So, last night we concluded our 2 day - 4 hour premiere of season 8 of American Idol. So far, it's been great. I can see the new direction the producers have promised to take with their clippets of the lives and hard times of some of the auditioners. We have also got to see a lot more of the good auditions, versus a TON of crappy wanna-be's. In order to prevent these initial audition blogs from being overly exhaustive (probably won't be successful in that venture though), I am going to just hit the highlights and give a list of people I think we need to keep our eye on going into Hollywood week.
Let's start with....bad Idol moments:
First and foremost, probably the most embarrasing moment in Ryan Seacrest's career (well, one of them) is when he tried to give Scott MacIntyre a high five. The catch, you ask? Scott is blind. Yes folks...one of the MOST awkward moments in AI history. Seriously he tried it and then tried to turn it into an even more awkward "I just wanna grab your hand" moment.
Next...Bikini Girl. I mean, come on. I could have taken her a little seriously if she would have been clothed because honestly, her voice was not terrible. She will provide HOURS of entertainment in Hollywood as we watch her social interactions with the boys and possibly Ryan Seacrest again? (Awkward moment #2 in his career..."the kiss") Bikini Girl did bring a shining moment for the new judge, Kara DioGuardi. The moment Kara stood up and had a sing-off with this chick was the moment she became my favorite judge (next to Simon, of course).
Another standout bad moment...Rainbow Hair Jasmine. No, this is not a new Barbie doll spin-off...it's one of the most unsettling auditions that we have seen so far. Creepy smile and crazy eyes as she not-so-greatly sings some song that doesn't matter at this point. Frightening.
Let's get to what matters...the good or as I will call it "Mr Idol's Ideals" list! (Fancy, huh?)
Daniel Gokey... my favorite so far (granted, we have only seen 2 days worth of people, but still I usually have an eye for this. AKA Clay, Carrie, Fantasia, Blake, etc, etc, etc). Yes, he had a big sob story, but THAT is what made me think he would not be as good as he turned out to be. Seriously, he has the best, most original sounding voice we have heard so far AND the story about his wife (as truly sad and tragic as it is) will carry him as well. Either way I like him and peg him as one to go far.
Lil Rounds...superstar name and a superstar voice to match. Very Fantasia-esque without the screaming. Great possibility to make it to the Finals unless she cannot handle being away from her kids.
Emily Wynne-Hughes...the rocker girl with all the tats who is leaving her band in the wind, for now. LOL I like her, like her voice and honestly I think she is capable of other musical genre styles than just rock, which is a BIG deal for an AI hopeful...you cannot be a one trick pony and I do not believe this girl is. Flash back to Carly Smithson?? Let's hope the tats do not hold this girl back like they ultimately did for Carly.
Stevie Wright... she did have some Kelly Clarkson quality to the tone of her vocals but I would not compare them by any means. I think she was good and should do well unless the pressure of "Hell Week" (Hollywood round) gets to her.
Asa Barnes...he has the looks, the voice and the story to go far, especially if the female viewers have anything to say about it. I think we could see him in the Semi-Finals. Debating if he is good enough to make it to the Finals though. Will be interesting to see how he does.
Michael Castro - Not sure how believable the "I just started singing 20 days ago" story is, but his voice is not bad. He was a little too copy cat of Gavin Degraw (the original singer of the song he auditioned with) which could be a sign that he did just start singing. Not sure about him or how far he will go, but I like his vibe and he has star quality, forget the fact that his brother was in the Final 4 last season.
Scott Macintyre...he has an ok voice, not all the rage that they built him up to be before he actually auditioned though. He is obviously talented in gifted and I am sure he will go far with his backstory. Need to hear more of his voice to really make an accurate call on this one.
Alex Wagner Trugman - The goofy guy, with a nice sarcastic side (made the joke about singing "God Save the Queen" to Simon) and a good voice. Was suprised that voice came out of that geeky dude but can anyone say Clay Aiken?? Looking forward to seeing him in the Hollywood rounds and how well he fairs.
Von Smith...how do you solve a problem like Von Smith. I am confused about him. He definitely has range, but I am not sure he can hit that range without screaming. Also, during my usual online research of AI auditioners, I found that he appeared on The View after Rosie O'Donnell found a you tube video of him singing "And I Am Telling You" from Dreamgirls....why all the girl songs? He needs to hone his skills and work on using those pipes to sing a powerful male song. We'll see how he fares in Hollywood...if he does not blow out his vocal chords first.
Well, I am going to end with that. There are others that I could give an honorable mention to, but I will digress for now and wait until I see how they do in Hollywood before spending time and fingertips writing about them.
Until next time...
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Tonight...Tonight...
