'American Idol 6' - The San Antonio Auditions

If you had to make a snap judgment about the San Antonio auditions based on this photo alone, you'd think it was more fun than a barrel of monkeys.

You'd be wrong.

Although we saw some decent talent and they finally addressed the ongoing "wrong door" issue we've seen at all the audition locations, this installment came off as just so-so for me. I enjoyed the door segment. I just don't know why they've locked all of the left doors of the double doors instead of just leaving both unlocked. It has added a bit of entertainment value, I'll admit. I'll know which door to use when I audition. As if! (No, I'm never going to audition. I know I can't sing.)

Once again, we saw some tears. We saw some outright "what the hell are you doing here" folks, some folks who seriously seemed to think they could sing but can't, and some shining stars. As for the Odd, not as Odd as some weeks.

The show started off with the Rawhide theme song. Now, I remember it, but I would lay odds that the whole stadium full of hopefuls had no idea what they were singing. "Rollin', rollin', rollin', keep those doggies movin'... Rawhide!" It fit the scene, though. There's also a bit of Oddness about it all. The series ran from 1959 to 1966 and the person who sang the theme song, Frankie Laine, died today at the age of 93.

Tonight's Most Notable of the Odd

No, he's not giving the Aqua Teen Hunger Force Faux Terror gesture. Brian thinks he's comparable to Billy Idol and sang "Rebel Yell."

With a rebel yell, he sunk, sunk, sunk.

He started off the show and probably had the judges a bit leery of what the day would bring. I personally found him sort of scary. I liked Billy Idol with his patented sneer. I have the record on vinyl. Now if I chance to throw it on the turntable, I'll have flashbacks to Brian Kyrish.

William Green, unemployed, sings baritone... not all that well. He arrived with his cousin and I get the feeling he was more moral support for his cousin Akron Watson than a serious contender. Although he sang "Amazing Grace" in an off-key baritone, William didn't frighten me as did Brian (above).

William was funny. Humor is a good thing. When turned down, he warned the judges that he was going to ham it up and he surely did. "You don't know nuthin'!" He told them that Akron sang much better than he did and that was definitely the case. More about Akron later.

When I see a singer messing with her ear, I know it's not going to be a good performance. Plus, it looks so unprofessional! This woman claimed she sang for the Mayor of Houston and he enjoyed it. I think he must just be a good politician.

She sang "Black Velvet" and, like the Simon said, I couldn't understand not a word and I know the lyrics to the song. Eep. The sad part is that she seriously thinks she can sing.

We had a panther last week. This week we got Jake "The Snake" Tutor. I'll take the Eccentric Panther any day over this Snake. He was just bad. At least Martik (Panther) was quasi-entertaining in his oddness.

There was one other Odd which should be mentioned. There was a young lady who really sang poorly (but her family thinks she sings well), Jasmine Holland. At first, I felt sorry for her as the judges were laughing and she thought she was a serious singer. But when she acted like a nasty jerk upon leaving, she blew all pity I may have held. Her mother wants Simon to move back to British. Um, okay. Normally I don't put those who seem to think they can sing and have their dreams crushed in with my Odd. But I made an exception in this case.

There Was Some Talent Tonight

Now, how scared and serious does Akron look? He's William's cousin and did an acceptable take on Sam Cooke's "Change Gonna Come." Simon and the others thought he didn't shine with enough personality, so he sang "Let's Get It On."

I think I like this guy. I don't think he'll win, but I loved the pre-audition clips of him and William. Both came across as "nice" people and both have a sense of humor. And, he can sing.

No, Ashlyn's not one of the Most Notable of the Odd. She just tends towards odd expressions and affectations.

The faces she made when she sang brought to mind an exaggerated Lena Horne. She had the facial thing going to a lesser extent. But her mugging to the cameras certainly didn't come off as blatant as Ashlyn's actions.

I thought that, facial expressions aside, Ashlyn did very well with her first song. The judges dismissed her. But then in an unprecedented move, they called her back. I actually thought her second song didn't really hit the mark, but she's on to Hollywood. She's actually a cute girl with a good voice. I hope she can work out the kinks.

Many others made it through, 22 in all from what I believe was a one-day audition. Hayley Scarnato, Baylie Brown, and Jimmy McNeil are headed to Hollywood. It's a mix of talent, but no one really blew me away. Of course, they didn't show all of the contestants who made it through. Hopefully, there's some Texas tea in there.

Tomorrow's show is a round-up (Rawhide!) of the auditions. It's called "The Best of the Rest." It's supposed to have the Worst of the Worst and the Best of the Best. We'll see. I'll be on the lookout for new Notable Odds. Remember, we're laughing with you, not at you. Or not.