And he predicted it would be a David vs David rather than a David vs Goliath contest at the finish! He also seconded Ellen's love of David C.'s originality and creativity. Then they praised the other contestants and their unique skillz.
The Top 24 are finally here, and now it's time to post. I couldn't bring myself to care too much about the auditions since historically it has been a waste of time to get invested at all, but in a strange twist this year, we actually got to see a lot of good auditions, and even learned at least a little bit about most of the Top 24. This bodes well for more people this year. No more "I didn't get enough exposure so there is no way people are going to vote for me over the less talented hack that got a lot of air time because (he's cute, she and her father don't get along, I sold my ring to get here, my baby was born in line while I waited to audition, I sing in the Air Force/Army/Navy/Marine/Coast Guard/etc. band, Simon called me a muskrat, fill in other excuse here)."
On to my one liners on this year's Top 24 so far. I reserve the right to change my opinion soon and frequently until we really get to see more of them.
Alaina Whitaker--I don't remember you, so good luck.
Alexadrea Lushington--You are the runner up in the "Unexpected Extra Punctuation in Your Name" award.
Amanda Overmyer--This one could get old really fast.
Amy Jean Davis--She seemed quirky enough to be interesting for a while.
Asia'h Epperson--She wins the aforementioned "Unexpected Extra Punctuation in Your Name" award, and seems like a lock for Top 12 status.
Brooke White--She is talented and unique enough to make it a ways, but we need a stylist, STAT!
Carly Smithson--Definitely a front-runner at this point--can you say "Irish (American) Idol."
Chikezie Eze--He dropped off the map after his initial audition, but I'm glad to see Studdard Lite on the menu.
Colton David Berry--I'm not sure about the three name bit (a la Jon Peter Lewis), and I wonder if he'll recover from that whole Kyle deserves to be here fiasco.
Danny Norriega--I have nothing against effeminate guys, but honestly, this guy could be in the Top 12 Girls and we wouldn't bat an eye; this one is already old for me.
David Archuleta--If I were going out on a limb here, I'd say this guy could legitimately challenge for top 3 or 4 overall.
David Cook--His picture on the AI website is a little scary, but he has the stuff to hang around for a while.
David Hernandez--This guy can sing, but I don't know if he's got "Top 6 Guys" written all over him.
Garrett Haley--The Michael Bolton lookalike act won't help him, as well as the essentially absent coverage so far.
Jason Castro--We found the lead for that upcoming Milli Vanilli retrospective, but not a Top 12'er.
Jason Yeager--Who are you again?
Joanne Borgella--She is talented and refreshing, but I don't really need another Mandisa this year.
Kady Malloy--She has a great name for a pop star, but I don't remember her at all.
Kristy Lee Cook--If she can pull off something other than "Amazing Grace" she could be a competitive contestant.
Luke Menard--This guy looks like a boy bander, and he's another the producers have not spent much time plugging.
Michael Johns--The rest of the contestants are probably wishing this early potential Top 3'er had tried out for Australian Idol.
Ramiele Malubay--Is this girl the Philippines answer to Paula Abdul?
Robbie Carrico--A little Bo, a little Bucky, a little tight to make the Top 6 Guys.
Syesha Mercado--This girl has it all, and should make it to the final half or better.
So, my early Top 12 predictions based on virtually nothing but guesswork at this point are:
David Archuleta
David Cook
Michael Johns
Robbie Carrico
Chikezie Eze
Danny Norriega (think, Sanjaya)
Asia'h Epperson
Brooke White
Carly Smithson
Kristy Lee Cook
Ramiele Malubay
Joanne Borgella
And if I were a betting man, I'd put money on Michael Johns at this point, but as they say in the sporting world, "That's why they play the game."
Counting down to next Tuesday . . .
Here we go...
Sanjaya Malakar will be a popular contestant throughout the show, methinks.
Tall Anna couldn't believe she wasn't chosen.
Tami Gosnell didn't make it...not too surprising.
Melinda Dolittle made it through. I'm glad. I like her talent. The other backup singer, Brandon Rogers, made it too.
Ryan Seacrest's outfit let me know that it's alright to wear your shirt untucked beneath your sweater, even when it's longer than the sweater. Maybe that's only true if you're wearing a sports coat over the sweater which is longer than everything else?
AJ Tabaldo was impressive, and made it. I like him.
Haley Scarnato made it.
Phil Stacey, he guy who missed his daughter's birth, got through. Good.
Chris Sligh made it. Let's see how long he lasts.
Rudy Cardenas made it. I'm surprised.
Paul McCartney wasn't selected.*
Paul Kim made it.
Jordin Sparks made it.
Tatiana McConnico got the boot.
Leslie Hunt made it, and looks interesting.
