American Idol XIII 2014 – Live Blog and Recap – Auditions #3 – Video
Welcome to the live blog and recap of American Idol XIII "Auditions #3"! Tonight, we continue Season 13 auditions in Detroit and Atlanta! Will any potential frontrunners emerge?
Credit: FOX
Videos will be added as soon as they become available, so keep refreshing! Let's get this live blog on a roll!
Recap
-We kick things off with another cold open, as an INSANELY PRETTY woman waits in "The Chamber" for the light to go off, signalling the start of her audition. We then get a montage of other contestants nervously waiting in The Chamber, and talking about what auditioning will mean. They each say they're doing this for their families, their loved ones, themselves, and...for Detroit? Lots of hometown pride.
-After the opening credits, we get the usual white noise from Seacrest and the judges about searching for a superstar and how these auditions could potentially change lives, etc. We then get into our first audition...
KERI LYNN ROCHE, 24, is up first!
-Keri is from Coney Island, NY, and she sports a guitar and a unique "Hippie Who Actually Showers" look. She freaks out upon seeing J-Lo, telling her how pretty she is and what an inspiration she's been ("That means more than you know," J-Lo graciously tells her). Keri then reveals that she's "just decided" she's going to sing "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons (the spontaneity excites Harry).
-She kills it on her audition, but Keith wants to hear a song without the guitar, so she sings "I'd Rather Go Blind" by Etta James. Harry raves about how she connects beyond just playing to the camera, while J-Lo talks about how much she loves Keri Lynn's style. Keith adds how much he loves the grit in her voice.
KERI LYNN ROCHE is going to Hollywood!
-We then get a brief look at auditions from...
JULIAN MILLER, 18, a smooth R&B-type singer with a guitar.
PARIS PRIMEAU, 16, from The X Factor USA: a very theatrical, pop-blues singer with pink hair who sings "House of the Rising Sun".
SAMANTHA FURTWENGLER, 18, a country singer who gives a serviceable, if occasionally nasally, spin on "I Won't Give Up" by Jason Mraz.
OLIVIA DIAMOND, 22, who sings "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going", to the raves of the judges.
Ultimately, all except for Samantha go through to Hollywood. As sad as it was to see Samantha's heartbreak, this was the right call.
JULIAN MILLER, PARIS PRIMEAU, and OLIVIA DIAMOND are going to Hollywood!
-And we return from break with a puff piece on the rhythm and style of Detroit.
MALAYA WATSON, 15, is up next!
-Her background video is packed with personality. In addition to being quirky and upbeat, she plays a tuba that everyone frequently tells her is bigger than she is.
-Malaya sings "Ain't No Way" by Aretha Franklin, and the judges LOVE IT. Harry even thanks her for her audition, while J-Lo says "I don't need to hear anything else!" After receiving her Golden Ticket, Malaya hugs each of the judges and tells J-Lo that her band leader will be calling her in five years. "When he's 25?" J-Lo responds with a wink. Kind of adorable, actually.
MALAYA WATSON is going to Hollywood!
-Another cute piece about Detroit sees a barber and his customer yakking about Idol and the potential to find the stars of the future. It's mostly just cute for the interplay between the two old men. Get those guys on the panel.
BRYAN WATT, 29, is up next!
-They make a play on his name ("Bryan WHAT"?), and he takes it in good humor. Bryan is basically so earnest and unassuming that, after his audition, Harry speculates that he might actually be Superman.
-But first, that audition. Bryan sings "So Small" by Carrie Underwood, and it's a really smooth, confident audition that has J-Lo swooning. She says she needed Bryan to sing that song that way just now.
BRYAN WATT is going to Hollywood!
KRISTIAN D'AVIS, 22, is up next!
-Khristian is from Chicago, and J-Lo picks up on her accent, as she apparently comes from a Sicilian family. Harry jokingly tosses some Sicilian her way, before admitting that he doesn't actually speak Italian.
-She sings "Saving All My Love For You" by Whitney Houston, and it's just the wrong song. It's powerfully inconsistent. Khristian talks about the grind of attempting to make it, from competing in beauty pageants to playing in rooms of just thirty people. But she wants more than just those thirty people.
