Here’s what critics around the interwebs are saying about last night’s American Idol 12 Charlotte auditions. You can read my recap here.
‘American Idol’ recap: Country Discomfort – Welcome to Charlotte, NC, where the security guard doesn’t even know who famed race car driver Ryan Seacrest is. What a quaint fictional land! Wednesday’s auditions brought us tons of talent, so let’s focus on that instead of the over-hyped Nicki Minaj vs. Mariah Carey brawl that Idol refused to even air, opting instead to show a group debate in which Nicki Minaj somehow emerged as a rational hero. Whatever, you know? I’m sick of caring about their conflict. These two obviously can’t stand each other, but tonight they found common ground in that they both lust after extra-tasty-crispy turkey bacon (surely a possible new #nickiname for Mariah) — so why not just focus on the positive? Here’s who made it to Hollywood! – Read more at EW.com
American Idol Recap: Do the Fight Thing – Godzilla vs. Mothra. Batman vs. Joker. Coke vs. Pepsi. Michigan vs. Notre Dame. Randy Jackson vs. the English language. These are the rivalries that define the modern age. They’re long-standing. They’re heated. And pretty much everybody’s got an opinion on ‘em. And now we’ve got…Nicki vs. Mariah? Divas, pleeeease. – Read more at TV Line
‘American Idol’ Recap: Showdown in Charlotte – McCreery brought much of his aw-shucks wholesomeness in a brief appearance kicking off on Wednesday night’s edition of auditions, hugging adoring fans and appearing from a scissor lift smiling for the cameras outside the Time Warner Cable Arena. “Two years ago, I was standing in the stands like y’all,” he said, recalling how Seacrest said that the next American Idol could be in the room. A little later during auditions at the Charlotte Raceway, a cute exchange between Urban and Carey revealed how the star got into writing songs. She was 6 years old and began by writing poems. – Read more at The Hollywood Reporter
What Was That ‘American Idol’ Feud All About? Nothing, Really – “This is where it all happened,” host Ryan Seacrest ominously intoned at the start of Wednesday’s “American Idol” episode. Ryan, of course, was referring to Charlotte, North Carolina, the infamous audition city where catfighting alpha-female judges Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj went from frenemies to full-on enemies–and some intrepid TMZ spy was conveniently on the scene, flipcam in hand, to document what went down. This Wednesday, viewers would finally find out what really happened to set off the feud heard ’round the Interweb back in October. – Read more at Yahoo Music
‘American Idol’ Recap: Candice Glover Returns, Outshines Nicki-Mariah Tussle – The highly-publicized fight between Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey came and went Wednesday night — and, honestly, with little bang. After months of “when will it happen?” tension, Minaj walked out on the judges panel following a disagreement stemming from a singer’s choice of musical genre in which to immerse herself. That’s right, the Minaj-Carey feud started when a contestant made a dismissive comment about a genre – country music – in which she had dabbled. Understandably, Keith Urban took the comment a bit more to heart than one usually might, and Carey, Urban and Randy Jackson embarked on a long analysis of the singer and how she shouldn’t be writing off country when, they believe, the music suits her voice. – Read more at Billboard
‘American Idol’ Recap: Nicki Minaj Storms Off the Set – But first a few Idol hopefuls have to sing for their shot at the stars: Nicki, who appears to be wearing some poor child’s cotton candy on her head, instantly dubs Naomi Morris “owe me” because if she gets through to Hollywood, you owe me. But Nicki wants to take it back once she hears Naomi butcher Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” like it’s a hog and she’s an artisanal butcher on her way to a farmer’s market. Nicki tells her to stick to fashion design and then asks her if she can have her studded bra, but Mariah insists it’s too small for Nicki. Nicki rolls her eyes hard, even though Mariah was right. – Read more at Rolling Stone
‘American Idol’ Recap: ‘Crazy Swag’ In North Carolina Auditions – Candice Glover, a 22-year-old administrative assistant from South Carolina, set the bar pretty high for herself when she said people regularly compared her to Season 11 “Idol” stunner Joshua Ledet. But she raised it even higher when she belted out a knock-down, drag-out version of Duffy’s “Syrup & Honey” that brought the judges to their feet.
“Best audition I’ve heard so far this season. What the what!” exclaimed Randy Jackson, while Mariah said Glover’s voice was “the absolute best singing we have heard thus far.” Nicki Minaj took things a step further, saying she was so obsessed with her that she wanted to skin her and wear her, then followed by saying, “if you don’t go to the last round of this competition, something’s wrong.” – Read more at MTV
Nicki Minaj Walks Off “American Idol,” Stands Up For Artists – Last night’s American Idol was allegedly all about the drama that ensued when Nicki Minaj decided to walk off set during the auditions in Charlotte, N.C., but if anything it signaled a shift for the show. Historically, one of the biggest points of tension between the judges and the hopefuls has been about “who you are as an artist”—what demographic box you want to stick yourself in before you foist yourself onto the world. (Season 11 winner Scotty McCreery, who was on hand for the Charlotte tryouts, is a perfect example of a singer who’s laser-focused on his target demo; his constant flogging of Josh Turner’s “Your Man” showed how he was a preternaturally young flirt, ready to have his cheeks pinched by the same fingers that texted in votes for him. He did look a little more grown-up las tnight, though!) – Read more at Pop Dust
