S16.E02: Auditions

[MarkHB]

Quote

American Idol” heads to New York, Savannah, Los Angeles and New Orleans as the search for America’s next superstar continues on its new home on America’s network, The ABC Television Network.

[mtlchick]

So are they positioning Katy Perry as the next Bachelorette with Luke being her twangy hype man?

[pezgirl7]

I thought there were some better prospects tonight compared to last night. I really liked shy, country boy, Laine. I thought he sounded like Ryan Bingham, and actually looked a bit like him too!

Edited March 13, 2018 by pezgirl7
Fixed typo

[nutty1]

I watched it for the first time tonight. There were a few good prospects. I liked that country boy also. And that one girl with the long curly hair. She had a really pretty voice. The last guy was so sweet. What a great smile and such courage. 

[RedSoxRock]

I’m still not sure about how these judges are going to work out. Katy Perry is making a fool of herself drooling over these young guys. And in fact all of them seem to comment more on the contestants looks than their voices.

[Mu Shu]

I sort of like Katy Perry, but her comments range from borderline sexual harassment to ignorant.  No Katy, curly hair is not exclusively a Cuban or Latino thing.  

[Annber03]

Okay, I won't lie, that last audition got me all teary-eyed, too. Aw :).

Agreed on the country kid. I certainly didn't expect that voice from him! Also liked the guy who'd auditioned years before for "Idol" coming back for another shot to go farther. Some pretty decent picks in general tonight, really. 

[stcroix]

Some better contestants tonight but waaaaaaaay too much back story.  And way too much judges reactions and comments.  It's cute a couple of times but I'm glad I dvr-ed this thing tonight so I could ff through most of it.  I feel like with the way it's being filmed that it's totally a manufactured show :(  I think the contestants are real and honestly trying their best, but editing, the sentimental background music and the make-you-want-to-cry backstories are getting old.  Makes me want to head over to youtube to check out the first couple of seasons just to remember how it used to be... 

[PhD-Purgatory15]

YMMV of course, but being disappointed in the over-reliance on backstory packages on AI is like being disappointed when a certain number of American Ninja Warrior contestants fall in the water each episode. Backstories (love them or hate them) have been a fundamental part of every AI audition season since Season 1.

That being said, I definitely liked some of the auditioners tonight. Laine was particularly interesting and has to be an early frontrunner to make the Top 10 or 12. Rissa and Gabii were also very good. The last guy while good, I feel like he may take a Top whatever spot from a more deserving singer we probably haven't met yet.

I'm still trying to process the Venezuelan dancer/singer.

Edited March 13, 2018 by PhD-Purgatory15

[Silver Raven]

I really like that Banners song "Everything, Everything" they use to accompany the show.

Does anybody know how many cities the actual judges went to?

The annoying girl who screeched when Ryan hugged her (can't say I blame her) was ... okay.

Damn, 15-year-old Griffin Tucker was soooo good.

Casanova was really good.

Do NOT come in and try to take over the show, Miss Venezuela. "You're not annoying."  I beg to differ.

The Ukrainian guy was annoying.

Brandon Diaz tried out for X Factor when he was 16, and made it through the judging round.  He also tried out for The Voice, but didn't get a chair turn around. But he's very good.

Katy was funny with the Trevor guy. But she's got a hot boyfriend, she doesn't need him.

Bayou boy has a hover board.  Okay.  I guess they know who's going through to the judges already, so they know whom to visit at home. 

Didn't like Autumn Woods.

Gabbii Jones's spelling of her name is a little twee, but I liked her.

Blatant Macys' ad is blatant.

Interesting take on "Don't You Worry Child".  I love the original, and I liked this.

Oklahoma girl got a little high pitched there.

Get. on. with. it.  Don't care about this kid's grandma.

They're trying to convince the contestants not to play their guitars.  I think they're hoping they don't get a WGWG.

[niklj]

I highly enjoyed this episode. Good contestants, judges that don't mind saying no, and some really funny segments.

[Silver Raven]

2 hours ago, RedSoxRock said:

I’m still not sure about how these judges are going to work out. Katy Perry is making a fool of herself drooling over these young guys. And in fact all of them seem to comment more on the contestants looks than their voices.

Oh, come on, they've been doing this from the very beginning.

[Mystery]

I really liked Laine and Brandon, I think it was. I liked the last guy; I don't know if his voice is good enough to go very far, but he's come a long way and I hope this will give him some exposure. 

I'd rather have seen a few more singers than seen Katy drool over guys. 

I, too, am tivoing and fast forwarding through things. I think it would kill me to watch this live. 

