AI 15.3 Auditions - Philadelphia

     Last Wednesday night the auditions came from Philadelphia, and it was a little disappointing.

     But still, it's American Idol, so that's something. And there's some nights that are just clunkers.

     The first contestant was Gianna Isabella, who was wearing something like a quilt, maybe? Or a nightgown? Anyway, her mom was a dance-pop star from the 80's. She sang "House of the Rising Sun", which is a weird song in the first place, but it seemed especially wrong for a girl to sing it. Her voice was okay. Keith acted very gentlemanly.
     Next was a guy named Derek who was awful. But he had a boombox, which was an AI first. "It's a yes for the boom box." - Keith.
     A farm kid named Isaac Cole McNanny was next. "So it's like an Irish babysitter," Keith explained to the other judges on how to pronounce his last name. He sang Lee Brice's "Love Like Crazy" extremely well, which impressed me. His hair was horrible, though.
     Sara Sturm reminded me a bit of Courtney's friend Libby. Her voice was better than I expected, singing some Meghan Trainor song, but she was just far too bouncy. It was a little overly Tigger-ish for me.
     Ellis Banks was a bizarre janitor singing "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga. The judges laughed him out of the room, as they should have.
     Jenn Blosil was extremely awkward. And not in a good way.... Like in a borderline terrifying way. Her voice wasn't terrible(she did "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons), but I was very disappointed that the judges let her through. She reminded me of Brooke White from season 7, likely because she also listed her job as in child care(Brooke White was a nanny). JayLo called this audition "very compelling", while Keith was a bit stumped for what to say. "I spell my name with two N's whenever I don't add the -ifer." - JayLo.
      Harrison Cohen brought his grandpa along, and everyone had a blast with Grandpa's dating tips. "Don't be nervous. Consider this audition just as Tinder on steroids," Keith tried to loosen him up before the actual audition. He sang a really strange original song and they let him through. Then there was a dating montage, and JayLo explained to Keith what Grandpa's advice actually meant. (Apparently it was good; something about being sure to compliment whatever she's most insecure about herself.)
     The final contestant of the night was Jonathan Arthur Greene, who had a tragic backstory of accidentally shooting his older brother when he was eight. His voice was just all over the place, way too wild. It seemed too Broadway like. Plus it was Keith's song "Somebody Like You", which made it a little awkward. And the rhythm was off. But they let him through anyway.

     Though I don't usually care for crime-procedural shows, Aubrey Plaza was guest-starring on Criminal Minds right afterwards as a terrorist in a restaurant, which resulted in a couple well-written quips: "You're not sorry. 'Sorry' is what people are when they don't understand." - Kat Adams(Plaza). "Most hitmen are basically Swiss Army Knives of murder," - Spencer Reid.