Canadian Idol Update: The Boys Of Summer

After a melodramatic jumble of crushed egos and broken dreams, 11 talented male Canadian Idol hopefuls have risen from the ashes like phoenixes — or smaller, lighter ashes.

Resident Richie Rich look-alike Jaydee Bixby started the live "top 22" show off with an impressive rendition of Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode," complete with moves that had judge Zack Werner bemoaning his "rhinoceros grace." Aside from that, the kid's a genuine rock star. Let's save everyone a lot of trouble and just declare this competition over. I mean it!

Next, Clifton Murray proceeded to do his best James Blunt impression with Edwin McCain's "I'll Be." It was insufferable. "Personally, I thought it was some old-school Idol cheese-o-rama," said Werner.

But don't count Murray out just yet. He knows how to work the camera with those limpid eyes of his, and there are a great many 13-year-old girls in Canada.

Cardigan-clad indie boy Derek Hoffman's endearingly twitchy, hair toss-y performance of the All American Rejects' "Move Along" didn't work for the show. But maybe his billion-megawatt smile will keep him safe until next week.

Justyn Wesley was ecstatic to learn that his Idol inamorata, Scarlett Burke, had secured a default spot in the top 22. "I can't wait to get performing with her," Wesley enthused. (Get performing? Is that what the kids are calling it these days?)

Wesley then belted a strong version of "Some Kind Of Wonderful" that unfortunately had a bit of a casino vibe about it. His suit didn't much help matters. For the most part, the judges ate him up."Keep on being souful," said Farley Flex."You have a bit of Funky Cold Medina," exclaimed a quite-possibly-drunk Sass Jordan.

The reaction to Dwight D'Eon's performance of Godley & Creme's "Cry" was baffling to this jaded correspondent. The crowd offered a standing ovation and judge Jake Gold said, "You lit up the room for the first time tonight."D'Eon's performance? Generic! The flailing of his right arm? Distracting! His over-manicured facial hair? Reprehensible!

With Greg "Second Chance" Neufeld's rendition of Maroon 5's "This Love," I was back in line with the judges. I hate Maroon 5. And I hated the jerky dance moves that Neufeld cribbed from Jamiroquai. But the dude can sing. "You killed that," Werner raved.

Tyler Mullendore made the word "mommy" sound cool for the first time ever, but went a little overboard during his rendition of The Rolling Stones' "Brown Sugar." Was he performing on Idol or auditioning for an off-off-off Broadway version of Stomp? Who knows? But we still loved the uber-hip little tyke, and so did the judges. "That was like a real rock star," Jordan declared.The two most likeable contestants were next.

Adorable Andrew Austin (who played guitar in Andy Kim's touring band) nailed George Michael's "Freedom," exuding easy confidence the whole way through. The judges disagreed. "There were enough clunkers in that minute-and-a-half to flatten all four wheels," grumpy Werner said to nice, cute Austin (who is one of the few contestants who I can date legally, by the way).What a big awful meanie that Werner is. Hopefully Austin's endearing everyman quality will be his saving grace.

Speaking of likeability, Matt Rapley's version of Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely" lacked control, but he more than made up for it in dimples and sweetness. "When you smile, everything melts," said Jordan.

Brian Melo? Snaps for the argyle vest. Everything else? Not a fan. His version of The Watchmen's "Stereo" was woefully out of tune at times. Luckily for Melo, the judges disagreed. Hmmm. Maybe they were all just having an off night.

The shining banter of the night was an off-the-cuff joke by host Ben Mulroney:

Mulroney: How many hats do you own?

Melo: Jesus, I don't know.

Mulroney: It's Ben, by the way.

Well played, Mulroney. Maybe you're more than just a pretty, eerily symmetrical face.

Liam Styles Chang finished things off with an amazingly assured performance. The teen put a fresh spin on "This Magic Moment" and was nothing but confident, relaxed and utterly charming. The judges agreed that his was the best performance of the night.Tomorrow: Girls, girls, girls!