BREAKING NEWS: Singer Jessie J has taken to her Twitter account to publicly declare that she would love to work with Adele. The 23 year-old English-born Jessie J, whose real name is Jsesica Cornish, has written for other notable pop stars such as Chris Brown and Miley Cyrus (including lyrics for "Party In The U.S.A."). Cornish asked Adele on Twitter around 6:32 PM U.S. EST on Thursday Night.
Ms. Cornish, known for such hits as "Price Tag" and "Domino", actually studied at BRIT School and graduated with Adele and future The X Factor (UK) winner Leona Lewis. They graduated from the school of performing arts and technology in 2006. J's debut album Who You Are has been certified platinum three times over in her native United Kingdom.
Adele, whose full name is Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, has released two full-length albums, titled 19 and 21 respectfully, and have sold over approximately 23.5 million copies as of the time of this blog's publishing. She is know for several hits, including "Chasing Pavement", "Rolling In The Deep", "Someone Like You", and "One and Only".
As of the publishing of this blog, there had been no public response from the English pop star to her old BRIT School classmate.
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Thursday, February 9, 2012
Sunday, February 5, 2012
AMERICAN IDOL 11 SPOTLIGHT: St. Louis, MO Social Media
American Idol St. Louis, MO Social Media:
(For my recap of the St. Louis, Missouri auditions, please click here.)
I will be updating as new information becomes available!
Follow Jamie Cole of Himay Co. on Twitter. To hire him for PR write-ups and other marketing and creative services, send a tweet on Twitter for further contact info.
The information concerning the five shown advancing singers is admittedly very scarce. As we progress in the prerecorded portions of the show, I will look to update this information much more thoroughly.
John Keyser
Website
Twitter
Rachelle Lamb
Facebook (Currently Unclear)
Reis Kloeckener
Facebook (Currently Unclear)
Ethan Jones
Facebook (Page 1)
Facebook (Page 2)
MySpace
Email
Lauren Gray
Facebook (Unconfirmed)
The information concerning the five shown advancing singers is admittedly very scarce. As we progress in the prerecorded portions of the show, I will look to update this information much more thoroughly.
John Keyser
Website
Rachelle Lamb
Facebook (Currently Unclear)
Reis Kloeckener
Facebook (Currently Unclear)
Ethan Jones
Facebook (Page 1)
Facebook (Page 2)
MySpace
Lauren Gray
Facebook (Unconfirmed)
Follow Jamie Cole of Himay Co. on Twitter. To hire him for PR write-ups and other marketing and creative services, send a tweet on Twitter for further contact info.
AMERICAN IDOL 11 SPOTLIGHT: Auditions #7: St. Louis, MO
St. Louis brought the audition rounds to a close but it also brought it to a very satisfactory conclusion too. (It wasn't supposed to be the last audition round however but I'll save that reference for my own paragraphical conclusion at the bottom of my recap.) They gave us five very talented singers and you could tell by the blatant invoking of Carrie Underwood that they feel that Lauren Gray could be their next big female star. Let's take a quick peek at each of the five highlighted ticket getters.
1) John Keyser - 22 - Pampano Beach, FL - Server
"Change Is Gonna Come" (Sam Cooke)
Steven - Yes Jennifer - Yes Randy - Yes
(All 3 "Yeses" Implied)
I couldn't help but think that Keyser looked a bit like a young Matt Damon or at least to an extent. He is exactly the kind of singer the predominately female voting American Idol audience covets. I found his voice to be incredibly strong and he is definitely going to be a major factor going forward. With Colton Dixon and Phillip Phillips lurking, the competition for that key voting block contingency will be stiff but Keyser should prove a worthy foil to the entire competition. Should he advance to the live rounds, he will almost certainly go far.
2) David Coleman - 28 - St. Louis Park, MN - Seminary Student (No)
3) Rachelle Lamb - 26 - Mountain View, CO - Construction
"Find Somebody New" (Faith Hill)
Steven - Yes Jennifer - Yes Randy - Yes
Once again American Idol proved there is no shortage of scorned single mothers with dreams held back by their ex-husbands. Rachelle came in with her daughter Madison, hardly a subtle rue by the Idol producers, and left with a golden ticket. Still, I felt that Lamb did an excellent job in her audition but I remain unsure just exactly what her ceiling is or at least at this point in time.
