Top 24 | Napping at Red Lights

Are Reality Contestants Entitled to Any Privacy?

March 4, 2008

When someone decides to become a contestant on a reality show, does that mean that they give up all rights to their privacy?

Sure when people sign up for shows like Moment of Truth or Amnesia they are asking for the personal lives to be delved into. But what about other shows?

Let’s take American Idol as an example. I think it’s reasonable for the audience to wonder about the past singing experience of any American Idol contender.

I myself did some searching to find out the past experience of the Top 12 men and the Top 12 women when the Top 24 was announced. I checked for evidence of their skills in music, theater and modeling because I thought those were the things that could impact their success on the show.

But where is the line of what is relevant and what is just gossip?

Does it matter that David Archuleta had already done the arrangement of John Lennon’s “Imagine” that won him accolades from the judges in ‘70s week? I would say yes, to some that changes the opinion of his abilities.

Does it matter that wannabe rocker Robbie Carrico’s hair might not be real? For some people, the artist’s image has an impact on their opinion of his/her music.

But then we have the stories that clearly have no impact on the contestants singing ability. Does it matter that David Hernedez might have worked at as a striper in a gay club or that Ramiele Malubay has some “racy” photos on a Facebook page?

Do you care that Amanda Overmyer was once convicted of a DUI? I mean it would be different if she had skipped bail or it happened during the contest. Don’t get me wrong, I think DUIs are a serious offense. But Overmyer committed this offense two years ago, she plead guilty and took her punishment.

I learned in Journalism Law that once you step in the spotlight for your 15 minutes of fame you pretty much open your life to the media.

I personally wouldn’t want anyone delving into my life like that. But apparently the invasion has discouraged people from signing up for reality shows.

But as fans of the shows, how much is too much? Do you really care this much about the contestants’ personal lives?

11 Comments | American Idol, Pop Culture, Reality, Television | Tagged: Amanda Overmyer, American Idol, Amnesia, David Archuleta, David Hernandez, fame, Fox, gossip, Moment of Truth, privacy, Ramiele Malubay, reality shows, rights, Robbie Carrico, rumors, season 7, Top 24 | Permalink
Posted by vacelts

No Real Surprises in First Round of ‘American Idol’ Elimination

February 22, 2008

After two nights, 24 performances and 28 million votes, American Idol held its first elimination of the semifinals with no real surprises in the results.

The guys knocked their numbers down to 10 by eliminating ~~Leif~~ Garrett Haley and Colton Berry. Both sang their farewell songs. And I actually think I preferred Garrett’s swan song to his performance Tuesday. But maybe that’s just because I liked the hat.

I was a little startled that Danny Noriega wasn’t in the bottom tier, but then I realized that he’s the new Sanjaya. Hopefully Danny’s run in this title will be short lived. I’m not sure I’m going to be able to handle many more weeks of performances like Tuesday’s “Jailhouse Rock.”

With so many mediocre performances from the women Wednesday night, a handful of the ladies could have been up for the bottom two spots.

Since Amy Davis and Joanne Borgella’s song choices for the ‘60s both landed them in the lower echelon, their departure was believable. If you had any doubts that these two should stick to modeling, their final performances erased them.

In general I’m a little worried about the women. They were literally following apart after the eliminations were announced. If they are bawling this hard after the first round, are they going to make it to the Top 12?

The group number was nothing impressive, but I liked the look. Hair and makeup must have worked overtime. That’s the best we seen some of the contestants look.

And finally, I must end with a complaint (‘cause I’ve been so positive thus far). I thought I was watching American Idol, not Relauch Paula’s Career.

I can live with the fact that she’s a judge and the producer of her new song is also a judge for a show with a ready audience. But if she’s going to showcase her new song, the least she could have done is perform it live.

She sits in judgment (if that’s what you call what she does) of all of these contestants telling them that they have to bring their very best to the table for every performance and she hides behind a taped performance. What kind of example is she setting?

And just for the record, I wasn’t impressed with the song or the video.

Here’s a recap:

Top 12 Men Perform

Top 12 Women Perform

A Closer Look at Top 12 Men

A Closer Look at Top 12 Women

5 Comments | American Idol, Music, Pop Culture, Television | Tagged: American Idol, Amy Davis, Colton Berry, Dance Like There's No Tomorrow, Danny Noriega, entertainment, Fox, Garret Haley, Joanne Borgella, music video, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, reality shows, results show, Ryan Seacrest, season 7, Semifinals, Simon Cowell, Television, Top 12 men, Top 12 women, Top 24, tv | Permalink
Posted by vacelts

Idol’s Top 12 Ladies Swing to the ‘60s

February 21, 2008

It’s Week 1 of American Idol semifinals and the Top 12 ladies are strutting their stuff to songs from the ‘60s. Did the ladies have what it takes to hold the attention of the judges and America? How did they measure up to the Top 12 guys?

