Top 8 Men Live on AI Season 9: Michael Lynche Wows the Judges

It was another tough night for the top 8 men on American Idol Season 9. What started out boring, stayed that way throughout. There were a couple of bright spots, but no real star moments. The guys have me back in the girls' camp looking for a winner, likely in Crystal Bowersox.

Michael Lynche was the standout for the AI judges tonight. Closing the live show with Maxwell's "This Woman's Work", he somehow managed to move Kara DioGuardi to fake tears. I thought it was an alright performance, but I can take or leave any Maxwell song. The reviews on Twitter.com seem split down the middle in a love/hate way. I thought the falsetto was terrible, the judges heard something totally different.

What the AI judges said about Michael "Big Mike" Lynche:
Randy Jackson: "...dog, yo...really?... I gotta give it to you again, this is crazy...I want to call Maxwell on the phone and tell him Big Mike is knocking on the door..."

Ellen Degeneres: "...you are the one to beat..."

Kara DioGuardi: "....I've never cried... (Crying) it was amazing...I get that song, not being a mother myself..."

Simon Cowell: "...I don't know what to say now... this was so needed tonight...it was all a little boring, you come out with an incredibly difficult song to sing and you nailed it...not only the best performance of the night, the best performance of the live shows this season..."

I thought Casey James had the best vocals of the night, but I'm a huge fan of his. Tonight he went back to his bar stool and acoustic guitar with "You'll Think of Me" by Keith Urban. It was safe and maybe a little boring, but I thought he kept the music down nicely to show off his vocals. The vocals were good too, no pitch issues and a nice deep tone. Casey James should coast into the Top 12 on AI Season 9.

What the AI judges said about Casey James:
Randy Jackson: "...I think it was a little bit of a safe choice..."

Ellen Degeneres: "...I thought it was great... you're more comfortable sitting on a stool and playing guitar.. I really liked it..."

Kara DioGuardi: "....I'm kind of back on the Casey train... I want to see a little more from you..."

Simon Cowell: "...I would say it was your second best...not as good as week one, definitely better than last week... but you sounded great I have to say..."

Tim Urban continues to under impress me. Actually he fails to impress me at all. I think the judges like his look and that's the only thing that got Tim Urban this far in the American Idol Season 9 competition. Tonight he sang "Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley, a song that Jason Castro had a major success with. Castro brought emotion to the song, Urban brought nothing. He sang the song almost on key, that was it. The judges have jumped behind this guy for some reason, maybe so he won't pull the sympathy votes?

What the AI judges said about Tim Urban:
Randy Jackson:"...one of the greatest songs, love that song... I think you did a pretty good job Tim...."

Ellen Degeneres: "...I have to do this right now (jumped up to the stage and gave Tim Urban a hug) That was fantastic!"
This was just a weird reaction to me, and it looked like it startled Tim Urban too. I don't think it was a good move on Ellen Degeneres' part at all. People are still pretty much on the fence about her being an AI judge.

Kara DioGuardi: "....that was an honest interpretation..."

Simon Cowell: "...I kind of feel responsible for you doing well tonight because I gave you a confidence boost... very very good song choice.. by far the strongest you've done in the competition so far..."

There were no real train wrecks on tonight's Top 8 male performances, but many were just plain forgettable. I think Todrick Hall made a good attempt at a comeback tonight with his version of Queen's "Somebody to Love". It surprised me that Todrick tackled such a big song, but he did a decent job. It was a far cry from most of the boring seated acoustic performances of the other contestants. I'm not sure if it will be enough to save Todrick Hall, and I'm not sure it should. At least it showed he's trying.

Andrew Garcia had an awkward night, with a weird song choice. He tried to change up "Genie in a Bottle" by Christina Aguilera. It sounded alright if you didn't listen to the words. The judges keep trying to get Andrew Garcia to recapture his "Straight Up" vibe from the early auditions. The trouble is, you can't re-create a snowflake. Andrew Garcia may or may not get into the AI Season 9 Top 12 next week. At this point he is not a factor for the finals.

Tomorrow night the American Idol voters will send home another four contestants from Season 9. It is really up in the air still as to who will be leaving. Based on the all of their Idol performances the list should be: Lacey Brown, Paige Miles, Tim Urban and Todrick Hall. If you base you votes strictly on this week, there could be some surprises, including Didi Benami or Andrew Garcia. This is a tough contestant pool for the young Idol voters.

To see the full details on all of tonight's AI Season 9 Top 8 guys' performances and the judges comments check out American Idol Dreams. Who do you think will be the four Idol contestants to leave live this week?