Idol Watch

American Idol Nashville auditions: Country strong

 Photo: Michael Becker/FOX
American Idol shows us how musical Music City was as it gives us an hour's worth of auditions from Nashville tonight at 8. For live commentary follow me on http://twitter.com/HowardCohen and then return here later tonight for a wrapup in this space.

Maybe it was the shorter running time (an hour) or the singing ex-couple who harmonized well when singing, but tonight's auditions weren't too much of a burden to sit through. It's looking like Idol producers picked the right judges because the chemistry between these three -- Randy, J.Lo and Steven -- is the best Idol's seen since the early years. Not missing Simon, Paula, Kara or (shudder) Ellen, in the least.

 The 2011 trio are professional, generally offer clear feedback and don't waste a lot of time making it all about them. The main complaint I have is that, so far, the guys have no guts. When it's a split decision and left to Steven or Randy to cast the yay or nay vote, you can guaratee it'll always be a yay golden ticket to Hollywood. Here's hoping they get a lot tougher come the live shows in March.

Steven's also easy to read. When his eyes close, and his head bobs, it's a "yes," always. Either that, or he's having a flashback from the drugs he took while recording Rocks in 1976.

Best of the night, maybe best period, was young Lauren Alaina, (right) a 15-year-old dynamo Dixie Chick who seems to have everything an Idol needs to win: a big voice, a big, spontaneous personality, good looks and even a good story. Her cousin Holly inspired her soulful singing and got sick. Lauren raised money for her and made you forget all of that when she opened her mouth to sing Faith Hill's Like We Never Loved At All.

After securing her place in Hollywood, the golden lass roped Steven Tyler into a quickie duet of his Aerosmith ballad I Don't Want to Miss a Thing and held her own leading the rock legend.

I also liked Adrienne Beasley, a 22-year-old black country singer who was adopted by white parents, Freddie and Caroline Simmons, at age 2 and raised on a Kentucky farm. Her rich, natural country voice made Lady Antebellum's pop tune, American Honey, feel authentically country. A label should sign her up now. She'd stand out in the bland whitebread country community.

When she tearfully calls pop on her cell to tell her parents she made it to Hollywood, dad asks who will pay for that. Ever resourceful, Adrienne figures they'll find a way (Idol will see to it, I'd bet). "I'm tickled," dad says. I'm tickled, too.

Alas, only one of these talented young women make it into the Top 40 round if spoilers are trustworthy. Not tickled, not tickled at all.

American Idol auditions from Wisconsin: Sing me to sleep

 
American Idol promised big changes this season, but in its second week, we're seeing the same old. Weeks and weeks of dull auditions. Even the good auditions are boring because we've heard and seen it all before. Same tired old songs. Same mix of good, bad and rotten. The only plus? No bored-looking Simon and Aerosmith's Steven Tyler's kind of likable. Always wonder what he's going to say. Otherwise, producers should have combined all of the auditions footage into one two-hour premiere and just get to the competition part. 

One story to tell tonight and that's Chris Medina's. Seems Chris' fiancee Juliana Ramos was in a car accident and suffered brain damage. The couple, already together for some eight years and engaged for two were to finally wed two months after the Oct. 2009 accident. “What kind of guy would I be if I walked out when she needed me the most?” Chris said in his audition video.

It's old hat for Idol producers to play up human tragedies during auditions and throughout the season (remember the mileage meager talent Danny Gokey got from his late wife?) But Chris' story resonated. "A really big man loves a really good scar," singer-songwriter Carly Simon once sang about a man who stood by her when she had breast cancer. Chris is that kind of man, apparently. A really big man. After he sang The Scripts' Breakeven -- decently -- new judges Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler, along with Randy Jackson, asked that Chris bring Juliana in to the audition room to meet them.

Tyler seemed especially moved when he met the young woman in her wheelchair. “I just heard your fiancee sing, and he sings so good,” the Aerosoftie  said while caressing her head. "’cause he sings to you all the time."

SPOILER ALERT: Chris makes it into the first round of Top 40 finalists. My one wish: Please don't exploit Juliana. We met her. We know the story. Chris, 26, seems a plum. Now let him get by or get lost on his vocal ability alone. No more season-long Gokeys, please. And Idol: Danny Gokey did not put Milwaukee on the map. Beer and Laverne & Shirley did.

