"♪ though your heart ♪" "♪ is aching smile ♪" "♪ even though it's breaking ♪" "♪ when there are clouds ♪" "♪ in the sky ♪" "♪ you'll get by ♪" "♪ if you smile ♪" "♪ through your fear and sorrow ♪" "♪ smile, and maybe tomorrow ♪" "♪ you'll see the sun ♪" "♪ come shining through ♪" "♪ if you just smile ♪" " There's no place like it on earth." " Welcome to new Orleans!" "And we're here to unearth the talent deep down in this celebrated music town." "65,000 strong filled the banks of the Mississippi, and their Crescent city had but one thing on its mind." "Laissez les bon temps roulet!" "By the time the judges arrived, the atmosphere had reached mardi gras intensity." "We gonna pass a good time." "Yes, sir." "I love this town." "This is like my home turf, dude." "Like, you know, they can't disappoint the dog, can they?" "No." "Randy told me he's gonna be extra tough today." "You know, he's not gonna send anybody through." "But I'm gonna help." "Don't worry." "You know what they say about a little hat?" "It's good for a little head." "Last time we were here in new Orleans, things didn't go so well." "The motto here in new Orleans, "laissez les 'bom' 'tom' roulet."" ""Laissez les..." it is hard to memorize a language you don't speak." ""Laissez..." What the [Bleep] Is it?" ""Lai"... hola, ¿como esta?" "Muy bien, gracias." "¿Y tu?" "If you don't use this one..." "I'm gonna come laissez les faire your ass." "This time, however, I guarantee we will let the good times roll." "While I head down to find the local French tutor..." "Welcome to new Orleans!" "No." "The judges were ready to start their school day." "Hey, we gotta change the chair." "What happened?" "Well, 'cause it's..." "look at this." "Why are you guys always giving him the bad chair?" "Yeah, bring in the first contestant." "Saboteurs!" "Saboteurs!" "The judges had no simple task here in the big easy." "But our first contestant in the room came prepared with his own lesson plan." "My name is Jordan dorsey." "I'm 21 years old, and I'm from laplace, Louisiana." "I'm a musician, and I teach piano and vocal lessons." "Hi, k.T." "Hey, Jordan." "I'm a very stern teacher." "I'm a very hard teacher." "Left-hand measure, left-hand measure, left-hand, left-hand." "I expect you to go home and not practice one time." "I expect you to practice four or five times." "I think he's an excellent teacher, not a great teacher, an excellent teacher." "Thank you." "High five!" "All right." "I wanna show my students that the more work you put in, the harder you strive, you can be successful." "And I wanna show them that I'm gonna be the next American idol." "Hello." "Hi." "How are you?" "What's your name, dog?" "I'm Jordan dorsey, and I'm from laplace, Louisiana." "Yeah, you ready to get some of this season ten, dog?" "I'm ready." "I'm definitely ready." "So how old are you, man?" "I'm 21." "So you were in college, you out of college?" "What's up?" "I'm not in school, actually." "I'm actually a musician..." "a full-time musician." "I also help with vocal and piano in my community, so... so you play?" "Yeah." "Piano?" "Mm-hmm." "So, man, you gonna be in tune, I know it, right?" "You know I gotta do it." "So who are you with today?" "Mom..." "And you're with... so you're with your son?" "Yeah." "Okay." "You're with your son." "You're here with your... you're here with your mom?" "Yes, my mama." "There you go." "She told me about you." "What'd she say?" ""Mom."" "You look tall on television." "Mm, you are short." "All right, do it." "What you singing, baby?" "I'll do somewhere over the rainbow." "Okay." "♪ somewhere ♪" "♪ over the rainbow ♪" "♪ way up high ♪" "Mm." "♪ there's a land ♪" "♪ that I heard of ♪ ♪ once in a lullaby ♪" "Change it up." "♪ someday I wish upon a star ♪" "♪ and wake up where ♪" "♪ the clouds are far behind me ♪" "♪ where troubles melt ♪" "♪ like lemon drops ♪" "♪ way above the chimney tops ♪" "♪ that's where ♪" "♪ you'll find me ♪" "♪ some, somewhere ♪ ♪ over the