Rose Flack can sing, but I thought she could give more than what she did. Give more, meaning how and what she sang underestimated her voice. I was expecting the judges to give her advice so as to help her prepare for the tough audition process ahead. Given how she sang, and how bad her song choice was, she wouldn’t go that far being free-spirited and carefree. But she got in, hopefully she’ll do better in Hollywood.

Taylor Vaifanua is 16 years old and stands a towering 5’11” tall. She sang the gospel classic “Joyful, Joyful” and won the judges over easily.

Austin Sisneros sang weird songs. He’s class president and he seemed to have used some weird spirit stick to enthuse the judges and win them over. He’s disarming, and he knows it. He got in.

I teared up listening to Megan Corkrey’s auditions. She sang like one of those subdued Jazz singers in old movies, when they’d do their laundry and sing their heartaches without inhibition because it felt like no one’s around them, and it would be magical. Ok, I have a new favorite.

Frankie Jordan sounded like Amy Whinehouse, but she was good.

David Osborne sings a song by Take Six. There’s something evil about the way they edit the show this season. Not only are they featuring better singers, they also aren’t saying how voting went. As the judges say yes or no to a contestant, they cut into scenes with Ryan waiting outside the audition room with the contestant’s family waiting eagerly for their loved one to get out of the door with the yellow ticket in hand. This Osborne had one.

TK Hash sings “Imagine” for his American Idol auditions. He was already here last year but didn’t make it through. After being called on for being too dramatic while singing “Imagine” and a no from Simon, the rest of the panel agreed to take TK through to Hollywood.

Anna Marie Boskovich was asked to comeback less starstruck over Kara, and more of a star. She became a star by getting an instant makeover. Her voice, however, was stellar enough even without the makeup.

Simon said Jasmine Murray was cute and commercial. I don’t know if commercial is a good compliment,

Sharon Wilbur has a husky voice. I’m on the fence with her but they said yes.

Joshua Ulloa sings Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On and tries to out-beatbox Blake Lewis even if he did enjoy being compared to Justin Guarini. Simon called him for it, calling him ‘gimmicky’. They said yes eventually.

Matt Giraud has a cool husky voice. He plays the piano, and Simon compared him to Elliott Yamin, whom Simon dubbed to be the best male vocalist to have appeared in the history of the show. I agree, and while good male vocalists have surfaced after Elliott’s appearance in Season 5, none of them are as good. I don’t know if Matt Giraud is that good, but he definitely has potential.

Brent Smith stirred the brew between Simon and Kara. Simon would say yes eventually but he had to think out loud first which just annoys the hell out of Kara. (Is it me or is the show getting boring? There's some good in featuring good talents and giving them the exposure they deserve but I am kinda missing the delusional weirdos that made the auditions funny.) So entertainment comes in the form of watching out for Kara and Simon's bouts that never really escalate into something big. Kara is doing a better job at balancing Simon out more than Paula, and its Paula who seems to be more out of place in this panel. Well, for what it’s worth, Kara’s addition worked and a new dynamic can be seen with the judges that make the show a little bit more fun to watch again.

Beneath Joanna Pacitti’s sweet exterior is a strong voice. And rightfully so. Kara said she received a record deal before but that didn’t work out so Joanna’s looking for another chance. I’m on the fence about artists with failed recording contracts. Joanna is good, would it be fair to expect more from her?

Leneshe Young sang an original song for her American Idol auditions and it sounded like it can--with a little tweaking--go to number 1. The song was good and cute and Leneshe sounded really great.



So far, Leneshe is my favorite contestant. The original song won me over. It would be nice to get contestants who can write their own songs. For me it's a gauge of how far the musician can go to make good songs. I think bulk of the lackluster success enjoyed by most Idol winners in the past can be blamed not on their talent as singers and performers but on their lack of creative decisions to use songs and performances that leave a mark. I hope Leneshe has more songs up her sleeves, and the judgment to know when a song given by a producer or a songwriter works.

I am not sure if the buzz is true, but here's a list of the contestants who are rumored to be part of American Idol's top 50. The one's with links are from those auditions we've seen already and have featured on the blog.

Alex Green
Allison Iraheta
Angela Martin
Anna Kaelin
Asa Barnes
Ashley Anderson
Aubrey Logan
Bryan Peterson
Danielle "Danii" Roundtree
Devon Baldwin
Felicia Barton
Imari Molifua
Jacklyn "Jackie" Tohn
Jakob McKay
Jennifer "Jenn" Korbee
Jennifer (Jenesis) Samoranos
Jesse McCullagh
Joanna Pacitti
John Twiford
Josh Cloud
Joshua Tryon
Julissa Veloz
Justin Williams
Katrina Darrell
Kendall Beard
Kristen McNamara
Lacey Brown
Michael Castro
Michael Sarver
Mishavonna Henson
Natasha "Tasha" Valentine
Nate Marshall
Otto Malone
Phoebe Holiday
Ryan P.A. Johnson
Scott Douglas MacIntyre
Sharon Wilbur
Shelby Swartwood
Stephanie Britt
Steven Darden
Tatiana Nicole Del Toro
Tom Korbee
Tryphaena Joelle Nimmons
Von Smith

I am hoping this isn't true because I have a bunch of favorites who aren't here. I am despising the fact that Katrina "Bikini Girl" Darrell and Tatiana "Evening Gown" Del Toro are here, and more talented singers aren't.

