American Idol 2010! Boston Auditions

Season 9 of American Idol begins at last! Tonight we will witness the Boston auditions. During the audition portion of this season, I can only comment on those auditions that we get to see in their entirety. Sometimes we just get video that shows us short clips of a myriad of contestants. There's not much that I can do with that.

Changes taking place this season are, of course, the loss of Paula Abdul as a judge, and the addition of Ellen DeGeneres as Paula's replacement. However during the audition portion of this season, famous guest judges join the show each week. This week our guest judge is Victoria Beckham. The 9000 contestants in Boston were under a sea of umbrellas as they waited for their turn in the pouring rain.

Our first contestant has been playing the American Idol video game for sometime, practicing for this big moment. Janet McNamara from Michigan cannot sing at all. Her score from me is 4 out of 10. The judges told her no. I guess you can't trust the American Idol video game to give you a "no-holds-barred" evaluation.

Our second contestant is Maddie Curtis. She sings "Hallelujah". She sings it beautifully hitting both the higher and lower notes very well showing her range and maturity. Her score from me is 8 out of 10. The judges told her yes. Maddie is going to Vegas and moving on in the competition.

Pat Ford, Age 17 is a hyperactive teenager who doesn't have a horrible voice, but he doesn't have a good voice either. He has an outrageous personality and more than makes up for his lack of talent in energy. You can't help but like him because he's fun to be around, unfortunately he doesn't have any talent. His score from me is 5 out of 10. The judges told him no.

3 short clips of successful female candidates displayed a triumphant morning for female singers, but as of noon on the first day, no male candidates had maneuvered their way to the next level of the competition. Let's hope the afternoon brings better luck for the men.

Our next candidate is a 28-year old male named Amadeo Dirricco. He has a husky huge voice and sings with a lot of passion. This Italian singer had a raspy Jimmy Durante feel to his voice. His score from me is 7 out of 10. (Mainly because he didn't show a lot of range in the song he chose for his audition) The judges moved him on to the next level of the competition.

Our next male candidate isn't quite as large a personality as Amadeo. He's a more quiet, reflective sort of person. Derek Hilton has a horrific voice. These are the people I don't get. They can't hear how bad they are somehow. His score from me is 2 out of 10. The judges did not move him on to the next level.

Why is it that the hyperactive candidates, that dance around and act in a flamboyant manner, are almost always very bad singers. Mere Doyle is a perfect example of this stereotypical participant that you see every year. If pure energy was enough to make you a good singer, Mere would have impressed us. Mere yelled her song out and she was absolutely shocked when the judges told her no. Her score from me is 2 out of 10. This contestant than moves into the stereotypical temper tantrum and lashes out at the judges.

Luke Shaffer from New York and Benjamin Bright had great fun harmonizing with each other in the holding room. They both had great voices. My score for both of them would be a 7 out of 10. The judges moved them both on in the competition.

Another stereotypical participant named Andrew is the egotistical jerk that appears to come for a fight rather than an audition. Andrew Fenion sang the House of the Rising Sun. He could carry a tune fairly well, but his attitude was so horrible the judges didn't want anything to do with him. At first Simon was put off by him, but after a few minutes, he actually took a liking to him, because people like that sometimes provide entertainment for Simon. His score from me is 5 out of 10 and that's generous. The judges did not move him forward and he left wondering why everyone was so upset with him.

Our next contestant Ashley Rodriguez has the looks. Okay, I love her voice. She could go really far in this competition, so watch for this name later on down the road. She is what they call the "total package". Looks, talent, and humble confidence. Her score from me is 9 out of 10. The judges moved her forward in the competition.

Our next contestant is Tyler Grady who comes to the audition with two broken arms. He plays drums, so this injury is the worse possible injury he could have. It just so happens, he also has pipes. Maybe he can give the drums a break for awhile and give singing a try. His score from me is 8 out of 10. Tyler also has good looks. The judges moved him forward in the competition.

Day Two in Boston
The first contestant of the 2nd day is Lisa Olivero. This waitress was sure that she could turn her days of waiting on others to others waiting on her once she reached stardom. Lisa is beautiful to look at, but her voice was not good. She left with a thank you and seemed to take in what the judges told her which was a nice change of pace. Most contestants that leave the auditions deprived of any opportunity of furthering their singing career leave disgrunted. Her score from me was 4 out of 10. The judges did not move her forward.

The next contestant, Mike Davis, is an actor on a local speedboat named Godzilla. He takes tourists for some thrilling rides. He sang the Beatles tune "Yesterday". He had a soulful clear voice that was surprising. His voice didn't match his looks in my mind, not that he looked bad. He has a great personality with eyes that smile. His score from me was 7 out of 10. The judges moved him forward in the competition. This was the first successful candidate of the day and we're well into the day.

Our next contestant, Katie Stevens, is very close to her Portugese grandmother who has Alzheimers. She would like to see her dream of a singing career come true before her grandmother forgets who she is. She sings the classic song "At Last". Her score from me is 9 out of 10. She is only 16 and sings in a very accomplished manner. She also plays the piano. The judges moved her on to the next level of the competition.

Our next contestant is 28-year-old Joshua Blaylock. He is at the point where this is his last shot to get into the show because of his age. He has a good voice and sings with heart, but first the judges are compelled to make him more aggressive by teaching him how to tell Simon to "Shut up". How come, when they find a nice guy, they try to change him and make him more aggressive. Newsflash to Simon, "You can be confident without being aggressive." His score from me is 8 out of 10. The judges moved him to the next level of the competition.

Our next contestant, Justin Williams, has been through a lot in his life. At the age of 20, while serving a mission, he found out he had cancer. He is now cancer free. He is extremely good looking. He has a terrific voice and isn't short on charisma or confidence. Can you tell I like him? His score from me is 9 out of 10.
He is a crooner with a Michael Buble feel. The judges moved him forward in the competition.

Norberto Buerrero is a young man, who is definitely out of the main stream in looks and hair. His singing voice is poor however. His score from me is 2 out of 10. The judges did not move him forward in the competition.

Our next contestant is Bosa Mora. He sings from the heart and has a good voice, but has a performance issue. He need to step up his performance skills. His score from me is 7 out of 10. The judges moved him forward.

Growing up in a family that did not allow her to listen to secular music, Leah Laurenti, is out to prove more than just that she can sing. She also wants her parents approval. She hopes her success on the show would help with that. She sings "Blue Skies". Her voice is great!. Her look is okay as well. Her jazz style was surprising to the judges. Her score from me is 9 out of 10. The judges moved her forward in the competition, and when she phoned her father, he said he was proud of her.

Tomorrow night we head south, can't wait!