S15.E02: Auditions #2

[MarkHB]

Auditions continue in Little Rock and San Francisco on Part Two of the two-night Season Premiere.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Nice touch playing Lauryn Hill's "To Zion" in the background of that mother's - La'Porsha's - audition.  That sent shockwaves through my entire body.  (After the audition, they played Sia's "Eye of the Needle", if anyone's interested in that stuff.)

 

 

I did not like or get La'Porsha's cover of "Creep" though.  I've heard a bazillion covers of that and that's gotta be the weirdest one.  Even weirder than Prince's.

Edited January 8, 2016 by Ms Blue Jay

[LexieLily]

Didn't that Brooke girl - the one that said sorry fifty zillion times - say in the producer interview she was from Phoenix but lives in Tulsa? When J.Lo asked her she said she was from Oklahoma. Lol

[Ms Blue Jay]

I like how Keith called out that girl for being drunk, because that's exactly what I was thinking.  Never expected a judge to actually say that.  

 

After 2 hours, all I remember is the girl with the light eyes who sang "Rise Up" by (I think) Andra Day.  I was brought to tears just as Keith was.

[riverheightsnancy]

Yeah, that Rise Up song was beautiful. The women are looking soooo strong this year. I loved the last girl tonight (the 15 year old Alicia Keyes type singer). She was wonderful. I think Keith is the most emotionally open and honest. There are several times tonight when he teared up. I super like him and I have never listened to his music ever, but he really seems to connect with music on a personal, intimate and honest way. I think that Keith's struggle with alcohol, makes him more attuned to others who are also using (at least in my professional experience), plus confronting someone else about their denial is often part of the process (in AA at least). 

 

One nitpick: I love JLo, but sometimes, just stop talking! She talks during some of the best auditions and I really want to HEAR them. She talked during the guy from the restaurant/farm. He was really talented and I wanted to hear him. 

 

As a HUGE Adam Lambert fan, I am only watching this year to see him again. My hands-down all time favorite non-winner along with Jennifer Hudson, Kimberly Locke, & Frenchie (we had BETTER see the "Divas" this season). 

[cmahorror]

I have to admit, I started crying at the last audition. My nephew is in the Army and currently on assignment overseas and I know he would be the same way if any one of his kids was doing something like this. Thank God she was actually really good.

 

Overall, very happy with the auditions and the producers decision not to highlight bad ones. I want to see talented singers getting good advice from knowledgeable people - not people shooting out crappy one liners and being mean. Got to admit - lost a lot of respect for Clay Aiken with his tantrum on Twitter. I believe that this is the best judging panel they have had.

[Tosia]

Awesome auditions! I m going to re-watch tomorrow cuz there were (mostly) such beautiful performances.

[mojoween]

That one girl with the super-fan family was horrifically loud. Painfully, even.

Jennifer said everyone would like Brooke? Nope. I found her too annoying for words, I don't care how pretty her voice is or how pretty she herself is. Stop apologizing!

[ramble]

When Keith gets teary-eyed my mushy heart starts to fall apart & I can become a ball of squish that has to speak in emoji. I've appreciated the lack of joke contestants so far. Crossing my fingers it continues.

[stcroix]

I came on here expecting everyone to be talking about how Harry dominated the show tonight, but it's not mentioned so maybe it just irritated me?  And I usually laugh at him, but the past two nights (and esp tonight) he was over the top hammy.  It's ALL about him.  The poor cop girl last night had to audition with the camera mainly on him squirming in his chair in such pain from the cuffs.  He was drapped around the guy playing the piano singing his heart out, etc.  (brain went numb)  I can totally sympathize with his teachers in the past who had little Attention Deficit Harry disrupting their classrooms!  (I'd probably be one of the kids laughing at him)  ( but now I just want to see the contestants and what they can do)  That's all.

[rustyspigot]

Rise up girl and piano man that Harry molested I still remember. And first guy with the owl eyes was thankfully decent.

 

So glad chicken girl got booted. Super fan screamer will get booted either off screen or in the first round of Hollywood.

 

Kris Allen is always nice to see. Holding babies, harmonizing with random people in bathrooms? Is he running for office? I'd vote for him.

 

Miss Alaska? No.

 

So we had what five declarations of the best audition ever in one episode? OK.

Edited January 8, 2016 by rustyspigot

[PhD-Purgatory15]

The WTF factor was strong in this episode.

