American Idol – Auditions - Week Two

“You’re like a donkey in a crowd of 22 horses.”

That was the way Simon described one of the auditioner’s chances of getting into Idol, let alone competing. That had to be one of the funniest (yet accurate) quotes I’ve ever heard from Simon. Truly, there are some really delusional people out there.

Part of me is sort of glad American Idol has cut down on the really bad, bizarre auditions, and is concentrating more on the potential good ones. I only have a couple of gripes about the audition process this season…does every person need a theme song playing as they exit?! If this was a common element in past seasons, I certainly never noticed it before. But this season it seems so prominent, I think it’s an added element. It over dramatizes the situation, and YES, I know it’s reality television, but come on, we’re bordering on cheesy here. Wait, we're talking Idol, so maybe it's not so unusual as I thought.
Regardless, there were some definite people I want to keep my eye on during the Hollywood “hell” rounds. Louisville, Kentucky and San Francisco produced some pretty good talent, but also some major messes that won’t be remembered for their voices. Here are some of the potential stars and some of the freaks that stood out for me over the two nights:

Night One: The San Francisco Auditions

1) Tatiana Del Toro - How in the world do they let this hot mess through? Simon, who is usually the first to comment on what a person is wearing, doesn’t even call this girl out on her skin tight dress with the awful tulle bottom!? That aside, though she didn’t have a bad voice per se, she did over sing her song choice. It was over the top, and she doesn’t have the vocal chops to pull off the type of notes she was trying to sing. I’m not trying to be mean, but I hope she crashes and burns in Hollywood, because there is no way she was strong enough to get there based on her vocal talent.

2) Dean-Anthony Bradford – If the horrendous plaid coat was any indication, you know this was going to be a failure before he even walked in to see the judges. But I could not take my eyes off him. Not because he was attractive mind you, but because I couldn’t get over how simian he looked. Seriously, take a good look. He has a monkey like face doesn’t he? Weird. Obviously he was horrible, so he will not be going to Hollywood. That’s right dude, your audition went badly because the judges focused on how bad your coat was. Whatever helps you sleep at night. Next.




3) Jesús Valenzula – You have to have at least one of these types of contestants in every audition show. You know, the family man with the cute daughter/son who urged him to go on the show, etc. It’s a story we’ve seen a hundred times, sometimes producing a true star, and other times a disaster. But Jesus seems to be of the former, because he’s not half bad. I can tell right off though, he will not win the competition should he make it to the Top 12. His kids and family will only get him so far, so I don’t even know if he’d crack the top ten. Let’s see how well he does in Hollywood.

4) Akilah Askew-Gholston – I only want to mention this contestant because she brought diagrams of lungs, etc. to teach herself how to sing. Yes, you read that correctly. Do you want me to tell you how it turned out? I thought not.

5) Adam Lambert - I have to admit, this guy had the looks, and the voice to pop into the top 24. He has been in the cast of the play Wicked, so as expected, Simon thought his performance was a bit “theatrical”. I tend to agree, but I think this guy has the chops to get out of that habit. I’m looking to see if he makes it past Hollywood week.


6) Kai Kalama – This is the standard “heart-warming” story that AI has decided to include in each audition show this season. Kai’s story is a simple one; he takes care of his ailing mother during the day, and he plays music at night. This aside, however, he really does have a good voice. I thought his voice was soulful, and had a lot of strength. The judges say he has to work on his showmanship, but I think it will be a small obstacle to overcome.





Night Two: The Louisville, Kentucky Auditions

1) Tiffany Shedd - Dear GOD, this girl was awful. She comes in acting like she has the greatest set of pipes since Aretha, and she sounds like nails on a chalkboard. What’s worse? Before the audition, she tells the camera that she is going to walk out with her head held high if she is rejected. A blind man could see this coming from a mile away. Two words: melt down. This is the contestant who some described as “a donkey in a crowd of 22 horses”. Hysterical, but also sad.

2) Joanna Pacitti - Much like Carly Smithson from last season, Joanna already had a record deal with A&M Records, but for whatever reason it didn’t work out. I’m still on the fence about contestants with prior record contracts getting onto the show. I think it’s a bit unfair. Obviously, Joanna is fabulous. Great pitch, strong voice. I think she has a very good shot at getting into the Top 24.

3) Mark Mudd – Horrible. It was just awful, but why I am mentioning him? Seems that he added some much needed “drama” to the auditions by “threatening” the judges. After Mark was turned away for a bad audition, he leaves, telling the judges “Take care, and be careful.” This was taken as a threat by the judges. Personally, in my opinion, I don’t think the guy was threatening them. The way he said it, I don’t think he meant it as a threat. But why waste the opportunity for a great Idol drama moment? The producers knew exactly what they were doing.

4) Brent Keith Smith - This guy has everything going for him. He could quite possible sail right into the Top 24. Not only did he have a very good voice, (country-ish), but he was quite the hottie. Not bad on the eyes at all. Simon didn’t think it was as good as the judges, but he made it through to Hollywood anyway.


5) Matt Giraud – Another great singer, who to me, looks a lot like Justin Timberlake, or maybe even Chris Richardson from a couple of seasons back. (however, this guy seemed a lot more talented). He’s a dueling piano player, so not only does he have that sort of comedic element to dig into, but he can obviously play the piano. As we saw from last season, the addition of the use of instruments definitely made a difference in performances. I hope to see this guy make it through.

6) Ross Plavsic – He’s a suit-wearing nerdy guy, who thinks science can teach him how to sing flawlessly. I point him out because instead of giving him a quick chop, the judges decide (well, Paula mostly) to give him another shot, after taking a sip of water. I was quite amused when the guy takes a sip from Paula’s glass, and Paula freaks out because he used her straw. Entertaining indeed!

7) Alexis Grace - This girl had a baby when she was 19, and I only mention her because she had such a huge voice coming out of such a little body. Part of me hopes she makes it through.

8) Aaron Williamson – Loud, over done and bad. He was shouting. He woke all the judges up, and prompted Ryan to pop his head in to see what the screaming was about. Needless to say, he won’t be going to Hollywood.












9) Rebecca Garcia - This girl was so bad...so awful...that Kara thought she was joking around, just to get on TV. Apparently, Rebecca noted on her entry form that she was voted “funniest female” in school. (or something like that.) This is what prompted Kara to think this was all a big joke. She was wrong, it was a serious audition, and Kara felt horrible. Awkward. What got me furious, however, was as Rebecca was walking out with her mother, she tells her not to let the judges discourage her. Umm...hello? Reality checks on both mother and daughter please?

10) Leneshe Young - The last contestant this week BLEW ME AWAY. She sounded as good as Kelly Clarkson, and I think she could be just as talented. She came from a very, very poor childhood, (homeless!), and was raised by a single mother. (if you haven’t figured it out, this was the standard “heart-warming” background story for this episode). Setting all this aside though, the girl is good. She sang an original song called “Natty”, which sounded like it could be produced and put on the radio right now. I see this girl going pretty far, and she has just the type of background that would have audiences rooting for her.

So that’s it for this week everyone.
Another audition week is gone. What does everyone think so far? Do we like Idol’s new approach to the auditions? Do you think anyone has stood out for you that weren’t mentioned above?
Make your voice heard below!
Let’s see those comments!!
Until next week, this is Nick........OUT!