American Idol: NYC and San Juan Auditions

For this edition of American Idol, the crew traveled to New York City and San Juan, Puerto Rico. One of my favorite things about the auditions is seeing the expressions on the judges' faces – when they're witnessing true talent and also when they're being tortured by the voice of the devil.

Despite the distracting bobbing boat behind the judges (and a guy ON the boat at one point!), I tried to keep focused on the auditions in New York City. Let's get to it:

Adeola Adegoke, 19. She sang "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going," and she's so sure of her singing abilities that she quit her job. Bad move. Simon calls the audition "shockingly bad" and then calls her former boss to try and get her job back. Thank goodness it works. Adeola is going back to her day job instead of flying to Hollywood.

Melinda Camille, 21. She loves to dance naked in her room and is all about happiness and enlightenment. Says she feels a shift in the universe and wants to be part of it. Melinda sings "Feelin' Good," and the judges like her vibe. Kara says she's like "a vitamin boost," and she feels energized after listening to her. Melinda gets a Golden Ticket to Hollywood.

Jackie Tohn, 27. She sings "I'm Yours," but does a little better on her second song, "I'll Do It All." I can't see her going that far in Hollywood, but Paula calls her "unpredictable and surprising," and the judges put her through to the next round. Thank goodness the set malfunction – the shades on the window crash down on the judges – doesn't distract them enough to say no.

Joel Contreras, 23, the Human iPod. This guy is just weird, and shows up with a giant cut-out of an iPod. It's everything Simon "hates," and Joel proceeds to throw down the iPod, pull out a hand puppet of a lion, and sing "The Circle of Life." When the judges give him a resounding "no," he runs outside and jumps into the pool. Oy vey.

Nick Mitchell a.k.a. Norman Gentle, 27. This guy is another one who does everything Simon hates – all the gimmicky stuff. In fact, he and Simon have a smackdown when Simon makes some snide remark about Nick's gayness (at least, I think that's what happened), and Nick says "You mean the way you like it when Seacrest does it?" It just goes downhill from there, but his voice isn't half-bad and he gets through to Hollywood, even though, as Kara says, he doesn't have a "shot in hell."

Alexis Cohen, 24. This is the crazy girl who auditioned last season, the one who gave Simon the finger and told him to kiss her ass. But Alexis is kinder and gentler this year, but it doesn't help her version of Madonna's "Like a Prayer." It's just not good, and when the judges turn her down, she gives them the finger and Simon bursts into laughter like I've never seen before. It's almost maniacal.

The San Juan Auditions:

Jorge Nunez, 20. He first sings "My Way" in Spanish, then "What a Wonderful World" in English. He has a beautiful, full voice that sounds almost operatic. Paula looks like she wants to kiss him. Randy calls it "brilliant." Jorge goes through to Hollywood.

Jessika Baier, 20. This Michigander has a voice that's on-pitch, but it's loud and shrill. The judges can't believe she's won 700 singing contests. She starts to break down and begs the judges for another chance, but it's a no-go. Paula and Kara try to talk her down, but Jessika leaves in a huff with no Golden Ticket.

Monique Garcia Torres, 16. This girl comes in with her cute little brother, Christopher, and the judges love him but think she needs to choose "younger" songs. Still, they put her through to Hollywood. I don't know that she'll advance too far, but you never know. I really like her voice when she sings "You Can't Hurry Love" and "I Turn To You."

Patricia Lewis Roman, 20. She makes the mistake of singing "I Wanna Dance with Somebody," and Simon hates the song choice. (Note to contestants: Don't try and sing Whitney Houston or Minnie Riperton ... please). But Patricia changes the judges' minds with a beautiful little Spanish song. Her very large family goes wild when she comes out with a Golden Ticket, and everyone starts dancing, including Randy Jackson.

Next Tuesday: Hollywood Week begins!

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