'American Idol' Preview Features Train Wreck Auditions

The new American Idol preview is now featuring ho ho ho and a couple of train wreck auditions.

The 20-second preview of American Idol's upcoming season featured the usual motley crew of hapless hopefuls trying to impress the judges with off-key bleats of ho ho ho. We also saw clips of judges Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler shaking their heads in disbelief.

This is nothing new, as American Idol auditions are notorious for outlandish train wrecks. We all remember the notorious William "She Bangs" Hung, who charmed audiences with his never-say-die, nice-guy attitude. We also remember Michael Sandecki, the Clay Aiken impersonator who had all the nerdiness and none of the singing ability.

While some of these auditions were genuinely funny, some took a tragic turn. Does anyone remember Paula Goodspeed, the obsessed Paula Abdul fan?

I do have to wonder if the audition format is getting a bit trite. One or two train wreck auditions are good for a few laughs, but do were really need to devote countless hours to delusional wannabes who are just trying to cash in on their 15 minutes of fame?

I know several talented singers who have auditioned for American Idol,and they did not even have the privilege of being able to sing for Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell. The producers cut them before they even had a chance to prove themselves.

So many of the audition spots that go to token train wrecks could be better spent giving legitimate hopefuls a chance. After nine seasons of train wrecks, I'm starting to appreciate the format of Sing Off, where all of the singers are of a high caliber from day one.

These train wreck auditions were at least interesting because we got to see the reactions of acerbic Simon Cowell and loony Paula Abdul, as well as the fun chemistry between Randy, Paula, and Simon. With Paula and Simon gone, though, it just won't be the same.

It will be interesting to see whether or not Idol can continue the ratings successes of previous seasons. I'm sure fans will tune in the first few weeks just to see how the new judges perform. After that, it's anyone's guess.

The auditions preview is available on YouTube.

Sources:

mjsbigblog holiday ho ho, YouTube