With auditions for American Idol heading to Los Angeles this week, I started thinking.  What is the audition process really like?  Do you realize how many truly amazing singers must be turned away every year?  On Friday night, my husband and I attended Temecula Live.  This all country music talent-type show has become a tradition in Temecula, California.  The show is held for three nights and has different performers each night.  The singers are always amazing and range from little kids to adults that have taken up singing later in life.  Every time one of the singers hit the stage, I would turn to my husband and say, “They could make it on Idol”.  But they don’t.  Why?  Because for every one of the singers on the Temecula Live stage there is probably a hundred just as good.

So what do you need to be an American Idol?  Something besides a good voice that’s for sure.  Maybe a sad story that will lead to a happy ending?   We always love those, don’t we?  Members of the military/police have a bit of a better shot.  It doesn’t hurt to have an unusual look or dress a little different–but be careful–not too different!  I’m not sure what the formula is.  Perhaps it changes year to year or even audition to audition?  Well anyway, I’m sure Los Angeles saw its share of really good performers not make the cut; but Tuesday at 8:00, we’ll see who does.

Enjoy the playoffs today.  Stay tuned…Bloggergal1

First to receive a golden ticket in Orlando is Seth Rollins.  He was praised by all four judges.  Seth is a very caring father of an autistic son.  He wants to succeed both for himself and his family.  He definitely pulled me into his corner!

Jermaine Purifoy auditioned in Season 7 and he’s back for a second try.  He sings a Tony Bennett song.  I don’t think I mentioned that Seth sang a Frank Sinatra song.  Must be crooners’ night.  Randy says Jermaine was the best he heard this season so far.  Another four Yes votes.

Shelby Dressel is an 18-year-old trying out for Idol for her first time.  She has a bit of nerve damage on her face, but it doesn’t affect her beauty or her beautiful voice.  Once again, four Yes votes.

Day two auditions are minus Kristen Chenowith. First up today is Jay Stone.  Okay, now this one is “sorta” unique.  If you remember Blake Lewis, though, maybe not.  Jay is a beat boxer–but he’s different from Blake because he mixes the beat boxing right in with the singing.  I guess you have to hear it to understand.  Simon says No, Kara says Yes and then Kara talks Randy into the second Yes needed to send Jay to Hollywood.

We hear tiny bits of  Janell Wheeler, Brittany Star James and Kasi Bedford sing and all three receive Golden Tickets.

Cornelius Edwards lists his dance skills on his bio, so during his song, he tries a split.  Lucky for him, his voice is good, because his pants ripped and his dancing talent wasn’t winning him any prizes.  We’ll see him again in Hollywood.

Would a season be complete without siblings?  Next we have two very hot sisters from Jersey.   Bernadette and Amanda Desimone can hold their own while singing…oh and did I mention that they are hot…and also Hollywood bound.

As you know, I’ve been ignoring the No contestants, but I can’t help but comment on Jarrod Norrell.  After singing Amazing Grace, the judges try to let him down easy with three No’s but he won’t leave and ends up being taken out in handcuffs.  For the judges sake, I hope this was put on because this guy was scary.

Last story of the night focuses on Matthew Lawrence.  When he was fifteen-years-old he robbed a bank with a BB gun.  He ended up in jail for over four years.  Now, he’s grown up and wants to make up for his huge mistake.  Simon’s quote is “brilliant”.  That’s high praise.  Kara and Randy both are bowled over by Matthew.  He, of course, gets a ticket to Hollywood.  The judges think he will make it to the top 12.   Maybe.

That’s it for week two of American Idol.  Next week, AI heads back to Los Angeles where there is never a lack of talent–at least in my experience.

Have a great weekend!  Bloggergal1

Jarrod Norrell

American Idol heads to Chicago and leaves with only 13 contestants going to Hollywood.  Maybe it had something to do with Randy’s shirt.  Did you see that thing?  I was shopping in Beverly Hills awhile ago and saw him coming out of one of those posh stores.  It may have been expensive, but I still don’t like it!

The first contestant is  Katelyn Epperly.   Her story is that her parents are divorcing and she’s doing this mostly for her mom because she loves American Idol.  She moves on to Hollywood, but she needs to want this for herself to become the next American Idol.  My husband didn’t like that tattoo on her back and he thought her dress was too child-like.  So in other words she needs some updating to her look.

Off topic, did you see the Royal Caribbean’s Oasis cruise ship commercial?  It has a merry-go-round–can you imagine?  I need to get on that ship!