4) Oliver McCrary - 27 - Minneapolis, MN - Musician (No)
5) Reis Kloeckener - 20 - St. Louis, MO - Student/Pizza Maker
"Lean On Me" (Bill Withers)
Steven - Yes Jennifer - Yes Randy - Yes
First off, if this audition really made Steven Tyler cry then the bar has been severely lowered. Besides, you couldn't exactly see Tyler openly weeping. Kloeckener had very nice tone and pitch and the judges were right to heap generous praise on him. Like Eben Franckewitz, he does invoke some sense of Justin Bieber resemblance but the vaguely alluded bullying backdrop felt far too forced. I don't doubt the sincerity and validity of the story but I do wish the producers would just tone it down already.
6) Ethan Jones - 22 - Pontoon Beach, IL - Musician
"I'll Be" (Edwin McCain)
With his father-bandmate voluntarily committed in rehab, the charismatic and affable 22 year-old musician nailed his audition. He had scratched a cut until it bled, and he had received a rather craftily staged pep talk by Steven Tyler before he entered the room which he claimed calmed him and made him more audition-ready than he had been the previous three minutes. If he were to go live, he would be another popular contestant with women.
7) Mark Ingram - 28 - Collingsville, IL - Auditor
"Overjoy" (Stevie Wonder)
Steven - No Jennifer - No Randy - No
8) Lauren Gray - 22 - Hardy, AR - Waitress/Singer
"One and Only" (Adele)
Despite J. Lo's best efforts to hijack the 22 year-old Arkansas waitress-singer's moment in the sun by tearing up over Lauren's song choice, Gray put all the aforementioned men on notice that she is, as the Dawg loves to say, is "in it to win it" and she just could be the right amount of beautiful and vocally gifted to persuade young women to channel their inner-girl power instead of channeling their inner-well, insecurity. While Gray does need to turn her voice down a notch or two, it's hardly cause for concern. Nerves are a huge part of the audition process and can be corrected anyway. The over the top Carrie Underwood panning aside, I'd be stunned if she's not Top 24.
For some reason they aren't showing this year's East Rutherford, New Jersey auditions (which for this native Jersey boy is heresy) but I do know that under the radar Season 10 stalwart Brielle Von Hugel is looming. I found St. Louis to still be a very worthy way to close out the audition round phase of the competition. While they only showed five positively talented singers over the course of the show, it's a pretty decent bunch. Now we get to Hollywood Week, perhaps the best portion of the competition in many respects, and we get to see the much hyped and publicized exhaustion induced feinting spree of certain contestants that Nigel Lythgoe had tweeted about a few months ago while it was happening in real time. Let the madness begin!
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1) John Keyser - 22 - Pampano Beach, FL - Server
"Change Is Gonna Come" (Sam Cooke)
Steven - Yes Jennifer - Yes Randy - Yes
(All 3 "Yeses" Implied)
I couldn't help but think that Keyser looked a bit like a young Matt Damon or at least to an extent. He is exactly the kind of singer the predominately female voting American Idol audience covets. I found his voice to be incredibly strong and he is definitely going to be a major factor going forward. With Colton Dixon and Phillip Phillips lurking, the competition for that key voting block contingency will be stiff but Keyser should prove a worthy foil to the entire competition. Should he advance to the live rounds, he will almost certainly go far.
2) David Coleman - 28 - St. Louis Park, MN - Seminary Student (No)
3) Rachelle Lamb - 26 - Mountain View, CO - Construction
"Find Somebody New" (Faith Hill)
Steven - Yes Jennifer - Yes Randy - Yes
Once again American Idol proved there is no shortage of scorned single mothers with dreams held back by their ex-husbands. Rachelle came in with her daughter Madison, hardly a subtle rue by the Idol producers, and left with a golden ticket. Still, I felt that Lamb did an excellent job in her audition but I remain unsure just exactly what her ceiling is or at least at this point in time.
