By Mary Cavaliere

100,000 contestants auditioned for this season of American Idol but only 147 made it to Hollywood, namely the Kodak Theater, to continue the competition.  They were graced with hair and make-up experts and were also provided vocal coaching and a bit of mentoring from music legend Barry Manilow.  Unfortunately none of this really prepared them for the next round of auditions and many had to endure their dreams crashing down around them.

Contestants were presented to the judges in groups of eight.  They were allowed to sing anything they wanted, but it had to be acapella, and at the end of this very short audition they were either IN or OUT.  There were no more chances to be had during this round, and those that hung around to argue with the judges found there was no turning back once the judges made their decision.
My favorites from this round were Anoop Desai, Nathanial Marshall, Jasmine Murray, Stephen Fowler, Jackie Tohn, Jamar Rogers, and Danny Gokee, but my numero uno so far is Jorge Nunez.  What a voice!  

I love that the “funny guy” Nick Mitchell aka Norman made it through.  He does have a nice voice, but I’m not sure he’s got the pipes to compete with some of the other hopefuls.  But he is so darn entertaining to both the judges and the viewers that I hope the judges keep him around for “good TV”.   He’s not William Hung funny, he’s Robin Williams funny and whether he makes it through the next round or not, hopefully he’s gotten enough air time to have a few comedic opportunities presented his way in the near future. 
What was NOT funny was that Katrina Darrell aka “Bikini Girl” made it through yet another round.  Kara made a joke that Katrina needed to bring her pole next time and I think she should.  Let the guys get their thrill and then please ladies, be aggressive and send this girl packing.  If she could actually sing well I’d be behind her 100%, but I’d be sad that she feels she needs to use her looks and her body to move forward in the competition.  The fact that she has to do this at all shows her talent is minimal and cannot stand alone on its own merit.  She thinks the female judges are jealous of her.  Why is that?  Both Kara and Paula are beautiful women AND they can both sing!  They’re not jealous Katrina….they just know good talent when they see it and hear it.  That’s the key phrase…..WHEN THEY SEE IT AND HEAR IT.

Tuesday night the drama continued…..and I mean DRAMA.  There were lots of tears and lots of fighting and honestly, there was too much of it.  I found it extremely uncomfortable to watch.  Forty contestants went home after the first couple of days in Hollywood and now we were down to 107.  Part of Hollywood hell week is performing in groups where one person can make or break the others and that is exactly what happened with many of the ensembles.

The biggest turn-offs of the night were Tatianna (who I can’t believe made it through…..ugh), Katrina (the bikini girl who is finally gone…..thank you!!!!) and Nancy Wilson who not only sang poorly but behaved badly when things didn’t go the way she wanted.  Granted Katrina wasn’t the best performance partner, but that kind of hatefulness isn’t necessary.  I think many of these young people think it’s just about the singing but it’s more than that.  It’s about professionalism.  It’s about perseverance.  It’s about hard work and teamwork.

I’m ecstatic that three more of my favorites made it through to the next round - Adam Lambart, Danny Gokee, and Jamar Rogers.  Hollywood hell continues next week as the judges trim the fat and get the competition down to only 32 contestants.
You can read more of Mary’s television blogs at www.myspace.com/italiangirl57

(Photo courtesy of FOX)

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