American Idol XIII 2014 – Live Blog and Recap – Hollywood Round, Week #3 – Video
Welcome to the live blog and recap of American Idol XIII "Hollywood Round, Week #3"! The Top 30 semifinalists are revealed, as we find out which singers will compete for America's vote! Which singers will advance to the live rounds? Will your favorites make it? It's going to be a real nail-biter!
Credit: FOX
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Let's find out who's moving on to America's vote.
Recap
-And we kick things off where we left off from last night's cliffhanger, as the decision is down to C.J. Harris and Casey Thrasher. Harry tells Casey he's through, and then follows it up by saying that the hardest part about the show is letting extraordinary people go...but C.J. will not be one of the people they let go, as he's headed to the semifinals as well! Casey hugging C.J. is adorable, and they celebrate in the holding room together, declaring themselves the 'Bama Boys. New bromance of the Phillip Phillips/Heejun Han variety?
CASEY THRASHER and C.J. HARRIS advance to the Top 30!
-We follow it up with the girls in the holding room doing the troubling math, as they realize there are only a few spots left. Marrialle Sellars is thinks MK Nobilette hasn't gone yet, but a fellow contestant corrects her, further worrying Marrialle, as this means there are even fewer spots now.
MARRIALLE SELLARS is up next!
-Marrialle is beyond nervous, and I'd argue she has cause to be. Her solo round performance of "Wrecking Ball" just isn't that good, and while she would have had no way of knowing that people have been comparing her to Miley Cyrus, since her audition would have first aired after she'd already been to Hollywood, I hope she has more self-awareness in the future and just avoids Miley stuff altogether.
-Marrialle talks with the judges about her nerves and says she's willing to bring it every single week. Harry, of course, says that her presumption that she's going through is a pretty big presumption to make. However, in this case, it's accurate.
-Marrialle's reaction is priceless, as she literally seems to forget to breathe. And right as I type that out, she says as much: "I just forgot how to breathe."
MARRIALLE SELLARS advances to the Top 30!
-And so Marrialle has nabbed one of the final spots for the girls, as I hope we see more of the Marrialle from auditions, and less of the Marrialle from the solo rounds.
-Back from break with Kenzie Hall, Austin Wolfe, and other girls remaining in the holding room, doing the math on the remaining spots.
JENA ASCIUTTO is up next!
-The recap about everyone getting Jena's name wrong reminds me just how adorable this girl is. She's all bubbly as she walks in to meet the judges, and Harry even gets her name wrong AGAIN! It's Jee-nuh!
-Jena sang one of her original songs during the solos, and it's a pretty terrific song. She reminds me a bit of Angie Miller, but more relatable. Not that Angie wasn't relatable, but there's something infinitely more approachable about Jena.
-Harry gives Jena the good news...
JENA ASCIUTTO advances to the Top 30!
-Harry calls Jena "The Sleeper," comparing her to a movie no one thinks is going to do well, but eventually explodes.
-Jena celebrates before adorably reminding the camera that it's Jee-nuh, not Jenn-uh. I'm loving this Top 30 so far. I've never seen a group with this many plausible contenders for the win since Season 8.
CALEB JOHNSON is up next!
-Caleb sang "Radioactive" for his solo performance, and he really does have an outstanding, classic rock voice. He's straight out of the 1970s. In fact, it's this very element that is tempering Harry's enthusiasm for him, as he feels Caleb is trying too hard. He says it's like Caleb is playing a character, going as far as to compare it to Rock of Ages.
-Keith talks about the difficulty of this decision, as they're looking for that intangible quality. Harry asks if Caleb thinks he's a good singer. When Caleb says yes, Harry asks if he thinks he's a great singer. Caleb says yes again. And so Harry explains that a lot of people here are great singers, but he needs to figure out who's marketable. We go to commercial as Ryan asks us to vote on Twitter as to whether Caleb makes it through or not. I'm thinking it's a yes.
-We return from break, and it's confirmed. It's a YES for Caleb Johnson.
CALEB JOHNSON advances to the Top 30!
