Idol-Talk: Season 10 Auditions - San Francisco

American Idol 10: San Francisco Auditions
Air Date: Wednesday, February 9, 2011 [8-9pm]

Audition City: San Francisco, CA

Well, we're now at the final audition stop of season 10. Is it just me, or did these auditions fly by really fast. I mean, it's almost been a month now since the premiere. Usually, or at least to me, these initial episodes seem to drag on forever and ever.

Best of the Night:

• Julie Zorrilla - "Summertime"
• She's from Colombia. When it comes to "Summertime" and American Idol, this is Fantasia's signature song, so she was very gutsy to be singing this one. And even though no other rendition may be able to compare to Fantasia's, Julie still did provide one of the best auditions of the night.
• Clint Jun Gamboa - "Billionaire" (I'll admit, this is the first time I've heard this song outside of Glee)
• Stefano Langone - "I Heard It Through the Grapevine"
• He was in a bad accident (car accident? they didn't specify), and was told he wouldn't be able to walk or be the same again. And he's from Kent, WA (my home state)

Good:

• James Durbin - (Unknown song) & Aerosmith's "Dream On"
• His mom raised him and his siblings. His dad died of a drug overdose.
• He was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome and Asperger's.
• Right from the first note to the finish, I said, "It's Adam Lambert." Now, while no one can match the brilliance that is Glambert, James was still really good. Even before he sung, there was something about either his facial expressions or mannerisms that also reminded me of Adam.
• Being compared to Adam may be his downfall, though. Last year, everyone compared Siobhan Magnus to Adam, but unfortunately she spiraled downward every week.

Producers Should Have Focused on Them More:

• Brittany Mazur
• Matthew Nuss
• These two had some pretty decent vocals, but I guess the producers thought they weren't worth our time to focus on.

Won't Last Long:

• Emily Anne Reed (house burned down one week ago)
• I really don't know what to make of her voice. The only Idol alum I could compare her to is Megan Joy, but Megan is definitely better. And since she is very much so in that singer/songwriter mode, I almost want to reject her since we need to go away from that more-so this year.

Bad, But Creative:

• Drew Beaumier
• He wore a Transformers outfit that, when in car mode, he could actually wheel around. I automatically dismiss auditioners who wear costumes, so it's a good thing he was terrible. But I have to say that this may be the most creative costume Idol's ever seen.

Many times, Steven Tyler toughened up with his criticisms; I hope we get a little more of than in the future. And we got a typically hilarious Steven Tyler comment when a woman dressed up in a police uniform; he said, "Do you have handcuffs?"

The auditions are now over with. I wish they would have said how many people in total made it through. But anyway, tonight is the start of Hollywood Week (8-9pm), the round that always provides some entertaining drama amongst the contestants. It was during Hollywood Week, incidentally, that I first took notice of Adam Lambert (speaking of him). See ya then...