It’s night four of The Voice auditions, and the coaches are halfway through picking their teams. Adam Levine has seven people on his team while Cee Lo Green, Christina Aguilera, and Blake Shelton all have six people on their teams.

I’ve been a little ambivalent about the auditions so far as most of the auditions have left me cold. There have been a few auditioners that grabbed me, but for the most part, I haven’t really heard what the coaches seem to be hearing. Not sure why that is, or if it will continue into tonight.

Join me after the jump as I live blog tonight’s audition show. And chat with other The Voice fans during the show in our Shoutbox.

First up tonight is 26-year-old Ducky. He grew up in a small town and was a painter. When Carson Daly asks how doing well on The Voice can help his relationship with his girlfriend, Ducky is speechless. His girlfriend comes to the rescue, though, mentioning they had talked about not getting married until they are better off financially. I’m guessing she hasn’t seen the album sales for last season’s contestants. Ducky is singing “Tighten Up.” Half-way through the song and none of the coaches have pushed their buttons, though Adam looks like he wants to. I’m not sold on this guy. I I wasn’t seeing him, I might be, but I am seeing him, so I’m not. The song ends with no one turning their chair. Christina says they all regret not pushing their buttons. I certainly don’t regret it.

Next up tonight is 23-year-old Jonathas. He goes to the auditions with his wife and two children. He says that he was born in Brazil and, when he came to America at the age of five, learned to speak English by listening to music. He says he really needs this. Jonathas is singing “U Got It Back.” Adam and Blake are talking among themselves about whether to turn around, but neither has so far. Cee Lo presses his button about two-thirds of the way through the song, followed by Christina right at the end of the song. For me, Jonathas was all fake up there on stage. No connection to the song or the audience, despite all the ladies in the audience screaming. And don’t get me started on his “dance” moves. Christina uses her dance connections to try and get Jonathas to pick her while Cee Lo goes with the bling angle. Jonathas mentions that he has always had the hots for Christina, then goes on to pick her as his coach.

23-year-old Monique Benabou is up next. Her sob story is that her mom was diagnosed with breast cancer when Monique was 12-years-old. She says it caused her to grow up quickly to help take care of her mom. Monique is singing “Mr. Know It All,” and for the first time tonight, I am impressed with an auditioner. Monique has a strong voice and is able to control it quite well. She is much more than a one-note singer, but no coach has pressed a button yet. Blake tells Christina that she could do something for her, which prompts Christina to press her button. As the song ends, Christina remains the only coach to have turned their chair around, so Monique goes to Team Christina.

Next up tonight is Naia Kete. She is a street performer that is surprised by Carson Daly in person with her invitation to audition. Carson interrupts her performance to give the invitation to her, which prompts the audience listening to her to cheer. Carson asks Naia’s mom when she realized that Naia had the gift, and her mom says when she was five or six. Blake turns his chair around almost immediately after Naia sings, and I can understand why. She has a great vibe about her and in her voice. It’s an interesting reggae sound, but one that has power behind it. Cee Lo presses his button, much to Blake’s chagrin. Cee Lo tells Naia that he pushed his button for her, to which she responds, “You push all my buttons.” Blake is screwed. Christina comes to Blake’s defense, though, saying her sound felt like it belonged on Blake’s team. Blake and Cee Lo go at it for a few minutes in an effort to snag Naia for their team. And the winner of that battle is Blake.

31-year-old Eric Macek is next, though he comes after we are initially introduced to Charlotte below. His parents came to America looking for the American dream. Eric is singing “Free Fallin” while playing his guitar. Eric has a decent voice, but seems to lack a little power and grit in his voice and in the song. Not sure this song was his best choice, and the coaches agree as no one pushes their buttons. Eric tries to keep from crying on stage as a result.

23-year-old Charlotte Sometimes is next up tonight. At the age of 19, she was diagnosed with something I couldn’t repeat if I had to. But it lead to her jaw disintegrating. She had to have surgery to fix it and wasn’t sure if she would ever be able to sing again. She got through it all by writing songs. Charlotte is singing “Apologize,” a very overused song that often falls flat when used as an audition song. And it’s no different here. Nothing all all worth listening to here, though that doesn’t stop Adam and Blake from turning their chairs around at the same time. Cee Lo tells Christina that he will turn around if she does as well, and they both promptly turn around. With a perfect four-for-four in the coach department, it’s time for the coaches to fight it out. Blake brings up last season’s contestant Xenia, mentioning that she has a record deal out. He must be mentioning it because it hasn’t come out and fallen flat in the sales department yet. Christina, Adam, and Cee Lo all get into bed with each other, a place I refuse to go with them. Charlotte ends up picking Blake.

