'IDOL' WATCH: Orlando Auditions

Day 4 of "American Idol" kicked off in Orlando tonight with guest judge and Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth. Many remember Chenoweth's show-stealing, Tony-winning performance in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown and her triumphant star turn when she originated the role of Glinda (or Galinda) in Wicked, which earned her a Tony Award nomination. Chenoweth most recently starred in the ABC series Pushing Daisies, for which she just won the Emmy® Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. She'll next be seen back on Broadway in the revival of Promises, Promises. Although Chenoweth was only available for half the episode (one day in Orlando), her presence was welcome to "Idol" and Broadway fans alike.

The night started out with the rather outlandish Theo Glinton, decked out in glitter, rhinestones, and a large feather behind his ear. When asked where he saw himself in 10 years, his response was not the standard ‘singing in shows across the country,' instead he answered, "I want to own a corporate hair salon." His performance of Heartbreaker by Pat Benatar knocked the judges' ears off...literally. The performance was more yelling than it was singing, leaving Kristin saying "That was really funny."

Seth Rollins' performance of Someone to Watch Over Me, originally written by George and Ira Gershwin for the musical Oh, Kay!, was flat out enjoyable. Kristin noted his ability to "[take] a Gershwin song and [make] it your own." The judges were spot on with their suggestion that he try to be a bit more animated next time, but still saw his potential and made Rollins the first to be passed through to Hollywood.

Orlando housed one of the best singers thus far in Jermaine Purifoy. After a failed attempt in season 7, Purifoy was back to try for Hollywood in season 9. At first, his self-confidence seemed a bit off-putting, as he said he was surprised he didn't make it in season 7 because he "deserved it;" yet, after hearing him sing, it was clear the confidence was well-deserved. His rendition of Smile by Tony Bennett was outstanding and Simon said he "thinks the chicks will like you." Season 9 fared better for Purifoy as he earned his golden ticket.

However, Orlando also saw what seemed to be the least deserved golden ticket handed out so far. Although Jay Stone's beat-boxed performance of Come Together was impressive, his singing was okay at best. Kara was amused by the performance and convinced Randy to pass him through to Hollywood, but don't expect Stone to make it far once he gets there.

Jarrod Norrell provided the high point of controversy after refusing to leave the audition room. His painful performance of Amazing Grace earned him an immediate "No" that left Norrell dumbfounded. Once he was escorted out of the audition room by security, Norrell was placed into handcuffs and forcibly removed from the building.

The final performance of the night earned the biggest prediction this season. The judges were completely taken with Matthew Lawrence and his completely genuine interpretation of Ray LaMontagne's Trouble. Kara said she thought he would make it to the top 12 and Simon was "very, very impressed." Lawrence quickly received his pass to Hollywood.

As always, Simon had some great lines, including "I was actually beginning to fall asleep" and "You sang as if you sat on a cat." Kara also chimed in, telling one contestant, "You sound like a lawnmower."

Orlando proved successful, sending 31 contestants to Hollywood and garnering several of the top singers that have appeared so far.

Next week, "Idol" makes its way across the country, visiting Dallas on Tuesday, January 26th, with guest judges Joe Jonas and Broadway and television star Neil Patrick Harris, and Los Angeles Wednesday, January 27th, with guest judge Katy Perry. "American Idol" airs every Tuesday and Wednesday night at 8PM EST on Fox.

"American Idol" is a reality competition to find new solo musical talent, created by Simon Fuller. It debuted June 11, 2002 on the Fox network and has since become one of the most popular shows on American television. It is currently the #1 TV show in the Nielsen Ratings and is one of only three that have been #1 for five consecutive seasons. The cast of "Idol" includes judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardio, and Ellen Degeneres, and host Ryan Seacrest.

The program aims to discover the best singer in the country through a series of nation-wide auditions, and subsequent viewer voting. Through telephone voting, America has chosen past winners Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, and Kris Allen.

Several "Idol" contestants have been seen on the Broadway stage, including Barrino (The Color Purple), Hicks (Grease), Clay Aiken (Spamalot), Diana DeGarmo(Hairspray), Josh Strickland (Tarzan), Tamyra Gray (Rent, Bombay Dreams), and Constantine Maroulis (The Wedding Singer, Rock of Ages).

"American Idol" airs on Tuesday and Wednesday nights on Fox at 8PM EST.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / Retna Ltd.

To post a comment, you must register and login.