Audition Show 5 - LA & Audition Show 6 - Dallas

Ok, my thoughts on the shows. (I watched them at the same time, go DVR!! So this will somehow resemble live blogging in a way...) First up was guest judge Avril Lavigne, who I really like actually (yes I do! She actually does a lot of songwriting and producing for acts in Japan, she's a very talented person. Yes, I said that and I am totally serious.) She also wore the same little black horned sweater my wife wouldn't allow me to get Kate... (and somehow Avril wearing it didn't help that...)

And if you want to know why I wrote so much about Avril it's because EVERYONE sucked while she was on , except the one generic rock chick who I am sure everyone will overrate because every generic rock singing woman on this show gets overrated immensely.

Day 1 Over, Day 2 began....Simon and Randy came in by helicopter and Katy Perry is the guest! Very cool....She has this completely blank look across her face at all times that I find disconcerting.

Hey, I liked someone...

Andrew Garcia was very good. He sang Sunday Morning, which I loved. I also liked the backstory, he seemed like a good guy, and he had those soft, soulful Mario (I dropped out and screwed up the competition) type vocals which I think can do well.

I also liked Tasha Layton. Great vocals, good look - this is someone I think could be in the Top 24 also.

Then we had Jason Greene. And Kara making her first stupid comment of the day where she said "it takes a lot to make girls feel dirty". I'm just going to leave that alone...

The Kara/Katy power struggle was great. Kara is working hard to fill the annoyance vacuum left when Paula was fired. Katy said at one point she may have to throw her coke in Kara's face. THAT would have made good TV.

Next up...DALLAS! And Neil Partick Harris? Huh, What? He's actually not bad but do people get chosen as guest judges by whoever they see as they walk to the building?

Lloyd Thomas was the first real good person of the day. He sang Stevie Wonder and had a nice soulful voice. He also was a lot of fun and had more personality than he showed singing. He may do ok.

I loved Erica Rhodes. Not only did she actually use her prop (the whip) in the song, but she completely shattered the image of Barney's kids, which was wonderful. The crying Barney dominatrix as Randy called her. Only on idol!

BTW, Neil Patrick Harris said there have been a ton of good people. Maybe they could show us some of those people singing, no?

I liked David Pittman, the guy with Tourette's. I liked that he didn't mention it the moment he stepped into the room.

A lot of people seemed to make it from Dallas compared to some of the other cities. Day 2 brings us A JONAS BROS! 1 of them, does it matter which?

Todrick Hall was pretty good. I kind of agree with Simon, i thought the "idol song" he prepared was kind of hokey but he was going to get through anyway as his voice was real good. He has starred previously vs. Fantasia in THE COLOR PURPLE.


I also liked Christian and her story just broke my heart. To go through all of that (she had leukemia) from 4 through 8 is just awful. I'll support her just for that (sorry i couldn't post a pic!)

That was it for me. There were some other people that were ok but no one blew me away. One more week of auditions next week.

Audition Show 4 - Orlando

The best laid plans of mice and men....

Yes, my plan was to watch it on DVR later but my cable box did not agree with that plan one bit and it doesn't appear i have the episode. What did I miss? Hopefully I can find somewhere that has the clips up so I can catch what I miss....definitely a pain...

Update: I decided to do the person by person youtube thing which basically may skip things, and means I didn't see the bad contestants, which is ok - I just want to see if I miss anyone good. And i have no idea who the guest judge is...and I'm not compelled to look for her, maybe someone will mention her as i watch.

Seth Rollins

I liked him. (Note: Broke my heart when his kid cried when he couldn't come in the room, Kate does that when I leave sometime.) He had a really nice tone. Everyone said Yes. "Blonde woman I don't know"'s comment was YES and I LOVED HIM. Nice story, nice guy, don't see winner quality but stranger things have happened.

Shelby Dressel

Kind of interesting. The result of her "disability" (she can't move part of her mouth), her being shy and afraid to audition was more interesting than her backstory. She was kind of fun, her voice was nice and her audition good enough to move on, plus she dropped an F-Bomb, which always makes for good TV.

That was really all I saw interesting from this show, let me know if I missed anything.

Top 24 Leaks?

Yes, the top 24 has leaked (at least 23 of them). Yes, it always changed one or two people from the point it leaks but it's pretty accurate. I have not looked at it in detail, but I'm sure I will (I love the spoiler list!) I will not post it here though. If you want to know where it is, or if someone you liked make it, post a request (with an email) or email me.

Audition Show 3 - Chicago

Ok, Chicago was bad. There is very little I need to say about this show. There were 2 things on the show I thought were entertaining.

1) Learning Shania Twain likes Asian men.

Here is John Park, a contestant that Shania said had a nice head, nice lips, and several other double entendre's that I forget. Great stuff. I had no idea what she was rambling about. John was so-so, but sometimes you see someone and although the audition was just ok, they have Top 24 possibilites. John was one, as was Charity Vance (below). I don't think either was great but I think both have the possibility to be better - although I have nothing to back that up!

