By: Mary Cavaliere

Seven cities, 164 final contestants, and a brand new Hollywood week.  In their quest to narrow down the Top 50, the judges did not cut anyone during the first round.  If contestants did well, they got a free pass for later in the week, and if they did poorly, they were able to return over the next few days and take part in an acapella audition with ten other contestants on the stage with them. This approach was used instead of the group numbers as in past seasons.  Frankly, I’m glad they did away with the group approach as I found it to be unfair to those with great voices and a good work ethic to be paired up with others who were not at their level of commitment or performance.   Also this time around contestants were allowed to accompany themselves with instruments.  I’m not sure if this was a good decision or not since most that chose this route were distracted by their instrument and didn’t focus enough on their voice resulting in them being cut.

The song of the night was Everything I Do by Bryan Adams.  This is one of my favorite songs and hearing it massacred over and over again was not a pleasurable experience for me.  At some point in the show Ryan Seacrest said that the talent this year is stronger than ever.  Really?  Well they’ve got a long way to go in my opinion to be the next Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood.  No one blew me away like those girls did during their early auditions.

Some of my favorites did make it through so I’m pleased. Amanda Overmyer, the rock and roll nurse was no big surprise to me.  I knew she would make it.  I was worried, however, that Syesha Mercado wouldn’t make it through after having difficulties with her voice earlier in the week.  But she saved her voice for her last audition and belted out Aretha Franklin’s Chain of Fools and the judges loved her as much as I did.  Whew!  That was close!  Again I was extremely impressed with 16-year old David Archuleta who has the voice of an angel.  I can’t wait to hear more from this very modest young man.  My last favorite that made it through was Asiah Epperson who, in spite of losing her Dad, made it through her original audition prior to Hollywood.  I will admit that I hated her hairdo but I loved her voice!

Tonight I wasn’t as impressed with David Cooke or Michael Johns, but all three judges loved them both.  In fact Simon said Michael, who sang Bohemian Rhapsody, was the best audition of the day.  Well, the jury is still out for me on these two.  I was definitely not impressed with Josiah Leming, the homeless cry-baby who sang the worst rendition of Stand By Me I’ve ever heard.  If it were me making the decision there is no way I would have put him through while others, with much better voices, were sent home.  I’m not sure why all the judges like him so much.  First of all, I think if he’s going to be in this business he’s going to need to toughen up a bit or they’ll eat him up alive.  The crying ordeal really annoyed me.  And second, I’ll quote Simon here, “I think he thinks he is way better than he really is.”

My biggest disappointments of the night were the three single parents that didn’t make it through that I felt should have made the cut.  Perrie Cataldo, Suzanne Toon, and especially Angela Martin, the single Mom with the handicapped daughter.  What were the judges thinking? One of the contestants said in an interview afterwards that he knows there are some going home that shouldn’t be, and some staying that should not have been put through, and I have to say I agree. 

At the end of the show the judges deliberated to cut another 26 contestants to determine who the Top 24 will be.  Tomorrow night ought to prove to be interesting!

You can read more of Mary’s television blogs at www.myspace.com/italiangirl57