Sixteen-year-old Charity Vance from Arkansas sings Summertime.  Randy says she has a “small voice but an interesting sound”.  Simon told her she sounded great.  She gets four yes votes and moves on to Hollywood.  All the judges are amazed that she is only sixteen.  Well, if you watch American Idol regularly, you know what’s coming next.  When she starts choosing her songs, the judges will say she is choosing songs that are too old for her, right?

The next section shows a large number of really bad singers, mixed in with reactions from the judges.  My question is did the judges really see all those lousy singers, or did AI producers piece together that section?  I just can’t imagine those famous people sitting through all those contestants.  Why would American Idol waste their time?  There has to be a ton of really good singers in Chicago.

Next up is three time contestant, Angela Martin.  The first time she made it to Hollywood, her dad passed away and this affected her.  Angela made it last season to the top 50 but had to drop out because she had to appear in court for a traffic violation.  Will third time be a charm?

After the commercials, another whole segment devoted to terrible, not even funny, contestants.  How about American Idol divides the show up–one show of terrible contestants and one that shows just the good ones, even if they don’t make it to Hollywood?

Finally, we get to a Hollywood-bound contestant, John Park.  He’s a twenty-year-old college student.  I think his audition is really dull.  He’s going to need to show some personality to keep going on AI.  Shania critiques him and uses what can only be called questionable language.  I think John was pretty confused by her, as was I!

Paige Dechausse, also a college student is the next to be highlighted.  She had a close call when she was little with a severe asthma attack.  Simon thinks she’s “indulgent” and votes no.  Kara and Shania think she deserves a shot and vote yes and then they harass Randy into saying yes.  Do I think this was all a put on?  Well, what do you think?

The last segment highlights three guys…Justin Ray with amazing hair, Keith Semple holding his guitar and Marcus Jones.  All three get yellow tickets.  I think that Keith Semple has a very interesting tone to his voice and I’ll be watching out for him in Hollywood.

Tonight American Idol goes to Orlando, Florida.  I wouldn’t mind going to Orlando, would you?  Anyway, hopefully they’ll find more talent there.  So, stay tuned…Bloggergal1

Can you believe it’s Sunday already?  We’re right smack in the middle of NFL playoffs (go Vikings!), but before you know it Tuesday will be here!  American Idol auditions are in the windy city of Chicago.  Guest celebrity judge is Shania Twain.  Check it out Tuesday at 8:00 p.m.

In the meanwhile, stealing the spotlight away from AI contestants this week was Atlanta’s Larry Platt.  I’m sure I don’t have to tell you this, but he is the writer and performer to the newest Internet hit “Pants on the Ground”.  I hesitate to even say those words out loud because I find that it leads to me singing the silly ditty all day long!  My local newspaper had an interview of his and he’s shocked about all the attention he’s receiving.  He said that he hopes people will concentrate on his message more so than his fame.  His inspiration hit when seeing a father with his pants hanging walking down the street with his children.  He feels that isn’t the message that a parent should be conveying.  You go, Larry!

Remember Skii Bo Ski (Anthony Wheeler) who sang I Heard It Through the Grapevine?  Well, it turns out he has quite a criminal past with a number of arrests.  His last arrest as recent as a few weeks ago!  According to my radio-listening hubby, American Idol has kicked him off the show.  However, I haven’t been able to find verification of that.  Many Internet fans are questioning if American Idol does background checks of the contestants prior to putting them on TV.  Do you think they should?  Comment and let me know!

Have a good rest-of-the weekend!  Stay tuned…Bloggergal1

American Idol goes back to Atlanta for its next round of auditions.  After the typical first bad singer, the show quickly zips through four talented singers–all female–Keia Johnson, Miriam Lemnouni, Noel Reese and Tisha Holland.

The first male to get a golden ticket is Jermaine Sellers.  His career is church singer.  I never realized that you could be a church singer for a living, but good for him.  He also takes care of his ailing mom, she has  Spina Bifida.  The judges think he’s the best they’ve seen so far.  His spirituality and genuine talent should help him in Hollywood.

Next up is a small town country girl.  Vanessa Wolfe is from a tiny town in Tennessee.  She’s country for sure, right down to her $4.99 dollar store dress.  She’s a country singer and does a good job.  But what will happen when this country girl has to sing a different genre?  Hollywood is going to be a rough ride for her.

I won’t give American Idol the satisfaction to comment on Jesse Hamilton, the three-time almost dead guy.  Ditto for Mary J. Blige’s loss of control.

