IDOL AUDITIONS: LONE STAR LETDOWN!

Just when I thought the Idol Auditions couldn't possibly get any worse......they did! Last Thursday's auditions in Galveston were the worse so far this season, beating back-to-back mediocre auditions in San Diego and Aspen. Texas usually has some pretty solid talent, going all the way back to Season 1 Winner Kelly Clarkson, but if what we saw on TV was some of the best the Lone Star State had, call me worried and concerned. In all, supposedly 54 Golden Tickets were handed out to folks in Teaxs, which now makes a little over 200 so far that are Hollywood bound from all the auditions.
Here's some brief notes on those we got to see from last Thursdays one-hour audition show in Galveston.....  

• Skylar Laine, 17, Brandon, MS......teenage gal hoping to help save the small grocery store that’s been in the family for over 70 years.  Another Lauren Alaina wanna-be, and I'm not all that impressed, so don't think she makes it through HWW (Hollywood Week)
• Baylie Brown, 21, Nashville, TN.....back auditioning a 2nd time after failing at age 16 to get past HWW in Season 6.  She's 21 now, sounds way better. This girl has the name, looks and a good enough voice to make it deep in the competition, so I'll say TOP 24, and someone to keep a close eye on.
• Kristin Osorio, 28, Amarillo, TX.... another contestant in the last year of Idol eligibility, since Idol caps the competition at 28 years of age, which is rather dumb I think. She used the money she borrowed to pay for a divorce lawyer so she could buy a plane ticket to the Idol auditions.  Three kids at home and looking for the big break.....and she gets the judges votes, but I don't think she's very good at all, and I highly doubt she makes it through HWW.
• Linda Williams, 24, League City, TX......Steven and Randy vote her through, mainly because of her rather skimpy outfit, it certainly could NOT have been because of her voice! J-Lo was right, she was 'awful' and won't last past day 1 in Hollywood.
•  Cortez Shaw, 20, Garland, TX......sings Adele's “Someone Like You.”....bad song choice and very porrly done, but he gets voted thru. I swear the judges are softer, kinder and more gentle than ever, which really scares me! This guy won't last ling in Hollywood.
• Ramiro Garcia, 28, Houston, TX......last TX contestant, with a powerful and touching back story here. Ramiro was born without ears. His parents were told he would never hear or talk, but after numerous surgeries since the age of 4, here he is, on Idol singing “Amazing Grace, not great, but not bad either. The judges are all moved and all three say yes, and Ramiro's dad weeps out in the hallway with Ryan and Ramiro's family after he gets his Golden Ticket . Hope this kid does well in Hollywood and goes far, he's got my vote of support for having the drive and courage to overcome the disability that he's had since birth. You go Ramiro! :-)

OK....so that's the wrap from Texas, and thank goodness for Baylie Brown and Ramiro, otherwise I might have just skipped writing anything at all about the Lone Star State audition. Only 3 more stops left for auditions before Hollywood Week starts, and next up for Idol is the 'City of Roses', Portland, OR. Let's hope for some better talent in the Pacfic Northwest!

IDOL AUDITIONS: ASPEN....ROCKY MOUNTAIN LOW!

Idol took us to the Rocky Mountains on Wednesday night, and while the beauty of nature and the surrounding area was breathtaking, there were very few contestants worthy of taking our breath away with outstanding performances. Maybe it's just me, but this was another dull show with marginal talent, and so far from what we've seen tells me that this year's Idol will not be filled with a deep talent pool. In all, 31 Golden Tickets were handed out to Hollywood.  Through three episodes so far leading into Aspen, 75 females and 56 males have earned golden tickets.

Following are my thoughts on those that we got to see in Aspen that are Hollywood bound......  

