Injured dad can't miss "Idol"

BY EMI ENDO
STAFF WRITER

The victim of a hit-and-run accident in Queens last month, Mario Alfonso Astudillo suffered four broken ribs, a broken shoulder and a broken leg.

But only hours later in Elmhurst Hospital Center, Astudillo, 53, had one thing uppermost in his mind: his daughter's quest to become the next American Idol, referring to her success so far on the TV show. Daughter Porcelana Patino, 27, of Elmhurst - who was visiting her father again at the hospital Friday and turning the heads of people who recognized her - told reporters about the day her audition aired on Jan. 24.

"My dad just woke up [after the accident] and my father's response was, 'I'm going to miss the show,' " she said in wonder.

"All he's interested in is ... watching his daughter's ... show," she said, adding, "Can you believe that?"

On the day her audition aired, Patino said, "Everyone in the world sees the...show and I was here [at the hospital]," she said. "I got a taped copy."

But Patino, who sings in the choir at St. Joan of Arc Roman Catholic Church in Jackson Heights, was quick to say her father's well-being is her top priority.

Matthew Nestel contributed to this story.

Hiding the talent

Twenty people made it to Hollywood out of Birmingham; and a startling 40 people made it out of the Los Angeles round of American Idol.

Unfortunately, because both audition shows were just an hour long we saw just three (!) of the contestants who made it to Hollywood out of LA, and just four of the Birmingham contestants as well.

They really should've shown fewer freaks (who were getting repetitive, there's only so many ways you can be bad and stupid) and given more of the Hollywood-bound a chance to build a following.

Here's how I ranked the seven contestants we did see:

1) Brandon Rogers, LA, a good-looking, confident guy, had a gentle vibe to him (reminded me of Sondra's husband, Elvin on the Cosby Show). He sang a beautiful rendition of Always on My Mind, slow and soulful. Simon called him by far the best they had seen to that point in LA, and that he could see him making the finals.

2) Alaina Alexander, LA, the blonde who said she was gonna give up singing if she couldn't make it on AI. Lucky for us the judges saw past her nervousness and responded to her controlled, powerful voice. I especially liked that she was polite--telling the judges to have a good rest of the day; too many of the contestants in LA seemed completely self-absorbed and rude.

3) Katie Bernard, Birmingham, the one with the high-pitched speaking voice but soulful singing voice (like Paris but not as talented of course) had to get her husband to lobby for her to get Paula's swing vote. I thought she was good enough to advance without all the flim-flam; she has the likeability factor, but may come across as a bit nutty when she's not singing.

4) Chris Sligh, Birmingham, the guy with the nutty hair, puzzled me. I totally disliked him at first; seemed deluded and self-centered, and tried too hard to be funny. But he could sing--did Kiss From a Rose in a hushed tone that made you wanna listen. He's the kindof distinctive contestant, like Constantine and Scott Savol that could build a devoted following (although I don't think he will).

5) Bernard Williams II, Birmingham, the clean-cut good-looking guy (as Senator Biden might describe him) who, shockingly, Simon lobbied for over the objections of Paula (who in a role reversal complained that he was off-key). I don't think I've ever seen that before--generally, if even Simon likes someone, Paula's already well on board.

6) Brian Miller, LA, who last year lost in the Hollywood round, had a big voice but for some reason I'm pretty apathetic about him. The judges were too; essentially he made it back with the 'why not' vote, which doesn't bode well for a different result from last year.

7) Jamie Lynn Ward, Birmingham, this year's Kellie Pickler, left me flat. Her life story (father shot stepmom, now he's in a wheelchair--we're supposed to be sympathetic about an attempted murder?) was sad, and her voice seemed just okay. Maybe because she was nervous; in any case, for me at least, she had none of the amazing likeability that Kellie oozed.

Only one audition city left, San Antonio--I'm totally ready for the Hollywood round to start, curious to see what these contestants are really like.

'Idol' Buzz

From this week's upcoming Fan Fare section in Newsday:

Where have these people been hiding?
Who is the best-kept secret of the "American Idol" sixth season? It could be Tom Lowe of Boston, who sang "Always and Forever" for judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson at his Seattle audition. Although the audition was not aired in the United States, it did air on ITV in the United Kingdom. Why? The 28-year-old former boy-band singer originally hails from Manchester, England, where his former group, North and South, scored a No. 7 single, as well as a No. 2 single in Malaysia. Could this good-looking, great-sounding Brit be the next American Idol? Judge for
yourself by watching his audition at YouTube.com.

