The Jacksonville auditions of American Idol 8 opened with Joshua Ulloa, who bears a superficial resemblance to former Idol (Season 1) contender Justin Guarini. Ulloa added sound effects to his singing. His voice was soulful and fairly decent, but his showmanship was spectacular. He managed to win over the panel to score his ticket to Hollywood.

It was a fairly exciting beginning to the Florida auditions. Would they finish as strongly as they began?

Cute Sharon Wilbur then appeared with her even cuter little dog Sasha. She sang “Superstar” and I didn’t find her singing all that impressive, but Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson quickly voted yes. Wilbur and Sasha will be heading to Hollywood as well.

Dana Moreno, however, will not. Her singing and fashion were both somewhat tragic, though her outfit wasn’t half as bad as Randy Jackson’s shirt. She won’t be going to Hollywood. With any luck, neither will Randy’s shirt.

Kaneswa Finnie, 16, is from Jacksonville. She’s a cute girl, but even the hometown connection doesn’t help her nasal, flat singing tone. Simon Cowell was astounded that her audition “actually got progressively worse,” and informed her that “your voice is just terrible.” Finnie’s mom Paula was brought into the room, but nothing would change the judges’ opinions. Finnie won’t be going to Hollywood.

Julissa Veloz, beauty queen, was up next. She was a very pretty girl with a laugh the judges thought very weird, and honestly I expected her audition to go horribly.  Veloz very passably sang Whitney Houston, however, and won her way into Hollywood. I liked her immediately.

Darren Darnell, from Texas, was emotional when he entered his audition. The long day in Jacksonville, and the many rejections the waiting crowd faced, took its toll on Darnell. He sang Boyz II Men horribly, and Kara DioGuardi gave him some advice on his emotions, saying he just isn’t tough enough for the music biz. “We did you a huge solid,” she offered, as Darnell made his sad way out of the room.

Very skinny Naomi Sykes, from Tampa, bragged that she can hit very high notes. Samantha, Naomi’s friend, was brought into the audition because of her love for Randy Jackson. She watched the singing from his lap. Paula Abdul sat on Simon’s lap. And Ryan Seacrest sat on Kara’s lap. In the midst of all this tomfoolery, Naomi sang a rather tuneless rendition of “Lovin’ You.” She was terrible and Simon let his high spirits carry him a bit too far. He crushed the poor girl by remarking, “You’re telling me that this was serious?” Naomi received hugs from Kara and Randy before she was sent on her way.

After the long first day in Jacksonville, only 9 won golden tickets to the Hollywood auditions. Did Day 2 see more talent in the crowd?

Jasmine Murray, sweet 16, started out the day with a little Fergie. This Mississippi-born beauty wasn’t just all looks - she’s got a beautiful singing voice, too. Simon thought she was “cute, commercial, and you’re a very, very good singer.” It was high praise, but Murray probably appreciated her golden ticket to Hollywood even more.

George Ramirez, Florida physics student, was not such a great singer. His somewhat out-there personality was eclipsed only by his terrible baritone. Ramirez was sent along on his way quickly.

Ann-Marie Boskovitch, who’s a big fan of Kara DioGuardi, entered the room very shyly. She sang a few bars of DioGuardi and proved that she’s got a beautiful voice, but the judges weren’t impressed with her lack of star power. Ann-Marie was told to leave and return later in the day as a true singing star.

Meanwhile, T. K. Hash (who auditioned last season but was rejected) returned to try for another shot at Hollywood. He sang my favorite song in all the world, “Imagine” by John Lennon - and sang it wonderfully. The judges found his rendition a bit “over the top,” but T. K. definitely has the chops. This time, he’s going all the way to Hollywood.

Michael Perelli, 18, who just loves his guitar, entered the room next. He unfortunately had to put his beloved instrument aside to singer “Jumper.” The poor kid positively freaked out the entire time, and despite his pleading was summarily dismissed by the judges. Better luck next year.

The end of the episode was marked by the return of Ann-Marie. She’d taken off her jacket, changed her shoes and put on make-up - and she looked just lovely. I think Ann-Marie would have made it to Hollywood if she’d been wearing sackcloth and ashes, however, because she’s a fantastic singer. Randy Jackson found that she has “a really great voice,” and Ann-Marie was given her ticket to Hollywood.

The show ended with an upbeat montage of “Walkin’ on Sunshine.” Tonight’s episode will feature Utah auditions and a special visit from Idol alum David Archuleta.