Time for 38-year-old Tony Vincent. He is a Broadway star according to host Carson Daly. We are treated to several pictures of his time on Broadway, and he’s been in a lot of musicals. Tony and his wife have been in a Broadway musical together, but her career is on hold right now because she is sporting a baby bump. Tony says his heart lies in the pop/rock world. He is singing “We Are The Champions” by Queen, another song that is overused in auditions and often results in people going home early. Unless said person has experience on Broadway. Tony is all over the place where musical styles is concerned, but it’s an interesting mix. It works. And it sounds good. And since Cee Lo is the only coach to press his button, Tony will join Team Cee Lo.

33-year-old Anthony Evans is up next. He is from my neck of the world. His dad is the pastor of one of the mega-churches in the area. Anthony doesn’t want to be pigeonholed as either just a Christian artist or just Gospel singer. He wants to be himself, which he says is right up the middle. Anthony is singing “What’s Going On.” Anthony picked a weak song to audition with, not at all the song I thought he sould sing. Cee Lo is looking like he is going to press his button, but Christina beats him to it. And since she is the only one to press, Anthony joins Team Christina.

Jamie Lono, 22, works at Potbelly Sandwich Works, his place of employment for the past 4 years. His manager surprises Jamie with his Voice invitation. The entire store cheers, much to the chagrin of the employee on the phone trying to take a customer’s order. Too funny. I didn’t catch who in the family had medical issue, but it caused the family to go through bankruptcy. Jamie is singing “Folsom Prison Blues,” and Adam wastes no time pressing his button. I agree with Adam on this one. Jamie has a very interesting voice and shows tremendous control over it. Cee Lo finally gets with it and presses his button. Cee Lo says Jamie has a great version of Johnny Cash, and I agree that Jamie does sound like Johnny. Jamie says he is so happy being on The Voice because he makes sandwiches for a living. Cee Lo says that works well because he eats sandwiches, while Adam says he will ensure that he never has to make a sandwich again. Jamie picks Cee Lo.

19-year-old Dylan Chambers is up next. His mom cast him in his first musical play, and he knew that’s what he wanted to do after that. He says his dad not being around helped him in his singing. Not sure I quite understand how, but okay. He is singing “Valerie.” I was expecting some sort of ballad from Dylan, but instead I get a pop song and dance. It’s not bad, but it’s not great. Not sure it’s his best style. Blake is the only coach who seems interested, but doesn’t press his button. Oh geez. Dylan just said he lives in my city. Christina says his voice needs to mature a little bit more, and I fully agree. He’s better than some of the others the coaches have snapped up, but I hope he continues to pursue his dreams.

Nathan Anderson, Luna Searies, and Adam Lasher also all failed to get a coach to press their button. Short audition clips for all of them, but two of the three sounded like they had something to offer.

30-year-old, Justin Hopkins is up next. He was in the house band on Caron’s late night show a few years ago. Carson says he is rooting for Justin. He is singing “Babylon.” Justin has a good voice, but gives the impression that he should be fronting a band, not singing solo. It doesn’t stop Cee Lo from pressing his button a little bit before the song ends, though, so Justin joins Team Cee Lo.

Nicolle Galyon is up next, and she says she hopes to take The Voice by storm by being a piano-playing country singer instead of a guitar-playing country singer. She says everyone in Nashville says she has to learn to play the guitar. Nicolle is singing “You Save Me” while playing the piano. She has a great voice that doesn’t come across as very country. That may be why Adam pressed his button. And since he is the only one who did, Nicolle joins Team Adam.

Ashley De La Rosa lands on Team Christina while Jordan Rager and ALyX lands on Team Blake. Karla Davis gets team Adam. All are very short audition clips. Hate that.

31-year-old Eric Tipton is happy that it is a blind audition because he is a 6’3″, 300-pound person. He says that has kept him from being able to go anywhere in the industry. He says he and his dad use to not get along, but he’s happy that his dad is there now. Eric also says his music is all about soul and that with it, you don’t need the package. He is singing “You Make My Dreams.” His voice doesn’t make any of my dreams come true. It’s okay, sort of a calming sound. But not enough to make me want him on my team. And the coaches apparently feel the same way since no one pressed their button. At least now he can’t say it’s his size keeping him from having a music career.