-The judges think it over, and Keith doesn't feel she's ready. J-Lo talks about how inconsistent Khristian's vocals are, and Harry is similarly uncertain about her readiness. The entire time, Khristian is on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Ultimately, J-Lo says yes, Keith says no, and the decision rests with Harry. He gives her advice, but Khristian breaks in to promise that she'll work really hard ("We hear that from everyone though," Harry declares). But it turns out to be Khristian's lucky day, as Harry thinks she has a lot of work to do, but he's interested in seeing her try.
KHRISTIAN D'AVIS is going to Hollywood!
-Khristian is emotional when she's reunited with her family, while Harry muses to the other judges about how Khristian's accent just completely disappeared midway through her audition (something J-Lo noted in her critique. But that's not what bugs Keith. Keith is annoyed that contestants spend too much time freaking out during their critiques to actually hear the good advice they're giving, and that's a pretty good point, actually. These people really are just terrified that they might not get to go to Hollywood, so all the advice goes in one ear and out the other. "It pisses me off," Keith declares, really getting angry for the first time in his Idol run.
-And we come back from break with a tactless young man who assumes J-Lo is adjusting her boobs when she's really just adjusting her mic. Harry doesn't appreciate the way he talks to a lady, and we eventually see that he doesn't get through to Hollywood.
-We then get another puff piece on Detroit, as Idol is really pushing this place as the cradle of civilization, rather than just The Home of Robocop.
JENA ASCIUTTO, 17, is up next!
-Jena talks about being in a band from the age of 12-16. She kind of reminds me of Mikalah Gordon in both look and the depth/Streisand-like quality of her voice.
-She sings "Rolling in the Deep," and Jena really does have a rich voice that's full of character. She also enunciates really well, to boot. In fact, Harry notes on this, wondering what her heritage is (Italian and French/Canadian), as he's intrigued by the way she pronounces things. Keith loves her rawness, and J-Lo is eager to get the voting started. It's an easy decision for the judges.
JENA ASCIUTTO is going to Hollywood!
-We then get a montage of joke auditions, which is the smartest approach to getting rid of the joke auditions that I've seen. Seriously, I'm 100% behind getting these things out of the way in thirty seconds or less.
MELANIE PORRAS, 19, is up next!
-In her background video, we learn about her relationship with her father, as she's bonded with him through music. He not only put his own dreams on hold to raise her and provide for his family, he also taught her how to play guitar. Seems like a really good guy. I'm rooting for her.
-She sings "Fever" and I love it. But for some reason, J-Lo feels Melanie made safe choices (couldn't disagree more, given how she arranged it on her guitar). Jennifer wants to hear something else, so Melanie sings "Wanted Dead or Alive" by Bob Jovi, and it's a really good vocal (THIS was the vocal that was safe though, in my opinion).
-The judges love her, and Harry remarks that she hears harmony in a way other contestants really haven't. They're more than happy to hand her a unanimous Golden Ticket.
MELANIE PORRAS is going to Hollywood!
-Melanie celebrates and then calls her dad to give him the news...and we cut to commercial? Um, sure Idol.
-Back from break with no word on how Melanie's father reacted, not that I really expected we'd find out. J-Lo runs to the bathroom, leaving just the boys for what turns out to be a fairly amusing comedy skit...
HARRY CONNICK, JR., "29" is up next!
-Keith plays the judges, and Harry the auditioner. He sings a purposefully tuneless version of "The Star-Spangled Banner", and it's a lost cause trying to recap this thing. But just trust me, it's funny. Harry is the kind of pure silly, purer fun personality that this show has DESPERATELY needed. Nicki came close last season, but she was occasionally too self-serious. Harry seems to have more of sense of humor, boosted by a seemingly endless reservoir of knowledge about the art of music and the craft of singing. We're three episodes in, and I can't praise this guy enough.
LIAM NEWBERRY, 18, is up next!
-Liam talks about being raised on the music of Harry Connick, Jr., which genuinely seems to touch HCJ. Keith Urban gets a zinger in when Liam talks about his fandom of Harry, saying, "So you're the one." Harry responds, "It was bound to happen sooner or later." They have good back-and-forth, those two.