Holly Harden otherwise known as “guitar girl” surprised everyone by actually being able to sing.  She’s cute, but Mary J. Blige just didn’t get her.  Lucky for her, Randy, Kara and Simon give her a shot in Hollywood.

Joining the country girl singers is Mallorie Haley.  She’s another good singer, but we’ll see what happens in Hollywood.  She receives four yes’s.

What can I say about Skibo Ski?  Did you hear him sing?  If he can find his sanity, he can be a contender.

Carmen and Lauren, the BFF’s try out together.  Carmen makes it but Lauren doesn’t.  I have to go with Simon on this one, neither of them should have made it.  Once again, American Idol is just looking for a hook.

Police officer Bryan Walker kicks butt both at his job and in his audition.  He’s interesting and I look forward to watching him on his journey.

Larry a 62-year-old veteran sang “Pants on the Ground”.  I loved that song and Larry.  It’s very catchy, isn’t it?  Unfortunately at age 62, he’s too old to be chosen to move on to Hollywood.  I have a funny feeling he’ll be there anyway.

Well that’s it for the first week of American Idol.  A couple contestants stand out in my mind, but not necessarily for their singing.  Stories seem to be the order of the day for AI contestants. But stories will only get you so far, you better have a voice and stage presence to make it to the final 24.

Have a great end of week and weekend.  Stay tuned…Bloggergal1

The show starts with the announcement that Paula is out and Ellen is in.  No mention of Simon deciding to quit after this season, but I’m sure that’s because the show is taped.

Of course, in typical American Idol fashion the first contestant is sadly untalented.  I don’t know if I’m going to be able to sit through two hours of this nonsense.  I know a lot of people enjoy the “lousy” and perhaps “put-on” contestants but I really hate this part of Idol.  <sigh>

Okay, so lets focus on the talented.  The first contestant given a yellow ticket is Maddy Curtis from Virginia.  She’s a sixteen-year-old from a large family.  She has multiple down syndrome siblings.  God bless her parents.  Of course, she can sing.  Why else would Idol go to her home and spotlight her family?  She is followed by a number of females receiving the yellow ticket.  Ryan says that by noon only females have received tickets to Hollywood.

The first male to make it to Hollywood is already one of my favorites.  Yes, I may be partial to him because he’s Italian, but honestly, didn’t you think he was fun?  Amadeo Diricco from Rhode Island has a big, interesting voice and I hope he’s around a long time this season.

Luke Shaffer a New York City waiter and Benjamin Bright, a 25-year-old elementary music teacher are highlighted and make it through to Hollywood.  They have good voices, but they don’t jump out at me.

Ashley Rodriguez a 21-year-old college student sings an Alicia Keyes’ song and kicks butt.   She should be around for awhile.

Tyler Grady from my home state of  Pennsylvania auditions with  two broken arms.  It seems he fell out of a tree.  Hmm.  Well anyway this  Jim Morrison-type rocker captivates the two female judges and sails through with four yes’s to Hollywood.  He’s a very interesting contestant.  I’ll be watching for him in Hollywood.

A number of others make it through to Hollywood but we don’t get to hear them sing.  Day one of American Idol auditions comes to a close.

Mike Davis an 18-year-old cutie from Boston, Massachusetts is the first to receive a ticket to Hollywood on Day Two.  What caught my attention was his young age, but confident attitude.

Katie Stevens is a 16-year-old with a good voice.  Idol highlighted her relationship with her Portugese grandmother who has Alzeihmer’s.  She should do well down the line.

Joshua Blaylock is a 28-year-old from New York who is auditioning for his one and only chance.  Remember 28 is the age cutoff for American Idol.  His audition is so-so, but his personality wins the judges over and he gets four yes’s to Hollywood.

Next to audition is hottie Justin Williams from Sandy Utah.  This guy must have had the American Idol producers doing a jig–he has quite a story.  He had cancer a few years back while in the military.  He is totally cancer-free now and works as a vocal coach.  Did I mention that he can sing?   Oh and one more thing…did you see those smokin’ blue eyes and those white teeth?

Coming from a Nigerian background is Bosa Mora, a 22-year-old from Columbus Ohio.  Since AI was highlighting him, I expected him to be better than he was, but he received three yes votes and we’ll see him again in Hollywood.  His voice is good but he needs to work on his stage presence.

