The most recent episode of American Idol took the show's judges, Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson to Portland Oregon, on their hunt for a new pop sensation. It was the first time that the show had been to Portland, which is better known for producing underground indie guitar bands than mainstream pop singers. And although they didn't find much wealth of talent in Portland, it seems that they've struck gold with a couple of the contestants that walked through the doors.
E!Online drew attention to a Britney Spears lookalike, who, uncannily, is called Britnee Kellogg. The mother of two young boys auditioned for the show by singing 'You're No Good,' after telling the judges that she had been held back from following her dream by a cheating ex-husband. She impressed the judges with her performance, with Randy Jackson proclaiming "You're going to Hollywood!" And Fox News highlighted the talents of Jermaine Jones, who stood out, not only for being 6ft 8 inches tall, but for his vocal talent. He told the American Idol reporters that he was "born singing" and explained that he was raised in a family of singers. He sang 'Superstar' and despite his obvious nerves, the judges were keen to hear more from him. Jennifer Lopez told him to "loosen up" a little but he was still given the green light to the next round.
The popularity of the TV talent show seems to be dwindling though, with today's report from Entertainment Weekly suggesting that the ratings for last night show dropped 9 per cent from the previous week.