I'm really surprised that the judges let the country style through as the show doesn't usually look for that. I think carrie underwood snuck through because she could do a little bit of everything. They do have a country version of this show. I'd almost tell the people you're good and well let you onto hollywood, but if you don't make it try out for Nashville star as you love country music and it is pretty much dedicated to country music.

_________________
"Tis The Season, Fa la la la la LaFontaine" - Rick Jeanneret

i thought that girl that flew in all the way from italy had a really good signing voice, her talking voice sounded like someone had filled the room with helium.

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"Tis The Season, Fa la la la la LaFontaine" - Rick Jeanneret

Remember Mell Tillis (not from AI)? He could hardly talk because he stuttered so bad, but when he sang, it was such a beautiful voice! The girl reminded me of him...weird as hell talking voice, but the singing voice is right on the money!

When does Hollywood week start?

_________________
Its NNYFAN, but you can just call me Kris.

Last year I remember a guy who had one of the worst country accents anyone could ever hear, grew up on a farm, but his singing voice was amazing and he could play the guitar.

I'm not sure if it was last year or the year before.

I also remember the one older guy who just wanted to sing in front of the judges even though he was too old. He did it for his wife since his story included how him and her would sing every night together and when he lost her he just wanted to show his love for her by auditioning for American Idol even though he was too old, and boy was he good.

Here it is:

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next week they are in hollywood.

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"Tis The Season, Fa la la la la LaFontaine" - Rick Jeanneret

Oh, wow, I'd never seen that before. That was lovely. Wonderful display of strength and love.

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Miles to go before I sleep

‎"Love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation."
-Khalil Gibran

Not only don't I have any clear favorites, but I thought this was the worst audition format EVAH.
We didn't see 1/2 of the people who made it through to Hollywood which is unusual; they're normally
pimping several from the get go. I hope the ones that got to Hollywood (starts 2/9) will bring something the
show seems to be lacking for S9.

I keep a notebook and have very few names written down. Last season I had nearly 50 names
noted and 36 of them made it to the top 24 so my record was pretty good. The one girl that stood out this year IMO,
was on Tuesday night. A 16 y/o black girl named Haley Vaughn who sang country. Normally not my cup of tea, but
she was really good and even moreso because it wasn't a typical genre for someone her age.

I've also been told by one contestants former teacher that she made it to the top 24 but we didn't see
her audition so I can't vouch for her singing ability. Her name is Siobhan Magnus.

We have let to deal with another A. Lambert too - Alex. I read he was shown briefly on Wednesday night, but that was the
only episode I missed. For anyone who wants a Spoiler of Top 24 confirmed list, here it is: (if not, don't click it )

http://www.joesplaceblog.com/2010/01/th ... an-idol-9/

_________________
Oh lord, it's hard to be humble, when you're perfect in every way. I can't wait to look in the mirror, 'cause I get better looking each day. To know me is to love me, I must be a hell of a man. Oh lord, it's hard to be humble, but I'm doin' the best that I can.

Schony, did you see that Helium Girl is a fake?

http://www.tmz.com/2010/02/05/american- ... ideo-clip/

_________________
Oh lord, it's hard to be humble, when you're perfect in every way. I can't wait to look in the mirror, 'cause I get better looking each day. To know me is to love me, I must be a hell of a man. Oh lord, it's hard to be humble, but I'm doin' the best that I can.

alot of the early episode auditions are fake. they were talking about it on a show how relatively unknown comedians go on the show, perform horrifically, then make an ass of themselves as a joke. one that comes to mind is a guy getting rejected, then cursing for like two minutes without taking a breath. it was a fake.

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Yeeaaah, pretty much all those people are probably fake. Every time someone asks how they could ever think they sing well, I just kind of don't say anything so it doesn't get awkward hahaha.