-He sings "The Way You Look Tonight," and it's competent but utterly bland. The judges agree too, as Keith notes that he lacks the sexiness that crooners often have. J-Lo says she's missing the feeling that she's watching the coolest guy in the room. Harry echoes this, saying that he needs to forget whatever they taught him in musical theater, since he doesn't sound like he's actually performing it to someone he loved. Liam insists that he can do it, and says he knows he's an American Idol winner. While Harry likes that attitude, he just doesn't feel that Liam is ready. It's a "no" from all three judges, leaving Liam visibly disappointed (and he voices that disappointment once outside).
-And from there, we head into our next audition...
JADE LATHAN, 20, is up next!
-Jade is a lively and fun girl, and Harry is immediately smitten with her personality, saying, "I don't want to patronize you, but I think you're adorable."
-And, luckily enough, she's also talented. She sings Amy Winehouse's "You Know I'm No Good" and really rips into it, stomping her feet and laying some grit on it. The judges are over-the-moon with her audition, although I'm not sure I liked it anywhere near as much as they did.
JADE LATHAN is going to Hollywood!
-We go to commercial break on an utterly insipid trivia question, as we're asked which Detroit-based film Jennifer Hudson won an Oscar for: Dreamgirls or 8 Mile. The only thing worse than the question is the fact that close to 20% of those who voted thought it was 8 Mile.
-From there, we see the audition of the lovely girl from the cold open...
SARAH SCHERB, 19, is up next!
-Sarah sings "The Way" by Ariana Grande, and it's a really confident vocal. Seriously, she looks like a star, and I'd argue she sounds like one too. Granted, it's not like she's bringing anything new to the table, but she's good for the kind of singer she's trying to be.
-Harry and J-Lo then get into a weird bit about Delta Airlines. The crew seems to be getting a real kick out of it, although I feel like half of the comedy is in Harry's delivery, which is just plain aces.
-The judges vote and...
SARAH SCHERB is going to Hollywood!
-We then go straight into our next audition, no background video or anything.
SYDNEY ARTERBRIDGE, 15, is up next!
-Sydney sings one of my five least favorite songs of all-time, "Loving You" by Minnie Ripperton. Harry is eager to hear this simply for the high note, since he talks about how his wife is never able to hit it.
-Sydney does a serviceable job with the song, but it's just too old fashioned for my tastes. Seriously, I have no idea where this girl is supposed to fit in the competition, much less the music market.
-But the judges apparently like her, and HCJ is impressed. So the decision is an obvious one...
SYDNEY ARTERBRIDGE is going to Hollywood!
-And we keep the auditions rolling...
MAURICE TOWNSEND, 26, is up next!
-Maurice is a father of four and an all-around stand-up guy. His entire (gorgeous) family is in attendance to witness his audition of "So High" by John Legend.
-Maurice delivers one of my favorite vocals of the night. He's like a hipper Anwar Robinson. And the judges are super into it, asking him to bring in his kids before they officially vote. They have one of Maurice's sons tell him he's going to Hollywood, and it's PROFOUNDLY adorable.
MAURICE TOWNSEND is going to Hollywood!
-Back from break with the second half of auditions, as the judges arrive in Atlanta and J-Lo is fashionably late. And we kick things off with one of my FAVORITE contestants from last year!
DAVID OLIVER WILLIS, 22, is up next!
-David talks about getting cut in Vegas, and using the year since to grow as a musician. He's also opened up a coffee shop with his wife, and business appears to be booming, if the background video is any indication.
-David sings "Too Close" by Alex Clare, and it's a little shouty, but it's a very strong audition. I love how, during his guitar intro, Keith assures J-Lo, "He can sing," to which she shouts, "Thank GOD!"
-Harry makes a good point about how David's guitar-playing seems to be what drives his vocals, which could be a problem as the competition rolls on, since he won't always be able to play his guitar. But the judges are still satisfied with his audition.
DAVID OLIVER WILLIS is going to Hollywood!
-David shows his wife the Golden Ticket via an iPad, and she's understandably stoked. However, Harry muses to the other judges that he doesn't think David has a chance of winning. But J-Lo says, "You never know," prompting Harry to say (paraphrasing), "And that's the great thing about this show."
RAKITA and KARLITA GULLEDGE, 19, are up next!
