‘American Idol’ recap: season 11, audition city #5 Houston/Galveston, TX
AMERICAN IDOL: Texas contestant Skylar Laine performs in front of the judges on AMERICAN IDOL airing Thursday, Jan. 26 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. CR: Michael becker / FOX.
“Idol” is kickin’ it old school, y’all, in Galveston, Texas!
Fifty four people made it through, comparable to San Diego’s 53. But in this case, we only actually heard five of them!
Instead, for the first time in five episodes, “Idol” producers decided to give us several bad auditions circa 2003. There were two deeply deluded fellas, one evoking William Hung and another requiring a guard to shove him out the door. “Idol” tortures us with seven other bad singers.
And another novelty for 2012: split decisions among the judges! Four times, we see Randy and Steven disagree with Jennifer. To date, we’ve rarely seen any disagreement, much less cogent critiques, from the judges.
So compared to Aspen, the Galveston episode was far more entertaining, if not nearly as pretty. And we may actually have some real good singers to boot.
The show tells us it’s their ninth time in Texas, giving producers an excuse to reference Kelly Clarkson.
Uh oh. Asian stereotype alert! Echoes of William Hung with Phong Vu, a Houston resident. “I will make you sharp and wow,” he said. He starts tearing up. Oh, my. The gong sound effect? Not cool. He likes to sing female singers like Selena and even J. Lo. Double uh oh. He decides to do Toni Braxton’s “Un-Break My Heart.” Yes. He is William Hung #2. Steven Tyler, in the kindest critique ever: “The melody is missing.” Times like this, we really do miss Simon Cowell, eh?
Back from the break, we hear even more bad singers: Cameron Dobbins of Houston does a simply nasty version of “My Prerogative.” Lamounte Hall gets over-excited doing a flamboyant “I’m So Excited.” A dude singing that Scotty song by Josh Turner didn’t even get his name announced. Ditto with the next guy.
Deer-killin‘ 17-year-old Skyler Laine from Brandon, Miss. gets the story treatment. She does a bit of “Hell on Heels” and brings some edgy, down-home country that “Idol” seldom gets. I see potential top 24 material here. She’s real.
And Baylie Brown, 21, from Nashville is back after five seasons. She made it to Hollywood. I vaguely remember her. She forgot her words during the group round in 2007. “I was just a baby at the time,” she said. I love the tone in her voice. The judges just go straight to voting and say yes. (Who needs commentary from these judges?) She may be joining Skyler in Hollywood for some star power in the finals.
Kristina Osorio, 28, is getting her last shot. She is divorced and has an incredibly ugly., distracting tattoo down her arm. She attempts Adele and does a passable job. I found her voice a bit loud but she has skills. So she gets through.
Then there’s dissension in the ranks for the first time this season. In this case, it’s J. Lo vs. Steven and Randy – four times.
Rachael Turner (Miss Houston 2011). who does “Undo It,” got a no from the boys. J. Lo is shocked. Reagan WIlison, a choir teacher, opts for a pretty “At Last.” “I didn’t get it,” Randy said, while J. Lo is again shocked. Cheyenne James from Conroe sounds a bit desperate and is trying too hard. “I’m not sure you have it for this year’s Idol,” Steven said. “Are you kidding me?” J. Lo said. “You’re crazy!” Again, J.Lo said yes and the other two said no. Linda Williams is over-emoting, wrapped in melisma hell. J. Lo isn’t going for it. Randy and Steven said yes.
Alejandro Cazares, a cell phone repairman, is 26 but looks about 10 years older. He wants a revolution where Lady Gaga is a star and Barack Obama is president, he told the judges. Umm… yah. Isn’t that the world we already live in, Steven asked? He said he doesn’t feel he has support from his friends to pursue his singing dream – not even from his so-called girlfriend. Sadly, his girlfriend is right. The man with the chip on his shoulder is at best a mediocre karaoke bar singer. “Your voice is not good enough for ‘American Idol,’ ” J. Lo said correctly. Alejandro begs but Randy said there is no way he is going to go through. And he doesn’t. Steven said, “Not yet.” Randy is more blunt: “Never.” A big burly security guard had to guide him out.
