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Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Idol-Talk: Season 8 Hollywood Week
Topic: Idol-Talk

This is my second Idol-Talk of season 8.  In my previous post, I focused on the auditions.  This time, I will focus on Hollywood Week.  What I said last time still applies: I will list the names of singers from Hollywood Week (who moved on to the next H'Wood round) who I thought had good/great voices and who I thought were good enough to move on to the next round.  The stars by some names show my favorites from my own list.  So, here is Hollywood Week:

American Idol: Hollywood Round 1
Airdate: Tuesday, February 3, 2009 [8-9pm]

Before I list names, I want to mention that the contestants went through a Boot Camp with stylists, a vocal coach, and Barry Manilow talking to them and inspiring them to follow this dream of theirs.  I think that was great that they went through a Boot Camp.

  • *Lil Rounds [sang a Whitney song]
  • Anoop Desai
  • Jasmine Murray
  • Stephen Fowler
  • *Jorge Munez
  • Jamar Rogers
  • *Danny Gokey [Kiss from a Rose]
  • Jeremy Michael Sarver
  • David Osmond

From this first Hollywood Week episode, 104 contestants moved on to Round 2.

American Idol: Hollywood Round 2
Airdate: Wednesday, February 4, 2009 [8-9pm]

This is the group performance round, which always makes for great TV, since this is when the claws come out and we see the drama unfold.

  • Matt Giraud
  • Kris Allen
  • *Danny Gokey
  • Jamar Rogers
  • Jeremy Michael Sarver
  • *Adam Lambert
  • Matt Breitzke
  • Jasmine Murray
  • Kristin McNamara

Unfortunately, Rose Flak was cut.  She had a great audition, but stumbled in Hollywood.  She was one of my favorites from the auditions.  I hope she auditions again next year.  And about 75 moved on to Round 3.

American Idol: Hollywood Round 3
Airdate: Tuesday, February 10, 2009 [8-9pm]

During this round, contestants were able to play with the band and could also use their own instruments

  • *Adam Lambert
  • Matt Giraud [he sounded like Elliott Yamin; played the piano]
  • *Danny Gokey
  • Anoop Desai
  • *Lil Rounds
  • Ju'Not Joyner

About 50 contestants moved on to the final Hollywood Round.

American Idol: Hollywood Round 4
Airdate: Wednesday, February 11, 2009 [8-10pm]

This final round took place in the "Judge's Mansion."  I don't know why they needed a Judge's Mansion to do this, but oh well.  Another new aspect to this round was the singoff.  If the judge's weren't sure of a contestant, they could ask them to sing again against another contestant.  I hope they keep this aspect, but it brought something fresh to the show.  Since this is the round where the Top 36 Semifinalist are revealed, I will list the semifinalists in the order that they were chosen during the episode, no matter if I like them or not.  But I will put stars by those who are my favorites in this group.

  • *Anoop Desai
  • Von Smith
  • Alex Wagner-Trugman [singoff with Cody Sheldon]
  • *Adam Lambert
  • Taylor Vaifanua
  • Jasmine Murray
  • Arianna Afsa
  • Casey Carlson
  • Megan Corkrey
  • Mishavonna Henson
  • Stevie Wright
  • Joanna Pacitti [disqualified]
  • Kendall Beard
  • Kristen McNamara [singoff with Jen Korbee]
  • Alexis Grace
  • Scott MacIntyre
  • *Lil Rounds
  • Jesse Langseth [singoff with Frankie Jordan]
  • Allison Iraheta
  • *Danny Gokey
  • Rick Braddy
  • Matt Giraud
  • Ju'Not Joyner
  • Jorge Nunez
  • Brent Keith
  • Stephen Fowler
  • Nick Mitchell [aka Norman Gentle; he should have been cut a long time ago]
  • Jackie Tohn
  • Tatiana Del Toro [so annoying; like Norman, she should have been cut a long time ago as well]
  • Nathaniel Marshall [singoff with Jackie Midkiff]
  • Jeanine Vailes
  • Kai Kalama
  • Anne Marie Boskovich
  • Kris Allen
  • Matt Breitke [singoff with Michael Sarver]
  • Michael Sarver [singoff with Matt Breitke]
  • Felicia Barton [replacing Joanna Pacitti]

Well, there's our semifinalists for Season 8.  Tonight is the first week of voting for the season (yay!).  The semifinals are reverting back to the format that the show had during the first few years, where each week a different group would perform and only a few would advance each time.  Group 1, performing tonight, is Anne Marie Boskovich, Ricky Braddy, Casey Carlson, Tatiana Del Toro, Anoop Desai, Stephen Fowler, Danny Gokey, Alexis Grace, Brent Keith, Michael Sarver, Jackie Tohn, and Stevie Wright.

My Idol-Talk post for Group 1 will be up either tonight or tomorrow before the results.  See ya then...


Posted by Webmaster Dodgeroo54 at 7:05 PM PST
Idol-Talk: Season 8 Auditions
Topic: Idol-Talk

Idol-Talk is back! I haven't done this segment since season 6.  Starting this year, Idol-Talk will be featured in a different form: on the TV Watch Online BLOG. In previous years, I posted my comments on a specific page on the main site.  But after I posted my performance comments for last summer's America's Got Talent and Last Comic Standing in the BLOG, I decided that this would be the best outlet for Idol-Talk as well.

