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?

Auditions Straight From The Candy Capital Of The World

The Chicago auditions started out slow and boring and continued being slow and boring throughout the entire episode. At one point I almost turned off my TV and gave up on this city!

Shania Twain was the guest judge on this episode. She was quite distracting with all of her jewelry swinging or whatever it was she was doing. On the other hand, she's absolutely gorgeous for her age. Anyway, I'm ready for Ellen.

On to some of the more interesting auditions...

Katelyn Epperly: definitely a unique voice, loved the song she did and she's pretty.

Charity Vance: another unique voice and she seems so much older than 16 doesn't she? Shania said, "pleasantly surprised".

Angela Martin: She's been to Hollywood twice already but for some reason I can't remember her??? Anyway, Randy said, "Hot vocals". Simon says, "really talented, needs a break". Ok. She's a good solid singer just not a memorable one.

John Park: I'm thinking this guy is this season's Anoop Desai. Anyone else getting that vibe? I was surprised by the beautiful sound that came out of him and I have to say I like him a LOT! One thing's for sure... Shania really loved him! ;) Love John Park just as much as Shania? If so you can join his facebook fan page. Definitely My favorite of the night by far!

Watch Shania get tongue-twisted over John!



Out of 12,000 hopefuls who arrived for the auditions I was extremely surprised that less than 20 got through. Wow, were they really that bad?