That whole sequence felt like classic “Idol.” Deluded contestant begging to stay on despite obvious lack of talent is a trope “Idol” has generally avoided up to this point. And Randy had to play Simon.
Then we get Mr. Earnest. Cortez Shaw from Garland opts for the most popular karaoke song of this day and age, Adele’s “Someone Like You.” He is rushing it. But he has a good voice, with some interesting choices in melody. Randy asks for more. “You’re good looking. You’re sweet. You have a great voice. Yes,” J. Lo said. Steven says yes. And so does Randy. Will he get very far? Not sure of that.
Julie Shuman of New York screeches through “Rolling in the Deep” with very noisy leather pants. “I bet you’re crazy in, on the dance floor,” Steven said. Vanessa Hernandez is more than off key. She is utterly flat. Erin “Nire” Kettl brings back “Un-Break Your Heart” brings Randy to tears and not in a good way.
Final singer: Houston worship leader Ramiro Garcia is the sob story of the day. He had no ear lobes and the doctors thought he would have no hearing or speaking ability. At age four, they created an ear canal and discovered I had an eardrum. “Through time and faith, I have a voice to sing,” he said. Despite the sweat puddling under his armpits, he has depth and grace in his “Amazing Grace.” “We’re taking a leap of faith with you today,” J. Lo said. And he’s through! Is he top 24 material? Just maybe. But we can all leave today feeling good and perhaps wipe our memory of that first dude earlier this hour.
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By Rodney Ho, Radio & TV Talk
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183 comments Add your comment
Rodney Ho
January 27th, 2012
10:20 am
I think an Idol episode is like a recipe. Sometimes, a couple of funny/bad auditions go a long way but it’s a tricky balance. For instance, Aspen’s Cyclops dude? Not funny or entertaining in any way, shape or form. And Randy walking out? The right move.
Pitchy
January 27th, 2012
10:36 am
@Rickster – last night he tried to hide behind JLo’s back to laugh.
Rickster
January 27th, 2012
10:37 am
I did like Cyclops’ line about being so poor that they had a tv that only picked up a PBS station that broadcast a lot of BBC shows to explain his British accent though he grew up in Iowa.
That – and the – “you should be blurring my face now” about half-way through the back story.
other than that… waste of time.
Sam-A
January 27th, 2012
10:47 am
I think the judges have notes on everyone, because they all are looking down and shuffling papers every time a contestant comes in. How much info probably varies. I’m starting to weary of the “sad story” stuff – would rather not know and root for someone solely because I like them and their singing, not fall into the sympathy trap I’ve done several times (Pickler [but I do really like her], Gokey and the kid living in the car come to mind).
Speaking of Kellie P – she’ll be on Ellen one day next week – can’t remember which day. Always a hoot together.
Pitchy
January 27th, 2012
10:51 am
I believe the judge’s have notes. As a matter of fact I know they do. After we saw the back story of a particular contestant, Randy asked a question only those watching the show would know. Supposedly he wouldn’t have know to even ask that. Sure wish I coould remember what it was to solidify my point (lol).
Deirdre
January 27th, 2012
11:02 am
I think the judges have paperwork on all the contestants they see. Again, this portion of the show is for entertainment purposes so the more the judges know about each contestant, the better. I don’t think the producers decide who should go to Hollywood and who shouldn’t…pretty sure the judges make that decision, but I’d bet that Nigel has “suggested” a few likely candidates.
Pitchy
January 27th, 2012
11:12 am
I agree, Deirdre!
Rickster
January 27th, 2012
11:16 am
To me, Randy asking Jane Carey “Does Father know you’re here?” proves that the judges have background info on the contestants.
And it would appear not all the judges have the same paperwork – since J-Lo asked “Who’s father?” I guess they wanted to get an honest reaction out of her.
JTesla
January 27th, 2012
11:27 am
They probably have the same paperwork, but perhaps they don’t look over it as well as they should.
After Steven Tyler’s awkward questioning of Ramiro Garcia to lead us to the backstory I would say that they are at least prodded to inquire about certain things. The others are better at making it look natural.