• Jenni Schick, 24, Sterling, VA....music teacher who really just wants to kiss Steven Tyler. She sings Pat Benatar's 'Heartbreaker', quite badly I might add, but gets three yes's and a Golden Ticket....and a 'wet' kiss from Tyler....this girl has ZERO chance of making it past Hollywood.
• Curtis Gray, 28, Spring Hill, FL......part of a 5-piece band that he's been in for 5 years now....plays keyboards & does vocals in the band....OK voice, nothing great here
• Richie Law, 19, Centennial, CO......the new 'deep voice' Scotty McCreery wanna be.....OK, gotta' have a Country boy in from out west, just not sure how far this guy goes, but then again, I said the same thing about Scotty last year too!
• Devan Jones, 26, Aurora, CO........ short time for his audition on screen, but this guy has the best voice so far in Aspen, very natural....and maybe one of the best so far in the competition....I think this guy is one to keep an eye on!
• Haley Smith, 18, Orem, UT.....a vegetarian who lives in a log cabin and loves nature....sings "Tell Me Something Good"........she's a bit out there and I think she's smoking something good!....but she is different, almost hippie-like...will be interesting to see her interact in Hollywood and if she can make it thru Hollywood Week. 
• Shelby Tweten, 17, North Mankato, MN.....diagnosed in March 2011 as bipolar, & has struggled with depression for several years....says singing and Idol has given her a reason to stay strong and on her meds.....tough luck story of the night, but the girl has potential, just not sure she's refined enough to go very far.
• Jairon Jackson, 19, Denver, CO.....writes music and sang a song he wrote...it's pretty good, and the guy can sing...one of the best so far, he's just very un-coordinated when he's not singing. Keep an eye on this guy in Holywood though!
•  Angie Zeiderman, 25, Delray Beach, FL..........glitter queen who idolizes Lady Gaga....thought she'd be one of the wierdo's for sure.....sings something about “showing guys your birthday suit”....then sings “Blue Bayou”.....WOW....that was pretty darn good! Agree w/Steven’s description, “a little spit-fire”....not sure Idol is ready for her but hey, she's gonna' bring a new look and energy to Idol.....and I think she's gonna' surprise some folks.
The auditions close in Aspen with 'Magic Cyclops', a crazy contestant from Davenport, IA who talks like a Brit....sings Neil Diamond and Jimmy Buffet, and is just way out there beyond belief. You can guarantee he'll be back for the Idol finale' as one of the Season 11 crazies!
The next Idol stop is the Lone Star State, in Galveston, TX, so let's hope it's a better audition with way more talent than we've seen the last two shows. Eddie Idol is.....OUT!

IDOL AUDITIONS: NO SUPER-STARS IN SAN DIEGO

Idol auditions were held on the USS Midway in San Diego Bay

Just what was FOX thinking putting the IDOL auditions AFTER a late NFC Championship game Sunday night? Very odd time slot indeed, and you have to wonder just how many folks stayed up to watch the show, which started at 10:58 EST, esp. anywhere in the country other than the West Coast Idol audience.
But after watching one of the DULLEST auditions ever it made sense that Idol was trying to hide this one and stick it in a crappy time slot. The most exciting part of the whole show was that the auditions were held on the USS Midway, but that backfired on FOX quickly as well, as there was way too much background noise from boats on the bay, planes overhead from the local airport, and cruise ships. What a train wreck!
Supposedly, there must have been quite a bit of talent in San Diego, as 53 Golden Tickets were handed out.....SAY WHAT?? REALLY?? Well.....watching the show one would never have guessed that, as those of us who did stay awake witnessed ONLY 7 contestants auditions good enough to be sent through to Hollywood.
Thoughts on those that are headed to Hollywood Week.........

•  Ashley Robles, 26, San Diego, CA......young mom with a 5-year old who holds as many as 4 jobs to make ends meet....pretty girl with a great voice, probably the best of those that we actually perform. Best bet to make it through Hollywood Week. 
• Jayrah Gibson, 26, Long Beach, CA......says he's an R&B/pop artist, and has just tons of energy, enough to power the USS Midway out to sea....but this guy is just all over the place. He won't make it through Hollywood Week.
• Aubree Dieckmeyer, 20, San Clemente, CA.....very cute and all, but a bit too 'cutesy' with too many fake smiles and head nods....she's be better off toning it down a bit. Don't think her voice was very strong at all, so I doubt we see her past Hollywood.
• Alexis 'Ali' Shields, 19, Lodi, CA.....appeared on Ellen because she wrote a song about how much she wanted to meet Ellen....then was sent by Ellen to the American Music Awards interview celebrities.....she does a rap version of something silly and sings a song I never heard.....and not very well either.... I think the judges were way off on this one, this girl won't last long in Hollywood at all!
• Kyle Crews, 19, San Diego, CA....college frat guy from California Berkeley who serenades the girls at frat parties......surprisingly good voice though, and Steven Tyler goes as far as to say “the best male voice we’ve heard so far in the auditions”.....I might just have to agree with him here! 
• Jane Carrey, 24, Los Angeles, CA.....daughter of actor Jim Carrey.... has an OK voice, nothing special here.......but she's off to Hollywood, no surprise, but doubtful she gets past Hollywood Week.
• Jason Hamlin, 24, Livermore, CA........goes by the name of 'Wolf' as he looks like Wolfman Jack.... also plays a guitar (calls it a 'git-fiddle') hand built by his dad, who died in February 2010....no surprise he's singing 'Midnight Special', and he's OK, nothing great....Steven wants to hear a second song and the judges let him play his guitar (NOT SUPPOSED TO DO THIS BY THE WAY IN AUDITIONS!) and he sings 'Folsom Prison Blues', which he does with much more energy and pretty creatively. Watch out for.......Werewolves in Hollywood!