rainbow ♪" "♪ oh, way up ♪" "♪ way up high ♪ stop, stop, stop, stop." "Just stop." "Yo, yo, yo." "Because I have goose pimples all over my body." "That's what I wanted to hear you say." "Oh, my goodness gracious!" "And it's cold in here already!" "So stop, so stop." "Yeah." "It's not cold." "It was the warmth of his voice." "Yeah, yeah, thanks, man." "We should not even comment." "We should just go yes or no." "One, two, three..." "Yes!" "You're going to Hollywood!" "Welcome to Hollywood!" "Yeah, yeah!" "Welcome to Hollywood!" "Welcome to Hollywood!" "Yeah!" "That's what's supposed to happen." "That's how you do an audition." "Oh, my goodness." "Artist all over the place." "He said, "change it up.." And kept on the beat." "Change it up." "Going to Hollywood!" "I just feel so good right now... just, like, life-changing." "I never really expected this." "America, Jordan dorsey is going to Hollywood!" "Aah!" "I'm going to Hollywood!" "Aah!" "Coming up... new Orleans is under way, and Louisiana is just beginning to simmer." "Double helping of "ooh, yeah."" "But after the break, things boil over with some of the strangest... # whoa #" "♪ ah ♪" "♪ dream ♪" "You've seen the show, right?" "Most emotional..." "When you sang, I felt it." "It brought tears to my eyes." "Wow." "And most revealing idol moments we've seen in a decade." "Oh!" "What the heck just happened in here?" "Welcome back to gator country." "Along the mighty Mississippi, you can find the slow and sticky Louisiana swamps." "♪ now, amos Moses ♪" "♪ was a cajun ♪" "♪ he lived by hisself ♪" "♪ in the swamp ♪" "♪ he hunted alligator ♪" "It sure is good to be back in new Orleans." "Not new Orleans like y'all think, it's "n'awlins."" "Okay, n'awlins, got it." "But much like the Louisiana swamps, the contestants were full of surprises." "♪ oh, no, no, no ♪" "♪ no, no, no way ♪" "♪ I'm not waking up ♪" "♪ tomorrow morning ♪" "♪ and finding that there's ♪" "♪ nobody there ♪ wow, if it wasn't for all that..." "♪ I hope and pray ♪" "♪ each day I live ♪" "♪ darlin' ♪" "♪ take me away from here ♪ how do you think you did, David?" "That sounded good to me." "I guess that's all that really matters at the end of the day." "Right." "♪ at last ♪" "♪ my lonely days are over ♪ no, baby, no." "That's the first time somebody told you no." "Yeah, no, no, baby." "♪ a baffled king composing ♪" "♪ hallelujah ♪ really?" "No." "But all's not lost in the swamps." "Sarah sellers has come peddling more than just her voice." "Come on in." "This room is interesting." "This is a pretty crazy room today here in new Orleans." "Well, that's what makes your job fun, right?" "Yes, Sarah." "If it's not interesting..." "Where did you get those lips?" "You know, I really don't know, because nobody in my family has large lips." "Wow." "Steven, are you part of her family?" "Maybe." "D'oh!" "Never know." "So tell us about yourself, Sarah." "Let's see, I'm a marketing analyst by day." "And in my spare time, I'm an aspiring singer and a food and music blogger." "All right, so what you singing?" "Bob Dylan, make you feel my love." "♪ when the evening shadows ♪" "♪ and the stars appear ♪" "♪ and there is no one here ♪" "♪ to dry your tears ♪" "♪ I could hold you ♪" "♪ for a million years ♪" "♪ to make you feel my love ♪" "♪ and I know you haven't ♪" "♪ made your mind up yet ♪" "♪ but I would never ♪" "♪ do you wrong ♪" "♪ and I've known it ♪" "♪ from the moment that we met ♪" "♪ no doubt in my mind ♪ okay." "I know where you belong." "Hopefully Hollywood." "You had me sold from the second you laid eyes on me." "Oh, okay, great." "What was that?" "What?" "You'll get it later." "What?" "What is going on in here?" "Maybe he likes the glasses?" "Oh, man." "I love your glasses, your smile, your attitude, your voice mostly." "I really liked your voice." "Thank you." "Yeah." "Awesome." "I like your voice too, man." "Thank you." "I say yes." "One of the best we've heard, I think... a really beautiful voice." "Awesome, thank