Sunday, January 30, 2011

Could it be LOVE? Tomoko Nakashimi

This is something I was looking for, I know it, I can feel my excitement overwhelming me just looking at the designs in this book and the thought of the opportunities ahead is frightening...I give you Tomoko Nakashimi's Pattern Magic.

Synopsis:
 
Pattern Magic is the cult pattern-cutting book from Japan. Taking inspiration from nature, from geometric shapes and from the street, this book harnesses the sheer joy of making and sculpting clothes. The book takes a creative approach to pattern cutting, with step-by-step projects for fashion designers and dressmakers to enjoy.

All the basic information you need to start pattern cutting is included, from the basic block to measurements and scaling. Each project is beautifully illustrated with clear diagrams and photographs showing the stages of construction, the toiles and the finished garments. These easy-to-follow illustrations and detailed instructions make it easy to create stunning, sculptural clothes with a couture look.



and here's why:






and here's something from Pattern Magic vol.2




There are a few reviews of these books online, so I decided not to bother too much myself- check out this one from Sweet Sassafras


and here's a fabulous  lime bow dress from Very Prairie based on a design from this book. Simply gorgeous!






Another project based on Nakashimi's designes I found among Burda Style seamstresses' creations made by ichigogirl member from Sweden.




Here is another dress made following this book's great examples: by pixelink (another Burda Style member)



Well, my copy is ordered today, I simply can't wait.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Nashville Auditions: A Tad Underwhelming, no?

I wondered why “Idol” would reduce the country music capital of the world to one hour. But after seeing tonight’s episode, I understand why.

In fact, I don’t think I heard Ryan say how many people advanced. And I don’t remember a montage of people getting gold tickets. Hmmm…

I guess it was a bad sign when for the first time this season, the show started out with a bad audition. It was Christine McCaffrey, who spoke in a high-pitched voice. As she walked into the room, she did some kind of vocal exercises and then destroyed “I Hope You Dance.” It was funny that when she said the song she was going to do, JLo grabbed onto Steven and Randy to brace herself…

Then we got the most interesting story of the night—the tale of the exes. Rob Bolin and Chelsee Oaks, both 23, couldn’t work as a couple, but they work great as duet partners. They nearly brought the judges to tears with their rendition of “Love Somebody.” Then Rob did a killer version of “What’s Going On” and Chelsee nailed “Story of Who I Am.” Steven urged the two of them to work things out. There were a few awkward moments in the hallway when all of Chelsee’s family was there and Rob had no one. Plus, Chelsee’s new boyfriend couldn’t quit glaring at Rob. I look for this to be a story point in Hollywood. I think Rob has a real shot…

We then got a montage of weird stuff leading into the audition of Allen Lewis, a tattoo artist from none other than Franklin Furnace. Allen did “Simple Man” in possibly the most intense matter possible. The judges told him no, but he took it very well as he said even the biggest stars failed the first time and he would keep trying. As JLo said, he came in like the toughest guy, but left philosophizing…

Then Steven and Randy fell under the spell of Stormi Henley, a former Miss Teen USA. She did a tepid rendition of “Father Can You Hear Me,” but Steven and Randy let her through. After she left, JLo chastised the guys for letting through what “might be the smallest voice we’ve heard in five cities.” I wouldn’t look for her to last long in Hollywood…

After a montage of nos, Adrienne Beasley of Wickcliff, KY, wowed with “Summertime American Honey.” There was something very interesting about her voice—and I mean that in a good way. The response of her low-key dad to his daughter making it to Hollywood? “Who’s gonna pay your way?”…

Randy seemed to be in a terribly grumpy mood tonight and Steven called him on it, telling him not to tell people they’re not good. His reprimand came after Kaneela Merricks shouted her way through “Sweet Thing.” Trying to be nice, Steven told her to “go home and practice and get good”…

