Author: Mike Farley (Page 53 of 63)

Contestant Akron Watson dazzled “American Idol” judges and all of America this past Tuesday with renditions of Sam Cooke’s “Change is Gonna Come” and Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get it On.” This was the guy who auditioned with his cousin, but obviously had all the singing genes in the family.

But just reported on People.com is the fact that the producers called Watson back in November and told him he was no longer welcome to the Hollywood round. Worse, they gave him no reason.

Apparently Watson has a marijuana possession blemish from 2003, but claims he divulged this to the Idol producers before auditioning.

This seems extremely unfair, because not only did Watson disclose his past in full as required, but he had rightfully earned his golden ticket to Hollywood only to have it stripped away. So the dude made a mistake a few years ago……give him a break! Watson is also asking for a break, as he has set up a MySpace page for fan support. If you saw this guy perform, you know he’s worthy of going really far. So help the cause.

For you Idol producers, a big thumbs down to you. First, you waste an hour of my time last night…now this.

Leave it to Fox. Just when they were being nice enough to cut the audition episodes of “American Idol” from two hours to one, they decided to throw a filler at us. Last season, there were seven episodes of audition rounds, and on the eighth, Hollywood week. This time, the eighth was a recap of some of the best and worst contestants, with a few new ones we haven’t seen yet peppered in.

Hey Fox, did you just see me open my mouth for a BIG FREAKING YAWN?

Anyway, since they aired it, I’m gonna write about it. First, there were a few entrants who made it to Hollywood that we hadn’t seen yet, most notably Tami, who looked like a rocker chick from the sixties.
Tami sang the Allman Brothers’ “Whipping Post,” and was both talented and really different. Other standouts who made it through were Gina Glockson, who basically professed her love for Simon (these girls aren’t stupid…just butter up the old man); and Lakisha Jones, who sang Aretha Franklin’s “Think.” This chick might make the finals, she was that good.

They also showed how various contestants tried to dress different to impress the judges, and that usually backfired. The first chick they showed, Christa, dressed, as Simon put it “like the inside of a dust bin.”

There were these three girls who dressed as waitresses on roller skates…I’m not sure if this is how they really earn their living or if they just rented the outfits….but the bummer of it was that only two of them made it to Hollywood. Ebony was the best, followed by Ashley, followed by Heather. I’m really not sure what the judges saw in Ashley, but they voted her through.

Other moments from last night were Brandon, who did a singing meets beat-box thing that was really good, but not good enough to advance him; Wes, a “composer” who had a huge gap in his teeth and did this stomping thing when he sang, most likely to cover up the fact that he couldn’t sing; and this dude Alexander, who professed his love for Paula. Simon added that if Paula had a mustache, the two could have been separated at birth.

Are you bored yet? Becuase I sure was last night.

Next week is Hollywood week….let the catfighting, the drama, and the real competition begin. And someone please pour Paula Abdul another drink…I mean, I wanna get my money’s worth!
See you next week….

Last night was the final stop on the “American Idol” audition tour–in San Antonio, Texas. Mercifully, we have reached the end of the portion of this season where they weed out the really bad singers and show us a few good ones that get to advance to Hollywood.

Some of the highlights of last night’s auditions included Bailey Brown, a 16-year-old cute blonde chick (is it just me or is America producing chicks like this who can actually sing at an alarming rate?). Bailey sang Faith Hill pretty flawlessly. Then there were the cousins, Akron and William. William went first and was awful, singing “Amazing Grace” like an off-key Fat Albert. But Akron fared much better, and even though Simon said his performance was boring, he sang good enough to advance.

18-year-old Ashley didn’t make it through the first time, because she sang really well but was one of those singers who puts more effort into technique and facial expression than actual vocals and melody. For a change, Randy and Paula said no, and Simon actually liked her. So what did they do? They gave her a second chance. This time, her facial expressions were even more pronounced. The judges agreed that Ashley has some bad habits, but they also agreed to let her fix those habits in Hollywood.

Finally, there was Jimmy McNeal, who closed out the show with “Cupid” and Randy called him a “little Ruben,” referring to Season 2’s enormous champ. This guy was really good and he had a charisma that could take him far.

Then, of course, we had the duds….

First, there was Bryan, who sang Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell” and pretty much yelled the whole song. Look, Bryan, you can fool a drunk Paula Abdul some of the time….

