Idol Gossip: Birmingham and LA

After three weeks of American Idol's sixth season, I'm starting to get a little tired of the auditions and eager to get past Hollywood to the live shows. After all, there are only so many dreadful renditions of "Unchained Melody" that one can be expected to endure.

High drama, and not just in the audition chamber, dominated the Birmingham and Los Angeles auditions. A few of the aspiring Idols brought with them backstories ready made for a Lifetime movie. In Birmingham, we met Jamie Lynn Ward, who lives with her grandmother and helps care for her father who is paralyzed from shooting himself after catching his wife with another man. That's a Lifetime movie and a sequel. During the LA tryouts, sixty-four year old Sherman Pore sang a moving rendition of "You Belong To Me" dedicated to his recently deceased wife. He received handshakes and hugs from all the judges, including guest Olivia Newton John, but I'm unclear on whether he got a Golden Ticket. He certainly deserved one, as he sang quite well.

Sherman wasn't the only golden oldie looking for a Golden Ticket. Fifty year old Margaret Fowler, claiming, quite unconvincingly, to be twenty six, tried out in Birmingham.

Los Angeles gave us the first truly memorable bad audition since Seattle, as Martik "Eccentric" Manoukian tore up the audition room floor with his patented "panther" moves.

Of the auditions shown on this week's broadcasts, I would agree with Simon that Brandon Rogers, another background singer looking to step into the spotlight, has the best shot at the finals. Other good Top 12 bets are Tatiana McCormick and Alaina Alexander.

Well, two more audition episodes to sit through, and then it's finally on to Hollywood.