ARE YOU READY?

I am! It doesn't start until tomorrow for us across the pond, though, so I'm gonna be avoiding this thread like the plague until at least Thursday night because I don't want any spoilers.

One thing I noticed was the backdrop to the auditions. Just Kris on the left and David on the right. By the way I like the pic they used better this year of David.

Funny, I didn't recognize Kris on the backdrop. For one horrifying moment I thought it was Ryan Seacrest! And, I didn't even see David on the right. I will look harder next week. There were a couple of decent talents last night, but I guess I am hopelessly hooked on our boy. To me, he is the gold (or more to the point, platinum) standard to which all others are compared, and they all come up short IMHO.

They do all come up short don't they. I was rewatching Davids audition and he has such a deep husky smooth tone for a guy. And he hit it out of the park. He has such power to his voice. It is so rich and unique. The one tall lanky guy with the broken arms and Justin Guirini hair did alright but nothing like our boy. Plus he was really a throwback to the early 70's. One other thing I noticed and I don't know why, is everyones teeth. I mean some bad shaped teeth and yellow. And watching it on HD large screen doesn't help. It just goes to show how beautiful and perfect David's face is. Even his teeth are purdy. Oh and by the way the show is on tonight to check out the backdrop.

I didn't even see the side of the backdrop with David. I was actually convinced for a second that the picture was Adam, but I was relieved that it was Kris. I guess there's just too many Idols now to put all of them, so they go with the most recent.

The Justin Gaurini lookalike (I think his name was Tyler) was probably my favorite. None of them could measure up to David, of course, but there were some good ones. There was one girl (the one who performed second to last on the first day) who they were all raving about. She was okay, but I didn't think she was spectacular. And I was really surprised to find that I actually knew one of the people who made it through the Hollywood. They didn't show her audition, though.

I watched the first episode last night. That Tyler kid, and another guy (Justin, I think?) were my favourites. At first I wasn't too crazy about Victoria Beckham being a guest judge, but I actually don't think she did that bad a job. Looking forward to watching the Atlanta auditions tonight.

I didn't seem to see the David side on the wall either. I thought it was just of Kris this year, and was really bummed. I only saw the first episode and missed out on the second one studying. I haven't seen anyone I really liked yet. I do remember seeing this one guy but I honestly forget his name. I'll have to look for it when the auditions are over. Also, I really can't wait for Ellen to start just to see what she is going to be like.

So far I think there have been a few auditions that show promise. The 16 year old girl with the Grandmother with Alzheimer's I thought was quite good. And I did like the broken arms guy, plus the guy that beat cancer from the Atlanta auditions.

But of course my FAVE!!!!!!!! is "Pants on the Ground"!!!!!!!!!!!

Sharon

Gah, I am missing all the auditions. I guess I will just wait until the top are picked and choose my favorites from there.

Haha, that was just the best.

I finished watching the Chicago episode just over an hour ago. Not many people really stood out for me. I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens with the Florida auditions. Although, I did recognise a guy at the end, who had a guitar with him. Keith something - he won a similar competition over here in the UK about eight years ago, and he was in a boyband with four other guys. They scored a record deal, but only managed to release one or two singles. Not heard from him or any of the others since. I don't think he'll win Idol, but we'll see what happens.

Edit: Oh. I've just Googled him, and according to my friend Wikipedia, he had his golden ticket taken from him due to visa problems. Unlucky.

I feel bad for not watching AI this week.

So I thought the Orlando auditions last night had some pretty good people in it....some of the better ones so far, I think. Will be interesting to see what happens in Hollywood week...when is that, anyways??

Sharon

So far I don't think we've seen the next American Idol's audition. No one like David or Aaam Lambert who I chose from the very first!

So, I missed this week's first episode, but I managed to catch up last night. Only one or two people really stood out for me this week. I was roaring at the gay guy who sang 'I Touch Myself' though. I actually love that song, too, ever since I saw the first Austin Powers, and it reminds me of my ex-boyfriend, heh, but that guy's rendition was just hilarious. I hope the last auditions are going to be better. I don't think I have a firm favourite just yet - I'm going to wait until Hollywood Week before I make my pick(s). I don't know about anyone else, either, but for some reason I really didn't like Avril Lavigne on the panel.

No I didn't like Avril at all or Katy Perry. My favorite guest judge was Neal Patrick Harris.

Does anyone know where I can get the last half of the Dallas Auditions? my tape cut off and I missed the last part. can someone please tell me where on youtube I can find them?

