Idol Time Blog

Do you miss Paula Abdul?

The audition process is almost over. Next week Ellen DeGeneres joins the judges in Hollywood.

It's been three weeks without Paula Abdul. Do you miss this over the top, too nice and sometimes loopy judge?

I, for one, don't. I think the guest judges have added quite a bit to the auditions. It's nice to hear someone give constructive criticism. Their reactions have been priceless too. It gives the auditions a new, fresh feeling rather than the same old, same old.

The Denver auditions produced 26 golden tickets. Here are some notables:

Mark Labriola -- The judges thought he was going to be a joke. The joke was on them. He has a very nice tenor voice. He did have to get grilled by Simon on his background.

Kimberly Kerbow -- She had a sweet and funny audition. She also had a sweet sound to her voice.

Donelle Hayes -- I didn't expect the rocker sound from her. She has a very authentic sound. A very emotional audition.

Tori Kelly -- She looks older than 16, but she has one of the best voices I've heard yet. She should do well, but will have to prove Simon wrong.

Nicci Rix -- She talks like she just sucked helium, but her voice was lower. A very good singing voice.

Haeley Vaughn -- She wants to be one of the first major black country stars. I think she could do it. She's unique and her voice is definitely country.

BTW, don't even get me started on Bikini Boy. Talk about a publicity stunt by the people at American Idol. NO WAY! Ick!

Who will replace Simon Cowell?

He's sharp-tongued, delivers reality checks and sometimes he's just down right mean -- that's one "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell.

Cowell announced just before "Idol" premiered that this would be his last season. He's staying with the FOX network, but returning next season with his show "The X Factor."

So who will replace him? Here are some of my suggestions on who can fill his tight black T-shirts.

Donald Trump: He's a businessman. He might not know music, but he knows what sells. If not, "Your fired!"

Katy Perry: She didn't pull any punches Tuesday night with fellow judge Kara DioGuardi. She was upfront and brutally honest. And she obviously knows a thing or two about the music biz.

Piers Morgan: He's British... and he can judge talent -- musical or otherwise. He's been serving as a judge on "America's Got Talent" and "Britain's Got Talent" -- two more Simon Cowell shows.

Quincy Jones: He's guested on "Idol." He has worked with everyone from Michael Jackson to Diana Ross.

Rosie O'Donnell: She's got a big mouth and would definitely tell it like it is.

Lisa Lampanelli: The Queen of Mean would leave contestants in tears. She can be just as harsh as Simon.

What do you think? Who do you put in Simon's place?

Here are notables from the Los Angeles auditions:

Mary Powers -- Cool tone, definitely a rocker chick.

A.J. Mendoza -- The Adam Lambert wannabe. NO WAY! What a bad impersonation. There's only one Adam Lambert... sorry!

Did everyone see the cameo by the Sanjaya crying girl? I wish they had shown her. That would have been interesting!

Andrew Garcia -- He chose a difficult song and nailed it. A very good singer.

Tasha Layton -- Wow, what pipes. She has a good pop sound.

Jason Greene turned up the dirty factor on "Idol." Thank God they kept the camera from the waist up while he was singing "I touch myself." He even gave Ryan Seacrest his phone number!

Chris Golightly -- Intriguing story... he has that Justin Guarini look and sound. A good voice.

Is it worth getting arrested?

There were a lot of good singers to go through the Orlando auditions and on to Hollywood, but the talk of the show will be Jarrod Norrell.

Jarrod got himself worked up to sing for the judges. He walked into the judging room with confidence. He "gave it up to God" and chose to sing "Amazing Grace."

There was just one problem: He can't sing.

This man opened his mouth and it sounded like he was singing through a fan. You know, like how kids like to get close to fan and make noises through it, it makes that vibrating type sound. That's what he sounded like when he sang!

But that's not what everyone will be talking about. Jarrod just didn't want to hear what the judges were saying. He honestly thought he sounded good. He tried singing again. That didn't work either. Instead security had to escort him out. If had just walked out he wouldn't have ended up in handcuffs saying: "They got to take me out in cuffs."

Good notables

Seth Rollins -- He's got that R&B sound. He just sounded cool.

Jermaine Purify -- He sang one of my favorite songs "Smile." Pure sound and really good.

Shelby Dressel -- A condition leaves her with no use of the right side of her face. That doesn't stop her from singing really well. She has a nice sound and good potential.

Jay Stone -- He brings back memories of Blake Lewis. Really good beat boxing... not sure about the voice. See what he brings to Hollywood.

Cornelius Edwards -- He ripped his pants dancing, but he can sing.

Matt Lawrence -- He's got mad vocals. Really good control and an authentic sound.

Memorable Idol auditions

There could be a lot of hot air blowing around tonight in the Windy City of Chicago.

The audition process of "American Idol" is a favorite of many (not necessarily my favorite part of the show). Throughout the years, there have been more than several bad, but memorable auditions. Some of those include "The Derek" from season 1, Keith singing "Like A Virgin" in season 2 and William Hung singing "She Bangs" in season 3.

"General" Larry Platt doesn't necessarily qualify as one of the worst with "Pants On the Ground." He's definitely one of the memorable ones.

Who are some your favorite bad auditioners?

"Pants on the Ground"

"General" Larry Platt is getting his 15 minutes of fame.

The 62-year-old veteran is an overnight sensation after performing his original song "Pants on the Ground" at the Atlanta auditions for the second episode of "American Idol."

After the audition, a skeptical Simon Cowell remarked, "I have a horrible feeling that song could be a hit."

He may be right.

Since the show aired, his song has gone viral. Go to YouTube, type in "Pants on the Ground" and you'll find various videos of Platt, extra footage, a bunch of remixes, tributes and covers of his song. Platt is scheduled to appear on "The View" on Monday.

A quick Internet search reveals Platt is an activist. He was a part of the civil rights movement. Platt says he marched with Martin Luther King Jr. and even got beat up during the famous march from Selma, Ala. to Montgomery.

Platt says he wrote the song "Pants on the Ground" because he saw a young man with his pants hanging below his waist.