DanJ
January 27th, 2012
11:53 am
If they’ve already filmed the show, which they have. I’m sure the edit had been done before the first show. No horrible auditions. My guess is they had to re-edit the show to add bad auditions if they thought it would help ratings. Personally I hate bad auditions. I think they’re shooting themselves in the foot. The background stories on Idol are as bad as those on XFactor.
The auditions on Idol make me realize that XFactor did do a better job with auditions. At least XFactor had some WOW moments. The auditions are lame on Idol. That may be why the ratings have dropped not the fact they cut bad auditions. Since folks want to compare XFactor to Idol then XFactor gets the edge on auditions IMO.
I watch these show to hear good singers trying to make it. Not to hear mediocre singers and judges debate. I don’t need feel good stories or overcoming hardships. I just want one good singer a show. One WOW moment. Is that too much to ask? If Idol wants to increase the ratings increase what we see and maybe more folks will turn in. Right now Idol is as stale as 11 year old bread IMO!
Rickster
January 27th, 2012
11:53 am
Will ‘American Idol’ get overthrown as TV’s top show?
by James Hibberd
Categories: American Idol, Television
After eight seasons at No. 1, American Idol could finally get overthrown in the weekly ratings as the country’s highest-rated entertainment series.
The media often speculates about such a prospect before a new season of Idol premieres. Then the reality titan always returns to monster viewership, crushing all rivals in its path, and doubters are silenced.
Not this time.
The first three episodes of the 11th season, while still ruling their respective evenings, dipped far enough in the ratings to suggest that Idol could possibly get overtaken — at least during some of the upcoming weeks (overturning Idol as the season’s overall highest-rated show remains unlikely). Last Thursday’s second episode had CBS declaring an unprecedented ratings victory for its hit comedy Big Bang Theory, saying the show actually beat Idol in the key adult demo. Who actually won the fight is a matter of dispute (Fox compared Big Bang to Idol‘s hour-long average; CBS compared Big Bang to the first half of Idol, when the sitcom and reality series were in direct competition).
Either way, the point remains: The Idol pinata is within striking distance.
Though Idol continues to deliver huge numbers, here’s why the ratings suggest that regime change is theoretically possible: Idol ratings tend to follow a similar pattern every year, with very strong opening weeks, some sagging during the middle, then rising again for a big finish. The pattern has been so consistent that Fox insiders can generally predict Idol‘s ratings for its entire season based on the first few weeks. Whereas comedies like Big Bang tend to be relatively stable during their run. So if the standard Idol trend holds, given where the show is right now, things could get intensely competitive in the coming months.
“It’s still a really strong show, it’s just not quite the Death Star anymore,” said a rival network’s executive. “From a competitive standpoint, its a good thing to see it back down to Earth.’”
Which show has the best odds of taking Idol‘s place in the weekly top spot?
Big Bang or ABC’s Modern Family have the strongest claim in the demo, with an edge to Big Bang (Wednesday’s Modern Family is higher rated overall this season, but Idol is generally more vulnerable on Thursdays).
And then there’s The Voice. The second season return of NBC’s breakout hit is a wild card this season, with its season premiere fueled by the Super Bowl on Feb. 5. Though unlikely to topple Idol, here’s the key question: Will The Voice steal some thunder from Idol, or does Idol‘s dip suggest viewers are suffering singing-show fatigue in general? Between Idol, Fox’s The X Factor, NBC’s The Voice, Sing Off and America’s Got Talent, there are singing competition shows year around, more than ever before.
Fox didn’t have much of a choice about picking up X Factor, which aired this fall to solid ratings and will return next fall (you either keep Simon Cowell on your payroll or watch him stroll over to a rival). But industry insiders believe Factor is likely at least part of the reason why Idol‘s recent premiere was lower than expected. And all the other shows can’t help either.
One thing to remember is that Idol‘s run continues to be remarkable. The show ended its 10th season at No. 1 last year, and the last show to pull that off was NBC’s Cheers. Plus, Idol accounts for 50 hours of Fox’s annual programming while Modern Family and Big Bang are on the air for only about 11 hours.
As one rival put it: “No one is dancing around singing ‘Ding Dong the Witch is Dead
Pitchy
January 27th, 2012
11:55 am
@Rickster ~ you have been cited or that long post!!!!
JTesla
January 27th, 2012
12:06 pm
DanJ, different tastes. I hated the X-Factor auditions. However, even the auditions of Idol that I don’t like, I don’t hate. Idol is 11 years old, its going down, it’s not going down because of the auditions, or the judges, or the talent, it’s just an old show that for some reason is still #1 despite its age.
Rickster
January 27th, 2012
12:06 pm
Sorry, Pitchy!
Rickster
January 27th, 2012
12:08 pm
Ok… here’s just a link about what Chris Medina’s been up to in the past year. Seems he’s doing well in Norway!
http://oakforest.patch.com/articles/one-year-after-idol-chris-medina-makes-it-big-overseas-tries-to-bring-it-home#video-8981565
Sam-A
January 27th, 2012
12:18 pm
I don’t even remember Chris Medina or that huge hideous head of hair! When was he on?
JTesla
January 27th, 2012
12:34 pm
You might remember his backstory.
Deirdre
January 27th, 2012
12:37 pm
Wasn’t Chris Medina the good singer with the fiancee who has brain damage from a horrible accident? I think his elimination during Hollywood(?) came as a shock to a lot of people.
As for Idol’s decline, I agree with JT. It was bound to happen sometime and I really don’t think it has anything to do with any other show or how the auditions are run or even the voting. People are just fading away.
DanJ
January 27th, 2012
12:48 pm
Hi JTesla, I liked XFactor and the Voice because you got a sense right away who had it and who didn’t. Singing before a live audience and with music gave me a better sense which contestant had a chance. Whether it was Melanie, Drew, Josh, Chris, Marcus, Caitlyn or Jazzlyn they had WOW moments. Granted it was edited but it was refreshing. When Simon was on Idol we watched just to hear him bash the bad auditions. I did anyway. Now it’s just boring outside a Steven Tyler moment every once in awhile.
If Idol doesn’t do something then next year season 12 will be its last. I’ve watched every season since season 1 and enjoy the show but the show needs something to recharge it. A bad analogy would be: The heart needs a pacemaker. Honestly they may need to stop showing the auditions and start with Hollywood week or just start the show with Xnumber of contestants and let us jump into it. Maybe have 20 contestants/ 20 weeks. Right now I feel indifferent. Nothing Special! Of course that’s just my opinion.
Sam-A
January 27th, 2012
12:59 pm
I do remember that pitiful story of that lovely young girl whose life was ruined in a quick minute. He sure looked a lot better on the show than that pic in the article.
Pitchy
January 27th, 2012
1:14 pm
Glad to see CMedina is doing well. The best part of the article was the fact tht Idol breathed fresh air back into him. He was probably feeling unappreciated, stressed out, always concern with making sure his fiance was comfortable while putting himself on the back burner. We all need that spark to ignite the embers. Idol was it for him. Good for him and all that came his way!
Rickster
January 27th, 2012
1:25 pm
Chris’ elimination caused J-Lo to go into semi-full meltdown. (”I don’t want tot do this any more.”) They had to stop the eliminations for a while until she could recompose herself.
Steven Tyler had his high water mark on the show with Chris’ audition, when he told Chris’ girlfriend “That’s why he sing so good. He’s singing for you.” (or something like that.)
Seth T.
January 27th, 2012
1:26 pm
Back to the ranch for a qwik lunch, if Skylar Laine was here – she could fix me some deer sausage from one of her deer kills, shooting from her ATV.
Baylie Brown should do much better in Hollywood this year, while the Jersey girls that left her at the train station a few years ago, have to watch on TV.
JTesla
January 27th, 2012
1:31 pm
“If Idol doesn’t do something then next year season 12 will be its last”
Not again. That has been said regularly since Season 6. Yet every year it is still number one. It won’t hold that position for a lot longer, but slipping from one is not the death of Idol. I understand why you don’t like it, but that doesn’t mean that the show is over.
Let’s put it this way, I greatly disliked X-Factor, so much so that I will not watch it again. However, that doesn’t mean that the show is going to be canceled after next season. I have an opinion about it, and I feel strongly about it, but I’m not going to presume that my feeling is the only option.
