American Idol finally returned Wednesday Night much to all of our delight and Savannah, Georgia definitely did not disappoint. I am only commenting on all of those advancing a few select rejections. For the briefly shown put-thru singers, I might or might not comment on their voices for now. As the season progresses I will start paying closer attention to their developing story lines, provided the show opts to showcase them more and more.
1) David Leathers, Jr. - 17 - Fayetville, NC
"Remember The Rain" - 21st Century
"Never Say Goodbye" - Michael Jackson
The first contestant of the season supposedly beat last season's champion Scotty McCreery in a singing competition a couple years ago. Three "Yeses". The cocky self-described "Mr. Steal Your Girl" will be one to keep an eye on. In the meantime, I thank him for following me back on Twitter. Follow David on Twitter as well.
2) Gabi Carrubba - 16 - North Haven, CT
"Sunday Morning" - Maroon 5
Steven - Yes Jennifer - Yes - Randy -Yes
The Nigel Lythgoe-hugging teenager more than ably covered her nerves and delivered a very respectable audition. The champion tap dancer is one to watch and is one of the strongest early indicators that the show doesn't really lose talent but rather reloads.
MONTAGE OF SUCCESSFUL AUDITIONS:
3) Brianna Faulk - 15 - Monroe, GA (Student)
4) Neco Starr - 20 - Atlanta, GA (Unemployed)
5) Molly Hunt - 15 - Franklin, TN (Student)
6) Elise Testone - 28 - Charleston, SC (Musician/Vocal Coach)
7) Jessica Whitely - 19 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH (Unemployed)
"In The Sun" - Cherise
Steven - No Jennifer - No Randy - No
8) Shaun Kraisman - 26 - Mount Pleasant, NC - Salesperson
Steven - No Jennifer - No Randy - No
The Ryan Seacrest mimicking look alike was one of the best non-advancing contestants the show has ever showcased. His voice, while actually not terrible, wasn't enough to grab him a ticket to Hollywood, where he would have been quickly eliminated anyway, just could find himself a job in show biz yet. Seacrest's expiring contract aside, I doubt that once dangled with an offer that Mr. Kraisman would shun anything remotely close to the estimated $40 million+ dollar total that Seacrest earns just from American Idol. This...is a lucrative occupation. Nobody should dim the lights on his chances of making it in the industry just yet. It probably just won't be as a singer.
9) Shannon Magrane - 15- Tampa, FL - Student
"Something's Got A Hold On Me" - Etta James
Steven - Yes Jennifer - Yes Randy - Yes
6'0 Tall. Size 11 shoe. Daughter of former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Joe Magrane. When judge Randy Jackson asked him to make a comeback by pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Magranne brilliantly took a shot at the currently beleaguered franchise. (In in the interest of full disclosure, current Dodgers manager Don Mattingly is my childhood idol.) And oh - her voice is rather sizable in talent too. She's another early frontrunner to keep an eye on.
10) Amy Brumfield - 24 - Gatlinburg, TN
"Superman" - Alicia Keys
Steven - Yes Jennifer - Yes Randy - Yes
She lives in a tent with her boyfriend which the producers were not shy about showing during her segment. It's tough to tell what her ceiling is but as long as she is in the competition she should prove to be a very interesting and intriguing contestant.
11) Joshua Chavis - 23 - Camden, SC
"I'm Yours" - Jason Mraz
Steven - No Jennifer - No Randy - No
12) Stephanie Renae - 15 - Orange Park, IL
"Inside Your Heaven" - Carrie Underwood
Steven - Yes Jennifer - Yes Randy - No (Not ready yet)
Anytime even one of the judges doesn't okay a contestant it's never a good sign. My guess is that Stephanie will get eaten alive in the competition but she does possess a fair amount of upside. She could improve her game, even if not for this season, could still be someone who comes back next season and/or beyond that as well. She's probably, as Randy stated, just too green for this season.
13) Schyler Dixon - 16 - Murfreesboro, TN
"Break Even" - The Scripts
Steven - Yes Jennifer - Yes Randy - Yes
The 16 year-old returnee (although not really shown in Season 10) was rather unfairly put on the spot by the three judges when they immediately recognized Schyler. Before she could even sing she "had to" get her big brother Colton much to her very obvious annoyance. The irony is that if she fails to make it thru to the live rounds then she'll undoubtedly become much more noticeable and viable next season. Still, she has a deep run in her. We'll have to stay tuned in to find out.