Jesus Valenzuela auditioned for American Idol after being prodded on by his kids. Simon said no, and Jesus used his kids as leverage. You have got to love his younger kid Gabriel who just pumps that yellow sign up with so much faith in his father that the other judges couldn’t just say no to Jesus. Jesus has an okay voice, not the best, but he will really have to work hard in the finals if he makes it through Hollywood.

Tatiana Del Toro comes to the American Idol auditions dressed like a pageant queen and sings “Heartbreaker”. It wasn’t so good, but this girl is feature-worthy if only for her somewhat delusional gauge of her singing voice and half-insane laughter. She looks like she’s going to slit the throats off the other contestants with a better voice than hers.

Hahahahaha! Hahahahahahaha! Hahahahahahaha!

Kai Kalama put his love and social life on hold to take care of his mom who has had medical problems. He sings “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes”, and I thought it was awesome. They did question his personality and stage presence though. Why do people have to be bubbly and animated just for them to have personality? I am reminded of Tyra Banks in America’s Next Top Model and how the concept of personality is always synonymous to acting and behaving like Tyra Banks and to the stereotypes of one’s ethnicity.

Adam Lambert has a background in musical theater and he sings Bohemian Rhapsody for his auditions. Simon hits the nail by saying he’s theatrical but says yes. I thought he had a good voice, and I felt they should have asked him to sing another song, something less theatrical, to see if he can move out of his comfort zone. After all, they did reject people before for being too theatrical.

Sisters India and Asia Morrison do the Cookie Rap for Randy Jackson in their American Idol audition. India stands out, and gets all the love and support from her sister. Her voice reminds me of a more funkier and edgier Paris Bennett.

Asa Barnes is a band leader who auditions for American Idol in Kansas City. He's just ok, though he has a good aura about him that's hard not to like.

Another stand-out in the American Idol auditions was Lil Rounds. Randy Jackson said her style's a mixture of Fantasia Barrino's and Mary J. Blige's but I think she has her own sound. Watch her husband's reaction in the end.

Don't let the geeky exterior fool you, Anoop Desai can sing and this he proved during his American Idol auditions in Kansas City. What I like about him more is his dry sarcastic wit that could have put Simon to shame if only he weren't so aware that his fate is on Simon's hands. The guy may have a sense of humor.

Brian Gokey provided the Kansas City Auditions big drama. His wife died a few weeks before auditions, and so Brian gets really emotional about it on camera. Thankfully, he can sing:

Michael Castro is trying to step out of the shadows of his big brother Jason's successful 4th place finish in Season 7's American Idol. He auditions in Kansas City and proves he has the chops to outshine Jason. There's something rastafarianly carefree about these brothers but both can sing. Jason's biggest strength wasn't his voice though, it was being able to sing the songs he believes in on stage like "Hallelujah" and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" which he didn't only perform and sing well, he brought magic to them. Hopefully Michael brings the same skill and the same love for music as his brother did on stage, and be able to do it consistently. If the hair is any indication, I'd say Michael will go grunge and punk--as opposed to Jason's mellow ukelele-like vibe. Hopefully, there will be more songs that will fit him. I was so excited with this audition, the song Anyway, Michael Castro:

The geek in the grey is Alex Wagner-Trugman. He auditions for American Idol and though he doesn't seem to have the stellar looks that fits the mold, his voice carries him through. Ooh, there are so many great voices, and it's just the first episode of auditions!!!

JB Ahfua sings "Flying Without Wings" for his American Idol auditions in Phoenix and does really well.

Stevie Wright has a nice tone. And she seemed pretty versatile as well, and can blur boundaries between genres. I loved her auditions.

Cody Sheldon is a strange strange boy. But if it's the same kind of strangeness fosters this much talent and skill, then by all means, let Cody direct more horror flicks:

Deanna Brown auditioned for American Idol without a family so she made one of her own in the auditions. At least she had someone to hug coming out. I thought this was good:

Emily Wynne Hughes auditions in Phoenix and I am loving her vibe. The judges made issues with her leaving her band as she hasn't told them about her plan to go solo. But leaving isn't so bad considering there's so much to look forward to for both Emily and her band.

23 year old Scott Macintyre, legally blind, auditions for American Idol season 8 in Phoenix, Arizona. He's one of those contestants who I'm looking forward to see as his story is a really inspiring one. It was interesting to see how Simon would react because the other auditions have shown him to be looking at the 'package'--the over-all appearance--more than the talent (as evidenced by that girl in the bikini). Scott Macintyre sings better than Josh Groban, and it would be nice to see what he would do if he were asked to sing something out of his comfort zone, like rock and roll or maybe even reggae if American Idol were to make it a theme. That would be a real challenge.

I love how Season 8 of American Idol has been edited. It’s a smart move to feature not just the crappy contestants but I think it’s the first time the show has given more airtime to the better ones that it’s simply impossible to pick favorites this time around. They are, most likely, singing songs they know by heart, have rehearsed a million times and selected to highlight their vocal abilities. But the range of the talent is insanely and ridiculously impressive.

Season 8 begins in Phoenix, Arizona. The format for the premiere is expected: crappy contestants and more crappy contestants, and some ocassional stand-outs. I'm not sure if those who did stand out are really that good or if the horrible ones are really that bad. What is of interest to me is how new Idol judge Kara Dio Guardi will fit in.

And what better way to test her than through bikini-clad Katrina Darrell? Who, by the way, kisses Ryan Seacrest!!! Unfortunately, the kiss wasn't enough to turn Ryan straight, or lead us into believing that he is.

Anyway, here:

Kara is giving a lot of concrete ideas. And she can take a hit. I like her. There was also a lot of nice auditions. Will post them next time.