For live running commentary on American Idol follow me on Twitter @HowardCohen

 

 

 

American Idol dips again; CBS and NBC relieved

 Photo: Getty Images
Guess William Shatner's having the last laugh. This week, anyway.

The big, bad American Idol used to crush everything in its wake, to the point the other networks would seldom schedule anything of great importance opposite the show. But Idol is 10 years old now and all the teeth in new judge Steven Tyler's mouth aren't enough to make this baby's bite as scary as it used to be.

Though Idol handily won the night Thursday for its second audition show, a rather uneventful New Orleans crop, its ratings were once again down from last year's second episode, by a figure of 23 percent. Not surprisingly, 20 percent fewer people tuned in Thursday compared to Wednesday's two-hour introduction of the new judges.

Idol posted a Nielsen rating of 22.9 million viewers.

Over on CBS, the network's popular sitcom Big Bang Theory (13.6 million) and Shatner's funny $#*! My Dad Says (10.3 million) were both only a tiny two-tenths off from last week’s Idol-free numbers, EW reports. NBC's Community and Perfect Couples had less than half of Dad's audience but did OK given what could have been.

Maybe Idol could use some of the snarky sass coming from Ed, Shatner's cranky Dad character on the bleeping show.

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American Idol: The New Orleans Blues

 
Now that the curiousity factor has been sated thanks to Wednesday night's introduction of the new judge's panel, Idol settled into its usual auditions blahs with a second episode set in New Orleans. The highlowlight? After singing a song in Spanish with a nice voice, Jovanny Barreto, 23, shows his love for J.Lo by stripping down to show his abs. Uh, thanks, but no thanks big guy. This prompted Randy to flash J.Lo (perhaps his idea of hazing the new judge) and Steven Tyler, 62, to upstage the cocky young guy by showcasing his impressive abs. Are we still watching a singing competition?

The show got lost in the swamps by showcasing more losers than winners -- including one obese young lad who has a lovely voice but for health reasons might be better off auditioning for The Biggest Loser and trying Idol again once past puberty and 75 pounds lighter. Just keepin' it real, dawg.

 
Sob stories hit close to home, staring with the introduction of Brett Loewenstern, a 16-year-old from Boca Raton who has Carrot Top's hair color and Kenny G's stylist and a passable voice. He sang Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody in tune, probably not an easy thing to accomplish, but did so with little flair. Not everyone can be Freddie Mercury. Or even Constantine Maroulis who pulled this one off memorably in Season 4. Perhaps the long setup in which Brett shared too much about getting picked on at school soured me on him from the start. No playing of the bullied card, please. Shut up and sing is a good tactic on a show like this.

 
The melodrama waltz hits its gag reflex nadir when we met Paris Tassin, a 23-year-old who, weeping, told her tale of getting pregnant at 18, before she "was ready," only to find out her daughter would be born with a disability. She claims doctors told her to abort. (Would a doctor really suggest the procedure so bluntly?) But, plucky young thing, perhaps with Madonna's Papa Don't Preach ringing in her memory banks, opts to keep her baby and gives birth to an adorable daughter with a hearing disability. Crying yet? She ups the sap factor with a melodramatic reading of Carrie Underwood's overproduced and cornpone Temporary Home and makes J.Lo cry. Of course, Paris gets a pass.

The freak show flag didn't fly as high as the premiere when we met the Asian kid who hated the Miley Cyrus song but sang it anyway while dancing like Michael Jackson. Tonight we saw Gabriel who looked like Mick Jagger but, alas, lacked a smidgen of Jagger's moves or talent. One suggestion: Guys should never, ever sing Lady Gaga.

Which brings us back to Jacee Badeaux, 15, the aforementioned heavy young man. He was probably the fan favorite for his rendition of Otis Redding's Sitting on the Dock of the Bay. Kid's got some soul, sweet voice and a winning persona. But I'm not a big fan of kids singing adult tunes. Feels too much like a stunt. But it would be churlish not to give the kid a pass to Hollywood so, with 36 other hopefuls, Jacee's on his way to the next round. Something tells me we didn't see the best N'awlins had to offer on this routine episode, redeemed mostly by Tyler's cheeky charm.