4) Oliver McCrary - 27 - Minneapolis, MN - Musician (No)
5) Reis Kloeckener - 20 - St. Louis, MO - Student/Pizza Maker
"Lean On Me" (Bill Withers)
Steven - Yes Jennifer - Yes Randy - Yes
First off, if this audition really made Steven Tyler cry then the bar has been severely lowered. Besides, you couldn't exactly see Tyler openly weeping. Kloeckener had very nice tone and pitch and the judges were right to heap generous praise on him. Like Eben Franckewitz, he does invoke some sense of Justin Bieber resemblance but the vaguely alluded bullying backdrop felt far too forced. I don't doubt the sincerity and validity of the story but I do wish the producers would just tone it down already.
6) Ethan Jones - 22 - Pontoon Beach, IL - Musician
"I'll Be" (Edwin McCain)
With his father-bandmate voluntarily committed in rehab, the charismatic and affable 22 year-old musician nailed his audition. He had scratched a cut until it bled, and he had received a rather craftily staged pep talk by Steven Tyler before he entered the room which he claimed calmed him and made him more audition-ready than he had been the previous three minutes. If he were to go live, he would be another popular contestant with women.
7) Mark Ingram - 28 - Collingsville, IL - Auditor
"Overjoy" (Stevie Wonder)
Steven - No Jennifer - No Randy - No
8) Lauren Gray - 22 - Hardy, AR - Waitress/Singer
"One and Only" (Adele)
Despite J. Lo's best efforts to hijack the 22 year-old Arkansas waitress-singer's moment in the sun by tearing up over Lauren's song choice, Gray put all the aforementioned men on notice that she is, as the Dawg loves to say, is "in it to win it" and she just could be the right amount of beautiful and vocally gifted to persuade young women to channel their inner-girl power instead of channeling their inner-well, insecurity. While Gray does need to turn her voice down a notch or two, it's hardly cause for concern. Nerves are a huge part of the audition process and can be corrected anyway. The over the top Carrie Underwood panning aside, I'd be stunned if she's not Top 24.
For some reason they aren't showing this year's East Rutherford, New Jersey auditions (which for this native Jersey boy is heresy) but I do know that under the radar Season 10 stalwart Brielle Von Hugel is looming. I found St. Louis to still be a very worthy way to close out the audition round phase of the competition. While they only showed five positively talented singers over the course of the show, it's a pretty decent bunch. Now we get to Hollywood Week, perhaps the best portion of the competition in many respects, and we get to see the much hyped and publicized exhaustion induced feinting spree of certain contestants that Nigel Lythgoe had tweeted about a few months ago while it was happening in real time. Let the madness begin!
Follow Jamie Cole of Himay Co. on Twitter. To hire him for PR write-ups and other marketing and creative services, send a tweet on Twitter for further contact info.
AMERICAN IDOL 11 SPOTLIGHT: Portland, OR Social Media
American Idol Portland, OR Social Media:
(For my recap of the Portland, Oregon auditions, please click here.)
I will be updating as new information becomes available!
Follow Jamie Cole of Himay Co. on Twitter. To hire him for PR write-ups and other marketing and creative services, send a tweet on Twitter for further contact info.
Brittany Zika
Facebook (Currently Unclear)
Jermaine Jones
No Public Social Media Available At This Time
Britnee Kellogg
Facebook (Page 1)
Facebook (Page 2)
Romeo Diahn
Still researching other media on Romeo.
Naomi Gillies
Jessica Phillips
No Public Social Media Available At This Time
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AMERICAN IDOL 11 SPOTLIGHT: Auditions #6: Portland, OR
I didn't know what to make of Portland to be honest. It didn't feel like it but I do think there were some real potential breakout performances here. From the "Hipster Tripster" Brittany Zika to the Chris Medina-like story of Jessica Phillips, there were some interesting singers but their viability remains a mystery.