you." "I say yes too." "So Jennifer, what does that mean for this young girl?" "It means you're going to Hollywood." "Whoo!" "Guys, thank you." "You..." "You made my year." "Hollywood's through that way." "Thank you." "I'll go this way." "So from the judges' lips..." "So good." "So good." "To her ears..." "Oh, my God!" "Sarah's on her way to Hollywood." "Back in the holding room, the party continued..." "Especially for this guy." "Govany!" "Whoo!" "My name is govany boreto." "I'm 23 years old." "I'm from Harvey, Louisiana, and I'm a ship builder." "My mother and my father... they were both born in Cuba." "They met here, and, of course, here I am." "I was the first generation to be born here in the United States." "Govany!" "Govany!" "Today I'm just gonna bring my flavor, just myself, you know?" "And I'm gonna try to, you know, show Jennifer..." "Beautiful Jennifer, oh, God." "She's gorgeous." "She was great before." "But now she's a goddess in my eyes after she married my idol, Marc Anthony." "That guy is the best on earth, I'm sorry, hands down." "Couple of guys from the shipyard, they said, "look," "I'll bet you a million bucks you won't take that shirt off" ""in front of Jennifer Lopez."" "So guess what." "Jennifer Lopez, you better look out." "You're gonna see some... you're gonna see some abs." "How are you?" "Fantastic." "Fantastic?" "Yes, ma'am." "What are you gonna sing?" "I'm gonna sing Luis Miguel, contigo en la distancia." "Okay." "♪ mas alla de tus labios ♪" "♪ del sol y Las estrellas ♪" "♪ contigo en la distancia ♪" "♪ amada Mia ♪" "♪ estoy ♪ ooh, wow." "Was that great, Jennifer?" "Luis Miguel?" "If I... if I can..." "I just wanna tell you quick." "Yes?" "Without a doubt, you know..." "Randy, I've been watching." "Steven, you're the bomb." "Jennifer..." "You..." "I've been watching you I've been watching you since..." "And you're a goddess in my eyes." "I am just excited to be here, so I just wanted to say thank you so much for being who you are, and you're an inspiration to all of us." "Thank you." "Thank you." "Yeah, we appreciate that." "Thank you." "I'm just..." "I'm just helping out, you know." "You have, wow, a very powerful voice." "When you get to a whisper, it's beautiful, just as beautiful as when you hit the highest, loudest belting note that you can do." "I really feel like you have the talent." "Thank you." "For my melodic sensibility, it was very delicious." "I really liked your voice." "Thank you." "So shall we vote?" "Yes, we shall." "Jennifer?" "It's a big "yes" from me." "I liked you very much." "Steven?" "Big "yes."" "Giant "yes" from me." "Welcome to Hollywood, dog." "Boom!" "Boo-yah!" "Before I go, if you don't mind, I'm gonna rip this off immediately." "I got to." "I gotta do it." "So this is for you, Jennifer." "I'm sorry, Marc." "I love you, dude." "You're the bomb." "You want me to do it with you, dude?" "Let's do it, dude." "Let's do it." "Everybody!" "Steven, should we do it with him?" "Wait, just let him do his thing!" "Yeah, here we go." "Here we go." "Let's go." "Let's do it." "You ready?" "You can't... you couldn't just let me have my show." "Steven, are you ready?" "Let's go, baby." "Are we ready?" "Are we ready for this?" "Ah, whoa!" "Oh!" "Awesome." "Yo, all right, man." "Look, we all look the same." "It's crazy." "What the heck just happened in here?" "You knew this was gonna happen when you got people like us, right?" "Okay." "Word is spreading that you got Steven Tyler to take his clothes off." "Steve Tyler and Randy." "But of all the people in there, you got Randy and Steven to take their clothes off?" "I don't know..." "I'm just asking." "I was trying!" "I was trying!" "I was trying, bro." "Come on!" "It didn't work out that way." "Help a brother out." "See you in Hollywood, baby." "Mwah!" "I love you, Jenny." "Mwah!" "Who dat, baby?" "Hollywood, baby." "Hollywood, baby." "When we return..." "Local boy Randy gets a blast from the past." "Do you remember me?" "Did