WBKR Review: American Idol’s Oklahoma Auditions [Audio]

American Idol season 4 champ Carrie Underwood hails from Oklahoma.  So, producers naturally thought that it would be a breeding ground for some amazing new talent.  As WBKR Idol expert Steve Thompson explains, they may have been mistaken.

This morning, Steve and I chatted about last night's show and broke it down.

From Steve Thompson:

This was the most ridiculous waste of time since the last episode of Hawaii Five-O.  We had one hour basically wasted and showing the American public yet more of those people either fooled by themselves or fooled by others.  I seriously doubt if we saw anyone tonight that will still be standing by the top 40.

Karl Skinner from Joplin, MO looks like yet another country singer.  Wait a minute!  He's singing James Brown?   I Feel Good.  An interesting beginning for tonight's show, but nothing to write home about.  I found his original song where the fourth line of each stanza refused to yield to any rhyme an odd choice. (Granted, I have yet to sell any of the 700+ lyrics I've composed-- but the lines cried out for a rhyme that didn't exist.)

I really liked Nate Tao who sang For Once in My Life. His parents are deaf and he has to use American Sign Language to converse with them.  As someone else pointed out, at least his parents could honestly say they don't know how well he can sing.  Consider how many of these parents are apparently tone deaf...

Ventriloquist Halie Hilburn and Oscar. Let me go on record right now and say that I already like Oscar better than most of the guys that have been sent on to Hollywood.  Halie sings the old Patty Montana classic I Want to be a Cowboy's Sweetheart, and does the song justice.  She would've been a female Terry Fator on America's Got Talent-- although the sign "will yodel for food" may haunt my memory for a little while.

Zoanette Johnson-- is she for real?  She turned the National Anthem into the National Arrhythmia.  I can't believe that the judges gave her a pass.  Granted, she showed some range that reminded me of a bit of the late Minnie Ripperton...  But she was so over the top, I just couldn't begin to take her seriously.  Maybe she straightens up in Hollywood-- but I'm not holding my breath.

Anastacia Freeman decides to sing Unbreak My Heart by Toni Braxton.  This audition was so bad, Toni should declare bankruptcy.  Oh, wait...  Seriously, I have been brought up to respect religion and people who claim religion-- but I find it hard to believe that the Lord Himself decided to tell this girl to embarrass herself and her family on national television.  Frankly, this sounded more like a psychotic break than it did an actual conversation...  Interesting that as she tears up her number, she says she never listened to Mariah and that Nicki worships the Devil, anyway.  I guess Keith got the proverbial pass.

Well, we have something that I would compare to the Make a Wish Foundation.  The judges decide that Kayden Stephenson, a kid who has been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis since he was eighteen months old, will be going to Hollywood.  Newsflash: he really didn't sing I Wish that well.  (Yeah, I liked Oscar better than this kid.)

Next week, we are already at the Hollywood Rounds.  If this episode was any indicator, not a moment too soon.

@January 31, 2013  Stephen W Thompson