The performances got off to a rough start this evening and I was beginning to wonder if I was in for a long night. Apparently the flu and bronchitis are making their way through the ranks, but that didn’t prevent Simon from telling the contestants that they needed to give him something to “hold on to.”

But when the talent finally did emerge tonight it came out in spades. In fact, I have a tie for my pick for best performance – Asia’h Epperson and Syesha Mercado.

I loved Asia’h’s rendition of “Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)” because she took the song and made it hers. It really made her stand out from all the other people that have tried to do a Janis Joplin song on the show.

And Syesha blew me away with her version of “Tobacco Road.” It had a nice bluesy feel while still letting us hear the power behind her voice. It rocked.

Similarly, I was impressed with Alexandrea Lushington. Her style isn’t really my thing, but I think she did a fabulous job of taking Blood, Sweat and Tear’s “Spinning Wheel” and putting her own personality into it. She’s got great stage presence.

And I can’t tell if it’s the Hoosier or the rocker in me that likes Amanda Overmyer. I enjoyed the way she took a song that has been around since 1935 and has been covered by everyone from Van Morrison to Muddy Waters to Aerosmith and personalized it. The scatting that she added was a cool adjustment and something not everyone could pull off.

Alaina Whitaker and Ramiele Malubay also put in solid performances although neither wowed me. Alaina showed a lot of pizzazz as she sang “More Today than Yesterday” and Ramiele really belted it out with “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me.” She did a better job of honoring Elvis than either of the guys Tuesday night.

The other half of the girls were mediocre at best.

I was disappointed by both Kristy Lee Cook who sang “Rescue Me” and Joanna Borgella’s “I Said a Little Prayer.” The both put in better performances earlier in the process. Let’s chalk these run of the mill performances up to nerves or sickness and hope it gets better next week.

While Amy Davis’ version of “Where the Boys are” left me wondering why I was listening to it, I have to admit she looked the part. With the hairdo, I expected to see her at the dock waving to her sailor as he went off to war. Or maybe she’s the pinup in a WWII calendar. She is a model after all.

Brooke White’s song choice of “So Happy Together” was a perfect pick for her. It just seemed to fit her personality. Unfortunately, the result of her forgettable performance was a discussion by Simon on “wash up soap.” Then I couldn’t get the song “I’m Gonna Wash that Man right out of my Hair” out of my head.

Now we are left with my picks for who should get the boot tomorrow night – Kady Malloy and Carly Smithson.

Kady took what should have been a sweet little love song and made it so sad that you were glad that this performance was a week after Valentine’s Day. Phil Collins’ version of “Groovy Kind of Love” was a friend and her boyfriend’s song when we were in high school. I’m glad they aren’t still a couple, because Kady’s rendition of the song would have broken them up.

And I’m sure I’m a minority here, but Carly’s “Shadow of Your Smile” did absolutely nothing for me. Despite the hype, I’ve never been a fan of hers. I did not like her during her audition or in Hollywood. There’s something about her voice that just doesn’t sit well with me. And she has these really odd facial expressions – like the eyes popping out her head look when Simon told her during her audition that she wasn’t as good as two years ago – that I find disconcerting.

So which of the ladies made a lasting impression on you? And which are you ready to say so long to?

7 Comments | American Idol, Pop Culture, Television | Tagged: Alaina Whitaker, Alexandrea Lushington, Amanda Overmyer, American Idol, Amy Davis, Asia'H Epperson, Brooke White, Carly Smithson, entertainment, Fox, Joanna Borgella, Kady Cook, Kristy Lee Cook, Paula Abdul, Ramiele Malubay, Randy Jackson, reality shows, Ryan Seacrest, season 7, Semifinals, Simon Cowell, Syesha Mercado, Television, Top 12 women, Top 24, tv | Permalink
Posted by vacelts

Untapped Talent or Experienced Professional: A Closer Look at the ‘American Idol’ Top 12 Women

February 15, 2008

American Idol has promised one of the most talented groups for its Season 7 Top 24. But has Idol found an untapped resource of talent or has this cast had plenty of time to hone their abilities?

