Idol Coffee Talk – Feb. 2 Episode
First off, welcome to our first blog entry for “American Idol Coffee Talk,” where we’ll be discussing season nine of Fox’s hit reality TV show, American Idol.
A few notes about season nine so far: Paula Abdul is out and Ellen Degeneres is in, this will be Simon Cowell’s last season as a judge on the show as he is set to bring his U.K. hit talent show, “The X Factor,” here in 2011 and NO ONE has really stood out for me as having that “X factor” that Simon and the other judges always talk about.
I mean, it’s kind of sad to say that the only other audition I’ve remembered so far was General Larry Platt’s “Pants on the Ground” audition, but I’ve got to say that one hopeful from last night’s Denver, CO auditions has changed that.
The last time Idol made its rounds in Denver was in season five. Plucked from obscurity from Denver that season was one of Idol’s famous alums, Chris Daughtry, and sadly there weren’t many “Chris Daughtry’s” amongst the crowd.
After two consecutive seasons of male winners, it’s clear that Idol is vying for a female win this year and last night’s audition round proved just that. Five out of the ten auditions last night featured female hopefuls all making it through to Hollywood, while only two out of the five male auditions made it through.
Mark Labriola of Aurora, CO explains that he’s often mistaken for Jack Black and “loves cheese” and that he’s lived his life “on the run,” living in various parts of the country after his mother took him away from his father when he was younger. Mark gets four yeses from Simon, Kara, Randy and guest judge, Posh Spice, Victoria Beckham, for his rendition of “Tempted” by Squeeze. Mark’s voice seemed a bit breathy and fell short in some parts, so I’m predicting his time during Hollywood round next week won’t get him that far.
Casey James of Fort Worth, TX sang “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” by John Mayer. His voice reminded me of Caleb Followill’s from Kings of Leon, but as Kara said, he had no charisma and he needed to “work on his personality.” Kara and Posh Spice agreed, however, that he had a “great look,” but things got awkward in the judging room as Kara then asked Casey to take his shirt off. Casey has a good chance in Hollywood week, perhaps only because of his looks, but he needs more stage presence. If he doesn’t work on his charisma, as Kara suggested, Casey could just be one of this season’s good looking cannon fodder.
Perhaps one of last night’s auditions that did it for me was Danelle Hayes of Seattle, WA. Danelle works as a singer for a cover band, and as Simon put it, seemed “broken” after many years of trying to pursue a career in the music industry. She mentioned that the only gigs she’s only been able to secure were at bars, casinos and corporate parties and seemed unassuming as she says the reason she tried out was to support her 3 year-old son. Danelle sings “I’m the Only One” by Melissa Ethridge, showcasing her powerful, rock-tinged voice reminiscent of Ethridge, and even Pink. Danelle gets four yeses from the judges, and methinks that she has quite a good chance during Hollywood week, and I’m pushing for her to be in this year’s Top 24.
It’s a given now that no audition episode of American Idol is ever complete without one or two sob stories, and tonight’s was brought to us by Haeley Vaughn of Fort Collins, CO. Hayley explains that she was born prematurely, only weighing two pounds, and aspires to be the first “black [country pop] singer.” She sings Carrie Underwood’s “Last Name,” and the song and the genre actually fit her voice. Simon pointed out her lisp when she sings, and her voice in the beginning of the song sounded a bit teeny bopper, but became more full and robust at the end. Haeley’s got a good chance during Hollywood week. I predict her meshing well during the group auditions; her voice alone could land her a spot in the Top 24, and the pimp spot from the Idol producers could certainly have a positive influence in that as well.
At the end, the judges pushed 26 hopefuls through to Hollywood from Denver, but the episode will definitely be not one of the most memorable. Last year, viewers met Katrina Darell a.k.a. “Bikini Girl,” and Idol producers decided to end Denver’s episode featuring Ty Hemmerling, who also chose to come into the audition room clad in a bikini. Thankfully, Wednesday night’s show will be the last audition episode because even the gimmicks that the attention whores try to pull are getting old.
Tune in tonight at 7 p.m. on Fox to catch the “Best of the Rest” auditions, and log on tomorrow for our coverage!
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