S17.E03: Auditions (3)

[MarkHB]

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Auditions in Coeur d’Alene ID, New York NY, Louisville KY, and Los Angeles CA. Lionel Richie reminisces about Mohammed Ali.

[Annber03]

Yes to Madison, Jeremiah, Wade, and Shawn. Talented, likeable people-I'm interested to see what they'll do as the show goes on. I liked Katy and Jeremiah bonding over being preacher's kids. 

Jake wasn't bad, either-his "This is How We Do It" performance felt kinda Ed Sheeran-ish, which could bode well for him going forward. 

That Lemongello kid kept making me think of Rick Astley for some reason, only without the big voice. 

[pezgirl7]

I loved Jeremiah's song. Made me tear up a little. I'm not a big fan of country, but I thought the ginger guy (Clay?) was really good. I was really happy to see Laine again. I still think he sounds and looks like Ryan Bingham (who I'm seeing next month, yay). I wonder if he'll actually go to Hollywood though. He didn't seem too thrilled.

I liked the Lemongello guy. I was bummed that Lionel gave him a No. Maybe he isn't Idol material, but at least he was unique. And he didn't have a sob story. Hah

Edited March 11, 2019 by pezgirl7
Changed Wade to Clay.

[Mystery]

Boy Katy really has no filter. "Did you get new teeth?" and "You talk out of one side of the mouth." 

I liked Jeremiah but I felt like he had no connection with anyone, just looking down at the piano. But what a great voice. 

I hope that Drake makes it far just to get away from the babymaking machine that's his mother, so he can make some kind of life for himself. As long as that woman keeps having kids with undependable men, he'll be taking care of her and them. 

[Silver Raven]

Laine was good, he deserved the ticket.

Even after Katy told him to open his mouth and enunciate, Austin still mumbled.

Jake Puliti has a good voice.

Sorry, Shawn didn't impress me all that much.

Nate is awesome.

The big guy with the sobstory has an interesting voice.

I am not a big fan of falsetto.

OK, Clay is my second choice.  Jeremiah just pushed him down a notch.  Jeremiah won't win, but he's so good.

[Halting Hex]

(Wow, this ran long.  Sorry, I don't know how I ended up in "full recap" mode. My bad.)

Idaho! It's the debut of Ashton Gill and the return of Laine Hardy!  It's the old Colton & Schyler Dixon switcheroo, but without the jealous sibling dynamic.  Laine's version of "The Weight" was very nice, and Ashton was passable, even if she tended to whistle her high notes.  A good start.

Austin "Country Bieber" Michael, OTOH…first of all, how is a 15-year-old kid driving at night?  Shouldn't he be needing a license?  And Katy Pervy drooling over someone less than half her age is just wretched.  And then he busted out "Lock'um Dorrz n Turn the Lats Down Low", the tune that Scotty McBush perpetually annoyed us with, except that Austin was mush-mouthed and far from full-throated and actually made me nostalgic for Scotty, which I wasn't sure was possible.  Fail, fail, fail!  With minor points to Katy for being the only one with the sense to give a thumbs-down.  (And his hair hardly looked shampoo-commercial-worthy, either.  Unless he's the "before" model, I guess.)

New York! Katy wears a Lionel tee-shirt (okay) and high-waisted bedazzled mom jeans (so NOT okay).  She also sings a version of "New York, New York" so shitty I expected Frank Sinatra to rise from the dead and request his Sicilian friends put Katy out of our misery.  UGH!

And Jake Pulati hardly improved matters with his acoustic/country/nasal Montell Jordan performance.  He looked better compared to the Parade of Losers who followed him, but I wouldn't have given him a parking ticket, never mind a Golden one.

Shawn Robinson has good pitch, but he just purred the song.  Not much room to grow, I wouldn't think.  At least Katy realized he was lacking…but then she voted yes, anyhow.  Weird.

