Due to a “last-minute change of plans,” American Idol 9’s Top 10 men performed on Tuesday, a decision that was made only hours before the show was scheduled to air. Crystal Bowersox had to be rushed to the hospital and was deemed unable to sing, which is why the switch was made. Rehearsal schedule changes were also made to accommodate the change.

The Top 10 Guys would be given no quarter, surprise command performance or no. “It’s still the boys against the boys, the girls against the girls,” as Randy Jackson said.

Michael Lynche began the show, revealing a love of theater in his intro clip. He chose to sing “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” by James Brown, starting out very strong. Lynche’s wardrobe was much nicer this week, and his vocals were beautifully on display. It was a much better song choice this week. Randy Jackson gave Lynche a standing ovation, calling him an “R&B star.” Ellen DeGeneres found his performance to be “the one to beat.” Kara DioGuardi thinks Lynche is “potentially a great artist.” Simon Cowell thought Michael went “from being a pussycat to a lion in one week,” and found it to be “by far” Lynche’s “best performance in the competition.”

John Park’s goal was to focus on “the honesty” of his song, a John Mayer joint. Park moved from Chicago to Korea at a young age, then back again to make English his second language. He sat on a stool to croon “Gravity” in a very low-key performance. Park can sing well, but much of his song was again off-key and he displays very little charisma while on stage. The best which can be said of the performance is that Ricky Minor and the band sounded wonderful. “You didn’t bring anything new and kind of spicy to it,” Randy Jackson pointed out, saying “it was kind of flat.” Ellen DeGeneres liked the song choice - I didn’t - but agreed “there could have been a little more soul.” “Way better than last week,” Kara DioGuardi, who chose to wear an odd red dress that looked awful, told him. “You need to let loose,” she advised him. Simon Cowell predicted that Park will soon be leaving the show, calling the number “a so what performance.”

Casey James was the next to take the stage. He claims to have never watched American Idol before he became a cast member on the series, which made his choice to sing “I Don’t Want to Be” even more interesting. James didn’t have a television for most of his life. He has established some sort of secret pre-performance ritual, which he won’t reveal unless he makes it to the Top 10 (great tactic, that). He opened his number with a solo jam on his electric guitar, then launched uncertainly into the song. Everything began to fall flat the moment James opened his mouth to sing. He tried to pull it together in the chorus, but none of it really worked. James has a great voice and a great look, but Tuesday just was not his night. Even so, he’s unlikely to be in any danger this early in the game - and certainly not on the back of John Park’s absolutely agonizing minute and a half on stage. Randy Jackson didn’t think James did “the best vocal,” but said he truly enjoyed the performance. “You can’t go wrong with that song,” Ellen DeGeneres told him. She asked James to “play on stage, and move more.” “You took two steps backward,” Kara DioGuardi surprisingly said. Simon Cowell agreed with Kara, saying James “turned into somebody you will see in any bar across America.”

Alex Lambert cast up his accounts (he threw up) before his performance last week, but was happy to report the same could not be said on Tuesday. In addition to his mullet, Lambert has his very own language, one he created in adolescence. He sang “Everybody Knows” for his time in the spotlight, comfortably sitting on a stool and strumming his guitar to help himself overcome his severe nerves. His unique voice soon filled the theater, and Lambert did look much more comfortable this week than last. He smoothly slid into a falsetto and offered up one of the best performances of the night, mullet notwithstanding (in all seriousness, can we not hold this guy down and take care of this situation?). “I have my own language too, man,” Randy Jackson enthused, saying the performance was an “improvement.” Ellen DeGeneres again compared Lambert to a banana, but her positive comments left no question that she enjoyed the performance and the voice he displays “under the mullet.” Kara DioGuardi thinks people are rooting for Lambert (I’m not), calling his performance “a great improvement.” Simon Cowell found it to be “a million times better.” “You have to have a killer, killer instinct now,” Cowell advised.

Todrick Hall made the bold choice to sing a Tina Turner number. “I don’t want to sing a song that people can compare me to the original artist,” he explained to Ryan Seacrest during their interview. “What’s Love Got To Do With It,” sounded very different coming from Todrick Hall. He has a lovely singing voice, but he certainly didn’t offer up a technically perfect performance. Hall struggled with his pitch and hit several notes very, very wrong. A little more energy certainly would have served him on stage, and his vocals didn’t seem at all to keep up with the big song he chose. When you breathe a sigh of relief at the end of a song, you know you just watched a bad performance. Randy Jackson thought the “falsetto run at the end” was hot, but “didn’t love this at all.” “Just sing a nice song, and just sing it,” he instructed. “Sing and move,” Ellen DeGeneres amended Randy’s advice. “You should always go with your strength,” she explained. “I don’t think that song helped you get any votes,” Ellen added. “You’re a fun guy, you’re likable,” Kara DioGuardi told him. “Don’t sing. Because this is not working out at all for you,” Simon Cowell commented, likening Todrick’s performance to something he’d seen at a “theme park,” calling it “corny” and a “bad version” of the song. “You are getting this completely and utterly wrong,” Cowell summed it up perfectly.