1) Brittany Zika - 21 - Portland, OR - Nanny/Social Media Tech
"The Story" (Brandi Carlisle)
Steven - Yes Jennifer - Yes Randy - Yes
She tripped on the set but it proved to be no obstacle to her advancing. She got to sing onstage with her idol Sara B. but the under-the-radar attractive quirky girl easily secured a ticket to Hollywood. Jennifer Lopez in particular seemed to enjoy her audition.
2) Ben Purdom - 18 - Philadelphia, PA - Cable TV Salesman
"Born This Way" (Lady GaGa)
"Super Bass" (Nicki Minaj)
Steven - No Jennifer - No Randy - No
3) Jermaine Jones - 24 - Pine Hills, NJ - Music Teacher
"Superstar" (The Carpenters)(Luther Vandross)
Steven - Yes Jennifer - Yes Randy - Yes
Rand quickly dubbed him "The Gentle Giant" which aptly described the 6'8 (and a half) Pine Hills, NJ native and music teacher. Jones, who looked more like he should be playing power forward for the New York Knicks, described himself as a Mama's Boy but his voice certainly proved he is his own man. Not sure how he'll stack up in Hollywood Week but he'll be one to watch all the same.
4) Britnee Kellogg - 27 - Vancouver, WA - Banker
"You're No Good" (Linda Ronstadt)
Steven - Yes Jennifer - Yes Randy - Yes
The 27 year-old single mother wasted no opportunity in jabbing her ex-husband (and his basketball facilitated marriage destroying trysts) with the Linda Ronstadt classic "You're No Good" which she performed quite superbly. Interestingly enough, her range is somewhat reminiscent of the singer who she chose to audition with. It could help explain why she got Jennifer Lopez to sing a couple measures with her. J. Lo then answered Kellogg's question about raising children while being a performer. She's definitely a personal favorite of mine so far as well.
5) Sam Gershman - 21 - Clarksville, MD - Motivational Dancer
"I'm A Woman"
Steven - No Jennifer - No Randy - No
6) David Weed - 22 - Mountain Home, ID - Fast Food Employee
"Tom Sawyer" (Rush)
Steven - No Jennifer - No Randy - No
7) Romeo Diahn - 22 - Portland, OR - Shipping Clerk
"Is This Love?" (Bob Marley & The Wailers)
Steven - Yes Jennifer - "Tiny" Yes Randy - Yes
The Liberian war refugee has made the most of his opportunity to flee his native country for a better life in the United States. He coolly sang Bob Marley's "Is This Love?" with a really nice reggae vibe but I still share J. Lo's concerns. I think he has his work cut out but reggae does offer its aspiring singers a better chance at a really successful niche career so I hope he fulfills his dream one way or another.
8) Naomi Gillies - 22 - Boston, MA - Student
"Cryin'" (Aerosmith)
Steven - Yes Jennifer - Yes Randy - Yes
Always a bold move, the 22 year-old Boston, Massachusetts native flew cross-coast to request Steven Tyler's permission to cover one of my personal favorite Aerosmith tunes (and one of their last truly great songs as far as I'm concerned). Gillies showed some flare and power and earned the ticket she sought. Whenever you pull off singing a song in front of the song's actual singer is always a sweet feat.
9) Ben Harrison - 28 - Eugene, OR - Shipping Agent
"Somebody To Love" (Queen)
Steven - No Jennifer - No Randy - No
(All 3 "No's" Implied)
10) Jessica Phillips - 25 - Brooklyn, NY - Dental Hygienist
"Again" (Faith Evans)
Steven - Yes Jennifer - Yes Randy - Yes
It was hard to not think of Season 10's Chris Medina and his own heartbreaking yet inspiring story. Phillips' story definitely recalls that moving tale. Phillips however definitely had a voice to match here own story of triumphant over adversity. She could also give American Idol the much needed female R&B singer it really hasn't had in recent memory.
I enjoyed all six of the singers they showed us advancing to Hollywood. It's worth noting that Naomi Gillies was the only one of the bunch they didn't have some real sort of intro piece for. I see six wild cards with a couple possible deep threats.
