Tonight, Idol heads to Milwaukee for auditions for the first time ever.
And judging from some spoiler sites I’ve checked out, they find quite the combination of talent and unusual contestants, sometimes all in the same auditioner.
Not that veteran American Idol viewers will be surprised.
About the visit to Milwaukee — it’s being credited to the discovery of Danny Gokey, the guy pictured with adoring friends above.
You remember, Danny. He was a judge favorite early on in season eight, partly because of his voice, partly because of his back-story (his wife passed away shortly before the auditions).
He wound up finishing third behind Kris Allen and Adam Lambert and has since released a fairly successful country album.
And the auditions begin …
Scott McCreery: We’d seen this guy on lots of the pre-Idol commercials, now we finally get to hear him sing for real. He’s from Garner, N.C., and displays a voice well beyond his years performing Josh Turner’s “Your Man.” And he’s off to Hollywood, even inspiring a profane rhyme from Steven Tyler.
This guy attends Garner Magnet High School, where he also pitched for the school team, according to the Garner Citizen newspaper. That story also said he started playing guitar at age 10 and used to impersonate Elvis Presley.
Nor is he a stranger to these competitions. He won something called the Clayton Idol. And he was one of 36 finalists in a Rip the Hallways contest, a competition between the top teen vocalists from North Carolina.
Joe Repka: Speaking of Elvis, our second auditioner tries “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” and doesn’t get his golden ticket. But he might have a future as a deejay, even if he doesn’t listen to Ryan Seacrest regularly.
Emma Henry: She’s a 15-year-old who drove 15 hours from Colorado to Milwaukee to audition and sing “True Colors” for the Idol judges. Steven proclaims that she has “a certain something.” Jennifer thinks she needs more time to develop her skill. And Emma’s fate lies in Randy’s hands. He relents. I fear Jennifer is right, and Emma is going to be in over her head in this competition.
Naima Adedapo: Sometimes Idol ticks me off. Like right now, when they tell only half the story about Naima. I’m sure she serves on the ground-keeping crew at Summerfest in Milwaukee. But she’s no more a musical novice than Lee DeWyze was a paint salesman.
Naima describes herself as “a singer, dancer, dance instructor, stepping instructor, actress and just all around performer” on her MySpace. She sings and dances with something called the Royal Ancient Society Movement. She’s a dance instructor/actress with Milwaukee Public Theatre. And she competed on P. Diddy’s “Making the Band.”
And, of course, with all that background, she’s Hollywood-bound. I’ll post videos of her performing in a future blog.
Jerome Bell: The 27-year-old describes himself as a wedding singer and wows the judges with a flamboyant rendition of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On.” Randy says he has all the “isms.” I think we’ve already heard from better male R&B/Soul singers in New Jersey and New Orleans. And, sorry, Randy, but I didn’t see much control in that performance.
Thia Megia: Sorry if I misspelled that last name. I’m a little dazzled by all the 15-year olds I just saw earn (make that get) golden tickets, including Thia. Hey, Thia sounded just fine on Adele’s “Chasing Pavements.” But I’ve also seen an awful lot of 16-year-olds crumble under the pressure of Idol in past seasons, so I’m not all that thrilled about this lowering the age limit bit.
And, considering the number of 15- and 16-year olds getting tickets to Hollywood, Idol producers are determined to turn season 10 into America’s Most Talented Kids.
Nathaniel Jones: A Civil War re-enactor who can’t sing. Why do auditioners let Idol do this to them?
Molly DeWolf Swensen: The Harvard grad sings “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay” and proves the point I just made. That performance was so much more refined than the version of the same song we heard from 15-year-old Jacee Badeaux last wek. All sorts of tones coming from the voice of the White House intern, who rightly gets a ticket to Hollywood.
Haley Reinhart: Haley got turned down in Chicago last year, but Milwaukee was different after her rendition of “Oh, Darling.” She’s got the star appearance too. Sorta reminds one of Carrie Underwood, though I thought the audition was a little over the top.
Tiwan Strong: Hey, one of the better male voices we’ve heard tonight. Tiwan dazzles the judges with ‘Sam Cooke’s “Twistin’ the Night Away.” I’ll have to look up more info on Tiwan. But he isn’t a teenager, so he might not have a shot on Idol season 10.
Steve Beghun: This 20-something has absolutely no chance of being the season 10 American Idol, but I sorta liked him. He’s an accountant and auditor who says he sings at weddings and funerals. “Weddings tend to be more fun,” he deadpans. He’s also a big guy with a surprisingly high singing voice. And he’s Hollywood-bound.
Scott Dangerfield: Another contestant who surprises the judges in a good way. The student-teacher enters the audition room with lipstick on his lips (from a fellow auditioner, he says). He doesn’t look like a star. But he impresses with the vocals; Jennifer Lopez calls him one of her favorites to date.
Alyson Jados: Once she got done star-crushing on Steven Tyler, Alyson turned in a pretty decent performance of the Beatles’ “Come Together” with a rock edge. Hey, she’s not yet another pop princess, and that in itself is refreshing. Though you’ll never convince me that “your fate comes down to your idol, Steven” turn wasn’t totally contrived by Idol producers.
Chris Medina: OK, it’s hard not to be touched by Chris’ story. He gets engaged. He’s working on his wedding vows. And his fiancee is in a tragic accident, suffers a serious brain injury and is left in a wheelchair. Now he’s one of her care-givers. The best part is, Chris can sing. His performance of “Break Even” was one of the better vocals we heard Wednesday night.
And that’s it. Tomorrow night, Idol holds auditions in Nashville.