Idol Re-Cap: 12 Male Finalists

My two cents, with a little help from Bubba:

Patrick Hall – I can’t even remember what he sang because David and I were so puzzled when the camera showed his friends in the audience after his performance. We had to pause the TiVo for a very long time as we tried to determine if the friend on the right was a man or a woman, and we finally decided that it was a man, albeit a man in drag, and the sheer volume of Restalyne and collagen in his / her lips was staggering. So I really have no memory at all of Patrick’s performance except that it wasn’t offensive. Bubba says he is reminiscent of Clay Aiken and “boring.”
David Radford – For the record, I am SO OVER these “crooners” who basically seem to be doing nothing more than an imitation of what they think a Rat Pack singer would sound like. I just felt like he was acting more than he was singing. Bubba says that he was “jumpy” and “shaky” like Paris.
Bucky Covington – Lynrd Skynrd (don’t know or care if I spelled that correctly) is not my thing. But I could’ve gotten past the song choice if he had been, you know, good. Bubba says, “Please somebody wash and cut his hair!”
Will Makar – The judges (and Bubba) think that he looks like Peter Brady. I think he looks like Fred Savage. Regardless, I think he’ll go far. I love “I Want You Back,” and while his version wasn’t original, he was entertaining. Cute little suburban boy – teenage girls will vote for him by the millions.
Jose “Sway” Penala – First of all, I object to any performer who has a nickname in quotation marks on pure principle. Pick a name and stick with it. Anyway, David and I SO did not get him. But the judges, save Simon, loved him. I agreed with Simon’s assessment that he was too “pimpy.” Bubba says that the only reason Paula liked him is because she wanted his hat.
Chris Daughtry – David and I like him a LOT. I just appreciate that he’s different and distinctive and talented. When I heard that he was singing Bon Jovi’s “Wanted: Dead or Alive,” I thought, “OH NO – that’s really unfortunate.” But it was good, actually. Bubba says it was a “three note” song (picky, picky). :-)
Gedeon McKinney – I just don’t think “Shout” is the way to go if you’re trying to establish yourself as a Serious Vocalist…it’s been done to death, you know? David and I didn’t really get it. It was, well, eh. Bubba likes him because he’s a Memphis boy. We’re all entitled to root for the home team, I reckon.
Kevin Covais – I watched his version of “One Last Cry” again this morning because it is truly one of the more bizarre performances I have ever seen. He never moved, just stood there glued to the stage and sang in his oddly-strong-but-nasal voice. I loved seeing his parents – they seem so proud of him, as well they should be. But I don’t think he’ll make it much longer. Bubba’s assessment: “Bless his heart.”
Elliott Yamin – Last night David and I didn’t really get him, but this morning I thought that maybe I was just sidetracked by All The Bacon. I watched him again, and I got it. Totally got it. He’s talented. He’ll make the finals for sure.
Bobby Bennett – Oh, Bobby. Oh, Bobby Bobby Bobby. See, if you make it to the round of 24 in AI, you really, really shouldn’t sing “Copacabana.” And you really, really shouldn’t wear a cheesy tuxedo. All I could think of was, “Ladies and gentlemen, Carnival Cruise Lines is proud to present the vocal stylings of Bobby Bennett!” I felt a little bit sorry for him. T-Riels emailed me this morning and said, “Two words: BOBBY BENNETT. What the…?????” Bubba’s comment: “Copa-ca-go-away!” I think he will.
Ace Cannon – He is handsome almost to the point of distraction, in my humble opinion. I was wary of him covering George Michael’s “Father Figure,” but it wasn’t bad at all. Like I told David, I’m curious to see if he can do anything beyond “smoldering” – if he’ll be able to cut it when other musical genres come into the picture. He’s in it for the long haul, though.
Taylor Hicks – How much do I love him? How much do I think he’s probably one of the nicest people in the universe? I was so nervous for him that I really couldn’t appreciate his performance of “Levon” the first time around (and I’m not sure it was the best song for him), but I’ve watched it a couple of times since, and good grief he’s talented. The judges loved him, too. Bubba hit the nail on the head re: Taylor’s only negative: “every time they showed him moving around on stage, all I could think of was Elaine dancing on Seinfeld.”

Should go: David Radford and Bobby Bennett
Will go: Bucky Covington and Bobby Bennett
Tonight: We find out who makes it to the round of 20.