45 Golden Tickets Total
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1) Brittany Zika - 21 - Portland, OR - Nanny/Social Media Tech
"The Story" (Brandi Carlisle)
Steven - Yes Jennifer - Yes Randy - Yes
She tripped on the set but it proved to be no obstacle to her advancing. She got to sing onstage with her idol Sara B. but the under-the-radar attractive quirky girl easily secured a ticket to Hollywood. Jennifer Lopez in particular seemed to enjoy her audition.
2) Ben Purdom - 18 - Philadelphia, PA - Cable TV Salesman
"Born This Way" (Lady GaGa)
"Super Bass" (Nicki Minaj)
Steven - No Jennifer - No Randy - No
3) Jermaine Jones - 24 - Pine Hills, NJ - Music Teacher
"Superstar" (The Carpenters)(Luther Vandross)
Steven - Yes Jennifer - Yes Randy - Yes
Rand quickly dubbed him "The Gentle Giant" which aptly described the 6'8 (and a half) Pine Hills, NJ native and music teacher. Jones, who looked more like he should be playing power forward for the New York Knicks, described himself as a Mama's Boy but his voice certainly proved he is his own man. Not sure how he'll stack up in Hollywood Week but he'll be one to watch all the same.
4) Britnee Kellogg - 27 - Vancouver, WA - Banker
"You're No Good" (Linda Ronstadt)
Steven - Yes Jennifer - Yes Randy - Yes
The 27 year-old single mother wasted no opportunity in jabbing her ex-husband (and his basketball facilitated marriage destroying trysts) with the Linda Ronstadt classic "You're No Good" which she performed quite superbly. Interestingly enough, her range is somewhat reminiscent of the singer who she chose to audition with. It could help explain why she got Jennifer Lopez to sing a couple measures with her. J. Lo then answered Kellogg's question about raising children while being a performer. She's definitely a personal favorite of mine so far as well.
5) Sam Gershman - 21 - Clarksville, MD - Motivational Dancer
"I'm A Woman"
Steven - No Jennifer - No Randy - No
6) David Weed - 22 - Mountain Home, ID - Fast Food Employee
"Tom Sawyer" (Rush)
Steven - No Jennifer - No Randy - No
7) Romeo Diahn - 22 - Portland, OR - Shipping Clerk
"Is This Love?" (Bob Marley & The Wailers)
Steven - Yes Jennifer - "Tiny" Yes Randy - Yes
The Liberian war refugee has made the most of his opportunity to flee his native country for a better life in the United States. He coolly sang Bob Marley's "Is This Love?" with a really nice reggae vibe but I still share J. Lo's concerns. I think he has his work cut out but reggae does offer its aspiring singers a better chance at a really successful niche career so I hope he fulfills his dream one way or another.
8) Naomi Gillies - 22 - Boston, MA - Student
"Cryin'" (Aerosmith)
Steven - Yes Jennifer - Yes Randy - Yes
Always a bold move, the 22 year-old Boston, Massachusetts native flew cross-coast to request Steven Tyler's permission to cover one of my personal favorite Aerosmith tunes (and one of their last truly great songs as far as I'm concerned). Gillies showed some flare and power and earned the ticket she sought. Whenever you pull off singing a song in front of the song's actual singer is always a sweet feat.
9) Ben Harrison - 28 - Eugene, OR - Shipping Agent
"Somebody To Love" (Queen)
Steven - No Jennifer - No Randy - No
(All 3 "No's" Implied)
10) Jessica Phillips - 25 - Brooklyn, NY - Dental Hygienist
"Again" (Faith Evans)
Steven - Yes Jennifer - Yes Randy - Yes
It was hard to not think of Season 10's Chris Medina and his own heartbreaking yet inspiring story. Phillips' story definitely recalls that moving tale. Phillips however definitely had a voice to match here own story of triumphant over adversity. She could also give American Idol the much needed female R&B singer it really hasn't had in recent memory.
I enjoyed all six of the singers they showed us advancing to Hollywood. It's worth noting that Naomi Gillies was the only one of the bunch they didn't have some real sort of intro piece for. I see six wild cards with a couple possible deep threats.
45 Golden Tickets Total
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Thursday, February 2, 2012
AMERICAN IDOL 11 SPOTLIGHT: Houston, TX Social Media
American Idol Houston, TX Social Media:
(For my recap of the Houston, Texas auditions, please click here.)
