Rosado's Recaps: American Idol - The Cultute of Pop, DVD, Movie, TV, Pop Culture Review

Rosado's Recaps: American Idol

Posted: Thu, 10 Feb 2011 0:52:06 PST

Season 10, Episode 7

One month has passed since the premiere of American Idol, Season 10 with auditions in seven diverse cities, all with their fair share of talent and turkey...and it's almost time to distinguish the prime cut meat away from the fat in Tinseltown. But first, it's off to San Francisco for Idol's first visit there in a little over two years, a city where the wonder known as Adam Lambert was discovered in Season 8.

Inessa Lee-A lovely Ukraineian girl who's got her own My Space Channel along with the great moves, but the voice was a little all over the place on Air Supply's All Out Of Love...and the judges agreed. Unlike most drama queens that don't make the grade at an Idoll audition,, at least she had a diva moment at 78 RPM...she got out of there very fast...

Brittany Mazur, who had a nice, really nice vibratto on a perky take of Mercy, was the best of three female hopefuls in a single montage; all got thru.

Stefano Langone-Victim of a horrible accident that scarred his arms and kept him in a wheelchair for months. Despite the prognosis that he'd never walk again, he made it back. Nice take on Marvin Gaye's I Heard It Through The Grapevine, in the original key to boot (which Marvin had to struggle with himself to hit and was very uncomfortable with, btw).

Clint Jun Gamboa-Doesn't his last two names sound like a drink at Jambo Juice? Anyway, this karaoke D.J. with Dana Carvey glasses from The Master of Disguise that sounded like a mixture of Jerry Lewis and the Chipmunks to me, somehow got thru. Goner in Hollywood.

Weston Lee Smith-This guy got 30 seconds of Stevie Wonder out...and got stares that would have paralyzed me. NEXT?!

Drew Beaumier-Ah, Transformer guy making himself into a car...Did he mean to show up at Comic Con and wound up at an Idol audition instead?.

Julie Zorilla-Originally from Colombia and lucky to be alive considering the circumstances that made her family come to America, does a very impressive version of Summertime. Fantasia owned this song back in the 2003 season of Idol, but Julie puts her stamp on it. With the looks of Lea Michelle and the vibe of Norah Jones, even Steven (pun not intended) was showing those pearly whites...She's thru.

Dave Combs-Looking like a member of Molly Hatchet, he does Oh, Darlin' by The Beatles...and you guys know my Beatles litmus test requirements..and my God, this guy's trying his best to put his stamp on it, but there's no melody, at all...and hot damn, Steven says the same thing! We're blood brothers, man!! Beatles blood brothers! He's even wearing a Beatles tee!

I've so got to hang with this guy....

Emily Ann-Sweet soundign soul whose house burned down just before she travelved to San Fran, but thank God, she's got her life and her six string. In one of the most charming auditions I've ever seen, she does one of my movie musical faves, Your're Getting To Be A Habit With Me (from 42^nd Street; even naming the composer, Harry Warren, which earns bonus points with me; I love people who know their musical history).. It's so off the beaten path and adorable that despite Steven's hesitant thumbs down, she finds support from Randy and J-Lo. Even Steven comes around a bit in the end courtesy of her nice guitar picking. Another one to watch, kids.

James Durbin- Raised in a musical fanily whose bass playing father died of an overdose when he was just nine years old, James faced some uphill battles I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy (well, maybe Michelle on this season of the Bachelor, but that's another blog entry). Meds for a sleep disorder, Tourette's Syndrome and Aspergers, , Fortunately, he met a woman whom he fell in love with who changed his life and made him a father. Despite, the hard times he's going thru, this guy with an appealing Ed Grimley/Joe Strummer (The Clash) hairdo calmed his nervers and gave one hell of an audition on the old blues tune You Shook Me All Night Long that sounded like a cross between Adam Lambert and James Brown...and it was something to see and hear.

Need I say another one to watch? And we are CLEAR!

Audition's are finito! Next stop, Hollywood, baby...Can't wait! - Blog ya', later? K.

J.R.

Jeffrey Rosado is a writer, performer, pop culture historian and all around nice guy, unless you butcher a Beatles tune....Enough said.

Follow Jeff on Twitter: marquee_man