American Idol Recap: James Durbin Overcomes Tourettes to Wow Judges

San Francisco was the site of tonight's 'American Idol' auditions, the last before Hollywood hecticness begins. The sob stories came front and center in this episode. Mohawked contestant James Durbin -- who believed he got his musical talent from his bass player, absentee father who died when he was just 9 -- suffers from both Tourettes and Asperger's syndromes, diseases that can "86" a person's confidence and create social anxiety.

However, when Durbin sings, he loses himself in the song. Judge Jennifer Lopez said, "You go away when you sing" after he tore through Aerosmith's 'Dream On,' with Steven Tyler's permission, of course. Durbin agreed, saying, "When I sing, it all goes away, I don't have a care in the world." Durbin has a son and lamented that sometimes they can't even afford diapers, but with his soulful pipes and off-the-charts range, he is running head first towards the big time.

21-year-old Stefano Langone, who was involved in a car accident that he was not supposed to survive and even boasts a wrist to elbow scar on his forearm, among others, wowed the judges with a pitch-perfect rendition of 'Heard It Through the Grapevine.' Lopez praised his movie star good looks and said he had "S-T-A-R" written all over him.

Julie Zorrilla, a native of Columbia who lived in a dream home atop the Andes in the rain forest until guerrillas invaded and forced her family to flee, is beautiful and talented, so much so that she'd be easy to hate if she wasn't so sweet. With her sparkly gold heels and full skirt, she was a confident performer and total package of voice and star quality when she belted out 'Summertime.' J. Lo even mused, "Winner, maybe?" to her fellow judges.

Emily Anne Reed is a throwback, tattooed pinup girl and while her house recently burned down, her spirits remain high. Her old timey, 1940s-style voice was sweet and adorable as she sang 'You're Getting to be a Habit With Me.' Lopez said she was the "most interesting voice we've heard in eight cities." She reminded us of a Lily Allen type.

Clint Jun Gamboa, who hails from "Strong Beach" in California, worked his nerdy-cute charm, courtesy of his black specs and cardigan. His rendition of the Travie McCoy/Bruno Mars collaboration 'Billionaire' elicited a "You're one of the best I've seen in San Francisco" reaction from Randy Jackson.

The oddballs also reared their heads, such as Inessa Lee, who was cloaked in a pink track suit and did yoga poses before she sang. Drew Beaumier from So Cal came dressed as a Transformer. Literally. Too bad he couldn't remember the words to 'Born to be Wild.' He couldn't sing 'em, either.

The talent pool is shrinking. The stakes are getting higher. Season 10 is well on its way.

Watch James Durbin's 'American Idol' Audition