 Idol returns next Wednesday from Wisconsin, their first stop in those parts. For more Idol chatter follow me on http://twitter.com/HowardCohen

 

 

 

American Idol ratings take a dive

 
Despite omnimpresent press, the addition of new judges Steven Tyler and J.Lo, and the promises to do better this year, ratings for the 10th season American Idol premiere fell off 13 percent from last year's 29.9 million viewership. Wednesday night's 2-hour premiere drew 26.1 million viewers. The drop among the under 18 crowd was 18 percent, according to Nielsen. (Maybe the teens were too busy playing Aerosmith's 70s classics on their Guitar Hero videogames.)

Surprised? Not really. I wouldn't necessarily blame Tyler or J.Lo or attribute too much to the absent Simon Cowell. The show's 10 year's old and 26.1 million viewers is still an impressive number these days. Plus, lest Simon fawns start crowing, note that season 9s numbers, when he was with the show, were smaller than season 8's and 8's were less than those for season 7. Plus, this 10th season is coming off the stench of the Ellen DeGeneres-Lee DeWyze-Crystal Bowersox trifecta. It might take a bit more to keep ahold of viewers. Last night's mostly enjoyable episode was a decent start.

Tonight the cast airs its New Orleans auditions. Look for live commentary from Idol Watch on my Twitter feed. http://twitter.com/HowardCohen. A review of the episode will follow on this blog post-show.

 Meantime, here's another critic's point of view on last night's episode. His lede and kicker equating Steven Tyler to Carly Simon cracked me up.

 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ken-levine/american-idol-season-10-d_b_811493.html

American Idol 10: New judges, new life for 10th season premiere

Cancer. Kosovo. Homeless families.

Yes, American Idol's audition show is back!

 Photo: FOX
And, surprise, the new judge's panel is a vast improvement over last year's disastrous lineup of Ellen, Kara, Randy and a bored Simon. Steven Tyler's unpredictable nature and oft-bleeped comments could be a source of fun this season. Though Jennifer Lopez seems as phony as a $3 bill with her sweet Paula Abdul act ("Why did I sign up for this?!) the blend of personalities worked well on tonight's opening volley from the Jersey auditions.

As for the "talent," the Jersey girls proved Snooki isn't representative of Jersey women. [Note: Some SPOILERS might be sprinkled about:] I enjoyed the spunky Victoria, age 16-3/4. If she doesn't make it on Idol (and I hear she hasn't despite her golden ticket to Hollywood) perhaps Disney could cast her on Hannah Montana: The Next Generation. She's a live wire.
Melinda, the Kosovo refugee, has a great backstory -- her family escaped to America from their war torn country -- and a good voice. Not MY kind of voice, per se, but fine for what this show looks for.

 
Rachel Zevita (one of two apparently on the shortlist so far) has a warm midrange and a piercing, irritating soprano. Hopefully, she'll lose the histrionics and serve the song in Hollywood. Most of her Hallelujah was decent. J.Lo swears she remembers Rachel's audition from four years ago in Season 6 when she didn't make the cut. I'm not sure I believe anything J.Lo says. She might not be a great actress on the big screen, but she could win an Oscar for tonight's sweet, human quality character she's playing.

Meantime, the 15-year-old Kenzie had an interesting voice but Tyler said he wanted more "pizzazz" from her. Perhaps he should listen to his old Aerosmith albums, Rocks or Toys in the Attic. His rock band could use some pizzazz too after decades of MTV ballads and that soggy Armaggedon tune.

Tiffany Rios went gimmicky at first, almost tragically, when she flashed silver stars on her ta-tas, but she didn't need the prop. She has the requisite big voice Idol used to look for in early seasons. Her teary fawning over J.Lo was another unwanted distraction, though.

 
As for the guys, it seems Robbie Rosen, tonight's other contestant on the shortlist, was a fan favorite judging from Twitter posts and comments on this Idol Watch blog. The 16-year-old triumphed over an illness that had him wheelchair bound at one time in his life and he can definitely sing. As with Melinda, the other tearjerker, his voice strikes my ears as ordinary, not what I'd seek on CD, but he has purity of tone. Something tells me when he gets a band behind him on the competitive shows in a couple months I could become a fan.