Jermaine Sellers looked horrible for his performance. “It ain’t the clothes that make the person,” he told the cameras. While that’s a good philosophy, there’s no reason to wear a bow-tie on the big Idol stage - none whatsoever. He chose Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Goin’ On,” starting out in a slow, sweet vocal. Were you able to take your eyes off that imminently distracting hairdo long enough to listen? The smooth, low-energy vocal made it clear that Sellers has talent - now, if he could only prove that he can also be an entertainer. Everything about his look was wrong, from his stiff posture to the absolutely horrible decision to wear pants that tight. Randy Jackson thought it was “definitely better than last week,” and found “a couple of bright moments” within the performance. “I love your style,” Ellen DeGeneres started out positively, but admitted “it just didn’t work for me.” “You’re always doing too much,” Kara DioGuardi explained, advising him to “look at the meaning of the song.” “We’re frustrated and disappointed,” Simon Cowell told him. “What should I sing next week? I’m going to let y’all pick the song, and I’ll sing it,” Sellers offered. “I don’t think you’re going to be here next week,” Cowell dryly responded.

Andrew Garcia revealed his break dancing ability in his Idol video package. He’s actually pretty good at it, too. He picked “You Give Me Something” for his surprise Tuesday performance, ready to “have fun with it.” There’s no question that Garcia has some of the strongest vocals in the competition and great control over them. His wonderful sound kept the performance from feeling boring, and though he wasn’t letter-perfect it was definitely a standout moment on the night. “Honestly, that wasn’t the vibe for you tonight,” Randy Jackson told him, calling the performance “pitchy and all over the place.” Ellen DeGeneres disagreed, saying she “liked it a lot.” Kara DioGuardi thinks Garcia has “been going down” since his amazing performance of Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up.” She found that Andrew “played it too safe” and asked for “another big surprise.” Simon Cowell found it “frustrating.” “The fact that you haven’t managed to choose the right song in two weeks is beginning to become a problem,” he explained to Garcia.

Aaron Kelly loves photography because he can do it his way. He vowed to show more confidence on stage. Kelly sang “My Girl,” beginning his performance with a great deal of energy and emotion. Aaron pours it on when he sings, immediately sweeping up the audience along in the tidal wave of feeling. His vocals were very strong throughout the song, and even though he hit a few sour notes it was hard not to enjoy the number. “The first half of that song was brilliant,” Randy Jackson praised. “A whole lot more confidence,” Ellen DeGeneres found, though she thinks the song is a bit “forgettable.” “I liked it,” Kara DioGuardi said simply. “I didn’t like the song,” Simon Cowell told him, finding the performance “all over the place.” He asked Kelly to “work out what kind of artist you want to be,” calling it all “too old-fashioned.”

Tim Urban comes from a very large family, which he likens to “being born in a group of best friends.” He likes to pray prior to his performances. He sang “Come On Get Higher,” a tune he felt very comfortable with. Urban sounded like a completely different singer for this week’s performance. The country flavor of the number seemed to suit him, and Tim managed to prove that he can sing well - but more importantly, he showed that he can actually perform. It all earned him a standing ovation from the watching crowd. “I didn’t really get it. It was kind of very karaoke to me,” Randy Jackson criticized. “You should act. Like, if you were on Glee and we heard that you can sing as well as act…” Ellen DeGeneres tried to advise his career, because she found that she doesn’t think Urban’s strong point is singing. Kara DioGuardi liked the song choice, but found that everything didn’t quite gel. “It’s just not all adding up yet,” she told him. Simon Cowell disagreed, finding the performance “a marked improvement.” “I think you really listened to the criticism,” he told Urban. “I’m really impressed by your attitude and your work ethic,” Cowell added, extremely high praise indeed.

Lee DeWyze talked about “bad choices” he made during his school years during his video package, just before he stepped out on stage to deliver “Lips of an Angel” in his unique, raspy croon. From the first note, it was a stunning performance. DeWyze has strong vocals, a very distinct sound and massive amounts of appeal. He might be too good to win Idol - look for Lee’s elimination right around sixth place. Randy Jackson liked Lee’s choice to “take chances,” loudly proclaiming “I liked it!” “There was so much passion and intensity,” Ellen DeGeneres said, calling the performance “great.” Kara DioGuardi thought it was “a big improvement,” and thinks Lee has a radio voice. She thinks he is “very commercial.” “Vocally…you are head and shoulders above everyone else,” Simon Cowell told him, but preached “self-belief.” He asked DeWyze to “totally, totally connect.”

The girls are scheduled to sing tomorrow. Hopefully, the hospitalized Crystal Bowersox will be joining them. According to numerous sources, Bowersox is currently struggling with complications from her diabetes. We’ll keep you updated on her story as it develops. 

Meanwhile, check out all our other American Idol 9 posts.