Last one up is Leah Laurente from Long Island, New York.  She sings really well and sails through to Hollywood.  After Leah we get to see a lot of happy people with yellow tickets to Hollywood, but alas, we don’t get to hear them sing.  I don’t know if I’m in the minority, but I would rather see all the good singers and no lousy singers at the tryouts.  I feel so bad for all those contestants that make it as far as Hollywood and we never even hear them sing.

Tomorrow night American Idol heads to Atlanta Georgia with celebrity judge Mary J. Blige.  See you then and stay tuned…Bloggergal1

Anyone else notice anything different this year ?  Likes ?  Dislikes ?

And of course .. the new judge Kara.  I still don’t know how I feel about a fourth judge and I don’t know how I feel about her and her way of doing things.  What do you think ?  Good addition ?  Mistake on the shows part ?  Do you think she’ll be back next year ?  Do you think they’re possibly adding her to have one of the other judges leave next year ?  

Post your thoughts in comments !

Onto the … talent ?

Justin- He attempts Marvin Gaye, “Let’s Get It On”.  I swear someone is squeezing cats from behind him, but the judges call it sound effects.

Randy says, “Dog you got all the sound effects.”  Simon says something about him being like “inspector gadget or something.”  Randy says he kinda likes him.  Paula and Kara agree.  It’s yes times 4.

Personally I would have said no way and take the cats with you.  But, (insert deep sigh here) I’m not  judge, I just watch it on TV.

Sharon and Sasha the dog-  Sharon attempts “Superstar” by Karen Carpenter.  Before they show the audition they show her talking about getting her dog groomed, but not too much she doesn’t want to look like she tried too hard.  The dog ends up sitting in Simon’s lap until partway through the audition when Simon looks disgusted and boots her.  Sharon is singing and I am not really wanting to listen but it isn’t *that* bad I guess.

Randy and Simon eagerly (and in kind of  a silly mood at this point) say YES (they really shouldn’t have !).  Randy pressures Paula and Kara to say yes and yes.  Paula leaps on Kara and they *kiss* (read they have their hands over their mouths and they are being ridiculously funny) and eventually they say yes.  It’s yes times 4.

Me ?  I probably would have said no, but perhaps maybe.

Dana- She sings a Shaka Kahn song.  Okay so she screeches it like I have never heard before.

Simon tells her she can’t sing big songs.  Dana tells him she will take any direction they give her.  Simon says, “Take a right and another right.”  (as in out the door – funny Simon)  No times 4.

I agree !

Kaneshwa-  She sings an Anita Baker son.  She’s a 16 year old girl and her mother is her biggest fan.

Simon says, “I’ve never heard that song like that before in my life … your voice is just terrible.  Are you surprised ?”

Kaneshwa says, “From you ?  No.”

The judges have a chuckle and there is talk of who has told her she has a good voice and then her mother is brought into the room.  Simon tells her mother the audition was terrible.  He asks her mom what she really and truly thinks of her daughter’s singing.  Her mother says, “She sing all around Jacksonville.”  Simon makes a rude comment.  No times 4.

I agree again, but I think Simon could have been nicer !

Julissa “Beauty Queen”- She does some Whitney Houston.  The faces she makes when she sings and those lips, yikes !

Simon says, “It was better than I thought it would be.”  But goes on to say that doesn’t mean he likes it.  He then comments on her laugh and tells her it bothers him.  The judges all mimic her laugh.  Simon, Randy and Cara all say their piece and say no and Simon says okay it’s a no and Paula says she didn’t even get to say anything.  She says now with 4 judges someone always gets over looked.  She gets up and walks off (I think this is all or mostly playful) and won’t come back.  Julissa gets her to come back.  And because she brought Paula back the judges all say yes.  Yes times 4.

I don’t know if I agree.

Darren- He sings “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye” by Boyz II Men.  He’s a very (obnoxiously so) friendly guy.  We see him chat up everyone and make a friend.  His friend is cut and Darren loses his composure.  When it comes time for his audition he is choked up and has some trouble starting.  Paula asks him if he’s okay and he says he is.  Eventually he starts and I wish he hadn’t.

Simon says, “I’m going to stop this because this just isn’t happening.”  (Thank you Simon !)  It’s no times 4.

I agree !

We get to see some of the cut contestants in little blips at this point.  Nothing special or spectacular.

