Hoping for a bigger and better audition show, where else for FOX and AI to turn to but BIG D for last Wednesday night’s AI one-hour show with auditions from Dallas, TX, which gave us our first Idol Star in Kelly Clarkson. A total of 31 contestants got tickets punched to Hollywood, tying Boston and Orlando for the most tickets with the auditions completed to date. Neil Patrick Harris and Joe Jonas were the guest judges, and NPH was way better than JJ (Kim: Eddie, as always, I love you, NPH was great!), and both were a considerable upgrade over the train wreck in LA with Katy ‘trash-mouth’ Perry and the devilish Avril Lavigne.

Of the 31 moving on, here’s my thoughts on the BEST that we got to hear and see in BIG ‘D’…..

· Lloyd Thomas- 25 year old dock worker. Sings “Overjoyed" by Stevie Wonder. Stevie W is always a bold choice, and he does a really nice job with it, and he's super-likable, so that's definitely good for him. Simon even tells him that he's the best audition that he's seen all day, and he gets a unanimous "yes." Cousin Greg, EIWBIT (Eddie Idol Wanna’ Be In Training) says Top 15…I beg to differ, but do think he has the chance as a dark horse for TOP 24

· Kim Carver- 26 year old teacher from Denton, TX. Sings an original song, which is always ballsy. (Kim: Ballsy, it's usually the Kiss of Death) She has a great voice, though the song kinda’ sucks. Simon doesn't find her unique or interesting either, but she gets “yes’s” from all the others and is through. Doubt she makes it through Hollywood Week.

· Erica Rhodes- 23 year old grad student who may be the only person in the history of the competition who uses a ridiculous costume to positive effect instead of negative. She used to be on Barney and Friends so in order to distance herself from that part of her life, she's dressed up like a dominatrix. WOW….crack that whip baby! Randy asks her to sing the Barney song in the outfit, and it's pretty creepy, but she's a good singer and the whole thing kind of works in an odd kind of way. Then she sings "Free Your Mind," by En Vogue, which truth be told I’ve never even heard of (Kim: Tsk, Tsk, Eddie, gonna hafta to teach you a lesson in the "playroom" -- En Vogue's Free Your Mind was awesomesauce). Unfortunately, she kind of sings it out of her nose, and not nearly as good as the Barney song. But she’s through with a unanimous vote. I think she has the look and personality to go far, she’s TOP 24 for sure, but don’t she’ll go too deep in the competition after that.

· Dave Pittman- 27 year old from Arkansas who has Tourette's syndrome, but it doesn't affect him when he's singing. He sings "Bring It On Home To Me" by Sam Cooke, and he does have a really nice voice that surprises the judges -- it's quite different from his speaking voice in just about every way. He gets a unanimous "yes." Hope this kid makes it through Hollywood. (Kim: Sorry, Eddie, but I gotta step in here and say that the ONLY reason this guy made it thru was .... Tourette's = RATINGS -- I will FO SHO watch!)

· Todrick Hall- 24 year old Actor/Playwright who starts out DAY 2 of the auditions. He was in The Color Purple with Idol-winner Fantasia, which is a big plus for him, but he's singing an original song he wrote all about the show. Kind of odd, but it’s catchy and he has a pretty good voice, so he’s through with 4 “yes’s”… though Simon’s not enamored with him much at all.

· Dawntoya Thomson- gets a ticket after we here her for a about 10 seconds, sounded OK.

· Stephanie Daulong- 24 year old ‘bandana girl’ gets through as well, sounded good in her short bit of face time.

· Megan Wright- 20 year old from Richardson, TX. She sings "To Make You Feel My Love" by Garth Brooks, and she's pretty decent. Being a big Garth fan, it's not the greatest thing I've ever heard, but she's good. She does seem to be the type though like she could be kind of annoying, so I doubt she makes it past Hollywood Hell Week. (Kim: Really, Eddie? You're a BIG Garth fan????)

· Christian Spears- 16 year old who was diagnosed with leukemia when she was 4 years old, and has been in remission since she was 8. She's singing an Etta James song, "All I Could Do Was Cry." She's not the greatest I've ever heard, but it's a good song choice, and considering she’s ONLY 16, she's pretty damn good. She gets a unanimous "yes." I could see her in the TOP 24, but not having strong enough vocals needed to get much farther.