 

I didn't get Brooke Sample. At all. How many sorry's did she pack in a 90 second pre-package? Her voice faded away in all the wrong places and her transitions to belting were rough. Kyrsti Joel(?) wasn't much better. Maybe 20% of that was tolerable....the rest was just screeching glory notes all over the map. Give me Billy Bob over either of those two, and that first kid Cameron too. His singing tone was seriously unpleasant. Daniel Farmer probably should go for his absolutely off-putting personality but there hasn't been much in the way of good R&B put forth so far....so i guess he can stay for now. I'd bet money that a Daniel and group round drama incident is going to be inevitable.

 

JLo heard Alicia Keyes in Tristan (the final auditioner)....I actually heard quite a bit of an up and coming country artist named Mickey Guyton (who song it turns out she was covering). Solid audition even w/out the tear jerker backstory, but if you look at the total number of non-montaged auditions we've seen in just the first two audition episodes, 15 year olds must make up a third or more. That can't bode well for the long term prospects of the season.

 

Liked Dalton the school of rock guy, and Malie the pageant/radio host girl from Alaska.

 

The GIRLS, GIRLS, GIRLS montage was interesting just for the translucent Ice cream scooper girl who had a real jazzy voice and the other girl who could've passed herself off as a long lost 4th member of HAIM.

 

Hey Jax minus 80 percent of the awful vocal affectations.....oh wait, you say your name is actually Olivia Rox? Well isn't that interesting.

 

I know I'm also supposed to like LaPorsha and the farmer/restaurant falsetto guy. Meh. I really didn't need to hear Creep glory noted to high hell and I could barely understand anything the Allen Stone guy sang. JLo's extra helping of faux-shock at a 4,000th example of the voice not matching the look didn't help matters either.

 

Probably forgot someone or three...

Edited January 8, 2016 by PhD-Purgatory15

[Ms Blue Jay]

Oh my god!  I forgot that I liked the guy who sang D'Angelo's "How Does it Feel".  I was majorly impressed by that.  "Why you so fine?" was kind of funny, but he wasn't super sexy and charming and funny or anything.  But I was blown away by that performance!  He copied how D'Angelo sings it but I was totally knocked out!  I did not expect any contestant to be able to pull off a song like that.

 

Daniel Farmer probably should go for his absolutely off-putting personality but there hasn't been much in the way of good R&B put forth so far....so i guess he can stay for now. I'd bet money that a Daniel and group round drama incident is going to be inevitable.

 

Is that who I'm talking about?  I never keep track of the names.  I hope he makes it far!

Edited January 8, 2016 by Ms Blue Jay

[looksee]

I got my horse for this season - Melanie Tierce. Such a smooth pure effortless voice.

[Rick Kitchen]

Cameron, the Cajun boy, sure seemed confident for 15.  He was entertaining, but I think not ready yet.

I can't stand people like Daniel Farmer. Too bad his voice was good.

Interesting interpretation of "Phantom of the Opera". Dalton Rappatoni could be popular among the teenie girls.

LaPortia has a beautiful voice. Sh didn't need to do the runs.

J-Lo moved to the end of the table so she wouldn't be next to the chicken.

Jeez, was there anybody in Arkansas that wasn't from a farm?

I was surprised Trent Harmon didn't go country.  But man, he was good.

"Sorry" girl was annoying as hell.

I bet "Olivia Rox" is not her real name. Damn, she was dragging.  I could have gone to sleep between phrases.

Is Jessica Clark a witch?

Loved Ameet Kanon.

Does Miss Alaska giggle like that when she's on the air?

Ugh, super fan family girl was awful.

The girl with the black and white checked shirt (Sarah whatever) was really annoying.  Get on with it.  Good Lord! Harry, you're an idiot.  She needed to leave. Harry seemed upset that the two other judges didn't agree with him.

Tristan's beautiful, and I liked her voice.

 

It's kind of funny that Clay Aiken is going to be on the show next week after his comments.

[Pogojoco]

I love me some D'Angelo, and Daniel Farmer did a credible job on that song. So he can stay for now.

 

La'Porsha and her hair and that BABY (!) and the use of "To Zion."  

 

Trent Harmon and his not country, very modern R&B was crazy. In a good way. "Was it okay?" And his girlfriend. Just....yeah. 

Edited January 8, 2016 by Pogojoco

[kili]

I thought it was funny how that Mom last night blamed her husband and baby for distracting the judges so she didn't get through. Tonight, JLo herself was trying to keep a baby happy while the baby coo'ed along at the judge's table. The contestant got through.

 

Then, Harry proceeded to act like a toddler on speed trying pull focus (climbing on contestants, walking out on contestants, giving us lectures on accents) and they were still letting contestants through.

