American Idol: Hollywood Week Ups & Downs

Hollywood Week is usually that time when viewers, recappers and reviewers alike all release a big collective sigh of relief. Sure, there’s no avoiding some off auditions as we whittle down to the top 24, and it’s a given that the future definitely holds some bad performances. Yet the truly horrendous and the indescribable are behind us, and thank the heavens for that.

NIGHT ONE
It’s no surprise that editors bookend-ed this week’s first episode with two fantastic auditions, and some genuine, potential stars emerged for me. Ellen also made her first appearance to the clear excitement of the contestants.

HIGHER GROUND (in order of personal favorites)
5. Lilly Scott is another guitar-wielding slayer. So much of the talent, day one, has been from contestants toting instruments, preferably guitars. She sang Ella Fitzgerald’s “Lullaby of Birdland” with only a few flat notes. Her tone is awesome, and her vibe was very sultry and cool. She might seem a bit odd with her almost white hair, but it’s clear she embraces the things that make her different and knows who she is, and that’s what made me really like her.

4. Crystal Bowersox, kind of earthy and crunchy, closed out the show, but you can tell by the fact that her fellow contestants backed her up instead of, more cunningly, leaving her out to dry as she sang “Natural Woman.” The growl in her tone is what really makes her voice stick out, and this song choice perfectly showcased that.

3. Janell Wheeler looks like an all-American girl, but her rendition of Kanye West’s “American Boy” was neither sweet or wholesome. Much like the Kanye we all know and…despise. (Not the music though; I still heart the music.) With her guitar in hand, she pulled a Kris Allen and converted the already fantastic hip-hop song into a folk siren song. Seriously, I had to rewind.

2. Didi Benami struck me with her voice, one that would actually make me buy a CD. Okay not a CD, but at least, I wouldn’t pirate it or pick up the mp3 on iTunes. Plus, she made me want to download a song from what seems like the bottomless Kara music well.  That’s a great feat in itself. Normally, you’d lose points for kissing butt, but this choice paid off.

1. Andrew Garcia performed his own acoustic guitar rendition of Paula’s “Straight Up”. He’s been given the Biggest Balls Award of the night. I never knew that a bubblegum, early 90s pop song, originally sang by a female, could be turned into something haunting and natural to a man.

Honorable Mention: Katie Stevens tackled the wonderful Stevie which is no easy task. She looked young and innocent, but her voice, and the control she had over it, told a different story. I believe the inclusion of instruments has really transformed Idol, for the better at that. But it’s artists like Katie who are hurt by this since she begins to pale in comparison to the other multi-talented contestants. Still, a sure front-runner and favorite.

MIDDLE EARTH
Michael Lynche is a linebacker-sized guy but he has to be just a big ole teddy bear. He wins sympathy points for missing the birth of his first baby to try-out. (Do some Google searches to see why this is bittersweet. I’m don’t intend to spoil anyone.) I remember his first audition and liked him more then. This time, he was more whiny than I remembered him to be.

Other middle of the road performances included: Tim Urban, who hasn’t gotten much airtime but seemed like a completely different guy from his first audition. Casey James seemed set up to be fodder, especially when Posh forced him to go topless. But with a second opportunity and the chance to play his blues guitar, he came alive. Haeley Vaughn is another card carrying guitarist who rocked it. She has a great voice, and though there was a few cracks, she was powerful. She’ll have to reign in the overly cutesy side of her though. And Mary Powers voice was too much like Pink, for, me during her rendition of “Sober” but Pink sounds pretty good so, at the least, it’s a compliment.

BOTTOM FEEDERS
A few of the earlier standout have already bit dust after Hollywood: Day 1. So, wave goodbye to Marcus Jones, the annoyingly confident Skiboski, sweet, small town Vanessa Wolf, Maegan Wright, Barney graduate Erica Rhodes, the DiSimone sisters, Amedeo DiRocco, Justin Williams and Maddy Curtis. Sometimes when the pressure is on, greatly talented people will just crack.

GROUP DAY
This is one round that’s pretty irrelevant, if I say so, which is why I don’t want to discuss it at length. Do I love it every season? Well, of course! And I know that you know what I’m talking about. Even when the judges tell a group that they’re good, they’re not really THAT good. Most of the time everyone actually sounds horrible, save for their solos.

That’s because it’s a tiny bit difficult to learn a song in 12 hours, compounded by the fact that you’re working with people you don’t know on very little sleep, and it’s a recipe for drama. And THAT, my friends, is called great production. We spend so much time jumping from group to group, and so little time actually getting to know the contestants or their voices better, besides maybe that they’re OCD or other left-field personality nuances.

This is a one man show. This isn’t X-Factor. It won’t matter very much that some of these contestants don’t play well with each other or throw fits when things don’t go their way. And clearly, the judges could make extremely informed decisions based on just hearing different solos, but things have to stay fresh, so the group day was invented. Luckily, it has stuck mostly because it’s funny to watch people reach their breaking points and, well, break.

Some of those breakers included Mary Powers, who went from tough, single mom rocker to controlling psycho, a vocal battle between two groups who both picked Gaga’s “Bad Romance,” and any and everyone who tried to sing Gwen Stefani’s quick and oft-mumbled “Sweet Escape.” Still Andrew Garcia, Katie Stevens, Janell Wheeler and Jermaine Purifoy continued to put out solid performances no matter what they touch. It was especially awesome to hear Jermaine again as he’s been pretty absent since his Orlando audition.

WRAP IT UP
So what did you guys think of Hollywood Week so far? And what are your thoughts on Ellen? She didn’t speak a lot the first night except for some amazing zingers, but she was definitely more on point the second night. I will say, the panel has yet to really gel as a cohesive unit, but that will take time. And I’m interested to see the chemistry during a live show.

Within the confines of one week, the contestants have been slimmed down from 181 to 95, and now we’re left with 71 potential idols. I believe the fact that only 25 people were cut on Group Day says volumes about how important it is to the judges. Alas, the final contestants will get one more chance to sing their butts off (solo-style) before the Top 24 is crowned.

PARTING SHOTS
“You frighten me. You were stalking us. You were like a leopard behind a cage…Sexy and scary is a fine line.” – Ellen to Skiiboski

“You should put some shoes on here. It’s filthy in here. Hollywood is a disgusting town.” – Ellen

For another take on this week’s episode, check out Bad Showmance by Erin Biglow.

Season 9, Episodes 9 & 10: Hollywood Round: Parts 1 & 2 (originally aired February 9 & 10, 2010)

For more on American Idol, click here.

Photographs courtesy of Fox Broadcasting Company and IMDbPro.