"Idol" watchers are aware that the Seattle auditions produced golden tickets to Hollywood for brother and sister Shyamali ("Summertime") and Sanjaya ("Signed, Sealed and Delivered") Malakar, who have matching million-dollar smiles. What most people don't know is that another brother and sister made it through to Hollywood at the same audition. The Spokane Spokesman-Review reports that Ethan Miller and his sister Lindsey Tucker were only shown for a brief moment during the Seattle segment waving golden tickets, but were not identified by
name.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Sineta Roker, who auditioned in Birmingham, Ala., also made it through to the Hollywood rounds, although her tryout was not aired. The singer is a distant relative of "Today's" Al Roker and musician Lenny Kravitz, whose mother is the late actress Roxie Roker (Helen Willis on "The Jeffersons"). -RONNIE GILL

Very interesting indeed.

Have a heart

Oh Sherman, if only there were more men like you.

I'm glad "American Idol" aired Sherman Pore's audition. Just when I was starting to think the show's execs have no heart, they showed that even they can be touched by love.

Sherman Pore, the 64-year-old man who helped his "lady," as he called her, keep her spirits up through a battle with cancer by petitioning to get on the show, sang "You Belong To Me" and it brought Paula to tears. And for the first time, I didn't even feel the need to mock her for it, because I understood.

He told the story about her battle with cancer, and how his petition had helped smooth her passing. Ironically enough, she died only two days before the audition. So, without offering sympathy, which Sherman said he didn't want, the judges allowed him to sing.

Watching Sherman sing that song, it was like you could almost imagine that he was seeing his lady in front of him as he sang it. Seeing how heartbroken he was, it made me think about whether love like that even exists anymore, and about how lucky Sherman was to have had it.

Music to my ears

Another backup singer, another star!! Brandon Rogers, who has toured with Anastasia and Christina Aguilera, is ready to make a name for himself, and what a terrific beginning.

He sings "Always on My Mind" and it's clear and beautiful. Controlled, smooth, and just wonderful. Paula and Olivia Newton-John sighed as he finished and I found myself doing the same.

I think he's going to be great. First off, he's incredibly talented, but he's also really good-looking - he has that fresh-faced, sincere look about him. Plus, he seems really driven to succeed. Lots of contestants come across as driven, but in the end, they just want their 15 minutes of fame. Brandon seems to be driven in a more long-term way, as if singing really is his dream, not just a momentary fancy.

And beyond all of that, I think Olivia Newton-John said it best. "I felt you in my heart and that's how I can tell...beautiful."

I think sometimes people forget that music is more than just lyrics and a melody - it's another form of emotion. The best music is the kind that moves you - moves you to dance, moves you to dream, moves you to tears, whatever. Music that touches you is the music you most remember and I think Brandon has a good shot at making music we'll never forget.

Eccentric is an understatement

Olivia Newton-John has been on some major promotional tour for her new album, "Grace & Gratitude." She just appeared on "Grease: You're the One That I Want" Sunday night, and now she's on "American Idol" as a guest judge in Los Angeles.

She should have been warned - she should have been prepared for Martik Manoukian, or as he calls himself, Eccentric.

So Martik is an athlete. He plans to be an actor, model, author, singer, songwriter, rapper, choreographer, producer and composer. Wait... I forgot to mention that he is also a full-grown panther. Seriously.


Now, I haven't seen him sing yet, but if I've come to know anything about "American Idol," my guess is that he's going to sinfully bad.

OK, I have my TiVo on pause right now because I'm crying... there are actually tears streaming down my face right now. This guy is ridiculous, hilarious even... mind you, HE HASN'T SUNG YET!!! He's just come in and stripped off his shirt, crawled around some and gone into convulsions. I'm not sure I can keep it together long enough to watch the singing...

As expected, he was sinfully bad. It was almost anti-climactic given the huge buildup... but whatever, at least Olivia Newton-John got a good laugh.

You Still Bang, Nick...

Newsday's TV columnist Verne Gay has this to say about "American Idol":

I do believe we have an early winner on "American Idol" and the name is Zitzmann - Nick Zitzmann.

Regular readers of this blog - all six of you (thanks, mom) - know that I have been championing someone who may well be the finest bad contestant in the history of "American Idol." (See a couple entries below.) Nick's got it all, but best of all, he so completely unnerved Simon "The Shiv" Cowell that the latter very nearly had a spiritual crisis during the audition. To watch Simon suffer makes this show pretty much all worthwhile, so hat's off to you, Nick. ...