 

I couldn't believe how rude Sarah was to Keith. Keith! The sweetest guy who has ever been on the panel. He asks her to clarify what she means and she snottily asks him if he has heard of Miranda Lambert? Was she high or just really stupid?

 

Totally impressed by Tristan and Trent. Interested in Melanie and Olivia. Might be interested in Dalton. Allergic to Daniel's personality.

[Snakelite]

I think the really good singers walk a fine line in the auditions. They don't just want to be put through, they want to be interesting enough to be showcased and be memorable. Daniel Farmer did that and now just needs to rehab his image in Hollywood. I hope he can because he was crazy talented and probably (fingers crossed) not as obnoxious as the persona he adopted suggests.

[niklj]

For some reason, this episode is the one that really hit home that it's the final season :( 
 
That montage of people who would not be able to "come back next year" wasn't as dramatic as it could've been, only because you know they could always end up going on The Voice or America's Got Talent. So many of these shows nowadays. 
 
Kris Allen is still as cute as ever and so is Lee--loved having them in the same episode!
 
Lots of memorable performances, although I wish they put their names up more. I'd like a performance and then forget the name of the actual singer afterwards.
 

I couldn't believe how rude Sarah was to Keith. Keith! The sweetest guy who has ever been on the panel. He asks her to clarify what she means and she snottily asks him if he has heard of Miranda Lambert? Was she high or just really stupid?

 

Seriously! So the end was cathartic as Keith just ripped into her, not even sugar-coating it as he told her that SHE was the one halting her performance, that she was responsible for an unprofessional audition. And then Harry just saying "OK bye, we have other people waiting." Ooh burn!

Edited January 8, 2016 by niklj

[Duke Silver]

Well, at least I have stumbled across a contestant to follow, at least until her eventual & unexplained departure during Hollywood week...  I found Tristan McIntosh to be very compelling, and not because of the touching reunion w/ her military Mom at the audition.  She seems extremely intelligent, with a lot to say, especially for a 15 y.o.  I also really like the texture to her tone.  There's a little bit of grit in there...it's not overly smooth & glassy, which tends to become boring to me over time.

[Primetimer]

American Idol heads to Little Rock and to San Francisco, where there are, apparently, some extremely impressive singers. And infants.

Read the story

[Wings]

It did not appear that Tristan's parents are still together.  They left that detail out but the proof was in mom and dad's reunion hug!   Nope.  She was is the best yet, for me.  

 

I was surprised to see Harry put Sara though.  Good thing JLo and Keith had their wits about them.  I think Keith was right, she had a drink or two.  

[kili]

They left that detail out but the proof was in mom and dad's reunion hug!

I suspect that Dad already knew she was coming and had probably already re-united. He just seemed to be acting surprised when she showed up in the audition room (and he's not a great actor). His sister (I'm guessing) seemed honestly surprised and was very warm with her SIL. 

[MrsMoltisanti]

Jax seems like a puff in a windstorm now after last night

[generate789]

Adam Lambert is probably my favorite Idol performer, but I will ogle Kris Allen like a mofo any time he is on my screen wearing a tight white T-shirt.

[waving feather]

Trent's voice is just so lovely but it's a pity JLo decided to freak out continuously while he was singing. And that production edited it in such a way that pulled focus from him.

Harry is out of control. His schtick is worse and 100 times more disrespectful than whatever the Voice coaches did in 9 seasons. Only he finds his jokes funny. Even JLo and Keith had to force themselves to laugh at them.

I agree that, that girl was way too rude to Keith without being provoked. I hope she was on drugs because if it's her sober self, it's even more unfortunate.

Edited January 9, 2016 by waving feather

[Tosia]

Offthegrid girl seemed to present herself as away from civilization, but she had enough modern stuff, that I call B.S. Although her song stylins were kind of hillbilly-ish, as was her personality. Don't think she will go far in the big city with the Minnie Pearl- type presentation. Meh.

Oh, and Jax who?

[ari333]

Who here are sleuths who can find out if Rox is that girl's given/"real" name? I agree that she is Jax 2.0 and I couldn't stand jax.

Edited January 8, 2016 by ari333

[TVFan17]

I'm very impressed with this year's female contestants.  I agreed with Harry on that -- most of them were so good it was as if there was no point in the judges even being there after a while.   It's got to be the 'it's now or never' element that is bringing out the talent -- this is the last shot to be on AI, so people are auditioning while they still can.  Of course, there is still The Voice that they can go to after AI ends, but AI is more iconic than The Voice -- and so many of the AI performers have actually gone on to do big things, while the performers of The Voice are mostly forgotten (thanks to how the record companies and people involved with the show handle them, from what Adam Levine has hinted at). 

