American Idol 11 – Pittsburgh Auditions – What the Critics Say

‘American Idol’ recap: Steel Planks – Well, that was a rather staid auditions hour. One and done! I always go into these episodes assuming we’re in for all sorts of colorful, crazy, time-wasting crap, but I think the wackiest part of this one was Steven Tyler proudly displaying his “secret red box” (not a euphemism, surprisingly) and GIANT plate of fruit. I also loved when Steven treated the kids to a singalong of “Pink” as Jennifer Lopez sauntered in late, ready for some play, wearing her own glorious abs as a belt. Where can I buy a belt like J. Lo’s abs? Let me know if you have ideas. – Entertainment Weekly

American Idol Pittsburgh Audition Recap: Steel the One We Run To – Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? In its 11th season (or 77th in canine years), American Idol, that rheumy-eyed toy poodle with the stiff hind end, is suddenly jumping through hoops of fire, walking tightropes on its front paws, and daring to dye its coat in shocking new hues. Indeed, the show’s first visit to Pittsburgh, PA, found Steven Tyler cutting short a dirty limerick, a guy with a deeply compelling backstory failing to get a Golden Ticket to Hollywood, and not a single cruel-joke/obvious-gimmick audition in the course of the one-hour telecast. – TV Line

American Idol Recap: TV Show of Dreams – First things first. Have you guys seen that trailer for the 3-D rerelease of Titanic? I know we’re excited to give James Cameron twenty more of our dollars to see which props are in front of which, but that’s not what I’m getting at here. The one thing that sticks out for me is Gloria Stuart’s voice-over: “They called the Titanic THE SHIP OF DREAMS, and it was! It really was!” Did they? Did people talk like Bachelor contestants 100 years ago? This seems apocryphal. And gross.- New York Magazine

Check out a round-up of recaps from around the net. What are the critics and pundits saying about last night’s American Idol auditions in Pittsburgh?  Read on to find out.

Pittsburgh delivers the quirks on ‘Idol’ – “American Idol” went to Pittsburgh for Thursday’s audition episode, and as host Ryan Seacrest noted excitedly, “They call this place ‘City of Champions!’ ” Of course, it doesn’t really count if it’s a nickname you give yourself, but at least we got to see the Terrible Towels waving once more this season now that the Steelers have been eliminated from the NFL playoffs. – MSNBC

‘American Idol’ Recap: Planking in Pittsburgh (Video) – Pittsburgh seemed primed for an Idol audition gag fest on the level of William Hung and his seminal “She Bangs” cover. After all, it’s a city with its own language and black and yellow sports legacies, as Ryan Seacrest and one portly NFL fan yelling “Pittsburgh!” reminded us. But sadly, that’s as wacky as the city of champions got, unless you count the American Idol “Judges Jam” with Randy Jackson on guitar, Steven Tyler on vocals and Jennifer Lopez arriving late and looking like she never gave birth to twins. Read more at Hollywood Reporter

‘American Idol’ Finds Reed Grimm, Hallie Day In Pittsburgh – “American Idol” continued its kindness streak Thursday (January 19), handing out 38 Golden Tickets during its Pittsburgh audition rounds. Furthermore, of the 11 singers showcased during the hour-long program, 10 made it through to Hollywood. (Where have you gone, William Hungs of the world? Come back, Renaldo Lapuz!) – MTV

‘American Idol’ recap: season 11, audition city #2 Pittsburgh – This is the first time “Idol” has ever gone to Pittsburgh for auditions. And this may be the first time in 11 seasons that “Idol” did not feature even a few moments of a godawful singer. Even the one singer featured who didn’t make it through wasn’t cringe-worthy. And there’s no doubt the final singer Hallie Day will make the final 42. She has that special something about her. – Atlanta Journal Constitution

American Idol – Pittsburgh – Well, I spoke too soon. The sob stories were back tonight for the Pittsburgh auditions and the thing that they had in common were terrible mothers. First there was Travis Orlando, who got cut in Season 10, back to sing what I thought was a nice but not terribly memorable version of “Isn’t She Lovely” (why, if all the Stevie Wonder songs in the world, not to mention all the other songs in the world, pick that one? It’s just so treacly and uninspiring.) Travis dropped out of high school to chase this dream, and followed up the audition with the story of how his mother ruined his family’s life by leaving his father (who is in dialysis), his brother and him all homeless. What a bitch! I’m sure she has no good explanation for herself. Travis revealed that his main motivation was to prove to his shit mom that he could make it after all. He made it to Hollywood, of course, based on his tender dreams and all-right singing. I am not sold. – AV Club

‘American Idol’ Pittsburgh Recap: Black & Yellow & Rad All Over – Ryan Seacrest described Pittsburgh as the “city of champions” at the start of Thursday night’s “American Idol” auditions episode, and that wasn’t just hyperbole put on his teleprompter by over-arching producers. The singers that Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler, and Randy Jackson found in Pittsburgh, a town “Idol” had never visited before, was surprisingly solid–the show really ought to have held auditions there several seasons ago, judging from who lined up to try out for Season 11. And among them was one girl, the striking (and sob-storied) Hallie Day, whom J.Lo actually predicted could be the champion of this entire show. – Yahoo.com

About mj santilli 34833 Articles
Founder and editor of mjsbigblog.com, home of the awesomest fan community on the net. I love cheesy singing shows of all kinds, whether reality or scripted. I adore American Idol, but also love The Voice, Glee, X Factor and more!