American Idol Judges Get Frisky During Jacksonville Auditions

January 27, 2009 by Jeanne

It was a strange night for American Idol during their auditions in Jacksonville, Florida (the hometown of Idol judge, Randy Jackson).

Joshua Ulloa kicked off the auditions by singing Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get it On” and he was really energetic but it seemed to go over well enough. I thought his voice was okay but I was surprised they let him through since the audition was so unusual. All four judges put him through to the next round and I’ll be very interested to see what happens in Hollywood.

Next came Sharon Wilbur who sang “Superstar” by the Carpenters. I thought she was pretty good and she left with a golden ticket.

Dana Moreno sang “Through the Fire” by Chaka Khan and it was really bad. It didn’t start out as terribly as it ended so I wasn’t surprised that the judges didn’t put her through.

Kaneswa Finne (pictured at right) showed up to audition with her mother by her side and, I have to confess, I thought she was going to be good. When I heard that she was going to sing “Rapture” by Anita Baker, one of my favorite songs, I actually got excited. The 16-year-old wasn’t even close to being on key which prompted the judges to bring in her mother and ask her if she truly thought her daughter was a good singer (of course she said yes!). The judges had to send Kaneswa away without a golden ticket.

Julissa Veloz sang “I Have Nothing” by Whitney Houston and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked her voice. I really thought she did a good job. She made it through to Hollywood!

Darin Darnell (pictured at left) was really hyperactive out in the waiting area and even got very emotional when someone he had just met was rejected by the judges. In fact, he was so upset that he started crying in the audition room. He finally tried to sing “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye” by Boyz II Men and it was just not anywhere near good enough for him to make it on the show. He was not put through to the next round.

Naomi Sykes entered the audition room and immediately told Randy Jackson that her friend loves him so much that she was out in the holding area crying. The invited the friend into the room and Simon told the young lady to sit on Randy’s lap. Paula Abdul actually ended up sitting on Simon’s lap while Ryan Seacrest took a seat on Kara DioGuardi. It was really bizarre! Anyway, Naomi sang “Loving You” by Minnie Ripperton and it was absolutely terrible.

Jasmine Murray came in and sang “Big Girls Don’t Cry” by Fergie and I thought it was actually pretty good. Simon thought it was great because he said she had a good look, good voice and is quite commercial (in other words, he could make money off of her, ha ha). The judges put her through to the next round.

George Ramirez came into the audition room looking like a cross between a tree-hugging rock climber (which he actually is!) and a young Robin Williams. I was surprised that he auditioned for the show – I couldn’t identify what he sang but he was later shown giving a brutal rendition of “Walkin’ on Sunshine” by Katrina and the Waves. Poor guy.

Anne Marie Boskovich came in and immediately told Kara that she really loved her and sang a bit of an obscure song that she saw the new judge perform in Nashville. It was clear that she had a good voice but the judges wanted a little more from her so they sent her away and asked her to come back looking like a different person. She went out in the parking lot, found a makeup artist and then changed her shoes and took off her jacket. In front of the judges once more, she chose to sing ”Bubbly” by Colbie Caillat and I thought she was fantastic. The judges all put her through to the next round but I was surprised by the fact that they weren’t more enthusiastic about her talent. I hope she makes it through the Hollywood rounds!

T.K. Hash had auditioned last year and Paula and Randy both remembered him. This time around, he sang John Lennon’s iconic hit, “Imagine” and, while they accused his rendition of being influenced by last year’s runner-up, David Archuleta, they agreed to put him through to the next round.

Michael Pirelli chose to sing “Jumper” by Third Eye Blind and he really sabotaged himself. Before his audition, he explained that he doesn’t normally go anywhere without his guitar and that he was really upset to learn that he wasn’t allowed to play it during his audition. Once he got in front of the judges, he really fell apart and left his nerves/desperation get the best of him. He started pleading and making excuses and that just turned the judges off. It’s too bad because his singing wasn’t too bad and I felt like the judges might have given him a second chance. He should have just been quiet while they deliberated but he wouldn’t shut up and I think that ultimately cost him.

Tomorrow night, the auditions are in Salt Lake City. Should be fun!