After a montage of bad auditions, including a guy in a blue bodysuit destroying “A Moment Like This,” we got the second person that impressed me (after Rob): Jackie Wilson, 28, from Nashville. Her version of “Change Your Mind” was solid and I liked her look. But she’ll probably be best remembered for the awkward moment in the hall when the man Ryan thought was her father gave her a very un-fatherly kiss. It turned out to be her boyfriend…

Next was the uber-confident 26-year-old Latoya “Younique” Moore who came to her audition in a blue formal gown and with her CD in tow. How Ryan kept a straight face through all of her posing is beyond me. Her version of “When I Close My Eyes” was, of course, terrible. It makes you wonder who actually recorded a CD with her…

We saw three good singers very quickly: Paul McDonald (“Maggie May”), Jimmie Allen and Danny Pate, who did “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” along with the judges. I’m not sure why we only saw the sing-along and not his actual audition. I’m guessing it was some kind of music rights issue…

Matt Dillard, 27, of Cheatham County, Tennessee, came into the audition room on overalls, but instead of singing the expected country song, he did “You Raise Me Up.” JLo said no, but Randy and Steven sent him through…

The last audition was from Lauren Alaina, 15, of Rossville, Ga., who did a Faith Hill song. The judges were in awe of her. I thought she was good, but I didn’t think she was blow me away good like they did. Her family came in just in time to witness Lauren doing a duet of “Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing” with Steven. It sounded really good, even if she did it in too high of a key for him…

When the judges left, Steven declared, “We found the one today. We found her. I believe he was talking about Lauren, but I don’t buy it. She was way too confident for me…

Tuesday, we’re off to the great state of Texas for another two-hour episode…

So what do you guys think? Were you as underwhelmed with Nashville as I was?
Photos Credit: Michael Becker/FOX

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Milwaukee Auditions: “All the isms and none of the wasms”

If you’re a Twitter person, log on sometime during one of the audition episodes and follow #tylerisms. You’ll see a running list of all the fun things Steven Tyler says during an episode.

And boy did he give a lot to tweet about tonight. There’s no doubt, gang. I am in love with Steven Tyler…

Things got off to a great start when Steven and Randy “dueted” on “Sweet Emotion,” which Steven re-wrote for the occasion. Then, after JLo’s excitement of her view of the ocean (in Milwaukee), it was off to the races…

The first audition we saw tonight was from 16-year-old Scotty McCreery from Garner, NC, who wowed with his low country voice on Josh Turner’s “Your Man.” But then, at Steven’s wise request, he also sang “Put Some Drive In Your Country” just as well. Steven offered his first Tylerism, but I can’t print it in a family blog. I’ll just say it involved a duck and a word that rhymes with duck. And it was hilarious. The judges told us that Scotty was one to watch and I agree. His journey could be interesting…

Up next was Joe Rupka, an aspiring DJ from Swanton, Ohio. Unfortunately, he did not represent the Buckeye state very well, as he destroyed “The Longest Time.” But Steven gamely danced and sang along anyway. Joe, of course, didn’t go through. My real question is what that weird finger thing was he kept doing every time he did his radio station’s call letters…

The judges were completely split over 15-year-old Emma Henry from Littleton, Colorado. Her choice of “True Colors” was a good one for her voice, but I thought she was just too immature and JLo agreed. However, Randy caved and agreed with Steven to send her to Hollywood…

We were then treated to a montage of bad performances. Poor Lady Gaga. If she was watching, she quickly turned the channel…

Naima Adedaso, a janitor at Milwaukee’s famous Summerfest festival, wowed with “For All We Know.” Steven’s next Tylerism was leveled at JLo when he jokingly took offense to her calling him Steve: “You could call me late for dinner and I’d still love you”…

Now, I have to ask what was up with that contestant doing that back flip that smashed that guy’s camera? I mean, why were they even doing that?