 

The thing is, I wonder if all of these great singers from the auditions will stay great as the competition rolls on.  It seems like so many people start out so strong, and then their voices just fail or get weaker each week.  I will be interested to see who makes it through each phase.  Some of the singers I thought were what I call "audition great," but I can tell that they will not last too long in the competition.  The voices (or personalities) were not built for the long haul, but were perfectly fine for knock-it-out-of-the-park auditions.  Others seemed like they were already seasoned performers and would go far.

 

Right now, my favorite of the females is Olivia Rox, the girl who sang the Bruno Mars song at the piano -- the one whose dad is Warren Hill.  I can't even believe she is as young as she is, but she is adorable and I love her voice.  My opinion could easily change -- it has in the past -- but she really impressed me and stood out in my mind above many of the others.

 

I said this last year, but I really like this judging panel.  I like all of them in their roles on the show, individually and collectively.  I don't think their actual judging was the best 2 years ago -- well, I liked Harry's technical and honest approach to judging in the past, but this year he seems to be Nice Harry -- but they have gotten much better.  I like watching them have fun together, whether they are spontaneously singing a random tune, or making under-the-breath comments to each other, or throwing in an occasional comment about their personal lives.   I like the bromance.  I like Jennifer reclining on the desk.  I like the comments after the contestants walk out of the room.  I like the interaction.  It's all entertaining to me.  There are times when I wish they would pipe down and let me hear the singer, of course, but overall I like them and I am especially sad that this show is ending with a panel of judges that I can live with!  If AI had ended when Mariah and Nicki were on the panel and about to kill each other, I would have been okay with it!

 

I could tell that Keith zeroed right in on the apparent substance use issues with that one performer.  His eyes said everything as she was rambling and giving attitude.   He did not want to indulge her.  Now, to be fair, Harry and Jennifer have each been in the entertainment industry a long time, running in different circles, and I'm positive they too have seen and worked with their share of substance users and abusers, addicts, etc.  So it's not like they're blind or naive to that sort of thing.  I'm sure they could tell she was a bit tipsy right away too.  It's just that Keith's struggles with addiction are known (and have been talked about publicly in the past) -- whereas Harry and Jennifer have seemingly never had that problem.  It is a sore spot for him, and he seemed to be annoyed and losing patience.  He didn't want to let this girl waste another minute of their time when there were people waiting -- sober people, who were serious about wanting to have a shot at going to Hollywood.

Edited January 8, 2016 by Sherry67

[Wings]

I suspect that Dad already knew she was coming and had probably already re-united. He just seemed to be acting surprised when she showed up in the audition room (and he's not a great actor). His sister (I'm guessing) seemed honestly surprised and was very warm with her SIL. 

 

Good point.  But he was there with his daughter, away from home and it would have been difficult to step away and meet with her for any length of time.  Tristan is going to make it far so maybe we will hear more about it.   I am curious.  

Offthegrid girl seemed to present herself as away from civilization, but she had enough modern stuff, that I call B.S. Although her song stylins were kind of hillbilly-ish, as was her personality. Don't think she will go far in the big city with the Minnie Pearl- type presentation. Meh.

Oh, and Jax who?

 

I agree.  I didn't care for her style at all.  Big time, no, for me.   The headband and accessories were hideous.  I don't think she will make it out of Hollywood.  

 

I must have missed Jax.  Changed name, for sure.

[limecoke]

Well, I've watched this show from day one and so stopping now is not an option, even though I just cannot with Lopez anymore.  Thankfully, Keith makes up for that with his musical knowledge, dry wit and general awesomeness.  

 

Speaking of Keith, good on him for calling out that young woman who could barely begin or finish a song.  She had clearly been drinking or was impaired in some way.  For once, Miss Goosies make the clear choice to not give her a ticket to Hollywood.  Harry could have not been more wrong.  When one auditions for AI, one actually needs to SING, and she did not.  Had she been sent to H'wood, it would have been grossly unfair to other auditioners. 

 

Looks like it's shaping up to be a good season, but I say that every year and am usually disappointed.  These auditions, so far, have not disappointed because of Kris! Allen!!!  Loved him during his season, was ecstatic that he won and it's great to see him taking part in this final season.  

 

Shut up, Clay.

[marketdoctor]

 

It seems like so many people start out so strong, and then their voices just fail or get weaker each week.

