American Idol Season 9 Auditions in Chicago Today

Granted I don’t follow Jamar so I have no idea what he is or isn’t up to, but I’m somewhat surprised he’s trying again. I always thought he came off kind of bitter about being cut, or at least did in a couple of youtube videos he had made after the fact. Of course now my memory of these videos is rather vague.

I do know Michael Castro is trying again, but he would be at the Dallas auditions that haven’t happened yet.

YAY JAMAR! I was starting to like his style but then he got kicked out! Maybe we will have another chance with him!

Hmmm, I don’t know if I were Jamar that I would try out again. Good luck to him but I can’t imagine he would get far.
Interesting comment in the comment section on VFTW. Someone talks about their experience at the Boston auditions. Might be sour grapes, but I wonder how they decide who to “cast” for the show.

Meh on Jamar. He seemed over rated to me last year. He really milked the whole Gokey-friendship thing as much as possible (and then some). I did see some radio show clips where he came across as a jerk regarding some of the other Idols.

I read that the AI producers personally invited Jamar to try out again.

I thought Jamar was better than Michael Castro, from the little we saw of him. He seemed really green. Perhaps he’s spent the year practicing and will be more polished. Jason himself was pretty green but he had something special nonetheless.

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Michael is green, even more so than Jason was. He was another one who supposedly had never used a microphone before Hollywood Week (like Megan). But he’s been recording and performing some in the past year, so I’d have to imagine he’s a bit more polished now. I’m not saying I want Michael to make it. I personally rather he didn’t, but he should have a bit more experience now.

I read that the AI producers personally invited Jamar to try out again.

Ugh. This irritates me that everything is sooooo contrived. Hope Jamar loses the piercings. They were off-putting.

UPDATE: I was just contacted by somebody who auditioned today. She confirms that Jamar Rogers was indeed at the auditions today, sitting in the VIP section, which means he got to be one of the first to audition.
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YEAH WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Ever since Jamar sang “Hey There Delilah” I was completely not a fan. Such a weird arrangement…

I’m looking forward to the Cody Sheldon and Shera Lawrence types…you know, the people who were actually GOOD and got cut with little screen time.

I think away back I read something about a single from Jamar with another Hollywood rejected.
Does anyone know what happen with that?

I think the girl was Frankie Jordan (another one that i did not like). Anyways, I remember they had some youtube (?) videos and they both sounded pretty bitter about not making it. I can’t remember their exact words but it left a bad impression of them to me. Also, Jamar (in that video and other interviews) talked about how he has so much stuff going on that he wouldn’t even want to go back idol. what happened with that or is this another plant?

jamar sucked lol

do we know how idol is going to work next season? split up in groups like this year or back to basics? i dig the wild card opportunity but i hope the show goes back to girls and boys nights.

also, jamar is a tool. and i hope this doesn’t mean we get a bunch of gokey moments next year.

I didn’t think that Jamar was that great. But now that he has auditioned, he is most likely moving forward I feel. They are also going to exploit the story of he and “the third runner up, Dannnnnnny Gokey!!” during audition weeks. He already has a small following, and he will probably be given a lot of screentime for hollywood week. It’s a huge advantage. But ehs… we’ll see.

reeboks1 says

do we know how idol is going to work next season? split up in groups like this year or back to basics? i dig the wild card opportunity but i hope the show goes back to girls and boys nights.
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Yeah I want them to go back to girls and boys night too.

Why does Jamar get to be in the VIP section? Ugh.

If they are inviting people back, I hope they invite Leneshe. I thought she was more talented than some of the others who made the Top 36 (Megan and Jasmine, I am looking at you).

I remember that Sanjaya’s sister told fans that the producers invited her to try out again, and she wouldn’t have to do the cattle call, but she declined. I think the same happened to Gina second time around. I think its pretty common, so it doesn’t surprise me about Jamar.

Is Leneshe the girl who sang a song she wrote for her audition? If it is I was surprised she didn’t make it. She was really good and I wanted to hear more from her.

Yes that was Leneshe. She NEEDS to either get signed or make it back and all the way to the finals! Why they cut her is beyond me!!!

This guy is probably going to go far, much like his S8 bestie. Whether or not he will be just as overrated remains to be seen, but from the little I saw from him during Hollywood week I wasn’t too crazy about him.

The producers were probably almost begging him to audition. There wasn’t much diversity in S8 Top 36 and far less for the tour. Plus, they have a good amount of tape on him already. If they keep the same format as S8, Jamar is certain to make the tour based on his carry-over fanbase.

