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11 Comments | American Idol, Pop Culture, Reality, Television | Tagged: Alexis Grace, American Idol, Anne Marie Boskovich, Annop Desai, auditions, Brent Keith, Casey Carlson, Danny Gokey, entertainment, Fox, Hollywood, Jackie Tohn, Kara DioGuardi, Kodak Theatre, Michael Sarver, Music, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, reality show, Ricky Braddy, Ryan Seacrest, Season 8, Simon Cowell, Stephen Fowler, Stevie Wright, Tatiana Del Toro, Television, tv | Permalink
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Alexis Finds Some Soul during Idol’s First 12

February 18, 2009

The auditions are in the bag and Hollywood is but a faint memory as American Idol begins to whittle down the Top 36 to our Final 12. Tonight, the first 12 contestants pull out all the stops in their first live performance and Alexis Grace comes out swinging.

Alexis proves she's got a little soul.

This year, the road to the Final 12 is quite different. The Top 36 (not 24) announced after Hollywood have been divided into three groups of 12. Over the next three weeks starting tonight, each group will perform once in a two-hour edition of American Idol. The following night all but three – the top male performer, the top female and the contestant with the next largest amount of votes — will be sent home, leaving us with a total of nine performers. Then in the wild card round three performers will be brought back to round out the Final 12.

Anyone else think this process is confusing and convoluted? Me too, but this is what we are stuck with. Now on to the performances of the First 12.

The Great

When I first saw Alexis Grace in the Louisville audition, I knew that she had a powerful voice, but I wondered if she was going to have what it took to be a great performer. Tonight she came out of her shell and proved, as Randy put it, that she had some soul. Alexis put a nice bluesy feel to her version of Aretha Franklin’s “I Never Loved a Man.” She is definitely a contender.

Also pleasing the crowd tonight was fan-favorite Danny Gokey. He proved that he has a nice voice taking on “Hero” by Mariah Carey and earned the praise of three of the four judges. But I tended to agree with Simon that it was a good performance, but not fantastic. To me, it just seemed like a weird song choice for him. However, Danny was still the best of the guys we saw.

The Good

Brent Keith decided to show off his country side by singing “Hicktown” by Jason Aldean and he might actually have a career in country music. He sounded good, but as the judges said he chose a safe song. The performance was fun, but we didn’t get to hear anything that really showed us Brent’s potential.

Also putting in a decent performance was Anoop Desai who chose to sing Monica’s “Angel of Mine.” Personally, I thought the song was all wrong for him. I like Anoop better we he does upbeat songs, like “My Prerogative” that he sang in Hollywood. Simon told him that the song was “a bit too grown up” for him.

Wrong song choice put several good singers in jeopardy. I’m not sure the Gavin McGraw’s “I Don’t Want to Be” was the best choice for Michael Sarver. He did a decent job with the song, but I don’t think it highlighted his talents. However, he seemed to really have fun with his choice. I’m just hoping it will be enough to keep him in the game.

On the other hand, Anne Marie Boskovich put a country flair to “A Natural Woman.” Personally, I prefer the soul of Aretha’s version, but unlike the judges, I think that this rendition worked for Anne Marie. She is no Aretha, but she has come a long way from her audition and I thought this performance showed that.

The Mediocre

Unfortunately, not everyone had a good night. Jackie Tohn led off the show with “A Little Less Conversation” by Elvis Presley. She put her own twist on the song, but it just didn’t compare to the King. I give her credit for making the song her own, but the growl in her voice just didn’t work with this song.

On the other hand, tonight we finally got to find out that Ricky Braddy has a nice voice since we didn’t get to hear him during either of the two previous phases. He sang “A Song for You” by Leon Russell and sounded good. But, alas, I have no investment in him and by the end of the show I’d forgotten all about his performance.

Also not having a great night was Stephen Fowler. No, he didn’t forget the lyrics again, but it’s not a good sign when Simon says he wished he did. When Stephen started singing Michael Jackson’s “Rock with You,” I had images of the Love Boat. The performance improved and turned out to be a fun song, but it just wasn’t enough.

And last on my list of mediocre was drama queen Tatiana Del Toro. But tonight she was reserved and tried to sing “Saving All My Love for You” by Whitney Houston. I wanted to hate it, but she didn’t do half bad. But you can’t choose a song by Whitney and not be compared and Tatiana just didn’t measure up.

The Bottom

But no episode of Idol is complete without at least one train wreck. Tonight we had two – and bad song choice was the cause. Casey Carlson tried to take on Police’s “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic” while Stevie Wright sang “You Belong With Me” by Taylor Swift.

