American Idol XIII 2014 – Live Blog and Recap – Hollywood or Home – Video
Welcome to the live blog and recap of American Idol XIII "Hollywood or Home"! This promises to be the most dramatic start to a Hollywood Week in history, as a select few contestants will be singing for their lives before they can even make it to the Hollywood stage! Who will advance, and who will fall by the wayside?
Credit: FOX
Let's get this show on the road!
Recap
-We kick things off with a brief look at things to come. "If you think you know Hollywood Week, THINK AGAIN!" Ryan declares. I get that the "Hollywood or Home" round is a new twist, as some auditioners will be sent home on the very first day. But other than robbing the contestants of the right to stand on the Hollywood stage, is this really all that different from the line auditions, in which each of the singers are put in lines and audition one at a time, and are either put through or cut on the strength of that performance?
-The episode proper opens with the finalists waking up, boarding the plane, arriving at Hollywood, and slowly coming to the realization that something is wrong. They've arrived at an airplane hangar. Ryan explains the twist for the home viewers, detailing how some of the contestants will be asked to sing, and if they're good enough, they'll continue on to Hollywood. If not, they're heading right back home.
-The contestants arrive and are confused about the location, saying that they've never seen this in 12 seasons. The judges arrive and break the news to the contestants, and Harry, Jennifer, and Keith take their seats. Time to kick things off with our first singer...
JOHNNY NEWCOMB
-He sings "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People, and it's kind of an emotionless performance, visually. But the song fits him better than his audition tune did, in my opinion. But I'm not sure if the lack of charisma and stage presence will be a hurdle he can overcome.
CONNOR ZWETSCH
-Connor was from the Atlanta auditions, and Harry was one of her biggest doubters. She sings "Let Her Go" by Passenger, and I love this. Her guitar-playing isn't distracting either like it tends to be with some other contestants who try to put their own spin on a song, to the detriment of their actual vocals. I dig her.
ALI JANE HENDERSON
-She was also from the Atlanta auditions, and J-Lo was her big doubter there. She sings "Toxic" by Britney Spears, and it's a pretty great guitar arrangement. I mean, it's no Alex and Sierra, but she did a fine job here.
CAITLIN JOHNSON
-She sings "Only Girl (In the World)" and it's not up to snuff at all. Caitlin fights back tears when talking about her stage fright, but promises she isn't going to cry about it, adding that she's proud to have made it this far.
-We get a brief montage of contestants the judges had been on the fence about, and we see that the judges might have been right to be on the fence in the first place, as some of these auditions aren't good at all.
-But "Sound Healer" Adam Roth is not letting stage fright get to him...
ADAM ROTH
-Adam sings "Radioactive," and while the vocal is okay, the piano playing is a mess. Keith picks up on it and calls the piano-playing "excruciating," while J-Lo says she isn't really a musician, so she wasn't paying attention to that part. She just likes Adam's voice, and she begins arguing with the other judges not to cut him.
-We return from break with...
TRISTEN LANGLEY
-The first second-generation American Idol contestant steps forward with his guitar and sings "Make You Feel My Love", and it's just okay, for me. I think it's too soon for him. He could be great with a bit of seasoning, but his voice and performance skills just aren't there yet.
MORGAN DEPLITCH
-Morgan takes Harry's advice from the city auditions and sings something that a 15-year-old would sing. She gets on her keyboard and sings "Brave" Sara Bareilles, and Harry immediately calls it "extraordinarily weak". Morgan seems to recognize she may have blown it, heading back to her seat in tears. Poor thing.
STEPHANIE PETRONELLI and RICH LAFLEUR
-Stephanie delivers a pretty weak vocal, and Rich's vocal of "She Talks to Angels" is even worse. So bad, in fact, that it prompts Keith and Harry to go off on the contestants about how they need to actually bring it, since these mediocre, phoning-it-in performances won't cut it. "Good luck to the next contestant!" Harry adds.
ERIC WOOD
-Eric absolutely SLAYS "She Talks to Angels" on his guitar. He's like a better version of Austin Jenckes.
NECO STARR
-Neco really lays into "Gorilla" by Bruno Mars, and is my favorite audition of the night so far. However, not everyone delivered...
ALYSSA SIEBKIN and KHRISTIAN D'AVIS
-Alyssa brings the goods with a fairly nuanced vocal, but Khristian's performance just isn't good. At all.