14) Colton Dixon - 19 - Murfreesboro, TN
"Permanent" - David Cook
Steven - Yes Jennifer - Yes Randy - Yes
One of the first somewhat dramatic moments of the night, or at least the most dramatic set up, when the supposedly non-auditioning Colton once more got "sucked into this again" by her sister. They still got Colton to audition and when Schyler came back out of the auditioning room her parents not only saw her expected golden ticket but Colton's as well. Colton semi-facetiously asked how it all "just happened" again but make no mistake about it - he's very much my preseason pick to win it all. (One of his early bigger threats will be touched upon last.)
15) Lauren Mink - 25 - Winchester, KY - Program Director
"Country Strong" - Gwenyth Paltrow
Steven - Yes Jennifer - Yes Randy - Yes
Lauren has already emerged as a legitimate threat to go far. The twenty-five year-old program director, who works with individuals with intellectual disabilities has both a very intriguing voice and an equally intriguing back story. Her online social media already impresses this blogger and I expect a sudden uptick in her online following and presence. I think a corresponding run on American Idol this year is a strong possibility.
16) Maweuna Kodjo - 25 - Nashville, TN/West Africa
"I Won't Let Go" - Rascal Flatts
Steven - No Jennifer - No Randy - No
17) Ashlee Altise - 28 - Kinston, NC
"Come Together" - The Beatles
Steven - Yes Jennifer - Yes Randy - Yes
Ashlee flashed a ton of personality and gave a very entertaining rendition of the "Come Together" by The Beatles (which Steven Tyler's Aerosmith not so coincidentally covered). She will be one to watch early on because she will be either someone who people love or people love to hate and if there's too much personality, she could find herself on her way back home to North Carolina rather quickly.
18) W.T. Thompson - 25 - Appomotax, TN
Steven - No Jennifer - Yes Randy - Yes
Again, if you advance with a "No", it's virtually impossible to make up the difference. What's dumbfounding is that Thompson quit his job to pursue a dream with a baby on the way. I've made a point of not going negative with this blog and instead highlight legitimate criticism when it is warranted, but this isn't just dumbfounding - this is just dumb. And to do so in one of the worst economies the country has ever seen is just stupidity personified. He'll be cut early and then his dream will tear his young family apart unless he's successfully able to lobby for his old job back - or get a new one. How his wife let him selfishly pull a stunt like this is beyond me. This isn't a feel good story of inspiration; this is a story of narcissistic self-indulgence typical of his generation. I just hope for his wife and child's sake that he's found a new job or gotten his old one back by now since the prerecorded segments are taped months in advance.
19) Erica Nowak - 28 - Buffalo, NY
I won't even comment here. Psycho-chick Nowak accomplished what she came for. Hilarious but still incredibly creepy is the best way to describe this audition. Let's move on.
20) Brittany Kerr - 24 - Charlotte, NC
Steven - Yes Jennifer - No Randy - Yes
The NBA cheerleader was clearly set up to be this year's Stormi Henley. So unsurprisingly Jennifer Lopez was the dissenting voice - once again like with Ms. Henley last season - and I'm not so sure this is an entirely fair treatment of Ms. Kerr to be honest. While researching her social media, she is legitimately intent on launching a music career but with Lopez intent on obstructing any remotely gorgeous woman out of some silly and enormously petty spite, she will probably have a difficult time advancing too far. Henley, after all, was quickly eliminated during Hollywood Week last season but one way or another, I'm not so sure we have heard the last from the 24 year-old Charlotte, North Carolina native.
21) Phillip Phillips - 20 - Leedsburg, GA
"Superstitious" - Stevie Wonder
"Thriller" - Michael Jackson
Steven - Yes Jennifer - Yes Randy - Yes
They clearly saved the most buzz-worthy for last. Colton Dixon's return ultimately still lacks the element of surprise as a fresh new face with mind-blowing skill, talent, and artistry and Phillips, almost a hybrid of Casey Abrams' voice and artistic character, and also almost a fuller haired Scotty McCreery physically, promises to be one of the certain frontrunners. We still have too much time and too many more auditions to go but it's pretty clear that barring catastrophic mishaps on his part, or scandalous shenanigans on the judges' part, he should almost certainly be at least a Top 5 finisher.
42 Golden Tickets Total
That's it for the Savannah, Georgia auditions. I will be posting a social media scorecard as we go and updating it when necessary. I hope to post something shortly on that and I will also be reposting this blog with that intel when that project is initially completed. I say "initially" because it will be an ongoing process as the social media for all the contestants on American Idol this year grows.
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