~Candice~
I loved the other auditions.

i m really looking forward to the time when Ellen becomes one of the official judge! It would be super funny with Simon and Ellen

Did you all see that guy singing CBTM on Idol hollywood week. His voice is ok but pales in comparison next to Davids. But kudos to him for trying a David Cook song. David just makes songs look so easy to sing. Also I like Ellen as a judge so far. She is a breath of fresh air.

It must be flattering, but a little surreal for David to hear an AI contestant sing one of his songs. Just a couple of years ago David had no inkling that he would have anything to do with the show!

What do you all think of the top 24?

Well, I have to say, so far - with the exception of maybe a couple of people - I think I like everyone that's made it to the top 24. I already have at least three or four favourites who I reckon could go all the way.

I didn't see the whole top 24 revealed, but I did like a few of the people they put through. Some of them, though, I don't understand why they did. The clips they showed from their auditions, one in particular sounded awful yet they put her through. And did anyone else feel really sad for Angela Martin?

I did feel sad for Angela. I hope she can make it in the music industry without American Idol, because she was really sweet and had a really good voice.

After watching all the top 24 performances, who do you all like? I like Crystal a lot, I think she's fantastic. And I also like Lilly a bit. And as for guys, Lee and Casey were my favorites tonight. I like Tyler's and John's personalities a lot, but their singing just wasn't very good tonight.

Hey!
Totally agree with you on Casey and Lee. When they gave Lee's intro I said to myself that he reminded me of David. Funny that the judges brought DC up after his performance. We didn't get to see him much during Hollywood, but I really like the sound of his voice.

Yay for the David Cook mention!

Liked Lee, Andrew, Casey & Joe. John Park is such a cutie <3
Didn't watch the girls-I got bored after the first 30 minutes.

Ahh, the boys' episode is on tonight for us in the UK. I loved Lilly and Crystal last night - I think those two are probably my favourites out of all the girls so far.

I love that David has become the standard in terms of making a song your own. Got mentioned twice last night.

^I know right?!?! I was sooo excited to hear his name last night...twice as a matter of fact I think ever since he came onto the show and showed how he could change up even the most pop of songs and make it to suit his style, the judges have a new way to look at things and the audience/fans have a whole new perspective of what to look for. I also think playing instruments is a plus too. But, it shows who can be an 'artist.' Not just sing, because some people can sing, but few are an actual artist and that is what David is. He's a songwriter and when he was on the show, it showed.


I wonder if David saw the contestant who sang his song and what he thought. I agree with womannextdoor that his version wasn't as well as David's, because he did sing it the way it was written, instead of maybe trying to change it up. I'm sooo glad that his brother, Andrew, would've threaten to kick his a$$ if he didn't try out for the show He just goes there to support Andrew and ends up trying out for himself and ends up winning. Amazing just going there to support a family member.

Yeah, I think David REALLY raised the originality bar. It seems like before his season, someone could go up there and sing the song just the way it was written and be praised for it. But post-David, contestants are scolded for that. It's a necessity to change everything up. Which I think is a good thing, as you said, it separates the artists from the singers.

And yeah, I just couldn't bare to listen to Tim's version. Needless to say, he's nowhere near as talented of a singer as David, and I couldn't help comparing the two. I also did the same thing with the girl that sang "All Right Now", and both of them paled in comparison to David.

Yeah. I was listening to that girl sing "All Right Now" yesterday, and although she did a good job, I couldn't help but compare her performance to David's which, really, I think was better. Not that I'm biased or anything, oh no.

But one thing the judges have always said is, be careful of whose song you do because if the original performer has a big voice, most likely you will pale in comparison. I think David is one of those types of artists. I think that no one should try to do a song that David did on Idol because they will pale in comparison for sure. They should just retire the songs that David did. But thats just my opinion.

Even putting David's performance aside (well, attempting to at least), I don't think she did too great.






***Do not read on if you haven't watched the results show and don't want to spoil things! Just a warning.***





I'm a bit disappointed with the results tonight. Janell (I still don't know how to spell her name. Maybe that's right? lol) and Joe have fabulous voices, and I don't think they deserved to go home. But I guess they just did have that "Wow!" factor. Kinda ordinary. I'm also sad that Tyler went home. I love his personality. And the whole bathrobe thing... LOL. I was dying laughing. And I think his voice is a billion times better than Alex Lambert's. Plus I keep wanting to call him Adam, which is funny, because they're about exact opposites. Oh well, I'm just glad Lee and Crystal made it! And a few others, too.

*SPOLIERS SO HIGHLIGHT TO READ*

I am so pissed!!!! Joe Munoz didn't make it and i LOVED him!! I think Alex Lambert or Tim Urban should've gone home. Joe deserves better.

