American Idol Top 12 Boys: Who was Our #1?

6. Robbie Rosen, "Angel"

Now listen here, you smarmy little punk-ass balladeer: I see through your "endearing" grins and your "humble" shrugs. You are a menacing YouTube bandit with world domination in your twee crosshairs, and I say "No" to your cloying warfare. I say "No" to your invocation of Sarah McLachlan's "Please Don't Kill the Doggies" anthem too, but I can't deny that you sang it in tune. That's all you get from me! That's all, Robbie! You never win with me. Your abandoned dogs mean nothing to me.

5. Jacob Lusk, "A House is Not a Home"

I'm not even a fan of Jacob Lusk, whose unbridled bawk-bawk-bawking has no place on radio. He oversang the hell out of Luther Vandross's "A House is Not a Home," and he made lame gesture choices too. But that final note? Crystal clear, memorable, and operatic. But if he becomes this season's over-zesty Michael Lynche, expect furor from me.

4. Scotty McCreery, "Letters From Home"

Baby lock them doors, because I actually liked this. He looks, acts, and sounds like if Clay Aiken's electroshock therapy worked, but Scotty's peculiar twang is an anomaly even among its years of country hopefuls. And he scares me! I like that in a pop sensation.

3. Casey Abrams, "I Put a Spell on You"

Casey Abrams is the first "growler" in Idol history I've ever tolerated. As we keep being told, he's very talented, strikingly different, and kinda sensual. That's all great. What I liked here was the song choice, a very sexy and haunting throbber from Screamin' Jay Hawkins, and the willingness to grumble with the full intensity of the original. Problem is, Casey is still super-awkward, like a drama club member who auditions for loverman roles but can't break his "band camp chaperone" reputation. Solid effort nonetheless.

2. Stefano Langone, "Just the Way You Are"

Yep, it was pitchy. Sure, it was a note-by-note reiteration of the radio hit. But Stefano's rendition of the omnipresent Bruno Mars single is what American Idol is all about -- finding relevance in familiar songs and propelling viable pop personas to the fore. Stefano commanded that neon-violet stage from the first beat, and he concluded his performance on a piercing coo. Aside from the one botched falsetto that caused Jennifer Lopez to tilt her neck and swallow three tablespoons of sparkly vomit, he killed it.

1. James Durbin, "You've Got Another Thing Coming"

Yes, he's a squintier Adam Lambert. Yes, he always looks like he's going to burst into tears. But Judas Priest was a very inspired song choice, and James kind of blew me away with the sustained pitch-control, even during his screeches. I don't want him to win the competition -- in fact, I can think of four different women I like better than him -- but so far he's dished the definitive Idol stage presence of season 10.

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