Final auditioner of the night is 18-year-old Mathai. What is with all these one-name people tonight? We get a glimpse of her before Eric auditioned. Her entire family is in the medical field and they expected Mathai to do the same, but she didn’t want to do that. Her parents seem supportive, however, so that’s good. Mathai is singing “Rumour Has It.” Adam presses his button almost instantaneously. She has a decent voice, but there is no connection to the song or audience. But the coaches can’t see it, and Blake presses his button, followed a little bit later by Cee Lo. And now I feel like Mathai is fake. She’s trying too hard up there on stage. Blake says they are looking at a star. Not much in the fighting department from the coaches. But Mathai has decided, and it is to be on Team Adam.

And with that, Adam, Christina, and Blake all have 10 people on their team, while Cee Lo has 9. That means next week will be the final audition show for Season 2. Will they finish their teams without having to do callbacks, or will we get to see some of those who didn’t make it the first time again?

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So what did you think of tonight’s show? Do you think the coaches have made good choices? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

And don’t forget to Sir Darryl and me for the Idol Radio Show this Wednesday at 11 PM ET / 10 PM CT as we talk about tonight’s The Voice auditions and this week’s American Idol‘s auditions, America’s Got Talent and The X Factor news, and anything else in the entertainment industry that needs to be discussed.

As most of you know, the Idol Radio Show moved to new headquarters (translation: I moved to a new apartment). It took about 50 boxes, three cans of Pledge AND three rolls of paper towels (things tend to get dirty after years of not doing any cleaning), tons of hours, and two movers. But everything got moved into the new location, unpacked, and placed into its correct location.

Now all that’s left is for me to get caught up on two weeks worth of The Voice and American Idol shows, something I will do today and tomorrow.

So now that all is back to normal with the Idol Radio Show, make sure to join me tonight at 8 PM ET / 7 CT as I live blog The Voice, then again Wednesday and Thursday night at the same time as I live blog this week’s American Idol.

And, of course, don’t forget to join me this Wednesday and Thursday night at 11 PM ET / 10 CT / 9 MT / 8 PT for new live shows of the Idol Radio Show.

As you may or may not know, the Idol Radio Show is moving to new headquarters (translation: I am moving to a new apartment). I had intended to continue both my live blogging of The Voice and American Idol as well as the radio shows during the move. But two things got in the way.

1) I completely misjudged my ability to prep for a radio show while in the process of packing up all my belongings and having my apartment in complete and total disarray. I really thought I would simply be able to sit down and watch The Voice on Monday and make my notes. But by the time I had finished packing that day, I realized that the last thing I wanted to do was more work. My back hurt, a lot, my legs hurt from all the walking up and down the stairs to throw things away, and my mind simply refused to focus while I had boxes invading every available corner in my apartment.

2) When I called AT&T on Monday to move my phone and DSL service, I found out that they don’t offer DSL at my new apartment. Instead, the lines going into the apartment have already been upgraded to fiber optic, so they only offer their UVerse Internet service. Unfortunately, this requires a new modem. More unfortunately, it will take them until at least next Thursday to get it to me. Then I have to install it and hope the lines inside my apartment will work with the new service. If they don’t, then I have to pay for them to come out and upgrade that. And if it takes them 10 days to ship a new modem to me, I can’t wait to find out how long it will take them to physically come out themselves.

So while the lack of shows and content is my fault this week, you can all blame (or thank, depending on your viewpoint) AT&T for the lack of shows and content next week (and beyond if installation doesn’t go well). Hopefully all will go well and I will be back the week of February 20.

Oh, and please do me a favor and keep an eye on Sir Darryl while I’m gone. His ego tends to get out of control when I’m not around to keep it in check.

Just when we get done with one singing competition’s audition process, another singing competition’s audition process begins. This time, it comes in the form of NBC’s The Voice, the show whose big catch is that the coaches’ chairs are turned towards the audience so that they can’t see who is auditioning.

Tonight’s The Voice is scheduled to begin at the same time across all time zones: 10:30 PM ET / 9:30 CT / 8:30 MT / 7:30 PT. However, since it is following the Super Bowl and the associated post-game wrap-up, it’s possible that it could start later. The show is scheduled to last an hour.

Join me after the jump as I live blog tonight’s audition show. And chat with other The Voice fans during the show in our Shoutbox.

As the New England Patriots skulk out of the stadium, The Voice hits the airwaves. The show starts with an introduction of the four judges: Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Cee Lo Green, and Christina Aguilera and an explanation of how the auditions work.

