American Idol auditions - Nebraska

There's not much to blog about in these first round auditions, since we see so few of the people who actually make it through, but one girl did blow me away tonight -- Angelica Puente. Obviously she was nervous, and the judges are right that she was a bit to "mimicy", but I think the judges were a bit harsh. The girl can blow! If she gets her confidence up, she could be a front-runner. She could definately fall into that "shows the most improvement" category, plus she's got the "sob story" of her father being so strict. Keep an eye on this girl!

Idol San Diego auditions

I wasn't even going to bother blogging about these first Idol audition shows because they normally show so many awful singers, but one singer tonight really grabbed my attention -- Samantha Musa. I thought she was amazing. I did not expect that voice to come out of her at all! And she's cute to boot. My only concern is that she may be TOO good at this point, or maybe not unique enough. The ones who impress us from the beginning tend to get ordinary and we expect perfection every week, then they either have a minor slip-up or the fans get complacent and they end up voted out. But she is certainly one to watch this season!

The other guy who impressed me was David Archuleta. He's got a great voice for only 16, nevermind the fact that he overcame partial vocal paralysis! He's got three things working in his favor already: a good voice, the age factor ("fantastic for your age" is a comment the judges love to throw out), plus the sob story. He could do well if he makes it through Hollywood.

I only wish we got to see more than 5 or 6 people who actually get to go on each week!

And this season's American Idol winner is...

Wow, it's been a while since I've blogged, huh? Well it's Idol season, so I'm planning to start liveblogging again, at least when we get to the REAL shows, not these crap audition shows.

With that being said, we may have already seen this season's winner -- Angela Martin. She's not the greatest singer, but she has the story. You see Angela is a 26-year-old single mom whose daughter has Rett Syndrome, a debilitating neurological disorder.

Basically, the winner and runner-up of American Idol has either been:
a) the person with the best sob story (Fantasia)
b) the person Simon says can't possibly win (Taylor, Clay, Bo, and Blake), or
c) the person who comes in fairly unnoticed and shows the most growth (Jordin Sparks, Carrie Underwood, Diana DeGarmo, and of course Kelly Clarkson)

In fact the only Idol winner that doesn't fall into one of these categories is Reuben Studdard, and we're still not sure how he managed to win (or, more accurately, tie) season 2.

We've seen the sympathy vote help some other less-than-steller contestants too, like season four's Anthony Federov (who doctors said would never sing again after a tracheotomy) and Kellie Pickler ("What's calamari?"). The sympathy vote may have even helped Chris Daughtry in some respects, with his story of supporting his wife and her two kids (although his talent alone should have been enough to win the whole thing).

So have we seen the next American Idol already? Personally I don't think Angela's voice is strong enough to win, but if she makes it through Hollywood, I guarantee she'll be a finalist, and probably finish in the top 5. (Oh, and apparently Washington Post writer Lisa de Moraes agrees -- see the last paragraph.)

Of all the others tonight (which I'm only partially watching), the only one who stood out to me was Beth Stalker. I was amazed when Simon said she wouldn't stand out -- so maybe she is this year's contestant that Simon says can't win! If anybody's "ordinary", it's Chris Watson, the one who said he wants to be a legend.

Anyway, I'll be watching Idol on DVR for the next 4 weeks but after that, I'll be back to liveblog!