The bottom line…. At the end of the day, we got 31 Golden tickets, but I'm not sure we have the next Kelly Clarkson! And YES…. I’ll continue to VENT here about the quality of what we all see and hear on the show, as the % of folks with talent that we actually see continues to go down. Only 9 of the 31 folks ticketed to Hollywood from Orlando received some FOX air time, that’s less than 1/3 of the best that Dallas had to offer and worse %’s than Orlando. PLEASE FOX…..LESS FREAKS AND MORE TALENT! (Kim: YAY!! The FREAKS are winning!)

Fast Facts: The Denver, CO auditions on Tuesday night, Feb 2^nd is the last of the city touring auditions, with Victoria Beckham returning as the Guest Judge for the final auditions in Denver. Wednesday’s show is being touted as ‘The Road To Hollywood’ installment episode.

Idol Chatter: Tension already between Simon and new AI judge Ellen DeGeneres? Ellen joins the cast (I can hardly wait….NOT!) in place of Paula Abdul starting Tuesday, Feb 9^th in Hollywood. Simon’s constant tardiness allegedly has Ellen upset with him. Who cares Ellen…Simon IS the show!!

More ‘Eddie Idol’ chatter to come after the final Denver auditions this week, but until then….Eddie Idol is….OUT!

Kimmy has a bit more to say .... tho not concerning American Idol.

Just wanted to pass on that Michael Jackson: This Is It -- is Brilliant!! Loved it enough to go out and buy it (on DVD now)! I can't even tell you how many times I replayed "Beat It," trying to get the dance sequence right (LOL)!

Oh and For The Record, I CAN Moonwalk! And I know the Thriller Dancing Ghoul routine! BWAHAHAHA! Srsly. Don't judge, you know there's a few of you who do too!

So sad, that such a brilliant career and special person's life was cut short, whatever the circumstances. His children, Prince & Paris appeared tonight on the Grammy Awards and they are a Testament to the Man that we will never know. Yes, there has been controversy, but if he was so BAD, how could he have raised such lovely children?

THANK YOU MICHAEL -- I MISS YOU!

Tuesday night’s AI one-hour show with auditions from ‘Sin City’ in LA was a very disappointing show, with little talent, or should I say the ‘little bit’ talent that we were shown on FOX’s 1-hour broadcast. UGH! This is getting old and tiring watching all the freaks! (Kim: Aw Eddie -- me likey the FREAKS!!) A total of 23 contestants (and oh by the way, 11,000 showed up to try out!) got tickets punched to perform up the street in Hollywood in a few more weeks.

Of the 23 moving on, and we ONLY saw 5 get any serious face time, here’s Eddie’s short and sweet thoughts on the small talent pool we got to see from LA…..

· Jim Ranger- 27 year old Pastor from Bakersfield, CA who sang his own song. Big raspy voice, and thought he did well, but doubtful he’ll get past Hollywood. Avril Lavigne didn’t like him, but who cares, think it was pretty rude and immature for her to sit there with a ‘horned’ costume on and slam the guy for being a pastor and having a family.

· Mary Powers-28 year old singer from Burbank. Rocker chick, all decked out in her chains and black leather, who sang Pat Benatar’s “Love Is A Battlefield.” Raspy, punk-rock voice who has a chance because of the ‘rocker look’, but just don’t know if she has the pipes to get to the Top 24 at this point.

· Andrew Garcia -23 year old Musician from CA who came from a rough background. He grew up with both parents in gangs and now is a father himself and wants better for his family. Plays guitar and sang OK, but not sure he can hit the high notes. He’ll get plenty of the ‘pity’ votes, but don’t look for him to go far, even though Simon and Kara think he’s REALLY, REALLY Good!!! Geez….how many times did we hear REALLY!!?? I mean REALLY….come on! And here’s the kiss of death for him….he looks like Danny Gokey…REALLY!!

