American Idol

Well, it’s the moment you’ve been waiting for since Jordin Sparks was crowned the Season 6 winner. This season, the American Idol crew traveled to San Diego, Dallas, Omaha, Atlanta, Charleston, Miami and Philadelphia in search of the next American pop star.

So, here we go … Welcome to the first night of live blogging for American Idol Season 7.

7:01 p.m.

“Somewhere in these massive crowds is this season’s winner,” Ryan said as cameras panned stadiums filled with Idol wannabes. While that winner is months away from being announced, the auditions had to start somewhere. This season — the first stop is Philadelphia.

One of the many interesting contestants to show up in Philadelphia.

7:06 p.m.

After losing 205 pounds, Joey Catalano was the first to enter the room in front of Randy, Paula and Simon.

“Based on the first round, I think you’ve done very well,” Simon said. And the season is off to a good start — Joey makes it to Hollywood.

7: 12 p.m.

Contestant 83754, Alaa Youakeem, came to America looking for an American girl. His rendition of a Bee Gees tune certainly was not a winner.

“I’m very impressed with how you phonetically learned the song,” Paula said, continuing her trend of trying to say only nice things. “… um … well …”

Good grief, Paula. Just say it. Alaa, you can’t sing.

Alaa Youakeem

7:16 p.m.

A backup singer for Taylor Hicks, Melanie, sings Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield and finds herself going to Hollywood.

Then, as soon as the good leaves the room, James Lewis comes in wearing a mustard-colored suit. (It sort of reminds me of Margaret Fowler from last season.) The singing: Worse than William Hung. Way worse.

7:26 p.m.

After another commercial break — let’s not forget this show is known for these — there are plenty more bad voices. Men trying to sing like Mariah Carey. Women trying to be Whitney Houston. Nobody coming close to Carrie Underwood.

Junot Joyner comes into the room and starts off a little weak, but quickly turns the corner. So do a few other contestants, including Jonathan Baines, 17.

“You have a very good voice,” Simon said. And you know that means he’s good.

With a golden ticket in hand, Jonathan met his friends in the lobby to celebrate.

7:30 p.m.

Temptress Browne, a high schol middle linebacker (yes, as in football), enters the room. She’s a pet lover who’s hoping to make her sick mother proud. She attempts to perform And I’m Telling You by Jennifer Hudson. It’s awful, as you might expect. I’m having a bad feeling this song may come up again and again this season. I really hope that’s not the case, but I just have a feeling …

7:39 p.m.

Mark Hayes, 18, creates an interesting cricket sound with his voice. The cricket sound is much, much better than his rendition of White Christmas. (Seriously, a Christmas tune? Do I really need to explain how this is a terrible idea?) Needless to say, you probably won’t be seeing Mark Hayes on TV, again, any time soon.

Next up, Udgeet Sampat. Um, next, please? Seriously, I’m begging. Why do I torture myself during these early weeks? I just don’t know. It’s so terrible, I can’t even laugh.

OK, I do have to admit I have a little soft spot in my heart for the clips of several bad contestants singing their rendition of the same song. In the case of Philadelphia, that song was I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll. Good times.

7:50 p.m.

Once again, I’m frightened. There’s not much to say about Alexis Cohen, except the 23-year-old seems a little freaky — and not necessarily in a good way — when she walks into the room. Her voice? Not great, but definitely not terrible. Just different. But not even close to the worst we’ve ever heard. It’s just that her character is a little too far out for American Idol.

So, Alexis Cohen, it’s time for the door. And a rant against Simon. It’s the biggest outrage of the year, and it surprisingly took almost an entire hour to get there. Oh, wait, she gave the camera the finger. Two fingers, actually. So we got to see the little American Idol logos covering Cohen’s hands. Classy.

8:02 p.m.

Angela Martin, 26, has a touching story. She got pregnant when she was a senior in high school. Her daughter has a disease that complicates her growth. So, Martin is at the Philadelphia auditions with her family and friends by her side. There are a lot of tears.