2) Katelyn Epperly

I thought she was great. She looked great, her backstory was interesting (although I feel a bit bad for her as her mom seems to be falling apart) and she seems to have a chance to get better as the competition goes on.

The rest of the show stunk. Amy Lang stinks, is not funny and I don't want to see her anymore. Angela Martin on her 3rd try for Hollywood is not interesting to me (It would be more interesting if she didn't run away on an outstanding warrant, I don't buy the traffic court thing - call in sick!). And I remember nothing else...

Audition Show 2 - Atlanta

It's Atlanta and Mary J Blige! Good show, better overall talent than Boston in my opinion. Two people stood out for me and both of them have the same situation, great voice, terrible look. (Although one got her backstory told in detail (Vanessa) while Noel got almost no airtime at all.

Vanessa Wolfe had a good audition. Her voice wasn't the best of what we saw, but I always am curious about people who get a lot of airtime early on - there is the real potential they improved later on and were doing well, and were getting airtime based on that. I look forward to seeing what she looks like after she gets "Hollywooded" up.


Noel Reese tore through I HAVE NOTHING. Only 16 years old. They only showed a little of her, with 2 other people int his quick montage. Really needs to update her look as it was awful. But 16 years old with that voice? Definitely a lot of potential.

There was a lot of contestants I could see making it Top 12 or not even making it past the first Hollywood round. It was a strange show in that way, a lot of talent, nothing that stood out to a huge degree. Both shows this week kind of had that vibe. I wonder if others feel that way...

And just so you know I didn't forget, Pants on the ground by Larry Platt:

Lyrics....
Pants on the groundLookin’ like a fool with your pants on the ground
With the gold in your mouth, hat turned sideways
Pants hit the ground, call yourself a cool cat
Lookin’ like a fool, walkin’ to the town
With your pants on the ground!

He won't be going to Hollywood but he may have a hit on his hands here...

See ya next week...

JUAN

Audition Show 1 - Boston!

Ok, my thoughts on Day 1 in Boston! (No NY this year so all the people who would go there were up in Boston which made the talent pool pretty good..) Posh Spice (Victoria Beckham) is on board as this was right after Paula was fired and Ellen was not yet in. (Making it seem as if the firing was not planned which strikes me as bizarre - why wouldn't she be fired?) Posh looked much better day 2 than day 1, on day 1 she looked awful. (Note: She was always a very pretty woman, why she would already have had so much surgery on her face is beyond me. She looks strange...)

I loved Kara arguing with the rude guy although telling a guy he needs to be spanked strikes me more as flirting than scolding but maybe that's just me...

A couple of people stood out to me but the two I thought would do best were the following...

ASHLEY RODRIGUEZ

Very pretty girl, did a great job on a Alecia Keys song. She was one of those people you would have been shocked if she was bad just based on her look. She sang great, had a great vibe about her and is someone if they progress could easily wind up being one of the top 12.

TYLER GRADY

Not a slam dunk by any means, but sometimes you get the feeling they included someone because there is more there (It's not like they recorded this yesterday, everyone is already in Hollywood.) He is also extremely likable and like Ashley, seems to me to have the goods to make it to the top 12.

I also liked the girl from Brooklyn but I can't remember her name! (I can't remember anyone's name but I found them online, I could not find her.) We definitely need a finalist from Brooklyn, not that I am biased in any way. =P

Be back tomorrow with day 2!

Season Preview

It's Season 9! Lots to discuss...

Let's start with last year...Season 8 was a strange one. The highlights / lowlights included

-A new judge (Kara) who started off really good and then turned into an equally annoying version of Paula and whose presence made the show run too long. She wasn't good by the end of the year, hopefully with Paula gone this may change.

-An extraordinarily short Hollywood (on TV at least). It felt like it started, and then was over. It was like 4 hours in total.

-Much more polished contestants. With the removal of the Boy/Girl 6/6 restriction, it allowed the best 12 to be brought in. Despite that, the boys out shined the girls to a ridiculous degree.

-The "big twist", the judge's save and the Top 13. Due to the way the show is formatted, a real twist can't really occur as it would screw up the show, so this wound up being anti climatic by necessity. Since the "save" will still be around, a new "twist" won't be necessary I would think.

-A surpise ending, with the underdog Kris taking home the crown. Neither he nor Adam is compelling pop star, so I wonder how much they will get pushed on the show this year. (Kris is just a non persona, and Adam released some so-so pop music and seems to be revelling in being a personality rather than a talent, which is a bit of a shame.)

-A real lack of "moments" and some shows which just dragged on and on endlessly.

-The biggest surprise last year was the fact there was a consistent build, in ratings, in interest, despite the fact the individual shows really weren't that compelling week to week. It's become almost like sports, the season can be awful, have scandals, and yet when the playoffs (Top 4, etc.) roll around everyone can't turn away.

