'American Idol 6' - The Seattle Auditions

The smile on Simon's face that you see in the photo didn't stay around too long as the auditions hit Seattle. Not to worry, Minneapolis, Seattle brought about even a worse day of auditions according to Simon. In one day, Minneapolis put through 17 contestants to Hollywood. In two days in Seattle, only 14 made the cut.

A few things remained constant between both audition cities. The level of the talents, both the highs and the lows, are a bit disappointing for me this season. Why the heck are they keeping the left door of the double doors locked in place? It was another evening of "the other door." Not everyone is righthanded, American Idol. I was waiting for someone to run out in horror after a Simon scowl, hit the locked lefthand door, and slither down to the floor like in a cartoon.

There were no guest judges on the panel and Paula seemed to hang in through both days without really odd behaviors. The niceness that Simon seemed to exhibit last night was gone for the most part and Randy wasn't as harsh. Well, except for the ones who really didn't have a clue or were silly to even think of auditioning. I felt sorry for some of the contestants, as I did last night. But, when you think about it, they know the show. They chose to go on national television. They signed releases for the footage to be shown. Me? I'd never want to be a star that bad... and I know I can't sing. Or dance. I shouldn't even really hum.

Tonight's Most Notable of the Odd

Oh, how apt is this? A candidate for the Darwin Awards in relation to American Idol, we endured Darwin "Misha" Reedy accompanied by her Mom. Holding to the idea that she was bringing sexy back, I think her shirt was too sexy for her and not vice versa. And, it was a huge floppy shirt. Like mother, like daughter and she performed much like she portrays herself. She frightened me. Justin Timberlake may never sing his song again if he saw her mention of it.

I have no idea what's going on with this woman's skin color, but it can't be healthy. They asked her if it was a sunburn, but she didn't really say much. But, since she dressed the way she did, she knew it would be commented upon. She's Melissa "Carlene" Stavros and Simon basically said she sounded like a goat. What did goats ever do to Simon?

Her performance didn't really remind me of a goat. I thought more along the lines of a cacophony of sound and motion. If she had been on much longer, my head may have started to spin.


Nick Zitzmann (pictured on left) brought about thoughts of a young Kyle Secor gone bad. Now, I like Kyle Secor, but not when he's gone bad and thinks he can sing.

He tried to sing "Unchained Melody" which is a tough song even if you can sing. Oh, my. He may think he's a leader, be he ain't no singer. While Simon referred to him as possibly not human, I think he's wrong. This could be a zombie situation. You may want to alert the GhostBusters. Even Nick said watching the performance might scare himself.

Hopefully it will be a lasting friendship between Jonathan Jayne and Kenneth Briggs. Neither should have tried out for the show, Jonathan more so than Kenneth. I'm glad the judges weren't cruel to Jonathan and I'm also glad that Kenneth (for the most part) took Simon's comments in stride. And, he knows a bush baby is a kind of monkey! These two are the Odd Couple of Tonight's Most Notable of the Odd.

Why, oh why am I hearing "Dueling Banjos"? Like a character from Deliverance, Stephen Thoen likes to try "cro-akie." He likes to be called "Red." See, he's not representative of all redheads. My hair is a similar color (thankfully a different style and I have no beard) and I always hated to be called "Red."

He likened himself to Freddie Mercury and absolutely slayed "Bohemian Rhapsody." He also seemed just a tad dangerous. He was the last contestant of the day and I bet the judges had security escort them out.

There were other bad acts, but they didn't make my Most Notable list. Brandon Groves, the one who sang "I Shot the Sherriff" while dressed as a cop last year returned this season all decked out like the Apollo Creed guy in Minneapolis sans boxing gloves. David Mills had an epiphany and a wake-up call. There was a Taylor Hicks clone, Eric Chapman, who couldn't sing a lick.

Friends and relatives of AI wannabes, please don't let your loved ones think they have talent when they don't! Stop them before they sing again! I beseech you, I beg you... confine them to the shower. I beg you, tell them. Spare them the public humiliation. Friend don't let friends go without talent on American Idol.

There Were Some Good Ones

Tommy Daniels has tried twice before to make it on the show. He slept by trashcans awaiting his Seattle audition. He fluffed his 'fro and he put on a show. Blake Lewis, a champion beatboxer, showed off his "skillz" and proved he can sing, too. The Malakar siblings (brother and sister) both made it through shining. I liked how Sanjaya wouldn't admit that the judges said he has a better voice than his sister.

