A belated, abbreviated Dallas audition post

I said I'd post my thoughts on the Dallas auditions on American Idol once I finished watching them (four hours of Idol over two days is grueling), so for the four or five of you waiting for it...I have a few thoughts.

Basically, I thought Wednesday's show wasn't all that remarkable and I barely wrote down any notes about it. The good singers were fine, but nothing special, and the bad singers weren't remarkably bad or weird. Even the guy at the end singing that song about brothers wasn't a terrible singer--plus he was in his 40s, and since you can't be over 28 and qualify for the show, why do we keep getting these 40 year old auditioners? Were all the bad auditions under 28 that uninteresting?

I did like the girl who Simon said was the best they'd seen so far, but I think I liked her Britney Spears impression better than her normal singing. I was surprised that the guy who said he would one day be president could actually sing well--but I can't see him really going that far in the competition. And that guy who said he'd never kissed a girl--did he really also say that he didn't plan to kiss anyone until his wedding day? Where is going to find the woman who is going to agree with that? I presume he wasn't an Orthodox Jew--some of whom don't touch members of the opposite until they get married. Do some Christians do this as well, or was this guy just odd?

Finally, if you've been checking the Internet, there's already been a lot of debate about Kristy Lee Cook (from Tuesday night) and others like her--who at one time had a record contract but never had any success. Idol, of course, because it's always so honest with its viewers, is not mentioning this and portraying Cook, for instance, as just off the farm. Should the show allow someone with professional experience, background, etc. on the show? While it does give me some qualms, my answer is yes. After last year's mess, personally I'd rather see a good show. If a couple of the contestants may have a little bit more experience than others, I can live with it. (And since the rules are only that one can't have a current record or management contract, there really isn't anything violating the letter of the rules here.) Furthermore, in these days of the Internet, everyone will know the life story of Kristy Lee Cook by April--so if she gets that far, America can factor all this into their voting. Even more important, though, I consider the "unknown" factor of American Idol one of its most appealing features--the way people go from nobodies to some of the most famous people in the country by May. Even if Kristy Lee Cook did have a record contract once upon a time, she wasn't famous. And it's unlikely she will be without going far on Idol.

Fingerhut out.