“It’s not about fame for me. It’s about getting her the best care, the best therapists,” Martin said. “… I’m going to get that for her.”

Stevie Wonder’s Signed, Sealed, Delivered is her song of choice. And she’s really good. But is it good enough for Randy, Paula and Simon?

“It was a good audition,” Simon said. “… You’ve picked up a lot of bad habits. … You just need to de-weddingize.”

“Yes,” Randy said. “Yes,” Paula said. “Yes,” Simon said.

So far, it looks like Angela Martin is the one to watch. Of course, we probably haven’t seen all the best Philadelphia had to offer.

8:13 p.m.
It’s day 2 in Philadelphia, and the crowds are lining up. Randy, Paula and Simon take their seats.

Screamer after screamer after screamer enters the room. Then there’s the much-too-old Milo Turk, who entered the room wearing an outfit made for The Flintstones. His original song, No Sex Allowed, just had to be heard by the judges. It’s not worth talking about, really. Let’s just try to erase it from our minds.

8:20 p.m.

Kristy Lee Cook, a horse trainer and cage fighter, delivers a version of Amazing Grace. Another tough song, she sounds a little bit like LeAnn Rimes.

“I like you, and you’re very sincere,” Simon said.

Three “yes” votes means it’s, “Welcome to Hollywood!” for Kristy Lee Cook. She definitely could go far, if she can get her nerves in check.

8:27 p.m.

More bleeps from angry people who can’t sing.

Then there’s a creepy Paul Marturano, who sings a stalker-esque song he says he wrote for Paula Abdul. “I’m not really much of a talker … so I guess I’ll stalk her.” These are just a sampling of the lyrics. Honestly, the entire song is a one, big creepy joke. A rhyming joke that leads to security sending him packing.

On a more serious note, Beth Stalker from Grand Blanc, Mich., enters the room. She recorded an album at the age of 4, and she’s been singing in restaurants near her hometown as an adult. Even without Simon’s vote, backing from Randy and Paula are enough to send her to Hollywood.

Simon’s opinion is that she’s forgettable. At this point, I have to say I agree. We’ll see what Hollywood Week brings.

8:39 p.m.

After getting his entire body waxed, Ben Haar returns just to get some air time. He was going to sing Don’t Cha by the Pussycat Dolls. But Simon wasn’t having it.

Next up is Chris Watson, a 20-year-old from Dover, Delaware. His version of Uncle Kracker’s Follow Me is one of the best performances by a male this year. Praise from Simon, Randy and Paula means we’ll probably be seeing a little bit more of this smooth singer — at least a trip to Hollywood is in his future.

8:48 p.m.

In some mixed-up world, a Star Wars fanatic makes her way into a room. She’s as nerdy as you’d expect (no offense Star Wars fans). Christina Tolisano, 24, sings Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me as her grandparents wait in the hallway. She certainly doesn’t have the worst voice — remember the guy in the mustard-colored suit? — but she’s just not good enough.

It’s an obvious “no” across the board. “Give my love to the Wookie,” Simon whispers as she leaves the room. Then she cusses in front of her sweet, old grandparents. And I laughed. Does that make me a bad person?

Brooke White, a nanny to twin girls, is the last to enter the audition room for the Philadelphia round. Her version of Corinne Bailey Rae’s Like a Star is sweet and innocent, just like the singer herself.

“I thing we’re all saying a unanimous, ‘yes,’” Paula said. I honestly can say, I hope this girl does well.

That means 29 people are through to Hollywood from the Philadelphia auditions. And, from what we’ve seen, I have to say my odds-on favorite has to be Angela Martin. For tonight, she’s the one to watch.

Tomorrow, it’s off to Texas for the Dallas auditions. Until then, feel free to share your thoughts.

American Idol, Season 7, Philadelphia auditions, Ryan Seacrest, Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson