Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Post-show review:

Assessment: Hey, Idol, that was your best audition episode since the season-opener from Savannah. Nice mix of talent and humor. Even a few disagreements between those too-easy-to-please judges. For the first time this season, I might add.

Best voices: County-singing females face long odds in this competition, but watch out for Baylie Brown. The younger Skylar Laine was darn impressive too. Both were better than any of the ladies we heard in Aspen and two of the better female voices we’ve heard so far this season.

Best segment: Loved the playing of Lady Gaga’s Alejandro as contestant Alejandro Cazares called for a revolution so we could live in a nation in which Barack Obama could be president and Lady Gaga could be a pop star. Yep, the judges were confused, too. Then tortured when Alejandro started singing.

Best back-story: We had a 17-year-old girl who likes to shoot deer and a young man who was essentially homeless for two years. But how do you beat the guy who’s Hollywood bound after being born with a birth defect so severe his parents were told he would never hear or talk. Unfortunately, I think Ramiro Garcia will go the way of Chris Medina — better back-story than voice.

Just wondering: Is Jennifer Lopez, the “most beautiful woman in the world,” feeling a bit competitive? This marks at least the second audition episode in which she’s gone from stylishly lovely on day one to dressed to tease on day two. After the guys on the panel granted some very pretty gals golden tickets to Hollywood. Or maybe she just thinks Steven Tyler is getting too much of the attention.

Original blog:

OK, I’ve pretty much given up hope of the American Idol judges getting tougher in Season 11.

In Aspen, they were downright easy to impress. How else do you explain Mathenee Treco getting a golden ticket for that tortured version of “Hey Jude?”

And the words “beautiful” and “amazing” are being tossed around way too freely.

I haven’t seen much “amazing” since the talent-laden Savannah episode.

For those wondering, the gender balance I was talking about in yesterday’s live blog is right out the window.

Of the 31 golden tickets handed out in Aspen, 21 went to gals. That makes about 95 girls versus 65 guys advancing so far.

Oh, no, the first scene on tonight’s show is from outer space. Reminds me of X Factor. Bad sign right off the bat.

Here we go …

Phong Vu, 25, Houston, student: We’re in trouble right off the bat with this guy. He promises to shock and wow.  He tears up at the thought of being the next Idol.  He loves singing female pop music because it’s “in my soul.”  Unfortunately, there aren’t any true notes in his voice. Was that for real?

Skylar Laine, 17, Brandon, Miss., student: This teen marches into the audition room and blows the judges away with a sassy version of “Hell on Heels.” She’s something of a tomboy, loving to go mud riding and hunting. She’s also hoping to help save the small grocery store that’s been in the family for 71 years.  Very nice voice, but females who want to sing country are in no short supply on the show this year. Nevertheless, she’s off to Hollywood.

Baylie Brown, 21, Nashville, Tenn, nanny: She’s back after flunking out in the Hollywood round back in Season 6. She slays the judges with a version of “Bed of Roses.” Jennifer says, “at 21, you’re great.”  Randy Jackson says she’s “gotten significantly better.” Please put this gal in the semifinals. She’s got the name. She’s got the look. She’s got the voice.

Kristin Osorio, 28, Amarillo, Texas, student: In her last year of Idol eligibility, Kristin used the money she borrowed to pay her divorce lawyer to buy a plane ticket to the Idol auditions.  She used to perform with the husband she’s separated from, but stopped pursuing music because she has three young children.  Looks like her music career is no longer “on pause” after that performance, which drew high praise from the judges.

Linda Williams, 24, League City, Texas, bartender: She shows up in a somewhat skimpy outfit, turns in a completely over-the-top performance, but advances to Hollywood with the help of Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson. Jennifer Lopez proclaims her “awful.” In a post golden ticket interview, Linda vows to prove her wrong.  I didn’t get it either, Jennifer.

Alejandro Cazares, 26, Houston, Texas, cell phone repairman: The guy who wants to start a revolution, is going to sing “Looking Up.”  He pleads with the judges for a second chance.  He doesn’t get it.  But he promises to return next year.  “The revolution is not over, he proclaims.”

Cortez Shaw, 20, Garland, Texas, warehouse worker/student: He’s going to sing “Someone Like You.”  That was very shaky until he hit the chorus, then he found his stride.  Cortez came from a single-parent household, said he and his family were homeless for a couple of years and, in what sounds like a commercial for the show, proclaims Idol “opportunity at its greatest.” And Cortez is the first Hollywood-bound male we’ve met this week.

Ramiro Garcia, 28, Houston, Texas, worship leader: He’s sings “Amazing Grace.” Steven Tyler calls him “a powerful example.” Good reason for that. Ramiro was born without ears.  His parents were told he would never hear or talk.  The surgeries started at age 4 and continued almost yearly.  It was “pretty intense,” Ramiro says.  Now he’s off to Hollywood for a chance to become an American Idol.