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Miles to go before I sleep

‎"Love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation."
-Khalil Gibran

Why Howard Stern Would Rock As An 'American Idol' Judge

Posted Mon Feb 8, 2010 1:46pm PST by Lyndsey Parker in Reality Rocks

Many suggestions and rumors have circulated regarding Simon Cowell's American Idol replacement--everyone from industry heavyweights like Tommy Mottola and Jimmy Iovine to my own personal judge of choice, Noel Gallagher--but the general public consensus has been that no one out there is popular or charismatic enough to replace the judge everyone loves to hate and hates to love.

Until now. See, this morning revered and reviled shock-jock Howard Stern shockingly told Sirius radio listeners that he's considering leaving his radio post to become a permanent judge on Idol, quipping in his usual mouthy manner: "It might be possible, we'll see. They'd have to pay me a ton of dough because I already make a ton of dough...A hundred million to judge a karaoke contest? Yeah, I would do that show for $100 million.

"I can't imagine anyone else but me replacing [Simon]," Howard declared. "I mean, I don't know. How else are they going to make that show work? Who knows how to broadcast and who knows how to be interesting? And who's not afraid to speak their mind?"

You know, Howard makes a very valid point there. While many Idol purists would surely balk at the very idea of the foul-mouthed DJ (a man known for spewing expletives and inviting nearly-naked strippers into his studio) starring on one of network television's most conservative and family-friendly programs, I honestly think Howard Stern is just what American Idol needs.

Here's why:

1) American Idol needs a likable villain - The genius of Simon Cowell lies in his ability to be a total jerk, brutally honest at all times, yet somehow still come across as a lovable curmudgeon. Howard has this same rare ability to be rude and crude yet adored and admired by millions. In fact, like Simon, Howard is adored and admired by millions not in spite of his rudeness, but because of it. For instance, today on his radio show Howard offered an example Idol critique: "Hey Fantasia...you look like you stepped out of a cartoon....[Boys] want a Britney Spears or a Rihanna. Little boys are scared that you are going to sit on them. You're out. Honey, you look like you stepped out of a Haitian earthquake. You've got to go clean up your act." Man, not even Simon Cowell could get away with stuff like that...but Howard just might.

2) Howard will give Idol some edge - American Idol has long been in danger of becoming overly old-fashioned and passé. While pop and rock music in the "real world" tends to be sexy and salacious, American Idol is a show that's kicked off contestants for posing topless online, and its audience is often freaked out by even the slightest smudge of guyliner or gyration of the hips. Sadly, on Idol the fresh-scrubbed David Archuleta types reign, and the instant Constantine Maroulis shoots the camera a bedroom-eyed stare or Haley Scarnato flashes a bit of leg or Adam Lambert thrusts his pelvis during "Whole Lotta Love," Fox censors are reaching for the eight-second delay button and concerned Midwestern parents are employing their V-chips. The divide between the G-rated American Idol world and the more PG-13 content on MTV has always been a wide one indeed, but with Howard's FCC-baiting humor and rock 'n' roll pedigree, that gulf might finally be closed a bit, thus making the show more relevant to today's pop music marketplace.

3) Howard rocks, literally - Howard's ties to the hard rock/metal community are strong--pretty much every rocker that's ever strapped on a guitar has appeared on his radio show, and his Private Parts movie soundtrack featured contributions from the likes of Marilyn Manson, Ozzy Osbourne, Type O Negative, Green Day, the Ramones, Rob Zombie, Cheap Trick, Ted Nugent, and Perry Farrell's Porno For Pyros. Although American Idol started off as more of a pure pop program showcasing wannabe Mariahs and Celines, over the past few seasons it's become a genuine springboard for budding rock stars, and with Howard on board, the show will attract not only more talented rocker auditioners, but probably some pretty cool rawkin' guest stars, too. Yep, the day Marilyn Manson performs on an Idol results show will be a "keep till I delete" TiVo moment, for sure. Howard could make that happen.