I was sad to see Joe Munoz go for two reasons. He was a decent enough singer who really performed his songs, and he hails from my blue collar hometown of Huntington Park--south of downtown Los Angeles. I thought he would put it on the map, so people wouldn't confuse it with swanky Huntington Beach. Oh well...

What's funny is that I don't remember Tim's version all that much. I didn't even know he was the one who sang it. All I remembered was that a guy with a guitar sang his song and it sounded exactly like David's.


I do agree with both of you. I think she did all right, but David just took it to another level. I do give her props for changing it up a bit to fit her voice and what type of genre of music she would want to do. Even last season when a couple of the Idols picked songs that David did, I was like, 'Ooo David did that one' and I compared.


Yea, sometimes I don't fully like when they compare the Idols to the original artists. Now, if they go and try to belt and everything like the original artist...that's fine, but changing it up to suit you is another story. Retire the songs David did...I like that. But then we wouldn't be reminded of our David and then we would have to see if the judges compare him/her to David's version or how David did it.


I was a little bit dissapointed too. However, as they were dwindling down the contestants, I did end up getting 3 out of 4 who were going to be sent home. I feel like Janelle should've stayed and the girl who I think sang the Alicia Keys song should've gone home. I knew who Janelle was standing next to wasn't going, because she's young, cute and people are into her story. I wish Joe would've stayed too and the black dude who wore the hat and tried to do his falsetto and just murdered the song he sang should've gone home. Unfortunately, I knew Tim (the guy who came back) was going to stay and get the sympathy vote. I was torn between Tyler and Alex on who was going to stay, but I guess America wants to give Alex another chance. He isn't a bad singer, just needs to get some confidence in him. Oh I'm glad Lee is still in too.

Kris Allen did a great job. Allison was okay.

I wasn't impressed with the boys on the show. I hope David appears soon and shows them how it is done. BTW what did you all think of the farewell song, Leave Right Now? It's sung by Will Young who was the world's 1st Idol winner. It was a no 1 single in the UK in 2003. Will and David are my 2 favourite singers. Like David, Will is a really versatile singer and a nice guy.


Love Vonny xx

Yeah, I had a good feeling Tim would stay, unfortunately. He's "cute" and people like him. I don't think he has a very strong voice, though. And it's not because I have a little grudge against him for singing CBTM (and singing it badly). But I have to disagree with your statement about Alex; I don't think that he has a good voice at all. His sings so nasally, and it's torture to listen to, IMO. But, in the end, the bad singers will be weeded out and the better ones will remain. Hopefully by the top 10, so that the Idol Tour isn't painful to sit through. But from what we've seen so far, I'm not sure there are even ten good singers to go on tour. Well, let's hope things get better.

And yes, I think Kris Allen did a fantastic job. I love The Beatles, and Let It Be is one of my favorite songs of theirs. I'm not a huge fan of Kris, but he just might have won me over with that performance. And Allison was good too, but I found her song to be a bit boring after a little bit. Though I'm not big on her voice, so maybe that's why.

Ahh, Will Young. There's a name I haven't heard in a while. It seems like such a long time ago since he won. I was only about 9 or 10 at the time, and I remember the final results show was on pretty late at night - gone 11pm - and my mum was like, "C'mon, stay awake - you can't miss this!" We'd spent hours voting for Will. All of my friends at school were Gareth fangirls, but Will was my favourite (next to Darius, heh), and I was so happy when he won, although I think it came as a shock to everyone, since we all seemed convinced that Gareth would win. Kind of like when DC beat David Archuleta.

ETA: Haha, found a video. I still have the finale recorded on a VHS tape somewhere. How sad.

Anyway, back on topic... I wasn't too impressed with the guys last night, either. Only Casey James really stood out for me. He's probably my favourite now, and I think he could go all the way. And I don't know why Tim was asked to come back, to be honest. I really don't like his voice.

Does anyone else think they should've just concluded Idol when David won? After season 7, they've tried to make all these changes that haven't really benefited the show at all. Going off that, they should definitely retire David's songs! Anyone who attempts to do a song like 'Always Be My Baby' would be compared to David.

Anyway. I haven't really been paying too close attention so far this season (because I really don't have a favorite contestant), but I did like Tyler when I saw his audition and I was sad to see him go. I was surprised Ashley got sent home already because I've been under the impression she was one of the best.

I think Tim did an okay job when he sang Come Back to Me, it was the chorus that didn't sound nearly as good. But the verse was good. Of course, no one can do it better than David...

Kris Allen was wonderful. I was surprised he did a Beatles' song (especially since I've read comments online bashing him, saying he was going to do 'Live Like We're Dying'. It's his single, of course he may sing it!), but he sounded great with it! It was nice to see him back.

