American Idol Recap: The Last Day of the Wannabe

Season nine's last Idol audition episode stepped up the starpower: In an unending phalanx of golden-ticket recipients, we saw twangy ladies, ambitious young men, and a number of sincere "soulful" vocals. Kara didn't have to say "sweetie" much! Plus, we revisited enough of the previous auditions that we even got our fill of Victoria Beckham's petrified cricket exterior. Our top 3 moments from last night's audition wrap-up after the jump.

3. Victoria Beckham cannot believe Simon Cowell is smart enough to write a song.

Look. I have an undiagnosed fixation with Victoria Beckham, and I'm not dumb enough to fight it. When Posh speaks in complete sentences, ropes of knowledge spew forth from her Mattel diaphragm and well into the home audience, in a 3D, vaguely malnourished Channel One experience. Last night, she interrupted contestant Jessica Furney's audition to interrogate Simon Cowell about his heretofore unmentioned songwriting abilities. He'd co-written Furney's selection "Footprints in the Sand" (off Leona Lewis's debut), and Posh turned her head and thorax a full 90 degrees towards him to voice awe. And then she kept talking! And then Simon blushed. It was all worth it in the end, if just for one more glimpse of the alien mosquito sorceress's umber fog of crazy.

2. Aaron Kelly likes girls that wear Abercrombie & Fitch.

If there's one thing we've learned watching American Idol, it's that Randy Jackson cannot believe 16-year-olds know how to sing. Take Aaron Kelly, a mildly timewarped 16-year-old with the spiked hair and puka shells of 1999's finest crooners. He auditioned with Miley Cyrus's "The Climb" (which was perfected by Joe McElderry), and he gave the kind of surprisingly assured vocal that marks a Top 12 contender. He gives you hope, see. And memories of LFO and O-Town. Which is synonymous with hope.

1. Didi Benami is white and soulful, and she needs someone to tell her that.

One of my favorite auditions of the season came in the form of Didi Benami, this year's raspy white chick with the hinky hair. (Speaking of which: Last season's R.W.C.w.t.H.H. Rose Flack appeared on this episode, and Simon didn't recognize her.) "Hey Jude" may have been a daunting song for other candidates, but Benami incorporated the childlike drawl of Rickie Lee Jones into the contemporary, twee trill of Sara Bareilles or Colbie Caillat. Added bonus: Avril Lavigne makes a confused collie face during the audition. She hears Didi's voice and only knows that Timmy is in the well.

Honorable Mention

This 14-foot-tall preteen. He's got the kind of arresting star presence that fills you up with wonder and makes you ask, "Which way did he go, George?"