[LoveLeigh]

I am just not liking this new version a tall... it seems just so done. 

[Suzysite]

I know others have issues with the amount of time spend on judges' reactions, etc, but I find myself smiling through this auditions process for the first time, probably ever.  I used to be so bored with it and couldn't wait for auditions to be over with.   They'll get on to more serious singing in Hollywood and onward, but for now I'm just going to sit back and enjoy a bit of fun and silliness.

Edited March 13, 2018 by Suzysite

[rasalas]

Quote

Bayou boy has a hover board.  Okay.  I guess they know who's going through to the judges already, so they know whom to visit at home. 

Some of those home visits are done after they've already seen the judges and made it to Hollywood.

[Daniellj]

Katy Perry is flaky and not in a fun, nice way!  If a man acted the way she does, they would be seen as sexually harassing contestants!    She has always been weird, and she seems to have no boundaries at all.   She also is not a great singer.

[LisainCali]

I’m out.  I think the selection of the judges is pretty bad.  You’ve got 3 people who are known for being “very nice” which makes for a snooze fest at parties and on TV.  Someone is going to have to be the a-hole, imho.  Guess it will be Katy, if she’s willing to be BitchKitty.

Youve got amazingly talented and successful judges on The Voice, but I don’t believe they’ve produced a superstar, ever.  AI sure did because of Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson.  They made a great living prior to AI finding talent and shaping them into stars.  Paula brought the crazy ?, along with some of the contestants.  

So far I hate this show and have only been able to watch half of Episode 1 and 2.  

[eyelash]

My favorite thing so far is to watch the guy playing piano -- he has absolutely no poker face.  His expressions are priceless whether the singer warbles out a sour run, or surprises him by hitting it right on.  He's been more fun to watch than most of the contestants.

[AnnieHeights]

I enjoyed this one better than Sunday night's episode.  The judges didn't bother me as much.  This is probably unpopular but I thought Katy was adorable with her "crush" on dreamboat, I get where if the gender roles were reversed you could argue it would be considered inappropriate but it seemed to be in good fun and everyone was in on it (well maybe not the girlfriend ;-) ).  I liked the shy dark haired boy, Gabii was a better performer (to me) than singer but I liked her.  The guy at the end really got me....Griffin was awesome as well.           

[niklj]

Anyone else have "oo-wee-oo-wee-oo-wow wow wow bombo" stuck in their head today?

Edited March 13, 2018 by niklj

[Ohwell]

Never mind.

Edited March 13, 2018 by Ohwell
Moved post to judges thread

[WhineandCheez]

Lionel Ritchie must have a portrait oh himself in the attic, aging.  At 68 he looks better than in the 1980's when he was big.

[marketdoctor]

I liked that they're focusing more on auditions that get through, with just enough of the others that there's some suspense; including some that were good, but maybe didn't pick the right song (like the woman from Texas who sang Bonnie Raitt). 

As others have noted, the backstories have always been there, though in the last few seasons, they've added more, which makes me how many others also time-shift it so I can fast-forward to the singing.  (Getting interested in someone I can't vote for is too frustrating to bother with, but I wish them well.)

[slasherboy]

18 hours ago, RedSoxRock said:

I’m still not sure about how these judges are going to work out. Katy Perry is making a fool of herself drooling over these young guys. And in fact all of them seem to comment more on the contestants looks than their voices.

I agree 100% about KP making a fool of herself drooling over these young guys.  If the men did it, the world would explode. Knock it off.  (let's see if she heard me)

 

16 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

I think they're hoping they don't get a WGWG.

Ok, I'm probably the only one who doesn't know what WGWG is.  Would you please 'splain it to me?  Thanks!

 

2 hours ago, WhineandCheez said:

Lionel Ritchie must have a portrait oh himself in the attic, aging.  At 68 he looks better than in the 1980's when he was big.

He was on "The View" or "The Talk", can't remember which, today and was hilarious!  I like him a lot.

Never have been a fan of AI but watched it these past 2 nights, sort of (it was on) but I'm probably out.  Although I liked Bayou Boy and may watch just for him.  I noticed he was barefooted a lot and was hoping he'd go on stage without shoes.

[orangekit]

19 hours ago, Mu Shu said:

I sort of like Katy Perry, but her comments range from borderline sexual harassment to ignorant.  No Katy, curly hair is not exclusively a Cuban or Latino thing.  

There is a blind item that is obviously Katy:

”They are trying to ignore it, but there were several times already where this A list singer showed up wasted to a reality gig.”