you ever paddle his ass?" "What is this show?" "The judges get even more chills..." "Two goose pimples, and it's still morning." "As mardi gras in new Orleans continues." "American idol is back in Louisiana." "Here are a few fun Louisiana facts..." "The state is shaped like a boot," "Louisiana's state flower is the magnolia." "The state bird is the brown pelican." "Who dat?" "The state reptile is the alligator." "No surprise there." "And the state dog is..." "Well, the dog." "Yeah." "That's right, our very own Randy Jackson was born and raised just up the road in Baton Rouge." "Herman Jackson, ladies and gentlemen." "This is how Randy got all the charm and good looks, right here." "You think so, huh?" "But I've always wondered where he gets his natural athletic physique from." "Maybe this next contestant can give us an insight." "How are y'all?" "Good." "How are you?" "I'm great." "Nice." "I have a surprise for Randy today." "Oh, what is it?" "I have some pictures of Randy from when he was in high school." "Oh, really?" "You shouldn't have." "They're really good." "Wow." "Looky." "Aw, look at this." "This is nice." "This is me as a shot-putter." "Oh, my God." "God, I was so handsome." "I mean, it's just so funny." "My uncle Jerry wilkinson is here with me today." "Oh, my old football coach." "Yo, coach!" "What's up?" "What's going on, man?" "I gotta say hi to coach, you guys." "Dude, what's up, man?" "All right." "What's up, baby?" "I'm pretty good." "How you been, man?" "I've been doing good." "Great football coach, guys." "Steven, if you wanted to play football, this is the guy." "So, coach, did you ever paddle his ass?" "He was too big to paddle." "Yeah, that's right, baby." "That's right." "I did the paddling." "We did that, we might've broke the paddle." "What is this show?" "Amazing to see you, man." "Nice to see you, man." "My God, this is great." "Nice to meet you." "Thank you." "You're welcome." "What are you gonna sing?" "I'll stand by you." "All right, do it." "♪ oh ♪" "♪ why you look so sad?" "♪" "♪ the tears are in your eyes ♪" "♪ come on and come to me now ♪" "♪ don't ♪" "♪ be ashamed to cry ♪" "♪ let me see you through ♪" "♪ 'cause I'm a lot like you ♪" "♪ when you're standing ♪ ♪ at the crossroad ♪" "♪ and you don't know ♪" "♪ what to do ♪" "♪ nothing you confess ♪" "♪ could make me love you less ♪" "♪ 'cause I'll stand by you ♪ nice." "Got a powerful voice." "Yeah." "You like being up in that power zone, huh?" "I like it, but I..." "like, just letting it all..." "I gotta tell you, when you got real soft, it was so beautiful." "Yeah." "And the jump from one to the other was also really seamless." "I think she's awesome." "Beautiful." "You had great ups and downs, volume-wise, with your voice." "I liked it." "Thank you." "I'd say yes." "I would say yes too." "Spirit fingers." "I say yes." "Three yeses, welcome to Hollywood!" "Ah!" "Welcome to Hollywood." "Thank y'all so much." "I hope you enjoy the pictures." "I do." "The guy in these shots is just so handsome." "Thank y'all so much." "Oh, I'm sorry, jacqueline." "Wow, this is, like, memory lane." "As Randy reflects on his high-school glory days, our next contestant is experiencing his very own coming-of-age." "I'm Bret lowenstern." "I'm 16 years old." "I'm a high-school student, and I'm from Boca raton, Florida." "I would describe myself as just different, you know." "Like, a red apple in a pile of green apples, you know?" "I like to stand out." "Growing up, starting in about the third grade, people would pick on me." "And it would hurt a lot." "I was never really invited to birthday parties, and they would call me... "you're a dork." "You're a geek."" "It was really hard for me." "I think growing up is hard for any child." "For Bret, it was more difficult, and he was picked on a lot and left out a lot." "It was very painful for me to watch." "I had an epiphany at one point." "I finally became happy in my own shell, and I was like, you know, "someone