The Best of the Rest
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Sorry for the delayed post. We had a VERY long band rehearsal tonight - ugh. But my trusty DVR caught all the action and I'm going to recap the last audition show. I doubt I'm alone in being relieved that we move on to actual singers next week.
We open with Ryan's teasers, which let us know that "best" is a relative term. They show us a lot of the crowd scenes, the massive throngs of people who showed up. We start with THE LOOK. We go through a montage of "snappy outfits".
Christa Fazzino. She's feeling bright, vibrant, happy and excited. Her fashion reflects that, she thinks. Simon says today she must be feeling like the inside of a dustbin. I don't know the song. She sings like a sick, off-key Cher. Paula stops her - she can't recognize the song. Simon says the whole audition is just ridiculous. It's a no across the board. As she walks out, Paula says she likes her shoes. And now Christa cries. Paula changes to yes, but it's a no for Randy and Simon. Still. Highly appropriate choice. Click to go to the extended entry for the rest of the show.
Tammy Gosnell - she's very plain, except for the lip piercing. She's a pedi-cab driver. I think that means that she bikes people around. She's going to sing Whipping Post. I immediately like her - she's a natural. A little shaky in the bridge, but overall very good. Very unique. Simon really really likes her. She's definitely channeling a bit of Janice Joplin. All three love her. They are 100% yes, except Simon, who is 1000%. She's one of the best I've seen this season, frankly. Sure wish they had shown her during the actual Memphis audition round.
The going to commercial teasers show acrobatics, a girl crawling on a table, a good guy singer, and two bad guy singers side-by-side.
Paul Kim is inspired by William Hung in some odd way - in a way that he wants to shatter the image of Hung as the quintessential "Asian Singer". If I Ever Fall in Love is his choice. He rolls right into it. He's got a smooth smoky voice. When he hits his high register he's pleasingly strong. I like this guy. A lot. They go straight to yes or nos. Randy's in - Olivia NJ is definitely in. Paula's in and is explaining why she's in, and Simon's cutting her off. Paula's mad. Simon says yes as well, and Paul's through. Another great voice we missed duirng the auditions, and he definitely shattered the Hung Principle.
Jack O'Donovitch - he's channeling the a capella Bo, apparently. They show Bo during season 4, switch to Jack - really awfully bad. Squeaky, off-pitch. OW!!! Painful time!! He holds a painfully bad note!! Ears everywhere start to bleed!! Simon says he's "incredibly deluded" and Jack leaves.
We are now going to a montage of repeat auditioners - this season saw more repeats than ever before. We stop on:
Gina Glockson. She's still in love with Simon. Paula basically says Gina's kissing Simon's ass. She's singing Black Velvet. She's not bad - it's a rocker version. Simon thought it was a good audition. He also says she's got taste. Randy likes her voice but doesn't like the fact that she likes Simon. But it's a yes from Randy despite this. Paula is a no-frills yes. And Gina's dying to hug Simon, and she does - big hug. She's almost sitting in his lap. Wow. This is her second time going to Hollywood.
Going to commercial teaser shows car-hoppy dressed girls on roller skates, and we are apparently going to see Christie "You can't understand me" Sanchez again. Two nights in a row. Whee.
We are now to the "women who love Simon" montage. Now we're at the "diss Randy" montage. And finally the "we love Paula" montage.
Edward Sanchez loves Paula, too. That's why he's there, apparently. And Paula hugs him and he hugs her back. He's going to sing Donna. I know that song. I don't know it, though, when Edward starts singing it. Simon says to sing it to Paula, so Edward does. And it's really bad, though he doesn't forget the words. Paula maintains eye-contact, which should garner her an award. Paula says Edward's a sweetheart - BUT - and he made her day - BUT... Simon and Randy make it a no. Even Paula's a no, but it's a pleasure meeting him. He's thrilled when he walks out because he met Paula!! Tells her to "stay hot".
We now go to the "auditioner's day job" montage. We see flashbacks to Ace, Chris D., and Kellie P.
Heather, Ashley, and Ebony - Heather Rennie's up first. She's ok. Ashley Cleland is up second. Singing Angel, and she's better than Heather was. Ebony Jointer is up third. She's far away the best of the three. Ashley was second-best, and Heather the worst, but none were bad. They love Ebony, say she's in a different league from the other two. Heather's a no from all judges. Ashley's choices - Randy says yes. Olivia says yes. Paula tells her to use the makeup (it is rather thick). Ashley calls it "motherly advice" - WRONG THING TO SAY!! OMG. Paula says yes. Randy and all says definitely yes. Ashley and Ebony are on their way. They love also how beautiful Ebony is.
The going to commercial teaser promises some bad with a little bit of good. Coming back, we get to review the first singles of the five Idols. We laud their huge success. We learn that this year there will be a songwriting contest to go with the singing!! Neat.
Faithon Gooding - one of the bad people. He's happy as he's bad, though. Melissa Ferlaak sings like my grandmother in church. Brandon Reid beat boxes and does the robot. Yawn.
And now we get to William Emil Samland (WES). Singing expresses his feelings. He's been working on an album. His shirt is shiny. And yellow. He's going to give an honest, soulful performance that's entertaining. And he's in with the judges. He's going to sing his own song, Don't Worry Don't Hurry. He starts - it sounds like - what - like a bad sixth grade composition. And he's clapping stomping. And Simon stops him. Wants to know how Wes thought he did, and Wes thought he did great. What he was singing was real. Randy's happy he got it all out. It's straight nos across the board. And THEN they freakin' compare Wes to Taylor. Jesus Christ.
Now we go to the "dancing" montage. People are flinging themselves around - shaking their butts - grooving - crawling on the judge's table - spinning - doing the snake - twirling - krunking - fist pumping. It's happy dance time!! Everyone should get up and dance!! Now we cut to Paula dancing during her MTV salad days. She inspired the following contestant.
Alexander Zazario - he's flexible and learned his dance moves from Paula. He's singing Making Love Out of Nothing At All. It's highly weird in a screechy, feminine falsetto. But he dances. His pitch was good in that he didn't sing off-key, but his voice doesn't sound good. The tone is unappealing. Simon says he's not a good singer and he needs a reality check. He really wants to know if he has the voice to sing. Simon says no. And all three give a no to Hollywood. Randy honestly looks kind of upset that they just crushed this guy's dreams. I mean - honestly. Because that kid's question was honest and he got an honest answer and you could pretty much see it on everyone's face. Sad.
We return with "name that song", which is apparently going to show people singing songs so badly that the songs are unrecognizable. We go through Let's Stay Together, You Fill Up My Senses, and Chantilly Lace. Could ID the first two - eventually. But still not the third.
Lakesha Jones - she's singing Think and starts it band-off right out of the gang. She's got a HUGE voice and sings very very well. I thought she was GREAT. Simon LOVED her - she's a good old-fashioned belter. It was on the money. Paula thought she was brilliant, and it's yes' across the board. I gotta say - she's the absolute best legitimate Aretha-style diva I heard all through the audition shows. Her daughter is very cute, and Lakisha is admirably humble.
And the auditions are OVER. And they thank the thousands who auditioned so valiantly. And now we recap the "memorable" moments. We see the good and the bad, the golden ticket holders and the rejects. We see Paula spit her gum at Simon. We see the Taylor-pretenders again - THAT annoys me. Simon's out talking to someone and he has really big pit stains. THAT'S why he usually wears black shirts!! He's a flop sweater. Who knew?