If it seems like the women in the Season 7 Top 12 look pretty comfortable singing on stage, it’s because they’ve got plenty of experience.

Three of these ladies have been contestants in singing competitions before. At least four of them have already released an album. And two have successful modeling careers, although a couple of the others have dabbled in it.

Only two – Ramiele Maluby and Asia’h Epperson – appear to be untapped sources of talent. And Amanda Overmyer’s experience is limited to playing with local bands.

I already gave you a peek at the Top 12 men and their experience. Here’s a little closer look at the experience of the Top 12 women.

Joanne Borgella

Named Miss PHAT on the first season of Mon’Nique’s FAT Chance, Joanna went on to become a plus size model. Her credits include Plus Magazine Cover Model in 2007 and a spread in Essence Magazine. I didn’t find any examples of prior singing experience though.

Kristy Lee Cook

Kristy was signed by RCA when she was just a teen but at 17 she was dropped when the label put plans for young acts on hold. Then in 2005, under the name Kristy Lee, she released her first album, “Devoted,” with Red-Hen Records. In addition to opening for Gary Allan and Neal McCoy, Kristy has done commercials for Sprite and Pier 1.

Amy Davis

In 2007, this model made it to the second round of Nashville Star. Although she has no record deals, Amy has logged in some serious band time singing with 6^th Element, a cover band in Northwest Indiana. She also recently started the Amy Davis Trio, an acoustic band and sings backup for the Pink Floyd tribute band, Echoes of Pompeii.

Asia’h Epperson

Asia’h might be cutting her singing chops on Idol. I could not find anything to indicate she had some past singing or performing experience. But if her ability to audition right after losing her dad is any indication, she’s got courage.

Alexandrea Lushington

Alex got her start, under the name Miz Alex, as an Apollo Kid on Showtime at the Apollo at the tender age of seven. According to her bio, she’s now considered an Apollo Legend. It also says she’s performed on BET’s 106 & Park and Star Search, but I couldn’t find any video of either performance. Alex has received vocal training from the famed Robin Brown, who has worked with such artists as Usher.

Kady Malloy

A couple of years ago Kady came out with her self-titled debut album produced by Nick Trevisick, the same man that brought you Mandy Moore. However, the album is nowhere to be found now. Other than the album, I’ve found little else on the 18-year-old Houston native who does impersonations.

Ramiele Malubay

This Filipino-American, a heritage she’s proud of, started singing when she was 12 and has a voice coach. This little girl with the big voice seems to be an undiscovered talent with no professional past.

Syesha Mercado

Idol is not Syesha’s first foray into a reality-based singing competition. She was a contestant on ABC’s The One: Making a Music Star in 2006. But since the show was canceled before it really got started we have no idea how far she would have gone.

Amanda Overmyer

This Harley-riding nurse’s expertise is limited to singing with several local rock bands to include Steeleto. Amanda has recently recovered from an automobile accident she had just before Hollywood week.

Carly Smithson

Carly has already hit and fallen from the big time. In 1999, Carly signed a six-album deal with MCA that included an advance and monthly living expenses. But when her first album, “Ultimate High,” debuted in 2002 and only sold 379 copies she was dropped.

Alaina Whitaker

Winning Reasor’s Rising Star competition paved the way for Alaina to compete on American Idol literally – the prize was an all expense paid trip to the audition.

But competition is nothing new. Together with her sister Brittney, Alaina has been performing locally at everything from the Pecan Festival to an Oilers game. Recently the duo won “My Big Break.” She’s won a handful of competitions herself.

Brooke White

Brooke is another contestant with an album already under her belt. She released her debut album “Songs from the Attic,” in 2005 on the New Millennium Records Group label.

It’ll be interesting to see how these newbies stand up against those with all this professional experience.

19 Comments | American Idol, Music, Pop Culture, Television | Tagged: 106th and Park, 6th Element, ABC, Alaina Whitaker, Alexandrea Lushington, Amanda Overmyer, American Idol, Amy Davis, Amy Davis Trio, Apollo Kid, Ashia'h Epperson, Brittney Whitaker, Brooke White, Carly Smithson, contest, Devoted, Echoes of Pompeii, entertainment, Essence Magazine, FAT Chance, Fox, Gary Allan, Joanne Borgella, Kady Malloy, Kristy Lee Cook, Mandy More, MCA, Miz Alex, Mon'Nique, Music, My Big Break, Nashville Star, Neal McCoy, New Millennium Records Group label, Nick Trevisick, Paula Abdul, Plus Magazine, Ramiele Malubay, Randy Jackson, RCA, reality shows, Reasor's Rising Star, Red-Hen Records, Robin Brown, Ryan Seacrest, season 7, Showtime at the Apollo, Simon Cowell, Songs from the Attic, Star Search, Steeleto, Syesha Mercado, Television, The One: Making a Music Star, Top 12 women, Top 24, tv, Ultimate High, Usher | Permalink
Posted by vacelts