Unfortunately, it looks like nerves got the better of the both girls. They both had weak beginnings and at best sounded like karaoke. It’s a shame because we have heard much better performances from both.

So the first set of 12 is behind us. Who will be the lucky three to stay?

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13 Comments | American Idol, Pop Culture, Reality, Television | Tagged: Alexis Grace, American Idol, Anne Marie Boskovich, Annop Desai, auditions, Brent Keith, Casey Carlson, Danny Gokey, entertainment, Fox, Hollywood, Jackie Tohn, Kara DioGuardi, Kodak Theatre, Michael Sarver, Music, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, reality show, Ricky Braddy, Ryan Seacrest, Season 8, Simon Cowell, Stephen Fowler, Stevie Wright, Tatiana Del Toro, Television, tv | Permalink
Posted by vacelts

Idol Announces Top 36, Joanna Pacitti Disqualified

February 12, 2009

It was do or die time on American Idol as Hollywood Week came to a close and the judges informed the final 54 who made the cut for the Top 36. Among the surviving were three that have been very visible during Hollywood Week – drama queen Tatiana Del Toro, funnyman Nick Mitchell and the emotional Nathaniel Marshall.

This final round played out slightly different than in past years. For starters, the cut was down to the Top 36, not 24 as in years past. And some contestants who were borderline had to perform in a sing off with one other contender in which only one survived.

Louisville and Phoenix tied for the audition city the produced the most finalists – seven each. San Francisco and New York City also had five contenders each.

Twenty-three was the magic number for contenders – nine of the Top 36 were that age. The next two most popular ages were 16 and 27, which had five of each.

But what you really want to know is who made the cut. So without further ado, here is your Top 36.

Annop Desai, the 21-year-old college student that we first met at the Kansas City auditions. We caught a glimpse of him in Round 1 of Hollywood and last night he sang “My Prerogative.”

Von Smith sang “Over the Rainbow” in his Kansas City audition. But we haven’t seen the 22-year-old singer since Hollywood’s Round 1.

Alex Wagner-Trugman won a sing off against pal Cody Sheldon for his spot. During the Phoenix audition, Alex told us about how he taught himself to sing in a closet, but had to stop because the mold made him sick. Since then we haven’t seen the 19-year-old college student.

Adam Lambert was in the cast of Wicked before he auditioned in San Francisco. But we only got to see the 26-year-old stage actor perform once during Hollywood – in Round 3.

Taylor Vaifanua’s parents moved back to the mainland so that the 16-year-old high school student could get her break. She impressed the judges in her audition in Salt Lake City and we got a glimpse of her again during as a member of the Rainbow Coalition on group day in Hollywood.

Jasmine Murray came to the audition in Jacksonville with a lot of family support among her sisters. But the 16-year-old high school student has wowed me during every round of Hollywood.

Arianna Afsar is the 16-year-old who told us in Phoenix about the Adopt-a-Grandfriend program she started. While she was impressive during her audition, we haven’t seen her perform during Hollywood.

Casey Carlson is a 20-year-old bubble tea maker we met in Kansas City when she sang “A Thousand Miles.” We got to see her again during Round 3 where she struggled with lyrics.

Megan Corkrey, a 23-year-old font designer going through a divorce, auditioned in Salt Lake City, but we haven’t seen her since.

Mishavonna Henson, the 18-year-old we met for the first time in Round 3, audition in Phoenix this year. Last year she made it as far as Hollywood before getting cut.

Stevie Wright was told by Simon in her Phoenix audition to grow some teeth. We haven’t seen the 16-year-old in Hollywood to know if she’s taken that advice to heart.

Joanna Pacitti was recognized by Kara during her Louisville audition as having had a previous record contest. But the 23-year-old struggled with lyrics during the Hollywood Round 3.

Felicia Barton got a last minute reprieve and got added to the Top 36 after Joanna got disqualified. Felicia auditioned in Louisville, but we haven’t seen the 26-year-old bar singer and mom during Hollywood.

Kendall Beard hasn’t had much screen time. The 23-year-old college student auditioned in Puerto Rico

Kristen McNamara, who auditioned in Louisville, beat out Jenn Korbee in a sing off. The 22-year-old survived the group day drama to sing Kelly Clarkson’s “Because of You” in Round 3.

Alexis Grace, the 20-year-old stay-at-home mom wowed us during the audition in Louisville, but we didn’t get to see her again until she took on Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats” in Round 3.

Scott Macintyre, the visually impaired pianist, auditioned in Phoenix. But the 23-year-old looked very comfortable behind the keyboard when he performed in Round 3.

Lil Rounds told us about a tornado that hit her home when she auditioned in Kansas City. Since then the 23-year-old customer service representative and mom of three has proved that she’s a vocal powerhouse with performances in Rounds 1 and 3.

