Here’s what critics around the interwebs are saying about last night’s American Idol 12 San Antonio/Long Beach auditions. You can read my recap here.
‘American Idol’ recap: Life Is Like a Song – Whew! Wednesday’s San Antonio and Long Beach auditions were jam-packed with mucho vocal talent, a refreshing (though brief) absence of the Nicki-Mariah “feral cats in heat” vibe, and plenty of light sob stories to get those waterworks going — if you tune in to American Idol to cry, which I always do. All in all, it was a pretty big night for Ryan! So let’s get to it. Fifty singers moved on from these two cities; we met 15. And they are…. – Read more at Entertainment Weekly
American Idol Recap: Some Wails in Two Cities – If I’m being completely honest, the sometimes uninspiring Golden Ticket recipients from tonight’s two-city, two-hour extravaganza had me wondering if maybe Nigel Lythgoe & Co. should’ve considered additional cuts. But ultimately, the episode was not without its charms: “The great Randy Jackson” ridiculing Shubha Vedula’s name in front of a national TV audience (how dare she not change it to something Dawg-friendly like Mary Smith…I kid, I kid…Mary has two syllables!); skipper Mariah Carey’s breasts frantically scrambling from her dress (negligee?) in search of one of the Queen Mary’s life boats (srsly, girlfriend gives The Voice‘s Christina Aguilera a run for her cleavage); and Keith Urban nailing understated punch line after punch line after punch line. (Dude is giving The Voice‘s Blake Shelton a run for his funny!) – Read more at TV Line
A single mom, a war vet and one “Papa Peachez” are among the standouts from the San Antonio and Long Beach auditions. – One of the biggest fallacies of American Idol is that the competition is all about talent. Bwahahaha! As we all know after 12 seasons, it’s just not enough to have a good voice. Most contestants now require a solid backstory, preferably one that induces viewers’ tears or builds intrigue: OMG, Phillip Phillips is a pawn shop worker! Fantasia Barrino is a single mom! Whatshisface lived in his car! – Read more at The Hollywood Reporter
‘American Idol’ Recap: Adam Sanders & Papa Peachez Shock the Judges – “American Idol” rolled into two different cities during Wednesday night’s auditions – San Antonio and Long Beach. The differences between the two? Location, certainly. But beyond that, the episode presented two locations that produced very similar talent, in that the talent was, for the most part, good. Like, really good.
In fact, the show barely had time for its throwaway contestants that didn’t make it through. That’s a boring proposition for many, but then, that’s the new “Idol”: mostly positive and focusing on the best (or, at least, the sob stories), with a few choice weirdos. – Read more at Billboard.com
American Idol Recap: You’ve Got Me Feeling Emotions – Tonight’s show shook me up a little, you guys. I felt feelings. Not the ones they’re grabbing me by the shoulders and trying to shake out of me, either. Different feelings. Some of them are good. Most are not. Come feel them with me. Ryan opens the show by telling us: “Tonight, it’s a tale of two cities.” And indeed, the auditions will take place in San Antonio and Long Beach, which are definitely two different places. Your story checks out, Seacrest. As for the rest of you: Are you worried that he might not say “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” and be punctuated by good and bad singers, respectively? Are you concerned that Randy won’t tell you that everything’s bigger in Texas? Well, don’t even trip, because those two things happen in the first 60 seconds of the show, 20 of which are the opening credits. – Read more at Vulture.com
‘American Idol’ Long Beach & San Antonio Auditions: Such Great Heights – Despite a certain undeniable similarity between its past five champions, “American Idol” is still supposed to be a melting pot of talent, a show on which singers of all different races, religions, genders, genres, shapes, and sizes can hopefully all get a shot at becoming America’s next pop superstar. And during this Wednesday’s “Idol” Long Beach/San Antonio auditions episode, one singer of a particularly unusual size, 4’9″ Matheus Fernandes, proved that the great equalizing “Idol” dream is still alive and well, when he wowed the judges with a huge voice that belied his tiny frame. – Read more at Yahoo Music
‘American Idol’ Recap: Nicki Minaj Ignores Basic Fire Safety – Nicki Minaj would prefer to go down with the ship than to walk down the Queen Mary’s gangplank in her enormous platform heels. At least that’s the impression we got when the fire alarm went off and Nicki just sat there rolling her eyes until Nigel Lythgoe himself told her to scoot. The excitement all started when 16-year old Jesaiah Baer started singing Kimbra’s “Settle Down” and the docked cruise ship’s fire alarm went off, forcing the logistical nightmare of a mandatory evacuation of a thousand American Idol hopefuls, and Nicki. For her part, mama Mariah Carey was the first one off the ship, knocking a few deckhands and Randy Jackson out of the way. When the all-clear was finally given, Jesaiah resumed her performance and earned a ticket to Hollywood. – Read more at Rolling Stone
‘American Idol’ Recap: Peachez And Cream In Texas Judges Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj put their differences aside to send 19-year-old Papa Peachez to Hollywood. – What’s in a name? Last year, “American Idol” introduced us to Phillip Phillips, and from the moment his name was mentioned for the first time, it seemed as though the crown was his. On Wednesday’s episode of “Idol,” which covered the show’s San Antonio and Long Beach auditions, viewers were introduced to a few more singers who sounded like winners in name alone: Cristabel Clack, Shubha Vedula and, last but most certainly not least, Papa Peachez. OK, Papa Peachez is a bit of a cheat, since we’re fairly sure that’s not the name on his birth certificate. But if there’s been a contestant with a better handle in the history of “Idol,” we’re not recalling. – Read more at MTV.com
‘Idol’ L.A. and San Antonio auditions: The recap – It’s the final week of American Idol auditions, and what has appeared to be a lackluster field of contestants finally started to shape up Wednesday. Auditions from San Antonio and Long Beach, Calif., gave Idol viewers some singers to root for. Apparently, Sunday’s the day to go to San Antonio if you want to hear music, because two of the city’s most promising contestants — Vincent Powell and Cristabel Clack — both work as worship ministers. Another singer, Victoria Acosti, brought a little mariachi flavor to the auditions — she works on the city’s Riverwalk as a mariachi singer, though she first auditioned with Fergie’s Big Girls Don’t Cry. – Read more at USA Today
Taylor Hicks’ ‘American Idol’ Blog: A Winner’s Guide to the Audition Process – Taylor Hicks first swept us off of our feet in 2006 when he crooned his way to win season five of American Idol. Since his victory, the Alabama native has been quite busy: he has released three albums, is the owner of a popular restaurant (check out Saw’s Juke Joint here) and is doing a residency at Paris Las Vegas’ Napoleon’s through December 2013 (check out his show dates and get tickets here). Hicks blogged about last night’s episode of Idol for PARADE and can be found on Twitter at @taylorhicks. – Read more at Parade.com