 

I am not surprised. Then again , Paula was wasted for years on AI, but times have changed , and coming onto boys when you are in your 30’s is a big problem now!  Paula had her scandal with the young guy and everyone ignored iit , now Disney would be in a mess with her and Ryan and sexual harassment allegations ! 

[sharifa70]

1 hour ago, slasherboy said:

Ok, I'm probably the only one who doesn't know what WGWG is.  Would you please 'splain it to me?  Thanks!

White Guy With Guitar.

See: Kris Allen, Lee DeWyze, David Cook, Phillip Phillips, Nick Fradiani, et.al.

[Ladyrain]

18 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

They're trying to convince the contestants not to play their guitars.  I think they're hoping they don't get a WGWG.

They're not the only ones. 

Show really unleashed a monster when they allowed instruments.

[slasherboy]

20 minutes ago, sharifa70 said:

White Guy With Guitar.

See: Kris Allen, Lee DeWyze, David Cook, Phillip Phillips, Nick Fradiani, et.al.

Gotcha.

7 minutes ago, Ladyrain said:

Show really unleashed a monster when they allowed instruments.

How so?

[Ladyrain]

2 minutes ago, slasherboy said:

Gotcha.

How so?

Because once that began, the parade of so-so male singers strumming guitars became the winners.  I believe the prevailing thought was that the 'tween girls were voting for the 'cute' WGWG.  It's sadly ironic, since the two biggest, most successful Idol winners are Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood.

[Ms Blue Jay]

22 hours ago, RedSoxRock said:

I’m still not sure about how these judges are going to work out. Katy Perry is making a fool of herself drooling over these young guys. And in fact all of them seem to comment more on the contestants looks than their voices.

She is fucking awesome, I love her.

She's not like Kara where it was so creepy and horrible , and she's not like J.Lo where she hates women. I Love it.  I love Katy.  I'm a KatyCat.  

21 hours ago, PhD-Purgatory15 said:

YMMV of course, but being disappointed in the over-reliance on backstory packages on AI is like being disappointed when a certain number of American Ninja Warrior contestants fall in the water each episode. Backstories (love them or hate them) have been a fundamental part of every AI audition season since Season 1.

 

Agree with you!  

I'm really enjoying myself.  The editors are HILARIOUS - WONDERFUL use of Lionel and Diana Ross's "Endless Love" - and I am loving all 3 of the judges!  I'm so happy my show is back.  Now that I'm finished the episode I have to admit that it was really , really , really long but I guess because I didn't watch it live I was able to FF.

By coincidence I went to both a Lionel and a Katy concert in the past year.  After Katy's I'm a solidified fan.  I love her now, and her album "Witness".  Lots of 90s-ish dance hits, so basically, my bread and butter.  And I have an immense, newfound respect for Lionel.  His fans are craaaaaaaazy and love the man so much.  He's still just an amazing performer.  So much endless energy.  He was fantastic.  And, obviously, he has hits for eons.  He put on a better show than much younger artists I've seen.  If you have  a chance, I'd recommend seeing Lionel in concert!

Edited March 14, 2018 by Ms Blue Jay

[Babalooie]

11 hours ago, Daniellj said:

If a man acted the way she does, they would be seen as sexually harassing contestants! 

I'm thinking that perhaps the auditions were taped before the "Me, Too" movement went viral.  I just read that it actually began in 2006, but wasn't on the radar until recently.

[BogoGog24]

Just got done watching the episode. I think the overall quality of the contestants was better this episode than Sunday's, but it didn't interest me as much. There were a lot of southern and/or cute boys with guitars that kind of all blended together for me after awhile. There was no one here who particularly wowed me, except for one person who was shown only briefly in a montage.

Mara Justine - She is a bit extra and could stand to tone some things down a bit, but she has a generally good voice. She is too young to know her identity as an artist though. I felt like she was definitely imitating singers like Christina and Rihanna. She needs to work on finding her own voice. I won't be surprised if she wins though, she is young, pretty, and bubbly and fits well with the Disney image.

Out of the montage of Andrew Weaver, Griffin blonde hair 7,000 year old boy, and Braces Girl, I liked Griffin and Braces best. Didn't care for Andrew, don't remember him but I remember thinking he wasn't anything special. Griffin was the one who intrigued me the most and I wish we could have seen a full audition from him. I'm interested to hear more from him, it's so interesting that his voice is so deep for 15. And Braces had a very strong voice.

Casanova feet guy - I'm not sure what to think about his personality, I can't tell if he knows he's in on the joke or not. Aside from his kind of cocky personality, he has a generally good voice. Maybe not unique though.