Jessie Langseth beat out Frankie Jordan in a sing off. Unfortunately, the sing off was the first time we’ve seen this 25-year-old perform. She auditioned in Kansas City.

Allison Iraheta is a 16-year-old who auditioned in San Francisco, but we haven’t seen her in Hollywood.

Danny Gokey recently lost his wife and auditioned in Phoenix with his friend Jamar Rogers who got cut tonight. The 28-year-old music teacher has had solid performances through all three rounds of Hollywood.

Ricky Braddy is a new face. Although the 25-year-old auditioned in Louisville, tonight is the first time we’ve seen him. We have not yet heard him sing.

Matt Giraud, the 23-year-old dueling pianist, auditioned in Louisville. During the group round he was part of the impressive White Chocolate group and he sang “Georgia” in the third round.

Ju’Not Joyner auditioned in New York City, but the first time we got to see the 23-year-old was in Round 3.

Jorge Nunez impressed the judges with his accent during the Puerto Rico auditions. We also saw the 20-year-old during Round 1.

Brent Keith is a traveling musician who auditioned in Louisville. However, we haven’t seen the 28-year-old during Hollywood week.

Stephen Fowler auditioned in New York City, but we didn’t get to hear him sing until the first round of Hollywood. While Round 1 was impressive, the 26-year-old struggled during Round 3.

Nick Mitchell has entertained the judges since his New York City audition with alter ego Norman Gentle. We saw the 27-year-old don the persona again in Rounds 1 and 3 and apparently the judges like it because they told him they expected to see it during the rest of the competition.

Jackie Tohn’s start in the music business began at a young age when her father taught her the piano. And although she carried a guitar to the audition in New York City, we did not see the 27-year-old actor/singer use it when she performed in Round 1 of Hollywood.

Tatiana Del Toro auditioned in San Francisco with a creepy laugh. Since then the 23-year-old singer/actor/model has brought nothing but drama to Rounds 2 and 3. She left this round with a ring from Paula.

Nathaniel Marshall beat out pal Jackie Midkiff in a sing off. The 18-year-old auditioned in New York City, but we didn’t see him for the first time until Round 1 where he begged the judges for a reprieve. Despite the drama of the group performance he survived to perform in Round 3.

Jeanine Vailes auditioned in San Francisco, but we have yet to hear the 27-year-old sing.

Kai Kalama plays music at night so he could take care of his ailing mother. The 26-year-old auditioned in San Francisco and performed during Round 3.

Anne Marie Boskovich actually auditioned twice in Jacksonville. After her first try, Simon told her to come back and show them who she really was. We’ve also seen the 22-year-old nanny perform in Rounds two and three.

Kris Allen auditioned in Louisville, but the only time we’ve seen the 23-year-old perform was during the White Chocolate group performance.

Matt Breitzke took a chance from his family responsibilities to audition in Kansas City. The only other time we’ve seen the 27-year-old welder perform was during the group round.

Michael Sarver auditioned in Phoenix. Since then we’ve seen the 27-year-old roughneck sing in all three Hollywood rounds. He’s my favorite male contender.

From here, the contestants will perform in groups of 12. First up are Casey, Stephen, Jackie, Ricky, Anne Marie, Brent, Alexis, Michael, Stevie, Danny, Tatiana and Anoop.

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16 Comments | American Idol, Pop Culture, Reality, Television | Tagged: Adam Lambert, Alex Wagner-Trugman, Alexis Grace, Allison Iraheta, American Idol, Anne Marie Boskovich, Annop Desai, Arianna Afsar, auditions, Brent Keith, Casey Carlson, Danny Gokey, entertainment, Felicia Barton, Fox, Hollywood, Jackie Tohn’s, Jasmine Murray, Jeanine Vailes, Jessie Langseth, Joanna Pacitti, Jorge Nunez, Ju’Not Joyner, Kai Kalama, Kara DioGuardi, Kendall Beard, Kodak Theatre, Kris Allen, Kristen McNamara, Lil Rounds, Matt Breitzke, Matt Giraud, Megan Corkrey, Michael Sarver, Mishavonna Henson, Music, Nathaniel Marshall, Nick Mitchell, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, reality show, Ricky Braddy, Ryan Seacrest, Scott MacIntyre, Season 8, Simon Cowell, Stephen Fowler, Stevie Wright, Tatiana Del Toro, Taylor Vaifanua, Television, tv, Von Smith | Permalink
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Has American Idol Jumped the Shark?

February 12, 2009

Has American Idol lost its touch? Is it sacrificing the charm of the show for the almighty rating point? Or has the show just reached its prime and is now in the downslide?