4) Howard knows Idol - Like new judge Ellen DeGeneres, Howard follows the show and has been spouting his bold opinions about it for years. Last season he was a very vocal proponent of Adam Lambert, and in season 6 his controversial championing of Sanjaya Malakar nearly caused the faux-hawked boy wonder to win the whole show. (Well, Sanjaya got to seventh place, but still.) I have a feeling this wouldn't just be a $100 million paycheck for Howard; I think he'd really enjoy this job, especially if it afforded him an opportunity to tick off an entire new audience of untold millions with his delightfully obnoxious, always polarizing opinions.

5) Howard Stern rules, ratings-wise - Howard's following is one of the more devoted out there; Stern diehards practically make the Claymates and Glamberts look like casual fairweather fans. Howard's followers have almost turned their Stern worship into a true religion, and they followed him in droves to Sirius when he defected from public radio a few years ago. I have little doubt they'd follow him to Idol, too--thus drawing a whole new audience to the show. Millions of Stern disciples who would have never dared to watch Idol before would tune in, so this would be a win-win situation for Howard and Fox.

Therefore, I urge the Fox execs to hire Howard, pronto--and have that eight-second delay button at the ready, 'cause they're sure going to need it.

_________________
"Tis The Season, Fa la la la la LaFontaine" - Rick Jeanneret

^^ Psych^ I didn't realize how serious that article was until I heard it on the news yesterday. Inasmuch as he could be a ratings grabber, he'd be losing the entire tween audience because no parent would allow kids that age to listen to him. Tough call for the Shock Jock.

Does anyone remember Alexis Cohen? She audition last year and the year before. She was the crazy Glitter Girl who did a Joplin song in S7. Her audition clip made it to the finale with her giving the Judge's and Simon the big F U. Anyway, did anyone know she died last year? She was struck and killed by a drunk driver

Now on to what you're all waiting for. Tuesday nights Hollywood Round I
There may be hope yet! I don't recall seeing half of those people during auditions.

The Guys;
Andrew Garcia - Sang Abdul's Straight Up w/ in Indie twist & guitar. Shockingly good. Blew me away.
Michael Lynche - The Big guy. The only other one that stood out to me.
Tim Urban - desperately needs a haircut (and to learn how to sing).
Casey James - sounds like the namesake of a train robber; a Bucky Covington clone in need of a shower and soap. Reported to have two DWI's . Get him off the show already.

The Gals;
Janell Wheeler - This years Pickler.
Haley Vaughan - This years Pickler with a twist
Lilly Scott - Loved it. This years Rocker/Indie Chick? Probable Top 10.
Chrystal Bowersox - This years Allison and Dreadlocks Castro combined. Like her or not, she's going to go FAR.
Didi Benami - Another probable Top 10 providing she isn't a plant and gets disqualified. One of my favorites of the night (for the girls).

Wondering what tonight will bring

I was disappointed. We saw only a handful of performances over the entire hour, with the vast majority of time devoted to rehashing old back-stories and milking reactions from those featured that failed to get through. This follows an audition month where we were given a tiny fraction of legit performances and bombarded with worthless buffoons, endless back stories, and meaningless drivel from guest judges.

_________________
Oh lord, it's hard to be humble, when you're perfect in every way. I can't wait to look in the mirror, 'cause I get better looking each day. To know me is to love me, I must be a hell of a man. Oh lord, it's hard to be humble, but I'm doin' the best that I can.

I was listening while cleaning out my son's lego melee behind the couch this afternoon. This was good because I got to get the voices without the looks. Anyhow...the guys are all kinda blah so far for me. for the girls, I liked the girl with the grey hair that makes sandwiches, the country black girl (Charlie Pride's granddaughter - not really, but that's what she reminds me of...cute as it gets!) and the waitress and the single mom that got her son's name tattoed on her back....I think it was Chrystal and Dede? I'm not good with the names until the top 24...or 12.

I love Ellen as a judge. I think she adds a lot of funny to the process. I love her anyway and she adds a sense of normalcy to the show.

I love this stage...I'm always so glad when the freak show phase is over.

Oh...although the guy who's wife is giving birth as he sings...he's pretty good.

