Agreed. Can someone please give these people a clue, if not an FAQ? We can start with Rilchiam’s excellent post, then add a few more points.
— The intention of this show is to create a marketable pop star. If you can’t sing country pop, rock pop, jazz pop, or just plain old Top 40 pop, don’t audition. Don’t sing opera, classical, or Broadway and hope to get through.
— If you get onto the show, you’ll have to learn a song a week and perform it in front of an audience live and at home. If you can’t perform one song perfectly when you had free choice and ages to learn it, you aren’t in the right field.
— You’re not going to succeed because “you’ve never seen anyone else like me.” They did, honey, and eliminated them before they could make it to TV.
Yikes! That girl was so sincerely surprised that she’s not good and since she’s not obnoxious, I felt really bad for her. That was the most uncomfortable I’ve ever felt while watching that show. Watching her cry, no…SOB on her mother’s shoulder was gut-wrenching.
I liked “crack baby”, but I agree that she’s pulling a Pickler with the sob story.
Have you seen Jennifer Hudson in the Dreamgirls movie? She gives the best performance of that song I’ve ever seen or heard. She’s probably going to win an oscar for it.
No question. I know these auditions are taped but the timing was a little unfortunate for that girl last night. It was just a bit of bad luck for her that a former AI contestant was getting rave reviews and Oscar buzz for that very song. There was no way she could avoid unfavorable comparisons. I thought she was good enough to go to the next round but the gap in talent between her and Hudson (or Ryan) was brought into relief by that song choice.
Simon was not defending the vocal coach. He was just trying to get him to fight with Randy to make some good TV.
Mostly a suckfest last night, but I don’t tune in to the auditions for great performances.
Paula looked drugged up AND her upper lip looked like it had been botoxed. It seemed in some shots of Jewel and Randy they were consciously cropping her out.
Seattle will be a freak show, but I’m out this evening, no watchee. Have fun.
She was definitely on something. She couldn’t keep still. I understand that if she has chronic pain that she may need pain meds, but if that’s the case, she wouldn’t act like that. Chronic pain patients don’t need to overmedicate to the point of being completely out of it. Typically, they take enough to be able to function.
She was either chasing a buzz with her pain meds or taking the regular dose of pain meds with alcohol.
I am almost too embarrassed by my home state to post this morning. But I will remind everyone that some of the bad singers were from Wisconsin and even other states. And from the previews it doesn’t look like Seattle will be any better. However, the fact that many of the singers were so bad makes me wonder about the pre-screening process. Are they trying so hard to find the really bad ones and make good TV that they’re potentially leaving out some good singers? Just a thought.
I truly felt bad for the first girl. She was so cute and sweet, and I honestly think if she hadn’t been trying so hard to sing exactly like Jewel, she might not have been so bad. I wanted the judges to ask her to sing something else in her natural voice.
My favorite of the night was the girl with the long hair who sang “Over the Rainbow.” Nice voice. There were a couple of other decent ones as well but I can’t remember their names or what they looked like or what they sang. I only half-watched because I get bored with the commercial between every audition format. I get really frustrated when they spend so much time on one performer with all the background bullshit. I want to see more auditions!
I’m going to take the advice posted upthread, and bail out until they get to Hollywood. It’s just too painful to watch.
The show has a sadistic streak that I don’t enjoy. I really get squirmy watching these delusional, pathetic people humiliate themselves for our enjoyment, and so the judges can (metaphorically) pull the wings off flies.
We were 30 minutes in before we saw a good performance.
The first-line Junior Producers could (and mostly do, I’m sure) give people a quick boot: “Nope, we’re not looking for Bert Lahr impersonators. Sorry…your juggling is better than your singing, and that’s not saying much…” But nooooo…they twirl their mustaches, and say “mwwahaha…you’ll do fine to entertain our Viewers…”. It’s evil. I’m done.
Right there are the two things that annoy me the most about American Idol.
As long as you have “power” in that voice of yours, the audience will give you a standing bloody ovation. Being able to howl out a note at the top of your lungs - even if you’re in key and can hold it for 30 seconds - does not make you a good singer. And yet the hugest rounds of applause always result from someone finishing a song with a 30-second shouted “for YOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!” And then people vote for these “talented singers” at home.
You’re not Shakira. You’re not Jewel. Take one of their songs to sing, but please do not try to copy their vocal idiosyncrasies. Imitating Jewel’s warble or Shakira’s washing-machine voice just screams karaoke bar.
I agree about the belting. And I noticed that Jewel last night remarked a couple of times on how well people sounded on quieter notes. I agree with Dio that she should replace Paula.
The only other thing I can think of is her being on an ultra heavy-duty painkiller, the type that renders one flat on his/her back within a few minutes after ingestion. She obviously can’t lie down, so she tries to sit up the best she can.
I hate thinking of her as being an out-and-out addict. I really do. She was one of my favorite '80s performers.
Well then, I have some rather dissapointing news about George Michael, too.
I’ve been in chronic pain and have taken narcotics to help with it. Even after I became dependent and then addicted and started taking them recreationally (in the past, thank god), I never took that much. I guess I was a functioning addict because no one questioned my behavior at all, even when I was really buzzing. I was taking Lortab, but she could be taking something stronger, like Oxycontin and breaking them up to get a strong high.
Just speculation, of course. Even if she’s dependent on them, she should not be acting like that.
I’ll join in with the Jewel fans. I liked her. She didn’t say any more than she needed to and never did anything to embarrass herself.
This was a very weak crop of contestants. I’m with xnylder. Too many people have heard the tired old maxim (read: lie) “Anything is possible” and actually took it to heart. It’s all right to love music and want to be involved with it in some fashion, but not every music lover can or should sing. I wish someone had told these people the truth about their horrible voices long ago.
Plus, I think Zit Boy was just this year’s version of last year’s “Inch High Cowboy Guy” who went all “oh shucks” on us each week ‘til they gave him the ol’ spur in the ass.
What slays me is the loved ones waiting outside the audition room with a big ol heaping spoonful of delusion to replace what Simon and Randy deflated. Us right-thinking folks are cringing at home wondering why in the world no one’s ever told them they sound horrendous, and then comes squishy time with Mom saying “It’s alright, they’re wrong, you will be famous, you are wonderful and beautiful and talented and amazing!”
You’re absolutely right. At least I never believed a thing my mother ever said to me. I have a very healthy dose of reality that I’m going to pass on to my daughter. If she ever sounds pitchy, I’ll tell her.
I feel really bad for the vocal teacher. Randy was really humiliating him. I kept thinking about how he’s got to face his students after that.