I’m fairly new to the phenomenon known as American Idol. Having only joined the millions of fans in Season 6 my frame of reference is narrow, but even I can see that the show isn’t what it used to be. In its eighth season, the show is definitely starting to show its age.

When the show launched the season with a two-hour audition in Phoenix, I was hopeful that we’d see some real talent this year. Boy was I mistaken. I’m not saying there aren’t some gems among the rough, but they are few and far between.

While Phoenix and Kansas City were fruitful, the other audition cities were bogged down with mediocre talent that took up screen time. The only saving grace was that these episodes were limited to an hour.

Idol might have tried the kinder gentler version by showing less train wrecks, but it failed two fold.

First, from what I understand a distinct portion of the audience tune in for the express purpose of watching the train wrecks. While I’m not big on the mean factor and those that just want to throw tantrums, the parade of weird and bizarre is entertaining.

Second, Idol didn’t fill the extra minutes with quality screen time of real contenders. Instead we got montages and lots of filler that amounted to nothing. How many times can we see a hodgepodge of clips of the judges saying no? And why did we need to devote 10 minutes to each reject telling us how their life is over because they didn’t get a ticket to Hollywood?

Instead, some of us would really like to see people sing. I’m not naïve enough to think that Idol is a true talent contest, but let’s pretend that the show is about singing.

I would’ve even taken more back stories on those Hollywood bound . . . anything so I don’t have to watch Bikini Girl try to make out with Ryan again.

Of the 147 that made it to Hollywood, we only got to 61 of them during the audition phase. But I, like others, endured the audition phase thinking it’s okay we’ll get to really hear people sing in Hollywood. Wrong answer!

Hollywood was expanded this year – something I think I even wished for last year – to five hours over four nights.

You know how they say be careful what you wish for? If I’d know what I was going to get, I would not have asked for more Hollywood week.

In the five hours of air time, I think we got to see maybe – and that’s probably a stretch – two hours of actual singing. And we still didn’t get to hear everyone sing.

Much of the time was given to backstage drama and the contestants causing that drama. In the first round of Hollywood, we only got to see three contestants that we didn’t see during the auditions.

And others that were given much hype during the auditions – Michael Castro, Joanna Pacitti, David Osmond, etc – were conspicuously absent from the Hollywood footage. We didn’t even get to see what caused an Osmond to get cut (turns out, according to David’s blog, it was a case of laryngitis). Now that’s drama I would have liked to see.

But apparently, it doesn’t matter if you have any vocal talent. It’s all about how well you perform for the camera backstage. You must be mean, nasty, unstable and/or prone to emotional outbursts.

In fact, it was 30 minutes into Round 2 before we got to hear anyone sing. And then again most of the time was give to those that stirred up ruckus not those that could be our contenders for the rest of the season.

It’s hard to become vested in the contestants and chose your favorites, if you don’t really get to see who the contestants are.

We were actually able to see more contestants in Round 3, but the convoluted elimination by room scenario made it hard to determine the fate of the singers we got to hear.

And why did we have an elimination in Round 3, when Round 4 is the big cut. I know it adds another night of ad revenue for the people at Fox. But did it offer anything for the viewers?

To top it off, we aren’t even getting our Top 24 at the end of Hollywood Week. Instead we are only down to 36, adding a few more weeks to the Idol season and letting those drama-ridden contestants steal the focus from the singing for a little longer.

I’ve never been a fan of the audition and Hollywood phases, but this year my opinion dropped another notch. Now let’s get on with the real show. I want to see some singing.

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15 Comments | American Idol, Pop Culture, Reality, Television | Tagged: American Idol, auditions, David Osmond, entertainment, Fox, Hollywood, Joanna Pacitti, jump the shark, Kara DioGuardi, Kodak Theatre, Michael Castro, Music, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, reality show, Ryan Seacrest, Season 8, Simon Cowell, Television, tv | Permalink
Posted by vacelts

Drama Queen Survives Idol’s Hollywood Round 3

February 11, 2009

It looks like more faces survived this third cut of American’s Idol’s Hollywood week than didn’t as the judges sent contestants of only one of four rooms home. Many of the top favorites put in stellar performances to seal their fate. But also among the surviving was drama queen Tatiana Del Torro.

Should she have survived?

In her audition, she scared us with the creepy laugh and last week we saw Tatiana torpedo two groups with her drama. Tonight, I was sure she’d be gone. Her performance was mediocre, but what was really weird was how much she congratulated herself afterwards.

But if the judges wanted to see how far they could push this girl, they nearly succeed in sending her over the edge when they played musical rooms with her. In the end, she got at least one more reprieve.

