Everything is bigger and better in Texas, so it’s completely understandable that fans were looking for gargantuan talent on last night’s audition episode of American Idol season 9 from Dallas.
- Source: Wikipedia
Dallas had a lot to prove. It’s the audition city that gave us the first and, arguably, best Idol winner, Kelly Clarkson. What a tall, big-voiced order to fill!
Helping Randy, Kara, and Simon sift through the hopefuls were our two guest judges: the incomparable Neil Patrick Harris, and the dreamiest of the dreamy Joe Jonas of the Jonas Brothers.
Let’s take a look at the mixed bag of treats and tricks from Dallas.
Julie Kevelighan: Julie tortured the gang back on season one of Idol, and she’s back to do more damage. She thinks the time passed has done her some good, but she’s sadly mistaken. With her mermaid-inspired dress, and sophomoric sign, Julie assaulted the bunch even further with her light-as-air version of “Black Velvet.” As if things couldn’t get worse, when the judges panned the performance, she sings not one more, but two more songs in an attempt to change their minds. She leaves but tried once more to sing. She fails.
Lloyd Thomas: Lloyd’s a big guy with even bigger talent. He was motivated to audition by the hope of giving his two young daughters a better life than he had growing up. For his audition song, he chose the painfully overused “Overjoyed” by Stevie Wonder (beats using “Ribbon In The Sky,” though). All is forgiven. Lloyd’s voice is smooth and buttery. A real treat. Besides loving his voice, the judges love his personality and scoot him through to Hollywood.
Kimberly Carver: Kimberly (who looks a bit like Kelly Clarkson) chooses to sing an original song for her audition. The song sounds a little bit jazzy, a little bit cabaret. Her voice sounds a little bit sultry, a little bit whiney. Randy, Kara, and NPH love her to bits, but Simon pans her for not being interesting or current enough. I couldn’t agree more. Randy harps on the fact that this is a singing competition. Funny. He and Kara made it seem like it was a “potential” competition many times this season. Especially if they’re attractive, as Kara said over and over about one contestant. She gets through.
Dexter Ward: Cancel the search! The new American Idol (or is it America’s Next Top Model?) has been found! Or at least that’s what Dexter thought. The lad with the big smile, perfected wink, and frosted faux-hawk popped into the audition room with all the confidence in the world. He should have spent more time on his voice as he did perfecting that camera wink. He was all over the place. Notes here and there. Kara was rendered speechless. No one loved it. At all. Dexter was completely shocked. Simon tried to lift his mood by saying his smile would take him far, but it didn’t help. Dex broke down and cried once he left the room.
Erica Rhodes: Erica is following in the footsteps of pop starlets Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez as a former Barney and Friends kid. Now 23, Erica wants everyone to know that little girl is gone and she’s all woman. So, how does she do this? With pleather and a whip. Duh! The judges make her take a trip back in time briefly to sing the Barney song. You know it. “I love you. You love me. We’re a happy family…” She sounds cute, but surely this isn’t her audition, right? Right. She has “Free Your Mind” by En Vogue picked out. With thrusting hips and a few cracks from her whip, Erica made her audition interesting to say the least. Sadly, her high-pitched voice can become grating easily. For putting on her big song and dance, the judges pass her through. But Randy, I thought this was a singing competition!?
Dave Pittman: L.O.V.E! So, Dave’s story is being set up to be one of those heartbreaking sob stories, but Dave doesn’t seem to want the pity. He has Tourette’s. His disorder is manifested in facial ticks and slight grunting, but miraculously, he isn’t affected when he sings. He launched into a pure, rich version of “Bring It On Home To Me” by Sam Cooke. His voice is the judges’ dream: strong and contemporary. Everyone loves him, as they should! Neil says he’s “crazy brave,” and with four yeses, Dave is one step closer to his dream and Hollywood.
Randy Jackson, Joe Jonas, Kara DioGuardi, Simon Cowell – Michael Becker / FOX
Day 2 in Dallas got things started the heartthrob-y way with the addition of Joe Jonas to the judging panel.
Todrick Hall: Todrick prepared a special little ditty for the judges in which he practically begs for his chance to go to Hollywood. It sounds desperate, but the song was actually very good (for what it was) and his voice is even better. Simon wasn’t jumping out of his seat, but everyone else adored the theatre buff. The charming crooner with the “cutesy” audition lives to charm again in Hollywood.
Maegan Wright: Maegan is total BFFs with her look-a-like little brother, and thinks her trip to Hollywood would be a big deal to him. Clad in a tank and shorts, Maegan performs “To Make You Feel My Love” for the judges, revealing a nice country-ish tone to her voice. Kara is surprised that Maegan can actually sing — she thought that because of her outfit, she might be one of those jokers. Simon actually likes what she’s wearing and says it means she isn’t trying as hard to impress with anything other than her voice. Nice call, Simon! Kara! Remember what Randy said earlier? This is a singing competition! She gets her golden ticket.
Vanessa Johnson: Vanessa gives pink lovers a bad name. The colorfully dressed oompa loompa is beyond upbeat — even as her audition tanks. Her voice is nothing short of a nightmare. Actually, Simon says it’s what his nightmares are made of. Ouch! The smile was still plastered on her face as she told her friends the bad news. No Hollywood! But she’s super excited that at least the judges will remember her for something!
Christian Spears: 16-year-old Christian is a cancer survivor. She was diagnosed with Leukemia when she was four years old, and went into remission when she was eight. Eight years later, she’s ready to take risks and go after her dream with the support of her family. She chooses “All I Can Do Is Cry” by Etta James for her audition, and nails it with a level of confidence that belies her tender age. The judges love that about her. I do, too…for now. She could become an annoying one. We’ll have to keep an eye on that. She gets four enthusiastic yeses to Hollywood.
Judging the guest judges
Neil Patrick Harris came to play! He wasn’t about to just sit there, yay and nay, and earn his check the easy way. No way. NPH came, he was brash, he clashed with Simon! His smart and professional insights would be a welcomed addition to the panel long-term if producers were still looking. In other words, he was sheer awesomeness. A+++
Joe Jonas, by sharp contrast, was as pointless as they come. I’m not sure if some out-of-this-world incredible insights were left on the cutting room floor, or if Joe was really that useless, but it’s such a shame! All that dreamy wasted! F
