Week One -- January 18 & 19, 2005
Pain and agony don't even begin to describe it.
And yet I watch.
This week, AI viewers were given glimpses into the lives of some rather colorful characters. If you thought Scat Girl and Scooter Girl were a little wacky last year, you really should meet Mary...
There she is. She looks nice enough. I mean, here she's conversing with some other young ladies about Mark McGrath. Bonding with her peers. A social girl at heart. By day, you see, she is sweet, Mark-loving Mary. But by night she becomes...
This.
When the judges turned her down, things got a little bit creepy. I'm not sure if she was serious about the voices in her head, but... I wouldn't want to spend a lot of time with this girl.
At least not every blond chic was bordering on... Eegah! No, no. The Maynard triplets -- Mandy, Erin, and Melissa -- were a fun-loving group. Erin's (was it Erin?) video commentary (in which she botched her sister's weight stats on television and started bickering with said sister (who was off-screen)) was highly amusing. I was kind of rooting for those girls, but they did not make it to Hollywood.
And now... to talk about the people who DID make it to Hollywood... here are four women who did... who also happen to be singers I personally enjoyed, and will be cheering for in the weeks to come. I didn't mean to leave out the guys, it just happened. Maybe.
 Regina Brooks is definitely one to watch. I feel she could have been even better in her audition, but she still left me impressed. She has a powerful voice and cares deeply about this competition and opportunity. Oh yeah, and her kid's adorable.
|  Carrie Underwood is a genuine farm girl. She seems very sweet, and has a beautiful, melodic voice. Her favorite singer? Martina McBride. Hey, I like this girl already. |
 Marlea Stroman has a strong, soulful voice. I think she could make it pretty far. I... yuh... that's it. Go Marlea!
|  We didn't get to see much of Melissa Walton, but she had a sort of Mariah Carey-esque voice... she can do the fun vocal stuff, and she sounds great. |