 

I think it's the "box" phenomenon from years ago.  Some people have one song they can sing extremely well, but when they have to sing either from the short list of options (Hollywood Week) or a specific theme (voting rounds), they don't do nearly as well.  Others, especially some of the ones with great post-Idol careers, either have a broader range or can find a way to fit songs/themes to their style.  What makes AI interesting is finding out which are which.

 

I wonder if Apparently Drunk Girl was a high-functioning alcoholic using liquid courage to get through the stress, or took a more herbal route, or has a condition that makes her appear that way. Whatever it is, I hope this spurs her to get help; it seems like there's a good person with a lot of talent there.  (AI is probably not the organization that can help them.)

Edited January 8, 2016 by marketdoctor

[AwesomO4000]

I think my favorite so far is Brandyn, the guy who sang his original song at the piano and still kept his cool when Harry ninja-hugged him. I've heard a few original songs sung on American Idol auditions in the past, and this one was one of the best - if not the best - I remember hearing. A small few have been memorable*, but this one seemed like an actual song that I would like to hear on the radio.

 

* The main two that come to mind for me was that guy who did the "Pants on the Ground" song and my favorite original song until this one: Renaldo Lopez's "We're Brothers Forever" (maybe more popularly known as "You Are My Brother") that he sang to Simon, and that they - awesomely, in my opinion - had the USC marching band play and let Renaldo sing during the finale results episode. For anyone who has not seen that audition - which also features Paula at her quirky best - I recommend finding it on YouTube. The finale rendition is also worth a look.

Edited January 8, 2016 by AwesomO4000

[BogoGog24]

Dalton is one of my faves so far. I really liked what he did with his audition, flipping a well known song and making it his own. But I had known of him before because MJs had spoilers so they posted another video of his performing a song called "Superman" acoustically and I loved it so much, I downloaded it for my phone. He has a fantastic voice, much better actually than what his audition showed of him. He is one to watch for sure. And even though he is a ringer, having boyband experience, he is at least ready for what Idol has in store, unlike many of the 15 and 16 year olds they've packed into these 2 episodes so far. He is far more polished than most of the ones shown.

 

The girl whose family was obsessed with Idol - first of all, they were a bit borderline creepy with that and got quite annoying by the end of it. Second, she sounds like she actually has a great voice for a 15 year old, but she just doesn't know how to use her instrument. It's like a kid who just got a Ferrari but doesn't know how to drive. She is trying to showcase everything she can do all at once, thinking loud and high = good. No darling it does not. Dial it back about 50 notches and then we may have something. She was screaming my ears off and I can't believe none of the judges said anything about it.

 

I really liked the guy who Harry hugged. His original song sounded pretty good and he was quite cute. But man, I hated Harry hijacking that performance with one of his stupid and unfunny antics. It really distracted me from his performance. 

 

Farm boy that sounded like an R&B singer is a contender! But too bad JLo was wetting her panties through the whole thing, again another judge distracting from the performance. Ugh!

 

La'Porsha really reminded me of the glory days of seasons 3-6 with the diva singers like JHud, Melinda Doolittle, etc. It's too bad because, I think vocally she could make a great last winner, but I don't think she would be a marketable winner or sell a lot of records post-show a la Candice. 

 

The guy flirting with JLo did not appeal to me at all. If he dropped the creepy stalker act, he could be good. He has a strong voice, he doesn't need the douchey antics.

 

I'm not sure I'm quite on board with Olivia Rox (is that even her real name?) and Tristan. Both are quite talented for their ages and were some of the standouts of the night, but I don't know if they are as good as the hype is making them out to be. I thought each had passable but not necessarily amazing voices. Tristan's mom at the end made me emotional though.

 

I was a bit distracted when that girl with the bright eyes and Harry sat down was on but I didn't get the fuss over her either. I'll have to watch again because maybe I missed something.

 

I quite liked Miss Alaska. She is very pretty but not in a fembot, threatening type of way and I really liked her raspy voice. Reminded me a bit of Lauren Alaina, who I loved back in season 10 and still love. The only thing I didn't like was her rapping, which honestly stunk to high heaven. But thankfully this is a singing competition.

 

The "apologist" girl got annoying after about 2 minutes. I liked her self-deprecating attitude, as JLo said, but she needs to be careful of not overdoing it or else it just looks phony. She does need to have some more confidence if she expects to make it far in the competition. Zero confidence is just as unattractive as overconfidence.

