A warning to you all: DO NOT sing 'Fallin" by Alicia Keys or 'Crazy' by Patsy Cline. The judges are sick of those songs. You won't make it through if you do."
The producers of "American Idol" had a little chat with Season 2 contestants, including me, right before we auditioned in front of Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul. Randy Jackson was off shooting a Krispy Kreme commercial that day, or so we were told.
Proof right there that when it really comes down to it, song choice is key.
There were definitely some who hit "song choice" right on the money this week. Choosing a Luther Vandross song, Chikezie Eze not only had a very memorable name but an incredible voice to boot. After a pitch-perfect version of "You're All the Woman I Need," Chikezie was given a yes by two judges (I'm convinced Simon was just in a bad mood) and a ticket to Hollywood.
In my opinion, it was the best audition so far.
Others had trouble choosing that one perfect song — or any at all! Cory and Chris Lane, 22-year-old twins from Kernersville, N.C., came together and did a "duet."
"It was all very amateurish," Simon said after the duo rapped and beat-boxed their way to a "no."
Some may think, "That's not fair! They didn't even get to sing a real song!"
Do not be deceived. What you see is usually not what you get, especially when it comes to reality TV.
I ended up singing not one, not two, but three songs for Simon and Paula when I auditioned in L.A. The first song I sang was "Cowboy's Sweetheart," a yodeling song by LeAnn Rimes. Bad choice.
"Well, that was ghastly," Simon Cowell's first words to me made me laugh aloud. "You're a country girl, then, aren't you?"
"Yes, I like country. But I like pop, too," I replied, hoping to sound versatile.
"Sing a pop song, then."
I belted out "Supergirl" from the "Princess Diaries" soundtrack as best as I could.
"Right. Sing 'Blue."'
Third time's a charm, and I walked out with my very own golden ticket. I should have stuck with that song all along. I took a risk with a different song, and different is not always good.
When it comes to auditioning, I learned the hard way how important it is to choose a song that works best with your voice. So did 19-year-old Alesha Stelzl from California.
Alesha started out singing a Celine Dion song. Her voice sounded whiny and small. Simon proclaimed it "absolutely dreadful," but Paula and Randy heard something else.
"Completely wrong song for you ... you should have sung a Dolly Parton song," Randy said.
Paula agreed, adding that she thought Alesha had a very nice tone to her voice.
Alesha was then given a challenge: Go learn a Dolly Parton song and come back. Alesha claimed she'd never listened to Dolly Parton.
A little while later, in came Alesha, singing "Islands in the Stream." Ten times better.
"I hate to admit it, but you were right!" Simon confessed to an ecstatic Paula.
Amanda Overmeyer, a biker chick from Indiana, was also asked to sing two songs. After singing Janis Joplin's "Mean Woman," Simon interrupted her and said, "I want to hear another song."
After Amanda nailed her second song, Paula couldn't contain her excitement. "I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you."
Randy upped his usual "thousand percent yes" to "A trillion percent yes!" and Amanda was sent to Hollywood with flying colors.
Unfortunately, not everyone was lucky enough to receive a second chance. Joshua Moreland, or Smoove, as he calls himself, sang an original song titled "Beautiful Lady." Great voice, wrong song.
Smoove lived up to his name by doing a WAY over the top audition, complete with scattering rose petals and glitter ("for the ladies"). Simon and Ryan Seacrest made a big deal of cleaning up afterward. In the end, Joshua was sent packing.
And so wraps up the final stage in the crazy audition process! On Tuesday night, the 200 or so remaining contestants compete against each other face-to-face as Hollywood Week on "American Idol" takes off.
Utah recording artist and actress Carmen Rasmusen-Herbert came in sixth place during the second season of "American Idol." She wrote about her experiences in her book, "Staying in Tune." Her first full album is "Nothin' Like the Summer," featuring the single of the same name.
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