American Idol

On last night's American Idol audition episode, 26 Denver-based contestants earned a ticket to Hollywood. One of them was Casey James, a rumored semifinalist we've previously profiled.

Another was Haeley Vaughn.

This 16-year old from Fort Collins, Colorado may have stood out more than any aspiring singer yet on season nine. For what reason? We can name a few:

• Born premature, Haeley weighed just two pounds as a newborn.
• Her father died when she was 10.
• Her dream is to be an "black Carrie Underwood or a female Darius Rucker."

There aren't exactly an overwhelming number of African-American country singers out there, giving Vaughn a unique niche. Watch her audition below and comment away: Does she have what it takes to be the next American Idol?

Haeley Vaughn Audition

We're one week away from American Idol taking its show to Hollywood.

Next Tuesday, Ellen DeGeneres debuts as a permanent judge and we already know of at least one singer she'll be critiquing: Lee DeWyze.

This soulful singer auditioned in Chicago and hauls from Mount Prospect, Illinois. DeWyze has enjoyed a moderately successful career so far, fronting The Lee DeWyze Band and specializing in acousting guitar.

He released a rock album titled "Slumberland" last year.

The smooth crooner once said his goal is to relate to fans:

"I want a connection with my audience in the sense that any song I do reminds them of a specific moment in their lives - not mine."

How selfless! So far, DeWyze and Andrew Garcia represent our favorite male semifinlists on the show. Below, you can listen to a single by the former and judge his chances on American Idol.

She's a long way from a farm in Ohio now.

As one of the rumored 24 semifinalists on season nine of American Idol, Crystal Bowersox has made a home for herself in Hollywood for a few weeks.

The former country gal is actually accustomed to the urban life, as she's lived in Chicago for a number of years, playing the guitar, building a career as a folk singer and raising a little boy.

Crystal cites Janis Joplin. Aretha Franklin, Bonnie Raitt, Melissa Etheridge and Sista Otis as musical influences.

Below, you can watch and listen to her perform on stage and offer your critical take on her prospects: Might she be the next American Idol?

He's probably the only American Idol in history to be remembered more for his physical state than his singing voice.

That's what happens when you audition with two broken wrists.

Indeed, Tyler Grady fell out a tree soon before he tried out for the show in Boston. The result? A memorable rendition of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On." He received approval for Hollywood from all four judges.

Rumored to be one of this season's 24 semifinalists, Grady is a 19-year old from Nazareth, Pennsylvania.

He's the lead singer for a rock band called Wailing Waters. It's actually won a trio of battle of the bands competitions over the year: the Mayfair Festival Band Battle, Croc Rock Band Battlefest and Nazareth Day Battle of the Bands.

Watch Grady's Idol audition below and grade his chances to become the next champion.

Every American Idol season needs a diva, right?

While it may be early to give Michelle Delamor that label, the rumored semifinalist sounds quite sure of herself.

In a recent interview, this Miami native said she was "destined for greatness and going places." We love the confidence of the 20-year old!

Delamor also dreams of conquering two worlds: music and fashion. In a Miami Herald article, she said of the two passions:

"The moment you step on stage, the transformation is amazing. You can go from crazy nerves to becoming the music. I want to be huge, I want to tour around the world, sing for millions and millions of people.

"But another dream of mine is to have my own clothing line. My style is funky-glamorous."

What else do we know about Michelle? She lists Michael Jackson, Lauryn Hill, Pink and Mary J. Blige as musical influences; she's a music major at Miami Dade College-Wolfson; and she has a strong gospel background.

Listen to her belt out a version of JoJo's "If I Wrote a Note to God" below. Think this could be the next American Idol?

American Idol viewers haven't seen Ellen DeGeneres on TV yet. But Simon Cowell may have already had enough of her!

The comedian started taping the Hollywood rounds of the show last week and will debut on Fox on February 9. How is she getting along with the most important panelist of all?

“Their relationship started poorly, but now the situation has escalated,” a source told RadarOnline.com.

The tension stems from Ellen's very first day on set, as reports indicate Simon showed up an hour and a half and DeGeneres was "greatly annoyed" by such tardiness.

“There’s two camps on the show this season,” said a show insider. “It’s a lot more tense than previous seasons. It seems as if Ellen has decided to try to take control since Simon is on his way out and that’s created problems.”