-So the contestants are split into two groups and placed on separate buses. One bus is headed to the hotel, the other bus is headed to the airport. That's...kind of cruel, actually. Everyone seems on the verge of a massive panic attack.
-Eventually, the group containing Johnny Newcomb, Rich Lafleur, and Caitlin Johnson are on the bus headed to the airport. Some of the contestants break down, while others, such as Rich Lafleur and Caitlin Johnson, vow to return next year. However, the bus containing Neco Starr, Eric Wood, and (surprisingly) Morgan Deplitch is headed to Hollywood!
HOLLYWOOD WEEK, DAY ONE
-So the Hollywood arrivals wake up with a newfound sense of confidence, as they head to the Dolby Theatre where several past Idols were crowned (Fantasia, Carrie, Taylor, Jordin).
-The contestants arrive at the Dolby Theatre, and Ryan explains that the contestants will get into lines and perform one-by-one, either a cappella or with an instrument. Up first is...
MAJESTY ROSE YORK
-She's pulled a Megan Joy and changed her name, although where Megan Joy subtracted the "Corkrey," Majesty Rose has added a "York".
-Majesty sings "1234" by Feist and I ADORE THIS. Seriously, I love Majesty as much as you can love a person after two auditions.
SAMANTHA CALMES, JOHN FOX, and BRANDY NEELLY
-Samantha does an okay job, at least as compared to John Fox and Brandy Neelly. The judges make their decisions and...
Advancing: MAJESTY ROSE YORK, JOHN FOX, and BRANDY NEELLY!
Eliminated: SAMANTHA CALMES
-Samantha notes that she should have focused more on her voice than her guitar, but adds that her music doesn't end here. We keep things going...
SPENCER LLOYD
-Spencer sings "Say Something," and I like this way more than his initial audition. This guy has star quality written all over him. The judges even notice his confidence, like he knows exactly who he is.
SPENCER advances to the next round!
-Up next...
AUSTIN WOLFE, BRIA ANAI, and SELENA MORENO
-Austin delivers one of the best auditions so far, showing a richer tone than I think we saw in her audition. Bria's is okay, but it got a bit too shouty for me. Just really forceful and insistent, to the point of being unpleasant. Meanwhile, Selena completely falls apart, as her voice repeatedly cracks while trying to hit glory notes. The judges and the crowd encourage her, but her voice is still letting her down. And on that cliffhanger, we head to commercial break...
-And we're back, with Selena regaining her composure long enough to finish the song. But I didn't really think the finished product was terribly good. Although her mother and twin sister are there to support her.
Advancing: AUSTIN WOLFE, JESSICA MEUSE, BRIA ANAI
Eliminated: LAUREN OGBURN, SELENA MORENO
-We keep things rolling...
SAM WOOLF
-Sam sings "Waiting on the World to Change," and while I didn't like this as much as his first audition, I still like Sam a lot. And the judges seem to like him as well.
KERI LYNN ROCHE
-Keri shows some doubt in her abilities, but I have to believe she's going through.
AYLA STACKHOUSE and C.J. HARRIS
-Ayla's performance did nothing for me, but I could still see her getting through. She has a good enough voice and an even better star look. C.J., meanwhile, impressed the hell out of me with his take on "Trouble" by Ray LaMontagne. Just a sensational vocal, and my favorite of the night up to this point. This guy just has it. J-Lo even gives him a standing O!
Advancing: C.J. HARRIS, KERI LYNN ROCHE, SAM WOOLF
Eliminated: JOHN MARTIN and AYLA STACKHOUSE
ALEX PRESTON
-Alex Preston is my favorite contestant in the competition. His guitar skills are INSANE, and his vocals are just as tight. He grooves his ass off to "Scream & Shout," and I'll be STUNNED if he isn't a threat to win this thing.
SYDNEY ARTERBRIDGE
-She sings "All of Me" by John Legend, and while it's technically proficient, I'm just not feeling it.
JESSE ROACH
-She does slightly better, as her smoky, bluesy vocals pair well with the acoustics of the Dolby Theatre.
BRYAN WATT
-Bryan sings "God Gave Me You", and it's vanilla as hell. And I say that as someone who likes vanilla.