Nicholas Pedro made it with his husky voice. I tend to think he won't last, but we'll see.
Alaina Alexander made it, but I think her Hollywood audition was pitchy.
Chris Richardson made it, but I didn't like his audition, either.
Sabrina Sloan made it, but I wasn't impressed with her talent, either.
Lakisha Jones sounded great in her Hollywood audition, and I'm glad she made it.
I really don't understand why they have to mess with their minds by saying stuff like, "I'm sorry ............pause and tone pregnant with doom and gloom).............. but it looks like you'll have to be seeing a lot more of us".
Nicole Tranquillo made it, and looks interesting.
The guy that sang Cupid made it...very good.
Amy Krebs (?) made it.
Antonella Barba made it, while Marisa didn't. Awww.
Thomas Daniels didn't make it, while Sundance Head did, in spite of turning red while he sang, to Simon's disapproval. I was actually a little surprised.
I'll have to go back and correct the names when the post the top 24 on the AI site.
Not a bad show. Next week will be the real beginning, for me.
See you then!...
...John
*Just seeing if you're really paying attention.
Simon will have a tough time, what with having to send home all the very cute girls that just don't cut it in the singing department...know what I mean, Vern? . Huh? . Huh? . Huh?
Countrified Perla was something of a standout, but I didn't catch her last name.
It was good to see that Ashlyn Carr got her second chance.
So many others went by so fast, I couldn't catch their names.
They seemed to show a little more of the guy's auditions, or maybe it just seemed that way to me. Again, I was lousy at catching names.
Marisa Rhodes stood out in the group songs.
Chris Sligh and his crew represented nicely.
Sundance Head was a bit pitchy, and I agree with Simon that Paula was a bit generous to let him through.
Baylie Brown blew it, forgetting lyrics. Too bad, and fare thee well...
Tomorrow should be interesting...
...John
Christa Fazzino - Call for Phillip Morris!
Tami Gosnell - Decent voice, in tune, reminiscent of Gracie Slick, but less abrasive (vaguely referenced by Simon, as a singer from the 60s). I'm less in love with her than the judges, and think she'll be limited by her style, but we'll see...
Paul Kim - Smokey, sexy voice...I think the ladies will like him a lot. Why does Simon need to interrupt Paula's compliment and pretend to misinterpret her vote? What a maroon!
Gina Glocksen - Fair, but not enough, methinks. But she likes Simon, and we need some of that on the show.
So they give us more of it...good segue.
Edward Sanchez - If I was Paula, I'd learn from this not to hug the wannabes til they've sung first. But I guess maybe females do things differently. I'd probably make a lousy female, unless the hormones significantly altered my natural inclinations.
Carhops
Heather - too shakey
Ashley - average, but better - still no cigar.
Ebony Joynter - much better! The judges agree. I smirk with self-satisfied head-swelling.
Brandon Reid was very entertaining, but not for AI.
Wes - William E Samland - seems a bit affected pre-audition, but I was actually expecting something better than clap.stomp.clap.stomp.
The dancing segment brought back the painful memory of Elaine dancing(?) on Seinfeld. At least she was trying to be funny.
Alexander Nazario - lots of heart, not enough talent. Randy and Simon were much better behaved, at least.
Lakisha Jones - Pretty good with 'Think', but I have to wonder how she can handle a song she doesn't get to belt out.
Nice montage...first one I've really liked this season.
172 finalists! WOW! Next week's previews look brutal.
Now is this the season they're supposed to get more into the reality side of things, and show more of people in their living quarters and personal spats?
See you next week...
...John
Last week of auditions...thank God!
Brian Kyrish looks scary from the get go. Yeah. I'd recommend anger management.
Haley Scarnato - Very nice. I have high hopes. She moved me, but I agree with Simon about the 'unique' or 'it' factor being in absence thus far. Hopefully she can bring it.
Jasmine Holland - nasal and banal. But must the boyz laff?
Baylie Brown - young, but quite attractive, and holds her own vocally. I think America will love her! Naturally Simon spots her right away.
Again with the stoopid door game?! Puh-leeze!
William Green - instead of laughing, why don't they just stop him?
His cousin, Akron Watson, did quite well. I liked him a lot, but he'll have to work hard, I think.
Sandie Chavez - the Phoebe Snow of AI auditions - fair in her very unique stylized way, but definitely an acquired taste.
Ashlyn Carr - beautiful young lady, and enough talent with her smokey voice to go a long way. I was typing, so I missed the facial expressions the judges got down on. I think they made a big mistake declining her. Simon acknowledges that, thank God. I looked more closely at the facial expressions the second time around. I don't think they're as much of a distraction as the judges do, but I understand their intent. On the other hand, Katharine McPhee's "voices in my head" remark comes to mind, and I wonder if she won't 'sink beneath their wisdom like a stone' during the coming weeks.