Latin dance girl - I wouldn't have put her through to be honest and I'm not sure why the judges did either. I honestly thought she was a joke contestant. Contrary to what the judges thought, I didn't think she had a good voice at all. And she was dancing more than singing, it's a singing competition. I think they put her through because she's hot. Hopefully in future rounds she will show off more of her actual voice. I disagree with Katy, I found her annoying.

Ukraine guy - I actually kind of liked that song but I knew they wouldn't put him through. The thing is, it's kind of stupid they said no to him just because of the song but put through Latin dancing girl even though she seemed like a schtick.

Brandon Diaz - He goes to Berklee so clearly he's very good. His audition was proficient. He's good looking. But I don't know that there's anything exactly unique about him or interesting. He's fine, but doesn't really do it for me enough to root for him. And can that freaking Allen Stone song be banned already?

Hot Construction Guy - I didn't think he was all that hot or that good of a singer. Just alright. Fodder.

Laine Hardy southern alligator boy - He reminds me of Scotty McCreery with his good ol southern boy charm and honestly if he had a slightly different haircut, I think he'd even look like him too, like his face looks exactly like young Scotty lol He's interesting and many have named him a favorite of the night. Need to see more I think, but I'm interested in him. He needs to quit mumbling though.

Bonnie Tyler wannabe - What was that?! It sounded like some really bad impersonation of Bonnie Tyler or something.

Gabbii make my dream come true in 30 days - She needs to dial it back some and I kind of didn't care for her voice. She has a good look, but I think needs some work on the vocals and presentation.

Cameron original song guy - His original song was pretty good. But he's horribly generic and not memorable at all. Fodder.

Thaddeus season 9 returnee - Good for him for returning and losing all that weight. His voice is really good. Hope he makes it far.

Furniture store girl - Her voice is good, drop the guitar. 

Garrett grandma guy - His grandmother is really sweet. Seems like a really nice, down to earth kid. Also reminds me of Scotty in that way. I really wanted to like him because he's good looking and nice, but I just didn't care for his voice. It had this odd Kermit the Frog throaty kind of tone that wasn't pleasant. It almost sounded put on or something. Maybe further in the season he'll get better. He reminded me of Trent Harmon because he looks country but sings R&B (though not nearly as good a singer as Trent). 

Paralyzed guy - Nice story but average vocals/audition. I didn't get the tears either.

One thing I'm not liking concerning the judges is how they all always agree with each other, it's either all yeses or all nos. 

[Annber03]

3 minutes ago, BogoGog24 said:

Bonnie Tyler wannabe - What was that?! It sounded like some really bad impersonation of Bonnie Tyler or something.

Her voice reminded me of the way Jack from "Will & Grace" would impersonate Cher. I kept thinking of the way he would sing, "If I could turn back time" during the audition :p. 

[Tanichka]

15 minutes ago, BogoGog24 said:

Latin dance girl - I wouldn't have put her through to be honest and I'm not sure why the judges did either. I honestly thought she was a joke contestant. Contrary to what the judges thought, I didn't think she had a good voice at all. And she was dancing more than singing, it's a singing competition. I think they put her through because she's hot. Hopefully in future rounds she will show off more of her actual voice. I disagree with Katy, I found her annoying.

Yup!

[limecoke]

Venezuelan dance girl would have been a joke audition on the old show.  

Tone it down, Katy.  You’ve entered unseemly territory.

Not at all impressed with the judges.  Is there anyone with any constructive criticism?  Not hopeful for the caliber of contestant this year but we’ll see.

[PhD-Purgatory15]

To be fair to the Venezuelan dancer girl, she showed flashes of a reasonably good latin pop voice in her song. But they were just that....three to four second flashes.

Also, if she is a quote unquote joke contestant to get a golden ticket, then she has some nice company from seasons past. Who can forget Ghaleb the latin troubador who just wanted to sing for all the girls, or the girl they stopped her audition...made her go out and learn Dolly Parton's Islands in the Stream in like an hour and then come back and gave her a ticket for that performance. Or Tatiana del Toro who "joke audition"'ed her way to the Top 32 (or whatever they had in her season). I'm sure you can think of your own weirdo ticket winner favorites.

[Ladyrain]

Venezuelan dancer girl could easily translate to Miss Bossy Pants in the Hollywood rounds.  I don't think the other contestants will be quite as accommodating to her "direction" as the judges were.  It could get interesting.

[yorklee2]

David Fransisco the last audition who was hit by a car is from my hometown. He moved to Nashville a couple of years ago. He was interviewed by the local news channel but couldn't reveal how far he made it/makes it. His fiance is now his wife they were married last month. I think he had a decent voice but am curious and looking forward to see if he has more depth. Not the best but certainly as good as or better than some they put through.