The first person that really wowed me was 27-year-old Jerome Bell from New York City, who came out in a great outfit. He did a pitch perfect version of “Let’s Get It On” that didn’t sound like contestants normally do it—and I mean that as a compliment. Jerome was the contestant that elicited my favorite Tylerism of the night when Randy said the performance brought out all of the isms: “All the isms and none of the wasms”…

15-year-old Thia Megia’s rendition of “Chasing Pavements” reminded me a little of the first time we heard Megan Joy—when I actually liked her. Hopefully, Thia will live up to her promise…

Ryan then informed us that every 15-year-old contestant in Milwaukee received a golden ticket to Hollywood. Sounds like the judges have Bieber Fever…

I hate the bad auditions because they make me feel so awkward, but I actually laughed at Nathaniel Jones, the Civil War re-enactor who tried to sing “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” And it’s funny how Steven has decided to play nice by saying that he likes a performance, but it’s not for the show…

Then, in walked an “Idol” dream contestant, 22-year-old Molly DeWolf Swensen, who did a pretty original rendition of “Sittin’ On the Dock of the Bay.” Molly is a recent grad from Harvard that is currently working as a White House intern. As Steven said, “You got attitude and you know where to put it.” Blonde, good-looking, long legs, a good voice and a good back story? Talk about your total package. Plus, she told a funny story about Randy accidentally punching her in the face earlier in the day…

The second day of Milwaukee got off to a fun start with Haley Reinhart from Wheeling, Indiana, who sang “O’Darlin.’” Steven’s first Tylerism of the day was “Da-ding,” which referred to the carnival game when the strong man swings the mallet and makes the bell ring. He told Haley that when she hit a certain note it was “da-ding.” Randy laughed like Steven was crazy, but I thought it was a great way to describe it…

Tiwan Strong of Chicago made the excellent choice to sing “Twistin’ the Night Away” for his Hollywood ticket. There was a funny moment out in the hallway after the audition when one of Tiwan’s family members developed a charley horse and couldn’t stand up and her celebrating family thought she was just excited and completely ignored her. Luckily, Ryan was there to help…

Steve Beghun, the CPA/auditor, who sings at weddings and funerals, was the most interesting audition of the night. I didn’t think he was going to be able to sing, but he ripped out a great rendition of The Script’s “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved”—an excellent choice that really should’ve been a much bigger hit for them. The Tylerism: “I found you to be disturbingly great”…

Vernika Patterson was the first contestant we have seen really talk back to the judges this season. Her butchering of “Loving You” was followed by a montage of upset contestants…

Albert Rogers III, 24, had a voice in there somewhere—and not just his Barack Obama impersonation. I think with some voice lessons, he could really do something. I listened to this Tylerism three times and still didn’t get it. Something about vanilla fudge and “Eleanor Rigby”…

The other person that wowed me tonight was 22-year-old Scott Dangerfield who did “Dreamin’.” It was clear the judges didn’t think the guy with the geeky looks could sing, but they were wrong. JLo called him “my favorite.” I always love it when the geek can sing…

The show did an excellent editing job with the audition of Packers super fan Megan Frasier, who did an operatic version of Justin Bieber’s “Baby.” When Megan told Randy that the Packers were going to win the Super Bowl, Ryan added ( in a voiceover that was clearly dubbed in later) that we would find out in two weeks…

Steven Tyler showed some true honesty with Alyson Jados, who considers him her idol. He told her that her renditions of “Come Together” and “Dream On” were “very pitchy” and he was right. But after Randy said no, Steven sided with JLo and put her through…

But the audition everyone will be talking about came at the end of the show. Chris Medina of Oak Forest, Illinois, showcased his pure falsetto on a jazzy rendition of The Script’s “Break Even.” However, it’s what happened after his audition that everyone will remember as the judges brought his fiancĂ©, who suffered a traumatic brain injury two months before their wedding, into the room. The three of them got up from behind the table and came over and introduced themselves to her in her wheelchair. They were all sweet, but Steven went above and beyond as he delivered what might have been his best Tylerism of the night: “He sings beautiful because he’s singing to you.” I’m not ashamed to admit I did a little crying and based on my Facebook posts, I wasn’t alone…

In all, 53 people advanced to Hollywood. And tonight, we head to Nashville…

Steven told Alyson Jados after he hugged her, “It gets better. Watch.” I think that could be the motto for the “Idol” season thus far because it just keeps getting better…

What do you think? Who were your favorites from Milwaukee? And what were your favorite Tylerisms?

