Trama

"American Idol" - "Auditions #1" - Jan. 19, 2011

The tenth season of "Idol" kicks off with a grand-- and long-- introduction of new judges, Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez, and mentor Jimmy Iovine. And, oh yeah, Randy's back too dawg.

Ryan tells us that 125,000 people auditioned and claims that winning "American Idol" is the country's "most illustrious prize in music." Um, okay. I think the Grammys might have something to say about that.

Eventually, we get to the actual first audition in New Jersey. Constantine Maroulis introduces Ryan at the Meadowlands. We get lots of Jersey-related stuff in terms of lingo, fashion, and hairdos.

And the singing begins.

We start with Rachel Zevita whom JLo claims she remembers from her season 6 audition. It was oddly operatic but she was put through, only to get cut on the first day of Hollywood. She sings Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," and again gets put through with three yes's.

Next up Caleb Hawley a mopt top young man from New York. He sings "Hallelujah, I Love Her So" and Steven Tyler provides percussive back up and sings along and gives one of patented screams. He goes through with three yes's.

Kenzie Palmer a 15-year-old musical theatre fan who goes to performing arts high school sings Carrie Underwood's "We're Young and Beautiful" and impresses JLo but Steven and Randy think she needs more pizazz. Ultimately she gets three yes's and a golden ticket.

We get a quick montage of three golden ticket winners to whom we are not introduced.

Then a woman named Achille Lovle comes in and sings a very unwieldy, Grace Jones-ish version of Madonna's "Dress You Up," that falls way flat and the no's are unanimous.

During a break Jennifer admits that it's hard saying no, especially to the ones who "really, really believe."

We get a lesson in how to tease hair from Tiffany Rios JLo's biggest fan. She cries when she gets in the room with her and starts talking about the inspirational "Selena." JLo hugs her. She finally sings, a goofy original song about getting put through to the next round and unveils mirrored stars on her bikini top. She sounds so-so but the gimmicky stuff is awful. She gets a chance to sing another song- Celine Dion's "Power of Love"-- and is marginally better and hits some decent notes and some horrific ones. She gets a unanimous golden ticket with the caveat that it should be less about gimmicky boob stuff and more about singing. Steven likes her energy.

We get a montage of a bunch of bad singers and people begging, especially the softie JLo. She finally starts getting the hang of "no."

We meet 16-year-old Robbie Rosen who was afflicted by a disease that put him in a wheelchair for a period of time as a toddler. He's always dreamed about being on "Idol." He sings "Yesterday" by the Beatles, and impresses them all, especially Steven, and gets a unanimous put through.

We get a montage of contestants talking about being excited to meet the various judges. And then a montage of 62-year-old Steven Tyler ogling young, hot contestants.

Chris Cordeiro is up next. He's an 18-year-old Boy Scout, excited about becoming an Eagle Scout. He comes in very sort of preppy and goofy-looking and then he sings a bizarre version of Frank Sinatra's "My Way" that does not work. Oddly, they intercut it with his mother singing the same song at the prompting of Ryan outside the room and she sounds a lot better than her son. JLo asks Randy how he did this for ten years and Steven makes sad trombone noises.

We get a montage of the judges finally getting a handle on saying no.

We meet Michael Perotto who burps when he gets nervous. He's also not a good singer and gets three no's for his "Proud Mary." Tyler quotes "Cool Hand Luke" about a "failure to communicate." He walks out saying "ouch" and saying he's not going to give up even though he got three no's.

The world's biggest Britney Spears fan Ashley Sullivan is full of spunk and is very brassy, if overpowering the room. JLo says she belongs on Broadway. Ashley wants to be the first "showtune pop star." She begs and pleads and cries. And, JLo and Steven put her through. Randy calls them insane. Steven says he's going to personally work Ashley into something good.

A sweet southern 16-and-three-quarters-year-old named Victoria Huggins charms the judges with her twang, pageant enthusiasm and version of "Midnight Train to Georgia." That's three yes's.

We get the dramatic story of Kosovo native Melinda Ademi and her refugee parents, who escaped the war-torn nation. She sings Alicia Keys' "If I Ain't Go You" and gets the unanimous golden ticket.

We move on to the second day of New Jersey auditions.

Devin Rush, a singing waitress in Times Square sings "God Bless the Child" and gets pretty funky and groovy with it. Steven calls it delicious. Randy says she has the right amount of sauce. JLo says her voice is the star and she needs to start acting and dressing that way.

Then a montage of a couple of bad singers. And then a full audition from a really bad singer and former Michael Jackson-impersonator named Yoji "Pop" Asano. He does a disastrous version of "Party in the U.S.A." by Miley Cyrus. And then we get a montage of bad singers singing "Party in the U.S.A."

Another montage of terrible singers.

Staten Island native Brielle Von Hugel really loves her dad who was in a doo-wop group. He had cancer and she helped him through it. Apparently, her "Endless Love" is enough to get her through after the judges ask her to bring her dad in.

We get a montage of the sad and rejected.

The final contestant is, of course, a heartwarming story about a teen. Travis Orlando grew up in a gang/crime/drug-infested part of the Bronx and he spent time in a shelter. And of course, he sings the Beatles "Eleanor Rigby" and Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours" well enough to get put through with three yes's.

We get a montage of some of the 51 others who got golden tickets.