For those that don’t remember, the auditioners are facing the back of the coaches’ chairs. This way, the coaches can only judge based on the voice. If a coach likes what they hear, they will press a button on their chair to turn it around. If only one coach presses their button, that auditioner will join that team. If two or more coaches turn their chairs around, the coaches will argue why the auditioner should join their team. The auditioner will then get to pick their coach.

RaeLynn, 17-years-old, is up first. She is singing “Hell on Heels” by Miranda Lambert, who is Blake Shelton’s wife. Last season, Blake didn’t much care for the auditioner that sang this song. Adam quickly turns his chair around, followed about a minute later by Blake. Once around, Blake really likes what he sees (blonde, cute, short dress). Blake even begins singing along at parts. Christina is acting like she is close to pressing her button, but holds off. Blake and Adam give RaeLynn a standing ovation. Blake tells RaeLynn that he can’t wait to tell Miranda about the song. Blake fake coughs while saying “I can make you a country star.” Adam retorts, “Don’t you want to be bigger than just a country star?” RaeLynn, to no one’s surprise, goes with Blake.

Next up tonight is Jesse Campbell. The Voice takes a cue from American Idol and goes to a sob story. This time, however, the wife left the husband. Then, he and his daughter ended up living out of his car. He cries when saying that this is for his baby girl. Cee Lo, Christina, and Adam all hit their buttons within a few seconds of Jesse singing. Blake waits, but not for long as he makes it a perfect four for four with the coaches. All four coaches have big smiles on their faces watching Jesse sing. Blake tells Jesse that he realized that he was the only “dumbass” missing the show. In other words, he pressed his button mostly in order to watch Jesse sing, not because he really wants Jesse on his team. Christina makes a color joke, which Cee Lo responds by saying, “Everyone is the same color with the lights off.” Blake and Adam give that a standing ovation. Jesse is honored that all four of them turned around. He will choose his coach……… right after the commercials.

And we’re back. After a quick recap of what the coaches said, Jesse picks……. Christina. Cee Lo yells that he can’t protect Jesse now. Jesse and his backstage family and friends are excited.

20-year-old Daniel Rosa is up next. He says he came to the show looking for confirmation. He says that his parents have always said he was good, but he knows you can’t always trust what your parents say because they are biased. I have to be honest here: if this was American Idol, I would be thinking we were about to get punked. But The Voice has said they won’t do that. With that disclaimer under way, I am extremely underwhelmed by Daniel’s voice. He’s very pitchy to me, and Blake says the same thing as a whisper to the other coaches. In addition, I don’t see any sincerity in Daniel’s singing. No coach turns their chair around, much to Daniel’s chagrin. His mom backstage isn’t handling it well at all. Christina says not to interpret no one turning their chair around as not being a very talented singer. Umm, Christina, in this case, it’s exactly what it means. Daniel asks what he could do better next time, and Blake immediately responds pitch.

Rocker Juliet Simms is up next. She says auditioning for The Voice is the biggest thing in her life right now. A part of the audience quickly gets on their feet. After about a minute, Adam and Cee Lo both press their buttons at the same time. Adam goes so far as to stand as his chair turns around and stays standing throughout the rest of the audition. I’m not really hearing whatever Adam and Cee Lo are hearing. In fact, her voice is extremely irritating to me. Now add Christina to that list as she presses her button right before the song ends. Christina says Juliet obviously brought the house down, then tells Juliet that she knocked her socks off. Christina refuses to let Adam get a word in edgewise. When she finally lets up, Adam says that while Christina is one of the best singers in the world, she is NOT one of the best coaches in the world. Christina then compares him to Justin Timberlake. Ouch. Cee Lo finally gets a word in, and it’s a word I refuse to repeat. But it was enough to convince Juliet, as she picks him. Adam is pissed, and he’s not hiding it at all.

Chris Mann, 29, is up next. He started studying classical music at the age of 15 and went on to major in opera. Chris has a sob story in that his mom was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He then mentions it was the same cancer that took Steve Jobs’ life. Chris is dressed in a three-piece suit, which is appropriate since he is singing an Italian opera. The audience seems uncertain whether to clap or boo, Chris. The coaches don’t seem to know what to do either. At least, until Cee Lo presses his button. Christina then presses her button. Blake and Adam seem very comfortable just sitting back in their chairs with their hands nowhere near their buttons. Blake tells Chris that he’s a good singer, but he couldn’t understand a word that he said. I can’t help but wonder if America would vote for a singer like Chris. I also wonder how he will do when the Battle Round comes. Chris picks Christina.

