Never one to shy away from its own press, American Idol re-capped the events of the past year at the top of the Season 9 premiere. Clips highlighting Paula Abdul’s departure from the show, as well as the announcement that Ellen DeGeneres would replace her, were part of the opening montage. After a few brief highlights, it was time for the show to begin.

The Boston auditions were conducted on a very rainy day, but nothing seemed to dim the spirit of the waiting hopefuls who grinned and waved at reality TV cameras. This episode marked Victoria Beckham’s stint as a guest judge, the first to be called in when last summer’s negotiations with Paula Abdul started to go south.

The first auditioner to be featured, Janet McNamara, honed her singing skills with the American Idol game. CGI Simon often tells her that she’s “got it,” in fact. She had a thick Boston accent and tons of energy, talking at great length about her Idol gaming skills. Predictably, she was terrible and got a no across the board. Still maintaining high spirits, she claimed the experience was “wicked awesome.” Her audition is viewable in the clip above.

Janet was only the first in a long line of hopefuls, some of which would leave with their dreams still intact. Others would simply leave…many, in tears.

Maddy Curtis, 16, was obviously a serious contender from the word go; she’s got a bit of a sad story and a presentable enough appearance to warrant a trip to Hollywood. She sang “Hallelujah,” which blew viewers away when Jason Castro sang it on the Idol stage, presentably enough. It started to get seriously boring after the first few bars, but in this early week of auditions there was never a doubt that she would be getting a golden ticket. “Bit of soul in there,” Simon Cowell observed with a smile. Maddy received a positive answer across the board and her shot at stardom.

A string of good singers followed, and all walked away smiling. Jennifer Hirsh, from New York, sang a sort of strange version of “Ding Dong the Witch is Dead.” Claire Fuller was gorgeous and off-key, but with that face a lock for Hollywood. Jess Wolfe had an interesting look and a decent enough voice. Pat Ford, who did not get a golden ticket, was flamboyant and fun, but not much of a singer. His performance made me sorely miss Season 8’s Normund Gentle. Randy Jackson wanted to hang out with him, but not hear to him sing again.

Providence, RI resident Amadeo Diricco is a big eater, a big talker and big entertainment. I was rooting for him to win the show before he’d finished saying seven words. When he started singing, I liked him even more. He’s not the best singer, but he makes up for a lot with showmanship. Rex Harrison starred in one of Hollywood’s greatest musicals on the same platform. “It was my favorite audition of the day,” Simon told him, adding “Because I like you.” The other judges fell for him, too, and Amadeo scored a “yes” from all. His audition is featured in the above clip.

Derek Hilton got a big intro laced with strangeness, a surefire guarantee that he would be an appallingly bad singer. He was, everyone said no and the show moved on. A montage of sad singers followed, and many tears flowed. Sadly, they can’t all make it to Hollywood. Mere Doyle was more horrendous than most, completely mangling Janis Joplin. Simon didn’t even attempt to let her down gently, and Mere took the news badly. New York waiter Luke Shaffer had much more talent to offer, as did music school teacher Benjamin Bright. Both made it to Hollywood without breaking a sweat.

Andrew Fenlon was extremely aggravated while waiting his turn, which could account for the attitude. He became immediately contentious with Simon Cowell, who was in the mood to brook no opposition. The judges found that Fenlon’s singing just wasn’t up to snuff, though they let him carry on for an awful long time. Kara DioGuardi began to argue with him about the merits of waiting, flat-out telling him she didn’t like him. Cowell called it “very, very bad energy,” though the judge ended up becoming a fan of Fenlon after all. He didn’t manage to charm the panel enough to get a golden ticket just the same.

Now, on to token TV time for the rejects. An entertaining montage of the horrible followed, and this of course is why we keep tuning in to the audition episodes of Idol. 

Ashley Rodriquez was immediately a bright spot with her gorgeous face and pleasant voice, but she may not have the chops for the entire Idol ride. Kara loved her right away, as did Victoria Beckham. “Some people have got it,” Simon Cowell observed, as he and Randy agreed with the female panelists in giving her a shot to go to Hollywood. Tyler Grady arrived to his audition with two injured wrists but lots of positive energy. Despite his clumsiness in trees, Grady gave a beautiful rendition of “Let’s Get it On,” impressing the panelists with his smoky tones. Simon Cowell vowed to remember the audition, and the panel unanimously voted to send him on his way with a golden ticket.

Seventeen in all made it to Hollywood on the Day 1 auditions. Day 2 opened with a brief history lesson narrated by Ryan Seacrest, and then it was finally time to be on with business. Pretty Bostonian Lisa Olivero bravely attempted a Mariah Carey song and, of course, warbled quite uncertainly throughout her off-key rendition. Simon Cowell said it was probably “the craziest version” of the song he’s heard. I disagree. We’ve seen way worse Mariah songs than hers.

Many contestants were sent on their way before another Hollywood contender came forward in the form of one charismatic singer. Mike Davis works on Codzilla, a tourist attraction offering water tours of the city. He chose “Yesterday,” and eked out a decent enough version to warrant the giving of a golden ticket. It was, after all, a pretty slow day in Boston.

The pace of the show picked up with the next featured auditioner. Katie Stevens, 16, is a small-town girl from a large family who couldn’t possibly be any cuter. Her smooth, sultry voice could easily see her well past the Hollywood round. She boldly sang the Etta James joint “At Last,” and sounded just wonderful. She swept the panel, and I think it’s worth it to keep an eye on this one.

New York resident Joshua Blaylock has just one last shot on American Idol, being right at the age cutoff. His performance elicited mixed reviews from the judges. Simon Cowell found him devoid of both personality and presence. Somehow, he still managed to charm the panel into giving him the unanimous “yes” vote. Justin Williams was diagnosed with cancer seven years ago, but today he’s fully recovered and free of the deadly disease. He’s also quite the singer, this Utah-based vocal coach with the pretty smile. The judges allowed him to sing for a quite a while before Cowell thanked him with a big grin. A golden ticket quickly followed.

Norberto Guerrero arrived to his audition in very strange attire, uncertainly delivering an unrecognizable tune in a falsetto voice that was literally painful to hear. For some reason, even Simon Cowell seemed willing to allow the agony to continue, but finally Norberto was sent on his way.

The terrible performance contrasted sharply with the one which followed. Bosa Mora’s parents are both first-generation Nigerian. Ryan Seacrest teased his mother about her beautiful, ornate headwear. Though he eventually won his shot at stardom, Simon Cowell found Mora’s performance “good, but boring.” Victoria Beckham, by contrast, did not think he was boring, then snapped at Cowell for rolling his eyes when she started to speak. Vic was actually pretty good as a guest panelist, and it’s a shame her stint on the show was so early in the season. It’s likely that others won’t be so tolerable.

The last contestant of the day was Leah Laurenti, New Yorker. Her performance of “Blue Skies” was beautiful, if old-fashioned and quite loud. Randy Jackson was “very impressed” with her tone and control, and liked her “whole little jazzy thing.” Kara DioGuardi affirmed Leah’s talent. The entire panel voted her in, ending the day on a high note.

Thirty-one could-be stars were found in Boston in the season opener of American Idol 9, first season without Paula Abdul.The show is back tomorrow night with new potential stars and another guest judge.

(Make sure to check out our other American Idol 9 posts.)