Recapping the Kansas City Auditions…..
Overall, I felt like last night, the FOX crew tried to give us a kinder and gentler Idol , but it was also a bit on the BORING side! But the ‘high’-light (key word here is HIGH!) of the night right off the bat was seeing Jason ‘I still look stoned’ Castro there to greet Paula and the judges as they arrived! And this time…he brought his brother Michael with him to try out….great….Stoney Jr!
OK, enough of the Stoney Twins….on to those who captured my eye as having some talent, as 27 more tickets were punched for Hollywood, and of those that recd serious air-time, think these were the BEST of day #2! Drum Roll Please………………
· Ashley Anderson ….Jersey-girl who has that AI look and has great range on the voice….she just needs to make sure that she remembers the right words* to the song *(It’s Footprints, NOT Footsteps Ashley!)
· Casey Carlson ….nice job on Vanessa Carlton song, not an easy choice, and a bubbly personality that will win her votes down the road! I really like this chick!
(Note from Kim to Cindy: Hey Girl, she totally sang our Jam!!)

· Von Smith ….OK, so he’s a bit of an odd duck, and the judges made him sweat out their decision….but the kid has some pipes! ‘Over The Rainbow’ rendition was probably heard somewhere over the rainbow the way he belted it out! Will be interesting to watch this kid as the show develops.
· Michael Castro ….Not a pretty-boy like his brother was (Pink/Red spiked hair vs. dreadlocks) and Stoney Jr says he’s only been singing for 20 days….yeah, OK.…….sure…we believe you!? Maybe it was just that I liked his song choice (Gavin Degraw’s ‘In Love With A Girl’) but he wasn’t too bad….certainly a better voice than his brother!
· Jessica ‘JJ’ Paige Furney ….homely looking chick who sings a Janis Joplin (JJ) tune ‘Crybaby’ and nails it…big voice on this girl!
· Danny Gokey ….Promoted this kids story all night long….so get out the sympathy and courage vote for this kid, who’s spouse passed away about a month before the auditions….he was OK, not great….but good enough. Something about him though just didn’t sit well with me, thought his emotion was a little on the fake side….maybe it’s just me being unsympathetic Eddie?!.....but I bet there’s a story here we haven’t heard yet.
· Anoop Desai ….’Noop Dog’ as Randy coined his name did pretty well, but he’s got that ‘geek look’ and is a bit of an odd fellow, but well spoken and can certainly sing, surprisingly better than expected!
· Asa Barnes …..Middle School band director who did a difficult Michael Jackson song and did it pretty well! One of the better performances of Day #2!
· Lil Rounds ….23-year old Memphis mom (who looks MUCH older!) of 3 who had her house destroyed by a tornado….last performer but certainly not the least on my list, she was awesome and WOWED all 4 judges! Great voice, nice personality….probably the BEST of the first two days of auditions! This girl can go far….a LOCK for the Top 24!
The lowlights and contestants that I disagreed with the judges choices……
· Jamar Rogers ….. STOP!!! I didn’t like this kid’s rendition of ‘CA Dreamin’ at all…..I can scream any song just like him, probably better….the only reason he was put through is because he’s Danny Gokey’s buddy!
· Asia and India Girl Duo ….. PULLEEEEEZ!!!!!! This was a joke….they’ll not make it through Hollywood Hell…if they even find their way there!!
· Matt Breitzke …..have to agree with Randy here, he was an OK karaoke bar singer….nice kid, nice family guy….not cut out for the long haul!
BEST part of the show, other than the talent, were the David Cook highlight moments (KS City his hometown) and the new AI commercial with him in it. Talented kid who will be a force for years to come in the music industry! Otherwise, a pretty mellow and uninspiring night to say the least, but the talent pool was a bit deeper and better than Phoenix IMHO. Thought it was a bit odd that they hyped Hollywood Hell Week at the end of the show as much as they did, showing contestants from upcoming weeks shows already put through to Hollywood, esp. considering there are 6 more cities left to audition yet!? OK……….until next week…….

Eddie Idol…….OUT!!