Among those advancing: ALEX PRESTON, JESSE ROACH
Among those eliminated: BRYAN WATT, JADE LATHAN, SYDNEY ARTERBRIDGE
-Over break, we're asked to decide what we think happens to MADILYN PATTERSON. We return to learn she's advanced to the next round! We follow it up with the most adorable performance ever...
KENZIE HALL
-She sings "Can't Hold Us" by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, complete with lightning-fast rap. I LOVED THIS MORE THAN MARSHMALLOWS.
QUAID EDWARDS
-Quaid sings "The Man Who Can't Be Moved" by The Script, and it's not as good as his audition.
Advancing: KENZIE HALL
Eliminated: QUAID EDWARDS
BEN BRILEY
-He sings "Stars" by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, and it's a really strong audition, I think.
BRISTON MARONEY
-He sings "Royals" and I liked the idea behind the performance more than the performance itself, as he got really nasally-sounding during stretches of the song.
DEXTER ROBERTS
-He sings "Barton Hollow" by The Civil Wars and is the best of the three. I was really, seriously impressed. Dexter asks Keith to play his guitar for him, and Keith enthusiastically jams his ass off. So good.
RACHEL ROLLERI
-Sings "Angels from Montgomery" by Bonnie Raitt, and Keith joins in on harmony. A lovely performance.
CASEY THRASHER and MAURICE TOWNSEND
-Maurice sings "Impossible" while Casey sings "He Stopped Loving Her" today, and I honestly don't think Casey is strong enough. Yet I fear they're going to put him through and send Maurice home.
-However, in a welcome surprise, we learn that they're ALL going through!
-Advancing: BEN BRILEY, DEXTER ROBERTS, BRISTON MARONEY, RACHEL ROLLERI, CASEY THRASHER, MAURICE TOWNSEND, GEORGE LOVETT, TIQUILA WILSON, EMILY PIRIZ, and MALCOLM ALLEN
-Back from break with a comedy montage in which we see the contestants offering their humorous reasons for auditioning for the show, in addition to saying what they bring to the competition.
MUNFARID ZAIDI
-His dad shouts "Blow them away like you did at the audition!" Munfarid pretends not to have met Harry before, in a humorous touch. He sings "Proud Mary" and it's a quirky, profoundly colorful audition that I just love. His vocal embellishments and crazy dancing is terrific. No way he doesn't get through.
ETHAN THOMPSON and AUSTIN PRECARIO
-Ethan is a solid but unspectacular vocalist, while Austin (without his mother this time) really brings the goods with his audition. A far more nuanced vocal than we saw in his audition.
Advancing: MUNFARID ZAIDI, ETHAN THOMPSON, AUSTIN PRECARIO
CALEB JOHNSON
-Caleb sings "Sympathy for the Devil" and delivers a really powerhouse vocal.
STEPHANIE HANVEY and KRISTEN O'CONNOR
-Stephanie sings a rather anemic version of "Girl On Fire," while Kristen performs an emotional take on "Nobody's Perfect". I wouldn't be against both making it through, but Kristen was the stronger vocalist.
Advancing: CALEB JOHNSON, STEPHANIE HANVEY, KRISTEN O'CONNOR
EMMANUEL ZIDOR
-He says the reason he's the next American Idol is because he does this better than his old job (airline ramp agent). He sings "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going," and I just didn't feel it at all. Hopefully he doesn't cause any plane collisions.
Advancing: EMMANUEL ZIDOR
-Back from break with...
BRIANA OAKLEY
-She sings "Mama Do (Uh Oh Uh Oh)" by Pixie Lott, and it's yet another gorgeous, smooth vocal.
JESSE CLINE
-He sings a near-unrecognizable version of "Lights" by Ellie Goulding. I wasn't feeling it, but I still like his voice.
Advancing: BRIANA OAKLEY, JESSE CLINE
-We see a series of rejected eliminations, as one person does an underwhelming rendition of "Toxic," and one guy has his fairly solid vocal auditions topped by Keith because his guitar is "painfully out of tune."
KEITH LONDON
-I like his voice, but "If I Were A Boy" was a terrible song choice, as he couldn't get all the notes. J-Lo spends the entire performance talking to Harry about not having changed the pronouns for the song, along with the distracting nature of his out-of-tune guitar. Keith says he sang the song because he liked the message of not judging people. The judges ask to hear another song, and he goes with "Same Love," and it's better but still not great. However, it's enough to get him through.
