IDOL WATCH: The Milwaukee Auditions

Week two of American Idol auditions have officially begun, and with episode three of America's favorite reality series came a trip to the Midwest! In tonight's two hour episode, Randy Jackson and Idol's two still fresh-faced judges, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler took a trip to Milwaukee to seek out Wisconsin's biggest and brightest stars.

The evening opened with a warm greeting from season eight Idol vet and Milwaukee native Danny Gokey. Where has he been these days? Does anybody know? Does anybody care? Didn't think so. Moving on!

Biggest observation of the evening: all three judges seem to be on the same page. Remember the days when Simon Cowell used to disagree with the other judges just to prove a point? Or when Paula would be the only judge nice enough to let a crazy person through? Well those days are long gone. In a season ten twist, the judges table has been surprisingly unanimous. And while Lopez and Tyler seem to be able to hold back the laughter for Idol's socially challenged auditionees, Jackson has no problem letting it all out.  But maybe after eight years he has earned that right.

Speaking of the socially challenged, Milwaukee provided plenty of crazies to include in Idol's famous audition montages. Some of my favorite laughable auditions of the night included a man dressed in a full sequin suit and a giant toothbrush, a crazy civil war reenactor, a Green Bay Packers super-fan, and a gentleman who added a fully choreographed boxing routine to Lady Gaga's 'Bad  Romance.'

Now let's talk about the best of the bunch.  Scott Mcreery set the pace for the evening with Josh Turner's 'Your Man.' The 16 year old's smooth baritone and country twang gave the judges much to rave about. Fellow youngster Thia Megia brought a unique but very intriguing sound to 'Chasing Pavements' that quickly earned her a trip to Hollywood as well.

Also worthy of a mention was White House intern Molly Swenson.  The recent Harvard graduate's rendition of 'Sittin on the Dock of the Bay' showed off both her sultry alto voice as well as a few well placed high notes.

The token sob story of the night went to final auditionee, Tripp Medina, who stole our hearts with a tragic story that ended in sacrifice.  Thank God he was good! Tripp's gentle croon beautifully complimented 'Breakeven,' made famous by The Script.  By the end, the judges were more than happy to award him a golden ticket.  

My personal favorites of the night: Jerome Bell and Scott Dangerfield. Cool and likable Dangerfield sang a gorgeous version of Amos Lee's 'Dreamin,' while Bell, a bat mitzvah singer with a big voice, brought  subtle theatricality to Marvin Gaye's 'Let's Get it On.'

Though totally irrelevant to the outcome of American Idol, I've decided that Steven Tyler's frequent bursts into freakishly high notes can no longer be overlooked.  Tonight alone Tyler busted out a high A a whopping 5 times. Yes, I counted.  In the words of Randy Jackson, "Steven Tyler, you are insane." Here's to hoping that he can beat his record in tomorrow's episode!

At the end of the Milwaukee auditions, 53 people won tickets to the Hollywood round. Don't forget to check in with BroadwayWorld's IDOL WATCH tomorrow, when the auditions travel to Nashville.  American Idol airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8pm on Fox.

Emmy Award-winning AMERICAN IDOL is created and executive produced by Simon Fuller, Founder, 19 Entertainment , a division of CKX, Inc.; and executive-produced by Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO, FremantleMedia North America, Inc.; Ken Warwick, Executive Producer, FremantleMedia North America, Inc.; and Nigel Lythgoe, President, Big Red 2 Entertainment.

Among the many American Idol finalists and winners to appeared on the Broadway stage are Fantasia, Justin Guarini, Jordin Sparks, Diana DeGarmo, Ace Young, Tamyra Gray, Constantine Maroulis, Frenchie Davis, Clay Aiken and Taylor Hicks.

Visit americanidol.com for exclusive videos, interviews and photos, as well as special behind-the-scenes information and all of your AMERICAN IDOL news.