AI:7 - San Diego

January 23, 2008 · Filed Under popmedia

Sunny SoCal…

Sun, surf, and a nice, concise hour of auditions…

General Observations:

Mimes & sombreros? Hells yeah!
Lacking the “sparkle” is not as detrimental as lacking the, you know, talent…
San Diego was a “middle-of-the-road” audition city, it would seem. Nothing too good & nothing too bad. Even the train-wrecks & freak-shows were tamer than the norm for AI auditions…

The Good:

Carly Smithson - was really good back in AI:5, is still good now. Thankfully, she has all her ducks in a row this time & won’t get disqualified again. She could make a lot of noise & go a long, long way.

The Bad:

Valerie Reyes - Winner, “ironic” sub-group. If she likes to watch the bad/funny auditions, then she’ll really get off on watching herself. She honestly looked stunned. Yikes! Then she realized that she was a “reject” - priceless…
Monique Gibson - Winner, “quick change” sub-group, having gone from a pleasantly upbeat & confident good attitude to nasty biatch in an instant. The self-delusion is strong in this one…
Christopher Baker - Winner, “suckitude, much like misery, likes company” sub-group. Monique’s buddy was just as bad, and just as deluded as his friend. That they both kept trying to sing different songs when criticized? “Dawg, are you in pain?”? Priceless…
“10-time loser” sub-group winner, Blake Boshnack, and his delusional mother - these two are sad & pathetic more than they are bad. I guess folks like this are the lifeblood of competitions like AI, but they are still sad.
Comparing Sarah Long to William Hung was the biggest insult ever — to William Hung!
Alberto Hurtado - needs to stop opening up & get back in. He needs to live, with his eagle, back inside his walls (if not his closet)… Eeeek!

Honorable Mention:

Perrie Cataldo - Winner, “big daddy” sub-group. It’s good to see a guy step up & be a man, taking responsibility for things & doing the hard work of being a single father. He could make the jump into The Good, and if he does, watch out, ’cause his story will play, big time. He needs to get his kid a haircut, though…
David Archuleta - Winner, “medical rehab” sub-group. Sounded really good & has a good story. Forgetting the lyrics doesn’t bode well for the future. Probably too young to make an extended venture into the semifinals & finals, though.

The Indifferent:

Tetiana Ostapowych - Simon nails it again, that she’s not as good as she thinks she is. Good, pretty, but there’s something to Simon’s comment about her being obnoxious.
Michael Johns - a little too Michael Bolton-esque for my tastes. A “white soul singer”? Like we need another one of those…
Samantha Musa - Nice voice, cute, funny. Could make the jump to The Good in Hollywood, and was one of the best in SD. The sister helping judge was pretty cool, and the Simon-obsession was funny.

Total for San Diego: 30 golden tickets.

I suspect they’re hiding a bunch of good candidates from SD, folks they didn’t want us to see just yet. I don’t know why I think it, but it’s just a feeling.

Up next: Charleston(?), SC

-ghp

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Tags: ai7, american idol, music, realitytv