Read more at Newsday.com's TV Zone

No Love

Like Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan, everything American Idol-related is hot right now and as a result even idiot rumors get blown totally out of proportion.

The latest tizzy is caused by an item on Us Weekly's website, Us Exclusive: Paula Being Replaced? Courtney Love Claims She's Been Called for American Idol:

Simon, Paula, Randy and ... Courtney??? Hold on to your remotes, Idolites, because legendary rock idol Courtney Love tells Usmagazine.com exclusively that American Idol wants her!

Love reveals to her favorite magazine Web site that Idol's executive producer Nigel Lythgoe called her office last week inquiring into whether she would be interested in sitting in as a judge on the hit FOX show.

"He called," Love tells Usmagazine.com. "He was wondering if I was interested. I thought it was kind of weird but brilliant."

Wow, a washed-up, notoriously unstable celebrity links herself to TV's hottest show--how many pounds of salt should we take this with?!

I pretty much dismiss this altogether, even with this line in the item: "But a source tells Usmagazine.com that Lythgoe was considering having Love "replace Paula.""

An unnamed source blabbing about a celebrity has very little credibility, especially when it's qualified with the word 'considering' (I'm sure tons of nutty things have flashed through your mind just in the past hour).

There's no way Love replaces Paula Abdul, who has such good chemistry with Randy and Simon, and fills the vital role of empathic judge.

At best, Love may appear as a guest judge for one show. Heck, think about it--flaky, unlikeable Courtney can hardly be counted on to get up in the morning, let alone show up for every one of Idol's 35+ shows a season.

Besides which, the slot of 'cruel judge' is pretty well occupied on Idol.

Getty Images photo of Courtney Love by Mark Mainz

Chicken little rocks da house

Quick update for all you out there that love a triumphant LIer story:

Kevin Covais, aka "Chicken Little," is singing this Friday night.

The details: Friday, 2/2, 8 p.m. at the Boulton Center for the Performing Arts, 37 W. Main St., Bay Shore, 631-969-1101. $25.

That's all for now. If you check it out, be sure to write us all about the show.

Completely befuddled

Nichole Gatzman, 17 , from Oklahoma, got a raw deal. It's hard to have faith in these judges when they let through mediocre singers and then pass on girls like Nichole.

Her voice had such a rich tone to it, and for once, it wasn't a super soprano voice. She had a nice alto range - maybe it was a bit nasal, although I didn't hear it, but sob-story Jamie Lynn was nasally and they let her through.

It just goes to show you that "American Idol" is interested in viewers first and talent second. I'm not saying that the people who got through are talentless. What I am saying is that I don't believe singing is the only concern for these judges. They're looking at the contestants' appearance, their life story and other things that make for great television, not necessarily great music.

I rooted for Taylor Hicks - I joined in the fun of the Soul Patrol. I loved him - not because of his voice - but because of who he seemed to be. I loved that he didn't care about his graying hair and refused to have it dyed - I loved his weird mannerisms and his quirky way of dancing. I loved his outfits and his incredible originality. He was one of the major reasons I tuned in last season. But you know what? I didn't buy his CD.

And that's what the folks at "American Idol" should be thinking about - selling music.

Poor little country girl

Well, I found the sob story I'm going to get behind. Jamie Lynn Ward, the 17-year-old who lives with her grandmother and helps take care of her paralyzed father, won my heart. She's just a teenager and she's already thinking that she'd like to buy her grandmother a one-story house so she doesn't have to climb so many stairs. Precious.

She doesn't have the best voice, but she's like Kellie Pickler with a twist. I mean, how do you beat having a dad in jail? You get a dad who shoots his cheating wife and then himself.

But sarcasm aside, this girl is the kind of girl that "American Idol" is meant for. It's meant for people with a dream who don't have the means to reach it. I don't believe Jamie Lynn will win. But doesn't she deserve the chance to win over America?

And her voice really is quite nice - it just needs some fine tuning, which she'll likely get in Hollywood. You never know - she may blow America away in the coming months. But really, what a great opportunity for a girl who's had too much to deal with in her life already, and none of it her own fault.

Humble pie

There's not much to say about Bernard Williams II, the 26-year-old from Birmingham. He was a bit dull, in my opinion. He talked about how he hopes to be the next finalist from Birmingham and blah blah blah.

