AI:5 - The Greensboro Auditions

January 25, 2006 · Filed Under popmedia

Ah, Greensboro, NC. For 6 years I lived ~45mi East of Greensboro (in Chapel Hill), and for 6 years I lived ~40mi West of Greensboro (in Winston-Salem). And for 3 years I made the trip to UNC-Greensboro & back 2-3 times a week for evening classes as I earned my MS in Information Technology and Management from the Bryan School at UNC-G in 2001. In other words, I put in my time on I-40! So, I like it whenever AI goes to NC. I wasn’t expecting all that much from the auditions, mind you, but I still was looking forward to the “local color” footage that would be shown.

In the end, 33 kids (and since I’m almost 40 :eek:, I feel justified in calling all the contestants kids…) made it through to Hollywood, bringing us to a total of 85 (34 from Chicago, 18 from Denver, & 33 from Greensboro) thus far.

My overall impression of the Greensboro auditions? Eh…

Only two singers jumped out at me as having the goods to emerge from Hollywood as bona fide Finalist-level talents.

First, the lovely Kellie Pickler — She’s got the looks (and how!), the voice, the personality, and the sympathetic story — IOW, she’s got all the elements necessary to become a huge fan favorite. Interestingly enough, my daughter pegged her almost instantly as being just like AI:4 winner Carrie Underwood. Jumping out to the 8 y/o demographic has to mean something, don’tcha think?

Second, the cute as a button Paris Bennett — She’s got some talent! And she comes from a very strong & talented lineage (see Grandma, aka Ann Nesby). This girl is a cutie, and can sing your socks off. I don’t know that she has the wide-ranging appeal necessary to win, but she’s almost certainly a lock to be a finalist, and will have success in the future.

There were a few others who looked like they’d make good Hollywood-fodder: Sgt. Steven David (he of wooing & dancing with Paula — he could be a breakout star, depending on how he handles things in Hollywood… or he could crash & burn from overconfidence), Kendra Winston (who has a back-story that’s even more sob-story than Kellie Pickler’s!), Chase (the “young Wayne Newton” who prompted another comment sure to get Simon in more hot water with the GLAAD folks — but he’s got an intriguing singing voice!), & Tyra Schwartz (she of being recently dumped by her seemingly brain-dead boyfriend — This girl’s appealing in a Laura Prepon-esqe way — she could be a dark-horse emerging from Hollywood…).

As for the obligatory badness, well, this installment was brimming over with it. So much so that I’m loathe to relive all of it.

I will, however, make two observations: 1) It just makes me so proud to know that I have UNC-G in common with Sammy Neighbors :mad:, and 2) it looks like Rhonetta Johnson is this year’s “**It girl/boy” contestant — but rather than being offended by her, I’m really just made sad by (and for) her. She was, for sure, a good object lesson/teaching point, illustrating some things for my daughter about how & why we don’t act/speak/dress in certain ways. But she was also profoundly saddening, in that she obviously thinks so little of herself that she’s willing to treat herself so badly. In the end, she ain’t no William Hung (heck, she ain’t even Keith or Edgar!).