Naomi- She sings Loving You.  She’s the last audition of day 1 in Florida.  She compares herself to Mariah Carey.  When Simon asks her why she says because she can sing the high notes.  She goes on about how her friend just loves Randy and is such a huge fan and would die to meet him.  Her friend is then invited in to the audition.  As her friend is coming in Paula asks her if she has ants in her pants.  She had been hopping around the entire time.  Her friend is in and ends up sitting with the judges, onRandy’s lap.  Ryan says he’s going to call Randy’s wife and he ends up on Kara’s lap while Paula is on Simon’s lap.  Simon finally says, “Sing the bloody song.”  Naomi sings.  It’s s bad Kara covers Ryan’s ears.  Everyoen in the room joins in for the la la la part.  Naomi gets upset when the judges don’t have praise for her.  Then there is a group hug.  No times 4.

I agree again.

There were 9 golden tickets given on day 1 in Jacksonville Florida.  Ryan asks Simon how the day was and Simon says, “Mostly they were terrible.”

Start day 2.

Jasmine-  She sings “Big Girls Don’t Cry” by Fergi.  She’s the youngest of 5 kids.  Her mother and 3 sisters are with her and are very supportive of her.

Simon says, “Cute, commercial, very good singer.”  Paula says, “I think she’s good.”  Yes times 4.

Again I agree.

George- I don’t remember what he sang, it wasn’t memerable I guess.  He studies physics and when Ryan asked him if he would chose physics or music it took him a minute to think but he finally said, “I could live without physics.”  His audition begins with Simon asking him where he sees himself in 11 years.  Geroge rambles that there are so many ways it go could.  The singing starts.

Simon asks him if he’s ever done the singing thing in public or for people.  George says in public no, just for his friends.  Simon says, “What do your friends do ?”  Geroge answers with, “They rock climb …”  Paula laughs.  It’s no times 4.

I couldn’t agree more !!

Anne Marie- She says Kara is her hero and she saw her sing at some place once.  She starts to sing the song she heard Kara sing.  Kara is impressed that she knows/remembers the song.  She does a pretty good job of it too.

Simon says, “The problem I have with you slightly” Randy cuts in and is explaining that she doesn’t have the star persona she really ought to have.  Simon tells her, “I want you to come back another person.”  We then see her getting ready outside, finding make up and changing her look a little bit.

T.K.- He sings John Lennon’s “Imagine” … I am big on John Lennon and I believe some things should be respected and left as they are and darnit, Lennon is one of those things.  So when he makes it all fancy, I’m completely turned off.  He has such a good voice though !

Simon says, “Thank you T.K.”  Paula tells him he has a very good voice and says, “You can sing, we know that … you’ve gotten better since last year.”  Randy says it was “too over the top.”  Pauls says, “Let’s vote.”  Simon’s vote is no but everyone else says yes.  No times 1, yes times 3, yes wins.

I agree with the yes votes if we go on his voice, but the no vote if we go by what he did to that song.

We now hear parents talk about their kids and how proud they are of them etc etc – this leads into the next audition.

Michael- He sings “Jumper” but Third Eye Blind.  He plays guitar and when he was told he could not audition with his guitar he lost his grip a little bit.  He is most comfortable with his guitar and says he didn’t come with a back up plan.  He cries a little bit but manages to pull himself together enough to go into the audition room.  He puts his guitar don in front of the judges’ table.  He starts to sing, it’s shaky and you can tell he need his guitar, but I kinda liked the rawness to him.

Simon says, “I think you’re quiet interesting, but your voice is not.”  The judges discuss how he would be better with his guitar.  Simon tells him not to plead when Michael starts to explain himself.  Simon tells him to get a real job and start a band as a hobby in his spare time.  It’s  no times 4.

Anne Marie is back.  As the judges pick apart her new look she tells them she found a make up artist on the street.  They talk abotu what she has changed.  She says sheh as two songs she can sing, Simon tells her to do the second one.  She sings, “Bubbly.”  I really like it !  But I liked her the first time too.

Randy says, “You have a really good voice …”  They all say yes and that she came back with the star persona they were looking for.  Yes times 4.

I completely agree.

That’s it for the Jacksonville auditions.  16 golden tickets were handed out.  There is a medly of different people singing I’m Walking On Sunshine to end the show.  Tomorrow is Salt Lake City.

Of those we saw that went through I would have to say:  The first few I did not think should have made it through. Michael should have made it through.  Anne Marie will definitely sail through Hollywood and make it to the top 24 I think.

However, we’ve made it past the auditions to one of the most fun parts of the season: The Hollywood Round. Before we get there, a few notes.

First, I heard a number of good voices on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. Unfortunately, Cardin McKinney was not as good as hoped. In her defense, her recorded work was way better than the first impression, and that should bode well for her.

