Top 8 Guys Recap

This is it. One more week of performances before we know who our finalists are. By now we have a pretty good idea of who the big dogs in the Top 12 will be, but the question is which lower-tier contestants will be adding their flavor to the big stage?

Ryan opens the show by walking down the stairs which all eight guys are standing on. He gives Michael Johns a pat on the shoulder, as if it weren't already obvious that he was one of the favored contestants. The theme this week is songs from the 80's, and Ryan says that since most of us wore some of our most embarrassing outfits in the 80's the theme to the intro videos will be of the contestants' most embarrassing moments. How fun.

The contestant we open with is Luke Menard. They clearly want this guy gone, so they put him first in hopes people will forget about him come voting time. He tells us his most embarrassing moment was when he was a kid and his older sister dressed him up as a ballerina. He sings Wham!'s "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go," a song which has the potential to give him a new most embarrassing moment. Honestly, his vocals just aren't strong enough to make this performance great. He's not terrible, but there's something missing. My mother, who loved him during the first week, says she doesn't like him anymore. Well, he's one of my horses and I'm sticking with him even if he is the weakest performer left. We need an American Idol who consciously wants to be a positive role model. Randy says there were some pitch problems and that it was a little corny. Paula loves it. Simon says it was weak and that Luke has no chance of making the Top 12. Simon has been both right and wrong when he's predicted people were going home in the past, but even when he's been wrong the contestant usually hasn't lasted very much longer. The vast majority of my votes went to Luke this week, but I doubt it'll be enough to save him.

Next is Eric Carmen Jr., golden boy David Archuleta. He tells us that once he lost his voice halfway through a song and his mother had to finish it for him. How sweet. He sings "Another Day in Paradise" by Phil Collins and plays the piano along with it at the beginning. At least it wasn't "Against All Odds". My mother calls it impressive after the first few notes. I'm starting to get annoyed by his nasal upper register, but overall David gives a good performance. Randy says it was like watching him in concert, and that it was nice despite some pitch problems. Paula says she's glad David missed a few notes because it makes him seem more human. Simon says it wasn't as good as last week and that David's performances are starting to get gloomy. He adds that David will probably be in the Final 2, just in case we got the impression that we weren't supposed to love him anymore.

I like that they didn't introduce everyone before the show. It makes it fun to wonder who'll get the pimp spot.

It's Danny Noriega time. His most embarrassing moment was when one of his friends tripped him on a stairway right in front of his crush. Notice he doesn't specify the gender of this "crush." He sings "Tainted Love," most famously done by Soft Cell. What can I really say about this guy? He's just weird and creepy. As an Idol nerd who's looked up the histories of other countries' "Idol" shows, his vocals kind of remind me of Jacob Hoggard from "Canadian Idol." Despite Jacob's popularity, that isn't a compliment coming from me. Danny sings his song competently and adds his own touch to it, but I can't say I enjoy it. Randy says it started rough and was pitchy, but he liked the arrangement. Paula says Danny is like a bright light to the competition. Simon thinks it was horrible and useless. Danny sasses Simon by mocking his hand gesture that was discussed at length last week. I'll give Danny credit for being memorable, but his whole saucy gay kid shtick is becoming tiresome. Unless he de-flames a bit, I don't see him lasting much longer than a few more weeks. I could even see this week being his last.

Next up is David Hernandez, who tells us that he once did a photo shoot without realizing he had a large booger in his nose. He sings "It's All Coming Back to Me Now," originally by Pandora's Box. He sings it well, though his phrasing is slightly odd sometimes. My mother comments that he has a stare like Phil Stacey. Jim Steinman, the writer of this song, has said that he thinks it's more lyrically suited for a woman to sing, but I guess if Meat Loaf can record it David Hernandez can perform it on "American Idol". Randy likes it but says there were a few pitch problems. Paula says he's getting into his groove. Simon says it wasn't as good as last week, but that David has 100% secured a place in the Finals. For what it's worth, I'm aware that the rumors of David being a gay stripper have been confirmed. I'm not a fan of that profession, but I still like David's performances and his on-screen personality. I don't care if he's gay as long as he's not being obnoxious about it like Danny.