And we foreshadow next week... Show all the cities they auditioned... We see a few of the ticket holders - 172 people heard the words "Welcome to Hollywood". We see the lucky ones arriving in Hollywood, and foreshadow that they're about to be broken down. We see Simon dismiss an entire group and tell them that none of them were any good. They talk about the competition being brutal. The show the drama of wannabe Idols not getting alone. They show the tears. They show the heartbreak. They show the excitement - and they show... TAYLOR!! As he won last season. Hah!!
So next week we're on to the GOOD stuff. Whee!!
Oh - and tonight? Three total standouts: Tammy Gosnell, Paul Kim, and Lakesha Jones. All three were some of the best I've heard. BUT - I still have my eye on Sundance Head and Chris Sligh.
Labels: American Idol, Auditions
What will I say next? Click and find out.
posted by RenaRF @ 10:08 PM,
,
San An Tonionionioooo
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
And we're back. The LAST live audition round, with tomorrow's show titled "The Rest of the Best". Who knows what that really means. I'm taking it to mean that it's the good people we didn't see.
Gratuitous Alamo shot. Really - can you come to San Antonio without showing the Alamo? I think not. It's like coming to Washington DC without showing the Washington Monument or the Capitol or like going to St. Louis without showing the Arch. So my sense of monumental history is fulfilled in San Antonio.
People are sleeping outside the audition place. It's dark. Ryan's waking people up and interviewing them. How annoying must that be? But it's morning now, and everyone's American Idol happy yet again. They do the gratuitous stadium-sing thing. Then they go to the "show them waiting" thing. Yawn.
Newsflash: Simon's a putz in a bad mood. Follow to the extended for the rest of the show.
Brian Tyrish - big dude. Kind of an old-looking young guy, if that makes any sense. Claims his vocal projection is "very loud and profound". Now he's doing handstands. Not bad for a biggish dude. And he's in. What's with those pants? He won a mock American Idol somewhere undisclosed. Rebel Yell is his choice. Definitely not Idol material. Changing keys. Now he's screaming, pumping his fist. Randy and Paula join in - fun!! Fist pumping!! Yay!! Simon proclaims his very awake-ness after the "shouting without a lot of melody". It's a no across the board. Ryan states the obvious: "if we're lookin' for a ballad singer, it's not you" whereupon Brian sings a ballad and does it very poorly. Next.
Gratuitous hot chick: Haley Stronado. She reminds me a bit of Kat which is a strike against her right out of the door. She's a wedding band singer. She's wearing a tight halter-jumpsuit. Randy introduces her to Paula. She shakes her hand. Got the outfit from a "hoochie momma" store. She's singing I Can't Make You Love Me - big ass song. Hard to sing, believe me - it goes all over the place vocally. I like her voice. This is a tough song, and she's doing a good job with it. She's actually growing on me more as the song progresses. I really liked it! Paula thinks she's controlled. Randy thinks she's ok, and Simon agrees and adds that she's a big cabaret without much originality. Simon thinks she doesn't have the unique factor. He says yes, though. Paula says yes, and Randy joins in. I agree. I thought the criticisms were on in some respects but I would expect she could be a LOT better than what we saw.
And we're back from commercial. It's 10am and peo9ple are filing in. Holding room people are having a party. There are guitars. Accordians. Fun fun fun!! SO MUCH fun!!
Jasmine Holland - Clothes are a little tight and she looks really nervous, poor thing. REALLY nervous. Almost like she's going to cry. She calls Paula "ma'am". Heh. She's singing. I can't identify the song - not a good thing. She's really not good. She sings through her nose, her pitch is awful, and she's trying (and failing) at the runs. Judges are laughing - at least, Randy and Simon are. Randy was about to choke on his water. Paula says it wasn't the best audition and that she seemed sad. Jasmine thinks she was bad because they are being rude. In fairness, she was sad BEFORE they were rude. She has never heard of Randy and tries to diss him. It's kind of pathetic because it's obvious she's truly angry and upset. Now she's crying. Crying and complaining. Has she seen the show before? Now the family is jumping in on the dissing, talking about how Simon "needs to go back" to England, presumably. Cursing. Bleeping. Good riddance.
Bailey Brown - Sixteen, blonde, cute, from Krum, a town in Texas (I'm not making that up - she's from Krum). She has horses. Her mom is kind of cute too, in the way Bailey is cute. Both pretty. She gets her style from fashion magazines. Small town life is not for her - she's a city girl. She enters for the judges - she's singing Stronger by Faith Hill. She's comfortable in front of them. I don't know the song, so it's difficult for me to tell, but I think she sounds good. Interesting voice. VERY country. Disclosure: I don't like country, but I definitely think she should be good enough to go to Hollywood. Randy asks about bulls on the ranch. Simon moves it along. Simon thinks she's born to be a pop star - not a great voice, but she's commercial with a capital "C". She doesn't know if this is a good thing, and they assure her it is. She sails through to the next round. I agree.
And we're off to commercial and the teaser tells us we'll meet the "dynamic due". Back from commercial, we see the "people coming out of the doors" montage. That's new. We get the added bonus of people not being able to get out of the doors. We play bullfighting music as we go to a cheesy montage in daguerrotype overlay about Choosing The Right Door. And the poor slob they choose chooses the wrong one. And now a montage of people choosing the wrong door. Enough with the doors already. It IS funny when Paula gets the wrong door, though.
Akron and Woody. Cousins. Arguing about who will be the next American Idol. They live together. Eckerd's mom took care of Woody from age 14. Both are unemployed. American Idol is everything to them. and Woody's up first.
William "Woody" Green - Sings Amazing Grace in a low, off-key bass. No key is discernible. Paula's laughing. Randy's laughing. Simon's not laughing. They let him keep going - and they keep laughing. FINALLY they stop him. They talk about the neverending nature of the song, that they could have left and flown to LA and come back and he'd still be singing. It's a no across the board. He tells them he's going to walk through the door and talk some trash and then proceeds to do just that. It's funny, though. His cousin looks petrified as a result. So now to the cousin.
Akron Watson - singing A Change is Gonna Come - again, an ALL-time favorite of mine. It starts out rough, gets better, then gets rough again, but not bad. Simon says he sees a massive personality/charisma problem. He doesn't want Simon to be bored. So he breaks into another song - Let's Get It On - and now he's hamming it up. This time is better, both the singing and the performance. And Simon is CONVINCED - Paula says YES - and he's going to Hollywood!! That was good to see - he shook it off and corrected the problem and then continued. Having said that, I don't see him getting past the Hollywood round, but it was still good to see.
The commercial teaser shows a lot of crying. And we come back from commercial with the obligatory Bad Singer Montage. You can tell this next girl is a set-up because they showed her singing badly before the commercial. She says she's bluesy and soulful. I doubt it.
Sandie Chavez - Chooses Black Velvet. It's automatically weird. I can't distinguish any actual words. The melody is unrecognizable, and I know this song. She's got her finger in her ear, as though that would make a difference. She's really bad, and that's saying something. The judges are laughing. Simon says he didn't understand a word of it (I agree). He wants to know if it was serious and she starts to cry and Simon says he's sorry he asked. He won't let her sing a second song. Randy wants to know if she wants them to be honest, and she says yes, and Randy says it wasn't good. Paula reaffirms Sandie's career choice as a teacher (as in, don't quit your day job). Oooh bust. Gently, but bust. It's a no from all three. Simon thanks her and she picks... THE WRONG DOOR. And then she's through it, crying again. Simon delivers the zinger - she's a music teacher.