-The twins are auditioning together, and there's pretty much no way this will turn out to be good.
-They sing "Listen" by Beyonce, and it's a screechy, atonal mess. Worst audition (that we've seen) so far.
-The judges just aren't feeling it, and they're right not to. J-Lo compares it to a high school talent show, Harry calls them out for shouting, and Keith is bereft of anything to say. Obviously, they aren't going through.
-We then head to commercial with one of those "You decide" auditions, where fans are supposed to predict (by voting on Twitter) whether the following contestant will make it through. And the clip they show of the contestant (a beautiful, flower child-esque girl singing "Waking Up In Vegas") gives me the feeling that she might be the first one of these "You decide" contestants not to get through.
-Aaaaand she doesn't get through. Harry tells her singing isn't for her, and Keith adds that the voice just isn't there. The girl proclaims, once outside, that she hates Harry Connick, Jr. and says he doesn't have to be such a jerk. She doesn't get through, and we get THE PRICE IS RIGHT FAIL HORN! That entertained me way more than it should have.
-We then get a brief clip from the audition of singer/songwriter BLAKE SOLES, 22, who fails to get through, but is encouraged to keep doing what he's doing.
BRANDY NEELLY, 18, is up next!
-J-Lo immediately recognizes her, despite the haircut, impressing HCJ, who has no idea how J-Lo can recall all these past season contestants.
-Brandy sings "Wanted" by Hunter Hayes, and Keith applauds at the end of it. And I don't blame him. This was one of my favorite auditions of the night so far. Just a lovely, controlled vocal.
-J-Lo feels there are certain aspects of her performance that need work, but Harry doesn't think she should correct anything about what she's doing. The judges vote...
BRANDY NEELLY is going to Hollywood!
-Brandy kisses the back of her Golden Ticket and says, "It has my lips on it now. It's mine." Adorable.
ETHAN HARRIS, 20, is up next!
-Finally, this guy. I've seen him in virtually every promo, it feels like. Ethan is excited to audition for Keith Urban since Keith is his hero, and he really isn't kidding, as he drew a really detailed photo of Keith that he asks him to sign. Ethan talks about his job at a copy and print center, prompting Harry to ask if he ever gets the desire to sit on one of the copiers, since that's something he's always wanted to do, himself.
-Ethan sings Keith's own "You'll Think of Me", and it wasn't the blow away I was hoping it would be. That said, he has nice tone. He kind of reminds me of Aaron Kelly, in a way.
-Keith is honored that Ethan did one of his songs, while J-Lo is impressed at his ability, relative to his age. The judges vote...
ETHAN HARRIS is going to Hollywood!
-Back from break with HCJ providing a humorous behind-the-scenes look at the audition area, including the "confession" area. He admits that he's been a terrible judge, looking off of J-Lo's notes. He then confesses to having thoughts about Keith, and then admits that he stole over $6000 in hair care products from Ryan Seacrest's hotel room. Good times.
-We then get another set of multi-auditions AND OH MY GOD STOP IT, YOU'RE KILLING ME WITH ALL THESE NAMES I CAN'T TRANSCRIBE FAST ENOUGH!
LEAH GUERRERO, 21, sings "Stay" by Rihanna and it's a pretty smooth vocal.
ZACH DAY, 19, is the best of the three, really embodying the WGWG vibe with a hint of soul.
SYMPHONY HOWLETT, 24, meanwhile, catches hell from Harry for an annoying inflection in her voice, and I agree with him about how obnoxious that break is. But it's not enough to dissuade him from his decision...
LEAH GUERRERO, ZACH DAY, and SYMPHONY HOWLETT are going to Hollywood!
-And then we move on to our next auditioner...
AYLA STACKHOUSE is up next!
-Ayla sings "Wings" by Little Mix, and she kind of reminds me of a more talented Amber Holcomb. She's adorable, and a real natural. Plus, she has great taste in song choice, as her vocals made "Wings" sound like something out of the Motown era.
-Harry even comments on that latter point, comparing it to something Berry Gordy might have produced. They predict she'll be someone who will explode as the competition rolls on, and Ayla can barely contain her bursting grin.
AYLA STACKHOUSE is going to Hollywood!