And don’t forget you can follow me on Twitter @angelahbentley…

Photos Credit: Michael Becker/FOX

Gok's Clothes RoadShow - 70's Glamour Look (from Channel 4)


Last night, while  I was flicking through the channels on the telly, I came across this fab program called "Gok's Clothes RoadShow", and was enlightened by a couple of tricks Gok offered up-styling and restyling affordable basic clothes into catwalk look numbers.

For those who are not familiar with this wonderful UK character, Gok Wan  is an English fashion consultant, author and television presenter of British Chinese heritage. His shows "How To Look Good Naked" and "Gok's fashion Fix" have always been high on my best fashion shows for regular people list.
And every show has something memorable and useful to take on board. However what I saw in this show, was super cool.



 I am not sure if i am breaching any copyrights by posting this, and if I am I will be happy to take it down, but it is so amazing I feel like sharing it to the world. The images were screen-captures from Channel 4 on demand player and you can see the full show here



70's Glamour Look:

You will need: 
  • a long halterneck jersey dress with long straps.
  • 3 pairs of shoulder pads (use at least one raglan - it wasn't suggested on the show, but the shape is giving it away)
  • Grosgrain ribbon in for a belt
  • Rock star XL studs (same width as the ribbon)
 
the original dress, how it is meant to be worn

First step- straighten the straps

Bring the straps forward under the arms

this changed the whole look of the back

Bring the straps back over the shoulders


Place your thick shoulder pads under the straps , creating American Football like shoulders



Using any nice looking headbands, place them over the shoulders and stitch them in

What an amazing trick, isn't it?


Take your grosgrain ribbon and add the studs, only enough to cover the front and sides of the belt

studs are very easily attached to the ribbon

Just simply tie the ribbon in a bow at the back and the look is finished.
Here are all the credits for materials used for this look

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Mandisa's New Single: Awesome!

Mandisa has released her new single on her Facebook page and it is awesome!

It's called "Stronger" and it's the first release off her third album, "what if we were real," which is scheduled to be released April 5th.

If you're on Facebook, you can take a listen here.

My Current Projects- Work in Progress



BRAINSTORMING

I have a couple of fabrics that need to be used asap-



This is VOYAGE designer wool suiting fabric. 2 meters. It is quite light, yet warm maybe good for a winter dress, something with plain cut like the one in  Burda 11/2010







I also was inspired by Gok's Clothes Road Show (season 3), where he made a cropped jacket with frog fasteners, so I think this fabric could look very funky in a short jacket from Burda 12/2010  - however, I would make it single breasted and used above mentioned frog fasteners ( I have seen some stunning ones on ebay, but will check out our local shop first)








This is a sheer a bit stretch chiffon fabric. Very soft and light. Could make a nice little top/blouse. I regret now not making something out of it last season, when prints like that were a real hit though.


Still don't know really what to make out of it. Will trust my impulses I suppose. It needs a non-transparent lining, if I want to make a dress, but this fabric is so light, I am not quite sure what lining would work. Any ideas? I have a slight feeling it will end up in something like this eventually-



Here we have a shimmery wool blend fabric, I only have about a meter of it- I used it for a project before. It behaves well, but creases easily. My idea for it is a Karl Lagerfeld skirt I blogged about before. Just need to check if I have enough fabric for it.




However, on the other hand, I might go for something different- Patrones 296 had so many lovely styles, it is hard to choose the favourite. Here are some of them...hmmm, all yummy....



and finally, I have a bit of wet-look leather stretch fabric left over and look what I saw on Net-A-Porter.com today: amasing, I think! A bit of gathering and a bit of grosgrain- fab!











So this is what I am up to... have any comments, tips or ideas? Do let me know!