· Natasha Layton-26 year old Personal Asst by day, Minister by night, who sang Joss Stone’s “‘Baby, Baby, Bay” and absolutely nailed it!! Personally…this girl has the whole package, and she’s Eddie’s favorite from ALL of the auditions so far. Like Simon, I think people will really like her! She’s TOP 24 material, and I think she could easily be in the TOP 10. Can I get an AMEN!?

· Chris Golightly- 25-year-old LA shoe salesman Chris Golightly, who spent his childhood bouncing around between 25 foster families, wow! He channeled his pain by emotionally singing Ben E King’s “Stand By Me” and did a wonderful job and impressed all the judges except Katy Perry. Top 24 for sure, and I hope this kid goes much farther!

The bottom line….The two guest judges in LA were NOT very good! Katy Perry was OK, but a little too cocky and outspoken for me. (Kimmy: Now Eddie, don't hate on Katy! Russell Brand will kick your bum!) She and Kara were cat-fighting most of the time, many times at odds on the talent level of the better contestants, esp Chris G., the last kid. Avril Lavigne was just plain horrible! (Kimmy: AGREED!!) Very immature and silly looking in her ‘horned-devil costume’….what was that about anyway? How she was picked for a guest judge spot is mind-boggling. She brought absolutely nothing significant to the show.

Good thing we’re getting Idol at 8PM tonight and before having to sit through Barack’s ‘State of The Union Address’. It’s off to the ‘BIG D’ in Dallas where the Guest Judges will be Joe Jonas (from the Jonas Brothers) and Neil Patrick Harris. More ‘Eddie Idol’ chatter to come tomorrow…..after the break!

Joe Jonas

Neil Patrick Harris

Or Dr. Horrible to the rest of us!

Kimmy: Joe Jonas? hmmm, THAT should be interesting?? and me likey Neil Patrick Harris TONS!! He should be great! Thanks Eddie!! Oh and Whatup Eddie -- you DON'T have anything to say about the ADAM-ALIKES last night??

Idol was Looking to get back on track after some horrendous auditions in Chicago. Wednesday night’s AI one-hour show with auditions from sunny and warm Orlando, FL was filled with many rough auditions, but unlike like what we heard and witnessed in Chicago, at least there was considerably more talent. 10,000 hopefuls showed up, and a total of 31 contestants got tickets punched to Hollywood, tying Boston for the most tickets with the auditions completed to date.

Kristen Chenoweth was the guest judge, and brings her petite stature, sexiness and bubbly personality to the set, but only stays one day, what??.....so I felt a little ripped off…I mean, after all, we’ll have to put up with Ellen D soon! UGH! (Kim: Now Eddie, don't be hatin' on Ellen!)

Of the 31 moving on, and let me AGAIN say that I don’t think the producers at FOX do the show justice by hurrying through a handful of ticketed contestants….but here’s my thoughts from sunny FL…..

· Seth Rollins- 28 year old who has a son with Autism. Sings ‘’Someone to Watch Over Me’’ by Frank Sinatra and does pretty good, impresses the judges and gets 4 YES’s. Don’t think he carries himself well enough to make it through Hollywood though.

· Jermaine Purifoy-24 year old from Cleveland, TN. Season 7 contestant who’s back for a 2nd try, said he didn’t take it seriously enough last time. He's singing Tony Bennett's version of ‘‘Smile’’ and he does a really nice job with it. It's a perfect song choice, as he has the type of personality that will give him a shot at going deep in the competition. Randy actually says he's the best that he's heard all audition season, so naturally, he gets a unanimous ‘yes’. Definitely ‘Top 24’ material here!

· Shelby Dressel-Final contestant of day #1. Pretty 18 year old gal who’s 7th intracranial nerve wasn't developed, so she can't completely use the right side of her face. It's a source of insecurity for her, and she was quite nervous in affront of the judges. She sang ‘’Turn Me On’’ by Norah Jones, loved the song choice and the artist, and although she’s not the greatest, she's pretty good considering her disability. Unfortunately, she totally forgets the words toward the end of her performance, but she does it in such a cute way, it actually makes the judges like her more. She gets four ‘yes’ votes, and has a chance to do well in Hollywood if she can overcome the disability she has. Dark Horse for Top 24.

