American Idol Commentary - Out of the Mouths of Babes

Tonight a young girl challenged us to question just what was so noteworthy about someone going to Hollywood. "So?" she said. She has a point. Many people have gotten that Golden Ticket, and gone on to never have anything come from it. She's right, that little girl. When you look at the outcome of usually approximately 100 people, at the end of the series one of them winning a million dollar contract, and a few of the others getting a recording contract as well, what does one person making it to Hollywood really matter?

That golden ticket hung in the balance, though, for quite some time for Ashlyn Carr. She's got a good voice, and we could all tell that, but geez, she makes some weird facial expressions. Just like the Buggles sang, video killed the radio star. It's not okay to do things like that anymore, especially not when you're such a pretty girl to start out with. Half the time her mouth looked like Sammy Davis, Jr., and the other half, she looked like Clutch Cargo. But, like Jackson Browne sang, that girl could sing.

Ashlyn was given a rare chance to try again after Simon insisted she was good despite the facial expressions, and Paula and Randy had quickly dismissed her. She sang another tune, and it sounded possibly even better than the first time, but you could tell she wasn't even aware she was doing this facial thing. Simon and Randy put her through, and Paula told her too watch herself in the mirror and try to fix the expressions. Well, they were after Clay Aiken about his facial expressions, and how far did he get in the competition?

Kind of in the opposite direction is Sandie Chavez. She comes in talking of her years of experience, and especially proud of the day she sang for the mayor of Houston. But singing Blue Velvet, it's just weird. The tone isn't too bad, but she ends the words really oddly. She enunciates the fact that she's not enunciating, if that makes any sense. Plus, assumably for effect, she holds her hand cupped over her ear, so that we'll think this is something she's really serious about. The judges are equally unimpressed, and Paula goes on an on about seeing in her notes she's a teacher, and tells her to be grateful she has something like that in her life.

It's kind of odd, like telling someone be grateful to have a job, because they suck at everything else. And the funny thing is, she glossed over the fact, or didn't notice, that Sandie is a music teacher. Doesn't it make you wonder why no one has told her before she doesn't sound good? Even if her students are kids, kids are cruel, and I can easily see them saying, hey man, you suck. And I'm still trying to figure out why cupping her hand over her ear makes it sound better, and makes her think she doesn't need to end her words. Just another one to add to the delusional pile.

Also delusional is Brian Kyrish who thinks he sounds like Billy Idol, Ozzie and AC/DC, and isn't that good, despite the fact he's won a mock American Idol. Now, one thing he left out. How "mock" was this mock? Was it a joke? Was it just a local version of the show? Etc. Regardless, he was left with the impression he could sing, and he couldn't. Although for some odd reason, he wanted Ryan to sing Beauty and the Beast with him, this guy who thinks he's the next Billy Idol. That one could leave me with nightmares.

Then we have the girl, Baylie Brown, who lives on a farm and talks about how she's afraid of horses. Come ... on! That's the biggest load of crap. She's grown up around them. She wants to paint herself, literally, like some city girl with a certain air about her. But she's just a young girl that is looking to escape the small town life, and dreams of life in the big city ... with no animals. They talk about how she dresses so sophisticated and un-farm like, but I don't even see that. It looks normal. It's not like everyone on a farm dresses in overalls and carries a pitchfork. She sings nicely, though, and moves ahead. She needs a makeup lesson, though. Her eyes are way too dark for her natural look and blonde hair.

Haley Scarnato thinks she's all sophisticated, but Paula asks her if her dress is from the "Hoochie Mama" store. Well, that's a little rude. It seemed like they thought she wasn't going to be good, as Randy asked Haley when she walked in if she'd met Paula Abdul. Right, they most likely hang in the same circles or something. Or maybe he thinks Paula shops in the Hoochie Mama store too; I don't know. She surprises then with her talent, and is put through. It will be interesting to see if she takes the hint and wears entirely different things in Hollywood, or if because she's in Hollywood, she finds and even better place to buy the hoochie mama clothing.

Jasmine Holland isn't very good, and what's worse is her mom talked her into this. She's not good, and seems very shy, until she's told she isn't good, then bursts out of her shell slamming them for being negative, and especially slamming Randy for being a nobody in the music business. Her mom, though, thinks it all lies with Simon and wants him to go back to wherever he came from, as if Simon is the source of all immigration problems in the US. She also wants to send him back to France, believing that's where he came from. It's this family, though, speaking in French on the way out the door, telling the judges to kiss their ass. Yep, that will make them regret sending you home.

The most fun of the night was the two cousins, Akron Watson and William Green. William wasn't seriously auditioning, and seems to have just come along for the ride with Akron. Akron's family took him in when he was 14, so it's nice to see he wants to pay him back with support. When he doesn't make it, William tries to save face walking out the door, and tells the judges he's going to talk a little trash, despite the fact he understands, and tells them loudly to not make him come in there again. Akron just barely makes it through to Hollywood, and I like to think William did his part, lightening up the judges for him.

Jimmy McNeal is very likable, everyone agrees, and is even compared to Ruben Studdard, and it's never bad to be compared to a past Idol. He makes it through easily, and it's someone in his group that is the little girl to utter the words, "So?" Hopefully after Hollywood we can answer that question, but until then have to suffer through one more day of auditions, ones that are so uninspiring, they didn't even make the cut to be on the previous seven shows.. What I'm most interested to see, though, from the previews is the guy in the Alvin and the Chipmunks t-shirt. He just might be fun.

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