Overall, the evening moved quickly as we were shown glimpse of many of the final Hollywood solo performances.

The men put in strong performances to kick off the night.

Stage actor Adam Lambert chose to sing Cher’s “Believe.” While I thought the song choice was a little weird he held his own and will be back tomorrow night. Anoop Desai put in a decent performance of “My Prerogative.” Jorge Nunez also put in a solid performance.

My favorite male is still roughneck Michael Sarver who sang Westlife’s “All or Nothing.”

Buddies Jamar Rogers and Danny Gokey will also be returning. Jamar surprised me with a decent rendition of “Hey There Delilah” by Plain White T. I’m not a big fan of Jamar’s but I think his performances are improving. However, I liked Ju’Not Joyner’s version of the song better. Tonight was the first time we’ve seen the real estate consultant who auditioned in New York City.

Danny also chose a song that was better sung by another contestant. But then again I thought Lee Ann Womak’s “I Hope You Dance” was a weird song choice for him to begin with. I don’t think it highlighted his talents.

However, I did think the song was better suited for Anne Marie Boskovich who will also be retuning.

Several of the contestants took the opportunity to add an instrument to their performance. Maybe it was the keyboard that saved Stephen Fowler (he was in the first room to get the good news) who struggled with his solo performance. Also returning was Nathaniel Marshall who played the guitar to Rihanna’s “Disturbia.

But looking really at home behind that keyboard was pianist Scott MacIntyre who would have made Chris Daughtry proud of his version of “I’m Going Home.”

But MacIntyre wasn’t the only contesting banking on the hit of a former Idol for a pass to the next round. Among the best was Jasmine Murray’s rendition of Jordin Spark’s “Tattoo. Murray remains one of my favorites.

Kristin McNamara made it through with her version of Kelly Clarkson’s “Because of You.” Outside of last week’s drama, we got to see that McNamara doesn’t have a bad voice. And Alexis Grace put in a solid performance of Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheat” to return.

Lil Rounds, singing Jennifer Lopez’s “Baby I Love You” proved that she is a contender too.

Others were feeling the stress. Despite struggling with lyrics, Joanne Pacitti, the contestant that had a previous contract, and bubble tea maker Casey Carlson will be returning tomorrow. Kai Kalama was also reprieved even though he was having some issues with his voice.

The other big surprise of the night was Nick Mitchell who put on his Norman Gentle persona for “Georgia” and earned a reprieve. The performance was funny, but the man can sing.

And although we didn’t get to hear them sing we learned that Arianna Afsar, Jackie Thon, Jackie Midkiff, Cody Sheldon, Matt Breitzke, Alicia Barton and T.K. Hash were also in the rooms that got the good news.

In the dreaded Room 3, we say goodbye to Michael Castro, Kaylan Loyd, Lenesha Young and India Morrison.

I really liked this round because we got to see more contestants sing. However, the way they left the decision to the end made it difficult to see how everyone faired.

Tomorrow they cut the list to the Top 36.

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15 Comments | American Idol, Pop Culture, Reality, Television | Tagged: Adam Lambert, Alexis Grace, Alicia Barton, American Idol, Anne Marie Boskovich, Anoop Desai, Arianna Afsar, auditions, Casey Carlson, Cody Sheldon, Danny Gokey, entertainment, Fox, Hollywood, India Morrison, Jackie Midkiff, Jackie Thon, Jamar Rogers, Jasmine Murray, Joanne Pacitti, Jorge Nunez, Ju’Not Joyner, Kai Kalama, Kara DioGuardi, Kaylan Loyd, Kodak Theatre, Kristin McNamara, Lenesha Young, Lil Rounds, Matt Breitzke, Michael Castro, Music, Nathaniel Marshall, Nick Mitchell, Norman Gentle, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, reality show, Ryan Seacrest, Scott MacIntyre, Season 8, Simon Cowell, Stephen Fowler, T.K. Hash, Tatiana Del Torro, Television, tv | Permalink
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Bikini Girl Blows Idol’s Hollywood Round 2

February 5, 2009

Drama was the name of the game during the second round of American Idol’s Hollywood phase as contestants team up and the competition turns cut throat.

A real diva is hiding behind that smile. Photo courtesy American Idol

Catfights, name calling, everything but hair pulling made this round of Idol look more like an episode of Survivor instead of a talent contest. We endured 30 minutes of squabbling before we ever got to see anyone sing.

Producers might think that conflict sells, but we want to see it on stage!

Two familiar faces were leading the drama during rehearsals.

