American Idol 11 – San Diego Auditions – Recap and Videos

Here’s your American Idol 11 San Diego auditions recap post. I’ll be live blogging tonight at Entertainment Weekly. Do join me there if you’d like! I’ll be back here as soon as the episode ends on the East Coast to post videos, polls and a full recap!

Entertainment Weekly Live Blog

For you chat fans, I also set up a client here if you’d like to gab Idol.

Tonight’s hopefuls auditioned on an aircraft carrier, The USS Midway.  Didn’t the producers count on the fact that it would be noisy as hell on an aircraft carrier? But the planes and giant ships sure were dramatic as a backdrop to the proceedings.  Plus, I really dug Steven Tyler’s Rock n Roll Red Baron goggles.

The talent? Nobody really caught my eye tonight. What about you?

Jennifer Diley – 19 – Columbus OH –  Ryan made this chick, who was wearing tight low-slung short shorts and a bikini top  walk up the stairs twice so he could stare at her ass. Nice.  Her singing voice was weak.  With that get-up, I was hoping for a train wreck.

Ashley Robles – 26 – San Diego CA – I Will Always Love You – Ashley, mom of a 5 year old girl, really shined when she hit her upper register, but she’s not as impressive on the lower end. The judges were impressed enough to advance her to the next round.

Jayrah Gibson – 26 – Long Beach, CA – Just Friends – Jayrah probably should have laid off the Red Bull before his audition.  His confusing explanation of his life goals boiled down to “I plan to succeed” or something.  The judges advance him, although I found his performance a little frenetic.

Aubree Dieckmeyer – 20 – San Clemente, CA – Feeling Good –  So Aubree gets the idiot edit in her video package. Then, it turns out she can sing.  The judges give her some really good constructive criticism. It’s the kind of feedback I wish they’d give all the contestants.  Ultimately, they advance her on potential, but the producers were  probably hoping she would say things like “Is this America’s Top Model?” once she hit Hollywood.

Ali Shields – 19 – Lodi, CA –  Rap & Like A Star – I totally remember this chick when she was on Ellen! She sang a song for her, then the show sent her out to interview people at an awards show red carpet.  The really weird thing here–when Ali rapped her first song, one would assume she was a tone deaf joke audition.  But when they asked her to sing, she wasn’t half bad. Maybe it was a setup, but Ali seemed really surprised that the judges liked her voice.  She’s not good enough to be a contender, but I suspect the judges advanced her for the lulz she’ll bring to Hollywood.

Kyle Crews – 19 – San Diego, CA – Angel Of Mine – OMG. Kyle initially gets the “Frat Boy Douchebag” edit, and it’s really really really annoying. So obnoxious, that when he busted out his pretty white boy R&B vocals, I really didn’t care. But then he choked up when the judges complimented his voice, and his vulnerability softened me up a bit. The judges were effusive.  Steven said it was the best male voice he’d heard so far.

Jane Carrey – 24 – Los Angeles CA – Something To Talk About – Did I miss where it leaked to the press that Jim Carrey’s daughter auditioned for Idol? Because if it did, it sure didn’t blow up into a big thing.  Jlo, who worked with Jim Carrey on “In Living Color” years ago remembered Jane as a toddler.  It didn’t matter how Jane sang, none of the judges would be saying no to Jim Carrey’s daughter. It turned out she had a decent voice, but nothing special. The trio gave her some constructive criticism, and then sent her to Hollywood.  Oh wait. She’s already there.  (Jane calls her dad with the good news. “Yay,” Jim responds.)

Jason “Wolf” Hamlin – Midnight Special & Folsom Prison – This golf course mechanic calls his guitar a “git-fiddle”.  His late father built it for him. “Wolf”, who has only been singing for 3 years didn’t come alive until he was allowed to pick up his “git fiddle” to sing “Folsom Prison Blues”.  Wolf’s Americana style isn’t really suited for Idol, but he’s interesting.  Dude looks a lot older than 24.  This is the second time Nigel bent the rules to allow a contestant to play an instrument during his audition.  Seems a little unfair to break the rules for a few.

About mj santilli 34832 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!