‘Idol’ finds its voice in Kansas City

Season seven "American Idol" champ David Cook proved that musically speaking, everything's up to date in Kansas City. Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, Kara DioGuardi and Simon Cowell traveled to Cook's hometown for this season's auditions in the hopes that there was more talent where he came from.

They were not disappointed, as the judges found 27 people worthy of notice. Included among them was a grief-stricken widower, a mother of three who survived a tornado, and a singing welder. Plus, Jason Castro's brother showed up hoping to make it two in a row for the laconic version of the Family Von Trapp.

Break out the ukulele: For those who couldn't get enough of laid-back Jason Castro a year ago, here's a second chance. Younger brother Michael may not have Jason's dreadlocks, but he's got the same interview skills. And he's equally blase — after claiming he just started singing 20 days before the audition, he impressed the judges with his Gavin DeGraw cover and advanced. Still, Simon warned, "I'm never quite sure with you Castros whether you're really, really into this or not."

Nicewonder's mean feedback: Whichever producer decided to put Michael Nicewonder before the judges needs to take a remedial course in ethics, or find a dose of compassion. The 20-year-old sandwich maker from Nebraska showed up wearing a medal he'd earned in elementary school, said even his mother didn't think he could sing, and went with an original number. What were the odds that was going to be successful? Zero percent, as he left the stage in tears.

Best of the day: A tornado wrecked her apartment in Memphis and she has three small children at home, so naturally Lil Rounds' reaction was to try out for "American Idol." Good thing too. She was happy and confident singing Stevie Wonder, and Randy called her "A mixture of Fantasia and Mary J. Blige." Her husband was thrilled when she came out with the golden ticket, and it looked like he was thinking "let's get out of this temporary housing and head to Hollywood!"

Nothing to cheer for: Looking for a gimmick to get ahead, Andrew Lang brought cheerleaders to warm up the judges prior to his audition. Unfortunately, the ice-cream server didn't keep the vibes alive, and the judges' comments left his cheering section in tears.

From grief to gratitude: It was like Danny Gokey was two different people. When he went on cameras before auditioning, he was in tears. He had a great excuse, since his wife had died four weeks prior to that from a heart condition. Gokey said he nearly didn't show up because of the grief, but when he got before the judges he was strong and confident, with both women on the panel commenting on his soulfulness. He even fist-bumped the judges when they gave him their yes votes.

From welding to warbling: A day after seeing an oil rig roughneck make it to Hollywood, Kansas City saw a welder get the same break.

Interactive Simon says Sometimes the best part of “American Idol” is the latest sly comment from acerbic judge Simon Cowell. Here are some of our favorites from this season.

Matt Breitzke, a 27-year-old married dad, sounded like an ordinary bar singer to Randy, but the other three judges disagreed. His audition also featured the first appearance of the season of the trademarked Simon pause, as he made him sweat by saying "I have to agree with the girls. I think you are really really good and I like your heart and I like your ambition."

Footsteps, footprints, whatever: Ashley Anderson thought she was brown-nosing by singing Leona Lewis "Footprints in the Sand," co-written by Simon. That was almost negated when she sang the title lyric as "Footsteps." Simon corrected her instantly, and though she advanced to Hollywood she learned a valuable lesson: When picking the song that an "Idol" judge wrote, remember that they'll know when you get the words wrong.

Dear Grandma, I made it!: Jessica Furney lives at her Kansas home with her 93-year-old grandmother who's hard of hearing. Sharing tight quarters with most "Idol" hopefuls would make that disability a blessing, but Furney's grandma is missing out. She did a nice job singing Janis Joplin, and the judges liked the big dreams of the small-town girl. She'll get to send her grandmother a postcard from Hollywood.

Message to Michael: Middle school band leader Asa Barnes picked a difficult path for himself when he auditioned to "The Way You Make Me Feel." Michael Jackson songs tend to sound like fingernails on a blackboard in these rounds, and a puzzled Simon asked about the song choice. "I like it, and it's a great song," Barnes said. "Actually, that was the right answer," Simon replied, and he made it through to the next round.

Anoop Dog?: Anoop Desai didn't look much like a singer, but he had the right angle to get a berth in Randy's Dawg Pound. "You can call me Anoop Dog," he said. It sounded corny, but Desai was surprisingly soulful and made it through to Hollywood.

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Craig Berman is a writer in Washington, D.C.

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