New Talent or Seasoned Performers: A Closer Look at the ‘American Idol’ Top 12 Men

February 14, 2008

I’m fairly new to the American Idol fad, so forgive me if I get a few things wrong. I thought the purpose of American Idol was to find untapped talent. But looking at the line up of the Top 12 men I’m not seeing a lot of freshness.

Since the end of the auditions Ryan has touted this season’s crop as “the best it’s ever been.” With the amount of experience among this dozen men alone, it’s no wonder.

Of the Top 12, at least four of them have already made an album and another four have logged serious time performing on a stage. And one contender has done both.

Only three hopefuls appear to truly be untouched gems – Danny Noriega, Garrett Haley and Chikezie Eze. And with the competitive edge their opponents have I don’t see these three lasting long.

Here’s a little closer look at the experience of the Top 12.

David Archuleta

Before this 17-year-old auditioned in San Diego, he made his Idol debut singing for Season 1 hopefuls. Then in 2003 at the age of 12, this Utah native won the Star Search Junior Singer competition. You can check out his performance in this video.

Colton Berry

Although we’ve seen very little of this Virginian in the first two phases of Idol, Colton is no stranger to performing. Not only has this 18-year-old been active in local theater, he’s performed in France four years ago at the French-American Gospel Music Workshop Exchange. In 2005, Colton competed, but did not win, on Showtime at the Apollo when the tour visited Charlottesville.

Robbie Carrico

Before auditioning in Miami, Robbie used to open for Britney Spears as a member of Boyz-N-Girlz, a pop band that got its break singing in a House of Blues in Orlando and went onto record two albums. The 26-year-old went on to record three more albums with the alternative band Missing Picket. Robbie must inherit his musical talents from his cousin, the legendary Patsy Cline.

Jason Castro

While Jason Catro might not have produced an album, the 20-year-old Texas is no stranger to singing in front of a crowd. You can catch a video of him performing live at The Prophet Bar. As a drummer for the rock band Keeping Lions, Jason has opened for Cheyenne Kimball and starred in her self-titled MTV reality series. Although I couldn’t find any albums by the band, its My Space page lists Secret Weapon Management as its record label.

David Cook

This Oklahoma-native had two albums with the rock band Axium under his belt before he headed to Omaha to audition for Idol. Here’s a video of the band’s performance. Last year, David released his first solo album, ”Analog Heart.”

Chikezie Eze

As far as I can tell, this Californian’s biggest claim to fame is that he tried out for Idol last year and didn’t make it. It’ll be interesting to see how far the 22-year-old makes it this year.

Garrett Haley

This 17-year-old Ohioan remains a mystery. We know very little about him outside his San Diego audition and his Hollywood time.

David Hernadez

Although David might not have an album of his own, he’s been hanging out with Latin singer Jacob Madrid in New York. Here’s a video of the pair singing at rehearsal in New York. I’m not sure what they are rehearsing, maybe songs for Madrid’s debut album in which case David might be singing backup on this album.

Michael Johns

Before his San Diego audition, this Aussie performed with two bands – The Rising and Film – under the name Michael Lee. While I couldn’t find an album produced by either band, Michel lists Dingo Lane as his record label on his MySpace page.

Luke Menard

Although we didn’t get to see much of this Crawfordsville, Indiana native (my hometown by the way) during the first two phases of Idol, he’s been getting plenty of stage time as a member of the a cappella group Chapter 6. Not only has Luke toured nationally with the group, but together they have release four albums – two in college and two professionally – and have a handful of awards.

Danny Noriega

I can’t find much else in singing experience for this 18-year-old. In addition to his try out in San Diego, Danny also auditioned, but didn’t make it, last year.

Jason Yeager

Although he auditioned in Dallas, Jason has been spending his time in Branson, Missouri where he logged in some time at Country Tonite and as a back up singer for Shoji Tabuchi.

Now take a look at the Top 12 Women and their experience.