I will be updating as new information becomes available!
Follow Jamie Cole of Himay Co. on Twitter. To hire him for PR write-ups and other marketing and creative services, send a tweet on Twitter for further contact info.
Skylar Laine
Baylie Brown
Twitter
YouTube
Kristine Osorio
Facebook
YouTube
Rachael Turner
Facebook
MySpace
Linda Williams
No Public Social Media Available At This Time
Cortez Shaw
Facebook
Twitter
Booking Email
Ramiro Garcia
Facebook
Twitter
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YouTube
Kristine Osorio
YouTube
Rachael Turner
MySpace
Linda Williams
No Public Social Media Available At This Time
Cortez Shaw
Booking Email
Ramiro Garcia
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AMERICAN IDOL 11 SPOTLIGHT: Auditions #5: Houston, TX
Houston definitely had some problems but it did have a few standouts too. Starting off with the cliche Astronaut introduction, Norman Greenbaum's one hit wonder "Spirit In The Sky" kicked off an interesting but ultimately thin crop of singers. Houston did advance 55 to Hollywood so you must wonder if they are holding back some of the stronger singers for then but Skylar Laine, Baylie Brown, Kristine Osorio, and Ramiro Garcia were the clear standouts of the batch of singers we did see. Also, Season 10 Top 40 semi-finalist (and very near Top 24 finalist) Hollie Cavanagh remains in the mix. The British-born Texas transplant is very much back this season and my guess is that she's gotten even stronger. (We're still awaiting San Diego based Jessica E. Sanchez's coming out party as well.)
1) Phong Vu - 25 - Houston, TX - Student
"Unbreak My Heart" - Toni Braxton
Steven - No Jennifer - No Randy - No
2) Cameron Dobbins - 22 - Houston, TX - Student (No)
3) Lamounte Hall - 18 - Houston, TX - Wardrobe Stylist (No)
4) Skylar Laine - 17 - Brandon, MS - Student
"Hell On Heels" - Pistol Annie
Steven - Yes Jennifer - Yes Randy - Yes
While most teenage girls have posters of Justin Bieber in their bedrooms, Skylar has shot animals hanging quite liberally over her bed. The 17 year-old student, who works in her family's struggling food business, established herself as a country-twanged dark horse and could emerge as a tougher version of Lauren Alaina. Laine was perhaps the most interesting candidate to have been showcased in Texas.
5) Baylie Brown - 21 - Nashville, TN - Nanny
"Bed of Roses" - Bon Jovi
Steven - Yes Jennifer - Yes Randy - Yes
The Season 6 retread came back stronger than her appearance five years ago and emerged as one of the early Season 11 standouts as well. Brown, who barely missed the Top 24 five years ago, is poised to make a deeper run this time around and has also been one of the far superior of the past few audition city rounds as well.
6) Kristine Osorio - 28 - Amarillo, TX - Student
"One and Only" - Adele
Steven - Yes Jennifer - Yes Randy - Yes
The recently single mother, up to her neck in divorce lawyer bills, shanked her responsibilities to audition for American Idol. She had an incredible audition and showed very promising range and depth but I don't find anything cute or inspiring about someone who neglects all responsibility and obligations to chase a dream that even if achieved, would not come to fruition for almost a full calendar year.
7) Rachael Turner - 20 - Sugar Land, TX - Miss Houston 2011 (Yes - No - Yes)
8) Reagan Wilson - 23 - New Branfields, TX - Choir Teacher (No - Yes - No)
9) Cheyenne James - 17 - Conroe, TX - Student (No - Yes - No)
10) Linda Williams - 24 - League City, TX - Bartender
"Fallin'" - Alicia Keyes
Steven - Yes Jennifer - No Randy - Yes
Williams was the last of a four person montage of hyped up disagreements between the judges. Truth be told, I felt all four of them deserved to advance to Hollywood but did not feel that Williams was really post-Hollywood Week material. Even though she said she'd like to prove her idol wrong, if you get a divided ticket, your time in Hollywood is almost always short lived.