Won't be just any night! No...tonight is the KICK OFF of Season 8 of American Idol (here on out referred to as "AI") and I, the newly monikered "Mr. Idol", will be here to cover every tear stained tantrum, squeal of success and scandelous second that abounds and leads up to the crowning moment of the ONE who reigns victorious over it all to become our new American Idol!
"Change"...not only is that the promise of our President-Elect, but also from the producers of AI and I can bet, there promise is more reliable! Anywhooo...we will see more good auditions but less of them overall (3 weeks worth, down from 4) and we will see more Hollywood (2 weeks worth, up from 1) and in turn also get to focus more on the "personalities" and interactions of the contestants which will allow us to get to know them better. Then 36 contestants (up from 24) will move on to the Semi Finals where America will begin our voting. We will also see the return of the "Wild Card" round this season during Semi Finals. This could be very interesting as it was this round in which Clay Aiken was brought back and voted into the Top 10 in Season 2.
Advanced research from the trusty internet has provided me with some insight into some of the people we might see in Hollywood...specifically a nephew of Donny and Marie Osmond, the brother of Chris Sligh (season 6) and the daughter of David Archuleta's voice coach, to name a few. The word is that the boys are outstanding this year, per Simon Cowell, but we will have to wait and see if that is actually true. One thing is for sure, I believe we are really going to see some "characters" this season, since Simon and some producers have said that last year's Top 12 were boring and had no personality. So, it will be interesting to see the type of people that get put in front of the cameras this year.
Lastly, we have the addition of the new, fourth judge....Kara DioGuardi. Speculation says this is the eventual replacement for Paula Abdul...I say the massive pile of train wreckage that Paula is brings too many ratings to EVER be let go or fired. I think this is just something the Producers have wanted to do and also fits the format of other versions of Idol in other countries. Either way, she is a credible addition to the panel as a singer and very lucrative songwriter having written hits for Kelly Clarkson, Kylie Minogue, Pink, Christina Aguilera and Celine Dion....to name a few. If you want to hear a sample of both her writing AND singing, check out a song she wrote and sang backup for on David Archuleta's CD titled "To Be With You". It's really good! One thing is for sure, she is going to be outspoken and opinionated and has the experience to back it up, so it should be interesting to see how this mix washes out. I was able to get a sample of her judging abilities when she was one of the judges on the short lived, ABC wanna-be copy of American Idol called "The One". She did not mess around when it came to the contestants and pushing them to do their best, so hopefully she has that same approach on AI.
Well, my little Idolators, that is all for now, but make sure to check back here often as I give my weekly thoughts on ever one of the coming Idol moments! Enjoy the premiere!
Until next time....
"Change"...not only is that the promise of our President-Elect, but also from the producers of AI and I can bet, there promise is more reliable! Anywhooo...we will see more good auditions but less of them overall (3 weeks worth, down from 4) and we will see more Hollywood (2 weeks worth, up from 1) and in turn also get to focus more on the "personalities" and interactions of the contestants which will allow us to get to know them better. Then 36 contestants (up from 24) will move on to the Semi Finals where America will begin our voting. We will also see the return of the "Wild Card" round this season during Semi Finals. This could be very interesting as it was this round in which Clay Aiken was brought back and voted into the Top 10 in Season 2.
Advanced research from the trusty internet has provided me with some insight into some of the people we might see in Hollywood...specifically a nephew of Donny and Marie Osmond, the brother of Chris Sligh (season 6) and the daughter of David Archuleta's voice coach, to name a few. The word is that the boys are outstanding this year, per Simon Cowell, but we will have to wait and see if that is actually true. One thing is for sure, I believe we are really going to see some "characters" this season, since Simon and some producers have said that last year's Top 12 were boring and had no personality. So, it will be interesting to see the type of people that get put in front of the cameras this year.
Lastly, we have the addition of the new, fourth judge....Kara DioGuardi. Speculation says this is the eventual replacement for Paula Abdul...I say the massive pile of train wreckage that Paula is brings too many ratings to EVER be let go or fired. I think this is just something the Producers have wanted to do and also fits the format of other versions of Idol in other countries. Either way, she is a credible addition to the panel as a singer and very lucrative songwriter having written hits for Kelly Clarkson, Kylie Minogue, Pink, Christina Aguilera and Celine Dion....to name a few. If you want to hear a sample of both her writing AND singing, check out a song she wrote and sang backup for on David Archuleta's CD titled "To Be With You". It's really good! One thing is for sure, she is going to be outspoken and opinionated and has the experience to back it up, so it should be interesting to see how this mix washes out. I was able to get a sample of her judging abilities when she was one of the judges on the short lived, ABC wanna-be copy of American Idol called "The One". She did not mess around when it came to the contestants and pushing them to do their best, so hopefully she has that same approach on AI.
Well, my little Idolators, that is all for now, but make sure to check back here often as I give my weekly thoughts on ever one of the coming Idol moments! Enjoy the premiere!
Until next time....
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