I think Paula was right about him... his voice had a nice tone to it, but he was off key and he didn't even liven up the song at all. Michael Jackson, back in the day, was ridiculous - his music was unparalleled. It was so energetic and fun, it made you want to get up and dance. So, when someone manages to make "Rock With You" boring, I say it's time to say goodbye.

But maybe the judges see something I don't. But more importantly Williams thinks enough of himself for the whole lot of us. After getting his golden ticket, feeling all proud of himself, he goes on to say to Simon, "Yes! Birmingham! Told you we were coming Simon."

It's way too soon to be getting a big head... Glad Paula called him on it - humble pie, indeed.

What a waste

Katie Bernard, the girl who just got married (at 19, no less), who talks like she's 5, makes it through to Hollywood, and I'm really kind of confused. Do the judges put people through, knowing that they won't make it to the finals? Is that how they make sure their favorites make it through?

I understand that her singing voice is very different from her speaking voice, but she really ruined her audition by trying too hard to impress and skipping over the most important detail... singing the song well. It reminded me a bit of listening to Christina Aguilera.

Now before I get anyone all riled up about that, I need to say that Christina Aguilera has an amazing voice - I'm a big fan. But the kind of singing that Aguilera is capable of - with all the runs and extra notes - is way out of Katie Bernard's league. She should have stuck to a basic melody.

And truthfully, I think it's a bit sad that Paula let her through just to spite Simon, but no need to worry... She won't make it past Hollywood - at least she's getting a nice vacation.

Sweet Home Alabama

This week, "American Idol" takes us to Birmingham, Ala., otherwise known as "Idol country," or as Bernard Kincaid, the city's mayor, put it, "The place where Idols are born." I suppose they have reason to be proud - more "Idol" finalists hail from Alabama than any other spot in the country - Taylor Hicks, Ruben Studdard and Bo Bice are all from the area.

So, it's with great anticipation that we await the first audition. Erica Skye, 19, from Auburn, Ala., is adorable. She's the kind of girl most guys in America would love to meet, love to watch, and probably love to vote for. It's really a shame that she can't sing. To be honest, it wasn't horrendous - it just wasn't "American Idol" quality.

Simon was a bit quick to tell her she was hopeless, I think. After all, she was nervous. But I can't understand people who keep singing after they've been told to stop. It's not like the judges are still listening.

But you've got to hand it to her... she just brushed them right off. Good for her.

A trying 'Idol' experience

Any readers ever tried out for 'Idol'? If so, we'd love to hear about your experience. The agony, the defeat... or the triumph, if you did, in fact, have a positive experience!

So, in the event that no one fesses up to seeing through their 'Idol' ambitions and dreams, you can read all about one woman's audition here.

Solvej Schou, a writer and professional singer, documents her 15 seconds of fame (or total obscurity) at the Pasadena audition. There was no Simon, no Paula, no Randy. Instead, she belted out her Aretha Franklin ditty to two 20-something producers... and didn't make the cut.

While we won't see Schou in Hollywood, only a few more audition episodes to go before we get the good stuff on Tuesday, Feb. 13. I'm exhausted by the bad singing and stinging insults from these early episodes, but am too hooked to not keep coming back for more.

McPheever is back

Love her or hate her, last season's AI runner-up Katharine McPhee was always worth watching (and not just for her outfits).

She'd knock it out of the park on big songs like Somewhere Over the Rainbow, but then stumble badly on something like Hound Dog/All Shook Up.

Newsday's music critic Glenn Gamboa gives her debut album a B-, knocking her for being limited in what she can sing--but also writing:

So it's a tribute to her winning personality and powerful voice that her album turns out to be one of the best post-"Idol" debuts yet, in the same league as Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood.

It's interesting to me that Gamboa pairs his review of McPhee with one for Norah Jones' new album.

Jones has always seemed the quintessential musician for whom music is as elemental as breathing, with fame simply a side effect of her talent and something to be dealt with (Gamboa calls her a "classy, accidental superstar").

I guess my bias has always been for Idol contestants who don’t seem like they’re desparate to win—for the ones who seem to be happy just sharing their singing with us, and aren’t so concerned whether we like them or not.

I thought McPhee fell into the category of singers who try too hard (Constantine and his moony eyes being the poster child here). She simply wasn't comfortable in her own skin the way Taylor and Paris and Chris were, and as a result careened between making catty comments to the judges and kissing up to the audience.

Hollywood usually burns out artists who care too much what ‘the public’ thinks. Hopefully ‘McPheever’ doesn’t prove fatal.

AP Photo of Katharine McPhee by Matt Sayles