'American Idol' Portland Auditions: Hipsters and Pop Stars

(EndPlay Staff Reports) - If you thought Portland's rock scene wasn't a breeding group for potential pop stars, Wednesday's episode of "American Idol" would have proven you wrong.

Judges Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson handed out 45 golden tickets in Portland. Here's a quick rundown of some of the episode's highlights:

Twenty-one year old Brittany Zika, who is known as "Tripster the Hipster" to her friends, auditioned with her own version of Brandi Carlisle's "The Story." She sounded sweet and Lopez described her voice as "one of the prettiest ones we've heard."

Naomi Giles came all the way from Boston for Portland auditions. She was brave, too: Giles tackled Aerosmith's "Crying" for judge Tyler. He seemed like a proud papa when he told Giles that she "belted it out." Jackson summed it up, "When you've got it, you've got it."

Giles wasn't the only one who trekked cross country for a chance to audition. Jessica Phillips, a 25 year-old dental hygienist, came all the way from Brooklyn, N.Y., to audition in Portland. She spent the past year helping her boyfriend recover from a stroke and she and her sweetie made the trip to auditions in celebration of his recovery. Phillips sang Faith Evans "Again," and even though Lopez criticized her breathing during the song, she's on her way to Hollywood. Phillips and her boyfriend shared a touching moment after they got the good news about her audition.

The last singer featured Wednesday night was Portland's own Romeo Diahn. Originally from Liberia, he wowed judges with Bob Marley's "Is This Love." Despite Lopez's hesitation about how he'd fit into the show, all three judges ended up agreeing: He's off to Hollywood.

Ready for more "Idol"? The final audition show – showing off talent in the Show Me State – will air Thursday at 8 p.m. EST.