Ashlyn Carr - Was beaten up by another girl because she was a good singer. She decides on Feelin' Good - I like her. I like her tone and her phrasing. She's a teeny bit sloppy in the runs, but I can chalk that up to nerves. I really liked her. She finishes and looks like she's going to barf. The judges are confused. Paula tries to explain - suggests she watches herself perform because the faces take away from her voice (for my part, I wasn't watching when she was singing - I was listening and typing). Simon says she needs a great vocal coach. Randy passes. They get to Paula and Ashlyn starts to cry and she passes. Simon would have said yes. I think they made a mistake, frankly. The second one I've seen them make this season. I hope she comes back next year, with a little teeny bit work. They cut to Simon, he thinks they made a mistake. They bring her back in. She is called back in. I think they need to change their mind.
They make us wait through a commercial before Ashlyn comes back. Her second choice of song is Inseparable - HARD HARD song. She sounds pretty. They tell her to break free of her bad habits - really hit on the fact that she has to work on them - and they unanimously put her through. Sidebar: I actually watched her in the second song. Her facial expressions WERE distracting, but the larger issue is that she's using them to form and shape notes. She doesn't know she doesn't need to do that - in fact, if she dropped that limiting pretense, she's probably be MUCH better - but it's difficult to un-learn that kind of habit. I'm not saying she can't, but it will be difficult. She crosses herself. For once the right thing happened. I couldn't agree more - she deserves the Hollywood round.
Jacob Tudor - Jake the Snake he calls himself. Family is in the entertainment business, and he wants to keep the legend up and running. He's going to be our really bad guy because we know he curses at the camera after his audition. And it's bad. He's singing some weirdly dark song - reminds me of that song that starts out "Hey now - all you children" by (I think) Godsmack, only it's out of tune. And he's out, nos across the board, saying things I can't make out because it's being bleeped so persistently.
Oh crap!! My DVR has caught up with the commercials and I'm stuck watching them!! I'm usually good at timing it. But not tonight.
LAST GUY. Jimmy McNeal - Cupid is his song. He has a higher voice than I expected. I like him - he's strong, and he's comfortable on stage. He's got to watch his breathing and his pitch when he reaches. Simon thinks he's a "little fun Reuben" when he "used to smile". At least he's beasting on someone other than Taylor. They're sending Jimmy sailing through.
And we've wrapped San Antonio. No knock-me-down talent on this show. I had to scroll back and review the contestants to simply remember them. Akron Watson would be my favorite tonight because he revised and recovered. But I didn't think he had a great voice. I also liked Ashlyn for the same reason. But I'd be shocked if any from tonight's show went the distance.
Oh - and tomorrow night? It appears it's not just the best singers - it's also the best of badness apparently. ((sigh)) Thank God auditions will conclude after tomorrow!
Labels: American Idol, Auditions
What will I say next? Click and find out.
posted by RenaRF @ 8:13 PM,
,
Better Late Than Never for LA
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Ok. this took me a little longer to get back to last Wednesday's AI than I thought, but I'm back in the saddle.
Rnadom thought: Will anyone getting a golden ticket be less enthusiastic because, in fact, they aren't really "going to Hollywood" given that they are already there??
First - MUST we be subjected to Katharine singing Somewhere Over The Rainbow AGAIN? It was screechy when she did it before and it's re-screechy now.
So we're in Hollywood. The auditioners are outside this time for the big stadium shot. Olivia Newton-John is the guest host. Anyone under 35 is now totally confused. They have NO idea who this woman is. I like her shirt, though - my favorite saying is on it - "it is what it is".
Eccentric - looks like he's in a gang. Giving Ryan the faux-gang handshake thing, wearing the faux-gang bandana. Yet he's wearing a vest with musical notes and treble and bass clefs all over it. Huh. He's the panther - scratching at the camera. Huh again. And he's in the room, flinging a notebook or something. Quite an entrace. Flings his glasses next, then the vest. Randy's confused. Dude takes off his shirt and panther-crawls to the judge's table. Now he's freaky-dancing. Hissing. Scratching. Simon wants singing. This guy is without a doubt the weirdest dude of the entire audition season. I can't describe what he's doing, but he's doing it with a fake microphone, hissing and scratching. "The meowing was horrific" from Simon. That about sums it up. And it's a total "no" from all the judges, and he's out.
More in the extended entry...
Shelanda Stallworth - ok - what's with the hairstyle? His favorite is Julio Iglesias. Huh. That has to be the first time I've heard that in about 20 years. If Ever You're In My Arms Again - SHOUTED. Painfully shouted. Off-key shouted. It's truly bad. "Hideous" says Simon. Again, that about sums it up. And Shelanda doesn't seem to know he's really bad.
Allrighty. We're in commercial, but I'm not watching them because I have this on DVR from four days ago. So we're back. Judges not happy. Clips of bad people - the obligatory Bad People Montage. Some woman with a stuffed horse, a human banan, etc.
Mariana Riccio - been singing since she was 4, fully traine dfor 16 years, stage-mom vocal-teaching mom (like McPhee) - mom was some kind of Dean Martin girl. And she's really really bad. Like a bad Cher, if that's possible. And just an editorial comment here - the outfit doesn't suit her. She should cover up more. And she sneers and snarls when she sings. And now she's on her knees. The opportunity means the world to her. Now she's crying. "Please! Please!! Please let me sing another song!". They hate her - America hates her, I'm sure. And now she's coming unglued. This is sad and bad. And she jiggle-butts her way out and bursts into tears. Now she brings her mother in who talks about how good she is. But now mom sees the judges and tells her if not this time, another time. She gets it. the judge's ruling" Mom was hot. Foxy.
Now we're at the obligatory Begging Montage. I'm over audition week.
Eleana Alexander - Pretty. And a unique look - kind of a softer Mariah Carey. She decided not to go to college but America Idol is her last chance. It's Gonna Be Feelin' Good is her choice. Don't know the song personally. She's really nervous. She clearly can sing. I don't know that I'm blown away, but she has potential. She also seems like a genuinely nice girl. They're definitely gonna put her through. She's a stand out for this episode, but not an overall standout by any means other than that she's quite beautiful and exotic looking.
The teaser going to commercial shows a femal Taylor Hicks proclaiming "Soul Patrol" (if I were around that girl I'd smack her - that's blasphemy) and a 60+ auditioner.
We return with Taylor as the Idol. Shots of Taylor. And then...
Fong Fan - she's a self-taught vocalist, feels she has a lot in common with Taylor Hicks, his family didn't support him and hers doesn't either, and her mother tells her she's "not quite TV pretty" and "no Katharine McPhee". She doesn't want to be perceived as a Taylor "replicate". She swoons at a picture of Taylor. Now she's off and singing. She's doing Dancin' in the Streets and she's really really bad. It's all over the place and she's twisting up her mouth and dancing but then bending down and then dancing again and then singing and then apologizing. Just - awful. She quotes Taylor again, "give me a chance", and they say... No. And she's done. I thought she was a cute girl - nothing wrong with her looks. It's her voice that sucked. They're playing this really bad sad piano music as she talks to Ryan. Then it's Do I Make You Proud in the background. I'm going to puke.