Nate Walker is trying to ride Gabby Barrett's coattails.   Hopefully he's better than Gabby was in that flashback clip.  His "Say Something" is drowning in unnecessary adornment, but he's good enough to earn his ticket.  If not my hypothetical votes.  And points to Luke for calling him on all that vocal masturbation, even if he ended up complimenting him.  

("You will be a legend"…really, Lionel?  At this point, Nate isn't even Joshua Ledet.  I mean, seriously.)

Los Angeles! Katy is wearing a lovely dress. Lionel claims he wrote "all the Commodores songs", which is so not true.  (Milan Williams hisses at Lionel from beyond the grave. Perhaps Lionel meant all the songs he wrote for Commodores?)  Ryan makes his first appearance of the episode, only 54 minutes into the hour.  And Wade Cota heaps praise upon his mother…who let herself and the kids be battered and pummeled for years before hatching her clever "escape" plan…because just calling Child Services while she was at work was beyond her brain capacity, I suppose.  And then she couldn't feed the kids.  Yeah, I'm not co-signing your "Mother of the Decade" nomination for her, Wade.  Sorry, dude.

He also sounds like a sink backing up when you try to run the garbage disposal.  I mean, he plays a nice guitar and he has good pitch and I suppose the hyper-scratchy tone is intriguing on some level…and he probably could find somewhere (like the bars in Phoenix he's currently playing) to have a bit of a career.  But as far as mainstream success, forget it.  He's strictly a novelty act, wrapped in a sob story.  Meh.

Riley Thompson is 16, cute as several buttons, well-mannered, and rocking an awesome pair of bell-bottoms.  Her voice seems as little babyish and over-breathy, but she hits her big notes like anything and her songwriting is a little twee, but workable.  Definitely worth her ticket.

OH GOD NO!!!!!!! Peter Lemongello, Junior?? Really??? Why do you want to throw your kid into this fire, Pete?  (Yes, pun.  Are they going to mention the arson charges Peter got nailed on when he tried to burn his houses for the insurance money?  Or the fake "kidnapping" he masterminded, that got his cousin [the former baseball pitcher, Mark Lemongello] convicted of felonies, too?) l mean, show business pretty much ruined your life, now you want your son to have to deal with the same crap?  Ugh.

(Also, should Peter Jr. really be eligible for the competition? He comes with advantages [name recognition, industry connections] that Wade Cota, say, doesn't have.  Doesn't seem like a level playing field, IMO.  And I wrote that before I heard he's been performing with legacy acts in Atlantic City.  WTF is he doing here?)

Peter's voice is nice enough, but it's a bit too chirpy.  Glad they binned him.  Hope Mark didn't throw an ashtray at Ryan, as he did to his manager when he was sent down to the minors…

Idaho! Clay Page has a nice haircut and a so-so sob story about his elderly uncle passing on.  (That happens with old people, I hear.) But he manages to endure a hugely boring "discussion"  about how Luke tapes his jeans, and bangs out a skillful version of Thomas Rhett's "Northern Lights".  Which isn't exactly a challenging song, but there's room for that later, I suppose.  Get that ticket, that's the ticket for now.  Well done.

Louisville! And we salute Muhammad Ali with…Kid'N'Play copycat Drake McCain Taylor.  His mom gave birth to 11 kids, from various men, none of which are bothering to stick around, much less support their kids.  Gee, she's about as good a mom as Wade Cota's, huh?  "One word, Benjamin:  condoms!"  (Or hell, after a certain point, tubal ligation. Masturbation?)  Drake's version of "His Eye is on the Sparrow" is adequate, albeit a bit heavy on the tremolo, but then Katy (daughter of preachers, who started her career as Christian musician Katy Hudson…) just blows him out of the water, since she's sung this stuff far longer and better than the entire Taylor tribe, put together.  They put him through, anyway.  (Granted, Katy isn't in the competition, but still.)

Drake refers to having "come all this way".  Dude, you traveled from Tennessee up to Kentucky.  Austin (illegally) drove 30 hours from Texas to Idaho.  He's laughing at you.  Just saying.