11) Alejandro Cazares - 26 - Houston, TX - Cell Phone Repairman
"Looking Up" - Paramore
Steven - No Jennifer - No Randy - No
The self-described one-man revolution certainly was entertaining to say the least. After openly dreaming about a world in which Lady Gaga can go platinum and Barack Obama could become president, he was immediately informed that he already lived in such a world. He claimed to have a doubting girlfriend who could could not accompany him to Houston because she didn't believe in his ability to make it, and his lobby efforts to incite the other waiting contestants was certainly priceless. (Did anybody else notice the Texas born Casey James look-alike seated in front of him?) Lady GaGa's "Alejandro" was obviously playing during his setup montage and while he was clearly straight-faced, it all still just seemed too comical to be genuinely serious. Either way, I found it hilarious and somebody really needs to give this guy a job in show business.
12) Cortez Shaw - 20 - Garland, TX - Warehouse Worker/Student
"Someone Like You" - Adele
Steven - Yes Jennifer - Yes Randy - Yes
Giving a somewhat but not exuberantly different spin on Adele's now signature ballad, Randy almost cut him off prematurely which made no sense to me whatsoever. I found Randy's antics during this audition to be exceedingly unnecessary and obnoxious, especially when it's been awhile since a viable R&B singer on American Idol won it all and Cortez fits all the right key voting demographics and with his charm and good looks, could definitely win it all, even if not this season. Didn't get that one at all. I thought Cortez killed it.
13) Julie Shuman - 28 - Manhattan, NY - Dancer/Nutritionist (3 Implied "No's)
"I'm A Woman" - Peggy Lee (Lieber & Stoller)
Steven - No Jennifer - No Randy - No
14) Vanessa Hernandez - 18 - Pasadena, TX - Student (No)
15) Erin "Nine" Kettl - 19 - Beaumont, TX - Student (No)
16) Ramiro Garcia - 28 - Houston, TX - Worship Leader
"Amazing Grace"
Steven - Yes Jennifer - Yes Randy - Yes
(All 3 Not Shown But Implied)
As is often, the show showcased its most heartwarming audition of the episode last. Born without ears, and after multiple surgeries, Garcia now has functioning ear canals. His speech, unmistakably impeachable, proves it but what proves it even more is his commanding voice. An easy golden ticket, Ramiro will be one to watch going forward in Hollywood Week.
As I alluded to before in my intro for this blog entry, I think there are a few possible contenders, with returning Season 10 sweetheart semi-finalist Hollie Cavanagh waiting in the wings. I haven't had the chance to really look at the finalists from this episode for the purpose of stacking them up against other audition cities, but I can certainly see the aforementioned four singers threatening with a deep run. Osorio and Garcia are eligibility limited to this year only (barring a run on The Voice or The X Factor) so the pressure will be on them to make the best of their run.
55 Golden Tickets Total
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1) Phong Vu - 25 - Houston, TX - Student
"Unbreak My Heart" - Toni Braxton
Steven - No Jennifer - No Randy - No
2) Cameron Dobbins - 22 - Houston, TX - Student (No)
3) Lamounte Hall - 18 - Houston, TX - Wardrobe Stylist (No)
4) Skylar Laine - 17 - Brandon, MS - Student
"Hell On Heels" - Pistol Annie
Steven - Yes Jennifer - Yes Randy - Yes
While most teenage girls have posters of Justin Bieber in their bedrooms, Skylar has shot animals hanging quite liberally over her bed. The 17 year-old student, who works in her family's struggling food business, established herself as a country-twanged dark horse and could emerge as a tougher version of Lauren Alaina. Laine was perhaps the most interesting candidate to have been showcased in Texas.
5) Baylie Brown - 21 - Nashville, TN - Nanny
"Bed of Roses" - Bon Jovi
Steven - Yes Jennifer - Yes Randy - Yes
The Season 6 retread came back stronger than her appearance five years ago and emerged as one of the early Season 11 standouts as well. Brown, who barely missed the Top 24 five years ago, is poised to make a deeper run this time around and has also been one of the far superior of the past few audition city rounds as well.
