Since American Idol has started last night, this will be a regular feature on the blog, discussing the previous nights' performances and opinions. I know there are lots of people who religiously follow the show, so i hope this leads to debate, thoughts and discussion. Enjoy!
American Idol is back! After a brief hiatus, the musical reality show which started on FOX is now on ABC with a bright new panel of judges. The show will air on Sunday and Monday nights this spring, ending in mid-May.
The show has found past stars such as Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson, Underwood probably the one contestant who has gone on to superstardom. The Clay Aikens and Ruban Stuuderds of the world are nice singers, and many have terrific careers in recording or Broadway or TV.
I liked the past judges, especially Simon Cowell. He was directly honest and refreshing. He knew what he wanted to find, and as a record executive, he knew the sound and look that would sell records.
I was hoping Simon would come back for this first season on ABC, so I was initially disappointed when I heard that the new judges would be R&B/pop singer Lionel Richie, pop diva Katie Perry and country guy Luke Bryan.
Surprisingly, i liked each judge last night during the initial auditions in New York, Nashville and Los Angeles. Katy Perry is cute, fun and current. Luke Bryan is down home country and also popular. Lionel Richie is experienced, wise and calm, often called the other two "children" and getting them focused when they strayed in laughter. It seems Richie will be the leader of the group, if there is one, kinda like Simon.
The judges show promise and I'm looking forward to the live shows after the audition phase. They are lively and fun. They give positive criticism, and are realistic but not mean-spirited ( as Simon sometimes was). In fact, they advised the kids who didn't get a golden ticket to Hollywood not to see it as a "failure' but to view it as "learning." But they were honest enough to not swoon over every contestant and to be honest and tell it like it is to the people who can;t sing.
Ryan Seacrest is the host again, and he's OK, as long as he doesn't make it all about himself.
I like the backstories, and they weren't overly sappy last night. There were two Philly-related contestants who made it to Hollywood. There wasn't a singer who wowed me yet. I liked the cute little girl form Kentucky, who brought her little sister to the audition. I liked their story as well, growing up on a horse farm and singing together. The girl, Layla Spring is only 16 so I'm not sure how far she will go in Hollywood, but she has a good voice and is cute as a button.
More auditions tonight!
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