This audition show could not end soon enough, so let's all hope for a much better show on Wednesday night. It'll be another 1-hour audition show at 8PM on FOX, with higher altitudes and less noise from Aspen, CO. Until Wednesday night, Eddie Idol is.......OUT!

IDOL AUDITIONS: PITTSBURGH PLEASES THE JUDGES!

Even though the Pittsburgh auditions were only a one-hour show on Thursday night, there was plenty of talented folks that seemed to pleasantly surprise the Idol judges. In all, 38 Golden tickets were handed out, but again, we only had the opportunity to see 11 of them on the screen, some for a brief 10-15 seconds of TV time. Of those that are headed to Hollywood, the following stood out for me from the Steel City auditions:

• Reed Grimm, 26, Ellsworth, WI.....guy who’s been on stage since 2 years old, touring with his family band.....sings theme song from 'Family Matters'......very 'casey Abrams' like and a bit odd, but comfortable on stage. Will be interested to see what else he can do in Hollywood.
• Samantha Novacek, 19, Sutersville, PA....sister is 'Patty The Planker'.....never heard of planking, a yoga position, but Patty planks while Samantha sings, very odd. But Samantha can sing, has a strong voice. Watch her in Hollywood!
• Creighton Fraker, 28, Queens, NY....starving artist from NY who wrote a song on the 9-hour bus ride from New York to Pittsburgh.....Steven is in love with this guy and calls him beautiful at least 6 times....odd and quirky, just odd enough to make it into the TOP 24.
• Eben Franckowitz, 15, Milford, OH....OK...so, the BAD thing is the kid looks like a little Justin Beiber.....the GOOD thing is he LOVES WVU and WVU football, wore the hat and shirts on camera....not sure the family connection, but the mom had a WVU backpack too. How can I not pull for this kid? Not sure he has the pipes to go very far, but he's got my support! :-)
• Erika Van Pelt, 25, South Kingston, RI......a wedding singer and mobile DJ....very impressive voice, Pelt can sure belt out some great lyrics! I'd say she's a lock for the TOP 24. 
• Hallie Day, 24, Baltimore, MD....love the name....tough life for this girl who dropped out of HS at 15....was part of a girl band called Plum Crazy, became a drug addict, tried to do herself in with pills.....but she's got some serious talent. J-Lo comments that 'she could win it all'....not sure she's that good, but she's TOP 24 material for sure.

Some pretty good talent so far after the first two auditions in Savannah and Pittsburgh, but I'm just not sure I've seen any 'potential' Idol winners yet of the 80 folks ticketed to Hollywood. Nobody has really 'wowed' me up to this point, like Katherine McPhee did in the Season 5 auditions, when I said she'd be in the finale', only to los to Taylor 'Grey Haired' Hicks.
This week’s return of America’s favorite singing competition will bring a new and unusual twist: A special prime-time episode will air after Sunday’s NFC Championship game (San Francisco 49ers vs. the New York Giants) on Fox-TV. The 'special' episode, featuring auditions from the Navy's USS Midway air-craft carrier in San Diego,is expected to air from 10-11 p.m. According to media reports, an estimated 9,000 hopefuls auditioned at Petco Park last July in San Diego, then some were invited back to sing in front of “Idol” judges in October on the USS Midway, so set those DVR's for 10PM tonight, and maybe longer than an hour, and enjoy the show from San Diego Bay.

IDOL AUDITIONS: SOUTHERN SURPRISES!

