San Diego: A "Midnight Special." Literally...

The line of the night came very early from Steven: “Did you not think there’d be jets flying overtop?”

You’d think that if Steven Tyler could have figured that out, the producers could have too. Maybe next year they won’t put picturesque over practical…

Here are some of my thoughts on tonight’s auditions from the USS Midway in San Diego…

Every year a Buckeye manages to embarrass us. This year it was Jennifer Diley, the girl in the super short shorts and bikini top who didn’t have the voice to match, who was from Columbus. And singing Jessica Simpson (“With You”)? Seriously?...

#Tylerism Alert: “Your voice lacks the fire your getup has.”

It takes a lot of guts to sing “I Will Always Love You” for your audition. Fortunately, Ashley Robles had more than enough talent to pull it off. And she picked all of the best parts of the song for the audition. She’s one to watch…

Weren’t you just positive that Jayrah Gibson (“Just Friends”) was going to be terrible?...

So in addition to the chances of boats and jets making noise, did it not occur to anyone that people might bang their heads on the low ceiling of an aircraft carrier? I mean, we all know the contestants are going to jump and down, right?...

How much did Aubree Dieckmeyer milk “Feelin’ Good”? I mean she was good, but it was a little drawn out…

If it hadn’t have been for the “Ellen” connection, I’m not sure the judges would have let Ali Shields (“Like a Star”) keep auditioning. Can’t believe how she almost blew that one with that rap…

I’ve got my eye on Kyle Crews (“Angel of Mine”). I was sure he was going to be bad—especially singing a female R&B song. But he was great…

#Tylerism Alert: “I went through four hours of hair and makeup to listen to this sh--?”

Does anyone else feel like Jane Carrey (“Something to Talk About”) only went through because she’s Jim Carrey’s daughter?...

I was 100 percent positive that Jason “Wolf” Hamlin (“Midnight Special”/ “Folsom Prison Blues”) would be terrible—especially the way they kept teasing him during the breaks. But I thought he was cool…

All in all, it looked like a pretty strong crop in San Diego. 53 got golden tickets to Hollywood…

Wednesday, it’s off to Aspen and back to a more normal airtime. See you then…