Ellen + Hollywood Week + Lots of Surprises from the Contestants!

One hundred and eighty-one hopefuls met in Hollywood last night at the Kodak theater. In the first few minutes we meet Ellen and she is super sweet and funny. She seems to not waver from her true personality for the show and I love that. Along with Randy, Kara, and Simon, the first day of Hollywood rounds begin. This year the contestants were put into groups of 8 and were given the opportunity to sing acapella or with an instrument. Many chose instruments and many more did not. My favorite performances of the night definitely came from those with instruments. In just a few minutes the in and outs began. I've listed below what I took away from the show as far as who's in and who's out for the next rounds.

Katie Stevens - In
Skiiboski - Out
Vanessa Wolf - Out
Andrew Garcia -In ( Loved his cover of Paula Abdul's Straight Up. Paula would've gone crazy )
Cornelius Edwards - Out
Janelle Wheeler - In
Haeley Vaughn - In (Very surprised by her voice and I like it!)
Toddrick Hall - In
Ashley Rodriguez - In
Jay Stone - Out
Justin Williams - Out
Tim Urban - In
Maddie Curtis - Out
Casey James - In ( Bluesy & adorable. What more can you ask for? He reminded me of Jonny Lang but will he be able to sing in a group and do all the other songs in later rounds)
Michael Lynche - In
Barney Dominatrix Erica Rhodes - Out
Didi Benami - In ( loved the song Terrified that she sang. She is definitely different. Kind of reminds me of last year's Brook White but with stronger vocals)
Crystal Bowersox - In
Lilly Scott - In
Lacey Brown - In
Mary Powers - In
Paige Dechausse - Out
Amanda & Bernadette Desimone - Out

Overall, I was surprised in both good and bad ways. I was hoping Vanessa Wolf would've been better but OMG she was awful.I felt so bad for her. And what about Justin Williams? Just take a moment and watch anything of him on Youtube. He is one talented guy. Yet the very weak singer Tim Urban got through?? Are they going for the younger guys this year regardless of talent to boost viewings?

My favorites of the night were Andrew Garcia, Michael Lynche, Didi Benami, Haeley Vaughn, and Casey James. I didn't see my fave, John Park, so I'm hoping he's showcased in tonight's Hollywood rounds.

Who was your favorite last night? Are you liking Ellen as the new judge?

Episode 1 Boston Recap: Starring Justin Williams, Tyler Grady, Ashley Rodriguez, & Leah Laurenti

Welcome to the brand new 9th season of American Idol! Can you tell I'm excited?

So, did you enjoy the episode? Did you like Victoria Beckham as a guest judge? I have to say that I most definitely enjoyed her positivity towards those auditioning, and I just LOVE her accent. I want to steal it. :) And, I'm not missing Paula's babbling at all.

Episode one started out with a rainy but positive tone overall in Boston. A crowd of 9,000 arrived to audition with only a handful getting through after 2 days. Before we get into favorites, lets recap some of the contestants featured tonight. I'm not going to recap every contestant, instead I'm going to share with you the highlights of the night according to moi!

Andrew Finland - Ok, so he didn't make it through to the Hollywood round but I actually think he deserved to be there. All the judges said he was an arrogant smart-ass which wasn't far from the truth. Simon would have given him a YES. Strangely, I'm with Simon on this one. Sure, he griped non-stop and he was arrogant but he had something going for him...um, a personality??? ;)

Luke Shaffer - What little bit was featured of Luke made me an instant fan. I'm looking forward to seeing more of him in Hollywood. I think he will go far.

Ashley Rodriguez - She sang Alicia Key's 'If I Ain't Got You" and it was great. Victoria said one of her favorites and Simon said You may have IT! AGREED.

Tyler Grady - He sang "Let's Get It On". It was good/solid and the little girls are going to like him for sure. Simon said it was an audition he will remember. Victoria Beckham was in love with Tyler's clothes. :)

Justin Williams - First off, I think he auditioned last year and this year he comes with a backstory. He found out he had cancer and now he is cancer-free and ready to do what he loves. Why didn't they share this with us last year? I'm thinking he may be this year's Danny Gokey.
Here's Justin Williams cover of Apologize from YouTube He kind of reminds me of Adam Levine & Michael Buble mixed.



Leah Laurenti - Right after I tweeted that Ashely Rodriguez was my favorite, in comes Leah and wow, I really like her voice. One of my faves from the night!

Out of the Boston auditions who was your favorite? Do you see anyone from tonight making it to the top 24? I'm gonna have to go with Leah Laurenti and Luke Shaffer as my picks for the night.

Join us tomorrow night as American Idol heads to Atlanta, Georgia. Good night.

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