 

Ok, Keith has been my favorite judge since his first season and to be honest is probably my favorite judge the show has ever had. I just love that, majority of the time (he has his cringe moments like the other judges) he seems so happy to just be there and really appreciate his job and I love how he gets into the music. And sometimes he might indulge a little too much (singing along with some of the contestants) but I find him way less distracting and attention hogging than JLo or especially Harry.

 

God damn I can't stand Harry! I liked him ok in his first season when he actually cared about giving honest critiques to those who really needed to hear it. But then he became soft, I think he's taking the piss out of it on purpose and not trying to actually give good critiques. Even JLo I think gives better and more astute comments than he does. Harry just hogs way too much attention, to the point that he distracts from the contestant's performances and I DESPISE that. His antics are completely stupid and not funny, just disrespectful, annoying, and unprofessional. I couldn't believe it when he really wanted to send the drunk girl to Hollywood, even though she had barely sung anything!

 

I'm so glad JLo and especially Keith reeled that one back in and told her no. What the hell was Harry thinking? Why would you send someone to Hollywood, arguably the most challenging and cut throat portion of the competition, when she couldn't even remember more than 2 lines of a song? And when he tried to blame it on the judges, saying they were distracting her, I almost threw something at my TV! Thank God for Keith, I just floved his not taking any of that BS and shutting it right down by saying it was HER fault that SHE came unprepared for the audition. You go Keith!

[susannot]

Watching on DVR because I forgot about Audition#2 on Thursday.  Really appreciate post above as I have been using it as a guide to watch.. So far, only contestant I feel moved to comment about is Brooke, aka apology girl  She has a really beautiful voice--so stop apologizing, gurl!  Also liked Darron (?)  Billie Jo Armstrong lookalike.

 

Other girl sounds like a young Sarah Maclachan..  Very lovely except it makes me feel guilty for not donating enough.

 

Gretchen Wilson girl--don't like her but I bet she will go far.

Edited January 9, 2016 by susannot

[auntlada]

She is trying to showcase everything she can do all at once, thinking loud and high = good. No darling it does not.

 

What are you talking about? If there's one thing I've learned from Idol (and I'm not sure there is) it's that loud is the new good. I have the T-shirt that says so.

[bluepiano]

Trent Harmon and his not country, very modern R&B was crazy. In a good way. "Was it okay?" And his girlfriend. Just....yeah. 

 

Wish J Lo had shut up enough so I could've actually heard him. I liked what little I did hear. Wasn't clear on his personal story, though. Sounds like he doesn't really live on the ranch anymore, and is out pursuing music? (Hence the girlfriend).

 

Please, no more people bringing babies on stage. It always feels to me like a contrived bid for sympathy or screen time. (Chickens are okay, though).

 

"Olivia Rox" bored me. The idea that you prove you're an artist by singing really slowly is a specialty on these shows of  teenaged girls with streaked hair. She also made me want the winner to be some poor kid from the stix, instead of a rich girl who grew up with all the advantages. And since Harry asked her what she learned from her musician father, it proves once and for all that the judges are briefed about the contestants in advance.

 

I liked Brandyn. His singing, songwriting, and piano playing. It all came together. Even with Harry being a jerk.

 

I liked both Ameet Kanon and Melanie Tierce. But you know what?  Even with all the supposedly super talented girls, I bet you three of the last four contestants standing are WGWGs.

Edited January 9, 2016 by bluepiano

[BogoGog24]

Yes I hate the baby schtick too. I get the feeling people bring them so their audition becomes memorable enough/stands out enough to be aired. Or they think the judges will ooh and ahh over the cuteness so much they'll give them a ticket. If it were me (being a judge) I would actually think the opposite way and wonder if the person is cut out for Hollywood when they have a young baby to take care of. I kind of tend to think once you have children that pursuing music as a full time career, especially in that kind of industry, is not the best nor most realistic idea.

The judges have applications in front of them for each contestant who comes in. So they even already know the name before they even walk in. It was never exactly a secret, you can clearly see a lot of the time they're looking at a paper in front of them and reading off it.

[drafan]

 

 

I liked Brandyn. His singing, songwriting, and piano playing. It all came together. Even with Harry being a jerk.

 

 

I got "fake John Mayer" vibe so heavily from this kid that I couldn't see past it. (Can't stand the copy-cats, which is why I couldn't take one second of fake Dave Matthews / P2.)

 

I wouldn't have remembered a few of the returning Idols until they resurrected them for us. And Clay??? I don't know what to say except "Go Away".

 

Love how Idol plasters the faces of the big money-makers on the boards in the audition room. This should tell the kids something right there.