After Chris, The Voice shows a video montage of three singers who didn’t get any of the coaches to turn their chairs around. And from what we hear, they all made the right decision.

Tony Lucca is the last auditioner of the night. He was a Mousketeer on the Mickey Mouse Club with Christina, Britney Spears, and Justin Timberlake. Will Christina recognize him when he starts singing? Tony sings “Trouble” while playing the guitar. And he sounds great. Adam is the first to turn his chair around, followed a few seconds later by Christina, and a few seconds after that by Blake. Adam gets out of his chair to help Cee Lo press his button, making it a four-for-four audition. So far no sign that Christina recognizes who he is. Adam gives him Tony all kinds of praise, as does Cee Lo. Christina is talking now, and still no sign that she recognizes him. Will Tony tell her? Adam comes back and says, “For the record, I pushed two buttons.” He desperately wants an act on his team. And he gets him, as Tony picks Adam. Nothing is said on stage between Tony and Christina, but once backstage Christina tells the camera that she realizes who he is. She goes to find him, saying she didn’t realize it was him until afterwards. Christina reminds Tony that Britney use to have the biggest crush on him, completely ignoring the fact that Tony’s wife IS STANDING RIGHT THERE! Too funny.

And that does it for tonight’s Season 2 Premiere of The Voice. We saw five auditioners find a coach. But with each coach looking for 12 contestants, we still have a very long way to go.

So what did you think of tonight’s show? Do you like this audition process more of less than the other competition shows’ auditions? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

And don’t forget to Sir Darryl and me for the Idol Radio Show this Wednesday at 11 PM ET / 10 PM CT as we talk about tonight’s The Voice auditions and this week’s American Idol‘s auditions, America’s Got Talent and The X Factor news, and anything else in the entertainment industry that needs to be discussed.

We’re not quite sure what Bonnie Pointer was trying to say with the grimacing face and hand up, but we know you can figure it out. So leave a comment telling us what you think the Pointer Sister was saying.

Alan, aka the Token White Guy, starts tonight’s radio show by celebrating Groundhog’s Day and revealing what happened when Sir Darryl was coaxed out of his bunker this morning to sing. The rumors about Simon Cowell trying to sign Beyonce as a judge for the next season of The X Factor prompts Sir Darryl to call into the show to proclaim Alan crazy for thinking it wouldn’t immediately give the show higher ratings than American Idol. Alan discusses Melanie Amaro’s new single, “Respect,” followed by giving his opinion about the best rendition of the song ever. Betty Buckley’s tirade on Twitter against Randy Jackson is next, followed by a discussion of tonight’s American Idol St. Louis auditions, including which of the six featured singers are rumored to have made the Top 24.

The ratings may be down, a lot, so far this season on American Idol, but the search for talent must go on. Ryan Seacrest, Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, and Steven Tyler do just that by heading to St. Louis, Missouri, the last stop on their audition city tour. Will the talent be worth their, and our, time?

Join me after the jump as I live blog tonight’s St. Louis auditions. And chat with other American Idol fans during the show in our Shoutbox.

NOTE: DJSlim will be doing a limited live blog on tonight’s American Idol auditions over at our sister site, IdolBlogLive.com. Check it out for another viewpoint of tonight’s show.

Tonight’s St. Louis auditions open with a video recap of Season 4′s winner, Carrie Underwood, finishing up her chores on her family’s farm and heading to St. Louis to tryout. Can American Idol find the same gold in this city all over again?

Ryan Seacrest said 10,000 people showed up to audition for American Idol in St. Louis this year. He tries, once again, to convince us that the Idol judges will have to sort through thousands of auditioners to find the few that have what it takes to make to the finals. Ugh.

First up tonight is Johnny Keeser, a 22-year-old who is rehashing his parents divorce when he was three years old. Johnny says his dad is more like his brother than like his dad. Ugh. Don’t get me started on that. Johnny is the guy we have seen in the commercials that led up to the start of Season 11. Steven Tyler asks if they should just vote now, even though Johnny isn’t done yet. Jennifer Lopez how old he is, but Randy gets him to keep singing. Jennifer interrupts him two more times, then both times tells him to keep on singing. And I have no problem with him continuing to sing. He’s that good. And three yeses later (like there was any chance they were going to vote no), and Johnny is on his way to Hollywood.

When we come back from commercial, we see a video montage of some of the really bad St. Louis auditioners, including William Hung. This leads to a video montage of new auditioners that are best seen, not heard. Which is why the entire video montage is done in the style of a silent movie. Thank goodness for small favors.

