Got to admit, peeps, I thought the 1st two stops had much more bankable talent than this week’s sojourns into Tunesville. Could have been my frame of mind when watching. Could have been the producers holding back on some good stuff. Could have been not much to choose from. But when you see Bagpipes and Disney characters in a lot of shots, one kinda presumes that the talent might be a little lacking. Just sayin’…
Chi-town was touted as the largest stop on tour, with 12,000 hopefuls queuing up for the 15 seconds of fame. Our guest judge for this stop was Shania Twain and from what was presented, she appeared to be the most polite judge ever. Some are even calling for her to have a permanent seat at the judge’s table. I’ll reserve my remarks on that subject until I see what Ellen does later this season. Besides, Kara is still my gal – she’s knowledgeable, talented and knows how to play with the big boys. Love her! Anyway, let’s get back to how the talent stacked up:
Katelyn Epperly
pretty girl with a pretty voice and a pretty good backstory. Thank God the 1st one was good this week.
Amy Lang
Broadway baby and a Seacrest stalker. Less shtick and more singing, please. She actually could sing but killed her chances by going over the top.
Charity Vance
they are growing them younger this year. I like this kid – wrong choice of song but a young, sweet voice that she didn’t push on a big old diva tune. Might have a good chance in Hollywood.
Angela Martin
3rd time around and last shot because of her advanced age (that is, if you consider 28 OLD!). She still sounds great and should go to the top 24 this year unless she gets hit by a car or something.
Curly Newbern
I hate in guys try to sing higher than I do. I’ve never seen Simon laugh out loud before but he did this time. Buh-bye
Alannah Halbert
Clueless. Period.
Brian Krause
Tiny Tim???? I think I might have seen everything now on AI. Ugh.
Harold Davis
no relation to Sammy for sure (if you’re asking ‘Sammy who?’ you’re too young). Too rough around the edges and couldn’t take it like a man
Chantelle Graczkowski
one hot mess
John Park
smooth, easy singer with a nice bottom register. Should make a good showing in Hollywood after flirting with the lady judges.
Paige Dechausse
Ambitious song selection but she put her own spin on it. Pitch was a bit sloppy but she’s got some chops. Maybe she should have waited another year but let’s see what she can do from here.
Justin Ray
a bit of a screamer with a bad hair do.
Keith Semple
Definitely a Bryan Adams clone.
Marcus Jones
just ok. Guess we had to have some men…
While there were only 10,000 IDOL wannabes in Orlando, the best of the rest had to contend with a slightly hung over male judging team that could not abide the female bonding of Kara and guest judge Kristin Chenoweth, a personal favorite of this Broadway baby. She can sing rings around most vocalists these days and that’s probably what irked Simon the most because she knew what she was talking about. I loved seeing her on the small screen but I wasn’t too wowed by the rest of what I heard:
Theo Glinton
What is that???? Too over the top for my taste. That must be some tee shirt they kept blurring out, too. He could be on Broadway but not on AI.
Seth Rollins
the old standards are the best for showing off a good voice and this dude has a nice, smooth sound. I hope he can step it up in Hollywood.
Jermaine Perifoy
again with an old standard and they really do impress in an audition. Might do well in Hollywood but not a slam-dunk for beyond.
Shelby Dressel
what God take away in one place He gives back in another -great vocal production within her limitations and a winning personality. I like her and hope she does well in Hollywood.
Jay Stone
Blake Lewis he is NOT. Sorry. Won’t last past Hollywood I’m sure.
Janell Wheeler
A little bit country on a difficult song – not bad, but not too impressed.
Brittany Starr James
Decent r&b stylings but not very original. Won’t last the week in Hollywood.
Kasi Bedford
Too rough around the edges but they seemed to liked her – what do I know…
Cornelius Edwards
Splits and rips will get you to Hollywood every time. Not sure about the voice, though.
Bernadette & Amanda DeSimone
A sister act from the Jersey Shore – #1 was decent/#2 was trying too hard. Neither really deserved Hollywood, imho.
Jarrod Norrell
problem child for sure – ‘nuf said.
Matt Lawrence
A bank robber? Seriously? That’s a novel backstory. Very convincing blues singer with a really good voice – strong yet not screaming. I hope he makes it to the Top 24.
Let’s hope the next two stops are more memorable. If not, I might be a little concerned with the lack of real talent this season – and the show needs a strong showing this time out if it expects to survive without the Brit next year. Piers Morgan as replacement, anyone? ![]()
Catch you later!