Rudy Cardenas took a chance with a Journey song (Randy was a band member) and was passed through to Hollywood by Randy and Paula, but not Simon. Anna Kearns, a lofty lady at 6'3" without heels, passed through although I wasn't too impressed with her singing. 16-year old Jordin Sparks whose father is NFL's Felipe Sparks, is going to Hollywood.

Me? I'm just waiting for the Memphis auditions we'll see next week.

TV Newsy Bits - Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Are you ready for another night of American Idol auditions? Tonight we'll see the Seattle auditions and I'll be posting an entry complete with screencaps of some of the events. In a newsy note, last night over 37 million folks watched the AI season premiere. Yet so many claim to never watch it, eh?

Due to my lengthy entries of today, well... two lengthy Amazing Race entries here and here in addition to my to-be-lengthy American Idol review/recap I'll be writing later tonight, I'm holding off on my final Survivor 14: Fiji cast entry. You can expect that in the next day or two. If you missed any of the first three parts, they'll be listed on the sidebar of the blog once I complete the final one.

In other TV Newsy Bits:

• The good folks over at Court TV let me know that a series I found very intriguing - Murder by the Book - is going to be renewed and this time will feature one of my favorite authors in the mystery genre. The series features an author looking into a case which has caught their own interest. The new shows will include authors David Baldacci, Sandra Brown, Lee Child, Harlan Coben, Linda Fairstein, and Kinky Friedman. Which one is one of my favorite authors? Well, the Kinkster, of course. That man can turn a phrase and I love the way he works his words. Plus, he's a character literally as well as figuratively. He stars in his own novels. As soon as I know the date, I'll be chatting this one up!
• The Court TV folks also dug up the real dirt behind the OJ failed novel. Was it a confession?
• Was Paula Abdul drunk, stoned or otherwise incapacitated on last night's show and various interviews? Celebrity Spider posted her side. Me? Something's way off with that gal, but I don't know what. She was definitely getting worse as the show went on.

Check back later tonight for the latest on American Idol!

'The Amazing Race 11: All Stars' - The Teams, Part 2

As we've been anticipating, the next season of The Amazing Race is indeed an All Star version. CBS revealed the teams yesterday, so you know I have to get in my two cents on them today. And, but of course, I welcome your two cents, too. For the skinny on the first six teams I wrote about, head to this article.

Here are the rest of the teams, again in no particular order:

Often a team I loved to hate during Season 1, I'm happy to see that Team Guido, Joe and Bill, are included this season. These guys are cut-throat, albeit very entertaining to watch. Even though they only made a third place finish in their season, the other teams shouldn't take these two lightly. They're the ones who started the matching team outfits. Mary (TAR10) may have had a very different first impression of gay men had she met Team Guido instead of Tom and Terry in her season. Ruthless competitors, but true TAR history, welcome back Joe and Bill! View Joe & Bill on innertube now

Eric and Danielle come to us from Season 9 in which they were competitors, not a team at all. Eric was teamed up with his buddy Jeremy and they made it to second place. Meanwhile, Danielle was with her best friend Dani and only made it to a seventh place finish. Oh, but they're dating now and coming together as a team for All Stars. I'm a bit ambivalent about the idea of them as a team, but I think they might be fairly competitive. As long as they don't bicker and fuss at each other, I can take 'em on the show... I guess. View Eric & Danielle on innertube now

Oh, no! It's the return of the "Evil Beauty Queens" from Season 10... which we just finished watching a month ago. To their credit, I admit that they're a very strong all-female team and I was surprised they only finished in fourth place in their own season. It still bugs me that they saddled the ChoBros with their wrecked car instead of taking their chances with the damage they created. That was a very low move, I say. That aside, it will be interesting to see how these two fare when the show most likely won't get into alliances. View Dustin & Kandice on innertube now

Yet another Season 10 team, David and Mary touched the hearts of many viewers. With a little bit of help from their friends (and a lot of help from the ChoBros), they made it to a sixth place finish. While I find their worldly innocence and their willingness to thrive on new experiences very refreshing, they're not a strong team. Hopefully they have their determination set to succeed because it would be a blast (and shock) if they were to win at All Stars. I don't think we'll see that happen, but it's nice to think that it possibly could. Wait... they're up against Romber and the Guidos. Make the win a fleeting thought. View David & Mary on innertube now

Last, but only least if we're talking height (Charla), it's Charla and Mirna from Season 5 where they had a sixth place finish. This team caused a lot of controversy similar to the Peter/Sarah relationship in Season 10. Mirna fared poorly with many viewers as she seemed to use Charla's height for her own benefit. If memory serves, she also gushed at show host Phil Keoghan to the point of creeping me out. (I don't know if Phil felt the same way, but maybe...!) I actually enjoyed Charla and think she really did very well when she faced obstacles due to her stature. Mirna, I'm not so thrilled about seeing again. View Charla & Mirna on innertube now

So, there are the teams we'll be cheering on or booing a month from now. Did your team make the cut? Any teams you'd rather see? Any guesses who might win it all? My own thoughts are a bit tainted as I saw a spoilers site where they were tracking the teams. I'll post that link in a Newsy Bits once I find what I did with it. Of course, sites had Christy and Colin in the race and they're not there. So, take any spoilers you see with a grain of salt.