doesn't like me, it's cool, 'cause as long as" "I like me, that's all that matters."" "I wanna give a message to kids and bullies." "Be yourself, because there's only one life to live." "You should just be happy with yourself, no matter what." "All right, let's go." "Group hug." "You know, American idol has been a dream for him for a long time." "Bret would like to inspire people through his music." "And we support him on that." "I think he can." "I'm gonna show the judges that I've got this." "That's my phrase..." "I've got this." "I've got what it takes." "I'm the next American idol." "Hi." "Hello." "Do you remember me?" "Do I?" "Yeah." "Where'd I see you?" "You were walking off the elevator, and you waved at me." "Oh, yes, okay." "I was surprised." "I was like, "Steven Tyler waved at me."" "He winked at you?" "No, waved." "Oh." "But I was staring." "I didn't mean to stare, like, in a creepy way, I was just like," ""is that Steven Tyler?"" "No." "And you caught me off guard." "And I was like, "hey."" "Yeah." "I'm Bret, hi." "Hola." "Bret, how old are you?" "16." "Did you say "hola"?" "Yes, hola." "Wow, Bret's ready for this." "Yep." "Eager." "Now, what do you got in your hair?" "I've got curling cream." "And then I use baby oil, but my hair got kind of dirty with buildup... baby oil." "Wow, I used to do that." "I just use..." "That's the name of it." "It says it right on the bottle." "Really?" "Just like that?" "Yes, sir." "So which one's your brother, little man?" "The..." "The one with the red hair." "Big red hair." "That one?" "Yeah." "Bret, what do you love to sing?" "What's your favorite thing to sing?" "Bohemian rhapsody." "Go." "♪ mama ♪" "♪ just killed a man ♪" "♪ put a gun against his head ♪" "♪ pulled my trigger ♪" "♪ now he's dead ♪" "♪ mama ♪" "♪ life had just begun ♪" "♪ but now I've gone ♪" "♪ and thrown it all away ♪ what do you think?" "Yeah." "Please go." "Please go more." "Keep going, keep going." "♪ mama, ooh ooh ooh ooh ♪" "♪ didn't mean to ♪" "♪ make you cry ♪" "♪ if I'm not back again ♪" "♪ this time tomorrow ♪" "♪ carry on, carry on ♪" "♪ as if nothing really matters ♪ wow, wow, wow." "Stop, stop." "Holy mackerel." "Two goose pimples, and it's still morning." "His speaking voice, and then the voice that came out of you, and now I... simply red, because of the hair, but also because of the soul." "Thank you." "You were fabulous." "Thank you." "I'm saying, dude, that was hot again in new Orleans." "Don't stop smiling." "Smile big." "In new Orleans, that's the way to nail an audition, right?" "That's it." "That's it." "So what are we gonna say?" "Yes!" "You're going to Hollywood." "Hollywood!" "Hollywood's that way." "Wow, look out." "This way, this way, this way, this way." "All right." "Act surprised, act surprised." "First of all, his hair was very well conditioned." "Man, good job, brother." "What's happening?" "Congratulations, man." "Oh, my God." "This ticket is a representation of believing in yourself." "After the break..." "Something weird takes over new Orleans." "♪ oh ♪ yes." "You'll hear the strangest note..." "The longest notes..." "# aaaaaaaahhh # um, yeah." "And then a noteworthy 15-year-old that just might surprise you." "It was a work of art, a thing of beauty." "It was like... you sing so good." "Welcome back to American idol." "We are in the birthplace of jazz... new Orleans." "There's been plenty of reason to party after a fantastic morning." "And our next contestant is confident he can keep the streak alive." "♪ I'm your next ♪" "♪ American idol ♪ my name is Gabriel Franks." "I am 24 years old." "I'm from Baton Rouge, Louisiana." "And I am the next American idol." "I have a very strong voice, and I've got a wonderful personality and excellent sense of humor." "I think America will fall in love with me." "I will not let nerves get in my way or anything, for that matter." "How's it going?" "Wow." "Another man representing with his hair." "Did anybody ever tell you you look