Sounds like it will create great television, as well. Are you excited for Ellen to debut? Do you wanna see Katy Perry take over for Cowell next season?

You can also check out the leaked names of rumored season nine semifinalists. The next American Idol will likely come from this group.

With an original song, and a controversial background, Todrick Hall was featured on last night's Dallas-based audition episode of American Idol.

But there was another contestant in the city that impressed the judges enough to garner a ticket to Hollywood, despite not appearing on the actual episode:*

Casey James is a Fort Worth resident and the lead singer and guitarist of The Casey James band. It features his brother Billy and a friend named Jacy McCann.

Sources state that James has advanced to this season's top 24, which will be announced on February 17. There's good reason to believe that rumor: all YouTube performances by the singer have been removed, a common step taken by American Idol producers for a contestant that advances in Hollywood.

For now, all we can offer is the following photo of Casey, as well as the news that he'll likely be features on this Wednesday's "Best of the Rest" audition installment.

* UPDATE: James does hail from Texas, but was actually shown on the Denver audition episode, which aired on February 2.

American Idol took its show to Dallas last night, where it encountered a few contestants with moving personal stories (one overcame cancer, another struggles with Tourette's Syndrome) and one with a controversial background.

Todrick Hall, a 24-year old from Arlington, Texas, wrote an original song for his audition and impressed all four judges.

He's a budding playwright who appeared with Fantasia in The Color Purple; had a small role in High School Musical 2; and wrote, choreographed and directed a Nashville show called "Oz, the Musical."

But that's where the controversy comes in: as chronicled by a local Tennessee station, Hall was the alleged mastermind behind a plot to fool families into paying for a play that was never actually in production, at least according to some sources.

In June 2009, parents brought their children to the Tennessee Performing Arts Center to audition for this remake of The Wizard of Oz. Its website billed former Idol star Diana DeGarmo as playing a role in it. But after shelling out $75 for costume fees, the families were told the play was canceled - and their money would not be refunded.

Hall said producers simply ran out of funds, but no local theater had been reserved for the event. Moreover, DeGarmo had no knowledge of the Nashville production.

It sounds a bit shady, but there's often a lot of behind-the-scenes details to these stories. Check out Hall's performance on Idol below and keep your eyes this contestant. He may be in the news for a variety of reasons in the near future.

Aside from Andrew Garcia, American Idol fans weren't treated to incredible performances last night, as only 22 contestants received a ticket to Hollywood.

But they were treated to a couple tense exchanges between guest judge Katy Perry and Kara DioGuardi, as the former made herself right at home on the panel.

After Kara talked up the personal story of Chris Golightly, for example, Perry shot back: "This is not a Lifetime movie, sweetheart."

Then, when Kara began singing "I Kissed a Girl," Perry responded: "Please stop before I throw my Coke in your face!"

It was great, entertaining stuff - which made us excited to hear that Katy would actually consider the gig full-time. She told MTV today:

"The American Idol experience was awesome. If I was offered that job as a permanent host, I would ditch my career and take on that career."

She continued: "It's kind of like judging a talent show. American Idol was great fun. It was so easy. I didn't really make anybody cry, but I did tell the truth to some kids that might have needed to hear it."

Of course, Perry knows the hard part is yet to come. She didn't have to make any difficult cuts during Hollywood Week and beyond.

"I guess the pressure gets really on when you start eliminating the number of people that are going through," she said. "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, and then you've got the final two. That can be kind of tense and stressful."

Still, sounds like Perry would consider a permanent spot alongside Randy, Kara and Ellen DeGeneres next season. Do you wanna see her as a judge?

On last night's American Idol audition show in Los Angeles, viewers were introduced to a pair of rumored finalists:

1. Andrew Garcia
2. Chris Golightly

We've previewed both those contestants, as readers can click on the links above to read more about each.

Up now in our season nine preview: Katie Stevens. The 17-year old auditioned in Boston with a rendition of "At Last" by Etta James. She received anonymous approval for Hollywood.

It will be hard not to root for Stevens in the upcoming rounds.

She speaks fluent Portuguese and is especially close to her grandmother, an Alzheimer's disease patient. As you can see above, this high school student from  Middlebury, Connecticut also plays guitar.

Relive her American Idol audition below and chime in with your thoughts on her potential.