[Wings]

The auditions would be boring without some judge antics, for me.  We will get to see those who made it through sing in Hollywood.  There are plenty of opportunities for that.  I like all three of them.  

[BogoGog24]

There's the occasional judge antic/interaction with the contestant to make an interesting and memorable audition (Michael Simeon last year dancing with JLo) and there's Harry constantly needing to do something that distracts from the contestant's performance. My issue is that he does it multiple times per episode, the handcuffs skit, wrapping his arms around piano guy, walking away to go sit in a chair while blue eyed girl sang.... It's just distracting and rude. I remember there were a few incidents last year as well, I think it was the first guy who came in to audition and Keith and Harry were talking over him while he sang. Antics, reactions, or interactions to make it fun and memorable are fine in my book, but anything that completely pulls the focus away from the contestant is not.

Edited January 9, 2016 by BogoGog24

[auntlada]

Yes I hate the baby schtick too. I get the feeling people bring them so their audition becomes memorable enough/stands out enough to be aired. Or they think the judges will ooh and ahh over the cuteness so much they'll give them a ticket. If it were me (being a judge) I would actually think the opposite way and wonder if the person is cut out for Hollywood when they have a young baby to take care of. I kind of tend to think once you have children that pursuing music as a full time career, especially in that kind of industry, is not the best nor most realistic idea.

 

That's what I kept thinking about the parents who auditioned together. Who was going to take care of the baby while they were on the show? I think you're right about pursuing music as a career with young children. You really need a very supportive family to take care of your kids while you're gone, but they are still your kids, and you're going to miss things you can't get back, and they're going to miss you. It might be possible, but it's hard, and it's going to affect your relationship with your kids and possibly affect them in bad ways. (Ask all the kids who grew up in Hollywood with actor parents. Some turned out OK, but there are a lot of stories of kids who didn't.)

[Adusk81]

Whole lot of great talented girls here that are gonna get beaten by a mediocre white guy

[stcroix]

Yes I hate the baby schtick too. I get the feeling people bring them so their audition becomes memorable enough/stands out enough to be aired. Or they think the judges will ooh and ahh over the cuteness so much they'll give them a ticket. If it were me (being a judge) I would actually think the opposite way and wonder if the person is cut out for Hollywood when they have a young baby to take care of. I kind of tend to think once you have children that pursuing music as a full time career, especially in that kind of industry, is not the best nor most realistic idea.

The judges have applications in front of them for each contestant who comes in. So they even already know the name before they even walk in. It was never exactly a secret, you can clearly see a lot of the time they're looking at a paper in front of them and reading off it.

Bringing the babies to the audition..... bleaaach.  Total sympathy ploy.  Who was it, Fantasia?, who had her little girl in the audience and production made sure she was shown over and over, even handing a flower to Fantasia once?  Once was enough.  I guess now they felt they had to ramp it up to bringing infants on their hips-- or even getting JLo  (JLO!) to hold them while they sing!  What I wouldn't have given if that baby had puked right there on the table!  Poor little things.  You know these people have someone to take care of these children while they audition because they obviously have a plan in place in case they get through to Hollywood!  In fact, I'm sure there's a grandmother hidden from the camera waiting out in the hall whose expected to be given the baby as soon as possible.  (if life in other places is like it is in the area I live in, anyway)  I'm sick of all the personal stories, I just want a singing competition!!  (cranky old person shaking her fist over here)

[bluepiano]

Didn't that Brooke girl - the one that said sorry fifty zillion times - say in the producer interview she was from Phoenix but lives in Tulsa? When J.Lo asked her she said she was from Oklahoma. Lol

 

Yes. I couldn't decide if she was that much of a ditz or playing a character to try to get air time. Which, if that's the case, certainly worked.

 

The judges have applications in front of them for each contestant who comes in. So they even already know the name before they even walk in. It was never exactly a secret, you can clearly see a lot of the time they're looking at a paper in front of them and reading off it.

 

But it seems to me that in the past, the judges would ask leading questions, as if trying to maintain the illusion that they're judging solely on performance with no prior knowledge.  Like in this case, a judge would say, "so, did you grow up around music," and the girl would say, "well, yes, actually my father is Warren Hill, the saxophonist." I like it better this way. More honest.

 

Finally saw the rest of the episode on DVR. The girl from the Idol-obsessed family made my ears bleed. As did La Portia and the dude who through he was Mr. Smooth hitting on JLo. All obviously have good voices, but I just don't like the shouting and excessive runs. I also thought the guy bordered on being creepy and offensive, even grinding his hips. To me, it's really unprofessional when there are three judges and you totally ignore two of them.

