American Idol: San Diego Auditions

Ahh it's a new week which means MORE auditions! I am sure most people are as happy as I am that we're back to the standard hour episodes this week. Let's enjoy them while we can before they get inflated one more time once the semi-finals start (maybe even the Hollywood episodes).
I'm sure also that everyone is wondering how the big Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson show in Louisville was this past weekend. Well, I'll tell you! It was nothing short of AMAZING! Reba and Kelly brought down that house and they both sounded incredible. I'd get into a whole concert recap here for you, but that's not what this blog is about. But if you want to find out more, do yourself a favor and go to youtube.com and search yourself up some Reba and Kelly performance clips! I actually just found one FROM the Louisville concert. Here they are doing "Up to the Mountain" which Kelly performed on Idol Gives Back last year.


Brought Reba to tears on stage! Ahhh good times. Do yourselves all a favor and find them somewhere in concert before they're done!

Okay, anyway...so the San Diego auditions were tonight. More decent talent, more heartbreak, more awfulness that can only meet the standards of the American Idol audition process (I mean...come on...the guy with the FANS? That was kinda silly!) I did get a good laugh out of Valerie "I think I'm Mariah" Reyes and her crazy voice all over the place. Clearly she was set up to look like an idiot on camera. But sometimes, it's done in a way that I don't care how contrived the situation is! I mean, when she hit those high notes trying to reach Mariah's extra 8 octaves she was born with...well you can't NOT laugh! Gets me everytime.

But we're here to focus on who got to the next level. So here I am with my brief synopsis of the 6 of 30 people that we saw get through:

• Tatiana Ostapowych - 24 - Sang a little jazzy rendition of "Someone to Watch Over Me" Simon called it obnoxious stating that she is not as good as she thinks she is. I could kinda see a little of that in her performance. She hit all the notes, but something wasn't adding up. Maybe she'll tone the smirks down a little bit in Hollywood and win the judges over. Still too early to tell with this one.


• Perry Cataldo - 27 - Perry clearly is a favorite of the American Idol machine getting a nice little back-story and lots of camera time for his 4 year old boy sporting a pony-tail like his daddy's. And well....gotta give him credit...he was one cute kid! "Whazzup Randy???" Your Dad is going to Hollywood! "OKAY." Ahhh priceless. As for Perry, his wife and the kid's mother appears to have involved in some kind of drug related death. And Perry has gotten his life together for his boy and is gonna sing his way to stardom. Well, he sang pretty good. I have a feeling this guy won't be going anywhere for at least a couple rounds. He has top 12 potential, but we still have to see what else we're dealing with. But his son could be his winning ticket in.


• Michael Johns - 28 - Well this guy seems to have it all doesn't he? Powerful soulful voice and an appeal about him that will probably drive the women nuts. And I was all on board with him until he came out of the doors and in a goofy voice said "IT CAN HAPPEN, THAT'S ALL I'M SAYIN GUYS!" Well, we found out Michael Johns is one huge dork! (man...i really should've auditioned!) But with a little good press, he can get past this minor Howard Dean-like misstep.
  


• Samantha Musa - 20 - Well besides her blatant love for Simon (and gimmick with sister to get through the door and on TV) I thought this girl was actually pretty good. The paper airplane note may have been the lamest thing I've ever seen on this show, but she sure sang a good rendition of Aretha's "Until You Come Back to Me." Along with Perry, I could see Samantha sticking around for a bit too. Again...still too early to tell!


• David Archuletta - 16 - Ahhh another Vocal Chord drama story! This one reminded me a bit of Anthony Federov's sob story in season 4 of how he had no voice and then all of a sudden he sang like a Russian Hockey Player who plays in Detroit (or Jon Secada...take your pick!) Anyway, apparently this guy had Vocal Chord Paralysis, due to Bronchitis, for a long time (so what does that mean, i dunno...4 hours? I mean he's 16!) Didn't help his case with me that he sang the song I hate most in this world (and I believe I mentioned this last year), John Mayer's "Waiting on the World to Change." I mean come on! It's the same chord arrangement from like 557 other songs! (yep, just a random number) I wouldn't have minded so much if so many people didn't tell me how much they love that song and then I had to whip out my iPod and play all of the other songs that sound like it to get my point across! I mean maybe I can make it into the music biz by writing generic lyrics about the world changing and applying it to the chords of....hmmmm Piano Man? Sure...no one will notice right? Anyway, the kid was okay....but the best part of the whole audition was Randy filling in the "WAITIN!!!"'s through the whole song. Ahhh good times. Will America get the chance to vote David through to subsequent rounds? Or will the judges take care of him in Hollywood? I kinda half hope he does get through, because I definitely need someone to pick on in the top 12. Of course, if Pia Easily (and yes, I know that's not how her last name is spelled, but it doesn't even matter to me anymore!) gets through...I'm still set for awhile!


• Carly Sminson - 23 - In a jammed packed Season 5 (Daughtry, Yamin, Hicks, McPhee, Pickler, Yada, Yada and Yada) one name we never got to know was miss Carly Sminson. Apparently, she auditioned back then and Paula claimed she was the best EVER to audition. Well, apparently she didn't have a VISA so she was disqualified. Now, she's back with her crazy tattooed husband (and he has left his mark on her entire right arm). And she sang pretty well. Simon wasn't as impressed as the last time. But I'm sure she'll be turning heads for a few rounds. But please! Less crying! I can't take all of the crying!

And who knows what other 26 people got through that we did not see!? Maybe we'll get a chance to meet them in the coming rounds.

Well there you have it everyone, blog # 3 for the season. 3 more Audition episodes to go? Yay! Charleston, South Carolina is next and it sure looks to be a doozy! See y'all tomorrow!