_________________
Its NNYFAN, but you can just call me Kris.

I hate the group performances...well, I don't mind the actualy performances, but I hate all the drama that goes with it. Just shut up and SING! LOL

_________________
Its NNYFAN, but you can just call me Kris.

Schony,

I can't imagine fox letting Stern get away with his crude nature on a show such as idol as it is one of the shows keeping that network alive. If howard can't be himself I don't know if he would want it. It isn't like his show that used to be on at like midnight. I'm sure there would be regulations. I thought that matt guy (ex-con) wasn't bad, just got stuck with a bad group. i mean that gwen stefanni song isn't easy, but people kept picking it. And they all say it's like their last chance, umm there are other singing shows. America's got talent, Nashville star, just to name a couple.

_________________
"Tis The Season, Fa la la la la LaFontaine" - Rick Jeanneret

'Idol' Scandal: Chris Golightly Does Not Go Quietly

Posted Thu Feb 18, 2010 1:21pm PST by Lyndsey Parker in Reality Rocks
This week the new top 24 American Idol semifinalists were announced, but all the attention has centered not on who actually made the cut, but on one conspicuously absent contestant who didn't. According to widely circulated top 24 spoiler lists leading up to Hollywood Week, Chris Golightly was supposed to be among the 12 chosen males, but on Wednesday night, his was the one name on those lists that didn't actually make it through. This omission was cause enough for gossip and conjecture in the Twitterverse/blogosphere, but Chris's easy-to-spot Sideshow Bob-haired presence in one of last night's top 24 Idol scenes (shown below in a screen capture by the Idol blog Joe's Place) created even more of a stir:

Obviously, something was not right in Idol Land, and speculation immediately ran rampant about whether Chris had been disqualified or had unexpectedly dropped out. It turned out the former scenario was the case, according to Fox reps, who told UsMagazine.com: "It has been determined that Chris Golightly is ineligible to continue in the competition...Tim Urban has replaced Golightly as part of the top 24."

However, this scandalous saga is a lot more complex than Fox has let on, and today Chris granted interviews to Joe's Place, USA Today, and AI Now telling his shocking side of the story. It's a truly heartbreaking bad-luck tale of a Hollywood dream crushed by the all-powerful Idol machine...or at least by a series of unfortunate events and the type of TV misunderstandings usually only seen on Three's Company reruns.

"This is not fair; I don't know what to do," Chris told USA Today. "Everything was fine when I made the top 24."

Chris explained to AI Now that he had a previous recording contract with a boy band called D.R.E.A.M. 5, but that it had expired in June 2009 (a month before his Idol audition) and that he'd informed producers of the contract at the time. Everything then proceeded seemingly without a hitch, but then last week the situation imploded, when he received a fateful phone call from American Idol/Fremantle Media telling him he'd "filled something out wrong where it asked if [I] was in a recording contract."

Producers apparently informed Chris that by answering "no," he had provided "false information." Chris told AI Now he eventually provided (initially misplaced) documentation proving that his boy band contract was no longer binding, but these documents were ignored by producers, and he was thus dropped from the show at the last minute, this week--but only after dismantling his entire life to come out to Hollywood and compete (he gave up his apartment and sold his car); doing top 24 photo shoots and interviews with the press; and even having an official "AI9" Twitter account set up by Idol in his name.

"It hurts, man. This hurts me so bad because I sleep in a garage. I have no money. I grew up in the foster-care system all my life, being abused and everything. Music has always been my outlet. This is messed up what they're doing," the three-time auditioner despondently told AI Now. Chris also told Joe's Place that it "killed him" to watch Wednesday night's top 24 reveal episode, in which his triumphant walk out of the Kodak Theatre was left on the cutting room floor, hastily replaced by Tim Urban's happy new reaction shot.

However, Fox reps told UsMagazine.com: "This is not about whether or not the contract in question was either active or inactive or valid. It's crucial you tell the truth in the audition process...That is why he's being disqualified." And in USA Today, Lawrence Franklin, head of Chris's old record label Dream Projects Entertainment, claimed Chris was still under a two-year contract when he auditioned for Idol, although Franklin also said he contacted 19 Entertainment asking for release documents so that Chris could legally compete. Such requests were ignored, according to Franklin.