-Caleb is crazy excited, and says the only time he ever s*** his pants was in middle school, prompting Harry to back away from him, pronto.
ETHAN HARRIS is up next!
-Ethan feels solo round was his best performance, but the actual footage doesn't really bear this out. His performance of "Amazed" by Lonestar leaves the judges feeling cold. Keith just didn't agree with the song choice at all.
-Ethan gets nervous on the elevator, since he hates elevators. He talks to the judges about working in retail, and states just how much this means to him. J-Lo gives him the verdict...
ETHAN HARRIS advances to the Top 30!
-That was...random. I want to say he was put through simply to be cannon fodder, but Aaron Kelly was able to turn the young/cute cannon fodder label around into a fifth place finish in Season 9. So who knows?
-We get a brief montage of people getting cut: SARINA JOI CROWE, NALANI QUINTELLO, and DAVID OLIVER WILLIS are sent home.
-SERIOUSLY?! I was so certain David would get another chance. I think they made a HUGE mistake with that elimination there. His solo round performance of "Bring It On Home to Me" was great, just from what little we got of it. Stranger still is that Sarina's performance of "Wrecking Ball" was miles better than Marrialle's. Ah well, I guess it's hard to know what these judges are looking for, since there are at least four picks in both categories that I just don't understand at all.
MAJESTY ROSE YORK is up next!
-Here's the big one, for me. She'd better get through.
-We see her solo round performance, and it's "Stars" by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, prompting me to wonder if they actually got the rights to any other songs this season, because this is getting kind of excessive. But hey, at least it's not "A Full Hour of 'Too Close' by Alex Clare," like Hollywood Week Day #1 ended up being.
-Harry wastes no time in giving the good news
MAJESTY ROSE YORK advances to the Top 30!
-HELL YEAH, she does! Her victory face is adorable. I'm rooting for her like crazy.
-Back from break with our next contestant...
BRISTON MARONEY is up next!
-Briston's speaking voice is in no way reflective of his singing voice, as he has a very deep baritone, as contrasted with his raspy tenor on his performance of "Let Her Go" by Passenger. I like Briston well enough, but he seems functionally incapable of singing the actual notes, instead flattening them out so as not to strain his voice. He did it with "Royals" and he does it here, and I just didn't feel it.
-Harry talks to Briston about wanting to move to New York when he was 14 after his mother died, but his father wouldn't let him. But he kept at it, and eventually went on to have a career. But Briston has already been to LA at just 15. And now he's likely to have himself a career since...
BRISTON MARONEY advances to the Top 30!
-Ugh, really? I mean, he seems like a good kid, but I just don't think he's ready at all. I seriously worry his youth and cuteness will lead to him taking a Top 12 spot from someone more deserving. Then again, voters are likely to split the "cute vote" all over the place this season. I did, however, like Briston calling Harry a cruel man for stretching out the result. Kid has a sense of humor.
BRANDY NEELLY and BRIANA OAKLEY are up next!
-Brandy is and Briana have a little trouble in the elevator, but eventually, they head up to meet with the judges while we recap their respective journeys so far. They talk about how badly they want this, with Brandy adding that she's wanted this since she was a little girl.
-Brandy's performance of "Up to the Mountain" is her best vocal so far, and I'd be shocked if it weren't enough to get her through, especially since we have a lack of female country singers in the Top 15 girls. Briana's performance is also good, as she delivers a powerful take on "My Kind of Love" by Emeli Sande.
-Both girls admit to having auditioned before after being asked, and the judges rationalize that they're both used to hearing no. But this time, they won't have to.
BRANDY NEELLY and BRIANA OAKLEY advance to the Top 30!
-This was the right call, in my opinion. I have no idea how America is going to narrow this group down.
KENZIE HALL is up next!
-Kenzie is already in tears as she goes to meet the judges, preparing for the worst. She knows her solo performance wasn't all that great, as her rendition of "Your Song" (dedicated to her mother) was listed by J-Lo as her weakest moment so far.
-But there has been a lot of good from Kenzie so far, particularly her version of "Can't Hold Us". J-Lo just spits out the result without so much as a dramatic pause...