Fabric Covered Shoes: Make Your Own

I just have to share this amazing tutorial with you today. How many times do we realize none of our shoes goes perfectly with the new outfit, and we end up choosing the next best thing, often ending up in a mismatched number.  Well I did. And as most of my wardrobe is and increasingly becomes self-made, this issue raises every time, bringing me to despair sometime ( as I can't afford just going and getting new shoes every time).

So this is the tutorial of the year!  It was posted by Alison Dahl from Brooklyn, NY creative director/ editor on Burda Style website.  All you need is a pair of shoes, 1 yard of fabric, 1 yard of self-adhesive fabric, craft glue (make sure it’s made for fabric), scissors & a pencil... and a bit of patience. So go ahead- give it a try, I know I will!!!
Click here for detailed instructions

Thursday, January 20, 2011

New Orleans Recap: “What is this show?”

New Orleans was a little strange for “American Idol” tonight, prompting Randy to say numerous times, “What is this show?”

If I were answering him, I would say that it is a much friendlier version of the show we know and love. And I dare say it’s actually more fun.

Could it be that as entertaining as Simon’s barbs were all those years, he was actually holding the show back? Did I actually just write that?

What is this blog?

The show started on a rather auspicious note as Blake Patterson took out his frustrations about not making it to Hollywood on a piano as he cried/sang “Smile.” It looked like a scene from a movie where the guy gets depressed and has too much to drink. It was actually a pretty good opening…

The show is having so much fun this year, we even got to see Ryan Seacrest bloopers. They were from Season 4 (the last time “Idol” was in New Orleans), but they were still bloopers…

The first singer was Jordan Dorsey, a 21-year-old vocal and piano teacher, who did “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and was quickly put through. He was so awesome, I’ve put him on my list of people to watch. “Idol” could use a young R&B artist in the vein of Bruno Mars or Jason Derulo…
After a montage of bad singers—Wow, “And I Am Telling You” is a popular audition choice this year—we got Sarah Sellers and her big lips, which Steven loved. All of the judges loved her mega-confident rendition of “Make You Feel My Love” and she went through…

Jovany Barreto, a 23-year-old shipbuilder, sang something in Spanish very well that Steven called “very delicious.” But he’ll probably be better known for winning a bet with a friend by taking his shirt off. He probably wasn’t counting on Steven and Randy joining him…

Simon and Randy seemed to always get along very well, but it’s clear that Steven and Randy have a much more positive, friendly vibe going on. I’m starting to think I don’t miss Simon at all…

What did I just say? What is this blog?

We got to meet Randy’s brother, Herman, since Randy was born in nearby Baton Rouge. Jacquelyn Dupree took Randy down memory lane by bringing him pictures of him from high school. She also brought along Randy’s old football coach before singing “I’ll Stand By You” for her ticket to Hollywood. I thought she had a real Carrie Underwood tone to her voice…

Also adding their name to my Watchlist was 16-year-old Brett Loewenstern. We saw Brett’s story of being “different” and always getting picked on as a kid, which I guess I probably related to. But then we got to hear him nail “Bohemian Rhapsody” with a Jason Mraz-like voice. The judges loved him too and sent him through overwhelmingly…

Gabriel Franks, 24, actually won a Steven Tyler look-alike contest, but his audition was just scary as he yelled through “Bad Romance.” However, he did handle his rejection gracefully…

Alex Attardo was a former “Idol Camp”-er, but clearly he didn’t learn anything as he destroyed “Proud Mary”…

15-year-old Jacee Badeaux looked every bit of 12, but he sounded just like Justin Bieber as he belted out “Sittin’ On the Dock of the Bay.” I think I saw dollar signs flash in Randy’s eyes for a second. I worry, though, that Hollywood will chew him up and spit him out…

The final contestant we saw tonight was 23-year-old Paris Tassin. When she was pregnant, she was told her child had hydrocephalus and that she shouldn’t have her at all. But she did, and now her child is healthy, but with hearing problems. Paris brought every ounce of that emotion to “Temporary Home,” bringing JLo to tears before getting put through. At the end of the show, we saw JLo meeting Paris’ little girl in one of the more touching moments I think I’ve ever seen on the show…

In all, 37 people got a golden ticket. And next week, the show makes its first trip ever to Milwaukee. I’m actually looking forward to it.

