The new season of American Idol kicked off with a bang last night in a 2 hour premiere of the Philly auditions.  The audition episodes generally pale in comparison to the actual elimination shows, but 2 contestants helped defy that rule last night: Alexis Cohen and the Princess Leia chick.  Alexis (who’s audition you can watch below) is quite possibly the strangest girl the  state of Pennsylvania has ever produced.  She’s an aspiring vet who lives with her mother, 2 cats and 1 dog in a one-room studio.  She had so much glitter on her body it looked like the entire 70s Glam Rock scene had just exploded on her face.  If Melissa Etheridge and Gary Glitter had a love child that talked like a truck driver and sang like Janis Joplin, Alexis would be that child.  Whenever she opened her mouth odd things just flew right out, including this very matter-of-fact quote: “I like things that shine.  I’m like a pirate.”

And then there was Christina, the self-described “goofball.”  Christina is a huge Star Wars fan and she had the hairmuffs to prove it.  Christina had, in my book, one of the greatest reasons for auditioning: “I want out of my hometown because there’s nothing to offer there.  Unless I become a corrections officer…which has been a…possibility.”

And the beat goes on.  Off to another great start, Idol!