We just saw a small clip of a young girl saying her parents auditioned during Season 4. Young parents.

Rachelle Lamb is up next, and is another auditioner who says her soon-to-be ex-husband held her back and kept her from singing. There sure are a lot of bad husbands out there this season, aren’t there? Anyway, Rachelle is now chasing her dreams. And she brings her small daughter, Maddy, into the Judges’ Room to help her chase her dream. Before singing, she bashes her soon-to-be ex-husband. She is singing “Find Somebody New” by Faith Hill. Rachelle use to be a professional singer, and it shows. She has a great voice. She has a very polished sound, but she also connected very well to the song (probably dedicated to her soon-to-be ex-husband). Three yeses later, and we have another Hollywood bound auditioner.

So now that we’ve had a second good singer make it through to Hollywood, it’s time for some bad singers. Thankfully, it’s in a video montage form, so we don’t have to listen very long to any of them. And considering just how bad they are, that’s a good thing.

After the judges activate their wonder powers, Reis Kloeckener enter the room. He had a difficult life growing up, being bullied mercilessly because he went from a small, 152-person school to a big school. One day he was singing down the hall and was heard by the choir teacher, and the rest is history. Reis is singing “Lean on Me.” He has a very interesting voice. On the one hand, he seems to lack power. On the other hand, he has terrific control over his tone, sound, and pitch. No clue what will happen to him in Hollywood, but we will get to find out as he gets three enthusiastic yeses. And some Steven Tyler tears.

Next up is 22-year-old Ethan Jones. He had a bad cut just above his left eye before he came to audition, and in his nervousness picked at it until it opened back up. He was in a band with his dad, but his dad had to drop out because he had to get help for his drug and alcohol addiction. Steven says he relates to that story. Ethan has a very bluesy voice with a lot of soul mixed in. Randy says he looks nothing like the way he sang. Ethan sings in a country band, but Steven points out that he didn’t sing a country song. Ethan says because that is not where his soul lies. Three yeses later gives Ethan a chance to pursue his soul’s taste in music.

Mark Ingram is up next. He actually works as an auditor for the hotel that the judges are conducting their auditions in. Ryan has him gather some staff to be his support group as he auditions. Randy asks the support group, who went into the room with Mark, if they have heard Mark sing. They all say yes, and all say he is good. And they should all be fired. It’s not the worst audition we’ve ever heard. But it’s not good either. He couldn’t stay in tune. He had no control over his voice, singing only on one level. He refuses to accept the judges’ criticism and sings again……. and again. It doesn’t get any better. Three nos later, and Mark goes back to work at the hotel…. something his “support” staff may regret.

22-year-old Lauren Gray is the final auditioner of the night. She is in the family business, which is a one-stop wedding shop. She sings every weekend with her father in a wedding band. Somewhere out there, Simon Cowell is screaming at his TV. Lauren says it’s been a dream of both her and her father that she makes it to Hollywood. Will she live up to the hype? Especially since she is singing Adele’s “One and Only.” I expected a country sound from Lauren, but she actually gives us a big, booming bluesy voice. And that voice has just made me fall in love with her and has put tears in Jennifer Lopez’s eyes. Queen Angie says Lauren has a Joss Stone sound to her, and I agree. Three yeses later, and Lauren ends the day on the same high note that Johnny started the night on.

As the judges end Day 2 of auditions, they are still talking about Lauren Gray. Ryan says eight years ago, Carrie Underwood went all the way. And he wonders if any of the 46 hopefuls that made it through to Hollywood from St. Louis can do the same. If what we saw tonight was any indication, I would think it’s quite possible.

So what did you think of tonight’s show? Did you manage to make it through all the audition shows? Or did you bail out three or four shows ago? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

And don’t forget to join the genius, DJSlim, and me for the Idol Radio Show tonight at 11 PM ET / 10 PM CT as we talk about this week’s American Idol auditions, The Voice and The X Factor news, and anything else in the entertainment industry that needs to be discussed. Simply click the “Listen Live” banner in the right column when the show starts.

It’s that time of the year again, when two teams take to a 100-yard field. The players who take the field will try to stop the other team from scoring all while trying to ensure that their own team scores every time. And these players have but one dream, one desire that they hope will come true at least once during their playing careers: The hope that viewers will finally pay attention to them instead of the commercials that the game keeps interrupting.

Like that will ever happen.

Last year, the commercial I liked the best was the Volkswagen commercial with the little kid dressed as Darth Vader who repeatedly tried, in vain, to access the force.