Jimmy McNeal - very melodious and powerful voice. I like him!
More auditions tomorrow? Yes - 'The Best of the Rest'. See you then...
...John
Okay! Pizza's in the oven, and I have a baseless premonition that something wonderful awaits us in tonight's viewing! We shall see...
Ah! seeming to confirm my intuition, we're told that Alabama is home to more finalists than any other state thus far. Onwards, then, to further greatness.
Erica Skye - better than the average initial offerings in other cities, but still dreadfully loud and off-key. Her second effort was actually closer than the judges allowed for, but having made up their minds, they wouldn't relent.
Katie Bernard, whose speaking voice sounds like Howie Mandel's imitation of a little kid, sings quite well enough for a second chance. Paula and Simon seemed to believe it was an affectation she could leave at the door, which disinclined them from passing her. It may well be an affectation she developed at some point in her early life (by listening to Howie Mandell), but I don't think she could possibly drop it at will. We have this year's Kellie Pickler factor.
Tatiana McConnico(?)- very decent sound, but I'd like to hear her carry a note for longer than a few seconds. Still, well worth a ticket and a chance to be heard again.
Diana Walker - too much. 'Nuff said.
Bernard Williams II - I like him! Smoooth! Not off key, per Paula. Perhaps she's having inner ear problems?
Margaret Fowler - took advantage of the 'fowl' in her name to imitate Big Bird? That's the only similarity she had to singing like a canary (a very large one!).
Jamie Lynn Ward - Another Kellie Pickler, accent-wise. A little rough, but she moved my energy. I could see her singing the tracks of a Disney movie. She's gonna have to work hard, though.
Christina Aguilera, er, I mean Chris Sligh - Actually pretty good, though somewhat rough and inconsistent. Not having Jamie's endearing qualities, I wonder what the judges will say? I'm impressed! His humor seems to have served him well. I see him more as entertaining us through the series than having a shot at the finals, but we shall see...
Mmmmm...good pizza! Made with Trader Joe's cornmeal pizza crust, now available separately, and crowned with spaghetti sauce, garlic, black olive tapenade, chicken italian sausage - all from TJ's!
Victoria Watson - seeking an audience for her Rapunzel hair, or a serious entrant? Good intentions, I can see, but a bit church choirish, and giving the impression that she sings for religious reasons - "to lift people up", more than to entertain.
Lakia Hill - Ouch! Save me!
But I do appreciate the citizens' ability to take no for an answer, gracefully.
Nichole Gatzman - A little rough. She might have made it past Paula, had she been there.
'Braggin' Brandy Patterson - they encourage her with a second chance on the carpet, and then wonder why she gets upset? They should have just told her no, period, the first time, and been done with it. The way they led her on was unneccessarily cruel, no matter how much comeuppance she might have had coming. up.
See you in LA!
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
Hopefully my opinions won't be affected by the fact that President Bush had the audacity to delay the airing of American Idol with his sad attempt to impress us yet again with his failed presidency...
The first guy was just bad.
Timika Sims had a memorable name, but horrible singing. At least Simon made it clear to her that she wanted to be a mayor???!!!
Next guy was cocky and sucked.
Alexis looked like Olive Oyl. Also not good.
Sundance Head looks like he's gonna do Elvis. Nope. Pretty darn good for the genre he prefers. Can he make it through the different styles?
Wandira was okay, but just okay. I can't blame the judges for passing.
Travis McKinney was a joke after his self-styled buildup to an expectation of an 'emotional' song. What WAS that?
Danielle was somewhat better than okay, but I tend to agree with Randy that she won't last long unless the crowd at home passes her on her looks.
'Topher' McCain - naw.
I missed the name of the next girl, but didn't miss her singing. I still don't. I wish I had...and didn't.
Sean Michel - fair voice, but the song seemed original, and I'm a little leery of the part where the Lord told Sean to get out there and change the world. That's Tom Cruise's job, since the Scientologists made him Christ.
Melinda Doolittle did a lot with 'For Once In My Life' - very good, and will last awhile. She has the potential to grow through the show and potentially win.
Robert Lee Holmes - clearly disappointed in the judges' failure to recognize...something.
Philip Stacy - Very good potential. Simon just doesn't like him cuz he's shaved his head, so naturally he must be inferior to Simon's thick locks.
In parting, I have to borrow, briefly, Dr. Mark's style of listing 'dont's':
1) DON'T remove your underwear without removing your pants, while singing. It's distracting, and they didn't look clean. Your mama taught you better.
2) DON'T remove your underwear AFTER removing your pants, while singing (thought I'd include that, just in case).
