American Idol 12 – Hollywood Week, Part 4 – Live Blog – 2/14/2013

Welcome to the live blog and recap for “Hollywood Week, Part 4″ of American Idol Season 12.

So yes, it’s Valentine’s Day, yes. But if we all hold hands, we can get through this Hot Mess Holiday together. (Spoken like a true single)

In all seriousness, Happy Valentine’s Day to all. To those in relationships, don’t blow it by getting your loved one a box of Raisinets and nothing else. Appreciate them now before someone else does.

And to my single friends, don’t despair of your station in life. Take inventory of the love you have, whether it’s family or friends, and take heart. I mean, sheesh, look at me. Where love is concerned, I’m rich like Uncle Pennybags, and it’s not exactly like I’m beating off women with a stick.

…Wait a minute.

Credit: FOX

I’ll be adding videos to the post as they become available, so keep refreshing the page! And sound off in the comments. Is this one of the most talented groups the show has ever had? Or is a Hot Mess Collective? Or is the truth, like the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop, rest somewhere in the middle?

Let’s get this started!

8:00 PM

We get a video hyping that it’s been SIX YEARS since a female won the title of American Idol, and we get clips of Nicki and Keith reaffirming that this is the best group of girls they’ve had, not that we’d know it from how last night’s episode went.

It’s kind of annoying that they’ve taken subtext and made it text by making a big deal of the fact that a girl hasn’t won in over half a decade. A girl will never win if you shove the option down peoples’ throats. Although I suppose the narrative of the season could catch on if it becomes enough of an issue that voters get thinking “You know what? It’s time for a girl to win this damn thing.”

8:02 PM

It’s time for solo rounds of Hollywood Week for the girls.

ANGELA MILLER is up first!

-She sits at the piano and sings an original composition, and she knocks the damn thing out of the ballpark (although Randy won’t shut up, CONSTANTLY saying “Wow” and “Whoa” for the duration of the performance. That drove me nuts.)

-Keith said if she recorded that song, he’d buy it NOW. Nicki, meanwhile, adds that she hadn’t previously been at the front of their minds, but she just went and changed all that.

Angela Miller – Solo – American Ido 12 by IdolxMuzic

CANDICE GLOVER is up next!

-She sings “Girl On Fire” and it’s about as awesome as you’d expect from Candice. I still have no idea why they cut her last year, other than that J-Lo and Steven are the only two judges in the world as bad as Randy.

Candice Glover – Solo – American Idol 12 by IdolxMuzic

JANELLE ARTHUR is up next!

-She sings “I Told You So” by Carrie Underwood, and we get the first mention (as far as I can recall) that she’s a returning contestant. This is her third go at it, and she’s doing a much better job this time around, coming across as a viable frontrunner. I don’t know if it’s because it’s a weaker field, or that she’s getting more coverage than she has in the past.

-Nicki loves Janelle’s subtlety, and it seems like a foregone conclusion that she’s a contender.

Janelle Arthur – Solo – American Idol 12 by IdolxMuzic

8:13 PM

Back from break with Zoanette Johnson, who is experiencing a bout of indecisiveness. She thought she had her song ready, but she spent much of the day reworking the song and the arrangement with the band. We see a brief shot of Zoanette kicking it on the DRUMS. (YES. Just…yes. To all of it.)

ZOANETTE JOHNSON is up next

-She’s singing one of her own compositions, name-dropping American Idol, each one of the judges, and she’s much better on the drums than as a vocalist. But she’s undeniably entertaining, and has an insane star quality.

-She stops in the middle of the song to shout at the band to slow down, that she “wants to get this right”, and I can’t be entirely certain if it was planned or not. This girl is off her rocker. I think I’m OBSESSED.

-Mariah says people will be talking about this performance for years to come, while Nicki says she’s honored to be a part of American Idol simply to be a part of the Zoanette Johnson experience.

Zoanette Johnson – Solo & Judges Decisions… by IdolxMuzic

8:17 PM

-The judges deliberate, and hand out their rulings.

ZOANETTE JOHNSON, CANDICE GLOVER, JANELLE ARTHUR, ANGELA MILLER and JETT HERMANO advance!

Kiara Lanier, however, is among the unfortunate contestants to be cut.

SHUBHA VEDULA is up next!

-She sings Mariah Carey’s Oscar-nominated duet with Whitney Houston, “When You Believe”.

-Mariah thanks her for the moment, saying it was “nice.”

Shubha & Juliana – Solos – American Idol 12 by IdolxMuzic

JULIANA CHAHAYED is up next!

-She sings “Landslide” and where has this girl been?! I love this!

-Nicki shares that sentiment, saying she didn’t want it to end.

KEZ BAN is up next!

-She went shopping with Zoanette, and they really need to spin-off those two into their own series. Because I would watch the s*** out of that.

-She sings an original composition she calls her “very favorite composition”. It’s quite pretty, actually, showing a unique, softer tone to her voice. I really enjoyed it.

-Nicki and the judges deliberate, and they give Kez their decision on the spot. KEZ BAN’s journey ends here. (NNNNOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!)

