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Here we are, back again. The girls did their thing last night. Notice the use of the word thing, not thang. Let's be honest. Things were just so-so yesterday.

The guy's get their shot tonight. I'm hoping for more consistently good performances. Hoping for, not necessarily expecting.

We meet the guys (on the stairs), we see the girls in the seats. We see the judges, once again, and Simon tells the guys that if they forget the lyrics, their "career is over." He's sweet like that.

Todrick Hall, "Since U Been Gone": When I heard Todrick's song choice, I was naturally excited. Amazing pop song. Truly amazing (original) singer. That being said, as soon as he started singing the song, I became unsure if it was even the song I was hoping for thinking it was. He sort of punched the song in the face to the point it became unfortunately unrecognizable. What he did, though, and the risks he took deserve some credit. As expected, the judges tell him it was mistake to mess with the song so much. They seem to like him, though.

Aaron Kelly, "Here Comes Goodbye": Aaron Kelly just might 'aw, shucks' himself right into the later months, and the bigger stages (literally), of this competition. He has a very naturally beautiful voice. Even if you aren't a country music fan, you can still appreciate the nice quality in his voice. The song is mostly a good choice, even if it (like so many country songs) has too many words and is weirdly specific. All the judges are into it, but Simon tells him he needs to believe he can do this. Oh and by the way, Sarah McLachlan's song is called "Angel", not "Angels". Did that bother anyone else?

Jermaine Sellers, "Get Here": I want to like Jermaine. I want to, but I'm struggling. He has dissed Michael Orland so many times he should have to sing a capella for the remainder of his stint on the show. And by the looks, and more importantly the sounds, of that performance, that stint might be pretty short. I'm not sure he sang even 25% of those notes in tune. Simon thinks he might get the boot this week, but the other judges disagree. I think it could go either way. He came off kind of snarky after his song, too. Bad attitudes are not generally beloved at this point in the competition. Bad romances, however, are welcome.

Tim Urban, "Apologize": So, Tim Urban is the fella that benefited from Chris Golightly's now infamous Top 24 dismissal. He seems like a really nice guy, and he reminds me of the boy from The Indian in the Cupboard, which makes me feel all nostalgic. Singing this song, however, was a terrible mistake. First off, Ryan Tedder is hack. Second, he may be a hack, but he's a hack with a nice falsetto. Tim Urban cannot sing those notes. The judges all give him the business, but Simon is particularly harsh. If Tim is back next week, he has to be more realistic with his song choices. I'm not sure what songs will do the trick, though.

Joe Munoz, "You and I Both": Joe is from the 'they didn't show us much until now' club, so we're basically getting our first real look at him now. I, for one, am really impressed with his voice. "You and I Both" is one of my favorite Mraz songs and a more than welcome change from the song that everyone and their Haeley Vaughn sang during Hollywood week. I think this is the best of the night so far. The judges give him a lukewarm reception, which is very lame and uncalled for. Kara seems to like him, but she says she was surprised he chose that song. I'm not sure what music she thinks he should be singing. Probably Marc Anthony's "I Need to Know". And I don't think we need to know – or see – that song on this show again.

Tyler Grady, "American Woman": Courtesy of Tyler's performance, we get a glimpse at one of my biggest gripes with American Idol's judging panel. They build a contest up during the early stages, telling them they like their shtick (in this case it's Tyler's 70s rocker vibe), and then criticize that very thing about them to the point of almost mockery. I thought his performance got a little weak toward the end, but overall I thought it was pretty good.

Lee Dewyze, "Chasing Cars": Lee is an interesting case. He's the closest thing Idol has to a rocker this season, though some might argue that Crystal Bowersox rocks as much as he does. I do like his voice, but he is another one that needs to pick songs that make sense. The judges all seem to like him. Woah, Simon really likes him. Interestingly, Simon said he fought for him to get here. I wasn't aware Simon fought for any of them. Having Simon as a fan can only help Lee's chances.

John Park, "God Bless The Child": John didn't get much screen time outside his initial audition and his love affair with Shania Twain. The judges are pretty hard on him tonight. This is one of those songs that makes me whine when I hear that it's what they're singing. I'm always like, 'Really? That's your song?' That song that everyone and their step cousin has sung. And it's the kind of song that has to be 110% amazing or it just comes off like talent show fodder. I like John enough, but I think he's on the bubble at this point. And Kara makes her second questionable remark of the evening by telling him she doesn't know where he fits on the radio. Rudey Poo strikes again.

Michael Lynche, "This Love": The closest thing to a teddy bear since the Reuben days, Michael has the kind of personality and story that make him seem like an obvious fan favorite. It's clear that what he wants to do is stand there, sway with a guitar, and sing Jason Mraz/Maroon 5/John Mayer type songs. He's a very good singer. The problem is, I'm not sure he's a great singer. I think Michael will be around a while, but he's going to need to do something different – and sound amazing – to make it past the top 11 or 12.

Alex Lambert, "Wonderful World": If there was ever a performance to listen to while cooking, computing or doing anything that takes you out of the room and your eyes off the screen, this was it. Alex Lambert has a surprisingly good, correction: great voice. It's so surprising because the things he does whilst singing are oh so difficult to watch. There was some walking, some awkward pointing to the ceiling and even a little shoulder popping. But it was all delivered with zero percent confidence. Seems (un)fitting since his name sounds almost exactly like one of Idol's most over-the-top performers ever. The judges all praise his voice, but tell him he has got to get his nerves under control if he wants any shot at making it very far. Ellen manages to squeeze in an amazing mullet joke before Ryan sends it to commercial. If he's around, and I think he should be, I hope Alex sings with a mic stand next week. And a stool.

Casey James, "Heaven": Time to come back from the kitchen or wherever you were for that last performance. Casey's hair looks more beautiful than anything on any of the ladies' heads last night. (Work that situation out, Lily Scott.) His video vignette was basically all about Kara's infatuation with him. That's fine, but what was not fine was Randy grabbing Kara and swaying with her during the beginning of Casey's performance in the most distracting way ever. Not cool. Casey managed to sing as well as his hair sways in the breeze, and all the judges loved him. I think he's one to watch.

Andrew Garcia, "Sugar, We’re Going Down": If there was one person that had a right to feel nervous as hell heading into tonight, it's this guy. There's been a lot of hype around him. I really hoped he'd do it up big and involve the entire band, since he did the laid back thing back during Hollywood Week. You can't really make the claim that he didn't sound good, though, and I think his performance still ranks among the top tonight. Simon gives him what can best be described as an Idol guilt trip, repeatedly telling Andrew that he was "disappointed". Ouch. 'Disappointed' is even worse than 'angry'. Right, kids?

So who do we think is getting their pink slip? I thought Casey and Joe were the best, with nods to Lee and Andrew, as well. Tim Urban and Jermaine Sellers are possibly heading home. John Park is in the mix there, too.

Overall the night was a step up from last night, and the guys are better than the judges are giving them credit for in their quotes to the press. A step up from last night is still a few steps down from where they need to be. Hopefully seeing four people peace out tomorrow night will whip the remaining 20 into shape.

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