· Jay Stone- 25 year old from Miami, Fl. Up first on day 2 and he's singing ‘’Come Together’’ by the Beatles. He’s a beat-boxer, just like Blake Lewis from Season 7, and he's actually very talented. Simon doesn’t care for him, but Kara enjoys it and says ‘yes’. Then he starts singing ‘‘Ain't No Sunshine’’, & Randy’s impressed and thinks he's really good, so 2 out of 3 ‘Yes’ votes sends him to Hollywood. Take my word for it, he’ll be gone well before the Top 24 is announced.

· Janell Wheeler- 24 year old from Tampa, FL sings ‘’House of the Rising Sun’’ by The Animals, and is surprisingly good. Good looks and bubbly too, has the package to possibly sneak into the ‘Top 24’.

· Brittany Star James- 23 year old Entertainer from FL….she sings like a cruise ship performer, but is ticketed to Hollywood anyway. She won’t make it far at all.

· Kasi Beford- 19 year old from FL with a raspy voice who sings ‘’Something to Talk About’’ and is also ticketed to Hollywood, but I thought she was a poor singer. No future here for her in my eyes or ears!

· Cornelius Edwards- 24 years old from Boynton, Fl. Sings Tina Turner’s ‘’Proud Mary’’, drops down and does a split so violently that his pants get a rip down a foot or so along his leg! The whole thing is hilarious to the judges, who give him all YES votes, not because he's that great, but because they're so shocked at the performance. This guy has little chance of going much farther at all.

· Bernadette Desimone and Amanda Desimone- Pair of sisters from Cherry Hill, NJ. Bernadette goes first, and she's actually pretty good. She's got a sexy, bluesy thing going on, and she sings, ‘’Hit the Road, Jack’’. Amanda isn't as good, but is still OK. Simon does NOT want to see them both go through to Hollywood. They don't get a unanimous decision, but they're both going to Hollywood, and Kara thinks they'll be pretty entertaining….I think they’ll get on peoples nerves really quick, esp. in a ‘group song session’. (Kim: TRUFAX on that Eddie!!) They’ll be taking a red-eye back east sooner than later!

· Matt Lawrence- 25 year old guy from Stark, FL who’s only hope is for ‘redemption’. Matt robbed a bank with a BB gun when he was 15 and spent four birthdays behind bars. Seriously?!! (Kim: Yeah, I was LMAO @ his story, sorry) Appropriately Matt chooses to sing ‘‘Trouble’’ and he's got pretty great tone with good range. Simon says he’s “brilliant" and says it was so believable that Matt almost could have written the song. Say what??? (Kim: I with you on that one, whatever Simon's smoking, I want some!) Kara completely agrees with Simon…oh puleeeeez! (Kim: Suck-up!) Anyway, it's off to Hollywood for Matt, who Kara predicts will make the Top 12. Doubtful…..though this kid does remind me of Michael Sarver, the oil rig guy from last year who made it into the Top 10…so who knows, I guess it could happen.

The bottom line….The talent was much better in Orlando, but the % of folks with talent that we actually see or hear continues to go down. Only 10 of the 31 folks ticketed to Hollywood from Orlando received some FOX air time, that’s only 1/3 of the best that Orlando had to offer.

Less freaks and more talent, that’s what I say! (Kim: More FREAKS, less Talent!)

Fast Facts: Think Idol isn’t popular? General Larry Platt’s ‘‘Pants on the Ground’’ video has reached 5 Million hits on YouTube and 1 million on Facebook! WOW!!

Idol Chatter: Season 8’s Top 2 finalists are continuing to perform well with music sales. Kris Allen’s single, “Live Like We’re Dying,” has sold approximately 500,000 downloads, charting at #27 on the singles charts. Adam Lambert’s debut single, “For Your Entertainment,” has sold just over 200,000 downloads. Kris Allen’s album has sold about 240,000 copies, and Adam’s has sold about 460,000.

I have Adam’s CD (thanks Kimmy!) and overall I think it’s a solid debut, but don’t think he’s found his true identity just yet. (Kim: I have to agree there Eddie. I liked some of the songs, but some were too Broadway for me)

Thanks Eddie! Kimmy never misses a chance to post a Glambert Pic!!