-Kez says she’s a square peg in a round hole, and she only did this because her mother loves the show, and she wanted to make her mother proud. She says she doesn’t want to leave this family just yet, and offers to hold cameras and do work around the set. Seacrest takes her up on the offer, in an amusing little moment that gives us an upbeat shot to go out on.

Kez Ban – Solo – American Idol 12 by IdolxMuzic

8:30 PM

-Back from break with Ashlee Feliciano talking not feeling too well at the moment, adding that she recognizes how high the stakes are.

ASHLEE FELICIANO is up next!

-She sings “A Thousand Years”, and it’s…interesting. She ends on a crazy falsetto note that wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, but maybe the judges felt it more than I did.

-Randy complains that everyone is singing serious songs, and that music is supposed to be fun. “COME ON!” he shouts, as if anyone can actually change their song this late.

-We get a montage of people coming onstage and telling their sob stories before singing their equally dire song choice, leaving it up to Melinda Ademi to bring things back to life.

MELINDA ADEMI is up next!

-She sings “Price Tag” by Jessie J, and it’s my favorite performance of the night so far, although I never need to see Ryan Seacrest throwing up “Hip Hop hands” again.

-Melinda cries backstage after getting awesome feedback from the judges. I could have sworn this girl was in Fifth Harmony.

-We meet up backstage with Kree Harrison, who tells the story of how her parents passed away back-to-back, a “worst case scenario” for her family. I can certainly appreciate actually getting to know the contestants a bit.

Ashlee & Melinda – Solos – American Idol 12 by IdolxMuzic

KREE HARRISON is up next!

-She sings “Stars” by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, a song that reminds her of her mother. It’s probably my third favorite performance tonight. She absolutely nails it.

-Keith says he fought for her on various occasions, and that performance vindicated him. Nicki adds that Kree became a star tonight, in her eyes. (Keith and Nicki are getting the lion’s share of the talking time, which is a development of which I wholeheartedly approve)

Kree Harrison – Solo & Judges Decisions… by IdolxMuzic

8:37 PM

-The judges make their deliberations and call the girls out onto the stage.

-KREE HARRISON and MELINDA ADEMI advance!

But it’s the end of the road for Ashlee Feliciano, Brianna Oakley, and a heartbroken Sarina Joi-Crowe.

8:43 PM

-Back from break, and here comes the boom, as we gotta narrow down 24 girls to 20. The judges cut three girls right off the bat, including Lauren Mink and two others I don’t think we’ve ever seen before.

-Randy adds that they’d like to see a few of the contestants sing again.

STEPHANIE SCHIMEL sings for survival!

-She sings Phillip Phillips’ “Home” and I LOVE THIS. It’s such a gorgeous, restrained vocal, and I love the key change.

-The judges withhold judgment until they hear the other performers, such as Rachel Hale, who botched the hell out of her solo number today, apparently (we see a brief clip in which she completely loses the lyrics).

RACHEL HALE sings for survival!

-She sings “Undone” by Haley Reinhart, and it’s her best vocal of the entire run so far. It’s enough to get her through over Stephanie Schimel, whose journey ends here. That’s a shame. I honestly feel like she has something.

-Randy welcomes the remaining 20 girls to the top 20. (I think they can do math, Randy)

Girls Singoff – Stephanie & Rachel (Top 20… by IdolxMuzic

Now it’s time to whittle down the guys, AFTER the break…

8:52 PM

Aaaand we’re back with the guys, who have apparently been kept in the holding room all night while the judges make their decision. The guys come onstage to await the judges’ verdict. They haven’t made their decision yet, so they’ll need to hear a few other performers, and Nicki asks the boys to do a song they’ve performed with the band before. The first name called is Adam Sanders, who tells the band to lower the key for his song a half-step, drawing an impressed reaction from Keith, who tells Mariah that “He knows what he’s doing.”

ADAM SANDERS sings for survival!

-He sings “What Do You Say” by Celine Dion. Honestly, I hated this. It was almost entirely falsetto, and it was a tonally inconsistent mess, for me. The judges withhold judgment until everyone has performed. Up next…

JOSH HOLIDAY sings for survival!

-He sings “Georgia On My Mind”, ripping his pants in the process. I loved his energy, and he has a really underrated tone to his voice. Loved it.

-The judges deliberate, and cut the following names from the competition: Peter Garrett, Marvin Calderon, Devin Jones, Kenny Harrison, Will White, Tony Foster, David Leathers, and Adam Sanders. None of these cuts really surprise me all that much, honestly. Except maybe David Leathers, Jr. But then, we didn’t see his performance, to my knowledge, so we have no frame of reference for whether he deserved to get cut or not. David, for his part, is heartbroken to get cut at the same spot as he did last year.

-The top 20 guys are joined onstage by the top 20 girls, and Ryan announces that they will be advancing to Vegas round, which will apparently be contested in front of a LIVE studio audience. They’re calling it the “Sudden Death” round. Full scale madness!

Guys Singoff – Adam & Josh (Top 20 Revealed… by IdolxMuzic

-And that’s a wrap on tonight! Although I’m somewhat surprised they didn’t do a full rundown of every name that made it through (seriously, no “dancing in front of the blue screen” this year?!).

See you next week to see who soars and who stumbles in front of the live crowd! Thanks for reading, and check back for videos of tonight’s performances as they become available!

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