Travis Orlando, 16, whose family had become homeless as a result of the economic climate also sang well. Thankfully. After the tearful video setup, if he hadn't received a golden ticket to Hollywood, all of America might have wept. Perhaps a bit too many vocal affectations in his singing, but with a little training, Travis could record.

 Photo: TotallyLooksLike.com
Line of the night: "Did you eat a lot of paint chips as a child?" Tyler asked one of the oddball wannabes. Tyler might know, he probably snorted 'em in the '70s during his band's Draw the Line sessions. Nevertheless, he helped make tonight's audition premiere one of the most watchable and zippiest Idols in seasons. After Season 9, I was dreading Idol's return. Now, maybe not quite so much. Producers missed an opportunity, however. They could have cast Carly Simon as a judge. With Tyler to her left and Simon in the middle, the panel could then be called Randy & the Twins. They could form a new act and take it on the road instead of the summer Idols Tour.

Finally, 51 hopefuls from Jersey earned a golden ticket to Hollywood. American Idol returns Thursday at 8 with a 60-minute audition show. For more Idol chatter, follow me on http://twitter.com/HowardCohen

 

 

 

 

 

American Idol returns amid many changes

 
Photo: Tony Duran/FOX

Note Idol Watch changes below:

American Idol returns for its 10th season in wounded fashion. The show hasn't crowned its promised "superstar" since Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood. Season 9 was its worst yet with a field of uninspiring finalists which helped lead to a dip in its ratings. Even Simon Cowell had enough and bailed. This means big changes will greet viewers when the show returns with a two-hour auditions show at 8 p.m. Wednesday (and again 8 p.m. Thursday) on Fox.

Among the changes:

New judges. Aerosmith lead vocalist Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez join sole remaining original judge Randy Jackson.

Faster eliminations in the early going rounds. Instead of whittling down a Top 24, viewers will vote on a Top 15 or 12 (still to be determined). The field won't be split evenly among boys and girls, either. As producer Nigel Lythgoe has said, he's not going to throw away a great girl to fit in a mediocre boy, or vice-versa, just to keep it to the previous six boys, six girls format in the early rounds.

Younger age: To find another Justin Bieber, producers dropped the age requirement to 15, rather than 16. Somehow Idol producers fail to note that they have never found a Justin Bieber through the show but Bieber was a YouTube discovery.

Mentors will be handpicked by Universal Music head Jimmy Iovine and contestants can sing original songs for the first time. There will be less emphasis on contestants playing instruments so the coffeehouse guitar strummers of the last two years won't dominate and dull down the proceedings.

Theme weeks will get a makeover. Can't imagine anything more painful than watching old goat Steven Tyler judging a 15 year old kid warbling a passe Motown ditty. This year, though themes will remain (including Beatles during the early runs) the chosen songs within that theme will be tailored to a contestant's voice. So a country cutie won't have to sing an R&B tune or vice versa.

Faster turnaround for new music. Not that anyone's buying albums from Idols these days (last year's Top 2, Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox, combined, haven't even approached the sales figures of forgotten Season 1 runnerup Justin Guarini) but Iovine promises these kids will have music available for purchase as the season progresses. Oh, joy!

An online voting component (after years of Kris Allens, Lee DeWyzes and Ruben Studdards beating superior also-rans, we still don't trust the voting) and a new stage. Alas, self-important host Ryan Seacrest will still find his place on that stage.

And, closer to home, this Idol Watch blog will undergo some changes. Instead of live running commentary here as in year's past, I will post my live comments during the show on my Twitter feed only. Sometime shortly after the program airs, I will write a recap of the show's action here on Idol Watch. You can follow me for those instant Twitter posts by clicking on http://twitter.com/HowardCohen or find me @HowardCohen on Twitter.

During the show, you can still post comments here on the blog and I will engage some of them post-show or @Reply me on Twitter as the show airs. I'll hashtag those posts #Idol, too, for easy finding. See you all for Season 10!