-Her family is ecstatic, naturally, as is Ayla herself, who really is like a kid who just got told she's won a free trip to Disney World.
ERIC GORDON, 27, is up next!
-Eric apparently takes hair care tips from Bruno Mars during his "I'm a 60s swing singer" phase. The judges compare his look to James Dean, and actually, yeah, I can kind of see it.
-He sings a little of John Mayer's "Perfectly Lonely", and the judges are all about it, from the look, to the swagger, to the voice. I'm not sure he'll really go far, but he definitely deserved a Golden Ticket.
ERIC GORDON is going to Hollywood!
-Harry and Keith find themselves hoping for an Eminem or Kid Rock to come in and throw down. Instead, they get...
XAVIER CALVILLO, 25, is up next!
-He sings "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" and, really, it's not bad. But the judges aren't feeling it at all. He pleads for a second chance, but the judges send him on his way.
-We then get a quick montage of rejectees, and the quicker we get through this tiresome enterprise and back to the talent, the better.
RYAN NISBETT, 24, is up next!
-The judges absolutely love his style, from his hair to his horn-rimmed glasses. In his background video, he talks about how he used to be defined by his weight. At age 21, he topped out at over 300 lbs. Ryan decided he needed to change, and so he went dairy and gluten-free, shedding off the weight and adopting a new style. He admits he fits all the parameters for the "hipster" label, but he just wants to do his own style.
-Ryan surprises me by singing "Angel" by Sarah McLachlan, which is about as far away from a "hipster" song choice as a person could get. He does a hell of a job with it though, showing some serious range. The judges love it, hoping that America gives that kind of vocal and style a shot. Of course, they'll have to put him through to voting rounds first.
RYAN NISBETT is going to Hollywood!
-Harry congratulates Ryan and then jokes that his hair is responsible for the hole in the ozone layer. Ryan, showing good humor, accepts the Golden Ticket and then chats with Seacrest, keeping his distance so as not to get him sick (since he'd just started coughing). I like this guy. I'm not really sure why just yet, but I like him.
-We come back from break with our next contestant...
MARRIALLE SELLARS, 17, is up next!
Wait, MARRIALLE SELLARS is up? Again?
-Why did they show her audition last week if they were just going to show it again here? Let the "THEY'RE PIMPING MARRIALLE!" backlash begin.
-Marrialle talks about her father, who got her and her sister into music and got them playing instruments. Unfortunately, he passed away three days after Christmas last year, but not before leaving behind a letter encouraging her to not let her talent go to waste.
-And we get the exact same audition as before, with her singing "Grenade", and maybe it's just that I'm annoyed they're wasting time with a repeat audition, but I didn't feel it nearly as much this time around.
-The judges loved it though, and send her through to Hollywood, handing her two Golden Tickets.
MARRIALLE SELLARS is going to Hollywood!
-Seacrest says that in 13 seasons he's never seen a contestant get two Golden Tickets. Yeah well, in 13 seasons I've never seen you guys air an audition TWICE.
-And we end with a recap of the season total of Golden Tickets so far, as 119 are headed to Hollywood. That's kind of insane actually, when you consider that we're only two weeks in, and we're over a hundred contestants deep. That used to be the amount of Golden Tickets handed out in one season!
Thoughts
-I know we're not even a full two weeks in, but I think this could be the most diverse array of talent this show has had yet. The only things we're really missing are rockers and more R&B singers. I suppose we could also stand to have some more straight-up pop singers, but I'm not sure how many of those would actually get through these days (or how many would audition in the first place. I can't see a CeCe Frey-type seeing Idol as their path to success anymore). I also guess we could have a few more country singers, but after the last couple of seasons, I think I'm good on country Idols for a while. Come to think of it, I'm kind of burned out on R&B after last season, too. Maybe that's why this season feels like such a breath of fresh air, to me. What do you guys think of this crop of talent? Is anything missing that you want to see? A certain kind of singer or genre of music? Is there a type of singer you're sick of seeing? Sound off in the comments!
-And that's a wrap! I'll keep adding videos as the night rolls on! I'll post in the comments whenever I update, so you'll know to refresh the page. I'll be back again tomorrow to recap our next set of auditions. Until then, thanks for hanging out! It's always fun.