'American Idol' - 'Top 8 Boys Compete' Recap

Quick! Someone explain to Simon what a "binky" is. After a weird show opening on Tuesday involving Ellen sitting on his lap, Ryan starts the show on Wednesday asking why Kara and Simon are sitting so close together this season. He then calls Kara Simon's "binky," which confuses Simon greatly. All in all, the lady judges cannot get enough of Mr. Cowell this week.

Tonight's episode is really exciting, because for the first time so far, it's going to be kind of difficult to find two contestants to eliminate. Overall it's a strong night of performances, with a couple of pleasant surprises. I definitely have my favorite, how about you?

Lee Dewyze is singing 'Fireflies,' but it's not the amazing Rhett Miller song, so I'm already disappointed. He's fine, but it's not a particularly interesting performance. Turns out, it's an Adam Young song, and the judges must be in a good mood this week, because Randy and Ellen both praise him. Kara even goes so far as to say that he made it a better song. Simon, however, dials it down a little bit and tells Lee that he "didn't have a moment" with that song, but is generally positive.

Alex Lambert, on the other hand, is singing 'Trouble,' a song I actually like. His mullet is so distracting however, that it's hard to enjoy it. Also making it difficult is the fact that he's singing the song completely out of his nose. He's always kind of nasally, but it's so, so intense this week. Randy wished he would have slowed the song down a little bit, while Ellen says he gets "better and better every week." She also warns him against becoming "a cocky banana," but let's not talk about that. Kara tells him that the only thing standing in the way of his winning is him, because he's "not letting go." Simon tells him that he needs to relax and picture Randy in a bikini. Let's just move on, shall we?

Tim Urban is singing Jeff Buckley's version of 'Hallelujah,' which is a hard song to touch. Tim hasn't exactly been setting the stage on fire the past several weeks, so this is definitely a risky choice for him. While it doesn't come close to Buckley's version in terms of pure, heartbreaking beauty, it's certainly the best performance I've seen from Tim so far. If he's made it this far in the competition spouting the nonsense he's been singing the past several weeks, he definitely deserves to advance based on this. Randy seems to agree, saying that he's got some big shoes to fill, but he did a good job. Ellen tells Tim that she feels as though she's been criticizing him a lot lately, so she actually gets up, runs to the stage, hugs him and tells him that he was fantastic. When she gets up, poor Tim looks like a terrified little bunny, and it's all kind of hilarious. Kara tells him that he's "in it," while Simon takes credit for him doing so well.

Andrew Garcia peaked early during Hollywood week with 'Straight Up,' so doing 'Genie in a Bottle' is kind of risky. He's covered Adele and Alicia Keys since then, and while this is his most successful re-imagining since 'Straight Up,' he's veering dangerously close to gimmick alley over here. Randy liked the choice, but it didn't quite work for him. Ellen says that the "genie came out of the bottle too late," and while Kara can appreciate what he did with this song, she says that he was fighting with the rhythm of the guitar. Simon calls it "a little bit desperate," and tells him that he's still going backwards a little bit.

Casey James is singing a song with which I am not familiar, Keith Urban's 'You'll Think of Me,' so I have no expectations going into it. This also means that I can't really compare it to the original. However, just going into it blind, I really enjoy Casey's performance. It didn't totally rock my world, but it was a simple, honest, and most of all, strong performance. Randy says that it was a safe choice, but Ellen thinks that it was great. Kara is kind of back on the Casey train, which I'm sure her husband will be thrilled about. Simon tells Casey that this performance was his "second best," and it made him sincere. However, it wasn't terribly memorable.

Aaron Kelly is singing 'I'm Already There,' which just screams "wedding reception" to me. He starts off super-shaky. He seems off-key and mumbles the first couple of lines. He picks up steam during the chorus, but the whole thing is just kind of cheesy to me. Randy says that there's still some work to do, but that it was a job well done. Ellen loves the way he carries himself, but says that it was a little "too much song for him." Kara loves him, but says the song isn't relevant to his life. Simon, however tells Kara that what she said is "complete and utter rubbish." He says that it wasn't a great vocal, but it was a perfect song choice.

Todrick Hall is singing Queen, and I'm interested to see what he does with it. 'Somebody to Love' is probably one of my favorite Queen songs, and I'm excited going into Todrick's performance. He starts off with a pretty sweet high note. The first few lines don't quite do it for me, but he quickly gets comfortable and does a really interesting soulful version. I love what he does, but it seems as though when I like what Todrick does, the judges feel the exact opposite. However, Randy simply says, "Todrick is back," and praises him effusively. Ellen says he was brave. She wishes he would have committed to making it more of a gospel song, but really enjoyed it. Kara tells him he sang it well, but says that she didn't know whether to laugh or love it at times, which seems a little harsh. Simon tells him that it was good in parts, but that he told them that he's more of a Broadway singer than a recording artist. However, he also says that this song may have saved him.

Michael Lynche is singing 'This Woman's Work' and starts with a very daring falsetto. While he shows a different side vocally than we've really seen from him in this competition, the performance kind of bores me, despite the fact that he does an admirable job with the vocals. Randy, however, loved it and pretty much has a seizure while praising him. Ellen tells Big Mike that he's the one to beat, and Kara is literally in tears. I should probably watch this performance again, because I clearly missed something the first time around. Simon tells him that this was "so needed tonight," and that he 100% nailed it. Meanwhile, Kara still can't get it together. I've never quite seen a reaction like this before. UPDATE: Okay, I actually went back and watched the performance. I turned the volume up, and now I see where the judges were coming from. It didn't quite move me to tears, but it showed a range and an emotion that we really haven't seen from Mike before. It was a daring performance, and he absolutely pulled it off. In any case, it was a great way to end the show.