Some of you expressed outrage over the quick dispatch of Jessica Bassett from the American Idol Salt Lake City auditions by Harry Connick Jr. and Keith Urban. Both felt she wasn’t ready yet. “You guys are crazy,” said Jennifer Lopez, who immediately said yes, “You let the good ones slip away.”
Also outraged, was Ellen Degeneres, who tweeted her after her performance and invited the singer on her talk show to perform the original song she auditioned with, called “Lydia.”
Jessica’s dismissal was odd considering all of the mediocre contestants who received golden tickets. She was better than several of the successful SLC hopefuls. Having said that, although she has potential as a songwriter, her singing voice is thin, breathy, and lacks affect. If judges solely on her singing voice, I can understand the no.
Also, I was really surprised to find out she was 22! On Ellen, she gushed like a teenager. At one point, saying she was so glad she didn’t make Idol if it meant appearing on Ellen (She’ll find out quickly that she’ll get very little mileage out of that.). Her childish demeanor may have played into Keith and Harry’s decision to say no.
Watch Jessica’s performance below. What do you think…was the singer robbed?