"We did want Chris to succeed," Franklin told USA Today. "We want him to continue. I don't think it's fair how they're doing him."

Joe's Place additionally reports that Chris is now meeting with a high-powered attorney, and he just might have a good case here, in light of Idol's inconsistency regarding disqualifications. A couple weeks ago, it was rumored that Season 9 contestant Michael Lynche would be kicked off the show because his father violated Idol's confidentiality agreement by prematurely talking about his son's success to the press--but it appears Idol producers let that transgression slide, and actually allowed Michael to stay.

Inconsistent contestant disqualifications are nothing new on this show. For instance, Season 2 hopeful Frenchie Davis was let go over her leaked online topless photos, a controversial decision that oddly did not apply to Season 6 contestant Antonella Barba's similar racy MySpace pics (Antonella was not booted off). Season 7's Carly Smithson competed on the show despite her past ties to MCA Records back when judge Randy Jackson was employed there, but last season's Joanna Pacitti was disqualified for having similar industry connections. And then some singers with criminal records (like Season 4's Scott Savol, or this season's teenage bank robber Matt Lawrence) were permitted to compete, while others (like this season's early disqualified favorite, Danelle Hayes) were not.

Even more confusingly, Chris has been told he is ineligible to audition for Idol again, because he made the top 50 already--a decision that makes absolutely no sense considering that this season's Angela Martin and Lacey Brown were top 50 contestants last season, and Lacey actually made the top 24 this year.

So why do Idol's breach-of-contract rules seemingly apply to some contestants, but not to others? It remains unclear, especially since Chris claims he really didn't do anything wrong here, other than temporarily misplace some (supposedly legitimate) paperwork or hire a disorganized manager. Chris was not my personal favorite on the show this year, but that's beside the point: Until this week he apparently was a favorite of the producers and judges, and therefore I feel he should have been allowed to remain in the competition. My heart goes out to the poor kid. A foster child who'd grown up in dozens of broken homes, Chris had one of the sobbier sob stories this season, and this was the big break he truly needed.

"It's like all my dreams, all my sweat, blood, my late nights...it's all been leading to this one moment. I just want to get picked up by a label or somebody," Chris lamented to AI Now. "I rightfully earned this! I want to get a shot at doing my music that I love to do. I want a shot at a record deal or something."

I wish Chris luck and hope he gets that shot someday. And I hope he is able to move on with his career and not dwell on what might have been.

http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/realit ... o-quietly/

_________________
"Tis The Season, Fa la la la la LaFontaine" - Rick Jeanneret

Not that he'd have won, but Golightly got fucked.

_________________
Oh lord, it's hard to be humble, when you're perfect in every way. I can't wait to look in the mirror, 'cause I get better looking each day. To know me is to love me, I must be a hell of a man. Oh lord, it's hard to be humble, but I'm doin' the best that I can.

VFTW (Vote for The Worst) is compiling their list of best/worst contestants to vote for en masse.
I always love reading what they have to say http://votefortheworst.com/blogs/thefun ... _potential

Some early favorites for the girls are Chystal SmellySox who they've already dubbed "PigPen", Siobhan Magnus who dresses totally bizarre, screams and makes odd faces when she sings, and Haeley Vaughn. For the guys, maybe Aaron Kelly, Toddrick, or Michael Lynche.

All pics courtesy of VFTW - the best photo shoppers on the planet. Let the fun begin! Voting starts this week.



I'll link to the others because they're too big to paste here.
Siobhan: http://home.comcast.net/~hanson68/9/werewolfsiobhan.jpg
Chystal Bowersox: http://home.comcast.net/~hanson68/9/crystalpigpenv.jpg
Micheal Lynch: http://i50.tinypic.com/2lm9md3.jpg
Aaron Kelly: http://i45.tinypic.com/3fm02.jpg
Toddrick Hall http://img704.imageshack.us/img704/3923 ... udrick.jpg