Savannah, GA kicked off Season 11 for American Idol in grand, southern style last night, as 42 folks got their golden tickets to Hollywood. Unfortunately, as I've compained about so often in the past, we only got to see and hear 14 of those on TV last night, a paltry 25%! :-( It always bothers me that we get to Hollwood week and don't know half the folks that are even there, some never seen or heard until they are being talked about for the Top 24. Oh well.....of those that were seen, these folks stood out for me last night:

• Gabrielle Nicole Carrubba, 16 years old from North Haven, CT.....goes by 'Gabi'...champion tap dancer....also performed in a Broadway production of “Annie” at Madison Square Garden....she won the American Idol Experience at Disney in 2009 when she was only 14....watch her....she's got TOP 24 written all over her!
• Shannon Magrane, 15 years old from Tampa, FL.....6' tall, and a member of her HS volleyball team....very talented, this girl is poised to go far...she auditioned with her entire family on stage, including her dad, former Major League pitcher Joe Magrane...he pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1987 through 1993, helping the team to the World Series as a rookie, leading the National League in ERA in 1988, and compiling an 18-9 record in 1989, his best season.....Shannon has performed the national anthem at Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, several times.. take a listen here
• Amy Brumfield, 24 years old, Gatlinburg, TN......'Tent Girl'.....lives in the woods in a tent with her boyfriend in TN....tough luck story here but she's upbeat and positive about it.... showed up in a pretty black dress and wearing jewelry provided by her boyfriend’s mom....she may not go very far, but give her credit, she's got some serious spirit!d
• Stephanie Renae, 15 years old, Orange Park, FL.....idolizes Carrie Underwood and did one of her songs in the audition.....sang very 'nasally' and I have to agree with Big Dog Randy on this one, this girl's not ready and will be eaten alive in Hollywood.
• Brittany Kerr, 24 years old, Charlotte, NC......NBA cheerleader for the Charlotte Bobcats and her dream is to be a singer.....J-Lo was threatened very quickly by her and said NO, but Steven and Randy were mesmerized by her audition and sent her through....she may not get very far in the competition, but as long as she is in, she's some serious eye candy for the Idol male audience!
• Phillip Phillips, Jr., 20 years old, Leesburg, GA....gotta' love the name....he works in his dad’s pawn shop.....dad is 'super proud'.....he sang“Superstition” for the judges......his 'own' version....then picked up the guitar to sing MJ's “Thriller”.......kid is very talented and a lock for the TOP 24....his primary musical influence is Dave Matthews, and plays in two bands....best male voice that was given air time in Savannah. Watch this kid! 

OK.....that's it from last night's auditions, there were certainly others that performed, both good and very badly, but the ones I listed really stood out for me. 

Tonight, it's auditions from Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, PA, the CITY OF CHAMPIONS and home of Heinz Ketchup and a variety of great ethnic foods. I'm really excited to see what talent shows up there, esp. any folks from neighboring states, WV in particular.

PS--Watch out for some flying WVU logos tonight, saw one last night on the tease for tonight's show!

Until the Steel City auditions are over, Eddie Idol is OUT! 

It's 'American Idol' time!

Season 11 premiere is tonight at 8PM, don't miss it!

Talk a look at this link to get caught up on the projected TV and IDOL event schedule through early March.

http://www.americanidol.com/news/view/pid/6208/

Some more IDOL Chatter and tidbits on past IDOL performers:

• Scotty McCreery's doing just fine thank you....his platinum Clear as Day debut album sits at No. 34, having sold a total of 879,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. He's also currently touring as the opening act with Brad Paisley, pretty great company there!
• Haley Reinhart will release her first single March 1st, looking forward to hearing that one.
• Chris Daughtry is not dead, despite a recent online hoax to the contrary. His band has announced the first leg of its new 'Break The Spell Tour' starting in Buffalo on march 20th.
• Katharine McPhee has a new lead actress role in Smash, and I can hardly wait to see it! The new musical drama premieres on NBC on Monday Feb. 6, the day after the Super Bowl, but you can already download the pilot for free on iTunes. It's also available via Comcast Xfinity On Demand. How she ever lost to Taylor 'Grey Hair' Hicks in Season 5 still baffles me beyond belief!
• Casey Abrams just signed a new record deal with Concord Records, and in true Casey style, he's singing about it too, check it out here....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8IVvWbjHyU&noredirect=1
• And last but not least.....David Cook is doing well and I went to see him perform last month at Crocodile Rock Cafe' in Allentown, PA....a very cool show, just a crappy, run-down venue that needs upgraded. Here's one of the photos of him performing that night.....

 OK.....that's all for now from Eddie Idol.....I'll be posting a few updates after the auditions over the next two nights....so stay tuned!

Cheers, EI