One thing that was in clear view last night on “American Idol’s” Milwaukee auditions was that the trio of Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler are somewhat soft. Way softer than Simon Cowell was. A few times last night (and it was rare) when they didn’t all agree, it would come down to Randy or Steven having to be the ultimate decision maker, and every time they voted yes even if their heart was telling them no. Funny, maybe wrong, but I kind of liked it. I mean, why not give someone a chance if they show potential, and let Hollywood week decide if it’s for them or not? Part of Cowell’s problem was that he would quickly write someone off based on their looks alone, and that was just stupid. I mean, Kelly Clarkson isn’t exactly a beauty queen but she could belt it, and that’s why she won…and hopefully the show gets back to some of that.

But I digress. Here were the highlights and lowlights from Milwaukee….

HOLLYWOOD BOUND

Scotty McCreary, ironically from Garner, North Carolina, kicked things off last night and the 16 year old did his best deep-voiced Josh Turner impression, and was really good…he had that “human autotune” thing that country singers are doing now, at least ones like Turner….15 year old Emma was learning to drive on a trip to Wisconsin from Colorado, and auditioning for “American Idol”…call it growing up in a hurry. She sang Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors” and was pretty good, but not great. Steven said yes, J-Lo said no, and Randy, who clearly wanted to say no, caved in, while the decision dragged on for like ten minutes….Naima, a worker at Summerfest, is a 25 year old mom who wants a better life for her family. Lucky for her she has unique looks and great pipes. She did great with a Donnie Hathaway song, and J-Lo especially liked her….Jerome Bell, a 27 year old Bar Mitzvah and wedding singer from New York City, sang Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On,” and was very loud, maybe too loud, but had mad skills and got through…..Thia Megia, who had maybe the best name of the night, was another 15 year old with a nice voice….Molly DeWolf-Swensen, a 22 year old Harvard grad from Seattle who was currently a White House intern, sang “Sittin’ On the Dock of the Bay,” but the best part of her audition was the story (and footage!) of Randy busting through the crowd and high-fiving contestants, and inadvertently punching Molly in the face. That was classic, but hey, she could really sing…..18 year old Haley, who auditioned last year and didn’t make it, was told by Randy that she had improved, but really? Did he actually remember? I don’t think so….29 year old Tiwan Strong, sang the old song “Twistin’ The Night Away,” and not only did he do really well, but this dude could pass for a LeBron James double. He should consider that if this doesn’t work out, but it might. Tiwan’s mom got a leg cramp and some medical advice from Ryan Seacrest that was pretty funny as they were all jumping around….large man Steve Beghun, who is an auditor by day, was way better than everyone thought, but Mrs. Mike correctly pointed out that Simon would have kicked him out immediately based on his “accountant” looks….Scott Dangerfield, a nerdy looking dude, surprised everyone not just with his voice but that he sang a soulful Amos Lee song. His looks screamed Death Cab for Cutie but that’s not what he went with….Aly Jados, who worshipped Steven Tyler, sang “Come Together” and was pretty good. Randy asked her to sing “Dream On” and Steven helped her out, but then when Randy said no and J-Lo said yes, it was up to her idol…and he caved….finally, Chris Medina ended the night with a song called “Break Even,” but his story was one of the more touching ever on this show. His fiancée had a terrible car accident before they were to get married, and she had brain damage and was confined to a wheelchair, so they never got married, but he and her mom take care of her. Yikes….thankfully Chris was good and then the judges all gathered around the fiancée and made her day, with Steven saying, “He sang for you.” Damn, now would Simon have done that?

BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR, OR NEVER

Joe Repka, a burly, pasty dude who had a thick Midwestern accent and made you think he was going to say “Da Bears,” was a DJ from the University of Toledo, and sang Billy Joel’s “Longest Time” in a totally tone-deaf fashion and was told by all of the judges to just be a DJ…..there was a medley of bad ones, including Chris Kammer from Madison, who auditioned with a giant toothbrush in his hands. Really?….Nathaniel Jones, a 22 year old Civil War re-enactment buff, sang “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” nd was just God-awful…..Mason Wilkinson, who could not seem to compose himself, was all over the place vocally….20 year old Vernika Patterson sang Minnie Ripperton’s “Lovin’ You” and was just horrible, but made matters worse by complaining to the judges that she was better than everyone who got a golden ticket, and that they really didn’t like her because she wasn’t skinny enough. Um, Vernika, did you not notice that Simon Cowell was gone? For the record, the judges were 110% correct….Albert Rogers III, a 24 year old Barack impersonator, was much better at impersonating than singing….and finally, 20 year old Megan Frazier from Green Bay, whose family is all about the Packers (and of course, Seacrest got a late plug in for the Packers being in the Super Bowl, on Fox of course….like anyone cares what channel it’s on, Ryan). This chick was crazy though, and sang an opera version of Justin Bieber’s “Baby” after running laps around the holding room screaming “Go Pack Go!” I couldn’t help but think what that family’s house must have been like on Sunday after the Packers beat the Bears to get to the Super Bowl. Or maybe the folks at Fox planted her…yeah, that’s it!

So tonight the auditions head to Nashville, where there are sure to be some pure country singers as well as pure freaks. I can’t wait, how about you?