Brandon Rogers - Has backed up Anastasia and Christina Aguilera. He can't suck - makes a comment that he's "not progressing as a solo artist". Sounds pretty serious. Singing Always On My Mind - who does he sound like? Damnit I can't put my finger on it - a little Al Green undertone, some Donnie Hathaway phrasing... Quite good. A few minor pitch problems here and there, but he sounded great and seemed very comfortable. Simon thought he was the best of the day and from what I've seen of what they've shown, I would agree. Simon says he "has a likability about him" - I agree with that, too. And he sails through.
The going to commercial teaser warns us that we may need Kleenex.
Brian Miller - he made Hollywood Round last year, and they show him crying as he's cut. A Change is Gonna Come is his choice. Now, Taylor did this last year in his Vegas audition and they are MILES apart in feel and interpretation. He has a good voice, but I think it's really really not one that's going to take him along. But he's back to Hollywood. Yawn.
Sherman - Backstory - his lady love of 20 years is in a cancer treatment center. They have a petition with lots of signatures. We don't know what the petition is yet, but we find out she died. And he's very emotional aobut it and genuinely so. They are going to let him sing. You Belong To Me is his choice, and he dedicates it to her. Paula's crying IMMEDIATELY. And he sounds good, and does a nice job. The judges are uncommonly decent as they listen to him, letting him have his moment. They applaud him as he finishes. Paula's still crying. Simon tells him he's a class act, and shakes his hand. He leaves by saying "I won. I'm a winner". It was actually very nice and quite touching. I thought I was too jaded to be moved.
Oh hey - Randy's stomach is back. Go to commercial teaser shows two robust people sucking face and judges running (literally) through the lobby. And so it's on to day 2.
Randy believes a winner could come from LA this year. Simon sees three or four so far making the finals. The two robust people who were kissing are both trying out for American Idol. They're cute - they've been togetehr two years. And they're each auditioning. He teeth are all silver. They're both turned on. I am now officially uncomfortable.
Cavet "Sparkles" Carr - I can't identify the song. She's awful. She's on her knees - she's "goin' down Simon" "cuz here and now, Simon"... She winks, rolls her tongue around at Simon. It's really... gross. Sorry. It just is. Simon has to ask if she's flirting with him. She thinks he's cute. He thinks she's fabulous, but the singing was off-putting. She's making Simon nervous. But they say no.
Daryl Somthing - Simon starts by telling him his girlfriend was inappropriate. I Wish It Would Rain is his choice, one of my ALL TIME favorites. Daryl's not any better than his gal Cavet, and that's saying something. They stop him quickly. It's a no.
Going to commercial teaser is a reallybad singer named Eric.
We're back with shots of famous Los Angeles/Hollywood places. We are now to the second obligatory Bad Singing Montage.
Eric Mueller - been training for American Idol for two years. He's a bit odd looking. He says he's put his social life on hold ot prepare for this audition. He wants to "break out of the mold" - "fluctuate it, reverberate it" (???). He's devoted his time. This is his to lose. Or NOT. He is one of the weirdest singers I've ever heard. It's really high and squeaky. They tell him to sing lower and he does, and then they tell him to go lower than that. He's now confused and "not wuite sure" what they want. Randy states the obvious - "lower's not gonna make it right". He's back to the high squeaky singing. And he has this weird look on his face as he does it - kind of like a stroke victim. Simon tells him he's "absolutely atrocious". And he leaves the room... Until...
Simon sees he had a vocal coach program called "Learn To Sing Like A Star", which is Paula and Randy's DVD of vocal coaching!! Simon's running through the room. Eric's confused. The judges are all talking at once. Simon is still trying to find Eric, and then that's it.
Oh thank GOD. Next Tuesday is the LAST audition show. San Antonio is where they're going.
Tonight's hands-down, not-even-close runaway winner is Brandon Rogers. For me, he now joins Sundance Head and Chris Sligh as contestants to watch. But a caveat - we're seeing WAY less of the good this audition season so I'll be interested to see all this "great talent" they allude to when Hollywood week finally arrives.
Sidenote: My DVR guide is telling me that Wednesday's show is called "Rest of the Best" so hopefully we'll get to see more good auditions and then NEXT week it's off to Hollywood. Finally.
Labels: American Idol, Auditions
What will I say next? Click and find out.
posted by RenaRF @ 11:31 PM,
,
Bir-Ming-Ham!!
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Birmingham Alabana. Home to Reuben Studdard (most overrated Idol ever). Bo Bice. Taylor Hicks (best Idol ever). Can Birmingham break the spell of badness that has been the other audition weeks?? Good God let's hope so.
I don't know what it is about Birmingham and the Idol tradition. Is it the most underrated city for musical talent ever? Are the Triple-Threat of Idol successes an anomaly? We're going to find out in a one-hour show.
Simon's thrilled that they welcome the judges to Birmingham.
Ok. Already the accents are getting on my nerves.
Erica Skye - kinda amateurish. Going from amateurish to pretty bad. Ow!! Flat on the high note. No vibrato. Ugh. Her family thinks she's the bomb. I suspect they're about to be disappointed. Erica forgets her lyrics. Randy looks pained. Back to teh family - they think the feedback will be positive. Simon says she's a hopeless singer, but Erica presses on despite the scathing reception. And then she does it again despite the pleas from the judges to stop. Paula's out of her chair and claims she's shocked. It's a no all the way around. At least she didn't cry when she first came out.
Now we go to all the people crying. So sad. Keep reading for more coverage!!
Katie Bernard. Talking, sounds like a nasal helium person. She's cute, says her talking voice is different than her singing voice. She's right - she sings an all-time favorite of mine - A House is Not a Home. Her phrasing and crescendos are a bit odd, but she really sounded good when she sang. The judges are torn. She's begging. Randy says yes, and lose the affectations (which is good advice). Paula and Randy are on their knees. It's a no from Simon. It's down to Simon. I say put her through, but Paula's leaning no... And she's wavering - sends Katie out to get her new husband. The husband has to convince Paula. Husband just stands there. Simon's falling asleep. Paula puts her through. I think it's a good choice, though I don't predict she'll get much further.
And we're back from commercial.
We're back to pimping Brimingham. Next up:
Tatiana McConnico. A student at a performing arts school. 17. Can't imagine doing anything other than singing, and doesn't want to be there to watch this season of American Idol - she wants to be on it. We don't get to see Tatiana meet the judges - we go right to her singing. She's strong for such a Tiny girl. Her intonation and phrasing are excellent - I"m telling you - it can't be taght. One of the best auditions I've seen so far this season - perfect pitch and great presence. She's unanimously through - not much of a shock. Her family is ecstatic but honestly - they can't be surprised.
Diana Walker. 27 from Atlanta, works in child care. She has a very weird outfit on. There's this weird tank top net thing in pink which doesn't go far enough down, and her gloves are... odd. Oh hey - it's only one glove. Weirder. Saving All My Love is her choice and I'm telling you, it's full-on painful. Ow ow ow!! Someone make it stop. Randy's squinting like his ears are going to bleed - I feel exactly the same way. It's a quick no from all three with very little torturing.
And we're back from another commercial.
