American Idol 8: Phoenix Auditions

Eight months ago David versus David resulted in David Cook being crowned the winner of American Idol 7. Since then both Cook and David Archuletta have gone on to record hit singles. I didn't expect it out of Archie, but his song Crush is surprisingly catchy. Season 8 has promised to be the best season ever, but don't they claim that every year?

The show began with Louis Armstrong singing What a Wonderful World over a video montage of the first seven years of Idol. It was a fun look back, but really we're all watching to see who the next hopefuls are. The season premiere was focused on the auditions in Phoenix, Arizona. With 106 degree temps, Paula, Randy, Simon and new judge, Kara DioGuardi saddled up for two long days.

The first person to advance to Hollywood from Phoenix was 21 year old Los Angeles rocker, Emily Wynne-Hughes (aka. The girl with pink hair and tattoos). Is she the next Carly Smithson? She claims she got all of her tattoos so she never had to worry about getting stuck in an office job. No worries there! She sang Barracuda by Heart, which the judges claimed to be a very difficult song to sing. I wasn't blown away, but she was alright. I didn't have any issue with her advancing. Her all-girl band, however, may have issue, since they are scheduled to depart on a European tour, which won't happen without their lead singer.

The next hopeful was 16 year old, J.B. Ahfua from Taylorsville, Utah. He was a good singer, but very forgettable. The only memorable thing was when he was emotional after his audition, stating that this was an opportunity for not only him, but for his family who is struggling. Two people through, and I don't think I've seen the next Idol yet.

Arianna Afsar, 16 of San Diego, California, was a very fun and cute girl. She tugged at heart strings by explaining how she started Adopt-a-Grandfriend to offer senior citizens companionship with high school students. She sang Put Your Records On by Corrine Bailey Rae. She said she's been singing since she was six, when she took the microphone for the first time at a Disney World karaoke stage. She had good control of her voice, but it didn't excite me. Perhaps with music she would be better. A sweet girl though.

Following the first day, nine young singers received a golden ticket to Hollywood. Kicking off day two was 16 year old Stevie Wright of Phelan, California. Hold on... Is everyone going to be 16 on the show this year?! Stevie sang At Last by Etta James. One hour into the season, Stevie was my favorite. Her low range was a little shaky, but overall pretty good. Still, I don't see her as the next Idol. Paula, however, thought she had a Kelly Clarkson vibe. Not sure what she was getting that from. We'll have to wait and see.

Michael Sarver, a 27 year old oil rig roughneck from Jasper, TX had a good story. His job is reportedly the fifth most dangerous in the world, to which Simon relates, that's the "complete opposite of Ryan." Considering what he does for a living, he comes off unexpectedly genuine and nice. He sang Thank You by Boyz II Men, and regretfully, I'm not sure what to say. It was good, but that's all. His story was better than his audition.

And then...

Along comes 20 year old, California bikini model girl, Katrina Darrell. She allegedly wore the two-piece to get attention. Well played, Katrina! Surprisingly, she wasn't the awful singer I was expecting. She wasn't Christina Aguilera, but she was respectful. I wasn't appalled at her getting the nod from Simon and Randy. She was definitely VERY into herself though. So much that she called out Kara for not singing as well as she did. Guess what, Kara sings REALLY good!

The real reason she advanced to Hollywood though...

If bikini girl wasn't annoying enough, why not bring is American Idol spirit squad leader, Brianna Quijada. The 22 year old Jekyll and Hyde from Tempe vacillated between likable and irritating throughout the performance. She clinched a spot by toning down her pizazz, connecting with the judges and singing a second song, Killing Me Softly by Roberta Flack. In my opinion, Brianna and her multiple personalities will not make it out of Tinsletown.

"Sittin on the dock of the bay, watchin the tide roll away...." My favorite female vocalist from Phoenix is 25 year old, Deanna Brown from Louisville, Kentucky. She didn't have the same "assets" as bikini girl, but she had a great voice. Her rendition of Otis Redding's classic made me recall Janis Joplin singing Mercedes Benz. Her voice is excitingly distinct and her unassuming personality is refreshing.

17 year old she-male, Cody Sheldon, is a self-proclaimed horror film director from Detroit. Is it just me, or does this kid look like a girl? Is he this years Danny Noriega? I hope not. He seems much more likable. Perhaps he just a nerd? He sang James Morrisson's Wonderful World, but it was not memorable.

I felt pretty bad for 19 year old, Alex Wagner-Trugman, after Simon musingly questioned, so, you "came out of the closet" for this audition? Alex's story was that he used to practice singing in a closet at home, before taking ill due to mold poisoning. So it was a literal question. Right! Ha ha. The Studio City, California teen sang James Ingram's Baby Come to Me with Randy Jackson joining in on the chorus by request. He sang really good, though his facial expressions and body language were exceedingly odd during the performance. That will take some work, or he may never make it out of Hollywood. Then again, Taylor Hicks and Clay Aiken made it work for them, so who knows. When Ryan asked about Simon being the only dissenting vote, Alex remarked, "maybe he got the wrong tea this morning."

Finally, the feel good story of the night. 23 year old, Scott MacIntyre, from Scottsdale was the final audition in Phoenix. He is almost completely blind, only having limited tunnel vision (about what you might see while looking through a straw). From an early age he turned to his ears to appreciate life. He is trained in classical piano, went to college at age 14 and graduated from Arizona State at 19. His voice was good, though it wasn't tested very much. He sang And So it Goes by Billy Joel, which is a laid back song of limited range. I look forward to seeing him with the piano in Hollywood!

I'm not a big fan of the singers that don't perform well, but there are a few that are worth mentioning. Michael Gurr was the kid who sang unintelligibly. The next Kurt Cobain? Ummm... No!

How about the ultra energetic, X-Ray? Could his infectious personality and self-composed song get him through? No way.

Then the pink cowgirl HAD to get an elusive golden ticket after sucking up to the new judge. She says that Kara is her idol. Who the hell heard of her before she was named the 4th judge on the show? Certainly not a crazy, irksome, hormonal teenager from Connecticut!

27 in all advanced from Phoenix. I didn't see a Carrie Underwood or David Cook in the group, but David Cook came out of nowhere last year too! Tomorrow night the auditions move across the country to Cook's hometown, Kansas City.