-Last year suffered from contestants who were very 1 dimensional, and also from contestants who seemed to not care (more than usual) that they were in a competition. They were just showing off who they were for their record deal, not taking into account that being on idol and finishing #7 doesn't guarantee anything except a spot on the tour. Adam did his Adam thing (historically bad at one point, when he did Ring of Fire), Kris did whatever he thought he should for the week, Danny did his tribute song of the week, etc.)

What to expect this year...

The big change (if you've been under a rock) centers around the judges this year. Paula Abdul was (and deservedly so after years of bad judging, seemingly be high and drunk on stage, judging contestants based on rehearsals and having a scandal with a contestant) fired. I don't think this requires much discussion, she was terrible for a long time and I'm not sorry to see her gone. But, Ellen? Ellen DeGeneres (in the words of Idol) offers her "unique perspective" on the contestants. I am not big on this at all. Those I know who like her; like her for a reason that wouldn't translate to Idol. She's likable, she would actually be a decent replacement for Ryan if it was needed. But as a judge, I'm afraid she will fall back on cracking jokes instead of critiquing the contestants. And as far as judging a singing competition, is she qualified to do so in any way more so than you or I? I don't get why she was hired, and I think this could possibly fail pretty badly.

BTW, Idol Gives Back is tentatively scheduled for April 21st of this year after skipping last year as a separate show.

Other than that I haven't heard of any other real changes this year in the format, etc. Usually right before the season some slight changes are rumored, announced - but not yet.

Other than that, I'd expect a focus on finding good and marketable female talent. Last year had very few good women in the Top 12 so it suffered. Also, I would expect a focus on more varied artists. There are always a lot of one-trick ponies in Idol, and last season had even more than usual. Unfortunately, I also expect them to focus more on the other judges, especially if Simon is really gone after the year. And that will definitely be a negative for me, as there are always entire shows which go by without Randy or Kara saying anything even remotely interesting or important.

One Last thing - The Elephant in the room...

Much like the NFL approaching a capped year, Lebron planning his big move as his team chases a title, Idol faces the possible end to it's good times as Simon plans a possible move to X-Factor in 2011. Basically, Idol would get a new judge to replace him (effectively killing it, whether fast or slow is the question) and X-Factor would get a huge initial boom that would phase out really quickly when people got irritated how blatant the judge manipulation was. (Judge manipulation is fine, but it can't be that openly done.) Is he really moving? Or is this a contract ploy of some sort? It's a huge question that will hang over the season. If things get testy between him and Fox during the contract negotiations, it could definitely trickle to everyone's attitude on the show.

Can't wait! Just one more week...

JUAN

Idol Schedule - Auditions through Week 1 (Top 12)

Who will join the pantheon of winners this year?

Here is the schedule for the first few weeks of idol. My initial preview will be up soon too. A LOT to talk about and not all of it good in my opinion.

2009 Idol Schedule (Until First week of Top 12)
Auditions and Hollywood Round
-Tuesday, Jan. 12 8/7c: Season Premiere, Part 1 – Boston Auditions
-Wednesday, Jan. 13 8/7c: Season Premiere, Part 2 – Atlanta Auditions Episode
-Tuesday, Jan. 19 8/7c: Chicago Auditions Episode
-Wednesday, Jan. 20 8/7c: Orlando Auditions Episode
-Tuesday, Jan. 26 8/7c: Dallas Auditions Episode
-Wednesday, Jan. 27 9/8c: Los Angeles Auditions Episode
-Tuesday, Feb. 2 8/7c: Denver Auditions Episode
-Wednesday, Feb. 3 9/8c: “The Road to Hollywood” Auditions Episode
-Tuesday, Feb. 9 8/7c: Hollywood Round, Part 1
-Wednesday, Feb. 10 9/8c: Hollywood Round, Part 2
-Tuesday, Feb. 16 8/7c: Hollywood Round, Part 3
-Wednesday, Feb. 17 9/8c: Hollywood Round, Part 4 – Top 24 Semifinalists Announced

TOP 24
-Tuesday, Feb. 23 8/7c: Top 12 Female Semifinalists Perform
-Wednesday, Feb. 24 8/7c: Top 12 Male Semifinalists Perform
-Thursday, Feb. 25 8/7c: First Results Show – Two Male and Two Female Contestants Eliminated
-Tuesday, March 2 8/7c: Top 10 Female Semifinalists Perform
-Wednesday, March 3 8/7c: Top 10 Male Semifinalists Perform
-Thursday, March 4 8/7c: Results Show – Two Male and Two Female Contestants Eliminated
-Tuesday, March 9 8/7c: Top 8 Female Semifinalists Perform
-Wednesday, March 10 9/8c: Top 8 Male Semifinalists Perform
-Thursday, March 11 8/7c: Results Show – Two Male and Two Female Contestants Eliminated; Finalists Revealed
-PICKS DUE 5pm TUESDAY MARCH 16th.

TOP 12
-Tuesday, March 16 8/7c: Finalists Perform
-Wednesday, March 17 9/8c: Results Show – One Contestant Eliminated

Talk to you soon.
JUAN