American Idol
News (Page 9)

Last night, American Idol whittled its number of contestants down to 75.

It did so via its annual group night, which divided the singers into various, cat-fighting groups. While we'd have preferred to have seen these crooners belting out songs on their own, here are a few lessons learned from the evening:

Tatiana del Toro is a nightmare. She cries, she whines, she invokes God too often... yet she's talented enough to likely move on.

Adam Lambert might finish in the top five. Sure, he's a bit over-the-top. But imagine if he can translate that Broadway-centric voice to pop/rock?!?

Danny Gokey (pictured) is great.  Matt Giraud? Decent.  Kris Allen? Definite sleeper potential.

Emily Wynn-Hughes' choke job was reminiscent of (dated professional basketball reference alert!) Nick Anderson's foul shooting performance in the 1995 NBA Finals.

Close to 150 contestants were rewarded with golden tickets following the initial rounds of American Idol auditions.

Last night, the show began to whittle that figure down to 36.

A handful of aspiring crooners stood out, from those with silly names (Lil Rounds) to those with tragic personal stories (Danny Gokey).

Click on the photos below for closer looks at the top Hollywood auditioners from last night. One of these could be the next American Idol...

Yesterday, a reliable American Idol source reported a handful of contestants rumored to advance to season eight's final 36.

Now, that same blogger has gone all the way.

Here's an unofficial look at which aspiring singer move on to the fan-voting rounds this season. One of these crooner will be your next American Idol...

• Adam Lambert
• Alexander Wagner-Trugman
• Alexis Grace
• Allison Iraheta
• Ann Marie Boskovich
• Anoop Desai
• Arianna Ayesha Afsar
• Brent Keith
• Casey Carlson
• Danny Gokey
• Jackie Tohn
• Jasmine Murray
• Jeanine Vailes
• Michael Bartul
• Jessica Langseth
• Joanna Pacitti (pictured)
• Jorge Nunez
• Junot Joyner
• Kai Kalama
• Kendall Beard
• Kristen McNamara
• Kris Allen
• Lil Rounds
• Matt Breitzke
• Matt Giraud
• Megan Corkrey
• Mishavonna Henson
• Nate McGee
• Nick Western
• Ricky Braddy
• Scott MacIntyre
• Stephen Fowler
• Stevie Wright
• Taylor Vaifanua
• Tatiana Del Toro
• Von Smith

American Idol held its latest round of auditions in Salt Lake City last night.

While a few contestants made names for themselves and advanced to Hollywood, they aren't the lead Idol story this morning.

Instead, we're focused on a report - courtesy of blogger "JoesPlace" - that lists the following singers as being included in season eight's round of 36:

• Adam Lambert: Pictured below, auditioned in San Francisco. Has an extensive background in theater, having just appeared in a production of Wicked. Sang "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen for his initial try out.

• Felicia Barton: Only shown briefly during Louisville auditions. Her music videos and pics have been taken down from MySpace, typically a sign of having advanced. From Virginia Beach.

• Lil Rounds: Auditioned in St. Louis. Lost her home in a tornado. Blew judges away with her rendition of “All I Do” by Stevie Wonder. Compared to Mary J. Blige.

• Kendall Beard: Nashville-based singer/songwriter. Rumored to first audition tonight. Graduated from University of Texas at Austin with a B.A in Communication Studies.

We're gonna add a name to this list ourselves:

• Taylor Vaifanua: Received unanimous approval for Hollywood following her audition last night. Her official website and all photos on MySpace have been removed.

Ladies and gentlemen, we're excited to present season eight's first bonefied contender for the American Idol crown:

Anne Marie Boskovich.

This beautiful singer received unanimous approval for the Hollywood round last night, following a rendition of "Bubbly." Check it out below:

While other contestants, such as Jasmine Murray and T.K. Hash also impressed judges, none stood out more than Boskovich.

This singer has a background that includes a song on the soundtrack for The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea; she also sang "God Bless America" at the 2003 NBA All-Star game.

Click on the following Ann Marie photos for larger pics of this aspiring crooner:

Two wholly opposite contestants made it through on American Idol last night:

1. Joanna Pacitti. Critics might consider this contestant to be a ringer. She signed a deal with Geffen Records in 2006 and even released an album. It tanked and she was released from the label in September 2007. Sang She sang “We Belong” by Pat Benetar and grew emotional when she received her ticket to Hollywood.

2. Leneshe Young. No previous professional experience here. Barely even a home. This 18-year old from Cincinnati sang an original song for her audition. Simon Cowell compared her to Leona Lewis.

Will Joanna Pacitti be your next American Idol?

Raquel Houghton may soon become a household name.

The aspiring singer had her ticket for Hollywood punched on American Idol last night.

Among the tidbits we've learned about Houghton so far are:

• She was a singer with The Valli Girls, an all-girl quintet that appeared on the 2005 Kid’s Choice Awards soundtrack;
• She dated comedian Dane Cook for two years.

In fact, here's a shot of Houghton and Cook at the September 2006 premiere for his lousy movie, Employee of the Month:

Excuse the pun, but San Francisco didn't yield very many treats during last night's American Idol auditions there.

Here's a round-up of the featured singers that were put through to the next round:

Tatiana Del Toro: 22, singer/actress from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Sang “Never Loved a Man” by Aretha Franklin. Way over the top, but judges put her through to Hollywood.

Jesus Valenzula: 29, fleet manager from North Highlands, CA. Sang “Nice and Slow” by Usher. Simon instantly said no, but he was overruled by the other three judges, which was a common theme on the evening.

Adam Lambert: 26, pictured, stage actor from Hollywood, CA. Sang “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen. Simon thought he was overly, theatrical but all four judges agreed he had potential.

John Twiford: 27, music teacher from Sherman Oaks, CA. Sang “Overjoyed” by Stevie Wonder. Nothing special, but good enough for a golden ticket.

Allison Iraheta: 16, high school student from Los Angeles. Sang “Natural Woman” by Aretha Franklin. Only showed a short clip, but apparently was good enough to move on.

Raquel Houghton: 23, waitress/bartender from Los Angeles, CA. Sang “Son of a Preacher Man” by Dusty Springfield. Very good. Off to Hollywood!

Kai Kalama: 26,  musician from San Clemente, CA. Sang “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” by the Platters. Not great, but story of how Kai takes care of his mother, who suffers from seizures, likely helped him advance to next round.

In case Katrina Darrell in a bikini and a contestant named Lil Rounds haven't been enough for you so far on season eight of American Idol, Fox reality chief Mike Darnell says a surprise is on the way.

"There's a big surprise coming when we get to the Top 12, but I can't reveal it right now," he told TV Week in an interview this weekend.  "It is something that will be talked about and is something I think that has some element of controversy surrounding it."

Darnell added that fans needn't be afraid, however. As Barack Obama has proven, change can be a good thing.

"It's not going to change what you think of American Idol and we don't want to do that. This show is, you know, a phenomenon. It's American, it's apple pie. We're not changing the core of the show."

Katrina Darrell and Casey Carlson are both American Idol contestants on season eight. Each received a golden ticket to Hollywood on the show's opening week.

Each also has a bikini-baring past, but that's where the comparisons end.

Darrell donned a bathing suit during her actual audition; Carlson, conversely, posed for a series of pictures in her swimwear, all part of a calender whose profits benefit breast cancer research.

Still, two American Idol hopefuls. Two bikini photos. Compare then below:

Which bikini babe looks better?