I have mixed feelings about this Jamar thing. On one hand, his versions of California Dreamin’(audition song) and Hey There Delilah were the early season highlights of season 8 for me. On the other hand, I think this really represents the apex (to this point) of producer manipulation. I mean, for this year’s finale Ryan said something about the next American Idol and they showed a clip of a crowd of people saying “I’m the next American Idol” and Jamar was prominently displayed in that crowd. Plus they’ve otherwise given him a ton of pimping, what with Hollywood and Danny’s top three video package. I think he’s talented enough that he doesn’t need all these advantages. It could easily backfire on them, this could be Adam Lambert times 20. Which could equal win or fail.

Little piece of trivia (I don’t think it is widely known): Back in season 3 Jamar was put through to the top 36 but of course never showed. He was not the one who was arrested for drunk driving and replaced by George Huff. Does anyone know why he wasn’t there or who replaced him?

So essentially Jamar was deliberately cut before whatever the cutoff is for re-auditioning last season, because they couldn’t have both of them in the same season, but they have a dopey enough story that could be whored out twice.

Great.

makeitstop said:

So essentially Jamar was deliberately cut before whatever the cutoff is for re-auditioning last season, because they couldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t have both of them in the same season, but they have a dopey enough story that could be whored out twice.

On the TWOP forums a poster named VincentV speculated:

So, I am maybee the biggest Idol nerd in the whole world because I haven’t seen it anywhere but here it is, does anybody remember that Jamar auditionned in Season 3? If you look at his audition in KC with the judges, they seem very familiar with him.
I actually saw the hollywood episodes of season 3 and Jamar is easily recognizable (a little bit younger but that’s normal) and the bigger shocker is that he actually is in the final 36 group photo!!!
He appears first saying: “It’s about money, money makes the world go around, you all want money, I want money…”
Then when they separate people in different groups, he is in the same room as Latoya, Jennifer Hudson and Fantasia! Finally, he appears seated in the front row of the group photo for the top 36 of season 3 (he is with a yellow cap).
So here is my short story about Jamar: when he was younger he made some bad mistakes then he went to that church in Milwaukee and got “saved”, that’s when he met his big pal Danny. I think that’s his backstory for season 9.

I’d bet that Jamar’s backstory will be intertwined with Gokey’s, sure, but much different.

I must admit, I’m already obsessed with this:). I think Season 9 is going to be some compelling TV.

d. b. cooper says Little piece of trivia (I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think it is widely known): Back in season 3 Jamar was put through to the top 36 but of course never showed. He was not the one who was arrested for drunk driving and replaced by George Huff. Does anyone know why he wasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t there or who replaced him?
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Wow no I had no idea he was in season 3! Interesting.

Back in season 3 Jamar was put through to the top 36 but of course never showed.

Seriously? Wow

I think he’s ok, but a bit meh…..I liked his Delilah rendition and would have put him through above someone like Alex Truman in a heartbeat

d. b. cooper says Little piece of trivia (I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think it is widely known): Back in season 3 Jamar was put through to the top 36 but of course never showed. He was not the one who was arrested for drunk driving and replaced by George Huff. Does anyone know why he wasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t there or who replaced him?
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Wow no I had no idea he was in season 3! Interesting.

That was Donnie Williams, not Jamar Rogers.

itsalleternal says

That was Donnie Williams, not Jamar Rogers.
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So, Jamar was never in season 3?

d. b. cooper says Little piece of trivia (I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think it is widely known): Back in season 3 Jamar was put through to the top 36 but of course never showed. He was not the one who was arrested for drunk driving and replaced by George Huff. Does anyone know why he wasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t there or who replaced him?

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Wow no I had no idea he was in season 3! Interesting.

That was Donnie Williams, not Jamar Rogers.

George Huff replaced Donnie Williams, yes, but Jamar was in season 3 and was advanced to the top 36. If you watch the end of the Hollywood round of season 3 you will unmistakably see Jamar. I said Jamar was not the one arrested for drunk driving but was advanced and did not show up. VincentV described Jamar’s screen time in season 3, accurately, like this:

He appears first saying: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s about money, money makes the world go around, you all want money, I want moneyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 
Then when they separate people in different groups, he is in the same room as Latoya, Jennifer Hudson and Fantasia! Finally, he appears seated in the front row of the group photo for the top 36 of season 3 (he is with a yellow cap).

So Jamar was pretty savvy about how Idol works, back then. He saw the others in the Top 36, and decided it would be the year of the Diva and split before he became ineligible for future years. With the change in the production team last year, perhaps everyone in power who held a grudge against him for his skipping out are gone.