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Auditions:
Atlanta
February 5
Atlanta, home of the Hawks, the Falcons, the
Thrashers, CNN, Coca-Cola, our intrepid host, and at least six Peachtree
Streets. But is it home of the American Idol this year? The auditions
continue.
A little backstory, in past years, this is where we found Idol alums
Clay Aiken, Jennifer Hudson, and Fantasia. Those three... they're not
there this year, but Ryan is with, again, 12,000 of his closest friends.
ATLANTA, GA - Georgia Dome
Judges think that they're going to like what they see today. So while
Ryan meets up with his parents, we meet Josh Jones (26), who works with
glass. He has a healthy obsession with it. If he makes it to Hollywood,
he wants to throw his glass cutter as far as he can. He tries not to
break anything with "Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen. A little too showboaty.
Simon's put off by his demonic eyes. Unfortunately, it's something Josh
can't control, so he's facing the screen while completely blowing it.
Simon breaks out the K word. Paula thinks he's a great singer. Simon
says no. Randy.... says yes. He's THROUGH TO HOLLYWOOD.
Oh, and Josh had a secret weapon... three four-leaf clovers.
JP Tjelmeland (20; Auburn, AL) was a past auditioner. Flashback to
season four, where he was two people behind a then-unknown farm-girl
from Checotah, OK... Wonder what SHE's doing now. He tries "Me & My
Gang" by Rascal Flatts... Still nowhere near as good as he thought he
was. Paula eventually says no... Seems like she's been having trouble
with that this season.
Asia'h Epperson (18; Joplin, MO) is a small-town country girl who loves
to sing. She works for everything she has. She had to work her butt off
to get here. She called her dad to wish her luck and love, but thirty
minutes later, he perished in a car accident. At least he's here with
her today. She sings "How Do I Live" in honor of her father. She's got
potential, but she's cracking too much. Simon liked it. Paula commends
her bravery. All three give her a pass. "I think your dad will be very
proud of you."
And there goes Paula with the waterworks.
There've been no shortage of Southern Belles, but Brooke Helvie (18;
Wellington, FL by way of West Palm Beach, FL) may be the cream of the
crop. She's a student at UF. She's currently Miss South Florida Fair,
where she kissed a pig and milked a cow (and was kicked). She thinks
Simon's a bit of a teddy bear. Will she prove that pageant girls can
sing? She will try with "Who's Loving You" by the Jackson 5ive. Not bad
for a pageant girl. But she needs to just sing the song instead of go
off on it. All the judges say she can sing. One... two... three yeses!
Brooke's OFF TO HOLLYWOOD!
"Possibly the most annoying person I've ever seen in my entire life,"
Simon says.
Too bad we get some less "Glamorous" people in the fake audition montage
(Now with Spinner Guy, making his second appearance this hour).
Eva Miller (26) embodies attitude. She loves to entertain, and she's
here for Simon. She sings "A Thousand Miles" by Vanessa Carlton. And
then she fell. Simon just asks the others if this is an act. Eva just
says that she didn't mean to fall and that she loves Simon (C-Note:
Where did THAT come from?). She was just trying to entertain. Yeah. Keep
trying with that. She was told that she has a good voice. They're lying
to you.
Alexandrea Lushinton (16; Douglasville) is here with her great
grandmother, 93 years young. Alexandrea will sing "My Funny Valentine".
Randy thought it was excellent. Judges give her a pass.
Flashback to season 2, when a young man and brother geek from Raleigh
named Clay Aiken wowed the judges in the ATL. Now we have Michael
Gregory (22; Radford, VA), Chris Lars (26; Marion, NC), and Jared Wiley
(20; Louisville, KY) all of which are as geeky as Clay, if not more
so... but less talented. Nathan Hite (16; Savannah) had a plan. He has a
few retorts of his own if he doesn't get through. He sings "Paralyzer"
by Finger Eleven. Finger Eleven did a better version of this song. Simon
called it a "bedroom audition". Here comes Nathan with the wiseass. Oh
well, at least he has THAT going for him.
Next is Amanda Overmyer (22; Mulberry, IN), a Hog-riding home-health
nurse who looks like Hikaru from "Hikaru no Go". She sees this as a
crossroads in her life. "Mean Woman" is the song of choice. The soul's
definitely there, but it's about as affected as it comes. But what do I
know. The judges say yes. Rock and Roll Nurse is GOING TO HOLLYWOOD.
For the last hour in the ATL, there's been a run on gold. So what about
Josiah Leming (18; Moorestown, TN), who makes his home in a car? He
dropped out at 17 and has been living out of his car since. He wouldn't
call himself "homeless", but at the same time, he says that it's very
lonely. Can he win? He's got the ambition. He's got the motivation. He's
got "To Run", a song he wrote. Pulling a Randy here... It's a little
pitchy, dude. Simon says he sounds English (he's been listening to Snow
Patrol... He sounds better with "Chasing Cars"). Paula likes him. He's
holding back. Randy... what the hell, yes. Paula. Yes. Simon... Yes.
He's going to Hollywood, and so are 19 others from the ATL.
And so the audition tour comes to a close, but there is still some
footage that hasn't been fit to air until now. Come back in 23 for the
"Best of the Rest" show. |