The Idol audition shows have historically had some of the top viewership. You may not like it, but millions of people don’t agree with you. Heck, last season I stopped watching the auditions, I was tired of Idol’s formula, this season… I’m back. Even when I was the most down on Idol, I didn’t think that MY lack of enjoyment would spell the death of Idol.
Pitchy
January 27th, 2012
1:43 pm
I think he said “that’s why he sang so beautifully, he’s singing for you”…
Anyone knows the exact quote??
Jenny
January 27th, 2012
2:03 pm
Hi everyone! I thought the show last night was pretty good. It was fun to see the ocean in the background, too… the beach in Galveston is prettier than I’d thought it might be!
So I have another favorite now… Baylie Brown. I loved her the first time she was on… she had so much potential. (Didn’t Simon call her “marketing gold” or something like that?) I remember being very surprised when she forgot the words and got cut… I’d picked her to go far. But I wonder if being on the show now, instead of then, might be a good thing for her. I think she may do even better than she could’ve at 16.
(And I had totally forgotten that she was in a group with that awful Antonella and friend! I think I’d actually blocked Antonella from memory until they showed her last night.
K&CF, what was it they did to her… I remember they were mean, but don’t remember specifics. Was it because of them that she messed up?)
No one else really jumped out at me… I’d thought I might like Skyler, but she was a little too twangy for me. (I like slower country music, but not so much the twangy stuff.) I loved her story about saving her family’s store, but HATED that she kills deer (and I hope they won’t continue to mention that.
)
And I was skipping through a bit, trying to avoid seeing the bad ones… but from what I saw, Jennifer was right in all the disagreements! The boys might need to get their ears cleaned out.
I Neg Your Pardon
January 27th, 2012
2:06 pm
Not even going to comment about the tired refrain that “Idol’s days are numbered”. The show will outlive all of us. On to the TX show…
Two contestants worth mentioning, and one that has big star potential.
1. Baylie Brown – After stumbling in Hollywood at 16, she’s now a smoking hot 21yo with unlimited potential. Baylie has the looks, maturity and chops to become a huge star. I expect big, big things from her. Only drawback is being country in the wrong season, so she needs to show versatility on the show to have a shot at winning the big prize.
2. Skylar Laine – Nice voice and girl-next-door country charm. Good candidate for Top 24, but not much beyond that.
Sam-A
January 27th, 2012
2:07 pm
Here’s a qoute from Youtube:
His fiancée was among those he brought with him to the audition. If he made it to Hollywood, it would give her something to be happy about again, and he would feel like he had already won something, he said. After Medina nailed his rendition of The Script’s “Breakeven,” the judges told him they wanted to meet his fiancée. Medina said “that would make her day,” and she was wheeled in. Watch below. The judges introduced themselves, and Steven Tyler sweetly kissed her on the head and told her that Medina had sung beautifully, which he suspected was because he sings to her all the time. When Medina exited to the cheers of his family, it was his fiancée holding the golden ticket and raising it victoriously. She whispered something to him — “I knew it.”
Sam-A
January 27th, 2012
2:10 pm
Jenny: agree with you 100% about Skyler. Don’t want to hear about murdering beautiful animals! And she was waaaaay too country for me. And Neg’s right on about Baylie – very cute with good voice, but we’ve already done all that country stuff last year – need a break from it this time around!
Jenny
January 27th, 2012
2:14 pm
Do you think Baylie will go completely country, though? I could be remembering wrong, but I thought she was more pop the first time? Maybe a little bit crossover, but definitely not country like Lauren was… Someone remind me?
Deirdre
January 27th, 2012
2:16 pm
X-F is a side show at a carnival. All smoke and mirrors and full of itself to the detriment of some talented contestants. It’s fakery! Phony judges arguments, phony eliminations. It relies on razz-ma-tazz and tomfoolery instead of what it claims to do…showcase talent.
JTesla
January 27th, 2012
2:17 pm
From Rodney’s write up: “with very noisy leather pants”
I thought the noise was added for comedic effect.