Jasmine Holland was a terrible singer and the judges were kind of snickering as she sang. She said this was “rude,” and really, it kind of was. But then it got comical when she said to Randy Jackson: “Who are YOU anyway? What have you ever done besides this show?”

Sandie sang “Black Velvet” from the back of her throat like she had Cher stuck in there. Simon said it was almost like a language he couldn’t recognize, and that was pretty accurate.

Finally there was Jake Tudor, who Simon said should be singing in a dark bedroom somewhere. Jake accepted the judges’ comments, then proceeded to bleepity bleep them all on the way out. A fitting end to the horror that made up a lot of this season’s primary auditions.

But wait, there’s more. Just when you thought the show was ready to move on to Hollywood, they gave us a glimpse of tonight’s show. They are going to show us all the bad auditions from the seven cities that they haven’t yet shown us. Ugg. Hey Fox, what did I do to deserve this? I’ll do anything…even go buy your sponsors’ stupid products. Okay, okay, if it’s only for one more night.

See you all tomorrow. And after that, it’s welcome to Hollywood BAY-BEE.

One hour of “American Idol” two straight nights? No grueling two-hour episodes? This is like being on vacation. Or, more accurately, there is less b.s. and more auditions–mostly clunkers, but some really great singers as well.

Last night’s auditions were held at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles, a mere stone’s throw from Hollywood. But that didn’t mean that these contestants had any more talent than any of the other cities. In fact, there were way more freaks here than anything.

Olivia Newton John was a guest judge, and is it just me, or did she just seem like a mom sitting there? She only threw comments in like “Keep working at it, you’ll get there,” or “I vote yes, you sang well.” Yeah, I know, she’s secured her spot in history, but I just expected a little more celebrity flair. Or maybe I’m just used to Paula being wasted.

There were a handful of talented singers last night that they showed, the first of which was Alaina Alexander, who admitted that she had been toiling the L.A. singer/songwriter scene for six years and had given up hope that she would make it big. So this was her final attempt before trying her hand at something like, say, working at Target. Lucky for Alaina, her music career has been extended because she has real talent. Simon seemed to like her more than any of the other judges, but he likes all the cute chicks.

Brandon Rogers, another L.A. music scene vet who has been a backup singer for the likes of Anastasia and Christina Aguilera, sang Willie Nelson’s “Always on My Mind” damn near perfectly. This dude has charisma, soul, and incredible vocal ability. The judges all agreed that he could be a finalist, and I’m with them. Him and that other backup singer chick from Nashville.

The other guy that made it through was Brian Miller, who made it to Hollywood last season but bowed out early. He was okay but I expect him to punch a ticket home early again.

And now for the freaks….

Martik, who goes by the name “Eccentric” and makes these cat sounds while he performs (he likens himself to a panther) was perhaps the weirdest audition the show has ever seen. Dude pranced in like a cat, threw down his sunglasses and took off his shirt, and did these cat-like moves and hisses. I think he was saying “eccentric” as he was doing it. Finally, Simon suggested that dude get on with the singing portion of his audition. Well, that was a train wreck too. Somehow this guy has been led to believe by his friends and his own ego that he’s the next big thing, but here he was just the next big freak.

Then they showed a bunch of folks dressed as, among other things, a banana, before getting to Mariana. Mariana’s mom was one of Dean Martin’s “Gold Diggers” back in the day, so you had to figure she had some good genes. Wrong. Simon likened her to Cher after Cher sees the dentist, and that was pretty accurate. But worse was the fact that Mariana begged the judges to let her through to the point of distraction.

There was the Asian chick “Phuong,” who somehow thought she was the next….Taylor Hicks. Yes, that is what I said. Hey Phuong, not only is soul patrol already used, it doesn’t look right coming from you. Well, I do know at least one person that thinks Phuong is probably a card-carrying member of the soul patrol just for the drowned kittens. Yeah, I know, only a few of you get that joke, but I had to say it.

Sherman, a 64-year-old man, had a really sad story. His lady friend of 20 years had just passed away from cancer, but it was their ambition to get Sherman an audition on “Idol.” So both of them started a petition, and Sherman got his wish only days after his woman passed. He sang really great too, and hell, maybe some record exec will give this guy a deal.

