Phil Stacey Blog: Salt Lake City shines [UPDATED]

January 28, 2009 | 7:14 pm

When I received my "American Idol" golden ticket to Hollywood, I felt like I had gone as far as I could go. The majority of contestants get through after a unanimous "yes" from the judges, but Simon had said "no" to me. And I’m sure after the Memphis audition, no one would have predicted that I would make it farther than anyone else who had auditioned there, with the exception of Melinda Doolittle. It just goes to show you, it is a little early to make any predictions. Some of these folks may surprise us in the coming weeks.

On a side note, Melinda actually has a record coming out and is giving away a free MP3 on her website: melindadoolittle.com. Check it out if you like great music...

Tonight, the auditions went to Salt Lake City. I have visited SLC a couple times this last year and can honestly say it is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen. Will the talent be as beautiful? We shall see...

First up, from the famous Osmond family, is David Osmond. They show his touching backstory, which tells me that they have big plans for him. And he is extremely talented! He sings “Something Within Me” by Take 6. I can’t imagine the semifinals without him. And Salt Lake City starts with a huge bang.

Tara Matthews is the next audition, and she is not a great singer. She gets a no. Like we didn’t know she would get a no as soon as she started talking.

Next, we get a montage of bad auditions. Trust me folks, thousands of people auditioned in Salt Lake City and most of them are great singers. You just won’t ever see them.

Chris Kirkham brings in a giant man dressed in a pink rabbit outfit. It is weird. The truth is, if you want to make it to the judges and your voice is not exactly "spectacular," you have to have a gimmick. This is the worst gimmick I have seen in eight seasons. It’s just strange.

Our next audition is Frankie Jordan. I really like her voice a lot! She has this jazzy-pop feel a la Amy Winehouse. She sails through to Hollywood.

Megan Corkrey comes in and has the exact type of voice as Frankie, with more of a pop edge. She is recently divorced and has decided to chase her dreams. She and Frankie have unique voices and it will be interesting to hear them on the different theme weeks if they continue to do that this year.

Austin Sisneros is the senior class president at his school and he is hoping to win the votes of the judges. He sings a Train song and is very impressive to me. Randy is not as impressed. Austin uses the power of persuasion to win a second chance. Again, I like his voice, but the judges are not as impressed. He makes it through, and I suspect we will see him again.

Jarrett Burns auditions with “Put Your Records On” and makes the judges smile. I think he made it to Hollywood, but his lack of attention makes me think he is a minor player in this season of "Idol."

Next up is Taylor Vaifanua, a 16-year-old from Utah. She sings "Joyful, Joyful." Randy is really advertising for this girl, which makes me think they have seen something we didn’t. She definitely has a nice voice and I am positive we will see her again.

Rose Flack is from Rathdrum, Idaho. She has a very touching backstory that immediately endeared me to her. She is a self-proclaimed hippie and my first impression is that she could be an amazing artist. She has lived and experienced incredible emotions. If she could relate that in her songs, she could do amazing things in music. Her voice is soft with melancholy. I love it. Paula thinks she needs to work on her vocals, but she does get four positive votes for the night. I think she'll do well, but you never know.

I am really looking forward to Hollywood Week. That is when the contestants really begin to shine or fall. But before we get there, we must hit the last audition that will be shown tomorrow. Until then, be safe.

-- Phil Stacey

UPDATED, 9:14 p.m.: An earlier version of this post said Salt Lake City was in Nevada. It's in Utah.

Photo: Contestant Chris Kirkham hoped a guy dressed in a pink rabbit outfit would help get him to Hollywood. The gimmick didn't quite work. Credit: Fox