Week 2B - New York

Nice to have Carol amongst the judges. I love her music. I see Paula took the opportunity to have her sit between Simon and Randy for a change. Heh.

Ian needs a another couple of therapists. I hated him on So You Think You Can Dance...he was even worse here. Fran Drescher on crack, without the redeeming good looks. I'm glad he already has money - maybe that's his problem in the first place - clearly he's never worked for anyone's respect.

Sarah Burgess was good, and I'd like to see her back. Though I don't know how far she can go, she'll be interesting to watch. Definitely a story for the reality part of the show, even if she can't keep up with the talent. I'm betting her dad is a lot madder than he indicated on the phone call afterward.

Missed the next girl's name - that's okay.

Ashanti Johnson - not good enough, but I was less than amused by the soap opera setup they created to accompany her pleading.

Amanda and Antonella - off key together. Amanda - pitchy by herself, and needs more training. I wouldn't have passed her. Seemed to me she was passed on her looks. Antonella on her own was actually slightly better than Antonella. The judges agreed.
Good old 'kick em while they're down' Simon.

Clifton Biddle - not so much. What's the point of playing a harmonica on your second and last chance in a singing audition?!

Kia Thornton surprised me with her deep, powerful voice. Definitely a contender. I also liked Carol's advice. Simon seems to have gotten Bo's email about exceeding 100%, but Randy apparently missed it.

Jason, was it? Very good for his age. He'll be enjoyable to watch.

Kia - much worse on her second try. Should've have stuck to the first one.

Sarah Goldberg - no, thank you. Pretty smile, though. Too bad she's delusional. Simon was suspiciously/conveniently absent for this one. Did he know better from having met her earlier? Ah - no - just late for work.

Antonio - learning to pronounce your 'k's should happen shortly after getting your green card.

Jory - very nice singing, but she didn't move me, yet. Definitely worth a chance.

Porcelana Portino - her style is not to my personal taste, but she's definitely worked hard, and will continue to do so, and it all showed in her performance. I think she may have trouble with different genres, however.

Christopher Henry - range was too high for me or the competition, but definitely talented. Easy Simon prey, and of course he pounced.

Rachel Zevita - a bit loud, but decent talent. Just not quite good enough, for me, though I might have gone along with the crowd in letting her through. I predict an unhappy and probably dramatic end to her time with the show. Simon will have it in for her, but in the end, it won't just be his opinion.

Chris Richardson - refreshing, but I'm not convinced he's got the breadth. Still, definitely worth a shot. As Paula noted, he'll definitely be a hit with the ladies.

Nicholas (bowed out last season) Pedro - wonderful voice, with a unique, sexy edge. If he can learn/remember lyrics this season, he'll go a long way.

Clairvoyant Isadora should have known better (I'm typing this before hearing her, to prove I'm more psychic than she is - her flat affect gives it away). Surprise! I was right! For phone readings, feel free to call me at 1-800-555-1223, or see my page on Kasamba.com.

I'm beginning to understand that they don't have time (in the decent cities) to show all the good ones that get the golden ticket, so it's better to show some of the disasters than hand-pick only from the golden prospects, which would set those contestants up with viewer expectations more so than the occasional golden ticket we get to see as it is.

See you next week!...

...John