I think I got played on the 1st night!

So, it's Hollywood week on American Idol in case you've been under a rock and haven't been watching the newest season of the most popular show since I Love Lucy. And it's being hyped to be the one with the most talent ever! The show Tuesday night was the 1st 3 rounds in Hollywood. I have yet to see someone who's completely blown me out of the water yet. But wait a minute, there is Angela Martin!! This is what I was thinking as I began watching the show. She was the young lady with the disabled little girl. Remembering she was coming up, I got a little more excited.

So let's get right down to it! 164 have made it to Hollywood Ryan Seacrest tells us and only 24 will make it to the show. My favorites up front are Angela Martin(!), Syesha Mercado, Cathy Smithson from Ireland, Josiah Leming, a little dude who's been living out of his car for a few months, cute as a button David Archuleta, Amanda Overmyer (a rocker nurse!) and Michael Johns, who for some reason gives me a James Blunt vibe.

So this year, the AI team have done it differently, and I think I like it. Nobody gets cut in the first round, so everyone's got two chances to pull it together. The judges can even put you through immediately to the final round. This year there're instruments! The main question: Is that a bad thing or a good thing? After having seen all the rounds, lemme tell ya, for me they just get in the way, but some of them are fine. Whatever.

The parade of wannabes take the stage at the Orpheum Theatre and the instrument idea starts off disastrously. However one Brooke White from Philadelphia kind of gives the playing singers some credibility. She sounds good, but not great. But she's got enough, I think, to remember her by. More ineffective singing and playing punishes the tv audience before finally I catch my breath. David Hernandez from Glendale, Arizona begins to sing and it's the first excitement I've felt since the show began. Even Paula Abdul agrees with me by saying "a hundred trazillion percent yes!", which probably means she's on her way to drunkville.

The performances pick up after that; quite a bit actually. You got the rocker chick, Amanda, doing the best Janis Joplin I think I've heard since Janis herself, and then there's Danny Noriega, who's got a great voice, but if he gets any gayer he's gonna float off the tv screen. Not that I don't like the gays, cause as you know I'm a big 'mo myself, but eesh! Anyhoo, I like his voice. And then you got Josiah Leming, living in his car, parents all worried about him, who has quite a bit of potential as he opens his mouth and sings in a bit of a Bri'ish accent! I thought "wow, is he a new member of The Shins?" (the Beatles, for those of you who don't know what the hell a Shin is). ;-)

Moving on, day 2 continues with David Cook, a semi-rocker dude who starts off the Bryan Adams "Everything I Do" montage. He sounds decent, but oy-vay, he's one of the only ones. I never heard that song ruined s'badly in my life! Even my girl Syesha was a lil' flat. Simon concurs with that statement, saying she's gotta prove herself in the next round. Oh well, I got faith in her.......What a minute! Stop the presses! What have we next? Is this the next Clay Aiken? Kyle Ensley from Podunk, Whogivesa... is up! He looks like the biggest geek on the show since our favorite runner-up sung his way into our hearts. I'm thinking to myself, what the fu-?! And then he starts to sing. Eh, whatever. By some miracle, though, he makes it through.

Now, when day 3 starts, I'm beginning to think "where's Angela Martin?" I haven't seen her yet. So I'm immediately on the alert.

The eliminations are coming quick in the beginnng; only 4 out of 40 have made it before long, among them Suzanne Toom from Clearwater, FL beside who's name in my journal I've written a big "yes!" , but have no idea what she sang. And look-a-here! Here comes Syesha and boy, does she let 'em have it! My girls sounds awesome, even if she has lost some of her voice. Her ticket is booked to the top 24! After Kristy Lee Cook sings some Country music and makes it through, finally,here comes my girl!! It's Angela Martin! And she says....wait, what? Her daddy died? What the hell?! That kinda gives me pause, cause didn't somebody's else's daddy die right before she came? Hell's yeah! That was Asa'h Epperson. Something rubs me the wrong way about that, but I let it go as soon as she starts singing. She sounds brilliant in my ears! I'm thinking "this is what American Idol is all about right here! Yes, ma'am!" She's a shoo-in, right? Nnnnnot so much. I got played. Simon and the rest of the Idol judge-nots leave her standing in the line of losers going home. I practically chunk my remote control at the tv and sit and stew in the warm blanket that is my outragism.

As I watch the rest of the show, spirit broken like the blood vessels in Amy Winehouse's nose, the final chance to impress the judges arrives. David Archuleta is first and boy is he impressive; young (16), cute, sweet as can be, and with an excellent voice. The judges (and my ecstatic boyfriend, Jeremy) unanimously put him through. Syesha emphatically makes it with 3 "yes"es, and then we meet Michael Johns from Buckhead GA, who's got bedhead hair, but man, when he opens his mouth, his voice is like buttah! Good-NESS, his vocals are crystal clear! Simon even goes on to proclaim he's "the best of the day". Which ain't no small change, coming from Sir Stick-up-his-ass. And it keeps getting better. Carly from Ireland blows us outta the water, and then comes Asa'h Epperson, (who's father died first, dammit)! I loved her, and so did the judges, saying "brilliant".

And so we only have time for a couple more as the producers couldn't manage to finagle yet another hour from the network. First, there's Brooke Helvie the beauty queen from N(S?) Carolina, who doesn' t fare well and remarks she "wasn't given a fair chance". Hunh? Seriously.

And the last of the day is Josiah (he of the auto boudoir) who got no sleep the night before, but I have high hopes for. He's very original, and I like his sound. And then he performs. Egads, he's all over the place. His timing is all wrong and he can't seem to keep the melody. ARGH! Good grief. But he gets three "yes"es, only after Simon tells him he was "overconfident". I'm really glad he made it through, but bothered about what's coming next.



Well, that was the 1st show and of the remaining Idol contenders, there's no sight of Angela Martin, and I'm supremely disgusted about it, fyi. That "my father died" story bothers me, though. Hey! Maybe the judges found out she was lying or something and didn't put her through because of it, right?! Ok, ok, I'm grasping at straws. Well, we find out who the top 24 is on the next show. I already know, but I'll keep you in suspense for a little while.. Til then, I think I'll watch some tube.........