“American Idol” finally made its way to Hollywood, as 175 lucky contestants from the grueling preliminary rounds across the nation reappeared and got to sing for Simon, Randy and Paula once again. But unlike the initial auditions, this time they had accompaniment in the form of a piano and backup singers. They also had to choose their song from a short list.
The first day, while half of the contestants auditioned, another half went sightseeing, so we got to see these folks walking around Hollywood and being awed by the Hollywood Bowl….I’m sorry, but BIG YAWN.
It was interesting to see how some of these performers fared on a bigger stage with backing musicians. Some of them excelled, while some left everyone (the judges, me, Mrs. Vandalay) wondering how they passed their first audition.
Kelly, the blond chick who was raised by her grandparents because her mom ran away and her dad is in prison, performed well enough to move on but wasn’t quite as dazzling as in her first audition.
Other highlights were the very young and very talented duo of Paris Bennett and Lisa Tucker…..watch these two, they are going to go really far in this competition.
Ladies man RJ got sent home, and so did the dude who hit on Paula in his first audition….both just didn’t have it this time. Ladies of Hollywood, you are now safe.
Taylor, the gray-haired dude from Birmingham, performed with Bo Bice-like power in his voice. This is another dude that can go far, but only if he makes it far enough for America to have any say. Simon clearly is not a fan of the gray.
The twins, Darrell and Terrell, made it to the next round but they were incredibly annoying for the remainder of the show whenever they got on camera. Um, dudes, we all know you were arrested recently so we know we’re not going to have to watch you much longer.
Also moving on to the next round was the “crying cowboy,” Garrett…..he got to see the ocean for the first time and when he got on stage to performed, proclaimed “holy crap.” He gets my vote just for that. He didn’t sing all that great, but I guess he was good enough to advance.
The show ended with “Crazy Dave”…..how this guy made it to Hollywood must have strictly been for ratings….either that, or Paula and Randy were drunk when they let him through. I distinctly remember Simon saying they were both nuts, and that was proven last night when he got sent home.
In all, 66 contestants were eliminated. We have a long way to go, but we’re finally separating the wannabes from the real talent. Next week things get interesting as the contestants have to perform in groups. That’s always fun to watch because there is peer pressure and the stakes are high.
See you next week….
