James Durbin Advances to Vegas on American Idol

Last night, viewers didn’t get to see much of James Durbin, other than a
quick glimpse of him emotionally celebrating in Room One, where he, along with a
few dozen other American Idol contestants, learned they would be advancing to
the next round, which will take place in Las Vegas. 

Durbin’s performance was not aired, which was most likely a tactical move on
the part of the Idol producers (less is more).

James Durbin continues to be a frontrunner for the show, however, after viewing
some of last night’s performances, it appears he will have his work cut out for
him.  One would find difficulty in finding another American Idol season
that was so stacked with this much talent.  In fact, there’s a good chance
some of the contestants who don’t even make the Top 12 this year could have been
winners in previous seasons (i.e. Taylor Hicks).

As for Durbin, his heartfelt story of overcoming Asperger’s Syndrome, Tourette’s,
unemployment and the death of his father, coupled with his high ranging vocal
performances, still make him a strong contender to win it all.  However, it
remains to be seen if he can continue his strong performances — singing in
front of millions of people on live TV is quite different that what the
contestants are currently doing.  But regardless, Durbin still
has a significant amount of people supporting him, including a lot within the
special needs community, making him a strong Season 10 favorite.

Next week’s round will incorporate songs from The Beatles and it appears Durbin
already has a head start in performing songs from the band.  Posted below
is a performance that has surfaced of Durbin performing "While My Guitar
Gently Weeps," recorded in his hometown when he was 19-years-old.