18 Comments | American Idol, Music, Pop Culture, Television | Tagged: American Idol, Analog Heart, Axium, Boyz-N-Girlz, Britney Spears, Chapter 6, Chikezie Eze, Colton Berry, Country Tonte, Danny Noriega, David Archuleta, David Cook, David Hernadez, Dingo Lane, entertainment, film, Fox, French-American Gospel Music Workshop Exchange, Garrett Haley, Jacob Madrid, Jason Castro, Jason Yeager, Luke Menard, Michael Johns, Missing Picket, Patsy Cline, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, reality shows, Robbie Carrico, Ryan Seacrest, season 7, Shoji Tabuchi, Showtime at the Apollo, Simon Cowell, Star Search Junior Singer, the Prophet Bar, The Rising, Top 12 men, Top 24, tv | Permalink
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How to Survive ‘American Idol’ Hollywood Week

February 13, 2008

Tonight I got my first exposure to American Idol’s Hollywood Week, or as Ryan Seacrest called it – Hell Week. And I quickly learned which things will knock you out of the running for the Top 24.

Here is the Top 5 Things Not to Do During Hollywood Week if you hope to advance.

1. Forgetting the Lyrics

This item is a no brainer, but that didn’t stop several contestants from forgetting the words. Sure we’ve all had brain freeze moments, but at some point these contestants need to get past that point if they are going to be stars.

I’m not saying that even famous singers don’t occasionally flub a word now and then, but you have to be able to recover. And Buck Smith, Cardin McKinney and Natashia Blach didn’t have the staying power to recoup their mistake.

2. Playing an Instrument

This year is the first that Idol has let contenders audition playing an instrument. I wouldn’t call the rule change successful.

In all the contestants we saw perform in Hollywood tonight with instruments, we only saw three of them advance – Brooke White, Josiah Leming and David Cook.

Unfortunately, I think the judges thought the instruments were at best crutches for an already weak performance. Or in the case of Jake Mellema, the drums were just a distraction.

Simon went as far as calling Alisha Dixon’s performance an “angry girl in a bedroom screaming with a guitar.”

If you are going to audition with an instrument, your vocal and instrument skills had better be top notch.

3. Bringing Your Own Vocal Coach

Dance captain Amy Flynn, 17, brought her own vocal coach to help her in Hollywood. Anyone else feel like we are at a beauty pageant?

Unfortunately, the coach Angel Higgs, a Season 4 Idol hopeful, wasn’t able to help Flynn find success in either the first or second round in Hollywood.

Maybe the lesson isn’t not to have a vocal coach, but to get one that made it past the Hollywood round.

4. Having a Hard Luck Story

Hard luck stories might have bought a few contestants tickets to Hollywood during the audition phase, but tonight the judges were a little short on sympathy.

Single mom Angela Martin’s father was killed sometime between her audition and Hollywood week. But the tragedy did not bear any weight on the judges’ decision to send her home.

And Syesha Mercado was suffering with some sickness that was putting a strain on her vocals and caused the judges to pass on her the first round. She barely scraped by in the second round However, a little rest, a lot of guts and a bit of Aretha Franklin helped Syesha sing her way to firm footing in the third round.

5. Begging

While a little begging might have swayed the judges on the fence in the audition round, it wasn’t working tonight as Brooke Helvie found out.

When the beauty queen blew her performance of “Unchained Melody” she insisted on repeating the performance even after Simon told her no. With a yes from Randy and a no from Simon, the decision on her fate fell to Paula who truly seemed on the fence – that is until Brooke started begging, literary.

What Works

And the one thing that will apparently redeem you from elimination in the third round is to act like an arrogant idiot by dismissing the band, ignoring the offer of help from a vocal coach and attempt an a cappella performance.

That’s exactly what 19-year-old Josiah Leming did when he performed a horrendous rendition of “Stand By Me.” Yet all three judges passed him through for consideration in the Top 24.

Throughout the two-hour show we saw a variety of contestants during various rounds. At the end of the night, the judges reduced the 164 hopefuls to about 50. Wednesday, the judges will narrow the field to 24 – 12 men and 12 women.

Since we didn’t get to see all 50 being considered for the Top 24, I’ll just list my top picks.

For the Men:

Michael Johns – The Australian performed the Doors “Light My Fire” in Round 1, but his rendition of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” in Round 3 is what won me over and apparently Simon too. He called it the “best audition of the day.”

David Hernandez – We only saw this 24-year-old in the first round where he sang “Love the One Your With.” But I have to agree with Simon when he told David that he looked very, very comfortable on that stage.

