Canadian Idol Update: Talented Tykes Tangle For Top 10

It's getting down to the wire. The hopefuls who don't get eliminated this week will go on to the top 10, meaning that they're the 10 greatest singers in the entire country. Well.. the greatest singers in the country without record deals. Under the age of 30. This season. With the time and means to have auditioned.

Matt Rapley opened Monday's show with a beautiful, breezy version of "I'll Be There." He played the piano very proficiently while singing, which is pretty difficult to do. Can you tap your head and rub a circle around your belly at the same time? No? Then don't try this at home, kids.

"There's this quiet confidence you have when you perform that I find so appealing," said judge Sass Jordan.

"I don't see you as ready to make a record," offered judge Zack Werner.

Greg Neufeld followed with an equally intimate performance. He strummed an acoustic guitar to the tune of John Mayer's "Daughters" and sang with the ease of a show biz veteran.

"You never cease to amaze me," gushed judge Farley Flex. "Your comfort zone is so broad."

"You may be a little too perfect," nitpicked Werner.

"I feel like I'm at the Greg Neufeld show," said judge Jake Gold before directing his attention to the TD Canada Trust Comfort Zone and declaring, "Ladies, that's your competition right there."

Tyler Mullendore, back in great form, rocked Steve Miller's "Rock 'N' Me" while concurrently rocking his electric guitar. It doesn't take a lot of effort to imagine him performing the song in a huge arena.

"Ladies and gentlemen, that was Tyler Mullendore doing George Thorogood doing Steve Miller," said Jordan, who then sounded a bit incoherent and immediately apologized for her impression of Paula Abdul.

When Werner muttered something, Jordan shot him an awesome "Shut up, Simon!""I thought there was a bit of Jagger-ism thrown in around the edges… but then it was genuinely, obnoxiously you," criticized/complimented Werner."He needs a haircut," complained my mom.

Liam Styles Chang was next. One would think someone who layers a purple- and black-striped cardigan over a lemon yellow shirt and has a band called Two Asians And A White Guy would choose something a little kookier and less obvious than The Fray's "Over My Head (Cable Car)." But at least the kid nailed it.

"You're so consistently bang-on, it's like you already have this career," Werner said."You're here for the long haul, baby," lauded Flex.

"And the lovefest continues," host Ben Mulroney keenly observed.

So true. The judges have been unbelievably harsh in their criticism of the girls, and it's been nothing but hugs, love, rainbows, rose petals and baby birds made out of marzipan for the boys. Come on, judges. Can we get a little tougher on the guys, please?

Here comes a primo opportunity.

Before my critique of Dwight D'Eon's performance, I'd like to clarify a couple of things. I don't think D'Eon is a bad person. I'm sure he loves his mother. I would wager that he respects the elderly and would even take the time to help them cross the street, if given the opportunity. If D'Eon were to spy someone choking in a restaurant and had recently completed a CPR course, he'd likely try to save that person's life. If presented with an adorable puppy, I imagine D'Eon would choose to pet it instead of kick or drown it. That said, I can't for the life of me understand why he's made it this far in the competition. He can't sing particularly well, as was evident a few bars into Matchbox Twenty's "Bright Lights." D'Eon sounds far too similar to the Creedleback garbage that bloats commercial radio airwaves. Not to say that Idol hopefuls have to be innovative, necessarily, but it would be nice if they weren't so goddamn infuriatingly ordinary.

End of rant.

In a particularly surreal Idol moment, Gold compared D'Eon to Bruce Springsteen. Huh?

"You have the vibe, but not the voice for me," said Jordan, making me feel sane again.

"You're missing some[thing] in the pure pipe department," agreed Werner.

Jaydee Bixby was next and winked and mugged his way through John Michael Montgomery's "Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)." While this wasn't my favourite vocal performance from Bixby, listening to him sing after D'Eon was like having a refreshing lime sorbet cleanse my palate after chowing down on rancid meat."Going once... going twice... gone to the top 10," said Flex.

I would guess top two, alongside Carly Rae Jepsen.

In a video before Brian Melo's performance, the contestant said, "I'm my worst critic."

He was wrong. I am, in fact, his worst critic. Melo's delivery of Incubus' "Drive" couldn't have been more mediocre or boy band-worthy. And his attempted rock star note was painful to endure.

"I didn't love that," said Werner.

"I thought that, at times, it was a bit screechy," opined Gold.

"It wasn't the greatest performance, but your comfort is really cool," said Jordan, trying to be nice.

"Scream if you're related to this man," encouraged Mulroney, to a chorus of cheers.

Hopefully friends and relatives won't be able to save Melo or D'Eon this week, as they're clearly the contenders who need to be sent home.

Next: The judges will probably yell at the girls and make them cry.