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Tonight’s episode of the American Idol auditions covered all seven cities showing us some of the very best – and very worst! – hopefuls that we didn’t get to see in previous episodes.
For instance, we got to hear Jessica Furney who swore she wasn’t sucking up when she chose to sing “Footprints in the Sand” which was co-written by Simon Cowell. Luckily she had a really good, clear voice and got a yes across the board!
We were also introduced to Amanda Schectman who had a rather nice voice, but I found myself phasing out while she sang. I guess I wasn’t alone because all the judges said that she can sing but she has a lack of connection with her audience. She promised to work on it and got four yes votes.
Last season Lacey Brown made it to the top 15 and was nudged out by Megan Joy. She came back and sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” very well and was given a second chance to prove herself in Hollywood with all four judges giving her a yes.
While persevering helped Lacey, it didn’t do a thing for Stephanie Fisher who was auditioning for the SEVENTH time. Seven! After that many tries I think I’d take the hint, you know? She kind of made me think about what it would be like if Paris Hilton tried out for Idol. She massacred “Fever” and Simon said, “With the greatest respect, you have a horrible voice.” Ouch!
Not faring any better was Adrian Chanditchi who, at 6’8″ described himself as a “beautiful man-flower”. He tried to sing “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and it was just really weird. He was such a big man and yet he had this tiny little falsetto voice. He didn’t make it through!
Providing some unintentional humor, we saw Michael Lynch who had a very smooth and kind of sexy voice. I wasn’t the only one with that assessment because both Kara and Kristin were swooning and about three seconds away from drooling. He got four yes votes so we’ll see more of his charm in Hollywood.
Next came some of the heart string stories. First up was Didi Benami who said she was auditioning in memory of her best friend who had passed away four years ago. Didi said her friend was the reason she had the courage to pursue a career in music. She sang “Hey Jude”, a last-minute decision and she did really well. She had a great vibe, nice range, and did a great, unusual arrangement of the song. She got four yes votes right away.
Next up was Aaron Kelly, a 16-year-old who had grown up so poor he was nearly taken by social services until his aunt and uncle adopted him. He sang “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus and it was actually an excellent choice. He had a great country vibe and super tone. I think he could go really far, especially if he appeals to the younger female voters. He was sent straight on through.
We were treated to a strange audition by Kimberly Bishop who made me think of a goth version of Kristen Stewart. She tried to sing Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl” but no one liked it. It was really bad, she had a terrible voice. When she was told no she then asked is she could be excused which was … polite but weird. She seemed very out of it throughout the whole thing. I wouldn’t want to accuse someone of being high but let’s say I wouldn’t be surprised.
The final audition was yet another tear jerker of a story with Hope Johnson explaining that although she grew up poor she didn’t know it because she thought everyone went without dinner sometimes. She said at school she would save some of her lunch and bring it home to give to her little brother who would cry because he was hungry. She went on to say that she always just tried to make it through today to get to tomorrow and that music was her escape. Her song choice was “I Hope You Dance” and although she had a really nice voice I was mostly struck by the subtle emotion that she packed into it. She got four yes votes and hopefully won’t ever have to worry about being poor again.
That wrapped up audition rounds and next week we meet Ellen DeGeneres as a judge and the infamous Hollywood round. I can’t wait!
Image: Craig Blankenhorn / FOX