Bernard Williams II. Sings Rock With You by Michael Jackson - odd choice. He sings well. This is a tough one to sing without any music behind it. He has nice control of his voice, but he looks like he's passing a stone when he sings. Paula thinks he's totally off key and gives him a NO!! I'm shocked. Her ears must be off tonight. Randy gets it right and puts him through - I thought he was quite good. I don't necessarily see him in top 12, but he could surprise me.
Margaret Thaler. She's 26 and wearing a weird yellow outfit. There's automatically a question about her real age. I can't tell. I didn't need to see her stomach. She's strictly here for Simon. Simon doesn't like her outfit. They ask how old she is. They don't believe her. She lifts the shirt again. She sings. She's awful. Really bad. I suspect verifying her age is going to be totally unnecessary. Simon laments that he has no idea what the show is about anymore. Says she's an Easter Bunny nightmare experiment. She's 50. And now she's crying sorta.
We see a bunch of "welcome to Hollywood's" without seeing the people sing. That's annoying.
Jamie Lee Ward. Another accent. Cute - she's 17. Dad is paralyzed. Would get her grandmother a one-floor house if she won. We find out her Dad shot himself because he caught his wife cheating on him and shot her and shot himself (!!!). She's going to sing Reflection. She sounds good, but has some trouble on the high notes. She's got a very country sound to her, which I don't care for. She slips to falsetto on the next high run and it sounds much better. they think her voice is pretty. Paula tells her not to power through. Simon agrees! Randy says yes. But work on the nasal thing. Paula says yes. Simon would have said no but it doesn't matter - she's through. She's excited. At least she doesn't seem like a bitch.
Chris Slighe - weird looking. Heavy, curly hair (really curly). Bizarre glasses. We know from the teaser this guy's great. Looks can be deceiving. Simon says he's Justin Guarini. Chris wants to make David Hasselhoff cry, ala Taylor's win when Hasselhoff cried. They all laugh. Kiss from a Rose is his choice. He's excellent. Flat-out excellent. When he gets the high parts he goes a bit astray but pulls it back together quickly. Paula clearly loves him. Stands and claps at the end. Simon clearly isn't impressed. Randy likes him. Simon puts him through. I totally dug this guy and his whole schtick. He's a funny guy, self-deprecating, and clearly talented.
And we're through with day 1. 15 people went through.
Day 2 arrives and we're apparently without Paula. She had to go back to Hollywood for a family obligation. So it's just the boys.
Here we are with the cousin Its. LOTS of hair. Victoria Watson - never cut her hair. Her hair is 6 feet long. She says she sounds like a Disney character. She's praying Simon is really nice. She and all of her hair enter the room. Simon's not that impressed with the hair. Vitoria thinks she'd be a good role model and touch people. They ask to meet her mother, and in she goes. They look at the hair again. You Raise Me Up is her choice of song. She sings like a church singer. There's nothing wrong with it, but it's all wrong for American Idol. Randy thought it was just OK and it has to be a no from both of them. They are very polite, and the judges are really quite nice to them. She dissolves into tears when she comes out. Poor thing. She wasn't bad, but not good enough.
Lakia Hill. Ow. Is there really anything else to say? I think not. "What the hell was that?" from Simon. That about sums it up. She blames nerves. Randy's quite surprised to hear that people tell Lakia she can sing. Simon breaks to her that she has probably one of the worst voices they've heard in Birmingham.
Now we cut to all the "you're the worst" clips and Birmingham people are incredibly polite in their rejection.
We get a little teaser before the break, however, that the politeness is about to exit the building.
Nicole Gazman . Mom said a long time ago that she had no talent but everyone told Mom she was really good. She's from Oklahoma. Something to Talk About is her choice. Another tough song to sing. I can't say I love her, but her voice is interesting. She's flattening out the tough spots - smart, but it's a trick to cover either nerves or a deficiency. She's 17, Simon says she sings through her nose. Randy doesn't think she's ready, but they encourage her to come back. Mom is supportive. I didn't think she was that bad, and I do hope she comes back in the future.
Birmingham is becoming a bad bad singing place. We get clips of how bad it is - cloudy and bad.
Brandy Patterson. We know she's going to suck from the teaser and then she's going to go postal. She's the only person from her family who is born to be a star, according to her bio. Like a Virgin is her choice. She's really bad. She moves around a lot. She obviously doesn't know she's bad. She whips off her jacket!! Her hips are moving!! Simon stops her. Says her audition was rotten. Everything about it was wrong, according to Simon. She thinks Simon's wrong. She blames the floor. That's a new one. Simon moves her to the carpet. Shoes are off. She switches to Proud Mary. It didn't get better. She's shaking and rolling her arms. She doesn't realize Simon is full of s--t when he says the wooden floor made all the difference. Randy says she was still terrible. Randy thanks her, but she argues. Brandy doesn't know why they're even judging. Simon finds this hilarious and both boys devolve into laughter. Simon leaves the room and sees her, tells her she's terrible again. She pints at Randy in his face and calls him a faker, but she's still kind of laughing. She protests that her singing was find, and she doesn't know what they were looking for. Now she's starting to curse. It's getting ugly. She claims retaliation. She smiles and leaves.
And so Birmingham's in the bag.
My favorite of the night: Chris Slighe with a close second in Tatiana McConnico.
My top two throughout the audition round, so far:
Chris Slighe
Sundance Head
Based only on the auditions, Sundance is a narrow favorite for me.
Tomorrow we're off to Los Angeles. Please God let this be the last audition location so we can get to the Hollywood round next week.
Labels: American Idol, Auditions
What will I say next? Click and find out.
posted by RenaRF @ 8:17 PM,
,
Whee!! NYC!!
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
I have a personal interest in the NYC auditions. A friend wrote me and told me that one of friends interviewed in NYC. Wearing a space suit. If nothing else, I want to see if the guy is any good. I would also imagine that there's a wellspring of talent in NYC if for no other reason than that the population is so huge.
OMFG. This first guy auditioned for So You Think You Can Dance - he was AWFUL and RUDE. What a moron. This audition was no different - NEXT.
Sarah Burgess - Hm. Great emotional backstory, set the judges up from the beginning. Plus she's beautiful. Plus she's young. Plus she sings well. AND she sang after crying - REALLY hard. Plus the crying thing - it's definitely genuine - and she's going to win a LOT of people with that. She's through to Hollywood. That makes me happy. :-) Oh - and I LOVE the "calling the father thing" right there on the TV broadcast. I'm also happy he wasn't a dick on the phone. Although that may have helped Sarah even more.
The teaser featuring Ashanti makes her intro more interesting. She's auditioned three times and been to Hollywood twice, yet we know she's got issues ahead of her. This should be interesting. OUt of the gate I don't like her voice. She has pitch and control, I just don't like it. At all. Too much vibrato, and quite shrill. Ack. She's fighting for it - she's begging. It's - pathetic. Will she change their minds? Will they put her through? Or will they CRUSH HER??!! Oops. Nope. Simon smacks her down, she sings more. Simon smacks her down again. She pulls her act together, leaves with the shreds of her dignity, delivers another speech, wrecks her dignity, begs again, is smacked down again, and she leaves. That sucked.
Ok. Tan bikini girls. Can you say "ratings"? They're both pretty girls. They're also brave, going on national TV with bathing suits. First up is Amanda, but they bring the other gal in, whose name I don't have. Their duet is a train wreck - sounds awful. Key changes etc. So it's Amanda solo - with Patsy Cline's Crazy. She sounds great voice wise, but it's very Broadway and she has some issues in the low spots. Paula's all for Amanda. Simon is totally neutral, but says yes. Carol puts her through tepidly, and Randy does it with qualifications.