6) Kristine Osorio - 28 - Amarillo, TX - Student
"One and Only" - Adele
Steven - Yes Jennifer - Yes Randy - Yes
The recently single mother, up to her neck in divorce lawyer bills, shanked her responsibilities to audition for American Idol. She had an incredible audition and showed very promising range and depth but I don't find anything cute or inspiring about someone who neglects all responsibility and obligations to chase a dream that even if achieved, would not come to fruition for almost a full calendar year.
7) Rachael Turner - 20 - Sugar Land, TX - Miss Houston 2011 (Yes - No - Yes)
8) Reagan Wilson - 23 - New Branfields, TX - Choir Teacher (No - Yes - No)
9) Cheyenne James - 17 - Conroe, TX - Student (No - Yes - No)
10) Linda Williams - 24 - League City, TX - Bartender
"Fallin'" - Alicia Keyes
Steven - Yes Jennifer - No Randy - Yes
Williams was the last of a four person montage of hyped up disagreements between the judges. Truth be told, I felt all four of them deserved to advance to Hollywood but did not feel that Williams was really post-Hollywood Week material. Even though she said she'd like to prove her idol wrong, if you get a divided ticket, your time in Hollywood is almost always short lived.
11) Alejandro Cazares - 26 - Houston, TX - Cell Phone Repairman
"Looking Up" - Paramore
Steven - No Jennifer - No Randy - No
The self-described one-man revolution certainly was entertaining to say the least. After openly dreaming about a world in which Lady Gaga can go platinum and Barack Obama could become president, he was immediately informed that he already lived in such a world. He claimed to have a doubting girlfriend who could could not accompany him to Houston because she didn't believe in his ability to make it, and his lobby efforts to incite the other waiting contestants was certainly priceless. (Did anybody else notice the Texas born Casey James look-alike seated in front of him?) Lady GaGa's "Alejandro" was obviously playing during his setup montage and while he was clearly straight-faced, it all still just seemed too comical to be genuinely serious. Either way, I found it hilarious and somebody really needs to give this guy a job in show business.
12) Cortez Shaw - 20 - Garland, TX - Warehouse Worker/Student
"Someone Like You" - Adele
Steven - Yes Jennifer - Yes Randy - Yes
Giving a somewhat but not exuberantly different spin on Adele's now signature ballad, Randy almost cut him off prematurely which made no sense to me whatsoever. I found Randy's antics during this audition to be exceedingly unnecessary and obnoxious, especially when it's been awhile since a viable R&B singer on American Idol won it all and Cortez fits all the right key voting demographics and with his charm and good looks, could definitely win it all, even if not this season. Didn't get that one at all. I thought Cortez killed it.
13) Julie Shuman - 28 - Manhattan, NY - Dancer/Nutritionist (3 Implied "No's)
"I'm A Woman" - Peggy Lee (Lieber & Stoller)
Steven - No Jennifer - No Randy - No
14) Vanessa Hernandez - 18 - Pasadena, TX - Student (No)
15) Erin "Nine" Kettl - 19 - Beaumont, TX - Student (No)
16) Ramiro Garcia - 28 - Houston, TX - Worship Leader
"Amazing Grace"
Steven - Yes Jennifer - Yes Randy - Yes
(All 3 Not Shown But Implied)
As is often, the show showcased its most heartwarming audition of the episode last. Born without ears, and after multiple surgeries, Garcia now has functioning ear canals. His speech, unmistakably impeachable, proves it but what proves it even more is his commanding voice. An easy golden ticket, Ramiro will be one to watch going forward in Hollywood Week.
As I alluded to before in my intro for this blog entry, I think there are a few possible contenders, with returning Season 10 sweetheart semi-finalist Hollie Cavanagh waiting in the wings. I haven't had the chance to really look at the finalists from this episode for the purpose of stacking them up against other audition cities, but I can certainly see the aforementioned four singers threatening with a deep run. Osorio and Garcia are eligibility limited to this year only (barring a run on The Voice or The X Factor) so the pressure will be on them to make the best of their run.
55 Golden Tickets Total
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