Danny Noriega and his over-the-top performance of “Proud Mary” was a surprise, although he’ll have to battle David Archuleta for this season’s role of Sanjaya/John Stevens/Kevin Covais.

And there were usual pop songstresses and sap stories, but we were also introduced to, perhaps, a legitimate female rocker. Amanda Overmyer has been tabbed by some of the rock-n-roll nurse, and while her rendition of “Mean Woman” was labeled a “put on” by Simon, her subsequent take of “Travelin’ Band” was deemed excellent.

Paula referred to the 22-year-old Indiana native as the female Chris Daughtry, which I thought was a terribly poor comparison. Sure, she’s rock and roll. Sure, he’s rock and roll. But their styles are so different, and I’m still not convinced Amanda is the real deal.

But I’m really, really hoping.

Let’s just put it this way. When compared to the greatness (and I do mean greatness) of Dilana from CBS’ Rock Star, this Overmyer kid doesn’t have much except potential.

Alas, we have a long way to go.

Talking with a colleague today, he noted that the promos for Hollywood week had him stoked. It’s the instruments, people. Get good singers practicing their craft on instruments, and it lends Idol a ton more credibility.

While Brooke White’s initial audition did little for me, her rendition of a Carole King tune (which tickling the proverbial ivories) has me thinking she’s an early favorite.

Look, I’ll be the first to tell you that Season 7’s auditions were pretty ho-hum. However, in the back of my mind, I’m thinking we might be in for a banner year, and that last clip underscored the potential next week holds.

I get bored easily. So, forgive me if I spare you the details of all the crappy performances.

Well, except for that crazy dude at the beginning. Chris Burnheisel kicked off Tuesday’s Omaha auditions episode with a terrible, over-the-top performance and then decided he’d rather be a red-carpet reporter for his local FOX affiliate, thanks to Simon’s encouragement.

Believe it or not, Omaha is a super cool, hip little midwestern town. Seriously. It’s like Santa Fe of the Midwest, but instead of a southwestern landscape of art houses and coffee shops, Omaha is kind of the indie-music capital of the heartland.

But for whatever reason, no Nebraskans impressed me. Now, it didn’t mean that none of the Omaha auditioners caught my ear. Three did. However, not a one of them was from Omaha.

Samantha Sidley, 22, from Los Angeles, waltzed in and sang Norah Jones’ “Don’t Know Why,” as Ryan Seacrest took over as a judge while Paula interviewed contestants — thereby stealing all of Sam’s thunder.

Let me paint the picture. Do you remember Brenda Vaccaro from the 1970s? The young version. Sidley looks like her a ton, but her voice was sultry jazz. While Seacrest bemoaned her performance charisma while pretending to be a judge, the real judges sent her to Hollywood.

And, then I learned a ton more about our fair Samantha.

First, she’s a student at Berklee — the greatest music school in America. Bar none. You go to Berklee; you’re good.

Second, she’s a legitimate New York cabaret singer, having performed at New York’s Algonquin Hotel.

Third, she has opened up for the Manhattan Transfer.

Do you smell a ringer? Look, the whole smooth, smoky jazz thing won’t go very far on Idol. It will bore the teenyboppers to death, but I’m afraid Samantha might have a stalker on her hands because I found her MySpace page (just go to samanthasidley.com, and the URL will resolve to MySpace), and she sings the standards well beyond her 22 years.

Tulsa’s own David Cook entered the big room with a big task — to sing Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ On A Prayer.” And he did it in a way that matched his indie-pop look. It was kind of brooding, sort of emo.

He was an easy ticket to Hollywood, and potentially is another in a long line of Oklahomans to fare well on Idol. First was George Huff (OU student). Second was Carrie Underwood from Checotah now of superstardom. Third was Melinda Doolittle (Tulsa Union HS). Fourth could be Mr. Cook of the multi-colored hair.

Finally, Leo Marlowe explained to Simon that his mother had raised a perfect homecoming queen but that “too bad it wasn’t one of her daughters.”

While the Iowan probably didn’t need to explain that he was gay right off the bat (like they always say … “we knew”), we did wonder whether the boy could sing.

Marlowe tackled Donny Hathaway’s “Song For You,” and I always say that if you can sing Donny, it ain’t no lie. You can sing, and he could.

What struck me about these three singers in particular was how likeable they were. It’s hard to say how far these singers will go in this competition — although I think they’ll all bear a close watch over the next few weeks — but dare I say that I’d have a hard time rooting against a one of them.

Collectively, that trio could be among my personal favorites of the entire season.