IdolPhenomena

I would like to start off by saying that there was absolutely no need for all this suspense about an apology before tonight’s show. Apologizing for Steven Tyler’s comments…. Really??? First they help make the show more entertaining because the talent has been exceptionally average. Plus, this is all recorded right now so it’s like your apologizing for something you knew you did…LAME. So on to what your really here for :-)

Tonight Idol heads on over to Texas, the Lone Star whatever that means-LOL. I guess that means get ready for Cow Boys and more country music. We are first introduced to Corey Levoy who didn’t meet his sister Brooxe until they were teenagers and now their best friends. Corey shares with us that his sister encourages him to sing and she is probably his biggest critic. So the judges ask her to come in and critique his audition with them. Tonight he has chosen Bonnie Raitt’s I Can’t Make You Love Me. Corey has a surprisingly good voice. Jennifer feels the runs he did were beautiful and that she's surprised because his speaking voice is very different. Levoy shares with them that he used to be teased for it and Steven tells him he won’t be teased anymore. Randy is impressed that Corey has a cool voice. With all the positive feedback Corey is the first off to Hollywood.

Up next is the 17yr old Hollie Cavanagh who is originally from Liverpool, England but currently resides in McKinney, TX. She is small and petite but has a big voice that definitely needs some more maturing and practice. Her first audition song is Etta James At Last which wasn't all that good. But from the look on her face I can tell she's a bundle of nerves. Tyler expresses that she was all over the place with the melody and Lopez says she needs to be more confident on stage. Randy starts off by telling her No that she isn’t ready. Then she gets emotional so Jennifer decides to give her a second chance and asks her to collect herself and pick another song to sing for them. This time Hollie sings Miley Cyrus’ The Climb which is 1,000 times better than her first song. At this point in the competition I feel that she has a good voice but she needs some practice and she needs to find some more confidence. Randy is pleased to find that her second choice was so much better than the first so ye changes his mind and she gets three yeses from the panel and a golden ticket to Hollywood.

Up next is the expected montage of bad that culminates with Rodolfo singing an out of tune Circle of Life-Epic Fail! Next to auditions is cowboy John Wayne Schulz from Karnes City, TX. He works on a cattle ranch and expresses that being a true cowboy is about who you are on the inside not how you dress. He has chosen to audition this year to fulfill a promise to his mother.-Awww :-) His song is Brooks and Dunn’s Believe. John has an amazing natural country voice. He almost makes singing look effortless. J.Lo felt the strength of faith in his voice, Tyler said it was beautiful and Randy thinks he will do well in the competition. So they bring his parents in and announce that he is going to Hollywood… and all his adorable mom wants is the ticket ;-). This marks the half way point in tonight’s show.

The second half of the night starts off with Steven Tyler making some comment about how anyone who could pull their face back like this is beautiful…with some amusing gestures to emphasize how Jennifer is dressed. Now we meet a contestant who is completely head over heels for Ryan Seacrest, Courtney Penry. She starts of this half of the night by imitating a chicken-awkward. However when she starts singing Sugarland’s Stay I am pleasantly surprised to find out that she has a decent voice. Jennifer says that parts of the song were really strong and other parts were really weak. Randy like Jennifer feels she has a pretty good voice but some bad habits she needs to break. Randy says no while Steven and Jen say yes. Courtney is off to Hollywood- Ryan I would watch my back if I were you ;-). This is followed by a montage of golden ticket winners, we see contestants like Erynne Hundley, Shauntel Campos and Jonsense. After the break we actually get to hear Shauntel sing a little bit of Ain’t No Sunshine, and part of Alex Carr and Caleb Johnson’s auditions all which have made it through to Hollywood.

Next in line is couple Nick Fink and Jaqueline Dunford. Apparently they want to be the first Idol power couple... I disagree. Jaqueline sings first and in the words of Simon Cowell I would say that she over sang the song. I almost felt like she yelled it in my face. Then Nick sang Sunday Morning by Maroon 5 which was great. It felt so natural and laid-back, effortless and care free. If I had my way only Nick would have gone through. But as things would have it both get three yeses and are through to the next round.

Their audition is followed by that of the beautiful and incredibly talented Janelle Arthur. Arthur's first song is Syrup & Honey by Duffy. It's an amazing low key vocal and she exudes star quality. Her family already knows she's a star but would like the world to have a chance to see how much of a star she is. The judges want to hear her sing something more up beat so she goes with Shania Twain's No One Needs To Know. And indeed the judges do agree that she’s a star and hopefully the world will because she gets three yeses and a ticket to Hollywood. Next we see the girl in the Armadillo suit and the Digimon cos-play person dressed as Angewoman both are definitely hideous costumes ;-).

Last contestant of the night is 19 yr old Casey Abrams who has chosen to sing I Don’t Need No Doctor by Ray Charles. He is crazy talented this was definitely a great way to close the show. He gets a big yes from the entire panel and he’s on his way to Hollywood. So with Austin done and 50 contestants heading to Hollywood, Idol heads to Los Angeles, CA tomorrow for another day of auditions. And now my ratings

Corey Levoy 2-Stars

Hollie Cavanagh 1.5-Stars

John Wayne Schulz 2.5-Stars

Courtney Penry 1.5-Stars

Jaqueline Dunford 1.5-Star

Shauntel Campos 2-Stars

Alex Carr 2-Stars

Caleb Johnson 2-Stars

Nick Fink 2-Stars

Janelle Arthur 2.5-Stars

Casey Abrams 3-Stars