American Idol Goes Gaga in Hollywood

American Idol's Hollywood auditions this week, had all the drama and excitement that makes this show a favorite among millions of viewers. I enjoyed Ellen's addition of comic relief in the process of having the contestants 'step forward', during the judges' decision time. Telling the contestants to 'step to the left', 'step to the right', etc., relieved some of the nervousness and tension the contestants felt during this process. I hope she does more of that in weeks to come.


I also loved hearing the contestants singing Lady Gaga tunes. Some of the groups incorporated cleverly choreographed moves to accompany their performances. Singing well and entertaining the audience with dance moves is a good combination.


My absolute favorites of the week were the following six contestants.


Crystal Bowersox, from Ohio, who auditioned in Chicago, was a tiny powerhouse with a big voice. Being height-challenged myself, I loved hearing her belt out her song. I think she is one to watch this season.


Didi Benami, hailing from Hollywood and auditioning in Los Angeles, was a combination of soft rock and country to me.


Haeley Vaughn, who is only 16 years old, is a favorite of mine since her audition in Atlanta. She looks as though she is having the time of her life when she sings, and she can sing.


Jermaine Sellers, who also auditioned in Atlanta, is also one of the few I picked as a frontrunner this season. He reminds me of Charles, a contestant from the second season of American Idol, who the judges eliminated the week before they disqualified Corey Clark. I hoped they would bring him back because of that, but they did not. Jermaine, like Charles, has a sweet tone to his voice, as Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder did at the start of their career.


Casey James, who Kara said had no personality, showed me that perhaps he was too nervous at his original audition in Denver to show off his personality. He corrected that during Hollywood week. He may be our resident rocker this year.


Finally, there was Michael Lynche, whose wife gave birth just before his audition with his group. He auditioned in Orlando where he delivered a great performance, as he did this past week.


I hope they choose Lady Gaga to mentor the contestants for one of the theme weeks this season. She is a cross between Cher and Judy Garland for me. She can belt out tunes like Judy Garland with a voice that is strong and powerful.


Like Cher, she wears the costumes and knows how to put on a show. I think she could challenge the contestants in a huge way.


At first, I was not sure I was going to warm up to Ellen DeGeneres as a judge, but it looks like she is going to make for an interesting season. As far as Paula Abdul goes, I hope to see her as a judge on So You Think You Can Dance, even though I miss her as a judge on American Idol.