Charlie Askew, a 17-year-old hopeful from Little Rock, Ark., auditioned for Season 12 of 'American Idol' in Baton Rouge, La.,which aired tonight (Jan. 24). He was clearly an awkward teen with a shy charm. His parents even said he suffers from 'Charlie Askew Syndrome,' since he doesn't fit a traditional diagnosis and has some trouble connecting, but he bridges that communicative gap through music.

The producers set this up to make us think, "Uh oh. This isn't going to go well and this kid is going to be terrible and we're going to feel so bad for him." W-R-O-N-G. He sang 'Breakthru' by Queen and while he is not Freddie-Mercury-reinvented-as-a-ginger-kid, he had a big, room-filler voice.

He acknowledged that he is shy and can't communicate, relying on music to express himself.

"I loved it, dude," judge Keith Urban said about Askew's performance. He was met with a unanimous chorus of "Yes" from every judge, although Mariah Carey was a bit reluctant and offered somewhat of an incoherent critique.

Randy Jackson said that Askew was strange, while seemingly dark and cool and they all felt in the future, they would look back on his audition and be surprised at his potential.

Guess we'll have to wait and see! Charlie Askew was certainly unique like a fingerprint.

 

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