quite a bit like someone, like a rock star?" "Well, I won a contest that a shreveport radio station put on for looking like Steven Tyler, actually." "No!" "What?" "You know what you have?" "And I know him well." "Mick Jagger's mouth, man." "Thank you." "From here down, you... wait a minute, Steven, stop." "Yes, sir." "You know Mick Jagger's mouth well?" "Well, yes." "What are we saying on this program?" "What kind of a show is this?" "Jeez!" "Oh, no, you even got his smile, man." "It's not me, although, you know..." "But I get you more often." "Well, he has been mistaken for me sometimes." "Yeah, that's true." "So what are you gonna sing for us?" "I'm gonna be singing bad romance by lady gaga." "Good." "Awesome." "♪ oh-oh-oh-oh-oh ♪" "♪ oh-oh-oh-oh ♪" "♪ caught in a bad romance ♪" "♪ ra-ra-ra-ah-ah ♪" "♪ ro-ma, ro-ma-ma ♪" "♪ ga-ga, oh-la-la ♪" "♪ watch a bad romance ♪" "♪ I want your ugly ♪" "♪ I want your disease ♪" "♪ I want your everything ♪" "♪ as long as it's free ♪" "♪ I want your love ♪" "♪ love, love, love ♪" "♪ I want your love ♪ you know that I want you, and you know that I need you." "♪ I want you bad ♪" "♪ bad romance ♪" "♪ I want your love ♪" "♪ and all your lovers' revenge ♪" "♪ you and me ♪" "♪ could write a bad romance ♪" "♪ oh-oh-oh-oh-oh ♪" "♪ oh-oh-oh-oh ♪" "♪ caught in a bad romance ♪ okay, okay." "Wow." "You thing it was bad choice of song?" "No." "I'll go first... it's a no." "It's a no for me too, dude." "But I enjoyed you." "Good energy." "It was great meeting all of y'all..." "I appreciate your time." "Thank you." "Thanks, man." "Thank y'all." "Okay." "So Gabriel puts an end to the magic spell of golden tickets." "Could the old new Orleans voodoo be taking over?" "Hello, welcome." "♪ I put a spell on you ♪" "Uh, yeah." "♪ whoa-oa-oa-oa-oa ♪" "♪ because you're mine ♪" "♪ oh, what's love ♪" "♪ got to do... ♪ sounds like there's somebody in there singing for you." "♪ stop the things you do ♪" "♪ oh, my dear ♪ you've seen the show, right?" "♪ I don't care ♪" "♪ if you don't want me ♪" "♪ I'm yours ♪" "♪ dream on ♪ whoo!" "♪ I put a spell on you ♪" "♪ whe-e-e-n ♪" "♪ because you're mine ♪" "♪ the unreachable ♪" "♪ sta-a-a-a-r ♪ how do you think you did?" "I'll let you be the judge of that one." "Mm, don't got it." "Not hot." "♪ ah ♪" "♪ my God, what I've wasted ♪" "♪ every time I go back ♪" "♪ I just go back ♪" "♪ to these places ♪" "♪ and I hate it ♪" "♪ did you hear ♪" "♪ what I just said?" "♪" "♪ did you hear ♪" "♪ what I just said?" "♪" "♪ did you hear ♪" "♪ what I just said?" "♪" "♪ did anybody?" "♪" "♪ did anybody hear ♪" "♪ what I just said?" "♪" "Awkward." "Up next..." "What will it take to break this curse?" "Really was terrible." "You'll meet a 15-year-old with a voice you have to hear to believe." "You are so sweet and so cute!" "We're back in n'awlins." "Some auditions are best forgotten." "And others have been forgotten." "♪ if I was a bill...  ♪ okay." "♪ if I was a billionaire ♪" "♪ so freakin'...  ♪ wait." "For some, preparation is as simple as a quick vocal warm-up." "Or maybe you'll bust a move to get the nerves out." "But for others, preparation started years ago." "Hi." "Hello." "How are you all today?" "We're great." "What is your name?" "My name is Alex itardo." "I'm 18 years old, and I'm from new Orleans." "From new Orleans." "So, Alex, tell me a little bit about you." "I went to idol camp." "Idol sponsored a camp, and I was 15 at the time of the camp." "And it was my first time really singing in front of people, so" "I was like, you know," ""this is what I really wanna do."" "So you learned a lot at idol camp?" "I did." "It was one of the most eye-opening experiences." "It was just great to work with everyone there." "So what you singing, man?" "I'm gonna be singing proud Mary." "You're the next American idol, right?" "Yes, sir." "Started out at idol camp." "Go for it." "♪ left a good job ♪" "♪ in the city ♪" "♪ working for myself ♪" "♪ every night and day ♪" "♪ and I never