hand at Oleta Adams' "Get Here." He sounds like the R&B version of Adam Lambert without sounding good. There are a lot of iffy notes, and way too many notes where he wasn't even trying for the melody. Creativity is fine, but the performance should still be good. This wasn't. 5.

Ellen is a huge fan of his look and she loves that song. However, she feels he wasn't feeling the lyrics. Randy though the song choice was weird, and he did too much vocally to a melody that already works. Kara knows Jermaine wanted to show what he could do, but he has to make the runs feel meaningful. Simon says this is the kind of song that would get requests from fifty-somethings in a piano bar. It sounded like he screamed the song, and he has totally blown his opportunity.

Ryan asks Jermaine what he thought when watched back the Hollywood drama. Jermaine says it's a process. Eh? He believes he was made out to look like a diva. Ryan wonders if he and Michael (Orland) have made up. Jermaine asks, "Who is Michael?" Oh, that did not help. Michael Orland comes up for a hug, anyway.

Tim Urban, holding a product-placed soft drink cup, gets the next spot. The Duncanville, Texas, 20-year-old kept being cut and brought back a secret to his family, thinking it would be more entertaining for them to find out while watching. He's still processing everything that has happened. Janell is glad Tim's back, and so is Tim. What a mack daddy.

For his big comeback, Tim has opted for OneRepublic's "Apologize." Um, yeah. I see why he got cut. Those high notes are so wimpy, I can't tell if he's really trying or doing it deliberately. His voice just seems incredibly disconnected throughout the song, making it an utter train wreck. 2.

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