'The Amazing Race 11: All Stars' - The Teams, Part 1

Ah, it just goes to show you that not all Internet spoilers are indeed reality when it comes to reality TV. The early spoilers out there had Colin ("my ox is broken") and Christy running the race, but no Frat Boys (Kevin and Drew). Other spoilers were indeed correct. There were teams who either weren't available or didn't make the cut -- I, for one, would have loved to see Jon and Al (the Clowns from TAR4) take another go at the million.

Overall, I'm pleased with the teams we'll be seeing. Well, for the most part anyway. There will always be a few teams we'd rather see than a few who made it. But it looks like it's going to be a great season. And, that's coming from someone (me) who is usually a bit turned off by the "all stars" versions of reality television shows. I'm marking my calendar -- Sunday, February 18 at 8 PM ET/PT, don't call me. I'll be watching The Amazing Race 11: All Stars.

The Teams In No Particular Order

Winners of The Amazing Race 7, Uchenna and Joyce were very popular with many show fans. They came across as nice folks, not necessarily ruthless at all. There was a brouhaha about flights and Romber which caused some controversy on the Internet. So, it's going to be interesting to watch how the teams interact this season. They have the right stuff for the win - I think back to Joyce shaving her beautiful hair in order to get a jump on the others.
View Uchenna & Joyce on innertube now


From TAR3, it's second place finishers, Teri and Ian. While their success in the season is definitely "a job well done," they're not a team I would have chosen had they asked me. Now, I'm all for older folks (read that as my generation) doing well, but I didn't really enjoy watching this team. I can still hear Teri yelling, "Ian! Iiiiiiiaaaaannnnn!" To me, he came across as gruff and demanding -- not to the point of a Jonathan Baker, but not a nice guy, either.
View Teri & Ian on innertube now

Not surprising me at all, Romber (Rob and Amber), second place on TAR7, made the cut. I'm of two minds about this team. They've certainly milked reality TV for all it's worth and their fifteen minutes of fame has gone into years now. I don't want to see either of them on Survivor again. That said, I think they're a worthy team and one to watch this season on TAR. Rob, more so than Amber, is shrewd and competitive. He's not afraid to push the envelope and it's going to be very interesting to see what he does next. After all, he staged a coup at a challenge in his own season which benefitted his own goals. He's good at the game. View Rob & Amber on innertube now

Yes! It's the return of Team ChaCha! Oswald and Danny may have only made it to fourth place in Season 2, but they were one of the most entertaining teams ever to appear on the show. These gay friends (not a couple, but best friends) put a priority on shopping instead of the race to be run, but they were a delightful reprieve from overly-competitive teams. I personally don't think they'll have a chance to win this season in view of some of the hardcore teams aboard, but I'm going to enjoy watching them again.
View Oswald & Danny on innertube now


It's the return of yet another fan-favorite team - the Frat Boys, Kevin and Drew, fourth place finishers from Season 1. Even though they didn't make it that close to the big win, they won the hearts of many viewers with their sense of humor, attitude, and the spirit of friendship. More recently, they played the role of hot dog vendors in a clue stop on TAR8. Despite the foilers (as opposed to true spoilers) on the Internet, they'll grace our Race once again. I'd like to see them take it all. But, even if they don't, I'm loving that they're back for more.
View Kevin & Drew on innertube now

Although they're now listed as a "formerly dating" couple, John and Jill came to us with a bittersweet story in Season 3 -- John was the best friend of Jill's brother who was killed on 9/11 at the World Trade Center. She had originally applied to be on the show with her brother, but John stepped in take his place in the race. They only made a fifth place finish, but with both the backstory and their demeanor as a team, they won the hearts of viewers. They didn't bicker and were a strong team. I'm glad they're on again even if they no longer date.
View John & Jill on innertube now


The last five teams will be in Part 2 due to the length of this entry. The links you see posted will lead you directly to the CBS video interviews with the teams.

