‘American Idol’ Portland Auditions: Hipsters And Sob Stories
American Idol made its first ever audition cattle call in Portland, Oregon, and though the city is commonly stereotyped for its organic-living, irony-accepting citizens, the episode was surprisingly light on the references to Portland’s alternative culture. (Though it wasn’t totally scenester-free — say hello to Idol‘s token hipster, Brittany Zika.) Head below for the five contestants from the Northwest you’ll want to keep in mind when Hollywood Week begins on February 8.
The Top 5 Contestants To Watch From The Portland Auditions:
Brittany Zika, 21. If you’re going to be in Portland, you might as well begin with a hipster. Enter Brittany, wearing black-framed glasses, suspenders and a hat right out of the costume department of Portlandia. Brittany, who seriously claims that her nickname is “Tripster The Hipster”, has a thing for Sara Bareilles, but instead chooses to sing Brandi Carlisle’s “The Story”. We find her voice sweet and syrupy, and Steven remarks, “You look nothing like how you sound.” We like her, and so do the judges, and she’s off to Hollywood. We hope she abandons the hipster shtick before she gets there.
Jermaine Jones, 24. This self-proclaimed Mama’s Boy has a big heart – and extremely long pants (he’s 6’8 and a half inches tall!). Jermaine sings “Superstar”, and he’s got a low, friendly tone to his voice. We think Jermaine could potentially do very well in this competition – he’s reminds us of Ruben Studdard if you stretched him out.
Britnee Kellogg, 27. Brittani breaks down into tears as soon as she’s asked why she’s there. She has two children, a cheating ex, and a sly sense of revenge, since she chooses to sing “You’re No Good”. Thankfully, she is plenty good, and she’s off to Hollywood. Before Britnee leaves, she asks Jennifer Lopez how she manages to be a mom while having a career, because this is 1954 and no one has figured out how to do that yet.
Romeo Diahn, 22. Talk about a dramatic back story. Romeo and his family fled Liberia in the early 90s and spent years living in a refugee camp in Ghana. He shyly performs Bob Marley’s “Is This Love”, and though it’s nothing special, we’re moved anyway. However, we have to agree with J.Lo (before she lets him through with a “little yes”) that we’re dubious how far Romeo will get in this competition with the types of songs he’ll have to sing. Still, aren’t you curious to hear Romeo on country music night?
Jessica Phillips, 25. Oh man, we’re running out of Kleenex. Jessica’s sob story is that her boyfriend had a stroke, was in a coma, came out of the coma with disabilities, and now she’s his primary caretaker. Remember a few episodes ago when living in a tent in the woods seemed like a tragedy? Well this is a million times worse. Jessica sings “Angel” by Faith Evans, and can you imagine if she was anything other than amazing? If the producers are going to include the audition of someone with this heartbreaking back story, you better believe they’re going to be awesome. And she is.
Tonight: we get to see the St. Louis auditions, and a preview of Madonna’s new video for “Give Me All Your Luvin'”!
What did you think of the Portland auditions? Which contestant impressed you the most? Let us know what you think on Facebook, Twitter, or in the comments below.