That little kid was simply adorable, and having the dad remotely starting the car, making the kid think he had finally succeeded, was genius. It was also a commercial that never got old no matter how many times I saw it on TV.

Back on January 18, Volkswagen released the teaser video below to whet our appetites for their commercial this year.

Just in case you don’t recognize the theme the dogs are barking, it is the Star Wars theme. It’s had over 10 million hits since being released two weeks ago. And it is completely brilliant. Several of the dogs are wearing various Star Wars costumes, and one of the dogs sounds just like Chewbacca.

So that would mean that this year’s Volkswagen commercial would again be Star Wars related. I discovered today while listening to a local talk show host on the radio that Volkswagen has already released an extended version of their 2012 Super Bowl commercial.

Brilliant. Simply brilliant.

First of all, I hope that dog they used was rewarded handsomely for sitting there while what looked like food was dropped all around him. No telling how many times they filmed that until they got his eyes to react just that way.

But the entire Cantina scene at the end was just too funny. Three beings arguing about which commercial was better, only to have Darth Vader weigh in on the subject himself without actually saying a word.

Since the video above is an extended version, I’m unsure how much of it will actually air during the Super Bowl. So it’s not likely to be the funniest commercial this year since cutting any part of that commercial lessens how funny it is.

As a series of videos, however, all three make up one of the best YouTube commercials I’ve ever seen. I can only wonder what the Budweiser frogs and lizard would have been able to do had they been able to release videos to YouTube.

The X Factor firings of Steve Jones, Nicole Scherzinger, and Paula Abdul this week dominate tonight’s Idol Radio Show, as Alan, aka the Token White Guy, talks about what he thinks it will mean for Simon Cowell’s show. Alan talks about the passing of Soul Train creator and host, Don Cornelious, and how the show popularized R&B to the masses. The Voice gets some talk time before Alan ends the show with the American Idol auditions.

Only two more audition shows left on American Idol before we can finally move on to the Hollywood Round. At least, that’s what the FOX website now says. And no one is happier about that development than I am.

But before we celebrate too much, Ryan Seacrest, Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, and Steven Tyler make their way to the northwest side of the country to take on Portland, Oregon. Will the next American Idol come from this crop of contestants?

Join me after the jump as I live blog tonight’s Portland auditions. And chat with other American Idol fans during the show in our Shoutbox.

NOTE: DJSlim will be doing a limited live blog on tonight’s American Idol auditions over at our sister site, IdolBlogLive.com. Check it out for another viewpoint of tonight’s show.

Ryan Seacrest opens tonight’s American Idol by telling us that it is the show’s first trip to Oregon. He says Portland is an ecclectic city and that there is no telling what they will find there tonight. I wonder if that is code speak for “it’s all bad auditions tonight, folks.”

Ryan says that everyone in this crowd (as the camera pans over the initial stadium audition) has a story to tell. We are then introduced to Brittany Zika, who had a dream of performing on stage with Sarah Bareilles. The show doesn’t mention that Sarah is a judge on The Sing-Off (why would they), but Brittany goes on and on and on talking about Sarah. When she enters the Judges’ Room, she trips, and Steven Tyler asks, “Are you falling over me?” He then says, “I’m too young to be this old.” Brittany impresses the judges with her voice. They say she sounds better than she looks. She takes off her glasses, saying she doesn’t look as nerdy with them off. Steven, at least, seems to agree. Either way, she gets three yeses for her efforts.

18-year-old Ben Perdum is up next, and he’s not feeling that great today. So far, he has burped on camera, blown his nose on camera, and coughed on camera. Why would the show say there is something wrong with that? I do that all the time on the Idol Radio Show. What I don’t do on the radio show is sing, something that Ben probably should have adopted from me. He sings Lady GagGag’s “Born This Way,” claiming first that he once sang for his co-workers and they encouraged him to audition. With co-workers like that, he might want to look for another job. Ben maintains that he sounds better when he’s not sick. Maybe he will try out again in another year to prove himself right.

Jermaine Jones is up next. Jermaine says that music is his life: he eats it, breathes it, sleeps it, etc. He also says he’s a momma’s boy, which may not be a good thing because mom’s of momma’s boys often don’t like to tell their boys the truth about their singing. Or they’re just flat out tone deaf and don’t know any different. Randy asks Jermaine how tall he is, and he replies that he is 6’8-1/2″ (and DON’T take away that 1/2 from him). Jermaine has a low voice. Not as low as Scotty McCreery’s, but still low. It’s kind of in a weird spot down there, though. Not low enough for me to like it, not high enough, in my opinion, to be able to handle bigger music. Sir Darryl won’t like him, either, because he is sweating all over the place. The judges like him, though, and that’s all that matters. Three yeses and he’s on his way to sweat some more in Hollywood.

