Idol Auditions Come Home to LA

More than 11,000 contestants stood in line at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., waiting patiently for their turn to audition to become the next American Idol. Avril Lavigne was the first guest judge of the day and was dressed in a black hoodie complete with devil horns from her signature clothing line Abbey Dawn.

Dedicated Idol fans know when the show's producers profile a contestant before they sing; they are either a really good singer or a really bad singer. Neil Goldstein was up first and after sharing that he had an IQ of 168, he bombed miserably in front of the judges attempting to sing a Meatloaf song and demanded they send him to Hollywood.

Jim Ranger, a worship pastor and father of three, performed a song he wrote himself called Drive. His soulful voice won over the judges giving him the first golden ticket to Hollywood.

Mary Powers also received a golden ticket after delivering a memorable performance on day one singing a raspy rocker version of "Love is a Battlefield" sounding and looking a lot like Pat Benatar. Her eight-year-old daughter, a huge Simon Cowell fan, got to meet her idol as well.

Pop singer Katy Perry joined the judges on day two. The first ticket of the day went to a young father named Andrew Garcia who grew up in the tough city of Compton and fought to stay out of the gangs his parents once belong to. Andrew delivered one the best performances in two days and received his golden ticket to Hollywood.

Idol always saves one of the best stories for last. The final contestant of the day was a 25-year-old shoe salesman named Chris Golightly who grew up in the foster care system and lived with 25 different families throughout his childhood. Chris sang Stand by Me and won the judges' hearts and a ticket to Hollywood.

Overall, 22 golden tickets were given out in Los Angeles. This was a much smaller number than expected for a city known for its talent. Idol auditions move to Dallas on Wednesday night with guest judges Joe Jonas and Neil Patrick Harris.