Wait! What did I just say? What is this blog?

See you Wednesday…

Photo Credit: Michael Becker/FOX

The Ratings Are In And...

Houston, we could have a problem…

The ratings are in and it’s not good news for “Idol.” “The Hollywood Reporter” reports that “Idol” was down 13 percent from last season’s premiere in overall viewers and down 18 percent in the coveted 18-49 demographic.

Now, it’s true that “Idol” has been sliding since 2007, but I was sure that curiosity over the new judges would keep the slide small.

The show still had 26.1 million viewers, which a lot of shows would kill for, but this is “Idol.” It’s supposed to be better than that. And now here’s the problem. No doubt some of last night’s viewership was curiosity fueled, which means the ratings could slide even further tonight—especially up against CBS’s “The Big Bang Theory.”

Somewhere I have to believe Simon Cowell is having a good chuckle…

New Jersey Recap: Hallelujah I Just Love Steven Tyler So YEAAAAHHHH!

Last night, it was time for all of the hype to come to an end and get season 10 of “American Idol” started. Of course, that wasn’t before they took over five minutes to recap all of the hype for us.

We were then introduced to the new credit sequence and an updated theme song. I think I liked both, but I’m not sure about the word “Idol” being so giant at the end of the credits. I’m not sure what they’re going for there. I also thought it was interesting that along with all of the winners, Adam Lambert, Chris Daughtry and Jennifer Hudson also appeared in the credits. And if you watch it slowly, you’ll see that of the winners, Jordin Sparks actually gets the least amount of time for her picture. I was sure it would be Taylor Hicks (In case you’re wondering, the trio of David Cook, Kris Allen and Lee DeWyze get the most time.).

Then, of course, we had to hear the entire resumes of the judges. I’m not sure who they were trying to convince with that—us or them. Funny, I don’t think Simon, Paula, or Randy got that kind of introduction in season one. Of course, that was in the blissful days when the audition rounds only lasted a week…

Finally, it was time to get things started with the New Jersey auditions on August 3, 2010. Notice the slick edit making it look like the huge crowd was chanting for the judges. Of course, we know that’s not the case since the judges weren’t even announced by August 3rd.

Ryan said the show got its biggest crowds ever this season. I think it’s important to note that more people were eligible than ever before this season due to the minimum age being lowered to 15.

The first audition we saw came from 22-year-old Rachel Zevita who was cut on the first day in Hollywood in Season 6. She sang what I thought was a beautiful version of “Hallelujah,” but JLo said she was not her best and Steven was also hesitant. For the first time this season, I yelled, “What?!” at my TV. They put her through, but our new judges were off to an auspicious start…

Next up was 25-year-old Caleb Hawley, who did “Hallelujah, I Just Love Her So.” Steven redeemed himself by screaming and drumming along to the performance. The top notes cracked a little, but he was good and they sent him through…

The first 15-year-old audition was from Kenzie Palmer, who sang “Young and Beautiful.” Randy and Steven were unsure, but JLo convinced them to send her through…

We then saw three people go through without singing. Remember, that’s often because the rights to whatever song they sang didn’t clear…

It was obvious the show was trying to start out on a good note by piling up the good singers at the beginning. But no worries, the bad were on their way, starting with Achille Lovle, 25, who did “Dress You Up.” Achille, who is from the Ivory Coast, had a very deep voice with a very thick accent, which she tried to blame for her troubles. JLo struggled to say no and lamented the job was going to be harder than she thought…

You were positive the next contestant, 21-year-old Tiffany Rios, was going to be bad—especially with all of her JLo gushing, her original song about increasing the ratings AND the stars she had put on her chest. But for whatever reason, they let her sing another one and she belted out “Power of Love.” I didn’t think it was good enough, but the judges put her through. I’m sensing another Tatiana Del Toro here…

We then got a montage of bad singers and then one of JLo having trouble saying no…