Ryan tells us David Cook is up next, but when the show comes back from the commercial he's sitting on the couch with Michael Johns and tells us they're dealing with a guitar issue. Michael says his game plan on this show is to let America know he's the type of artist who wants to make a record that has elements of rock, soul and a little bit of dance. At least that's what it sounded like he said. In the video he says his most embarrassing moment was when he was working as a mascot and four guys beat him up. I always thought that came with the territory. He sings Simple Minds' "Don't You (Forget About Me)," which works well with his voice. I could do without the Vedder-brato, but at least he hits the high notes better than he did last week. My mother thinks he sounds shaky and doesn't like him changing octaves. Randy says it was a good song choice and Paula says she liked seeing the strength in his lower range. Simon says he really really likes Michael, but he doesn't feel that he's connected with the right song yet. I'm not sure I agree with that. I'm not a fan of Michael, but I thought he did all right with this performance.

Now David Cook's on the stage, and this time he's going to perform for real. The guitar issues have been worked out. He tells us he once sang in a talent show and in the middle of the song he realized he didn't know the second verse. I guess that's why you rehearse, dude. He sings "Hello" by Lionel Richie and sadly, he does it really well. As much as I dislike this guy, I don't think he's going anywhere for a while. The judges all love it and say that his version could be a hit single right now. I'm going to hate seeing this guy's smug mug on my TV for the next few months.

Jason Castro is performing without the guitar for the first time tonight, and he's doing Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." Before he plays he tells us that once he was on a date with a girl (he can actually specify the gender of his date) and accidentally ripped out one of his dreads. He's starting to remind me of Cody from "Step By Step" both in looks and personality. His performance sounds pretty good. It's obvious he's not the most experienced singer in the world, but he handles it all right. Randy likes it, Paula likes the fact that he didn't use the guitar, and Simon says it was brilliant. Good on him. I have to wonder though, if the average person at home is familiar with the song or enjoys him as much without the guitar. I think Jason should be in the Top 12, but I could sort of see him slipping through the cracks at the same time.

And the pimp spot goes to...Chikezie. His embarrassing moment is that in high school he regularly used a certain bathroom before one day finding out it was a women's room. He reprises his audition song, "All the Woman I Need" by Luther Vandross, which was previously recorded as "All the Man That I Need" in the 80's. I like his voice, but I won't deny that there are some pitch problems here. The final note is definitely off. It was nowhere near as bad as his first week performance though. Randy and Paula both like it. Simon asks him if it was a Whitney Houston song. Chikezie rattles off all the versions that were recorded before finally concluding that it was a Whitney Houston song. "Then no, I don't think that worked at all," says Simon. Apparently if it hadn't been a Whitney Houston song it would've been good. Instead it's "cabaret". Whatever, Simon. At least Chikezie was able to avoid making a sarcastic remark this time.

Now it's time for predictions. They're going to be a little tough this week, since Luke is really the only obvious choice to go home. A lot of people would say Chikezie, but he got the benefit of the pimp spot and I actually got some busy signals when I voted for him (first time I've gotten any all season), so I think he'll be fine. There are often people who miss the Top 12 that everyone considered a lock, so that's probably what we're looking at here. I may be completely wrong, but here's what I'll go on record as saying:

Probably Going Home

Luke
Jason

Also Vulnerable

Danny
David H.
Chikezie

Probably Safe

Michael

I'd Be Shocked

David A.
David C.

Whom I Voted For: Luke, David H., Jason, Chikezie.

Tomorrow we get the girls. There are more than two girls I'd like to see go home, so we're guaranteed a few annoying people to have to sit through in the Finals.