Vanessa Wolfe. You go girl...

I remember watching the very first season of "American Idol". My favorite shows ended up being the first three or four when they showed the auditions. I felt a pang of guilt for watching and laughing at the people who were obviously let through to sing in front of the celebrity judges because of their entertainment value...not their talent. But, I watched...

The next season I watched sporadically. After that...no more. I lost interest.

My interest was revitalized this year, though, when I heard about Vanessa from Vonore, TN...a very, very, very little, one red light town about 30 to 35 minutes from where I live. So...this was exciting news!!! When I watched the clip on YouTube of Vanessa's audition...I thought, "Oh, great...Simon's going to have a heyday with this little country girl," who had admittedly never been outside of Vonore, TN. But, to my surprise and relief, all the judges, including Simon, were very encouraging and gracious to Vanessa. Maybe Simon has a heart after all!  "Are you serial?" (or would that be cereal?...you'll understand when you watch the video...)

Good luck, Vanessa!!