TV - american idol s11 milwaukee auditions

apparently, i still care about american idol, LOL!

i thought i was over it after last year's dismal display.  when i read that simon is out and so is ellen (i didnt care that kara was leaving), i thought this show has reached an end.  but the producers had other plans and brought back nigel (i didnt even know he was connected to american idol, i just knew him from watching 'so you think you can dance') and brought in new judges as well (hello steven and jlo).  but still, knowing all these didnt convince me enough to try to even care that they were about to air the auditions.  truth be told, this wasnt the first season of american idol that i didnt watch from start to finish..

and yet..

..there i was, in front of the tv when they aired the first auditions.

the verdict:  i'm hooked, again!

while i do miss that tight-shirt-wearing meanie, steven and jlo are proving to be quite entertaining as well (steven more than jlo).  the new trio of judges are delivering fair verdicts and criticisms that wouldnt scar a person for life.

..and steven, man oh man, is he a hoot!  i like him already (cue in 'i dont want to miss a thing' and 'dream on' music) but it was his compassion last night that made me like him even more.  did you hear what he said to chris' girlfriend?  the way he just connected to juliana was a side to his personality that maybe only the people who are really close to him knew and has seen before.. he didnt just say his name and shook her hand, he went out of his way to hug her and kiss her like she was his daughter and in a heartfelt manner told her that her boyfriend did good.  good on you, steven tyler! good on you!

there were lots of good contestants last night, chris just being one of them (who didnt melt when he said: "What kind of guy would I be if I walked out when she needed me most?").  also, for the record, i dont think that last night was exploitative at all.  i think he is a genuine guy who was dealt a hard blow and emerged a better person.  i just hope that he won't suffer a similar fate like gokey, who some people thought exploited his wife's death to get votes (there are some cynical people out there, i tell you).

it's still too early for me to have faves so im saving that for hollywood week.

next stop:  nashville.