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...
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