In fact, I'm so impressed with the talent this episode I couldn't even come up with a snarky list of "What We've Learned Not to Do on American Idol" for the non talents. There were those who didn't make it, of course, but the show finally focused more on the folks who did.
And so shall I.
We jumped right into it with Lloyd Thomas, a 29 year old dock worker from Dallas who came in the room with a big smile and even bigger personality. Not only that, but he could really sing. He's got likability in spades, and definitely goes to prove that you can do or achieve anything.
Not that this is a hard concept to prove this season; we've seen it in almost every contestant... and will a few times more before the Dallas auditions are done.
There was also Dave Pittman from Arkansas, whose back story has to be the topper of any that we've seen so far this season. We've seen those who have taken on cancer and won, we've seen those who have survived hardships in their youth, and are still reaching for their dream. But when Dave explained that he suffers with Tourettes, and singing is the only time that he can miraculously control this uncontrollable disorder - this was one of the bravest auditions we've yet to see on this season or any other.
I agree with Simon - I think people will like him. He's definitely got the pipes, and even has a presence that has a confidence that some of the more "normal" contestants are missing.Will he win? I couldn't say. But I think that he'll probably make it to the top 24. Dave was made for this show.
Another contestant who brought the fun to Dallas was 23 year old Erica Rhodes, who proves that a childhood with Barney turns one into a whip yielding dominatrix... a fact that should surprise no one.She, by the way, is now my sons' favorite contestant. They're locked in to watching as long as she's on the show. For that alone I hope she lasts into the top ten.
The strength is not just her voice, but that she's kinda got that chameleon thing going on. She's an actress first and foremost, so she'll be the one who will throw herself into each theme week for a different character. This also might be her biggest liability. Even with her audition, did we really see who Erica was? Or was it just another character? But she's definitely got some commercial appeal I think will take her through to the top 24.
Sort of similar to this was Todrick Hall, who came into the audition with some stage work behind him. He wrote his own song that could be defined as Best. Original. Song. Ever. It showed he had more talents than just singing, which - if pressed - I would say is probably not as great as some other singers already in the competition.
But what Todrick has is potential to cross over. He can sing, he can write, he can dance, he can act. Not only that but he's got charm and he's a good looking guy. He's got a lot to offer, and I think the producers will probably be shrewd enough to make sure he makes it to the semi-finals.
To round out the ones I think have a serious, legitimate shot at the top 24 is 16 year old Christian Spear. She's an 8 year cancer survivor - a pretty significant achievement for someone so young. With that she brings a cool confidence and fearlessness to her performance, as evidenced by the way she tackled the likes of Etta James.
She's also got a commercial look, and she's got a great story, plus the talent to back it up. It was a goldmine in Dallas, 'sall I'm sayin. Although I really wanted to hear the audition of the kid with the two-toned hair. After scouring the AI message boards I found out that was Michael Castro - Jason Castro's brother. Apparently he was on last season but didn't make it through. Would love to see more of what he can do if he's been good enough to get through twice now.
The others to make it through included a 26 year old teacher who sang an original song in sort of a old fashioned jazzy way that didn't do too much for Simon - and fueled the feud between Simon and guest judge Neil Patrick Harris. Again, it's a shame he's got such a full plate already because I thought NPH would be great addition to the judging panel, even if I didn't really agree with his judgment on this particular individual. Neil liked Kimberly Carver, but I kinda thought what Simon did - it wasn't really current or relevant, and there was nothing about her that stood out to make me want to hear more.
In short, she just wasn't all that interesting.
Slightly more interesting was Maegan Wright, a 20 year old from Richardson, Texas. She had a lot more personality and depth than some of the others from the blond brigade this season, but despite that I think most of her appeal might come from her precocious little brother.
But having said that she did look like she had the confidence and sense of self needed to survive Hollywood Week, which - thanks to the Dallas auditions - I'm looking forward to even more. First we have to get through the Denver auditions next Tuesday, where someone may or may not be auditioning in the buff per the previews.
And we thought Bikini Girl was bad...
See ya after Denver.
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