Then there was the couple, Sparkles and Darold, who auditioned after they were seen sucking face in the lobby. Blech. They both sucked face better than they sang, but it was disturbing to see how Sparkles was hitting on Simon to persuade his decision. No dice.

Finally, there was Eric Mueller, who claimed to have been training for two years for this very audition. Naturally, dude was all over the place, no matter what key he began in.

There you have it. Six episodes of auditions down, one more to go, which is next Tuesday in San Antonio. Then the real fun starts, and you can read about it all here.

In the meantime, enjoy your wings, pizza and beer on Sunday. Colts 27, Bears 20.

Somehow, some way, Fox spared us by making “American Idol” one hour long last night. Having that extra hour unexpectedly was like finding a $50 bill on the street. I won’t question why, I’ll say “Thank You” to Fox for letting me get back to Rick Reilly’s “Who’s Your Caddy?” a bit earlier. Great book, by the way, that all of you golfers or Reilly fans should read.

Let me start by saying that Paula Abdul is messed up. It took us two weeks to see that drunk, disorderly Paula we’ve come to know and love, but she made an appearance. On the second day of the Birmingham audtions, Paula reportedly had to return home for a family obligation. Just a hunch, but I think that obligation was with her big brother, Tequila Abdul.

With only an hour to show the auditions in Birmingham (the city that brought us Idol faves like Taylor Hicks, Ruben Studdard and Bo Bice), only five of the really talented contestants’ entries were aired. Katie Bernard was the first of those, and while she sounded like a 3-year old when she spoke, she was all woman when she sang. This kind of disturbed Simon Cowell, but Paula and Randy voted her through to Hollywood.

Then there was young Tatiana from Atlanta. Have you ever woken up with the feeling you’re going to eat fried chicken, and then hours later found yourself in the KFC drive thru? I had that feeling about Tatiana when she was being interviewed, before she even sang. Like, this girl is going to be an awesome singer. And folks, I do have the gift of ESP. She was, as Randy declared, “a natural.” Maybe like Paris Bennett last season, and definitely top 12 material.

Bernard, who sang Michael Jackson’s “Rock With You,” was awesome, but Paula somehow thought he was off-key. Uh, Paula, the only thing off-key is the ringing in your ears from that bender.

Jamie Lee, a cute 16 year old blonde chick, matter of factly stated that her “daddy” is paralyzed, because he shot himself after catching his ex-wife cheating on him. How heartwarming. Somehow, this girl is unfazed by her home situation, and sang well enough to advance.

This chubby dude Chris, who described his look as a cross between Jack Black and Jack Osborne, was hilarious. When asked why he was there, he replied,” Because I want to make David Hasselhoff cry.” That was reference to when Hasselhoff was spotted in the audience teary-eyed during last season’s show. Props to this kid. But he could sing too, and mark my words, Chris is a dark horse to go really far.

As always, there were a few duds. I mean, that’s what drives ratings, so here is a glimpse into last night’s train wrecks….

Erica, a cute blonde from Auburn, was so off key it was painful. But to make things worse, she kept singing until security had to usher her out the door. Diana Warner, who was so round that she may have had a medicine ball in her dress, was also all over the place vocally.

Then there was Margaret, who was literally dressed like Big Bird. Simon called it an “Easter Bunny Nightmare Experiment.” Need I say more?

18 year old Victoria had six foot long hair, but just an average voice. Lakia Hill, who led the league in off-key notes last night, was accurately depicted by Simon as one of the worst contestants in Birmingham.

Then they showed a bunch of bad auditions that ended with contestants being gracious and saying “Thank you for the opportunity.” Talk about Southern charm. This wasn’t New York or any of those northern cities, where everyone thought it was their birthright to earn a golden ticket to Hollywood.

Finally, Brandy sang “Like a Virgin,” and danced with stripper moves, removing her sweater to the horror of Randy and Simon. When told by Simon that it was a “rotten audition,” Brandy claimed that it may have been the way her voice echoed off the fake floor, so they let her step back onto the carpet. Still no dice. So then she was outside being interviewed by Ryan Seacrest and was bad-mouthing both judges, even calling Randy a “fat ass.” Wow. But hey, that’s good television.

All in all, 20 contestants from B-ham made it on to Hollywood, and tonight’s auditions take place in Los Angeles, where a trip to Hollywood will mean a bus pass. See you tomorrow for the recap….