I agree Laine was good and the girl from Oklahoma too. The boy with the sweet grandma was put through more because of looks I think. Seemed like a nice kid but his voice had a nasally odd tone to it I didn't care for. 

How many more nights of regular auditions are there until they show the Hollywood rounds? Anybody know?

[MarkHB]

8 hours ago, yorklee2 said:

How many more nights of regular auditions are there until they show the Hollywood rounds? Anybody know?

From what I've seen, there are 5 audition episodes and then Hollywood week starts the 27th.

[BogoGog24]

If you want to know how far contestants have made it, there are spoilers on MJs Big Blog for the top 24 and top 14. I check it after watching each audition episode. I’d rather not get attached to contestants who don’t end up making it.

[RandomWatcher]

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/14/style/katy-perry-kiss-american-idol.html?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark

[Daniellj]

1 hour ago, RandomWatcher said:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/14/style/katy-perry-kiss-american-idol.html?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark

Katy Perry is a mess!  And I don't doubt the obvious blind item about her being wasted on the set of the show.   I can not imagine what would happen  if any 33 year old male judgeb   kissed a female contestant on the lips! 

She acts like a dog in heat! She is commenting on looks all the time, and is inappropriate.  

Katy has had a reputation for being strange in the past and also getting into childish fights with other female singers.  I do not get why they would pick her for a show like this, except to get the younger audience.

The interesting thing is,  when Idol was at it's peak NONE of the judges were relevant to the music industry at that moment, nor were they younger.  They were people who had worked to start careers.  Now it looks like Idol is trying to take a page from the Voice, which never produces a singer who is a star, and worry about the star power of the judges.

Between  Ryan, and now inappropriate Katy, they may have a mess on their hands! 

[Ohwell]

Regarding Kay Perry, I also think it's wrong, stupid and the height of arrogance to just assume that someone wants to kiss you just because you're a celebrity.

[Mu Shu]

18 hours ago, Babalooie said:

I'm thinking that perhaps the auditions were taped before the "Me, Too" movement went viral.  I just read that it actually began in 2006, but wasn't on the radar until recently.

It’s really creepy with the Ryan allegations and Katy acting like that.   Where is the outrage when a woman is acting like a cat daddy?  It ain’t cute. 

ETA: Just saw The NY Times article.  

Edited March 14, 2018 by Mu Shu

[MarkHB]

16 hours ago, PhD-Purgatory15 said:

To be fair to the Venezuelan dancer girl, she showed flashes of a reasonably good latin pop voice in her song. But they were just that....three to four second flashes.

Also, if she is a quote unquote joke contestant to get a golden ticket, then she has some nice company from seasons past. Who can forget Ghaleb the latin troubador who just wanted to sing for all the girls, or the girl they stopped her audition...made her go out and learn Dolly Parton's Islands in the Stream in like an hour and then come back and gave her a ticket for that performance. Or Tatiana del Toro who "joke audition"'ed her way to the Top 32 (or whatever they had in her season). I'm sure you can think of your own weirdo ticket winner favorites.

Tatiana could actually sing when she put her mind to it; I was actually disappointed that she didn't make it to the voting rounds, while the guy who played Norman Gentle did.  Plus, in Tatiana's case, I think they wanted to keep someone from the San Juan auditions that year.

I'm happy that they've taken a step away from so many horrific singers who were being punked by the producers.  The worst we've seen are simply "wrong genre" (or "wrong genre with BSC attitude like the "greatest musical theatre performer in Colorado").

[SnarkyTart]

3 hours ago, Daniellj said:

I can not imagine what would happen  if any 33 year old male judgeb   kissed a female contestant on the lips! 

Or, her plopping her (fishnet stocking-clad) bare foot up on the desk and forcing the contestant to come to her and take his ticket from between her stinky toes.  That actually grossed me out!  Yuck yuck yuck!

I liked alligator boy a lot.  He had a great voice, a chill vibe, and X-factor for days.  But I'm a little worried about how he'll fare on a show that rewards variety and versatility in what the contestants sing.  I looked him up on youtube to see his past videos and, while he clearly knows who he is as an artist, he has a definite wheelhouse that he never leaves; same genre, same tempo, same vocal range/style in every single song.

[Kendra143]

On 3/13/2018 at 12:37 AM, Silver Raven said:

Oh, come on, they've been doing this from the very beginning.

JLo was the worst (best??) at drooling over the boys??