LA! Mica Giaconi sings a Hawaiian/lounge act version of Whitesnake's "Is this Love?"  Points for originality, I suppose.  A pity she's not actually very good. 

(In case you've forgotten, this is what the song actually sounds like: 

Still, it's hard to be too offended on behalf of Whitesnake, I'll allow.  I mean, David Coverdale did name the band after his penis, after all.  Sophisticated, they never were.)

Perhaps we can keep Mica as long as she only covers Coverdale? We'll let her tap DC's Deep Purple years, too…you got "Stormbringer" in your repertoire, kid?  Give it a shot!

Darian Baena's bilingual version of Robbie Williams's "Angels" ("Angeles"?) is decent, but her hiding her hands in the sleeves of her sweater wouldn't seem to speak much self-confidence, I wouldn't think.  We'll see, though.

New York! Madison Vandenburg blows my mind.  Not so much with her version of Dan and Shay's "Speechless" (a touch Broadway with the growling, I thought), but when she tells me that her hometown is pronounced "co-HOES".  All those years I saw it listed on those tickets you get on the New York State Thruway (a toll road, so they have tickets that list the cost of each exit), I thought it was pronounced "CO-hoes".  Who knew?  (Aside from people who actually live in Cohoes, obviously.)

Katy thinks Madison is "the next Kelly Clarkson".  That's unfair…the kid isn't that fat.  (And of course, Kelly was actually fit back in S1.  But that's where my mind went…sorry!)

Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon is a Preacher's Kid (I thought "PK" were the Promise Keepers?), who's been so emotionally abused by his homophobic dad that he's "happiest" when he's pushing a mop because he gets to be alone.  JFC.  Oh, and they guilt him about his sexuality, too.  Wonderful.  (If it helps, Dad, he's not terribly attractive.  Even if you let him meet other gay people, he probably wouldn't get much sex.) 

Katy's hair is on point, which is pretty good considering this is the end of a 14-hour session.  She must have had it touched up between auditions.  Jeremiah's got a bit of a nasal whine that could get tiresome after a while, but he's a good songwriter and pianist, so if he doesn't screw up too badly he should go for a while.  Even if he isn't even the best redhead of the evening.  (Clay's ahead of him, although I think I'd put him above Drake.)

Oh, wait, that "gay PA" I thought we saw Jeremiah with at the start of his segment is actually his boyfriend.  I think.  So that would be good.  Although if the bf sees that whole "I'm happiest when I'm alone" bit from Jeremiah's package, that wouldn't be too good, would it?  Maybe it really is a PA and Jeremiah scored more than a golden ticket at his audition?  Congratulations, then.

Man, these two-hour shows are a workout.  My hair definitely isn't up to Katy's standards, right now…

Edited March 11, 2019 by Halting Hex

[Annber03]

3 hours ago, Halting Hex said:

And then he busted out "Lock'um Dorrz n Turn the Lats Down Low", the tune that Scotty McBush perpetually annoyed us with

Honestly, if I never hear that song again, I'll be so happy. Why does it have to keep popping up seemingly every season? 

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OH GOD NO!!!!!!! Peter Lemongello, Junior?? Really??? Why do you want to throw your kid into this fire, Pete?  (Yes, pun.  Are they going to mention the arson charges Peter got nailed on when he tried to burn his houses for the insurance money?  Or the fake "kidnapping" he masterminded, that got his cousin [the former baseball pitcher, Mark Lemongello] convicted of felonies, too?) l mean, show business pretty much ruined your life, now you want your son to have to deal with the same crap?  Ugh.

O_O

...okay, did not know about any of that (course, I'd never even heard of Peter in general before this episode, so...). Wow. 

[ItsHelloPattiagain]

4 hours ago, Halting Hex said:

New York! Katy wears a Lionel tee-shirt (okay) and high-waisted bedazzled mom jeans (so NOT okay).  She also sings a version of "New York, New York" so shitty I expected Frank Sinatra to rise from the dead and request his Sicilian friends put Katy out of our misery.  UGH!