So NOW her best friend has to do her audition. Antonella is her name - I actually prefer her voice right out of the gate. I like the tone and the way she sings much better. She has to work on stage presence though. I agree with Simon - she's much better than her friend. All judges are MUCH more convicted in their choice of Antonella. Simon has a Simon moment saying, "let me give you a piece of advice: when someone is down, kick them." referring to Antonella's comment that her friend was MUCH better than her audition.
Oooh... Another Harmonica Guy. He's more Blues Traveller than Taylor, though. Nothing bluesey about the harmonica clip they showed. He looks really nervous. REALLY nervous. He works at a bank. Taylor worked at a bank. Hm... Wow. He's really really really bad. BAD BAD. Excuse me. I have to mute my TV. Even with the sound muted I can tell he has no rhythm. Now he plays the harmonica - I'm not sure why. No singing, just the harmonica. But he's a good sport and it was interesting, so it's all good.
Now to the gratuitous clips of really bad people - OMG here's Space Suit guy!! Space Suit Guy is my friend's friend who auditioned!! OMFG - they didn't even show him singing, just the ridiculous space suit. NOT good.
Kia Thornton - immediately reminds me of Jennifer Hudson. Another with a bit too much vibrato for my taste, but she's really good and that's a really difficult song. She's confident without looking cabaret. I like Carol's feedback to not oversing. VERY important, to show dynamics and convey an ownership of the song. It makes a singer so much more credible imo.
DAY 2!!!
Question: Why does Carol Bayer Sager look like Elizabeth Taylor 20 years ago? Do they have the same surgeon or something?
WOW. I don't know if this first kid after the break can sing, but he's a great looking young man. Model material. His name is Andre. Oh wow - first few notes he sounds great. He has to watch being flat on the very top notes. He recovers really nicely, though, and finishes strong. And he's SIXTEEN!! I didn't realize that. This guy should go through - he's great. Hey - where's Simon? Oh - back to Andre - I do agree that he needs to watch the borderline arrogance. Also, not to be impolitic - but he reminds me of Corey and I DO think Paula was sweating when she looked at him. Just sayin'.
The girl audtioning now is very Ethel Merman. I didn't like her, and I didn't catch her name. Oh wait - Makia - now she goes to a slow song. It's not helping her. She's really out of tune - it's almost like it's a different singer than the Ethel Merman version of Dancin' in the Streets. This slow song is painful. Please put her out of my misery. Please? Oh and it gets worse - she begs at the door, saying that "she has a lot of people wanting her to go" to Hollywood and she "can't let them down". I don't know - I'm not feeling it. Her second song was truly terrible. Truly. Like ear-bleedingly terrible.
Sarah Whatshername. Yawn. She'd be yawnier if I didn't think she was certifiable.
Woot. Simon's back. He'll be happy he showed up in time for this girl's boobs. I already don't like her - she reminds me of Kat McPhee, and I loathed her. So Jory sings a song I don't know. Her voice is good, but really doesn't match her bravado or her attitude. I suspect they'll put her through, and they should, but I don't like her much. Simon loves her - but she has boobs. So who knows if he really likes her. The rest of the judges put her through, making me look prescient. Oooh - bonus. She has a stage mom. I wonder if she's as ridiculous as Kat McPhee's stage dad?
Porcelana looks like a hooker. I'm glad she worked hard and got herself in shape - I can respect that - I've been there. But she shouldn't define herself by that. I kind of like her voice but it's limited range-wise. She reminds me of another sexpot also-ran from season... what... Three? Four? They put her through. I'm not super-impressed with her singing. But I'm super-impressed with her work ethic.
Christopher Henry - f'ing weird. Close your eyes and he sounds like a she. Weird. Did I say that? Simon sums it up: "The reality is you should be singing in a dress and stillettos." This time I agree. He sounds like a girl.
Rachel Zevita - as an opera singer I'm surprised by her voice. She's clearly trying to be edgy with the first song. The second one the opera comes though. The opera comes through in the opera song as well (go figure) - I dug her, actually. I believe her when she says she can be versatile. Absolutely believe it. And she's through to Hollywood.
Hey!! Space Suit Guy makes the "same song" montage!! He wasn't good at all!! Sorry DD.
Chris from Chesapeake VA - Song for You - Elliott spoiled me for this song. He is the bar that MUST be met if you sing this song. Chris isn't meeting the bar. Don't get me wrong - he seems to have promise, but too many runs and a weird-ass interpretation. He's got to get some measure of control over it, though. I really didn't like that version of the song. And he's through to the next rounde. I'm underwhelmed, but I do think he deserved to go to the Hollywood round.
Oooh. I remember that guy. I liked him, but he's a quitter. He had better have a good reason for trying again. Nicholas - he does Fly Me to the Moon - very breathy. Good pitch, good control, but very airy and breathy. He's better than Justin Guarini, but he should try to sing through that breath. He's be so much better. I hope he does well in Hollywood, though. The boys haven't been all that great so far through the auditions, so he may be one of the better boys. If any real talent comes along, though, I'm not sure how he'd measure up.
Ok... We're nearing the end. We're apparently going to wrap with a looney. She's clairvoyant. She reads palms. She sounds like a variety of women I'm sure she doesn't sound like. She does yoga. In public. She breaks guitar strings. But her hat's cool. And she's off. She doesn't say what song she's going to sing. It appears to be Lady marmalade. It's intensely weird. It kind of reminds me of those African mating dances you'd see on National Geographic specials, that built to a crescendo with some great purpose in mind. NOW she's on to Take It by Janice Joplin. At least she's not crying as she does the post-interview, but her shifty-eye thing is bizarre.
All RIGHT. We're at the end of this one. Bye bye NYC!! 36 people are going through from NYC. Is that the highest number yet? Oh FREAKIN' RIGHT ON - Birmingham ALABAMA next week!! Home to Bo, Reuben, and TAYLOR HICKS!! I would love a guest appearance.
Having said that, can we please please get through the audition rounds? I'm ready to move on to Hollywood week.
Labels: American Idol, Auditions
What will I say next? Click and find out.
posted by RenaRF @ 8:01 PM,
,
Memphis: Pretty Tepid.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
All right. We're in for an abbreviated American Idol tonight, due to the State of the Union Address at 9pm Eastern. I'll have to do some Blognastics by posting here and then running over to post on Daily Kos.
Oh - that's not predictable. Empty Memphis streets followed by "where IS everybody??" followed by the throngs that showed up to audition. Yawn.
Ok. Annoying. My digital cable is freezing creating a jerky effect during the middle of the show. Aaagh!!
Ok. First, the first guy wasn't awful. He wasn't. There was promise there, but I agree that this year isn't for him. Then we got the awful girl with no personality. Then we move on to the energetic kid with the weird pants (his whole outfit is weird, frankly). And next to the unfortunate girl with the braces. So far there's no love in Memphis. I wonder if they wished they had let the first guy through?
The next teaser, however, looks promising.
Sundance Head. What a name. Interesting backstory, also. Son of Roy Head, a guy who had a hit that was knocked off the charts by the Beatles' Yesterday. Sundance chooses to sing Stormy Monday - BIG song. I LOVE him. Love love love him! He's edgy but I suspect, unlike Chris Daughtry, he's versatile. All three judges love him, too. Memphis has its first stand-out, and he's a guy I'm watching from here on out. Not a Taylor moment (instant fandom and love), but close.