David Archuleta – This 16-year-old gave a stunning performance of Bryan Adam’s “Heaven” in the third round to win over all three judges. I bet this guy is a hit with teenage girls.

For the Women:

Amanda Overmyer – I’m a rocker at heart so it’s no surprise that I loved her version of “Light My Fire” by the Doors. Simon might be right when he said that he her sound is predictable, but I for one am eating up her “throwback” sound.

Syesha Mercado – Despite a bout of laryngitis, she performed a great version of “Chain of Fools.” That audition proved that she was willing to go the extra mile.

Kristy Lee Cook or Asia’h Epperson – I liked both these ladies during their audition, but didn’t see enough of them tonight to choose between the two. It looks like both are at least still in the running.

Who were your top picks for the night?

Here’s a recap of the auditions:

4 Comments | American Idol, Pop Culture, Television | Tagged: Amanda Overmyer, American Idol, Asia'H Epperson, auditions, Brooke White, David Archuleta, David Cook, David Hernandez, entertainment, Fox, Hollywood, Josiah Leming, Kristy Lee Cook, Michael Johns, Music, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, reality show, Ryan Seacrest, season 7, Simon Cowell, Syesha Mercado, Television, Top 24, tv | Permalink
Posted by vacelts

‘American Idol’ Top 24 Leaked

January 30, 2008

We still have two cities of auditions to go before we even get to Hollywood, but it appears that the identities of the Top 24 contenders for American Idol Season 7 have already been leaked.

According to Joe’s Place, here are your Top 24 contestants and their audition cities:

For the Men:

David Archuleta – San Diego

Colton Berry – Charleston

Robbie Carrico – Miami

Jason Castro – Dallas

David Cook – Omaha

Chikezie Eze – San Diego

Garrett Haley – San Diego

David Hernandez – San Diego

Michael Johns – San Diego

Luke Menard – Omaha

Danny Noriega – San Diego

Jason Yeager – Dallas

For the Women:

Joanna Borgella – Philadelphia

Kristy Lee Cook – Philadelphia

Amy Davis – Dallas

Asia’h Epperson — Atlanta

Alexandrea Lushington – Atlanta

Amanda Overmyer – Atlanta

Kady Malloy – Dallas

Ramiele Malubay – Miami

Syesha Mercado – Miami

Carly Smithson – San Diego

Alaina Whitaker – Dallas

Brooke White — Philadelphia

Never heard of these names? Me neither. But remember we still haven’t seen the auditions for Atlanta and Miami. And in the other five cities we were only treated to a sampling of those who got golden tickets.

Of this 24, I only remember seeing auditions for seven and there were two more that I thought I caught a glimpse of in their audition cities. Here’s a recap of the names above:

In Day 2 of the San Diego auditions, 16-year-old David Achuleta performed “Waiting for the World to Change” by John Mayer with Randy providing background vocals. Simon joined Paula’s praise of the Vermont native telling him that he made a great song choice.

David Cook of Tulsa was my pick from the Omaha auditions. The rocker had a nice sound and did Bon Jovi credit when he sang “Living on a Prayer.”

I think we might have seen a glimpse of Garrett Haley at the San Diego auditions.

After listening to the Australian born Michael Johns perform Otis Redding’s “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” in San Diego, Simon called him “a white soul singer.”

Oregon native Kristy Lee Cook sold her horse to pay for her flight to Philadelphia to audition. But it was this horse training, kickboxer’s rendition of “Amazing Grace” that earned her a trip to Hollywood.

When Kady Malloy, 23, auditioned in Dallas, Simon told her that she was the best he’d seen so far. Although the Houston native could sound like ~~Whitney Houston~~ Brittany Spears and Carrie Underwood, it was her version of “Unchained Melody” that won over the judges.

When the Irish Carly Smithson, 23, performed “I’m Every Woman” at her audition in San Diego, it was her second time qualifying for Hollywood. In Season 5, Smithson, then Hennessy, was disqualified when her Visa didn’t come through in time.

Tulsa native Alaina Whitaker sang Faith Hill’s “Stronger” to impress the judges in Dallas.

And I’m pretty sure we saw a glimpse of Brooke White during the Philadelphia auditions.

I have no confirmation that this list is indeed the final 24. I’ll let you be the judge of the validity of this leak. In the meantime we have the Miami auditions coming up.

******* UPDATE **********

This list is indeed correct. Here’s a closer look at the Top 12 Men and a look at the Top 12 Women and their experience. I’ll be posting the women later today.

Here’s a recap of the auditions held to date: