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 St.Louis. Read more below!
‘American Idol’ recap: Arch Angels – Finally — the last glacially paced auditions episode of season 11! This time the crew hit St. Louis — “the gateway to American Idol success” — to find the next Carrie Underwood. I don’t know if they did, but I’m quite certain that Randy Jackson still hasn’t found the Arch. Somehow the editors only found time to show us five of 46 golden ticket winners in an hour. The best-spent of the remaining minutes by far featured an amusing silent-movie spoof. But instead of The Artist, it’s The Contestant. No artists here! Just thousands of hopefuls — singing when they’re ready, stalking Steven Tyler with their dripping fangs, chasing their dreams in their Ford Tauruses. What a world. – Entertainment Weekly
American Idol Recap: Missouri Loves Company – It’s fitting that American Idol chose Walter the Angry Taxi Driver as the mascot for its St. Louis audition episode — the seventh and final tryout telecast before Hollywood Week kicks off next Wednesday. Indeed, it was hard to stop myself from griping and kvetching over the course of an hour that managed to show us only five of the city’s 46 Golden Ticket recpients — and yet still found time to give us a flashback to Statue of Liberty Guy, my pick for the all-time lamest, most egregious offender in the show’s “Anything to Be on TV Hall of Shame.” – TV Line
American Idol Recap: The Auditions End in Dave Holmes’s Hometown; It Is Not an Honor – Tonight’s final audition episode comes from my hometown of St. Louis, the land of toasted ravioli, long flat vowels, and emotionally repressed Jonathan Franzen characters. The cold open is some shaky home video of Carrie Underwood’s legendary 2004 audition road trip to the Lou from her home in Winkin’ Hobo, Arkansas (I might be making that up), which ends with the super “Aren’t YOU glad she made the trip?” This seems like it was for 19 Entertainment internal usage; certainly they’re glad she made the trip, as they get 98 percent of her gross income in perpetuity. – New York Magazine
‘American Idol’ recap: Some spirited auditions in St. Louis – After Wednesday night’s underwhelming auditions in Portland, Ore., “American Idol” kicked back into gear Thursday in St. Louis, finding some seemingly solid talent under that giant arch. The show also reminded viewers just how much these singers stand to gain from this competition, beginning with a look back at a singer who turned up at “Idol” auditions in St. Louis a few years back: Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood, who went on to become one of “Idol’s” most successful contestants ever. Would another Underwood turn up in St. Louis this year? – LA Times
‘American Idol’ Season 11 St. Louis Auditions: The Best (and Worst) Contestants – Missouri is known as the “show me” state, and American Idol certainly wanted to show off in St. Louis by reminding everyone that this was the city that gave birth to the career of season 4 winner Carrie Underwood. – The Hollywood Reporter
‘American Idol’ recap St. Louis: season 11, audition city #7 – Tonight was a very leisurely hour for “Idol” but far more entertaining than Portland. Everyone, including the editors and the judges, seemed peppier this round. Forty-six folks make it to Hollywood. We hear a mere five of them and two not so good ones, plus a “silent” one. And we get three sob stories though nothing on the level of last night. Atlanta Journal Constitution
‘American Idol,’ Season 11, Episode 6, St. Louis: TV Recap – As a reminder of all that is “American Idol,” a flashback of sorts to the day, eight years ago, when Carrie Underwood took the trip to St. Louis to audition. It was St. Louis again tonight, though it’s difficult to say if a repeat Idol was born. If anyone comes close, it might just be a waiter from Florida. Sam Cooke’s “Change is Going to Come” was Johnny Keyser’s choice of songs. The judges loved him and he was instantly sent to Hollywood. – The Wall Street Journal
‘Idol’ in St. Louis: Carrie Underwood, William Hung, Madonna Upstage Actual Auditioners – Eight years ago, a little Oklahoman farmgirl you may have heard of named Carrie Underwood tried out for a little show called “American Idol,” and the rest was history. So when “Idol” returned to Carrie’s original audition city, St. Louis, this Thursday, they milked it for all it was worth, all in an attempt to convince viewers that The Next Carrie was somewhere to be found here in the gateway to the West. (Or “the gateway to ‘Idol’ success,” as Ryan Seacrest put it.) They kind of failed. – Reality Rocks
‘Idol’s’ St. Louis hopefuls have more stories than songs – “American Idol” closed its run of audition episodes by highlighting the St. Louis tryouts and inaugurating the first annual “Create Your Own Backstory Night.” OK, that’s unofficial. I have no proof of that. But the evidence based on what we saw is overwhelming. – Read more at MSNBC