OK…..so next week we’re off to the ‘BIG D’ in Dallas and then to the ‘City of Angels’ in LA…..Guest judges will be Katy Perry and Avril Lavigne. More ‘Eddie Idol’ chatter to come after those auditions, but until then….Eddie Idol is….OUT!

PANTZ ON THE GROUND!!

Last night’s AI One-Hour Show (thank God it was only an hour!!) with auditions from Chicago could easily have been called the ‘Gong Show’ or ‘The Windy City Freak Show’! It truly was one of the most disappointing auditions ever, and the talent level from that city’s 12,000 contestants, yes, I said 12,000 (most of any auditions yet this year) was just terrible! Only a bakers dozen, or should I say ‘Lucky’ 13 folks (Yes…again, that’s ONLY 13 out of 12,000!!!???) got tickets punched to Hollywood…..incredibly BAD #’s to say the least!

Of the 13 moving on, I don’t think AI even did the show justice by showing us enough of them, only seeing 8 of the 13, and the last three contestants ticketed were for all of 15 seconds each, but….from what was shown…..here’s my thoughts:

• Katelyn Epperly-19 year old, good looking girl from a broken family, and she’s doing this for her mom. I didn’t know the song she did, ‘Syrup and Honey’ by Duffy, but she sounded great none the less, and had great range with her voice. I think she has ‘IT’ and will go far, a lock for the Top 24!
• Charity Vance-16 year old from Arkansas who sings for her parents' home salon customers and thinks she's honed her skills there. She looks good and has much energy, but has a ‘small’ voice according to the judges, and she gets 4 yes’s. I think she has the personality to stand out in Hollywood, just not sure she has the pipes.
• Angela Martin- 28 years old who returns for her third audition! She has a daughter with special needs whom we met in Season 7; since then, Shriners Hospital contacted her to offer help caring for her daughter. Her father passed away just a week before Hollywood that season as well. Last season, she made the Top 50 and then had to miss a day of auditions due to a court date for a traffic violation….ouch! So, as we're reminded several times, she has some unfinished business….and she does very well, singing ‘Just Fine’ by Mary J Blige. Great song choice and she was definitely better than any performer so far in the auditions that I’ve seen. Cousin Greg, ‘Eddie Idol Wanna’ Be’, chimed in ‘Top 10 for sure!’….and I’d have to agree with him!
• John Park- 20 year old Asian Student who Shania had the hot-trot for! :-0 Good looking kid, eye candy for the ladies, but doesn’t have a good enough voice to go very far.
• Paige DeChausse—21 year old, nice girl, who had a horrible asthma attack when she was 15 and nearly died. She sings some Sam Cooke, and I think she sounded pretty good. Simon thinks it's a little too much about her, and uses my favorite Simon word….indulgent, & votes no. Shania and Kara vote yes, but Randy isn't sure. The ladies urge him to vote YES! This girl could have some health issues during the competition that may affect her performances. If she can battle through those, she could make the TOP 24!
• Justin Ray- 20 year old from Indiana. 15 seconds of face time singing ‘Hurt So Bad’ but sounded pretty good. Called his mom on the cell after the show to tell her he was going to Hollywood. He’ll be calling her shortly after he gets there to tell her he’s on his way back home too!
• Keith Sample- Guitar playin’ musician who sounded pretty good vocally in the little bit of time he had. Cousin Greg chimed in again, ‘Sleeper’ he says….and I agree, Dark Horse for the Top 24.
• Marcus Jones—18 year old ‘soulful’ guy from Gary, IN….not sure on this guy, has some pipes, but the jury is still out on this kid.

Bottom line….Overall a VERY WEAK show, and no Adam Lambert types for me to pick out from last nights contestants…but it was refreshing to see Shania Twain be opinionated, yet very refreshing and full of energy! I’ve always liked her, and she still has the great personality with the great looks to go with it.

Fast Facts: Next to San Francisco last year (12), last night was the LOWEST # of tickets (13) given to Hollywood in the history of the show auditions.

Idol Chatter: Anyone see Adam Lambert’s video from his appearance on Oprah’s Show? Lambert looked good and sounded great doing his newest single (3^rd one in the Top 100) called ‘If I had You’….catchy tune that’s a hybrid between a dance hit and a power ballad…..sounds odd, but it works!

OK…..so Chicago wasn’t ‘my kind of town’, and tonight it’s off to sunny Orlando, FL……a great place to hopefully have more winners than losers! Until tomorrow…..Eddie Idol……OUT!

Is off and running, with the auditions this past week held in Boston and Atlanta.

Guest judges are new this year through Feb 9th , when Ellen DeGeneres joins the panel, and last week we had Victoria Beckham (who’s so damn skinny she looks anorexic!) in Boston and Mary J Blige in Atlanta.

Aside from all the ‘looney tuners’ on these city-touring auditions, I always like to concentrate on finding the ‘real talent’ the show has, and who just might make it into the Top 24 and make a run at being this season’s American Idol!

Granted, all the people ‘golden-ticketed’ for Hollywood aren’t all shown, but of the ones that were…..here we go! Let’s start in Boston……

· Maddy Curtis-16 years old, from VA. Sang Jeff Buckley’s ‘Hallelujah’. How can you not love this girl, who draws inspiration from her three brothers, all with Down’s Syndrome. She’s sincere and authentic…..she’ll find a spot in the Top 24.

· Jennifer Hirsh—Broadway girl from Manhattan, did ‘Ding Dog The Witch Is Dead’…..odd….only 15 seconds of fame, but doubt she gets past Hollywood.

· Claire Fuller- Local Philly, PA girl, with a raspy voice and the look to go far. · Jesse Wolfe- 24 year old booking agent from Brooklyn, NY. Only saw for a few seconds, too little and too early to tell.

· Amadeo Diricco-28 year old Italian guy who treated us to his family and home, with all the foods Italians love. Sang Muddy Waters ‘Hoochie Coochie Man’, surprisingly sounded pretty good. Hollywood will be his undoing….he’s too over the top and will not make it past Hollywood tryouts and Group Singing Sessions.

· Luke Shaffer- NY City boy, good voice and good range, looks like a keeper.

· Ben Bright- Rome, NY guy who sang an odd but interesting version of the Beatles ‘All My Loving’….he’s on to Hollywood buy my bet that’s as far as he goes!

· Ashley Rodriguez—Final contestant from Day #1 in Boston. Berkley School of Music grad who has ‘IT’! Sultry beauty who dazzled Kara and Simon, BEST of Day #1 auditions. San a tough Alicia Keys song ‘If I Ain’t Got You’ and did it well. She’s a lock for the Top 24……book it!

· Tyler Grady- 19 year old from Nazareth, PA (another local boy) who fell out of a tree and broke both his wrists. He’s a drummer in a band, and has talent! Has the Jim Morrison look and voice to go far. I’ll say Top 24 for this kid.

· Mike Davis—18 year old actor on a boat called ‘Codzilla’ in Boston. Sang Beatles song ‘Yesterday’. Nice tone, good pitch and well done. Not past Hollywood though.· Katie Stevens- Idol hyped this 16 year old from Middlebury, CT all night long, and she didn’t disappoint. Inspired by her Grandma who has Alzheimer’s and only speaks to her in Portuguese. She sang ‘ At Last, and aside from a little pitchiness, did well. Think she’ll make it into the Top 24.

· Joshua Blaylock- 28 year old from NY who is a nice kid, but just not enough assertiveness and confidence to go very far in the competition. Was asked to tell Simon to ‘Shut Up’….he did, and was ticketed through to Hollywood.

· Justin Williams- Good looking, 27 year old vocal coach who had cancer and is now cancer free. Sang ‘Feelin Good’ and is totally a crooner like Michaels Buble’! Book his spot in the Top 24 now!

· Leah Laurenti- Last contestant of day #2 in Boston. 22 –year old from Bedford, NY who sang ‘Blue Skies’ and sounded great. Lacks some confidence, but has the jazzy voice, good looks and sexiness to make an impact. EZ pick for the Top 24!

After two days of auditions, Boston had 31 folks ticketed to Hollywood, of which only 15 had face and air time during the two-hour premiere. So bottom line is we only got to see 50% of those given the ‘golden parachute’ to Hollywood….that’s unfortunate that we don’t see way more of these talented folks, so here’s hoping we saw the BEST.

Night #2 of Idol week #1 was the auditions in Atlanta, a city it has visited more than any others to see what the talent in the South looks like this year. Atlanta is the birthplace of Ryan Seacrest, and has given us past AI Superstars Reuben Studdard, Fantasia, Clay Aiken and Jennifer Harris. Mary J Blige served as the guest judge, and she was basically not very opinionated or helpful with her critique and comments at all. Here’s the best from HotLanta…..

· Keia Johnson-Cute 26 year old Miss America contestant from Memphis, TN. Sang the ‘Titanic’ song, but thought she screamed it. Don’t think she will go far at all. · Miriam Lemnouni- 25 year old equestrian trainer, big girl, with a voice that has potential, but her time was short, so not much to go on at this point.

· Noel Reese- 16 year old from NC, belted a Whitney Houston song with her fantastic voice in her 15 seconds of fame. Possible Top 24.

· Tisha Holland- 18 year old soul singer with a really good voice! Short air time, but made the most of it. Possible Top 24 finalist here.

· Jermaine Sellers- 26 year old Church Singer who sang ‘What If God Is One of Us’. Randy Jackson loved this kid, said it was the BEST audition so far in all the cities, and Cousin Greg (who had more to say than Mary J Blige!) said that this kid could go far. I agree…Top 24 for sure!

· Vanessa Wolfe-19 year old ‘bridge-jumping’ girl from very rural Vonore,TN. Last contestant of Day #1 in Atlanta. This girl is a country singer and more than likely ‘country only’. She does play guitar which could help her in Hollywood. She needs to be coached before going to Hollywood though or she’ll be eaten up. Her sincerity was quite emotional! I wish her well and hope she makes the Top 24.

· Holly Harden- 20 year old Guitar Girl who sang a Loretta Lynn song and did quite well with it. Needs to get way more serious though if she wants to make it past Hollywood. Won’t go far at all.

· Malorie Haley—Stunning 19 year old girl from Winner, SD (love the name of the town she’s from) who sang a Janis Joplin song and took a piece of everyone’s heart. Has the ‘look’ but not sure as much the voice to go very far, but I do think she’ll make the Top 24.

· Antonio ‘Skii Bo Ski’ Wheeler- Entertaining contestant who was WAY over the top! Going to Hollywood, but that’s where the trip ends for ‘Bo Ski’ boy!

· Carmen Turner— BFFs Lauren Sanders and Carmen Turner came as a pair to audition, two adorable southern girls who have been best friends since third grade. Lauren sang in a sweet soprano; Carmen sang with much more power and beauty. Simon and others found Carmen to be much more talented. Randy, Kara and Mary gave the “yes” vote to Carmen but not Lauren. Simon offered the “consolation” that he would have said no to both, and predicted that they won’t be far apart for long. I’d have to agree!

· Bryan Walker-25 year old singing police officer who sang ‘Superstar’ by Reuben Studdard. Not a bad voice, but not great. He was ticketed to Hollywood, but will get a round trip ticket as he’ll be heading home fairly quickly! Simon sat out the singing Police Officer’s audition and some others with a migraine headache, and grow increasingly annoyed, returning at the end for the BEST that Atlanta had to offer!

General Larry Platt, 62 years young, came in last on Day #2 to sing “Pants on the Ground.” A supposedly original song, the tune was something which entreated young folks to ‘pull up their pants’. Platt even had a few twists & turns and break dancing moves to go with his number. It was an INSTANT HIT! People have been talking about it for days, and I can GUARANTEE that Mr. Platt will be part of the AI Finale in March, maybe with a well known rapper doing the song with him….book it now! This is one that will not be forgotten.

For the final tally, Atlanta auditions handed out 25 more golden tickets to Hollywood, of which we only watched 11 of the 25 folks heading west get any air time.All-in-all, a solid opening week for AI Season 9, but it disturbs me why more talented folks are not shown and less freaks get the air time….but I’m still looking forward to see what Chicago (w/Shania Twain as Guest Judge) and Orlando have in store this week! Until Tuesday and Wednesday night’s shows …..Eddie Idol….OUT!

by Danny Gokey, of the Idol-News Network


Tuesday January 12, 2010, 2:52 PM


COLLEGEVILLE, PA—After much deliberation and negotiation with AI officials and FOX affiliates, local media sources are reporting that as of earlier this afternoon, Eddie Idol is returning! There were fears that the country’s premiere critic and blogger of TV’s most successful show would not return for the new Season, Season 9, which has a 2-hour premiere on FOX tonight at 8-10PM EST. This would have been a crippling blow to the show, already losing Paula Abdul last summer and the devastating announcement by Simon Cowell yesterday that this would be his final season on AI.



Reached at his home earlier today, Eddie had this to say, “I’m just glad to get all this over with and behind me, it’s been mentally draining and the negotiations were just brutal.” He further added that “after Simon’s surprising announcement yesterday, and confiding in some close friends, I knew the show couldn’t take any more bad news….so I decided to return. Now I can get down to concentrating on the show and sharing my thoughts on the many contestants, and blogging to the millions of readers and dedicated fans. Their support was overwhelming through all this.”



Fans, friends and family close to the situation were just as relieved that Eddie Idol is back.

Kim Toth, Blogger Queen from the Pottstown Mercury, was ecstatic, “I was e-mailing with Eddie the last few nights, and told him he had my full support. No one knows the show like Eddie!”

Cousin Greg Greis, a huge follower over the years, said “he’s the BEST, and he knows talent like he knows his wines. I call him after every show to get his thoughts, and they are always right on. The show scored a BIG media win by having him come back.”

Ed’s brother Ron added, “This is a huge announcement and I’m happy for him. He loves the show, and in my opinion, should be first in line to be considered as Simon’s replacement on the judges panel in 2011 for Season 10.”

Long time friend and colleague Ray Young stated “Ed has a knack for really recognizing who the best talent is right from the auditions. A few years ago he picked Katherine McPhee out of the auditions and proclaimed her his winner in Season 5. Of course we all know that Taylor Hicks beat her in the final, so that’s a sour pill for Ed, but still….the guy knows how to pick a winner.”

Long time girlfriend Kathleen Thomer said, “He has passion for the show like no one I know. He’s a little ‘edgy’ with his words and can be even more critical than Simon at times, but that’s Eddie, he never holds back.”

Publisher Tom Abbott of the Pottstown Mercury completed the accolades by saying, “this is BIG news for all Idol fans and especially for our paper. The Blog that Ed writes will get millions of hits from all over the world, so we re very happy he decided to come back for another Season. It puts the Mercury in the national and worldwide media spotlight.”



So, the fun on FOX all starts tonight, so be sure to tune in with Eddie Idol and millions of others around the world for an exciting Season 9 that is sure to be full of surprises and many changes! Kara Dioguardi is back, along with Big Dog Randy Jackson, host Ryan Seacrest, and of course Simon for his final swan song, but replacing Paula Abdul on the judges panel is Ellen DeGeneres. That will not happen though until Tuesday Feb. 9th when the Hollywood Auditions start, from which 24 Finalists will be announced this year, not 36 like last year.


Up until Feb. 9th, guest judges will appear for each of the auditions, including: Victoria Beckham (Former Spice Girl who will be on tonight’s premiere), Mary J Blige, Joe Jonas, Neil Patrick Harris, Katy Perry, Shania Twain, Kristin Chenoweth, and Avril Lavigne.


Auditions will take place in the following cities: Boston (tonight), Atlanta (tomorrow night), Chicago, Orlando, Dallas, LA, and finally Denver. The ‘Road to Hollywood Auditions’ Episode airs Wednesday, Feb 3rd. The show ends ‘early’ this year with a new Idol Winner crowned on Wednesday, March 17th. See the complete Season 9 schedule at http://americanidolnet.com/american-idol-2010-schedule-released/