Auditions 2 has the X-Factor coming to the city of Miami and it appears from the first half hour that the talent is lacking in this city. Simon is beside himself and worried about the mistake he made putting Miami on his list of cities to find talent as shown when the judges take a break.
I am getting a little ahead of myself since in the beginning of the show, we see beautiful beaches and crowds of thousands who have come out to audition. Steve Jones welcomes us to the show by letting us know that famous artists like Gloria Esteban, Flo Rida, Ricky Martin and Enrique Iglesias were discovered in this city and some still live there. The judges are ready to go so let's get started.
First up to totally annoy the judges with their so-called talent is 27 year old Ashley Sansone who is a gabby starving artist who actually thinks highly of herself. After the judges finally get her to shut up she does a horrible rendition to the song "Piece of My Heart" originally by Janis Joplin. Needless to say it is a no from all four judges.
Following her are a number of no votes for the following contestants; Chanel Dixon, Kanan Road, Dreamgirlz (the family of these two are really ticked off they did not make it), Marissa Hapson and young 16 year old Caitlynne Curtis who tries real hard but breaks down in tears with her no votes. Paula actually goes up on stage to console this young girl. Along the way Gloria Esteban makes an appearance to try to get the crowd to realize they have to do better on stage as no one has made it so far. It is at this point that the judges take the much needed break.
After the break the judges finally see a small ray of sunshine as 21 year old Nick Voss takes the stage. He has some swagger with his hip look plus he is handsome and during his audition shows charisma I think. His song of choice is Elvis Presley's "Trouble". He sort of reminded me of Adam Lambert although he does not have an exceptional singing voice but it is good enough to make it to the next rounds. I think with some coaching this guy could be a very good entertainer.
Now comes some weirdest as 14 year old Asley Deckard comes on board to sing. This young girl who talks to ghosts really has a very bland singing voice. She looks mad with her 4 no votes. She sort of gives the indication that the ghosts are there and not happy.
Throughout the next few people we see it appears the ghosts are with us as the lights go dim and flicker on and off plus some strange music keeps playing. We quickly see clips of three woman and one guy who are awful. Kevin Martin gives a bad impression of a BeeGee high voice. A woman who is dressed like a witch tries to scream out the song "Summertime". Once again it looks like the Miami talent is in the toilet. I might add that Nicole is getting freaked out with all the ghostly moments.
Finally we get another reprieve as 2Squared which consist of four girls gets the green light to "boot camp". This streak continues as Kendra Williams, Brendan O'Hara (what a cutie) and high soprano singer Jeremiah Pagan also make the grade. Our last Miami audition is 18 year old Melanie Amaro who performs the song "Listen" by Beyonce. This is really a tough song to sing but young Melanie knocks it out of the park with her wonderful singing ability. The judges give her a standing ovation and of course she is also moving on to the next rounds.
Finally we are moving on to the Dallas auditions as once again we see thousands who have come out for this event. We are told that such artists as Selena Gomez and Beyonce hail from here. However it is looking like the talent in Dallas is also lacking.
First up is 17 year old Jonny Rogers who has a real fixation on making his hair look just right which looks like a clone of Justin Bieber except he has blond hair. He is singing an original song called "There Ain't No Substitution". The funny thing is I liked the music of the song but his singing left alot to be desired as along the way he screws up his own lyrics and his voice is not that good. It is a no vote for him.
Next comes 18 year old Dylan Lawson who sold his truck to get some money to come to the auditions. I thought his one comment about what he would do with the 5 million dollars was kind of cute as he said he would buy a new truck. Sadly I think this guy was some kind of wacko as he screams some song and acts like a man possessed. Of course it is a no and L.A. asks "is that what he sold his truck to come and do"?
A series of no votes follow as we see Wesley Kimbell, Michael & Michael and Curtis Lawson who made some weird sounds with his voice.
:( I felt so sorry for the next contestant whose name is Dexter Haygood. He is 49 years old and in his younger days was part of the opening act for Hall & Oates. Now he is homeless and pretty much lives out of his car as well as flops on different friends couches. He appears kind of loopy with loosing his ring on stage and then does a poor imitation of James Brown with the song "Sex Machine". Surprisingly Simon sees something in him and offers him another chance to just sing as himself without all the antics. Dexter looks close to tears as he ponders this and then belts out the song "This Is A Man's World" also by James Brown. However this time you can see the guy can sing and does have the entertainment factor which is what this show is all about. He gets 4 yeses from the judges and leaves the stage crying knowing he is moving on. His crying on the shoulder of Steve Jones also kind of got to me. I am hoping this guy gets a chance to do something good with his life.
Next another series of yes votes as we see Kyle Carr, Hannah Jackson, Ma'at (could not catch her full name) and Austin Simmons briefly. Following them is rugby coach Caitlyn Koch who puts her own spin on the classic Supreme song "Stop In The Name of Love". I was not blown away by her singing ability however her arrangement was unique of the song and she gets 4 yeses to move on.
Our final contestant is 27 year old Xander Alexander who is a true smart ass in all ways as we see his backstage clip. He brings this attitude on stage with him as whenever he is asked a question he comes back with a smart remark which is really getting on the judges nerves. Finally he sings "I'll Be" by Edwin McCain and surprisely enough he can sing quite well. However he has blown it as Simon tells him he has made the audience dislike him with his attitude. Nicole is the only one willing to give him a chance but the other judges say no. Xander tries to apologize but it is too late and we see him crying as the show comes to an end. Xander better get a grip on that attitude and maybe being turned down will teach him the lesson on how to audition in the future.
So our first week of auditions have come to an end. Judging by the next week previews we are going to see alot of bad and good from not only the contestants but the judges as well I think. Personally I am looking forward to the "boot camp" and am wondering how so many that they have chosen will do there. So until next time I bid you adieu. Take care all!
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Subject: Miami/Dallas Auditions - 2/22/11 
Fri Sep 23, 2011 9:46 am