Showing her true side – and let me tell you it wasn’t pretty – was none other than Bikini Girl. First Katrina Darrell bails on rehearsing with her team because she was “tired.” Then her team had to come to her room to find her the morning of the performance and she blows them off. Finally, at the last minute she shows up.

And when Jasmine Murray became the only one in their group to make the cut – and Jasmine deserved it – Katrina refused to congratulate her.

But stirring up trouble worked out a little better for Tatiana Del Torro. No sign of her creepy laugh as she jumped ship from her group during rehearsal, joined another group and then abandoned them to return to the original group.

However, everyone in Tatiana’s original group made it through to the next round including two that we saw for the first time – Kaylan Lloyd from the Louisville auditions and Muna Hiluf who auditioned in Phoenix.

The group that Tatiana joined temporarily did not fare as well. Team Compromise was less than impressive, but the judges let through two of its three members – Nathaniel Marshall, who performed better tonight than in Round 1 and a new face from the Louisville auditions Kristin McNamara.

Many others did not survivor Group Night including Emily Wynne-Hughes who bailed on her girl band to audition for Idol and Rose Flack who forgot the words.

But the most shocking cut was David Osmond. What was so bad that the Osmond got cut so early in the competition? We don’t know. They never showed his team perform.

But among the wreckage a couple groups rose in harmony.

White Chocolate made an awesome quartet. India Morrison from Kansas City along with Louisville auditioners Matt Giraud and Kris Allen joined a fresh face – Justin Williams from the Phoenix auditions – to make sweet music. If these guys don’t make it on Idol, they should form a group.

The only other group we saw unanimously passed was the Rainbow Coalition that included buddies Danny Gokey and Jamar Rogers and 16-year-old Taylor Vaifanua. I didn’t catch the name of their fourth member.

A few others we saw survived their group included Austin Sisneros, J.B. Ahfua, Alex Wagner-Trugman, Anne Marie Boskovich, Michael Sarver, Adam Lambert, Matt Breitzke, and Jesse Langseth.

In all 75 made the cut and will remain for Round 3.

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Posted by vacelts

Funnyman Norman Gentle Shines during Idol’s Hollywood Round 1

February 4, 2009

The most memorable performance of American Idol’s first round of Hollywood Week was not that of a vocal powerhouse. Instead Funnyman Nick Mitchell – aka Norman Gentle – wowed the judges with his humor.

Nick Mitchell aka Norman Gentle makes the judges smile.

But under all that jesting lives a bit of vocal talent, at least enough to send Nick through to the next round. And for all you that have waited with baited breath – bikini chick will be returning too. Kara and Paula still aren’t fans of Katrina Darrell, but apparently they were outvoted.

Given the choice between the two, I’d take Nick over Katrina in the Top 24 any day. At least Nick entertains you.

Season 8 Hollywood Week is now if full swing, complete with boot camp and Barry Manilow as a guest mentor, but alas not much more singing time than before.

Over the last three weeks, we got to meet 61 of the Hollywood contender in eight cities – that’s less than half of the 147 that made it to the Kodak Theatre. So, we should get to meet some of the rest now that we are in Hollywood, right?

Wrong. In this round, we got to hear three – yes a mere three – new people sing.

Tonight we met Nathaniel Marshall from the New York City auditions. He tried to wow the judges with his rendition of “The Anchor Holds” by Ray Boltz. I think he might have been better served with a more well known tune. And personally the tears did nothing to win me over, but apparently the judges saw something I didn’t.

Also new to the screen from Stephen Fowler, another New York City auditioner. Now this guy impressed me. He had a nice solid voice. I’m definitely looking forward to hearing him sing some more.

Unfortunately, the third person we met for the first time – FBI agent Erika Wesley – did not make it through to the next round.

Much of the show’s time was spent showing us the judges’ comments for singers we never heard. But we did get to see a few of our favorites from the auditions.

My picks for females in Round 1 were 16-year-old Jasmine Murray from the Jacksonville auditions and Kansas City auditioner Lil Rounds. Lil’s got a nice powerful voice, but I hope she doesn’t limit herself to ballads alone. Jasmine is the whole package – cute, talented, and sweet.

Rocker Emily Wynne-House and Rose Flack, the orphan from Idaho, still show some potential, but the pressure is clearly getting to them. Rose struggled in boot camp and Emily switched her song at the last minute. But they hung in there for the next round.

Jackie Tohn also made the cut. She has an interesting growl to her songs that might prove enough for her to hang on.

We saw a lot more guys in this round than the girls. I’m not sure in that’s a sign that the guys are stronger though because there were several I don’t think should have made it.

Roughneck Jeremy Michael Sarver continues to be my favorite. I don’t know there’s just something about such a tough guy have such a soft voice that if very appealing. I also liked the aforementioned Stephen Fowler and David Osmond, although we only saw a glimpse of David.

Widower Danny Gokey and Puerto Rico-native Jorge Nunez showed potential. Hopefully we’ll hear more of them in the next round. I’m totally undecided about Anoop Desai who auditioned in Kansas City. We didn’t hear enough of him to gauge.

A few of the guys really shouldn’t have made the cut in my. Danny’s buddy Jamar Rogers was just over the top and Von Smith is still shouting at us. The next round should be critical for them.

Although we didn’t get to see them perform, we learned that the sight-impaired Scott MacIntyre, moms Frankie Jordan and Alexis Grace, traveling musician Brett Keith Smith, nanny Anne Marie Boskovich and actor Adam Lambert will be returning for the next round.

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17 Comments | American Idol, Pop Culture, Reality, Television | Tagged: Adam Lambert, Alexis Grace, American Idol, Anne Marie Boskovich, Anoop Desai, auditions, Brett Keith Smith, Danny Gokey, David Osmond, Emily Wynne-House, entertainment, Fox, Frankie Jordan, Hollywood, Jackie Tohn, Jamar Rogers, Jasmine Murray, Jeremy Michael Sarver, Jorge Nunez, Kara DioGuardi, Katrina Darrell, Kodak Theatre, Lil Rounds, Music, Nathaniel Marshall, Norman Gentle, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, reality show, Rose Flack, Ryan Seacrest, Scott MacIntyre, Season 8, Simon Cowell, Stephen Fowler, televisionNick Mitchell, tv, Von Smith | Permalink
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Confidence Abounds at Idol NY, San Juan Auditions

January 30, 2009

Confidence was the name of the game tonight as American Idol combined auditions from San Juan, Puetro Rico and New York City before heading to Hollywood. Unfortunately, much of that confidence was misplaced.

Adeola Adegoke was so sure of her talent that she actually quit her job as a bank teller in preparation of her journey to Hollywood. Maybe instead of a resignation letter, she should have let her boss critic her version of Jennifer Hudson’s “And I Am Telling You.” It might have saved Simon the call to ask for her job back. Who says that Simon doesn’t have a soft side?

Confidence didn’t work for Jessika Baier, a waitress in a 50s café, either. She won the trip to Puerto Rico to audition in a contest and was sure that was her ticket in. But after hearing “I Surrender” the judges thought differently.

But the self-assured did win out in a few instances.

Cut up Nick Mitchell, who couldn’t even get through “Amazing Grace” without some antics entertained the judges enough for a second chance. It’ll be interesting to see what he brings to Hollywood. But as Kara said, he doesn’t have a shot in hell.

And nine-year-old Christopher had enough confidence to help snag a golden ticket for his sister Monique Garcia Torres. Her version of the Supremes’ “You Can’t Hurry Love” resulted in a split vote. Personally, I liked this girl, but she definitely needs to be choosier about her songs.

Pleasantness just oozed from the very upbeat Melinda Camille who aptly chose to sing “Feeling Good.” Kara called her a vitamin boost. However, I have to say that I will remember her bubbly personality more than her voice.

A healthy dose of optimism helped Jackie Tohn through when her first song choice “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz left the judges a bit undecided. Personally, I’m not totally sold on her either, but she was kind of funky and it’ll be interesting to see what she does later in the series.

For a couple contestants, their fluency in Spanish was enough to secure them a spot in Hollywood.

The judges were not initially impressed with Patricia Lewis Roman when she sang “I want to Dance with Somebody,” but when she sang in Spanish the judges – all but Paula – were swayed.

College student Jorge Nunez got a similar reaction when the judges preferred the Spanish version of “My Way” to an English version of “Wonderful World.”

The accent was very alluring in their singing and adds an interesting dynamic to their voice, but I have to wonder how well they’ll fair – especially when they will have to sing on theme nights.

Among the clips of the wild and weird, we were treated to a montage of a trio headed to Hollywood but who we didn’t really get a chance to hear sing – Ashley Hollister, Kenny Hoffpauer and Kendall Beard.

Overall not a bad night of auditions. Nine tickets were given out in Puerto Rico and 26 in New York. The only down point was a return visit from Alexis Cohen did nothing but swear in the Philadelphia auditions last year. I don’t have a problem with her auditioning again. I hate the Idol gave her more air time.

Next week we start with Hollywood Week.

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Osmonds Headline Salt Lake City Idol Auditions

January 29, 2009

You might think you’ve seen everything on the American Idol auditions over the years. But the appearance of an Osmond at the Salt Lake City auditions tonight has me screaming gimmick!