Wavelength, it was 8 years ago and Will has sold 8m records since then. Yes it was just like DC beating Archuleta, that's why I knew DC would win. Will and DC both studied musical theatre at University, they both totally changed songs and made them better, their opponents both were much younger and come from religious christian families.

Here is will singing Leave Right Now on the 2nd season of Pop idol:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvToTUMDkLY


Back to AI, I also liked Casey and Andrew, even though I didn't know his song.
I haven't seen the girls yet.

Love Vonnyxx

On this weeks performances, my fav girls are Crystal & Lilly. I like Michelle too, and I think she's more typical of the kind of girls who do well in the competition. Of course Allison broke the mould there.

I like Mike & Casey but my favourite guy would be Lee. He reminded me of David, in fact I was thinking how good a David Cook version of Chasing Cars would be, I love that song. I really liked Andrew's performance, he surprised me.

Kris Allen's performance was great, as was Allison's.

With David he was my favourite from the start and always delivered, but he could sing the phone book and still be great!

It will be interesting to see if anyone stands out this year.

He HAS sung the phonebook and IS still great!

Boy do I miss David....but I would have to say that Lee Dewyze is defintily my favorite. Excuse me for saying this lol but he is defintily an org*** for my ears...and I'd also say my eyes. I think he reminds me of David with the tone of his voice and defintily his appearance. I think he has so much potential and I agree with Simon when he said that he had the best voice for the guys.

I was also very impressed with Alex Lambert this week. He really stepped it up. I think he may be my second favorite.

I was a little disappointed with Casey tonight too...

But I'm just not digging these Tina Turner and other songs...

I am so in love with Lee Dewyze. He is adorable and has a voice to die for.

I shouldn't really be reading this thread yet, because I'm just spoiling it all for myself, but I don't care. I know whose performances to watch out for now.

None of the guys are thrilling me. They were even worse than last week! No one did extremely well. Mike and Lee were pretty good, but that was it. I watched David's performance of All Right Now, and he did a billion and a half times better than any of these guys at this point in the show, and even my family, who aren't biased like me, agreed. America must be running out of talent or something, because this season is sucking so far. Let's hope the girls get better tonight.

I miss David too. I hope they bring him back during the results show. I'm going to say that Lee is my favorite this year...at least for the guys. I like a couple different girls, but Lee for the guys all the way. He does have that David thing going for him, but he's not trying to copy him...which is a good thing.

I think my second favorite is Big Mike...he has a great personality and has some sould R&B in there. Wow, now those genres of music are on different sides of the spectrum.

Alex Lambert did do a lot better. The guitar helped him too.

Tim did better, but I'd say he can go home tonight.

I don't care for Jermaine.

I kind of like Toddrick, but I didn't care for his song last week; however, I didn't mind what he did this week.

Not a fan of Casey. I love Gavin DeGraw's I Don't Want to Be, but not the way Casey did it. Okay, are you going to do rock or country or what? To me, he reminds of Jason Castro...his stage presence. However, he can sing better than Castro.

I like Andrew too. He's got something.

The judges confuse me at times. They say to change it up and make it their own and the next thing you know, they're saying sing it pretty much the way it was written and don't change up the melody! I can see not changing up songs that are classics and are standing the test of time, but some other songs...c'mon. You say not to change up the 'big' songs, but isn't that what David did during his run on Idol...with Hello, Always Be My Baby and many more?!?! No wonder the contestants are a little loss sometimes. I don't know.

Barb, you and I agree on so many things! I too think the judges give out mixed messages--they have for years actually. They want songs to be changed up, but when one of the kids does that, if it doesn't suit the judges concept, they yell at him or her. Let's face it, nobody has done it like David did. Even that provocative version of Ring of Fire by Adam last year was too weird for most tastes. As Paula said about David--and I'm paraphrasing--he makes perfect choices, takes things to the edge without going over, etc. She always got David! I still haven't seen anything this season to equal Hello, much less Billie Jean. Andrew's take on Straight Up was great, but he has floundered since. Sigh...I think we all have to admit that we have seen the best and anything after him seems redundant.

That's what I was thinking too! The judges will tell a contestant they should change up a song and then they'll turn around and say you shouldn't mess with a song that already has a great melody (in the words of Randy Jackson, anyway). The problem is, how do you know what the judges consider to be a great melody? It varies for everyone and if a person wants to change the arrangement, why should they be bashed for it?

I only watched the first four performances last night and honestly, I was impressed at all. The first guy (Mike, was it?) was good. I usually like Casey's voice, but I didn't like that song for him (and I like that song). Alex Lambert was really good. This season is just bad, in my opinion. Last year was more bearable than this. Maybe it'll get better once it gets to the top twelve.