Day 2 already in Portland, Oregon. Jennifer Lopez has a wardrobe malfunction and needs some black tights in order to start the day. Once black tights have been procured, the day starts with Britnee Kellogg. She has a large group of supporters with her, all wearing gray shirts with pink hearts on them. She also has two adorable kids, one of whom tells everyone in the room that his mom will be the next American Idol. Britnee tells the judges that she is single because her ex-husband decided to chase other women after she had supported his dream of becoming a basketball player. She sings “You’re No Good,” which in no way describes her voice. She is a good singer and deservedly gets three yeses. Her kids, and entire support staff, comes into the room after the yeses while Jennifer gives Britnee advice on how to be a mom and chase her dream of being a singer.

Sam Gershman is up next. Steven likes what he sees, so his mind might already be made up. Which is a shame, cause she butchers the song “I’m a Woman.” Where is Melinda Doolittle when you need her. Steven asks Sam if she could “be any more perky,” then says she could make a great Easter Bunny. She responds that she is Jewish. The judges try to encourage her while letting her down. Steven looks at Sam’s butt as she walks out the door.

David Weed is up next, and Randy immediately asks if “Weed” is really his last name. Come on, Randy. Grow up. David works at a fast food restaurant and hates it. He wants out badly. He is singing “Tom Sawyer” by Rush. This would be the point where I tell him not to quit his day job, no matter how badly he wants to quit. Randy asks David what his dream other than singing is. David says he wants to be a stand-up comic. He bombs there as well. Ugh.

Romeo Diahn tries to turn things around for the judges, but not before telling his story. He is from Liberia, living in a refugee camp after war broke out over there. He says he never thought he would make it out of the country because of all the people he saw perish. But he did make it out, and it’s a good thing because he has a good voice. The judges are eating him up. One of Romeo’s friends outside asks Ryan, “Who are you?” Talk about lightening the mood up. Jennifer is worried that Romeo won’t be able to handle the bigger songs, but says yes anyone, as do the other two judges.

22-year-old Naomi Gillies is up next, and wants to sing one of Steven Tyler’s songs: “Cryin’.” I’m not blown away by Naomi’s voice, but it seems good enough to go through to Hollywood Week. Better than many of the other contestants the judges have sent through. And the judges do send her through.

Ryan says that for the next two hours, though, no one made it through. We don’t hear any of them singing, just some of the judges’ comments. Some of them seem to have just missed making it. Others never had a shot in the first place, no matter how many times they tried to do a cartwheel.

28-year-old Ben Harrison is going to try to turn things around. First of all, it should be noted that Ben doesn’t look 28. He barely looks 18. Secondly, he says he’s adorable. If by adorable he means annoying in an extremely excruciating way, then I agree. Ben says he’s been in a lot of bands, but end up cutting him loose because of his baby face. He is singing “Somebody to Love” by Queen, and I immediately reply to the TV that nobody will be loving him after that. Hopefully he will realize that it’s not only his baby face looks keeping him out of bands. Ugh.

Jessica Phillips is the last auditioner of the day. And she has a sob story to end all sob stories. Her boyfriend, Angelo, has been with her for five years. Last Easter Sunday, Angelo had a stroke. When he finally woke up after the stroke, Angelo had no idea who Jessica was. They are still together, though, as she takes care of him and works to help him recover from the stroke. American Idol has to use subtitles when Angelo talks because he is very difficult to understand. Jessica is singing “Again” by Faith Hill. She starts out rough, but seems to recover a little bit as she goes. I see talent there, but singing a-capella just isn’t Jessica’s thing. Hopefully she will be much better in Hollywood, cause she gets three yeses. And I’m happy for her. There is talent there, so I’ll be interested in seeing how far she gets.

Ryan tells us that 45 people got tickets to Hollywood in Portland, Oregon. I wasn’t overly impressed with who we saw make it tonight, so hopefully the ones we didn’t see will be better and worth the time they will be investing.

So what did you think of tonight’s show? Did American Idol show enough good auditions and/or bad auditions? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

And don’t forget to join me for the Idol Radio Show tonight at 11 PM ET / 10 PM CT as we talk about tonight’s American Idol auditions, The Voice and The X Factor news, and anything else in the entertainment industry that needs to be discussed. Simply click the “Listen Live” banner in the right column when the show starts.