See you, sorry - y'all - tomorrow...
John
They opened the show with segments seemingly with the intention of proving that Seattle is the national capital for talentless people who can't take no for an answer - even when it's yelled loudly by Simon.
Cocky, afroed Thomas apparently did some hard work over the last 3 years and did quite well with his audition. I'm not sure his style is broad enough to get through all the shows, but he'll be enjoyable to listen to while he's with us.
Blake is surely a talented beat-boxer, and could go a good distance with his regular singing. I expect to be entertained by this one, but I don't smell a winner.
Shyamali was worth a trip to Hollywood, but Simon's right about her being a bit underwhelming. Randy said it in a more constructive manner, though. I agreed that her brother, Sanjaya, has a better voice, more energy, and more potential to last.
I'll stick my neck out and say he's an early pick for the finals.
I honestly think Nicholas has a problem with his brain chemistry. His stilted speaking prior to the actual singing made it clear to me that he didn't have enough rhythm or awareness of how he sounds to carry a tune. I don't understand why they let him go on for so long, which probably gave him reason to believe he was doing well.
Rudolfo was excellent, which Paula clearly saw, thank God! Had it been Simon and Randy following his lead, with Paula absent, he probably wouldn't have gotten through. I really couldn't believe Randy even hesitated, apparently out of some influence Simon holds over him. Maybe that was a "Simon wannabe" moment. I expect him to make it to the top 24, at least.
There's simply nothing to say about Simon's insults toward Kenneth. Maybe he reacts that way to perceived delusional cockiness, which might explain why he was able to maintain civility with Jonathan, who followed. Or maybe he was just running low on meanness after blowing it all on Kenneth.
The Taylor Hicks wannabe? Not.
Anna Kearns has a good voice, but I'd like to hear something a little softer and more melodious before I give her a vote of confidence. I'm not sure what Simon was about to say, but maybe it had to do with her dancing, which, with her height, may be more of a distraction than an effective supplement. She's a bit gangly for most of the moves used by the average person.
Jordin Sparks - another 16 year old with the power of a much more mature singer. Awesome! Gave me chills, and has a perfect name for an American Idol. Definitely a finalist in the making. Simon apparently thought she was already under contract, the way he started giving her his best 'professional' advice.
Steven the Red is rumored to have stowed away on a departing Viking ship after the show...
See you next week!...
...John
So you know, I'm in AZ, and the last on the board to see the show, so I make it a point not to read others' posts prior to writing my own, so as to remain uninfluenced and impartial.
It was nice to see Ryan Seacrest hosting once again, and all the old familiar faces judging, along with Jewel.
I see that 5 seasons has failed to educate contestants as to the futility of costumes, props, delusional thinking, and pity-seeking - that covers most of the losers tonight and every night of the auditions - but there's always a few that surprise you. 16 y/o crack baby (Tina?) (no - Bo says Denise) was the first. She's got a lot of work to do to get to the finals, but has fair potential.
The appeal for help for those who forget the words, with Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings in the background, was brilliant(!), but barely offset the suffering inherent in the torturous example which followed.
Perla is one of those with more attitude than talent, though she has enough for now. She promises to be very entertaining and, I'm guessing, controversial, before she loses.
The 'Reagan Idol' winner definitely had the advantage of having been pre-screened by his shipmates. He's a decent singer, but I don't get the feeling he'll be able to "bring it" when the time comes (watch me live to regret saying that).
Sly, manipulative Simon was pretty transparent when labelling Randy as "rude" when dressing down the vocal coach. Clearly he's anticipating being attacked for the same later in the season, and will use this to offset Randy's usual attempts to call him on it.
Young, blonde Michelle looks promising, and I can't add to what the judges said.
Matt Sato has the talent to potentially go a long way, but he'll have to work hard, and I'm wondering if this emotionally fragile fella can get past the hard-nosed negative feedback that awaits everyone on the path to winning this contest.
Rachel is appealing, and started well, but definitely went off-key fairly quickly. I have serious doubts she'll last, despite a lovely personality.
Sarah Krueger was the first to give me chills, which are very predictive in my scheme of things. Add to that her beauty and charisma, and I think she'll go all the way! Definitely my favorite so far! I would have been unable to interrupt her singing at the point the judges did, because I was in the middle of a delightful chill of thrilling energy. She's gonna make many of us tearful with joy at some point, methinks.
Josh Flom - before I hear the judges' comments - some potential as a unique rock voice, but that seems to be all he's got. Judges seem fair in giving him a second shot, and they're right in their assessment. He's so used to masking the untrained quaver of his natural voice with the gruffness, that he's lost the ability to sing normally. He would have been interesting to hear for a few more weeks, but his story wouldn't have had a happy ending.
Til next week...
...John
