When AI announced that Paula would not be returning this season, we didn’t’ know what to expect. When auditions began, guest judges took Paula’s place and previewed what the void that couldn’t be filled. Victoria Beckham was boring, Mary J. Blige was especially mean and Avrile Lavigne in her devil hoodie was just plain scary. Other than Shania Twain and Neil Patrick Harris, the guest judges seemed to bring down the level of respect contestants received and reduce the other judges to juvenile antics. I know that the talent is often terrible, and that horrific performances spell ratings gold. But this season it was evident that the judges didn’t have rhyme or reason to the people they advanced. Good people were passed over, while people with personality but no talent went to Hollywood.
When we finally reached the Hollywood round, Ellen DeGeneres made her first appearance as the new judge. I’m hoping that it was simply bad editing… but her first night on the show, she was a sour-puss, not very nice to the contestants and her jokes fell flat.
Night two wasn’t much better. The talent was subpar and there are no early front runners. In the past, the show focused on the gifted singers. Those with awful voices were sprinkled throughout the auditions, but this season, they were the main focus. Group night is always stressful, but you can’t blame an individual for a poor group performance. Contestants that judges praised in the individuals competition were callously eliminated after group performances, like Matt Lawrence from the Orlando auditions. I want fan favorites and I want talent. The drama seemed to emanate from the contestants and carry over to the judges. I’m hoping that Ellen cheers up a bit and warms up to the contestants.Paula was the heart of AI, and without her, the judges seem exceptionally cold.