BAD Simon!! Says "He just blew Taylor apart". My ASS. Simon's a sore loser. Why take digs at Taylor? I'm sure it has to do with the idea that he didn't want to put him through in the first place. Get over it, Simon. Taylor won.
And we're back. Beale Street. Elvis. Al Green (all-time favorite of mine). BB King. And back to the auditions. I actually kind of liked Wandera Hitchye. compared to what we've seen, at least she had a voice and pitch. Not the best, but not dreck. And we've seen a lot of dreck.
This better pick up soon.
Or not. Travis McKinney - ack. What is that??
Danielle McCollough chooses one of my ALL TIME favorite songs. And I'll add - it's one of THE hardest songs to sing. She's ok. She definitely has something, but there's pitch problems in there, and she pulled back on the parts she should have powered. While it may have been interpretation, it's usually a sign that a singer's compensating. She kind of changed key just a tad, but she's got a quality. At the very beginning, she momentarily put me in mind of Kelly Clarkson. And she's through to the next round.
And thus concludes Day 1. That's ALL we got from Day 1?? Jeez. This State of the Union thing is killing my buzz.
Oh how sad. A guy who thinks becoming the American Idol will get his wife back. Or get him Paula Abdul. I don't know which is more sad - the pipe dreams, his choreography, or his singing. Ah - and Simon enlightens the evening with the "bad wedding singer" analogy. While it may apply to this guy, did he not use the SAME analogy with Taylor??!
Wow. If this was American Cleavage, this girl would have a shot.
Wow. Sean Michel. I don't know what to think of him. It's clear he can sing - but I don't know that song, and it's difficult for me to tell if he did it well. At any rate, he's got rhythm. He MUST lose the Jesus/Castro/Osama look, though. And I worry that he's going to be one of these people that chooses obscure songs - it's imperative that he break out of that at Hollywood Week, because you kow they're going to be following him around because he looks so... odd.
Melinda Doolittle, the nervous background singer. REALLY like her - the second standout of the night. She obviously has nerve issues, but hopefully she'll get over them. She rocked. She also wins so far on personality - no attitude and very likeable.
Ok. The guy who missed the birth of his second child had better be good. May make a hell of a story if he's good, though.
Philip Stacy. Hm he started out a little shrill, but he got better as the audition went along. He's strong - good pitch once he settled down. He starts a second song and I think he starts that one better, but a fight ensues among the judges as to whether or not it was, in fact, better. He gets the go through at any rate, so good for him. My caution to him would be to RELAX and open his throat - I can SEE him tightening on the high notes and it pushes some of them towards shrill. Another note, it's a good thing his wife is behind him. I can't imagine anyone, let alone a married person, making it through the whole thing without the strong support of family.
HAND DOWN winner of the night: Sundance Head. No question - no one else even came close.
And with that, I'm changing my blog persona to go blog the SOTU. See y'all (I don't really think there's a "y'all", but hey - I'm trying) tomorrow night!
Labels: American Idol, Auditions
What will I say next? Click and find out.
posted by RenaRF @ 9:03 PM,
,
Quick Note
Monday, January 22, 2007
I don't know if anyone's reading or not so I'm going to just follow my stream-of-consciousness approach.
I saw Chris Daughtry singing the National Anthem at the start of the NFC Championship Game between Chicago and New Orleans. He did a fantastic job. Last season he was my third favorite, behind Taylor (1st) and Elliott (2nd). He has an amazing voice - it's just that his style was not to my taste. He really put himself out there with the Anthem yesterday, and did a great job.
Labels: American Idol, Auditions
What will I say next? Click and find out.
posted by RenaRF @ 2:51 PM,
,
Idol Thoughts
Saturday, January 20, 2007
I don't know why, but I think it's pretty hilarious that the relative "meanness" of the judges has made national news.
I also thought both Fantasia and Taylor's appearance on Larry King Live was VERY good on Thursday night. Each had interesting answers about what it's like to be on AI, what it gave to them, and why it matters. I loved the entire hour, and frankly, I'm not really Larry King fan.
Program Note: American Idol WILL be on on Tuesday January 23rd, but it will only be an hour, 8pm-9pm EST to accommodate the President's State of the Union address at 9pm. It will go back to the 8-10pm two-hour show on Wednesday, January 24th.
Labels: American Idol, Auditions
What will I say next? Click and find out.
posted by RenaRF @ 12:40 PM,
,
A Little Bit About Your Blog Hostess
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Not that you care, or that anyone's reading this in the first place. :-)
I have a straight job. A professional day gig that requires a college degree and responsibility - you know the drill.
As a young person, however, I was a singer. I sang for many, many years. I think I had it in my mind that I would take to the stage. I considered going to college to major in voice. But there was always a huge problem with singing: I had paralyzing stage fright. I mean, really bad. At first it was just nausea before a performance. Then it was nausea that would make me throw up. Then I would fret the night before a performance and lose sleep. Then it was days before a performance. You get the picture. Given that, it didn't seem the wisest choice to major in voice. More...
Singing became, at that time, something private. I love to sing. Looking back, I honestly think that the reason I would get so wound up before performances to the degree that I did was because it was SO important to me to be flawless. I'm sure anyone reading this can think of something in their lives that they cherish. It may be a private something, or not. But it's something you cherish, that you can't bear to do badly. For me, that was singing.
Years passed and I got married to a musician. A working musician. The story of how we wound up together is amusing, but I'm not going to take you through it. Suffice it to say that some 8 years after giving up singing in public, the karaoke rage hit. It took me a while, but I eventually put myself out there and sang again in public, inasmuch as karaoke is public. I qualified for a big regional karaoke finals, and when I showed up, my now-husband and just about EVERY influential musician in DC showed up to watch. What I didn't know at the time was that another dear friend (also a musician) had seen me singing when I qualified and had called all these other people to come out for the finals. Talk about nerves. I came in second behind a fabulous female singer (I was totally honored and I deserved to lose to her), and when I got home very much later that night my now-husband had left me too many voicemail messages to count. He said he heard me sing and fell in love (all together now - AWWWWW).
So back to more recent history. A few years after marrying my husband declared that he wanted to start a band and he wanted me to front it. This seemed like an interesting idea at the time - I was older, right? I should be able to handle the nerves, right? So we went into planning (it's an 11-piece band - believe me, you have to plan), assembled the musicians, and started rehearsals. So far so good. Then we booked our first gig. Still good. We were going to premiere on a Friday night in July.
The preceeding Sunday my husband walked in to find me in TEARS on the couch, telling him he had to find someone else, that there was no way I was going to be able to get through this. This was a full SIX DAYS before the gig and my panic was setting in.
He wasn't having any of it. I HAD to do it, he said. There were 10 other people counting on me, he said. He was right. I was a wreck, but I got through it and I still front that working band today. My nerves have gotten MUCH better. Realistically, what happened was that there were a few times that things did NOT go well. And you know what? I totally survived it, the world didn't spin off its axis, and people didn't mock me mercilessly. So while I still get a bit anxious before gigs, it's just that - a little game-day excitement.