 

The kid who opened the show had lots of technical issues which no one mentioned, because he seemed like a nice young man and they didn't want to hurt his feelings. That's how you end up with a Daniel Seavey. Unless the judges maintain standards, when it gets to the fan voting all bets are off.

Edited January 9, 2016 by bluepiano

[niklj]

I got "fake John Mayer" vibe so heavily from this kid that I couldn't see past it. (Can't stand the copy-cats, which is why I couldn't take one second of fake Dave Matthews / P2.)

 

Haha, as much as I like Brandyn (and P2 for that matter), he did remind me a lot of John Mayer. Not that for me it was necessarily a bad thing.

[PhD-Purgatory15]

One week in and we've seen at least a portion of 29 successful auditions. 30 if you count Kanye. The breakdown from youngest to oldest:

 

Boys

 

1.) Cameron Richard (Cajun kid who overcame a cleft palate, 15)

2.) Lee Jean (Daniel Seavey 2.0?, 15)

3.) Josiah Siska (Deep voiced Johnny Cash fan, 17)

4.) Dalton Rapattoni (Alt guy with an alt-take on Phantom of the Opera, 19)

5.) Daniel Farmer (Cocky D'Angelo singing JLo seducer, 24)

6.) Kerry Courtney (Dark and Brooding emo guy, 24)

7.) Trent Harmon (Fakeout R&B singer from a farm, 24)

8.) Brandyn Burnette (Survived mid-audition assault by HCJ, 25)

9.) Joshua Wicker (Franken-WGWG and a new Dad, 25)

10.) Jordan Sasser (Self-proclaimed Celine Dion fan/Controversial husband, 27)

11.) Kory Wheeler (Returning auditionee, we heard a snippet of Bennie and the Jets, 27)

 

Girls

 

1.) Jeneve Rose Mitchell (Off the grid cello girl, 15)

2.) Krysti Joel (The anointed Idol super family spawn, 15)

3.) Michelle Marie (The anointed Idol super fan, 15)

4.)Tristan McIntosh (Biracial country singer w/ an Army Mom, 15)

5.) Olivia Rox (AGT reject/A less affected Jax/Musical family, 16)

6.) Ameet Kanon (Probably should audition for HAIM, 18)

7.) Kayla Mickelsen (Ivory skinned jazz chanteuse, 18)

8.) Laurel Wright (Returning country singer/heard a snippet of Follow Your Arrow, 19)

9.) Malie Delgado (Former Miss Alaska and X Factor reject, 20)

10.) Sonika Vaid (Gorgeous Indian American w/ a pure pop voice, 20)

11.) Melanie Tierce (Maybe this year's Katherine Winston?, 21)

12.) La'Porsha Renae (Single Mom/Official hair of AI's farewell season, 22)

13.) Shelbie Z (Country reject from the Voice, 23)

14.) Lindita (Weight loss transformation/New fitness trainer from Kosovo, 26)

15.) Brooke Sample (Overwhelmed and overly apologetic waitress, 28)

16.) Jessica Clark (Blink and you missed her #1 w/ an interest in dressing like a witch, ??)

17.) Reanna Molinaro (Cop who handcuffed HCJ, ??)

18.) Shevonne Philidor (Blink and you missed her #2 w/ washboard abs, ??)

Edited January 11, 2016 by PhD-Purgatory15

[Snakelite]

PhD Purgatory15, thanks so much for your contestant breakdown. I can never remember their names and you helped me to picture each one of them in incredibly succinct, accurate descriptions. Bravo! I know I'll be looking at your list for reference again and again. Don't stop now, there are many more to come!

[Lonesome Rhodes]

HCJ - "Little Rock showed up."

 

Me - Too bad Ryan couldn't have bothered to show up.

 

I would love to see HCJ when he auditions for a show HE is putting together.  I'm so sure he would be all understanding when someone couldn't even sing 64 measures of a song.  It's a sad, sad, day when the original Dog proves out to be a better jidge.  At least he had standards.

[Qoass]

 

La'Porsha really reminded me of the glory days of seasons 3-6 with the diva singers like JHud, Melinda Doolittle, etc. It's too bad because, I think vocally she could make a great last winner, but I don't think she would be a marketable winner or sell a lot of records post-show a la Candice.

 

Ah, but wouldn't she blow doors off of Broadway...

 

By the way it was Nicki McKibbon from season one (or the producers) who started the "child-as-prop" thing and was presented with a flower by her son on one episode.