KENZIE HALL advances to the Top 30!
-Kenzie tearfully embraces her mother, who is positively thrilled for her daughter. A lovely moment.
SAVION WRIGHT is up next!
-Savion enters to meet the judges while playing a tune on his ukulele. Savion says that before his brother died, he told him to be himself. And so that's what he's doing, trying to remain original.
-Savion's solo performance (of one of his original songs) is just alright, to me. He's got serious talent, but I kind of expected more from him. He's been so good so far.
SAVION WRIGHT is sent home.
-Savion breaks down, and J-Lo says that while it hurts now, he'll be able to grow from this, as he's only 21. Both Harry and Keith feel he has incredible talent and an amazing future ahead. J-Lo says she hopes to see him next year, and Savion thanks the judges and leaves with his head held (somewhat) high. But he falls to pieces when he meets with his family. Such a shame, but I think he could come back and really own this thing in a year's time. I honestly do believe that.
-Back from break as we're down to our final four hopefuls, two guys and two girls. Neither of which is Munfarid Zaidi, whom I don't remember getting cut or put through. So either Idol just skipped over his elimination, or the snow is destroying my brain.
SANDIE LEE and AUSTIN WOLFE are up next!
-We get a brief recap of their respective journeys, including their solo performances. Sandie sings "Bring It On Home to Me," and it's really impressive, but Austin has the edge with her take on "Radioactive," which, while far from flawless, exhibits the character of her voice.
-After a brief conference with the judges, we get the results...
AUSTIN WOLFE advances to the Top 30!
-The judges tell Sandie what an incredible talent she is, as Austin can hardly keep from covering her mouth at her good fortune. And, just like that, the Top 15 Girls are complete!
-On to our final match-up...
BEN BRILEY and NECO STARR are up next!
-Ben's solo performance of "Stars" by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals (OH MY GOD, GET OTHER SONGS CLEARED, IDOL!) is positively sensational. He reminds me a lot of X Factor UK winner Matt Cardle. Neco's performance of "Halo", however, is kind of a shouty mess. I just couldn't get excited about it, even though I do like Neco. His Hollywood performance of "Gorilla" was KILLER.
-The judges say they can't decide between these two singers, and so J-Lo says that they're going to let America decide. Ben is exasperatedly amused, while Neco's face just screams "Really? Come on, man."
-So you can vote for Ben or Neco on the official website, through the app, or by phone/text. I'm putting my weight behind Ben Briley, who really should have just been put through. I mean, seriously, why the vote between THESE two? You were THAT sure about Jordan Brisbane? Ethan Harris? Briston Maroney? But you're wishy-washy about BEN BRILEY and NECO STARR?! Really?
-You can vote online here, or vote through the American Idol app, or you can vote for Ben Briley by dialing 1-855-443-6501 or by texting 1 to 83676. To vote for Neco Starr, dial 1-855-443-6502 or text 2 to 83676.
-We get a preview of next week's Idol Boot Camp, which will lead to the Girls performing on Tuesday, the Guys on Wednesday, and results on Thursday.
Top 30 (well, Top 31)
Guys: Spencer Lloyd, George Lovett, Sam Woolf, Maurice Townsend, Dexter Roberts, Emmanuel Zidor, Jordan Brisbane, Malcolm Allen, Alex Preston, Casey Thrasher, CJ Harris, Caleb Johnson, Ethan Harris, Briston Maroney, and either Neco Starr or Ben Briley.
Girls: Emily Piriz, Jillian Jensen, Malaya Watson, Bria Anai, Jessica Meuse, M.K. Nobilette, Kristen O'Connor, Andrina Brogden, Marrialle Sellars, Jena Asciutto, Majesty Rose York, Brandy Neelly, Briana Oakley, Kenzie Hall and Austin Wolfe.
-You guys...you guys, seriously. This Top 30 is RIDICULOUS. This season has the potential to be incredible. Please don't drop the ball America. Last thing we need is another Season 9.
-I'll be adding more videos as the night rolls on! Until then, add your thoughts to the comments as well as to the Buzz Dial! Thanks for hanging out! See you next week!