So why am I telling you all of this? Only to say that I do feel pretty connected to American Idol. I have a good ear and good eye for people who are "naturals" on stage. I absolutely admire and covet the kind of natural, God-given talent I've seen on AI, starting with Kelly Clarkson. It simply can't be taught. You can take a great singer and teach them how to do things they never envisioned doing before (vocally), but you can't take a good singer and make them great. You're either born with it or you aren't.
My absolutely, all-time favorite contestant is Taylor Hicks. I relate to him on a working, money-losing musician level. I've worked with guys who have Taylor's talent. I've seen them playing clubs week after week, writing great music, etc. Hell - I stand next to one such great singer in my band. So Taylor was a composite of every great undiscovered musician I've ever seen or worked with, and I recognized his qualities and his gig-credentials the very second he stepped into the audition room and sang Sam Cooke. He loves music, and more importantly, he seems to love making music.
My close second is Kelly Clarkson. She just blew my hair back and gave me goosebumps week after week. She deserved to win, and has earned her credibility.
So that's my story. My critiques are offered as one who is at least somewhat knowledgeable of music and singing, but interpret it how you will.
Thanks for reading!
Labels: American Idol, Auditions
What will I say next? Click and find out.
posted by RenaRF @ 4:12 PM,
,
Bizarro Seattle World
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Rainy-ass Seattle is the next stop on the AI Audition round.
Random thought: The judges are MUCH meaner this season during the audition round - ALL of them. Additional random though: Is Seattle totally populated with completely bizarre people? Good God. I'm about 40 minutes in and haven't heard a single musical moment and feel as though I'm trapped in the Theatre of the Weird.
Related thought: I hate rain.
And then the sun breaks through. My eardrums stop crying their revolt when Thomas Daniels walks into the room and starts singing. I can't put my finger on who he puts me in mind of - Luther Vandross? Not quite - but lovely. This guy is one to watch.
Random commercial break question: Do you think the producers kind of "earmark" a particular contestant and then put a note in their file (or whatever it is the judges are reading) that THIS is a person they should torment mercilessly?
I don't like Blake Lewis nearly as much as Thomas Daniels on sheer musical value, but damn - he's entertaining with personality to spare. He also has "the look", whatever that is. That usually works to a certain level in the competition (think Ace), but soon the chaff is parted from the wheat and the cream rises to the top and [insert your own success cliche here].
Best line so far of the night goes to Ryan Seacrest:"Welcome back to the talent vacuum that is Seattle."
Shymalie Malakar - liked her. She has one of those voices, though, that I never thinks makes it all the way to the end. It's kind of a high, sweet white-girl voice and everything she sings she will sing beautifully, but it will fall short of any rich, full female or male voice in the competition. As much as everyone loved Lisa Tucker, it reminds me a bit of her - cute, good voice, good stage presence, but middle-of-the-pack.
Her brother - Sanjaya - a totally different story. I MUCH preferred him. His voice was totally unexpected. I have to agree with Simon - he was a LOT better than his sister. He has a quality to his voice that is distinctive, with a rich foundation that makes me want to hear him sing more. His problem will be owning the stage if he makes it farther than the Hollywood round, however.
What's UP with Simon and Rudolpho "Rudy" Cardenes?? I thought he was GREAT - and let me tell you something: Without exception any Journey song is one of the all-time most difficult songs to sing for men. It takes such range and power, and while he needed to work a little on the very top end, I'm having to nitpick to find the flaw. I thought he was excellent. F Simon!!
And with that, Day one is a WRAP with only SEVEN people making it through!!
I have a question: Do we really have to have a day 2 in Seattle? I mean, really? Is there not some algorithm that should kick in that calculates the success rate of day 1 against the cost of conducting day 1 and, when a negative result is invariably returned, they just say "F It. I'll count the money I'll save - on to the next stop." Picking out two of the weirdest dudes in line and featuring them at the start of the day is not boding well, either. Do you think that when they get the weirdest of the weird to start the day it's like a blow from which they'll never recover? Picking on that kid's rather over-large eyes, however, seemed over-the-top.
I've definitely been sucked back into Theatre of the Weird. I love this show, but honestly. There's only so much one person can take.
Random thought: When people come out after having not made it through to the next round, do they really sincerely believe their own hype? I guess there's something to be said for confidence.
Oh no he did NOT. There is NOT a guy here trying to pretend he's Taylor Hicks. And he's a HAIRDRESSER? A Taylor-poseur HAIRDRESSER? You do NOT mess with the Soul Patrol by copping Taylor Hicks by doing it badly. And of course you knew he was going to SUCK. I hope he's a good hairdresser.
Anna Kearns (aka "The Tallest Girl I've Ever Seen In My Life") - I'm underwhelmed. I don't honestly think she would EVER make it through if Seattle hadn't been such a bag of s--t. No offense to Anna, but is this what I have to look forward to this season? Really? I need some encouragement here soon - someone who makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck they're so God-given good (hereinafter referred to as G-GG).
And what is UP with me agreeing with Simon twice now in one show?? I agree with him that Jordin Sparks was not perfect. Again, I go back to the theory that it's been so bad, they are simply easily impressed. Jordin's voice was good but I have yet to hear the person who simply makes me pick up the phone, call my mother (who also watches) and tell her who the top 3 will be (last year I picked it dead to rights - truly, I called mom after Taylor's audition and said "This guy's gonna take it all. Write it down - you heard it here first." - I swear!).
Thank GOD - it looks like Seattle is about to wrap. Is it me, or have these first two episodes, Seattle and Minneapolis, been really, really bad?? I hate to impugn entire areas of the country - and fine cities are Seattle and Minneapolis, filled with history and beauty and their own unique culture - but NOT filled with fabulous music talent.
Clear winner (only one) for me was Thomas Daniels, hands-down.
Good GOD let's hope Memphis brings it next week.
Labels: American Idol, Auditions
What will I say next? Click and find out.
posted by RenaRF @ 8:17 PM,
,
Episode ONE - MinneCRAPolis
If the title wasn't a giveaway, color me underwhelmed by the field of talent in Minneapolis. According to the show's wrap-up, out of an estimated 10,000 who showed to audition, on 17 made it. SEVENTEEN. That means that about .0017% of Minneapolites (?) are talented with respect to singing.
Sad.
I had only three standouts in the crowd that they showed from tonight's auditions.
I did kinda-sorta like the Columbian girl, and that was purely on the strength of her personality and her look. And while Sarah (I think that's her first name) Kruger had a wonderful voice, I found her whole demeanor off-putting. She was quite the "well I knew you'd take me" type, and that's a turn-off of the highest order.
So Minneapolis?
::YAWN::
Thank goodness we're on to another location because so far no one has knocked my socks off.
Labels: American Idol, Auditions
What will I say next? Click and find out.
posted by RenaRF @ 12:04 AM,
,
WELCOME To Handicapping American Idol 6!
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Thanks for stopping by my site. A little bit of background - I have been with American Idol since it started. Over the years, I've discovered that I have an uncanny ability to kind of evaluate and handicap the contestants.
Last year was a high water mark for me - I knew Taylor Hicks had it from the second he auditioned in Vegas. I don't know why - I just knew. That was my best call EVER. So this year, I've decided to start my own blog reviewing American Idol show by show and trying to spot the early favorites - well - early.
Feel free to drop your own comment and argue or agree with my analysis. Just try to keep it civil. :-)
Labels: American Idol, Auditions
What will I say next? Click and find out.
posted by RenaRF @ 11:08 PM,
,