‘Idol’ auditioners get wacky in Dallas

In the search for a viable “American Idol,” the show turned its eyes to Dallas. The city produced Kelly Clarkson in its first season, which must seem like a long time ago — especially to the people who’ve had to market Taylor Hicks as a bona fide superstar.

The logical scenario would have been for the producers to find little Clarkson clones, all about the wholesome goodness, in order to remind viewers that the theoretical point is to locate future pop superstars.

While Texas did contribute its share of those, the list of the 24 advancing from the city includes:

• Jessica Brown, a 24-year-old from Longview, Texas, who said there was a time when she was using meth every day. “Everything in my life was that drug,” she said. But she quit drugs, got back on her feet, and made it to Hollywood by singing the Pretenders’ “I’ll Stand By You.” 
• Brandon Green, 21, from Lucedale, Miss. Not only does he peel off his fingernails, he saves them in a plastic bag. If he makes it to the finals, what are the odds that those wind up on eBay?
• Kyle Ensley, a junior at Oklahoma State, who someday hopes to be the state’s governor. The Valliant, Okla., native squeaked through 2 to 1 via the rare Simon Cowell-Paula Abdul alliance. It’s a good lesson for Ensley — one vote can make a difference in a high-stakes election.
• Kayla Hatfield, undoubtedly the happiest contestant in the history of the show. She has good reason to be, after surviving an accident where her car was T-boned at an intersection and she nearly died. Wearing a colorful outfit and doing a Janis Joplin medley was enough to get the 24-year-old from Campbell, Texas, a ticket to Hollywood, even with Paula voting no. Simon said his yes vote came “under the assumption that all rock singers should be slightly mad.”
• Drew Poppelreiter, a farmer from Saltillo, Miss., who currently practices by singing on his tractor. The 24-year-old’s trip to Hollywood will represent the first time he’s ever been on a plane, though the rest of his family may be cheering for an early exit as they get stuck doing his chores along with their own. “A true farming man, works hard for his money. I like this guy,” Randy Jackson said.

Clearly, the contestant who complained on Tuesday’s episode that the judges were just looking for traditional pop-star looks just auditioned in the wrong city, because Dallas was letting a lot of interesting people through.

Cowboy up! Dallas’ strongest talents
Of course, there were some talented people with less colorful backstories who made it through as well, and probably have a better chance of winning.

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Kady Malloy impressed the judges with her version of “Unchained Melody,” becoming one of the few auditioners able to pull off that song without making everyone cringe. “Of all the people we’ve seen so far this year, you’re the best,” Simon said of the 18-year-old from Houston.

Alaina Whitaker is just 16, but the Tulsa, Okla., resident had the moxie to say, “I actually like to think that Carrie Underwood looks like me,” rather than the other way around. She doesn’t sing like Carrie Underwood, but she sang Faith Hill well enough to make it, and has a shot at going further if the judges really do plan on giving an edge to the younger contestants this year.

Pia “Zpia” Easley had a different look, as the Chicagoan sported yellow hair and oversized jewelry, but also brought the voice to match. She got the nod from all three judges.

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Nina Shaw hopes to follow in Clarkson’s footsteps — literally. The 24-year-old comes from the season one winner’s hometown of Burleson, Texas, and though Simon wasn’t a fan, Paula cast the tiebreaking vote to send her to Hollywood.

But Colton Swon deserves extra attention for the trick he tried to play on his family. The 18-year-old from Muskogee, Okla., made it to Hollywood, but stuffed the yellow ticket in his pocket and got the judges to loudly deride him when he left. The fake out fooled Ryan Seacrest, who was poised to congratulate him for his success and then stood in stunned silence for the one second it took for Swon to give it up and show everyone that he’d advanced.

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