Season 9, Season 9 Auditions

Orlando tops Chicago — split pants, handcuffs, bank robbers and all

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John Wilcox of the Virgin Islands at the American Idol auditions in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo)

I’m a little nervous about tonight’s audition episode of American Idol.

The media interviewed Randy Jackson before these audition episodes began. He called the Orlando auditions “a little strange.”

Ouch. Bad news after a Tuesday night episode short on talent and long on people who would sing anything anyway to get on TV for a couple of minutes.

But, hey, I should look at the bright side. My laptop is communicating with the newspaper’s blog platform, so I can actually write as I watch. A major upgrade from last night.

Hey, did you hear? One of last night’s golden ticket recipients was already disqualified from the competition. Here’s a link to that blog.

Oh, no, we start the show with a self-described super hero named Theo who wants to compare himself with Jennifer Hudson. Not a good sign. Come on, Orlando.

Hey, I just saw a tweet from Matt Giraud that he’ll have a single out Jan. 29. The song is called “You Don’t Know Me” and it sounds as though it’s a duet with Anna Wilson. Good going, Matt.

Perhaps the best line yet this season from Simon: “You walked in like a cocktail stick and sang like you sat on a cat.”

Ryan Seacrest among the American Idol hopefuls at the auditions in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo)And Idol unveils its first golden ticket winner of the night, Seth Rollins, father of an autistic son, who blows the judges away with a great-sounding rendition of “Someone To Watch Over Me.”

Another golden ticket recipient from a past season resurfaces. And Jermaine Purifory is off to Hollywood again after wowing the judges with a Tony Bennett song.

And we have our first female golden ticket recipient of the night, Shelby Dressel. She forgot the words of “Turn Me On,” had to be bleeped, but is still headed to Hollywood.

Apparently, 19 golden tickets were handed out on day one in Orlando. Anyone else out there wish we would have heard more from those singers?

I’ll provide more info on Shelby — she has a band, so she isn’t exactly a newcomer to the music biz — and on Jermaine Purifory in a followup blog I’ll file later this evening.

Day two of the Orlando auditions begins with the reincarnation of Blake Lewis, a guy named Jay Stone, who nevertheless says he’s going to bring something new to the competition.

And we just saw snippets of three Hollywood-bound gals, including Janell Wheeler, Britany Star James and Kasi Bedford.

OK, this is officially a strange night. One gal gets a golden ticket despite forgetting the words, which has always been a cardinal sin on this show. Now a guy gets a golden ticket for splitting his pants.

But, hey, it’s been a lot more entertaining than last night, right?

OK, it’s sibling time again. Remember the Malakars — Sanjaya and Shyamali — from season six? I always though Shyamali was the one who should have advanced.

This time we have sisters, Bernadette and Amanda DeSimone. Here’s betting only one of them makes it, even though neither is exactly sending chills up my spine with her singing.

Nope, both go through. Prediction: They’ll spice up and provide some drama during Hollywood Week, but won’t survive.

Another Idol first, a contestant who robbed a bank with a bb gun when he was 15. He’s now 24 and singing — what else — “Trouble” — for the judges. And, of course, Matthew Lawrence is Hollywood bound.

Check back. In just a while, I’ll post more info on many of tonight’s contestants.

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