The Atlanta auditions during season seven were filled with heartbreak, such as contestant Asiah Epperson losing her father mere days before she tried out.
But it was also filled with at least one unique hopeful: Amanda Overmyer. This nurse rides a motorcycle, has a rocking look and the potential to be a female Chris Daughtry.
Check her out:
As usual, take the following American Idol spoilers with a grain of salt bigger than Paula Abdul's mental issues.
But various websites are reporting that the following contestants - some of whom we're yet to meet - will advance to the top 24:
Top 12 WomenÂ
Asiah Epperson
Alaina Whitaker
Alex Lushington
Amanda Overmyer
Amy Davis
Brooke White
Carly Smithson
Joanne Borgella
Kady Malloy (pictured)
Kristy Lee Cook
Ramielle Malubay
Syesha Mercado
Top 12 Men
Chikeze Eze
Colton Berry
Danny Noriega
David Archuleta
David Cook
David Hernandez
Garrett Haley
Jason Castro
Jason Yeager
Luke Menard
Michael Johns
Robbie Carrico
We were treated to a handful of solid performances last night during American Idol auditions in San Diego. Here were our favorites:
A single father, Cataldo had more than just a great backstory. He bellowed Boyz II Men's "I'll Make Love to You" as if it had been written for him. Combine the adorable son with the voice and this is Top 24 material.
Now, the controversy begins: Johns was great, if only for the accent alone. But news has broke that this Australian was the lead singer for two bands: The Rising and Film. Should that disqualify him from American Idol? Some believe so.
For now, Johns is simply an early favorite who has moved on to Hollywood.
Another great backstory and another contestant with a professional resume: the 16-year old won Star Search when he was 12 and has performed across the country ever since. He also suffered from paralysis of the vocal chords as a child.
Formerly known as Carly Hennessy, the Irish singer tried out for American Idol in 2005. Visa problems caused her to drop out, however. She's also received attention for a failed album released a few years ago, "Ultimate High."
It's early. It's very, very early.
But here's a quick ranking of our favorite top five contestants - along with their audition videos - from the initial couple episodes of American Idol. All made it through to Hollywood:
1. Kady Malloy: Young, cute, able to impersonate Britney Spears and Carrie Underwood. What's not to like? Except for the way she spells her first name perhaps.
2. Angela Martin: A single mother whose child suffers from a rare disease similar to Cerebral Palsy, Martin was more than a sob story. She can sing! Be careful with how cheesy you get, though, such as inserting Simon's name into a song.
3. Kristy Lee Cook: Confidence was not an issue for this crooner. Simon said she isn't as good as she thinks, but there should be time to improve during her days in Hollywood.
4. Colton Swon: It may just be his name. But the fact that this solid singer also plays the guitar opens up an exciting new world for someone who reminds us of Chris Daughtry.
5. Pia Easley: An atypical personality, look and name. This model/musician brings a different element than most contestants.
American Idol spoilers have revealed that Robbie Carrico is one of a handful hopefuls this season to receive a ticket to Hollywood.
The young singer used to be a part of pop group Boyz N Girlz United. But that's not all we know about Carrico.
As the photo below reveals, he used to date Britney Spears! Might be hard for Kristy Lee Cook to compete with that.
Here's our favorite American Idol audition from the show's season premiere: Kristy Lee Cook does an incredible job on "Amazing Grace."
American Idol fans know what to expect from the first few episodes of their favorite show.
The initial round of American Idol auditions result in a couple standout voices, a few attractive faces, many untalented hopefuls desperate for attention - and, of course, a slew of inspiring, golden ticket-waving scenes that involve shrieks and tears of joy.
Fortunately, last night's premiere involved a solid mix of the terrible and the talented. Here are a few names to remember that got their tickets to Hollywood stamped:
Of course, there were also a few singers who took advantage of the airtime to weasel into the judge's room and serenade viewers with original, awful songs.
Take Milo Turk, 39, of Absecon, N.J. Despite being 10 years too old to be eligible for the competition , he sang âNo Sex Allowed.â
No sex allowed/I donât want to be a part of your crowd/And if you donât like it, get out of town
Then there was Paul Martarano of New Hope, Pa., who wrote an unnamed love song for Paula Abdul:
I broke into her house when she wasnât there/Took off all my clothes and tried on her underwear
Lovely.
They may not admit it in public, but many associated with last season's American Idol know it missed its mark.
The low sales figures of Blake Lewis and Jordin Sparks' debut albums prove as much. But as the show's judges graces this week's TV Guide, that publication lists a few reasons why this season will be a marked improvement:
1. The talent is stronger than ever.
"Last year just wasn't good enough," Simon Cowell says bluntly. Even perpetually positive judge Paula Abdul was underwhelmed: "I don't remember hardly anyone [from] last year."
It's not that Season 6 didn't have a vocal powerhouse or two: Melinda Doolittle and Sparks could belt with the best of 'em. But they failed to capture the public's imagination like past Idols â and subsequent chart-toppers â Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson and Chris Daughtry.
"Even though we had talented kids," sums up executive producer Ken Warwick, "there was not quite the buzz or magic [of previous seasons]."
Fortunately, someone seems to have sprinkled pixie dust over Season 7, as Randy Jackson explains: "It's not, 'Let me do what the judges want or what I think the public wants because I wanna be like Justin Timberlake or Mariah.' These kids have a lot of individuality."
2. America has not yet exhausted its supply of tone-deaf wannabes.
Season 7, despite all its "brilliant" talent, also promises its fair share of the shockingly bad. How could it not?
"Every year you think you've seen it all â the funniest, the daftest, the craziest, the worst," Warwick says. "And every year, that door opens and in comes somebody who's funnier, crazier and worse."
Ryan Seacrest insists American Idol ambition is frighteningly real â and he's got the battle scars to prove it. "One girl was a female wrestler," he recalls, wincing. "She was about four times my size. I asked her to show me a move, and she literally knocked me down to the ground. I had some big bruises from that."
An American Idol insider has leaked a spoiler regarding one of this season's star performers: British singer Leona Lewis, winner of England's Idol equivalent, The X Factor.
âWe always like to invite established guests onto the show to give the contestants an idea of the level they need to reach. Leona, with her incredible voice, fits the bill perfectly,â said the source.
The London lass, 22, whose album "Spirit" became the fastest selling UK debut ever, is dead set on establishing herself in the States in 2008.
âItâs really exciting but Iâm just taking one step at a time," she recently said. "Itâs a fresh start for me over there because they wonât know me from X Factor... Itâs a new challenge but one that Iâm excited about.â
Consider these slight American Idol spoilers, but it's just a detailed look at this season's schedule:
