Audition Results
I am not a professional performer and my opinion is just that, opinion, without any insight from anyone affiliated with Fox or American Idol.
That said, a lot of the performers who didn’t make it through were still incredibly talented. The ones who I heard sing post-Idol auditions, who didn’t make it, appeared overtly stylized, didn’t have voices strong enough for the grueling process, didn’t know if they were entertainers/performers/singers (and expected Idol to differentiate for them), and/or were overtly focused on their gimmick. But, they were all incredibly, incredibly sweet. The initial three kids who made it through reminded me of American Idol’s early seasons with Clay Aiken, Kelly Clarkson, and Reuban Studdard. Like those three, these kids looked like the typical American teen-next-door, rocking casual white shirts and jeans, while maintaining an enviable self-possession.
I talked to the Union, NJ high school teen, Sadesia, and the Newark, NJ aunt of 19-year-old Latisha (stage name: Finesse), who made it through. Sadesia carried herself like a professional through the TV press interviews, although she appeared slightly tired at the end. While waiting for Latisha to exit, her aunt listed her neice’s capabilities while remaining a positive supporter of the other singers, including one man who proved the only male in a majority female audition group.
I felt sorry for the people who didn’t make it through, who looked to American Idol for talent validation. Some appeared resigned and some hurt. While one woman declared she’d never audition for another reality TV show, others stated they’d try their luck with the Voice. Some felt the judges were incredibly fair while others viewed them as harsher than the ones on TV. One woman suspected the judges had a system for the number of people they let through (they didn’t) while a previously mentioned contestant felt the judges didn’t know what they wanted.
While I don’t have advice for any audition hopefuls, one group admitted the judges told them not to stop singing and not to view their decision as any pronouncement on their talent. 26-year-old gold-glitter-dressed Priscilla sang Donna Summer’s Last Dance, while 22-year-old floral strapless Bianca, a student, in the floral strapless sang Killing Me Softly. Although Bianca wanted more direction and viewed the outlandish contestants as distracting, she will continue to sing R and B and Jazz locally.
Ryan Seacrest
Ryan’s presence during the first round auditions surprised me, as he cracked jokes between takes. For Ryan Seacrest fans (or non-fans), be assured, he is quite attractive close up. When I watch American Idol on TV the crowd’s response always seemed incredibly impropmptu yet well synchronized and I learned why. I watched, fascinated, as the director megaphone-directed Ryan’s crowd interactions. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen Ryan Seacrest driven around Newark, NJ in a golf cart.
Unsurprisingly, after the intial audition rush and the initial decisions occur, it becomes surprisingly lowkey. There’s nothing for the press to do but wait, nothing for interns to do but clean up and nothing for the auditioners to do, but go home (tired and exhilirated or tired, dejected yet hopeful). All the same I enjoyed the day, including watching auditioners hang around the Prudental Center balconies while running notes. As a lover of the audition process (almost more than the show itself), I’ll definitely tune in in January to see who makes the 12th season. How about you?
For the full photo album click to the next page. See if you can spot your friend or yourself!
Clacked by An Nicholson 
on Jun 28, 2012 @ 12:26 EST5EDT
