Idol Chatter & Voice Views

So, night two of Idol is in the books, and I’m still liking this new panel of judges.

Hey, maybe we don’t need mean-spirited comments from Simon Cowell for this show to be entertaining.

Of course, Jennifer Lopez is going to have to get her goosebumps and her crying under control.

There are several more audition episodes ahead of us, Jennifer.

Which means many more hard-luck stories to hear.

And, hopefully, a few more singers as good as Jordan Dorsey.

Now, I’ve got to admit, Jordan was goose-bump worthy. The 21-year-old from LaPlace, Louisiana, seemed plenty self-assured, showed plenty of range and displayed more restraint during his vocal than the typical Idol auditioner determined to blow the judges away with a flamboyant, over-the-top performance.

My other favorites from night two, based purely on vocals were Sarah Sellers and Brett Loewenstern.

Sarah might be the best female singer we’ve heard from so far. But she’s also 28 at a time when Idol seemed determined to go younger. That might work to her disadvantage, whether she has Steven Tyler lips or not.

Idol going young won’t be a problem for Brett. He’s 16. And he might not look the part of an Idol. But neither did Clay Aiken. Or John Stevens. Or Anthony Federov. And they all finished in the top six in this little competition called American Idol.

Brett’s announcement that he uses curling cream and baby oil to keep those flame-red locks looking good was a little tmi. But his rendition of “Bohemian Rhapsody” hit the sweet spot. Heck, Kellie Pickler couldn’t do better.

Only thing is, that last name. It’s going to give me all sorts of problems if Brett does well in this competition.

I’m not as confident in the chances for Jaycee Badeaux, the 15-year-old who performed “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay.” For 15, he was good. Under the pressure of American Idol … I don’t know.

I won’t be rooting for Jovany Barreto, who shows the potential to be the most annoying male contestant since Danny Noriega back in season seven. Come on, dude. It’s one thing to strip your shirt off because Kara DioGuardia and Shania Twain are asking you to (i.e. Casey James, season nine). It’s another to insist on doing it to show off. Way too much bravado in Mr. Barreto for my liking.

Anyway, I’m going to try to track down more information on some of tonight’s favorites to share with Idol Chatter followers.

In the meantime, tonight’s Snarky Simon Awards.

Snarky Simon #1: Wow, Randy Jackson grew a mean streak. One auditioner pronounced himself ready to wow the judges. After all, he was a graduate of Idol Camp. Then he sang. Then Randy pronounced: “Maybe we should cancel the camp.”

Snarky Simon #2: It doesn’t even come from a judge. It doesn’t even come from a contestant. It came from a supporter of Jordan Dorsey. While Jordan performed, she chatted with Ryan Seacrest in the holding room. She looked down at him and pronounced: “You look tall on TV.”

Ouch.

Oh, and Jennifer, you’re forgiven for the crying and the goosebumps.

That visit with Paris Tassin’s daughter at the end of the show was a very nice touch.