lost ♪" "♪ one minute of sleep ♪" "♪ worrying about the way ♪" "♪ things might have been ♪" "♪ whoa ♪" "♪ big wheel keep on turning ♪" "♪ proud Mary ♪" "♪ keep on burning, baby ♪" "I guess that camp really worked, man." "That's a big camp." "♪ burning, baby ♪ maybe we should cancel the camp." "Oh, God." "Oh, stop it." "No, you know what?" "Don't listen to him." "You just were so off the melody of that song, even if you're telling me you were doing some... your own rendition of it, and when you stray that far from what it was... right." "You know, it's just..." "I understand." "Okay." "No, dude, really, it was terrible." "Honestly, it was terrible." "Oh, God." "It really was." "Honestly." "Yeah." "You come here 'cause you want the truth, right?" "You want the truth?" "He looked at me." "It's a no, dude." "Thank you guys so much, though." "Thank you." "Good luck." "All right, thanks, buddy." "Good looking out." "To be fair, the camp was three years ago when Alex was only 15." "Then again, our next contestant, j." "C. Badeau is only 15, even though he looks 12." "Hi." "What's your name?" "J.C. Badeau." "How old are you?" "I'm 15." "Pretty crazy you're doing this at 15." "I'm excited." "I'm ready, so... you ready?" "Mm-hmm." "You the next American idol?" "I think so." "Okay, what're you gonna sing?" "The dock of the bay by Otis Redding." "Okay." "Wow." "♪ I left my home in Georgia ♪" "♪ headed for the frisco bay ♪" "♪ 'cause I've had ♪" "♪ nothing to live for ♪" "♪ and seems like ♪" "♪ nothing's gonna come my way ♪" "♪ so I'm just gonna ♪" "♪ sit on the dock of the bay ♪" "♪ watchin' the tide roll away ♪" "♪ sittin' on ♪" "♪ the dock of the bay ♪" "♪ wasting' time ♪" "♪ look like ♪" "♪ nothing's gonna change ♪" "♪ everything remains the same ♪" "♪ I can't do ♪" "♪ what ten people ♪" "♪ tell me to do ♪" "♪ so I guess ♪" "♪ I'll remain the same ♪" "♪ 2,000 Miles I've roamed ♪" "♪ just to make this dock ♪" "♪ my home ♪ that's right, give it to us." "♪ so now ♪ let it go." "♪ on the dock of the bay ♪" "♪ wasting' time ♪ okay." "You are so sweet and so cute!" "I know, man." "Right?" "Your voice is really, really beautiful." "Nice, nice." "I like this dude, man." "And the sparkle in your eye is, like, forget about it." "You know what I really love?" "You were like, "yo, I'm gonna show them I got that thing."" "♪ wasting' time ♪" "I was like, "yeah, all right."" "Looking at you singing, closing my eyes..." "In and of itself was a work of art, a thing of beauty." "It was like... you sing so good." "Thank you." "Shall we vote?" "Yes." "Me first?" "Yeah." "Nice, I never get to go first!" "Come on." "Yes." "I'll go second, since Steven always goes first." "Yes." "Steven?" "I will finish that off with a double helping of "ooh, yeah."" "Oh." "Yes, you are going to Hollywood!" "Yes!" "Thank you." "Whoo!" "What does it make you feel like to have that in your hand?" "I'm so happy." "It's so exciting." "So 15-year-old j.C. Is headed to Hollywood." "I'm going to Hollywood!" "Whoo!" "Coming up..." "The new Orleans auditions near a close." "They told me that she might not survive." "Can this story of struggle find a happy ending?" "I love to sing." "It m my dream." "Well, let's take a vote and see what dreams are gonna happen here today." "Jennifer." "Welcome back to new Orleans." "As the sun starttoto set and the celebrations come to a close, Louisiana still has one last Southern belle it's hoping to send to Hollywood." "My name is Paris tisanne." "I'm 23 years old, and I'm from new Orleans, Louisiana." "I got pregnant at 18 years old." "It was tough for me 'cause I wasn't ready yet." "I went to the doctor to find out if she was a girl or boy." "And they told me that she... she had hydrocephalus, which is something that gets water in the ventricles, and that she might not survive." "They told me that I shouldn't have her, and it wasn't gonna be good if I did." "But I decided to keep forward with the pregnancy." "My daughter's name is