A Brand New Hollywood Week

So tell the truth. How many of you thought of me when you realized there would be no group day during Hollywood Week this year? After all, it is my very favorite part of the season.

However, I have to admit—however begrudgingly—that I totally understand why they did away with it. This method really was the best way to get the best talent into the top 24. And it should have been the best way to introduce us to the top 24.

Yet, somehow, we still got semifinalists that we know absolutely nothing about it. And as last season told us, if those unknowns don’t totally bring it for their first performance, they’ll be gone.

Since I’m writing this a week later, I’ll just give you a few thoughts about the Hollywood round…

I think all future contestants learned a valuable lesson from Amy Flynn, who brought a “voice coach” to Hollywood. Amy brought Angel because she had made it to Hollywood in season four, but since she didn’t make the semifinals, how much help did Amy think she was really going to give her? And what’s up with teaching her a brand new song less than 24 hours before her final audition? She didn’t even get the words to the chorus right!...

Another valuable lesson came from Brooke Helvie. Do not attempt Simon’s favorite song, “Unchained Melody,” if you can’t nail it. I felt like I was watching another bad audition episode. So why did Simon say yes to her?...

And the third valuable lesson came from poor Josiah Fleming. The Hollywood Round is WAY too early to be telling the band what to do…

And yes, I was a little disappointed to not see Paula’s fake tears during the three rooms thing they usually do at the end of the Hollywood episode…

As for the top 24 episode, obviously, the biggest shocker was Josiah. I really thought he was the contestant the judges were arguing about at the end of the Hollywood episode and that Randy and Paula would push him through. His was a dramatic story, but I kind of feel duped since they spent so much time with him…

I also can’t help but wonder if the other contestants would have shown so much love for Carly Smithson if they knew she had already had a deal…

And I have to wonder if Randy and Paula vetoed Kyle Ensley because they were afraid he might be another Sanjaya. I was a little surprised to see Simon so angry that he didn’t make it…

By the way, in case you were wondering, the song you heard at the end of both of last week’s episodes was “Hollywood’s Not America” by Ferras.

I’ll have much more on the top 24 later…