Since the Semifinals for Season 8 begin tonight, I thought I would take a look back at the auditions and Hollywood rounds from the past month.  As I have done in the past, I will list the names of auditioners (who received the golden ticket) who I thought had good/great voices and who I thought were good enough to move on.  And that doesn't necessarily mean that just because the judges put someone through that I agreed with the decision.  As I'm listing the names that I wrote down, you will see a star by some of the names.  Those are my favorites from my own list. I will also include any comments that I wrote down for any of the singers to remind me of who they are.  So, without further ado, below are the Season 8 Auditions (sorry for any misspelled names):

American Idol: Phoenix Auditions
Airdate: Tuesday, January 13, 2009 [8-10pm]

  • *Emily Wynne-Hughes [rocker, Barracuda]
  • J.B. Ahfua
  • *Ariana Afsar [Put Your Records On]
  • Stevie Wright [Kelly Clarkson-like voice; At Last]
  • Michael Sarver
  • *Deanna Brown [Sitting on the Dock of the Bay]
  • Cody Sheldon [makes horror movies]
  • Scott MacIntyre [blind]

Highlight from this episode: New judge Kara DioGuardi shows Bikini Girl how to sing the song.  I loved this moment!  Bikini Girl (I don't remember her name) had a voice, but it was a voice that didn't stand out or was unique at all.  And coming into the audition room wearing a bikini did not help the audition.  We see people wearing costumes and the like all the time, and it doesn't help (usually).  Kara has a great voice and showed BG what a great singer sounds like.  I think Kara will be a great addition to the panel.  As a singer/songwriter, she will be able to connect with the contestants on a level that Randy and Simon won't be able to.  It will be interesting to see if she writes any songs for any of this years singers.  She has written for Idols in the past, but with her a part of the show now, she will have a connection with them that she wouldn't have had if she wasn't a judge on the show.

American Idol: Kansas City Auditions (David Cook's hometown)
Airdate: Wednesday, January 14, 2009 [8-10pm]

  • *Casey Carlson
  • Von Smith
  • Michael Castro
  • Matt Breitzke [welder; Ain't No Sunshine]
  • *Jessica Furney [93-year-old grandma]
  • India Morrison
  • Jamar Rogers
  • *Danny Gokey [wife died; unique; I Heard It Through the Grapevine]
  • *Anoop Desai
  • *Asa Barnes
  • *Lil Rounds [tornado; reminds me of Fantasia; sang Stevie Wonder]

American Idol: San Francisco Auditions
Airdate: Tuesday, January 20, 2009 [8-9pm]

  • John Twiford
  • Raquel Houghton
  • *Adam Lambert [musical theatre; Bohemian Rhapsody]
  • Kai Kalama [has mom with illness]

Twelve moved on to Hollywood

American Idol: Louisville Auditions
Airdate: Wednesday, January 21, 2009 [8-9pm]

  • *Joanna Pacitti
  • *Brett Keith Smith
  • *Alexis Grace [blonde; single mom]
  • Kris Allen [went by too fast]
  • Felicia Barton [went by too fast]
  • Ryan Johnson [went by too fast]
  • Shera Lawrence [went by too fast]
  • *Leneshe Young [single mom; rough life; unique voice; sang original song]

American Idol: Jacksonville Auditions
Airdate: Tuesday, January 27, 2009 [8-9pm]

  • Jasmine Murray [Big Girls Don't Cry]
  • T.K. Hash [Imagine]
  • *Anne Marie Boskovich [Bubbly]

American Idol: Salt Lake City Auditions
Airdate: Wednesday, January 28, 2009 [8-9pm]

  • David Osmond
  • Frankie Jordan [unique voice]
  • Megan Corkrey [unique voice; single mom; divorced]
  • Austin Sisneros
  • Jarrett Burns [Put Your Records On]
  • *Taylor Vaifanua [tall; Joyful Joyful]
  • *Rose Flack [parents died; blonde; great personality]

Thirteen advanced to Hollywood

American Idol: New York City/San Juan, Puerto Rico Auditions
Airdate: Thursday, January 29, 2009 [8-9pm]

  • Jorge Nunez [Puerto Rico; sang Il Divo song & What a Wonderful World]
  • Melinda Camille [NYC]
  • Ashley Camille [went by too fast]
  • Kenny Hoffpauer [went by too fast]
  • Kendall Beard [went by too fast]
  • Monique Garcia Torres [Puerto Rico; You Can't Hurry Love & Christina Aguilera song]
  • Patricia Lewis Roman [Puerto Rico; big family; I Wanna Dance with Someone & Spanish song]

Twenty-Six from New York City and nine from Puerto Rico advanced to Hollywood.

And in total, 147 contestants from all the auditions received golden tickets to Hollywood.

Well, that's it for the season 8 auditions.  The next Idol-Talk post will focus on the Hollywood Rounds.  See ya next time...


Posted by Webmaster Dodgeroo54 at 5:49 PM PST
Updated: Tuesday, February 17, 2009 7:49 PM PST

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