The bad singers ended with Robbie Rosen, 16, who had our first touching backstory of the night. Robbie once had a debilitating disease that put him in a wheelchair. He did an excellent rendition of “Yesterday” and the judges put him right through…

Then it was a montage of the contestants talking about which judge they wanted to see the most, followed by a semi-inappropriate montage of Steven flirting with some of the girls. I have to admit, I liked hearing Steven say “Angela”…

Chris Cordeiro, 18, was next and he butchered Frank Sinatra’s “My Way,” while his mother did substantially better singing it for Ryan outside the door…

Another quick montage of nos before we met Michael Perotto, 19, who overcame his nervous belching to destroy “Proud Mary”…

We met Ashley Sullivan, 25, coming out of the Porta Potty. She gushed about how she wanted to be Britney Spears, so you just knew she was going to be bad. But her somewhat angry rendition of “Gimme Gimme” was actually pretty good, but terribly theatrical. Steven and JLo put her through, with Randy registering his doubts. It was nice to see Randy being logical for a change since he and Paula always put those types of people through…

Victoria Huggins, 16, had a sweet North Carolina accent and a sweet personality to match, which is probably why her “Midnight Train to Georgia” lacked any street. But that personality won over the judges—first by debating skirt length with Steven and then by saying, “Yo, yo, Dawg!” to Randy—and she went through. I think she’ll get chewed up and spit out in Hollywood, but if she does, I hope she returns next season…

Melinda Ademi, 16, of Kosovo, wowed the judges at the end of day one with “If I Ain’t Got You,” easily going through…

Devyn Rush, the 20-year-old singing waitress, kicked off day two with “God Bless the Child.” She went through…

We then got a montage of bad singers featuring Jimmy Kennedy doing “Hey There Delilah” and the judges singing along to Genise Deal’s “I’m a Believer.”

Then we saw the audition they promised us we’d be talking about—25-year-old Yoji Pop. He said he had been imitating Michael Jackson since before he was born, but he didn’t want to do a Michael song. So he did “Party in the USA” with Michael Jackson dance moves. The song was awful, but the moves were pretty good. We then went straight to a “Party” singing montage without getting the judges’ reaction to Yoji. I would’ve liked to have heard Steven’s thoughts…

Then it was some more bad singers including Jaclyn Blythe (“I’m the Only One”), Ina Abasumoh (“And I Am Telling You”) and Rob Palmay (“Ramblin’ Man”)…

Brielle Von Hugel, 16, was up next after we heard the story of how her dad survived throat cancer. She did “Endless Love” and went through with her dad watching...

Another montage, this time of the rejected contestants crying…

The last contestant of the day was 16-year-old Travis Orlando who once lived in a shelter with his family. He did “Eleanor Rigby,” but Steven wisely asked to hear something else and he nailed “I’m Yours” and went through. The emotional reaction of his family was one of the highlights of the night…

In all, 51 people went through to Hollywood from New Jersey. Tonight, we head to New Orleans…

Again, I think it’s clear the show is trying to show as much talent as possible instead of just those with gushy backstories. But I just wish they could do that in a much shorter time than four weeks AND with much shorter episodes. The two hours would have dragged interminably if not for the wondering of what Steven Tyler would say next.

Unless “Idol” wants some serious FCC fines this year, they had best run the live show on a delay every week…

As for my favorite, I would definitely go with Robbie Rosen because I’m a sucker for a good-looking guy with a beautiful voice. But I also liked Rachel Zevita, despite what the judges said…

But all these 16-year-olds are starting to worry me. That just means we’ll hear Randy say, “And just 16?!” twice as much.

And by the way, the term "Tylerism" has already sprung up on Twitter. My favorite? "What we have here is a failure to communicate...musically." I think I'm starting to miss Simon a little less already...

So what did you guys think? Are you happy with the talent so far? What about the judges? And are you happy that “Idol” is back or have you given up already?

Feel free to post a comment or hit me up on Facebook or Twitter

Photos Credit: Michael Becker/FOX