Skyler, nothing wrong with killing a deer. Deer probably deserved what it had commin to him.
Pitchy
January 27th, 2012
2:21 pm
Thanks Sam-A. I remembered him saying he sung beautifully….
Deirdre
January 27th, 2012
2:23 pm
The Voice has the ability to be a good show BUT, it still pits the judges against each other and that takes away from the contestants. At least the judges on The Voice are interesting, more so, imo, than the contestants who are all has-beens or never-was but shoulda been by now. Yes, they’re more savvy, yes they’ve already been through a lot, no, they will most likely not “make it” any more than most of the Idols have.
Jenny
January 27th, 2012
2:26 pm
The only thing I liked about X-Factor (other than Paula being back) was the fact that the best singer won.
Otherwise, I thought it was way over-produced, and if the judges are going to JUDGE, then they shouldn’t be allowed to mentor. Too much unfairness with that.
And Simon seemed to have lost all of his Simon-ness that we loved in the early days of Idol….
But Melanie’s win made up for a lot of the disappointing Idol winners. It was so nice to watch the announcement and celebration without being frustrated. Simply because it ended on that note, I’ll watch again…
JTesla
January 27th, 2012
2:35 pm
Simon had better writers on Idol than he did on X-Factor.
Sam-A
January 27th, 2012
2:41 pm
You are right, XF really was all “smoke & mirrors”. All the strobe lights, fog, silly dancers, way- too-loud backup singers – just too much to comprehend. And, Jenny – I thought Paula was about the best thing on the show – showed a lot more sense and poise, especially considering she was saddled with by far the most trying category, than any of the others. And Simon was like spaghetti left to boil far too long – in other words, a real limp noodle. Where was his accustomed “bite” (other than directed at LA)?
I’m out next season.
Woodpappy
January 27th, 2012
2:48 pm
Deirdre, I haven’t heard the word, “tomfoolery” in years and years. ! Brought back some good memories from my teens years if you know what I mean…!
Jenny
January 27th, 2012
2:59 pm
Exactly, Sam-A! Perfectly said about Paula and Simon!
And JT, hahaha… probably very true about the writers!
Sam-A
January 27th, 2012
3:02 pm
If you can open it, here’s Baylie’s first audition. Her mom keeps saying how “not country” her style and singing style are.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6hKOr1FAZE&feature=player_embedded
I Neg Your Pardon
January 27th, 2012
3:04 pm
BTW, Melanie has a single coming out Feb 2nd. http://amzn.to/wvAX3h
Deirdre
January 27th, 2012
3:35 pm
LOL Woodpappy…I used to get accused of too much tomfoolery myself which is probably why the word popped into my head!
Jenny
January 27th, 2012
3:44 pm
Thanks, Sam-A! “Commercial with a capital C” – that’s the Simon quote I was trying to remember. And he also referred to her as a “pop star”; I guess that’s why I wasn’t remembering her as country, so much. Though I’d forgotten that she auditioned with a Faith Hill song….
Jenny
January 27th, 2012
3:47 pm
And thanks Neg, I hadn’t seen that. Do you think it’s a remake of Aretha Franklin, or an original single? (I couldn’t see a way to preview it.) I’m curious to see her Super Bowl commercial too.
I Neg Your Pardon
January 27th, 2012
3:50 pm
It’s supposedly an Aretha cover, Jenny. Is the commercial airing during the SB?
Jenny
January 27th, 2012
3:53 pm
I think it is… ??? Wasn’t that supposed to be part of the prize? $5 million plus a Pepsi Super Bowl commercial. Of course, we skipped through a lot of what the host said and did, so I could be wrong.
Jenny
January 27th, 2012
3:56 pm
And by “a lot”, I mean we skipped EVERYTHING except the actual singing and the judges’ subsequent comments.
Rickster
January 27th, 2012
4:37 pm
According to Robo-Host, it was an “iconic Pepsi commercial.”
But he said it “in no particular order.”
Jenny
January 27th, 2012
4:42 pm
Ah. OK. I wonder where I got the Super Bowl notion??
Rickster
January 27th, 2012
4:52 pm
It is supposed to air during the Super Bowl, Jenny.