A young Memphian named Austin Carroll is one of the 11 contenders on a new American Idol copycat show that premiered this week on ABC. Called The One: Making of a Music Star, the show follows the various contestants as they prepare for auditions, get lessons from coaches, and then perform before a panel of judges whose qualifications are even more vague than Randy Jackson’s. The difference between this show and others like it? All the contestants live together, so we get to see them squabble.
Wednesday night, Carroll, a chubby sort of fellow who likes to brush his blondish hair straight down into his eyes and frets that he is “too eccentric,” was deemed “close to greatness” by the judges after singing “The Weight” by The Band.
It’s a good start, but who is this guy? We thought we knew all the music folks in town, and his bio just mentions rather vaguely that he is “the son of a Grammy Award-winning father.”
Still, he made it to the next round, but will he go farther? Stay tuned. And read here what some others think about the new show — and Carroll. — Michael Finger
