Denver is the Mile High City–highest city in which AI has ever held auditions. Whoopie. This episode was again filled with horrendous singers who were again just….boring.
Here are a few that stood out:
This contestant’s name is Zachary Travis. That’s right, Dude Looks Like a Girl and is perfect fodder for a “bad audition.” No matter what this kid looked like, his vocals were just not good enough to advance. But he chose to blame “prejudice” for the reason he was rejected anyway. Of course his gender confusion was put on display by the judges–what else would they do? It’s reality TV baby. I hope his mom, who was on camera with him, was aware enough to know the score and had a nice talk with him when they got home. I hope. But some of these parents…yikes…so clueless.
Nick McCord and and Ben Hausbach? This year’s Dirk and Adam? It wasn’t funny last year, even less so this year. Oh, and how bout that super-duper shout out for Simon’s inventor show? Wow, Ben just happened to bring along some lame coaster thingy he “designed”. And how ’bout all those outfits Nick brought to the audition with him? Huh? Gah, I HATE the auditions…
This guy was part of a long montage of Rocker Dudes and Dudettes. Sample lyric: “Hey man, where’d ya get that lotion…that’s just hypnotizing chickens”–sung like he was having a seizure. I dunno, so obviously fake, but he cracked me up.
Speaking of the “rockers”–even though every year of Idol has seen rock singers try out–I would imagine that Bo and Constantine’s’ success inspired even more to audition. Check out Idol’s “Rockers”
Cute guy! Somebody clever remarked to me that wearing a T-shirt that says “Support your local music” while auditioning for American Idol might be a little ironic.
I’m bored with you! Hee.
Look! It’s Morticia! You either have to be old, or watch TV Land to get that reference…
Note to Whoever Ends Up Being This Year’s Rocker: The Rawkhands? So played out. Mmmkay? Thanks.
Here are some of Denver’s Hollywood Bound:
Here’s Lisa Tucker, who on the list of spoilers. She was a contestant on Star Search when she was 13 years old. She’s poised and has a smile that lights up her face. On the Whitney Houston song she performed, there were literally NO vocal gymnastics–just a clear, pure tone with good control. Simon was rightly impressed, I think. I’ll bet she absolutely made it to the Top 24.
I’m going to get a ton of comments about what I’m going to say, but this Ace guy? Is not all that. He sang Westlife’s “All Over Again” with vocals that were breathy and typically boybandy. He was slouchy and his gestures and obvious attempts to play to the girls made me cringe. Actually, he reminded me a little of Constantine Maroulis, who did this “eye f*ck” thing to the camera that made some girls swoon. Me? I was like–he’s GOT to be kidding with that crap. Funny thing–as soon as I realized he was a giant dork, Constantine became my favorite. I hated his audition almost as much as I hated Ace’s. So who knows–if Ace shows some versatility and tones down the affectations, I could change my mind. As it is, I think he skated in on his looks and his obvious fangirl appeal. Oh, his real name is Brett, by the way.
Rochelle Elaine Dye is a contestant with a hard-luck story–she’s close to getting evicted from the house she lives in with her cousin. She says on camera “I need this, I really do.” Geez, she seems to have a lot of friends and relatives, judging by the people who showed up with her. Can’t they find her a place to live? Anyway, lucky for Rochelle she’s got the goods–she sang “Chain of Fools” in a great husky voice and stage presence.
Finally, we meet rocker Chris Daughtry. We see him in a few scenes with his band “Absent Element” and then in a longer piece with his family. Turns out Chris is a totally stand up guy. He married an older woman (she doesn’t look that much older) and is helping her raise her two children. Yep, Chris has a GREAT backstory–that’s actually better than his vocals. I agree with Simon–he rushed through “The Letter”–and Randy mentioned a shoutiness that I think reveals his limitations. Chris cited Bo as an inspiration. However, Chris seems to be more nu-metal–where Bo had a distinct Southern rock flavah. By the way, “The Letter” was originally recorded by Alex Chilton. Just thought I’d mention that…
Hee. Garett Johnson is an 18 year old cowboy who’s only audience so far have been the turkeys on his ranch. He’s an inexperienced singer, but his appealing sweetness and potential for great “fish-out-of-water” segments in Hollywood are probably what compelled the judges to advance him anyway. When he said Idol was the first time he’d been out in public, I wondered if his parents kept him locked in the basement all this time…
April Walsh, who’s a Twopper and a potential Top 24 contestant is destined to become this year’s “Red Haired” girl. You know, the contestant with a spunky personality and “unique” fashion sense but never a big enough fan base to get past 10th place. Former RHGs: Vanessa Olivarez–12th place, Amy Adams–10th and Jessica Sierra–10th. Much love to April for performing one of my favorite Bjork songs, “It’s So Quiet”. And she gave it an extry-special Ethel Merman flavah–(tm someone much cleverer than me) which I totally wasn’t expecting.
The Road to Hollywood — Seems like a ton of peeps moved on from Denver. Here are a few of them. Remember, when I refer to a contestant as “potential Top 24” that means they’ve had their names registered by Idol which is a good indication they made Top 44/24. A bunch of these contestants are listed here.
Here is Heather Cox, who’s on the potential Top 24 list. Apparently, Heather (according to seagyrl, a high school acquaintance who left some comments) is from a small town in North Carolina and a large musical family. Her father and uncle are both preachers. She ran track in High School. She has not had classical training. Hee, I was just kidding about that. I expect we’ll see more of Heather in Hollywood.
Potential Top 24 contestant Megan Bobo. I’m digging the blond hair!
Potential Top 24 Contestant Melissa McGhee.
Some Random folks:
