'IDOL' WATCH: Dallas Auditions

"American Idol" made its way back to the location of its season one winner, visiting the city of Dallas and home of pop superstar Kelly Clarkson. The guest judges joining "Idol" in the state of Texas were teen heartthrob Joe Jonas and television and Broadway star and Tony Award host Neil Patrick Harris. Dallas brought some excellent singers into the mix and some will definitely make a splash in Hollywood.

Kelly Clarkson was not the only season one name mentioned during the Dallas "Idol." Julie Kevelighan made her first appearance in season one with a horrendous performance of Lady Marmalade. Julie came back to "Idol" with high hopes, including a sign reading, "This is my year!" She sang the Alannah Myles song Black Velvet, which was painfully pitchy and an overall poor performance. As Simon pointed out, Julie's sign probably should have read, "This is NOT my year!"

Thankfully, however, "Idol" chose to feature the more talented singers in this episode and not subjecting audiences to the rather tired and often painful untalented ones. Kimberly Carver brought a welcome change to the audition room, singing a self-written, jazzy piece that had Randy saying she was "really, really good." Kimberly's impressive belt and smart dynamic choices garnered her three "Yes's" from Randy, Harris, and Kara and, although Simon said he did not find her interesting, she got a pass to Hollywood.

Some audience members who are more avid theatre goers may have recognized Todrick D. Hall from his performance in The Color Purple on Broadway alongside "Idol" winner Fantasia Burrino. Hall played the role of Bobby and understudied the role of Harpo. Hall sang an original piece as well, a comic plea to the judges to pass him through to Hollywood. Hall's vocals were good, though Simon said they did not have him "jumping out of [his] seat." Randy called him "one of the best I've seen in season nine," and Joe Jonas said he thought he had "star power." Hall received a golden ticket and was on his way to Hollywood.

23-year-old Erica Rhodes was once a child star on the beloved television show "Barney and Friends," but entered the audition room fully clad in a black leather skirt, shirt, and high leather boots, complete with a whip. When asked why she auditioned, Rhodes responded "I want people to know that Barney kids grow up" to which Harris replied, "To be dirty little girls." Rhodes gave a very solid rendition Free Your Mind by En Vogue and Simon, perpetually unimpressed by gimmicks, said, "You've gone from the kid's thing to this...[that] takes guts." Rhodes received a "Yes" from each of the judges.

Although the many talented singers were the feature of the episode, some of the less gifted singers were too good to pass up. Vanessa Johnston had one of the perkiest personalities ever seen on "Idol" and was dressed in neon pink and blue spandex with a feather headband. Johnston's rendition of Etta James' At Last causEd Simon to tell her, "If anyone ever asks me in my life what my nightmares look and sound like I'm going to refer to that; that's what keeps me up at night."

The final singer of the night was 16-year-old Christian Spear, who had a voice beyond her years and really felt her performance of All I Can Do Is Cry, also by Etta James. Kara noted Spear's "big, natural gift" and was impressed with her fearlessness. Spear make an impact on all four judges and received a full house of "Yes's."

The emphasis on talent in Dallas made is stand out as one of the best episodes thus far (an obvious second to Pants on the Ground.) Dallas sent 31 hopefuls along to Hollywood.

The next episode of "American Idol" airs Tuesday, February 2nd, at 8PM EST on Fox, and follows the final 2 days of auditions in Denver with repeat guest judge Victoria Beckham. The February 3rd episode of "Idol," entitled "Best of the Rest" will feature several other interesting performances not seen during the initial audition episodes.

"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: Hood Helper Blog

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