Season 8: Audition Rounds Episode 1...and so it goes.

Well, American Idol took off with a bang Tuesday night as we invited a rare mixture of soulful singers and the hopelessly hopeful into our living rooms tonight for 2 hours of delightful entertainment.

I'm going to leave (most of) the bad auditions alone as they generally speak for themselves (bikini girl)...but here is a recap of the ones who made it tonight.


Emily Wynne-Hughes. A pink-haired,tattooed rocker girl, she belted Heart's Barracuda and sounded great. I know she has the "look" to make it to the top 36, and I really liked what I heard of her voice...time will tell.



J.B. Anfua. This kid had a very smooth, pop-ish voice. It was good enough to get him to Hollywood, but honestly, this style of singing is fading out. I don't expect to see much of him in the future.


Arianna Afsar. She was the absolutely adorable young girl who formed a program for teens to buddy up with seniors at their local senior center. Ariana sang "Put Your Records On", and she had a sweet voice. She was good, but I'm not sure that her voice is developed enough yet to make it all the way.

Let us pause for a moment to consider the pink cowgirl.


You know, the "16" year old who speaks like she's 40, and dresses like she's 11. Seriously, people...if you want to check her out (and I know you do)...feel free to visit her Myspace page. And yes, she is just as enamored with pink as she was on the show. www.myspace.com/leamariemusic




Stevie Wright. She was named after Stevie Nicks, but she was less "rock" and more "soul". She sang "At Last" by Etta James, and I thought she was very good. I loved her voice; I thought it had a nice, smokey quality to it. I'm hoping to see more of her in Hollywood Week. I think she's one of my favorites so far.


Michael Sarver. A big, burly, tough guy with a soft, sensitive voice. He sang "Thank You" by BoyzIIMen. I thought it was alright, but nothing we haven't seen before.



Brianna Quijada. Remember her? She was the bubbly girl who sang "Let's Hear it for the Boy", and when that wasn't good enough, attempted "Killing Me Softly". She was no good and she shouldn't have made it to Hollywood....I certainly hope that either she's a better singer than we got to hear, or that she doesn't make it past Hollywood Round 1.



Deanna Brown. She was the southern girl who was looking for a family to adopt her for her audition. I really thought she was going to be horrible, so I was pleasantly surprised when I heard her sing Otis Redding's "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay." Her voice is very soulful and warm. I don't know how far she'll go in the competition, but one thing's for sure: she's got Kellie Pickler beat already.



Cody Sheldon. The emo kid who liked making horror films. He sang "Wonderful World" by Jim Morrison. I thought his voice was...decent. I mean, he's a good singer, but his voice hasn't changed yet (David Archuleta)...I think he should have waited another year or two.


Alex Wagner-Thugman. Here we have a nerdier, funnier David Archuleta. He sang "Baby Come Back to Me" by James Ingram, and I thought he was good. I will tell you, though, his deadpan humor is much more entertaining to me than his voice.





And then we come to the montage of people singing Bon Jovi. I'm convinced that the judges are not actually present during the taping of these "performances."...if you notice (I'm sure they'll do another one tomorrow), the judges and the montage-singers are never shown together in the same shot during these things. I know that they film the singers doing their thing, and then edit in reactions of the judges from different times. It sort of insults me that they do that to the American viewing public. I'm officially annoyed for the first time this season.


Scott MacIntyre. Our final contestant was the inspirational story of the evening. Scott MacIntyre has been blind since birth, and he talked about how he has not allowed his blindness to inhibit him from the things he wants to do in life. He sang "And So It goes" by Billy Joel for his audition. I thought his voice was good, but in searching for photos, I came across his personal website. www.scottmacintyre.com Check it out for a better clue of what he's all about. Honestly, he's a little too Adult Contemporary for me, but his voice is gorgeous, his piano playing is even better...and I don't have a doubt in my mind that he will go far in this competition.

Tune in tonight night for a whole new round of auditions in Kansas City!

Currently Listening To: And So It Goes by Billy Joel

American Idol Season 8...Here I Go Again

Hello my fellow American Idol fans...

Season 8 premieres tonight, and I just wanted to get a head start on the whole blogging thing this year. I did this for the first time last season, with moderate success...and hopefully this season, with a dedicated blog specifically for all things American Idol, I'll be able to keep everyone up to date with Idol news, predictions, and recaps. I think last season we even did a couple of contests (with prizes!).

Here is how this will (tentatively) work:
I will at least post a recap for every week's Tuesday night episode of American Idol. In addition to these, I may occasionally post a blog including some commentary or predictions, news or contests.

You can participate as much or as little as you want to...You have the option of subscribing to my blog (an email will be sent to you each time a new entry is posted), or you can just check back when you feel like it.

You can also feel free to leave comments on any postings I make. You DO NOT need to have a blogger account to make comments on my blog. If you have questions about how to do this, feel free to ask me and I'll run you through it.

Season 8
So before Season 8 even begins, I have to tell you about some of the changes being made in efforts to enhance the show.

1. A Fourth Judge: Kara DioGuardi has joined the ranks as a 4th judge on American Idol this season. Personally, I think we could have done away with Paula (probably Randy, too, to be honest)...as Simon's opinion is usually the only one that's valuable..or makes sense, for that matter. Apparently, though, Ms. DioGuardi is like a female version of Simon, so I'll probably like her...we shall see.

2. Auditions: Producers have promised less of the freakish and stupid auditions (i.e. William Hung and people dressed up like the Statue of Liberty). Many people will not like this, as they live to see vulnerable people's dreams crushed on National Television....I for one, am excited about this change. I hate the audition rounds.

3. Hollywood Weeks (plural): Producers have also promised more coverage on the famous Hollywood week. We will get to know the contestants more than ever before during this coverage (which, I believe will last for 3 weeks this season). They are also bringing back the dreaded group performances, guaranteed to ensure a good deal of cat fights and high school drama.

4. No more top 24: The official American Idol season will begin with a Top 36, rather than a Top 24 as in previous seasons. This will eliminate the 50/50 split between males and females for the Top 12. I have been complaining about this since the beginning of season 3. I'm glad to see this change, and hopefully it will prove more fair. I think that the top 36 contestants will be split into 3 different groups, each of which will perform on one episode beginning some time in February. I think America will then narrow it down to a Top 12 based on these performances.

5. Wild Card: The Wild card vote is back. Judges will bring back 3 previously eliminated contestants from the original Top 36, for a second chance at the Top 12. I'm not exactly sure on all of the details of this change just yet, but hopefully more info. will come soon.

So, what do you think about the changes? Are you going to be tuning in to the Season Premiere tonight?

Currently Listening to: Here I Go Again by Whitesnake