Big Mike Benches Over 500 Pounds, Alex Overcomes Stage Fright, and Jermaine "Rocks the Onesie" on American Idol March 2, 2010

I've complained about the scheduling before, and I'll do it again now: 10 performers (plus commercials) should not equal a two-hour show. I can't wait until they whittle it down to about 10 singers total, with boys and girls performing on the same night.

The guys sang first this week. I believe overall, the performances were better than last week. For me, the standout singers from Tuesday night's show were Michael Lynche and Alex Lambert.

Mike gave a solid performance with his rendition of James Brown's "It's a Man's World."

Alex's performance was a vast improvement from last week. He was much more relaxed, and I'm starting to root for that guy. He sang the John Legend song, "Everybody Knows."

On Tuesday night, Tim Urban was told by three of the judges that his performance was lacking, and last week Simon said they made the right decision in not choosing him for the top 24 initially. He was brought in to replace another singer who was asked to leave the top 24 because of some scandal/drama. If they don't seem to have much confidence in Tim's ability, then why did they bring him in as a replacement? Did the judges make this decision, or was it the producers who brought him back? Regardless of who made the decision, Tim did much better this week, and I'm glad Simon pointed that out.

Other tidbits from Tuesday night's show:

--Big Mike can bench more than 500 pounds. Dayum!

--Casey has a special pre-show ritual that involves something stored in a cardboard box. Any guesses?

--Jermaine Sellers performed in a polka dot shirt, bow tie, and an alfalfa hairdo. When interviewed about his performance from last week, he announced that "them judges was cutthroat." I was rolling on the floor laughing.

--Jermaine also revealed to America that he "rocks the onesie."

--Bowersox was sick and couldn't perform, so that's why the guys sang last night instead of the girls. Hope you feel better, Crystal!

The top 10 girls will perform on Wednesday night, and the castaways will be announced on Thursday night.