She looked like she was on an SNL skit from the 80s with those mom jeans. Made her look creepy and odd. 

And you didn't recap the amazing awkward and hilarious dad joke Luke played on Lionel at the beginning. Perhaps it's Luke shiny purdy teeth laughing that made me laugh as well. 

Edited March 11, 2019 by ItsHelloPattiagain

[twilightzone]

I can see where people will get sick of Laine Hardy - with his over pimping.  Just like Gabby Barrett from last season.

[snarkylady]

First episode I've enjoyed this season.

The boy with the tall hair....I immediately thought of Beavis and Butthead and couldn't get that out of my mind.  

Lemongello -- entitlement much?  I'm glad he didn't move forward, I think he would have been a distraction and problem in Hollywood for whichever groups he wound up in. 

[sempervivum]

Maybe it's just me, but Wade Cota's George Ezra cover just sounded like a dirtied-up karaoke version. I also instinctively distrust people whose normal speaking voices turn aggressively raspy/scratchy when they sing.  Laine Hardy's 'The Weight' was a good example of how to do this the right way.

Madison was very good for a 16 year old, but 'the next Kelly Clarkson'? Please. Aside from not having the vocal richness that Kelly (4 years older when she auditioned) had, Madison was completely lacking Kelly's charm and sparkle. 

Ugh at poor Drake, casting himself as the financial savior for his feckless mom. I'm tired of these uninspired/uninspiring church singers.

Jeremiah- Liked the song(writing) and piano playing, thought the singing turned very screechy/hysterical at times. Also, seriously, dude- you're 24, and it's 2019. Why on earth are you hanging around a family and a church that has rejected you? Take your BF and go to Baltimore or Washington DC, and get something else started. 

[Silver Raven]

9 hours ago, Halting Hex said:

 Her voice seems as little babyish and over-breathy, but she hits her big notes like anything and her songwriting is a little twee, but workable.

Combined with the sound of a phone sex worker.

[Annber03]

6 hours ago, snarkylady said:

First episode I've enjoyed this season.

The boy with the tall hair....I immediately thought of Beavis and Butthead and couldn't get that out of my mind.  

LMAO, oh, my god, this is spot on :D. 

[Jillybean]

14 hours ago, Halting Hex said:

LA! Mica Giaconi sings a Hawaiian/lounge act version of Whitesnake's "Is this Love?"  Points for originality, I suppose.  A pity she's not actually very good. 

That would've been funny! But I'm pretty sure she covered Bob Marley's "Is This Love."   

[Halting Hex]

Ooopsie.  My bad.  And her arrangement, while still not actually reaching "reggae", was a lot closer to that than "hair metal power ballad", so critique partially rescinded.

(She still wasn't that good, I don't think, but given that I somehow managed to mix up Coverdale and Bob Marley, I'm in no position to throw stones.)

[marriedaniac]

So much country. So much church. Yes ma'am!

[ForReal]

21 hours ago, snarkylady said:

The boy with the tall hair....I immediately thought of Beavis and Butthead and couldn't get that out of my mind.  

When they asked him to turn sideways, I thought, "He's Bart Simpson!"

[Ilovepie]

I thought this episode was boring. Lemongello kid should have been immediately dismissed just for busting out Sugar Pie Honey Bunch. That song on this show triggers rage inside me after all of the years of abusing my ears with various versions of it. As soon as he started singing, I thought "OH. NO. NO! NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!".  I am glad they sent him packing.

Madison is no Kelly Clarkson. Nobody is going to be the next Kelly Clarkson, like, ever, on these shows. Don't invoke her name again Katy Perry.

In terms of voices like sandpaper, Layne>Wade.

So much mediocre, and too many 16 year olds. I thought after the first two episodes without too many teens they were moving away from that, but sadly no. Unlike Katy, I don't see a winner in this bunch.

