Last night’s “American Idol” auditions were in Los Angeles, not far from where the contestants with golden tickets will go if they move on to the next round. And while they didn’t give an exact number, they said L.A. did not produce the hopefuls they thought it would. Here are the good and the bad from last night:
It sure is going to get interesting as this season of “American Idol” gets into the real judging of Hollywood, because Randy, Steven and Jennifer continue to be much more lenient than Simon ever was. I have said I think it’s refreshing and I stand by that, but I think they are going to have a difficult time making actual cuts in a few weeks. Here were the highlights and (a few) lowlights from last night’s Austin auditions:
Last night’s Nashville auditions on “American Idol” were as far on both ends of the spectrum as could be, but that’s what the producers of the show I’m sure would prefer. Here is how it went down…..
HOLLYWOOD BOUND
The duo of Chelsee Oaks and Rob Bolin was unique—they are formerly an item romantically but still are musically, and still live together despite the fact that Chelsee has a new boyfriend. Yikes. The whole thing was made even sadder by the fact that they were both really good, especially Rob. And both made it to Hollywood, with Steven and Jennifer proclaiming that they would get back together while in Hollywood…..Stormy Henley, a Miss Teen USA winner from Crossville, Tennessee, was pretty good but not great. J-Lo said no but Steven and Randy were enamored, just as Simon Cowell would have been without even hearing her sing….22 year old Adrienne Beasley, an African American from Kentucky with white parents who are farmers, had a great voice and Steven accurately pointed out that there is “something special in there”…..Jackie Wilson, 28, had the jitters but did a nice version of “Till You Come Back to Me,” and had the judges flipping out. I mean, she was good, but not that good….a few rapid-fire Hollywood bound folks were 25 year old Paul McDonald, 25 year old Jimmie Allen and Danny Pate, who did a cool version of “Papa Was a Rolling Stone”…..Matt Dillard, a 27 year old dude in overalls from south of Nashville, came from a family that takes care of foster children. Amazingly, this dude with overalls and a cowboy hat sang Josh Groban. It was weird, but really good….and they closed with 15 year old Lauren Alaina, from Roscoe, Georgia. This was also the sob story of the night, as she has been inspired by her cousin Holly, who is recovering from brain surgery but was on hand to cheer her on. Lauren was insanely talented, and Steven even said “I think we may have found ‘the one.’” I’m certainly not going to argue. She was that good…and only 15!
One thing that was in clear view last night on “American Idol’s” Milwaukee auditions was that the trio of Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler are somewhat soft. Way softer than Simon Cowell was. A few times last night (and it was rare) when they didn’t all agree, it would come down to Randy or Steven having to be the ultimate decision maker, and every time they voted yes even if their heart was telling them no. Funny, maybe wrong, but I kind of liked it. I mean, why not give someone a chance if they show potential, and let Hollywood week decide if it’s for them or not? Part of Cowell’s problem was that he would quickly write someone off based on their looks alone, and that was just stupid. I mean, Kelly Clarkson isn’t exactly a beauty queen but she could belt it, and that’s why she won…and hopefully the show gets back to some of that.
Some folks might criticize “American Idol” for not replacing Simon Cowell with someone equally harsh, but after two nights of watching Steven Tyler and J-Lo in action, I have to admit I think the show is already much improved. Maybe that’s not because Simon left, but more because three judges are better than four, and because of Kara DioGuardi and Ellen DeGeneres did not return. Here is a brief recap of last night’s New Orleans auditions…..
GOING TO HOLLYWOOD
First up was Jordan Dorsey, a 21 year old singer from the Bayou. This dude was shown in his day job giving piano lessons to a kid, and then he did a ridiculous version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” that blew away the judges and all of us watching. Definitely a kid worth keeping on our radar…..Sarah Sellers, who had some banter with Steven about her lips. I mean, there was more sexual tension in what they didn’t say than in what they did say. But she was good too, with a really nice soulful voice…..Jovany, a shipbuilder with Cuban roots, talked about how he loved J-Lo and also idolized her husband Marc Anthony, so you just knew he was going to suck. But he was awesome! Then he took his shirt off for J-Lo because he told his buddies at the shipyard he would, and Steven and Randy Jackson joined him. Ha!……Then Jacquelyn Dupree, from Mississippi, brought in pictures of Randy from high school, and Randy’s high school football coach! This show was beginning to get weird, but that was also funny and oddly heartwarming. Nevermind that Ms. Dupree had to be a stalker on some level to make all that happen, but she was good enough to get to Hollywood…..Brad Lowenstern was a 16 year old scrawny kid who said he got picked on a lot growing up. Uh-oh. But then, he started singing “Bohemian Rhapsody” and just knocked it out of the park. Damn, looks are so deceiving sometimes……Jacee Beadeaux, a 15 year old pudgy, dorky kid, sang “Sittin’ On the Dock of the Bay,” and while he’s a bit green, he sang really, really well. Mrs. Mike commented that Simon would have hated this kid based on his looks and green-ness, and that’s so true, and exactly why the show will be better this year…..they closed with Paris Tassin, a 23 year old mom who has a special needs child that she almost didn’t have. But her daughter is doing well and Paris sang a song to her daughter and soared into Hollywood, making J-Lo cry along the way.
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