American Idol 11 – Aspen Auditions

The American Idol crew visit yet another new to them city. Snowy Aspen, Colorado is the stop for tonight’s episode.

First up is self-professed “overly enthusiastic” teacher Jenny Schick (24) she sings Heartbreaker  (Pat Benatar). She is a bit hyper but she isn’t too bad. Her voice is a bit thin, but she has a look that would likely be appealing to the voting public. The night starts off on a positive note and she is sent to Hollywood.

Curtis Gray (28) – It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye (Boyz II Men) – he has a passably nice voice, but I am not blown away. The judges disagree. He has that blue-eyed soul vibe that tends to do well on the show. Hollywood bound.

Richie Law (19) is a deep-voiced country kid (similar to last year’s winner, Scotty). Devan Jones (26) has a cool R&B take on The Script’s The Man Who Can’t Be Moved. Mathenee Treco (25) sings  Hey Jude (The Beatles) and does a nice, if overwrought, na – na – na breakdown that seemed to win over the judges. All three make it to Hollywood.

Tealana Hedgespeth (19) – is a twin that wants to escape the orbit of her sister. She sings Melissa Etheridge’s  Bring Me Some Water. She is going to have to do an amazing job to win me over. I am not a Melissa fan and this is one of my least favorite tunes…she is really bad. This is the first really bad audition that I have seen in Season 11…too much.

Haley Smith (18) – vegetarian meat department worker…she has a very hippie vibe so I am super shocked that she chose Tell Me Something Good (Rufus f. Chaka Khan). She brings a different vibe to the song but all of her notes are spot on and she is really enjoyable to listen too. Going to Hollywood.

Alanna Snare (22) – this was a hot mess of an audition. I am so made for Dolly Parton because she messed up the classic Jolene so badly I can hardly stand it.

AMERICAN IDOL: Aspen contestant Shelby Meredith on AMERICAN IDOL airing Wednesday, Jan. 25 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. CR: Michael Becker / FOX.

Shelby Tweten (17) – I love her Minnesotan accent, it is so cute! She is bi-polar and is taking a stand for those afflicted with the disorder. She sings Temporary Home (Carrie Underwwod) and she even has a bit of a Carrie look. She is surprisingly good. She’s going to Hollywood.

More bad,  no name, auditioners greets us. Ugh…but that leads us into Jairon Jackson (19). Against advice from friends and family, he performs an original song called So Hard. It is not the best song I have ever heard – but his tenor is so pretty the judges give him the golden ticket.

Angie Zeiderman (25) – this young lady is a super Gaga lover and I am not sure what she wants to represent today. She is a bit of a mess on her version of When You Got It, Flaunt It (The Producers). She is a bit of an attention-seeker and is my least favorite type of auditioner. Somehow she is allowed the opportunity to sing another song Blue Bayou (Linda Ronstadt) and she can actually sing – but she is just too much. J Lo agrees with me – but the guys put her through.

The last person to audition was an odd person called Magic Cyclops…that is all of the mention he deserves.

Tonight was more of a miss than a hit. Somehow they were able to give away 31 golden tickets. I wish we had seen more of the winners. I hope tomorrow’s auditions in Houston are much improved.