kyra." "She has problems with her hearing." "She has hearing loss..." "Hearing aids." "But she's a very healthy baby, and she is the best thing that's ever happened to me in my life." "Mmm I'm very proud oh her." "And I'm singing for her." "Sorry.." "Hi." "Hello, Paris." "Yes, Paris." "How are you today?" "How are you?" "Good." "This is my friend Jennifer Lopez right here." "I see that." "Oh, my goodness, she's so beautiful." "Thank you." "Tell us something about yourself." "I'm a mom to a special-needs child, and I take care of her." "You sing to your daughter?" "I do." "Mm." "Every day." "She sings with me, so....." "O oh!" "What kind of music do you like to sing?" "I like singing country, pop... really anything." "Today I'm gonna sing Carrie Underwood's temporary home because it has meaning." "Nice." "Okay." "Okay." "♪ young mom on her own ♪" "♪ she needs a little help ♪" "♪ got nowhere to go ♪" "♪ she's looking for a job ♪" "♪ looking for a way out ♪" "♪ 'cause her halfway house ♪" "♪ will never be a home ♪" "♪ at night she whispers ♪" "♪ to her baby girl ♪" "♪ someday we'll find ♪" "♪ a place here in this world ♪" "♪ this is our temporary home ♪" "♪ it's not where we belong ♪" "♪ windows and rooms ♪" "♪ that we're passing through ♪" "♪ this is just a stop ♪" "♪ on the way ♪" "♪ to where we're going ♪" "♪ I'm not afraid ♪" "♪ because I know ♪" "♪ this is our ♪" "♪ temporary home ♪" "sorry, I was a little... nice." "When you sang, I felt it." "Mm." "I really felt it." "I mean, it brought tears to my eyes." "And that was the first time that happened today." "I could just feel..." "I could just feel what you were singing, and" "I knew it meant something to you, and that's what music is about." "Yeah." "I do that for my daughter, 'cause I wanna teach her, "go for your dreams." "Do everything you wanna do in life and be happy."" "Mm-hmm." "I love to sing." "Oh, I love to sing." "It's my dream." "Well, let's take a vote and see what dreams are gonna happen here today." "Steven?" "I say yes." "Jennifer?" "Yes." "Thank you." "And I say yes." "Welcome to Hollywood." "Thank you, and I'm gonna do so much better." "I'm gonna do great." "Hold your little baby girl tonight." "Thank you." "Oh, she's right out there, and I can't wait to see her!" "Oh, yeah!" "We're going to Hollywood, kid!" "Guys, let's wrap it up." "What do we think?" "How did we do?" "I'm thinking it's one of the best days we've had." "Look at this baby." "Look at her face." "I think your grandmother's losing it over here." "Are you okay?" "Yes, she'll be okay." "And with that, the new Orleans auditions come to an emotional close." "You all right?" "Yes, fine." "Thank you." "All right." "It's a wrap!" "And as we roll out, so do the 37 hopefuls that claimed their spot in Hollywood." "Stevie, where's she going?" "You're going to Hollywood!" "Welcome to Hollywood!" "Whoo!" "You're going to Hollywood." "There it is!" "I'm going to Hollywood!" "Hollywood, Hollywood, Hollywood!" "I just wanted to tell you I'm going to Hollywood!" "No." "But Jennifer has one last good-bye to take care of." "Is it the baby?" "Hi, baby." "Say hi." "What's your name?" "Kyra." "Hi, kyra." "Your mommy, she sang really good for you today." "Good luck." "Thank you." "It means everything." "That does it for us here in new Orleans." "This group is off to Hollywood." "But we still got more spaces to fill." "Join us next time here on American idol." "Hit it, boys!" "Next week, our search continues." "Say cheese!" "Cheese!" "It's our first trip to Milwaukee, Wisconsin..." "Welcome to Milwaukee, American idol!" "Where the brightest stars have come out to shine." "So good, so good." "But fame comes with a price." "What kind of guy would I be if I walked out when she needed me the most?" "Please, I want this so bad." "You'll get swallowed up in this whole thing." "Oh, no." "So join us, as we give thousands a shot..." "Gun down." "At becoming a superstar." "I'm gonna kick this thing straight to the moon."