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Is today Opposite Day?
As entertaining as the American Idol auditions can be at times, I’m glad they’re over for season seven, and I’m not convinced it was worth a whole month of programming to show so much of them. I’m sure, based on what we’ve been told over and over, that this year’s finalists are great, but I don’t think I’ve seen 24 “great” singers among those they’ve shown in the auditions. And I know for sure that I’ve seen some lousy singers get put through to Hollywood, usually by Paula and Randy, maybe just to annoy Simon.

What was it with Joshua Jones, the glass worker last night in Atlanta, who couldn’t even sing facing the judges because his facial expression was distracting? How in the world did he get through? But that’s the kind of thing that’s been happening over and over this season. At least the losers on tonight’s catch-all show were entertaining, if not in the sense they intended. Jay Smoove, who sings in “the helium area,” was so over the top he was funny, but he wouldn’t know real soul if he had the ghosts of Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye singing backup (and throwing glitter and rose petals).

And none of the Three’s Company gang could sing a lick, but they were awfully cute together. I’m not sure why Alesha Stelzl was given a golden ticket, but she did sound a bit like Dolly Parton (in the helium area) when she was allowed to come back. It was pretty brave of her to learn on the spot to sing like Dolly, whom she apparently had never heard sing in all her 18 years.

But I’ve had enough of the raw recruits. Let’s see some down and dirty Hollywood drama.

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