You can’t tell me that the Osmond family don’t have enough star power and influence to launch a career for one of their own. So the appearance of David Osmond as a contestant seems like a setup. Are the Osmonds that desperate to resurrect their name that they must use the Idol hype?

Or were the Idol auditions so boring this year that we needed a few big names – Osmond, Jason Castro’s brother – to drum up some enthusiasm? And if the Osmond name wasn’t enough, David had a story to go with his audition – both he and his father have MS.

David, who sang Take 6′s “Something Within Me,” is the son of Alan, the oldest of the performing Osmonds. You could tell that he came from a family of performers. He was very polished and despite his family’s notoriety he took the judges’ criticism well.

Following David, two golden tickets were given to young moms – Frankie Jordan and Megan Corkrey — both had nice voices and a big cute factor. Simon even called Megan memorable, but couldn’t remember her name in the closing montage. These girls will need to work hard to distinguish themselves from the masses.

The rest of the evening went to high school students, appropriate because Salt Lake City is home to both last year’s runner up 16-year-old David Archuleta and the High School Musical franchise.

Perseverance won the day for senior class president Austin Sisneros whose voice had potential but his audition was hampered by bad song choices. Still the judges were willing to give him another chance in Hollywood. He’s going to have to really work on choosing better songs. Maybe if he wears that class sweater, it’ll help.

Memories of Jordan Sparks might have helped Taylor Vaifanau snag a trip to Hollywood. But her rendition of “Joyful, Joyful” was probably enough to nail it for her. This girl has a nice voice, but will it be enough?

And last up was Rose Flack, the 17-year-old who lost both her parents. Although she had a decent voice when she sang “I Felt the Earth Move” by Carol King, I don’t think it’s enough to win the title. But the judges saw something they liked in her and gave her a golden ticket.

Most of the rest of the hour was filled with montages that showed us very little of the good or the bad. But we did get treated to a couple of interesting performances including Tara Mathew, the girl who claimed to have ESP and dressed in all black (although she swears it wasn’t a Goth statement), but couldn’t see the rejection coming.

And then of course, there was Greg the Rabbit. You got to love a man willing to wear a giant pink bunny suit to support his buddy. Anyone else have flashbacks from the Christmas Story movie?

We get an extra night of Idol this week when the show returns on Thursday with a double feature of auditions from both San Juan and New York.

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Idol Jonesing for Talent in Jacksonville

January 28, 2009

I’m starting to get a bad feeling about Season 8 of American Idol after watching the slim pickings at the Jacksonville auditions. Only 16 tickets were given out tonight.

Let’s face it the judges were more entertaining than the Day 1 contenders. First they mixed it up with Simon sitting next to Kara and Randy to the right of Paula. They really mixed up the seating arrangements later when Paula sat on Simon’s lap and Ryan sat on Kara’s because the friend of an auditioner sat on Randy’s lap.

We were also treated to a weird scene were Paula pretended to give Kara a kiss for what seemed no apparent reason. And during another audition, Paula got up and walked out when no one asked her opinion on the singer. Anyone else see foreshadowing there?

Due to some technical difficulties with my local Fox station, I didn’t get to see the first few minutes and judging by what the judges let through that first day I’m not sure I’m missing anything.

I tuned in in time to see Joshua Ulloa add a few sound effects to Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get it On” to win a spot in Hollywood. Personally I just thought it was weird.

Next up Sharon Wilbur asked Simon to hold her dog Sasha while she sang “Superstar” by Karen Carpenter. Simon must have gotten really attached to that dog, because I still can’t figure out what the judges saw in that performance.

But the judges were definitely seeing or at least hearing something I wasn’t because then they put through beauty queen Julissa Veloz whose performance was anything but flattering to Whitney Houston.

Even the rejects were boring for Day 1, but things were looking up the next day when we met three real contenders.

Accompanied by her adoring sisters, Jasmine Murray showed us that “Big Girls Don’t Cry.” Not only did she have a nice voice, but as Simon put it, she was cute and commercial.

Also winning a ticket was two-time auditioner T.K. Hash. I don’t remember having seen T.K. audition before, but I liked him tonight. Randy thought his version of John Lennon’s “Imagine” was over the top. I was more impressed with it that I was with Archuleta’s last year.

And the last golden ticket winner we saw was Anne Marie Boskovich. The judges actually made her come back twice. I don’t know why since she obviously had strong enough voice to be a real contender. They told her she need to show her inner star and she did with Colbie Caillat’s “Bubbly.

The second day was much better than the first in Jacksonville, but overall the talent was pretty thin. Tomorrow Idol heads to the home of last year’s runner up David Archuleta – Salt Lake City.

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