'American Idol 6' - The Minneapolis Auditions

It's back! Yes, one of my favorite junk food for the mind shows... American Idol. From the cheesiness to the real talents to the stunned expression on Randy's face to Simon's um... Simonisms.

Right now my current plans are to write about the auditions. Then, once the finalists are in place, East Coast Updates will be posted on boot nights in addition to entries about the show. So, if you're an American Idol fan, you're right where you should be. All opinions are welcome in the comments even if you disagree with me, but I ask that all remains civil. Onto the show...

Tonight was the first time the show has held auditions in Minneapolis and they picked up 17 who will go onto Hollywood. But, hey... it's the auditions. At this point the show is more about the losers than the winners, right? Alas, although there were some odd ducks and some who lacked any kind of voice or stage presence at all, I didn't see any who would go the road of the Classic Idol Rejects. You know, folks like William Hung or even Crazy Dave.

Sitting in on the judges panel with no explanation why (or maybe I missed it) was Jewel. She fit right in, though. The most notable line of hers for me was when an Army Reserves woman was auditioning and told Simon she loved his personality. "You have to go through boot camp before you can enjoy Simon's personality." Not bad, not bad.

Tonight's Most Notable of the Odd

Charles Moody, age 26, from Brooklyn, New York. He dressed as Apollo Creed and sang opera. Actually, the opera wasn't done extremely horribly, but the overall package was so not American Idol that it was hysterical. According to Simon, "You're singing opera dressed as Apollo Creed wearing a funny hat."

A young man named Jesse Holloway talked forever in a monotone before singing. But once he started singing, I wished he had just kept talking. He left in the middle of his audition for water, came back singing even worse. Then he blew up in the hallway - "They [the judges] ought to be fired!" The noive, I say!

Oh... and speaking of "the noive" -- now, I didn't catch her name, but one young woman's whole singing style revolved around evoking the ghost of the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz. Yes, I wouldn't lie. Her song was "If I Were King of the Forest" and in later clips she used the style in normal songs. Yikes.

There was a cowboy-outfit dude named Matthew Volna who looked like Henry Winkler (recent, not as Fonzie) and sang like Ben Stein in a lower octave. He performed - and I use the word loosely unless it was a comedy act... wait, even then... - "Folsom Prison Blues." Poor Johnny Cash. It's a good thing he's not around to hear that version. In reference to his music selection, he told the judges, "I can't sing that other stuff." "You can't sing that!"

Troy Benham describes himself as Urban Amish. He's never seen the show, doesn't watch television, doesn't listen to modern music... or so he says.

I personally think it was all an act. He "sang" some weird not memorable song which he said he had written. I don't fall for the Amish act at all. The hair is wrong, the sunglasses are wrong, Troy Benham is wrong.

Next!

There were temper tantrums and too many young kids whose parents let them go to the auditions when they should have told them not to make fools of themselves. There was a Number One Fan whose voice could herd cats. "Is there anything I can do to improve, Simon?" "Yes, leave."

Stephen Horst, a voice coach, thought he had it made. Nope. Simon instigated problems between Randy and Stephen. There was one young woman whose boss flew her to the audition after she didn't make the cut in Pasadena. She didn't make it in Minneapolis, either. (I guess if you can't make it in Pasadena, you can't make it anywhere.)

Jason Anderson is a 16-year old boy who believes he's a talented juggler, dancer, and singer. Um... none of the above.

Simon to Jason: "You sum up Minneapolis, useless at everything. Your future involves not singing." [Yeah, I thought that first line was a bit harsh on a kid. But, true.]

Jason in the hallway: "He said I sum up Minneapolis! It's my fault Minneapolis has no talent!"

Enough of the Odd Ones even though I know I left many out... there were a few good singers tonight. My favorite was Sarah Krueger who sang "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." The kid whose parents didn't come with him, 16-year old Matt Sato, was touching. As in past seasons, every backstory ended up a Hollywood choice. One I wasn't impressed with was Perla Meneses. I don't think flirting will keep her in the contest.

I liked how the sailors on the USS Ronald Reagan held their own "Reagan Idol" and sent the winner to the auditions... and he (Jarrod Fowler) made it onto Hollywood! He was pretty good, as was Michelle Steingas, Rachel Jenkins, and Denise Jackson. As always, they didn't show all going on to Hollywood.

Tomorrow night's auditions will come to us from Seattle and it looks like we'll have many new additions to the Notable of the Odd. As for the decent ones, I personally hope Simon comes up with something better than "I think people will like you." Was does that mean? Does he not like them?

So, what did you think of the show?