No juicy soundbites to be had from this afternoon’s Randy Jackson press conference call. Much of it is rehash from the Idol judge’s recent Billboard interview.
Calling audition city Orlando “strange” without much explanation was probably the most notable quote. More below:
Randy’s thoughts on the audition cities: (via Idol Chatter)
Randy pointed out Atlanta and Dallas as two of the season’s best audition cities for him. “For me, I thought Orlando was really strange, just in terms of the talent and who came out.” Boston, with its music schools and conservatories, “was surprisingly a good town for us.” That doesn’t mean the auditions there generated “a lot” of golden tickets. “You have to show more than just talent for those tickets.” Boston’s audition will air Tues., Jan. 12, the season’s first night.
And his thoughts on new judge Ellen Degeneres and the guest judges: (via LA Times)
As for other changes on the show, Jackson promises that, with the addition of Ellen Degeneres, there should be “a lot of laughs” on the panel this year. “She’s funny, she’s charismatic, she’s really cool… she’s my homegirl from Louisiana like me!” Guest judges for the audition portions, Jackson revealed, include Joe Jonas, Shania Twain, Victoria Beckham, Neil Patrick Harris, and Mary J. Blige, along with Avril Lavigne and Katy Perry who bring an element much needed to the auditioning process: a younger perspective. Still, the “Idol” criteria remains the same: “Undeniable talent, something that makes you unique and star persona, ” said Jackson.
Randy wonders where his ladies are at, “Boys have won the last couple of seasons, and I sat there last season scratching my head, like ‘Where are the girls?’ Where did all the ladies go?’ So I think there’s a lot of really talented girls that showed up this time.”
So yeah, I’m thinking, after two straight years of boy winners, TPTB are gunning for a girl this year.