[Sounder]

In all the years.....I've never seen the judges actually beg someone to take a golden ticket.....and Laine acts like he's not sure whether to take it?  Maybe we've found our winner?   I'll make my prediction now ..... he's the winner.   If I'm wrong..... so what.

[twilightzone]

57 minutes ago, Sounder said:

In all the years.....I've never seen the judges actually beg someone to take a golden ticket.....and Laine acts like he's not sure whether to take it?  Maybe we've found our winner?   I'll make my prediction now ..... he's the winner.   If I'm wrong..... so what.

The whole thing was a set-up.  Who travels all the way to an Idol audition with his friend – new teeth, merch, and mom – with no intention of seeking a golden ticket?

[Sounder]

1 hour ago, twilightzone said:

The whole thing was a set-up.  Who travels all the way to an Idol audition with his friend – new teeth, merch, and mom – with no intention of seeking a golden ticket?

Just watch and see..... and he is actually good.

[twilightzone]

36 minutes ago, Sounder said:

Just watch and see..... and he is actually good.

I did - he's over rated.  He's just a hybrid of several previous Idol winners.

[mamadrama]

Ha ha, I must be the only person who liked Wade Costa. He has that rough Mumford & Son's kind of voice. He's the only one I've heard, so far, whose album I'd buy. Laine is good but I'm mostly a country music fan and he sounds like a bunch of others I know. And the girls are all kind of blending in together. They either scream their songs or have that folksy/Adele thing going on. It's not bad, it just doesn't stand out to me. 

[librarianbeck]

Madison is from the same area I live in (yes, the city is cuh-HOES), so she's been all over the local news. I thought she was phenomenal. Just, really, really good. I also thought the last guy (was that Shawn? Jeremiah. The redheaded janitor) was just adorable. I liked his voice and his original song, too. He reminded me a little of Hozier in tone/feel. There was one other guy I remember liking, but can't remember who now, so I guess he wasn't that memorable! I'm glad Peter L didn't go through. I was uncomfortable for him for some reason - just so awkward. 

Edited March 13, 2019 by librarianbeck

[coconutpie]

First of all, Katie is gorgeous. I love this look at her. She really pulls off the bright makeup and pixie cut.

I though Madison was amazing. Everything about her. She's naturally beautiful just how she is but I am sure they are gonna have a field day with her look...anyhow, her range, tone, choices she made, everything I loved.  My opinion when they compared her to Kelly was more about winning and being as successful. That's how I took it  

I also loved Jeremiah.  Usually the too sobby stories are annoying and I feel they try to hard (my 90 yr old gma died when I was six) but his story felt so real. I believe him, it's not for show. I can't imagine being gay and a pastors kid. That has to be such a struggle to grow up in church then have church turn your back.  He was so humble and his voice and song was beautiful. And up thread whoever wrote no gay man would be attracted to him, I totally disagree ( he seemed to have a partner there with him). I think he is very nice looking.  Also, my dad is uber  southern baptist religious and my brother is gay. So I get this whole thing.  It's hard for both of them. My dad loves my brother but he doesn't love his lifestyle. It's definetly causes a riff between them. My dad has accepted it because he doesn't wanna lose my brother but my brother knows how he really feels  

Oh, and his Dad's church was gorgeous....beautiful location. 

[Tatortot]

Looking forward to seeing Evelyn Cormier from 90 day fiance perform 

[coconutpie]

2 hours ago, Tatortot said:

Looking forward to seeing Evelyn Cormier from 90 day fiance perform 

Omgosh...yes!  But she was soooo bad. How in the heck??

[Koalagirl]

I was a little ashamed of myself for hoping the Lemongello kid would get cut only because he came in expecting to sail right through. All of his name dropping ticked me right off.  But I got over it pretty quickly. 

Edited March 16, 2019 by Koalagirl

[driver18]

One thing that really struck me was that I found I didn't mind all the stuff with the judges because I could see how that it was helping to calm the nerves of the contestants. Because of that we were able to get better performances out of them.