Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Twenty-one contestants got golden tickets from American Idol during Tuesday’s Los Angeles audition episode. By my count, we met five.

Two we didn’t meet — rather, weren’t reintroduced to — Frankie Jordan and Rose Flack.

Remember them? Both auditioned in Salt Lake last year and earned golden tickets.

Rose was the pretty blond with the most unfortunate of backgrounds. Her dad died when she was 13; her mom was in a car crash and died when Rose was 15.

When we met Rose, she was living with her best friend’s family, proclaiming the last year “the best of her life.”

Alas, in Hollywood, she became a member of Team Diva. Now, you certainly remember Team Diva. Other members included Katrina Darrell (better known as Bikini Girl) and Jasmine Murray.
Well, Team Diva derailed during the group number, and Katrina and Rose became Hollywood casualties.

Rose has continued singing. After Idol, she was performing and speaking as part of r5 Productions, which provided motivational assemblies for high school students. That’s according to her MySpace music page, which is without music at present.

In the Hollywood video she made last year, she said she doesn’t have a favorite type of music. “I don’t like to put myself in a box,” she said.

Rose said she sings for her mom, who was a singer herself at one point, but gave up her pursuit of music to devote herself to her family.

She decided to audition again this year “to prove myself and to show America I’m not giving up.”

The last time Idol viewers saw Frankie Jordan, she was scowling as she left the judges’ mansion. With a spot in the season eight Idol semifinals on the line, she’d just lost a sing-off with Jesse Langseth.

Immediately after Idol, Frankie announced the birth of Frank Rogers Must Live, a musical collaboration with Jamar Rogers — Danny Gokey’s good friend for those who recall the early episodes of season eight. The two planned to release a single called “Reflections.”

Within a month, that partnership was over. In a MySpace blog, Jamar said he and Frankie “amicably split so that we may each pursue solo careers.”

Frankie’s back, vowing to make sure her personality shines through on her second try at American Idol. She says she tried out again in part to show her young daughter how one should keep trying for the things they love.

Unlike Rose, Frankie’s not a newcomer to the music business. She released two singles under Curb Records — “Once Again” in 2006 and “Hot Girl” in 2007. You can still hear “Once Again” on her MySpace page, along with a song called “Beautiful World.”

Will the second time in Hollywood work out better for Frankie or Rose?

We’ll find out next week. That’s when Idol’s Hollywood episodes begin.
Meanwhile, since we didn’t see them Tuesday night, here are the clips from their season eight auditions.

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