Ryan, Jennifer, Harry & Keith pose for the press at the Television Critics Association. (Photo property of FOX)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
American Idol hit a high note last week when the show visited my hometown of Kansas City and the Big Apple as it found superb singers to perform in its Hollywood Round.
While it was great to see Adam Lambert temporarily join the panel in NYC, Keith Urban reunited with Jennifer and Harry when the show dropped by Minneapolis!
Did they find any strong talent? Read on to find out…
Local girl 17-year-old Shannon Berthiaume never sang in front of people before auditioning for the judges. Shannon used singing as a form of therapy and admitted to the judges that they intimidated her. However, when she sang The Turtles’ “House of Rising Sun,” she sounded that Sisaundra Lewis possessed her! Harry was impressed with the audition, while Keith added that Shannon had the most “raw talent” that they have seen so far this season. She received the first Golden Ticket of the night!
As Harry began cracking jokes, the talent began to show as a trio of ladies delivered superb auditions. With Golden Tickets flying out of the room, 25-year-old Vanessa Andrea hoped to be a part of the fun. She is currently a mom to three children and her husband, Jeremy, is active in the Air Force. Her cover of “Some Kind of Wonderful” made Keith smile and received positive feedback from Harry and Jennifer. When Vanessa got three “Yeses,” she handed her phone to the judges…who told him to good news.
Fargo, North Dakota native Zach Johnson waited a longtime to sing in front of the judges. After shaking hands with Jennifer earlier in the day, he got a “high five” from Harry! However, while Zach’s too authentic cover of “Don’t Close Your Eyes” (which was a million times better than The Voice’s Jake Worthington) earned an automatic “Yes” from Keith, he did not impress Harry or Jennifer because they wanted to hear his real voice. With a trip to Hollywood on the line, he sang a couple bars and he got the Golden Ticket. As he exited the room, Zach stated that he wanted to come to Keith’s concert and the judge told him that if he made it to the concert…he would call him to the stage! Two weeks later, Zach and Keith performed “Friends In Low Places” in front of the crowd and gave a performance of a lifetime!
Two years ago, the show went to Las Vegas for their live rounds! Now, Sin City came back to Idol in the form of Jacob Tolliver. He is currently featured in the Las Vegas cast of Million Dollar Quartet, where he plays the understudy of Jerry Lee Lewis. He exploded with his cover of “Great Balls of Fire” and I never seen anyone play the piano like that! While he impressed Jennifer with his audition, Keith and Harry wanted another song. His cover of Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me” gave me chills and he received a Golden Ticket to Hollywood!
First time dad Mark Andrew was the last guy to face the judges tonight. He is at the age limit and wants to grab the Golden Ticket so badly. While he gave me chills with his cover of “Soulshine,” Keith wanted another song and Mark presented a jazzy version of The Jungle Book’s “Be Like You.” It impressed all three of them and got the last Golden Ticket of the night.
Tomorrow night, “Idol” heads down to Harry Connick Jr.’s hometown: New Orleans!
