The ratings are mixed, the talent has its ups and downs but Idol moves on.

This is the initial post for the season and we purposefully waited until near the end of the initial round of tryouts to do so. Figuring you would be just as good at judging the talent as we are … well, then why bother? And to make it even better, the AI publicity machine has passed along clips for use from the various stops they made.

So, we will make them available to you for your viewing pleasure. Each post will have the city’s name in the headline and you can watch them as the show heads into the finale of the first round tonight from San Francisco..

Here goes, live from Minneapolis – This is American Idol!