David Cook, Meet Mickey
How’s this for corporate synergy?
Powerhouse Disney has teamed up with the folks behind the American Idol juggernaut to bring a new attraction revolving around the glorified karaoke competition to Walt Disney World in Florida. Naturally, David Cook, A.I.’s reigning champ, is required has been asked to be a part of it.
The “Time of My Life” singer was in Los Angeles Thursday to shoot a commercial on behalf of the American Idol Experience, which is scheduled to open in January 2009.
So will you be heading down to the Sunshine State next year to get your fill of everything Idol?
Idol Auditions Get Cooking in Cali
The ink is barely dry on David Cook’s record deal, but the search for the next overbearing stage father American Idol is on!
Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and man of a thousand job titles Ryan Seacrest are packing their toothbrushes for an eight-city receiving line of wannabe superstars next month, when auditions for the eighth season of American Idol kick off in San Francisco.
Although Cowell publicly toyed with the notion of lowering the minimum audition ageand increasing the personality requirementfor contestants last season, males and females ages 16 to 28 will once again be the range for eligible crooners.
And while the Idol crew is hitting one repeat citySan Franciscoit is otherwise going after untapped talent reserves in new locations, like Phoenix, Salt Lake City and Louisville, Ky., and, for the first time, traveling outside the U.S. for a stop in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Here’s the complete list of audition cities:
- San Francisco: July 17
- Louisville, Ky.: July 21
- Phoenix: July 25
- Salt Lake City: July 29
- San Juan, Puerto Rico: Aug. 2
- Kansas City, Mo.: Aug. 8
- Jacksonville, Fla.: Aug. 13
- East Rutherford, N.J.: Aug. 19
America’s Got Talent: Episode 302
“I have shoes older than you but I’d like to try you on!” - Sharon to 23-year-old Joseph, an Elvis impersonator.
The second episode of America’s Got Talent auditions brought more great acts and more terrible performances. This week, we were treated to 15 complete acts that ranged from singing to magic (see picture) not forgetting impersonators and Drumtazia! Oh, and, unless I’m mistaken, we also saw the judges give 3 Xs to someone who finished in 4th place in another talent competition! More on that at the end of my review.
Victoria, the singing fairy - Even if the singer/songwriter was a bit weird, as Piers said, she wasn’t that bad. Okay, she wasn’t AGT material but I could see her put up together a CD of fairy songs for young girls. No?
Eli Mattson, singer - To advance in a competition when you are a singer you must not only have talent but chose the right song. How many times did we hear the judges on American Idol tell contestants that their song choice was questionable? Well, Eli Mattson didn’t make this mistake during his captivating and entertaining AGT audition. He will be one of the front runners this season and, even if he doesn’t win, I’m pretty sure he’ll get a record deal.
Miss Pussykatt, the grinder - Personally, I didn’t care much for this act. It was intriguing but where’s the talent? The woman just makes sparks and some of her moves go along with the music. It’s the type of act that could be part of a larger show and not on its own. Since she sparked the judges interest, she got a ticket for Las Vegas. I can’t wait to see if she can improve her act and make it more daring and entertaining. I foresee her not going very far in the competition.
Tumblers from New Orleans - Their performance was entertaining and pleased the crowd and judges. However, for me to fully support them, they’ll need to be more in tune with the song and link their moves together better. Right now, it’s just a series of cool tricks.
Drumtazia - Oh. My. God. My ears are still buzzing from that horrendous and loud performance. Can you believe this guy thinks he offers the greatest drum show on earth? Some words to describe the act: loud, noisy, no grace, no rhythm. If the 57-year-old limo driver wants to make it in the drumming world, he needs to learn some basic techniques first (aka, flam, paradiddle, rolls, drag, ratamacue, etc.) and get some lessons.
Next II None - The boys 5-hours of practice a day paid off. They offered a very good performance of *NSync’s “Bye Bye Bye.” The family boy band has the looks (I’m pretty sure some of the girls in the audience already called dibs on them), the attitude, the moves and the voice needed to make it. However, as Piers pointed out, they are missing a lead singer. That can come in time when they evolve as a group. Unless they try to set themselves apart without having a front runner or two.
Russian Bar Trio - Talk about an impressive act! No, I’m not just saying that because the trio is Canadian like I am. Jerry even said it was the most impressive act he’s seen in the past two years. I’m not totally agreeing with him but what they showed us was daring and entertaining! The woman almost knocked her head on Sharon’s X! Even if I, the crowed, and the judges, enjoyed this act, I doubt it’ll go very far in the competition. What will they do next? If they remain a trio, the only ways I can see them make this act more impressive is if they add some juggling, fire, spikes, etc.