Advancing: KEITH LONDON and others whose performances we didn't see, and whose names I guess we're expected to remember? SYMPHONY HOWLETT was in the group, but that's all I caught.
-And it's not time for the last line to take the stage, and apparently damn near all of them are playing keyboards...
MALAYA WATSON
-Malaya sings "Brand New Me" by Alicia Keys and charmingly keeps going after the judges ask her to stop.
JENA ASCIUTTO
-She deserves to go through on song choice alone, as she picks "Video Games" by Lana Del Rey. But the plus side is that she knocks it out of the ballpark with a wondrously subtle, rich vocal. Keith has never heard the song before, but loves it so much that he says he's going to download it on iTunes.
SAVION WRIGHT
-We learn that his brother, Alfie, tragically died two and a half weeks prior, and so it's going to be a very emotional audition. He dedicates it to his brother. His performance is absolutely beautiful.
-The judges make their choices and, as Ryan notes, it's a no-brainer...
Advancing: MALAYA WATSON, JENA ASCIUTTO, SAVION WRIGHT
The judges then make the announcement: tomorrow is GROUP DAY! Everyone begins scrambling to find partners, and God, I love Group Day. The drama is just frothing beneath the surface already.
HOLLYWOOD WEEK: GROUP DAY!
-Well, Group Night, since this is still Day One. I swear, we're positively blazing ass through these auditions, as Hollywood Week is just sailing by. But I kind of love the efficiency of all this, as Day One was low and drama and high on talent.
-Everyone works to find partners for their groups and get to the vocal coaches before the other groups. Jessica Meuse's group is falling apart, as Matthew Hamel is having trouble with the harmonies, while Clark King is getting sick. She wishes she had chosen "more prepared people". She breaks down crying when Matthew refuses to stop singing in unison with her. He just can't get the harmonies down. She tells Clark that she is going to try and find a new group. Clark ultimately decides he's too sick and can't continue in the competition. He drops out, feeling utterly defeated and incapable of singing. Jessica and Matthew part ways to find new groups, but it's a tough search for them, since most groups have already formed.
-Meanwhile, Malaya Watson's group -- Loud and Fierce -- gets into an argument over who's actually running things. They're certainly living up to their name.
-Dexter Roberts, Ben Briley, and Casey Thrasher -- The Backstreet Cowboys -- have already found their groove. Jessica wants to join them, but it's a no-go. Matthew, however, has found a home with Caleb Johnson and C.J. Harris, the Freedom Breeders. And these appear to be the only two groups that are actually happy to be together.
-Carmen Delgina and Emmanuel Zidor are left in the lurch when their third member, EmKay Nobilette, bails on their group, along with fourth member, Terrica Curry. MADNESS!
-And now Day 2 has officially tarted, with everyone arriving at half past Hell O'Clock in the morning. Emmanuel and Carmen are still trying to track down Terrica. When they find her, she agrees to work with them only after they admit they have nobody else. Emmanuel has no problem just letting Terrica win the argument if it means she'll rejoin their group, since he plans on winning this thing, and he doesn't want group drama interfering with that.
-Loud and Fierce continue to be at each other's throats, as the vocal coach gets on their case for forgetting lyrics, prompting one of the group members to go off on the rest of the quartet for focusing more on dancing than singing. "I REFUSE TO LOSE!" she tearfully declares, but the other three members of the group, particularly Malaya, seem over it.
-Jessica continues to be concerned about the group she's joined, Sparkles. The group includes Nica Nashae, Cara Watson and Stephanie Hanvey, with Stephanie's mother taking over the rehearsals and driving Jessica up a wall. Poor girl just doesn't fit in this group at ALL.
-Also having trouble is Clarity, which includes Jena Aciutto, Sikenya Thompson, and Munfarid Zaidi. Sikenya is sick and writes a note to the judges asking for the day off, which...I mean, how does that even work? She knows she's basically quitting the competition, right? Because she isn't acting like she realizes what she's doing. Anyway, Clarity has to work to turn their quartet into a trio, and things aren't looking great.
-After a last sizzle reel of Group drama to come, we call it a night, as the first of the Groups take the stage tomorrow night. At least HALF of the contestants, J-Lo announces, will be cut tomorrow. INSANE!
-So what did you think of tonight's show? Who were your favorites? Did the judges make the right call? Sound off in the comments! And check back for the live blog of tomorrow night's show! Thanks for hanging out tonight, it's been fun!