Michael, Ozzy’s impersonator - This guy took a huge risk during his audition with performing as Ozzy in front of Sharon. A bigger risk would have been performing in front of the Prince of Darkness himself. That said, Michael sucked. Big time. He quickly got 2 Xs. It was fun to watch Piers, who would have Xed such an act after a second, wait, and wait, and wait. He was amused by the fact that Sharon was not a happy camper. He even pushed the envelope by giving a “yes” to Michael! This could have turned into a verbal fight between the judges but things ended up in laughter. Poor Michael. He’ll have to find another potential job.
The Taubl Family - As Piers said it, the Taubls are good musicians but not the best singers. I thought their act was pretty good until the youngest boy started singing. It was off. Luckily, when the others joined in, it got better. The group’s weakest moments are when people sing alone. As a musical act, they could go on for a few more rounds.
The DC Cowboy Dance Company - Since the judges allowed last week’s Slippery Kittens Burlesque to move on, they had no choice but to give the cowboy dancers a ticket to Las Vegas. The men were entertaining and nice to look at, but their dance moves were pretty basic and they were not always in sync. They’ll need to perform more complex and spectacular dances if they want to go further in the competition.
Kevin Taylor, breaking of bricks - As I watched the feature on 39-year-old Taylor, I was worried that his act would be, as Piers said, just another boring martial arts act. However, Taylor proved me, and Piers, wrong by setting the cement bricks on fire. Even if he has an idea for his next act, how can he outperform himself if he moves on beyond the first round in Las Vegas?
Chellena, vocalist - What a voice! With her first note, she won the crowd and the judges over. She gave a heartfelt performance. She may not be the greatest singer so far this season, but the lady has a great voice.
Johnny, magician - When you hear a contestant say that he is really entertaining before we even see his act, you know that there is a 99% chance that he’ll suck. So was the case with magician Johnny. How can you be a magician if you can’t even manipulate your props properly?
The Pendragons - 30 years in the business and a huge scar that confirms you are willing to do anything for your art. The Pendragons are a good example of perseverance. Their audition act was pretty basic (see picture on top of the review) but it was performed well. Even if there are a lot of magicians in Las Vegas, magic shows always draw crowds. I can’t wait to see their next act to see if they can become the next AGT winners.
Joseph, the Elvis impersonator - There are loads of Elvis impersonators out there. Loads! Some are really crappy, some are really great. Joseph showed us in his audition that he is from the latter group. Not only does he have the looks, but he has a voice similar to the King’s and he has most of the moves as well. The crowd was so wild during his performance that Piers even had to tell them to control themselves. Since he gave a good performance and because there are millions of Elvis fans out there, it wouldn’t be surprising if Joseph makes it far in the competition.
Other tidbits of interests and things to ponder:
- David Avila is definitely not related to Canadian Idol’s winner Eva Avila or with Luciano Pavarotti. He’s yet another example of someone who thinks he is a singer and whose friends aren’t able to tell him the truth about his lack of talent.
- Again this week, someone with a sort of dual neck guitar auditioned and was sent home.
- If you have backup singers or musicians, make sure they smile and seem proud of your work during your performance. Otherwise, you don’t stand a chance. (See Polina and her not smiling pianist mother.)
- Can the “Gone Completely Crakers” ads be gone completely? They bring nothing to the show at all.
- The Hoff complained about Piers speaking only about himself!?! Hello? And The Hoff never speaks about himself?
- There was a bad crop of magicians in Chicago! The guy whose dove ran off. Dennis who tried to perform a levitation act but fell down as soon as the first chair was removed. Becky, the lady magician who had troubles with her rings and her bra. And Bizzaro, who had quite a bizzare act that included flames…
- During the previews and the “Gone Completely Crakers” bit, we saw a glimpse of the George Bush impersonator. As soon as I saw him, I thought I recognized John Morgan who finished 4th in last year’s The Next Best Thing on ABC and does impersonations of the President here, there, and everywhere around the U.S. So when he appeared on screen in the second part of this week’s episode, I made point to note down the name of the performer: John Morgan, 51. Could it be the same performer? If so, how can the AGT judges give him 3 Xs? He was so good on The Next Best Thing, appeared on other shows and makes appearances during major corporate events. We didn’t see much of his AGT audition, but he seemed to give a fair performance. What gives? I’m not saying that he should have moved on, but 3 Xs to one of the best George Bush impersonators out there?
Move Over, Clay: Ruben’s Got a New Tag-Team Partner
Looks like the Velvet Teddy Bear has found a long-term snuggle bunny.
American Idol season-two champ Ruben Studdard obtained a marriage license in his hometown of Birmingham, Ala., Monday morning.
According to the Birmingham News, the 29-year-old “Flying Without Wings” singer and his 30-year-old fiancée, Surata Zuri McCants, obtained the paperwork in Shelby County just before noon.
While Studdard has not publicly confirmed a date for the nuptials, the document is good for 30 days.
Here’s hoping his proposal wasn’t too pitchy.