Hollywood
Round: The Group Round
February 4
Last time, the 147 quarterfinalists were
sent to Hollywood to sing for their lives. Of them, 40 were sent back
home. Now the remaining contestants will have to prove that they have
what it takes to play well with others in the dreaded group round.
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - Kodak Theatre
Day 2
The 107 remaining contestants have little
time to celebrate their victory, because tomorrow, they will take the
stage as a group. Who they choose to align with will either make them or
break them. Some have no problem choosing up sides. Some... not so much.
Tatiana del Toro from the SF auditions
finds a group, but her overbearing style rubs the wrong way. As soon as
they take a break, she thinks that they're going to throw her under the
bus, so much so that she begins looking for another group. Nancy Wilson
and Nate Marshall... aren't willing to accept her, though.
By 11:30, the groups are in full swing.
Rose Flack has teamed up with Jasmine Murray, Lauren Barnes, and Katrina
"Bikini Girl" Darrell. Rose is the only one taking it seriously, though.
Danny Gokey and Jamar Rogers, best
friends from Philly, are in the same group.
1am... some groups are heading off to
bed. Some groups are still in the swing. Tatiana... is torn between two
groups. She tries to reconnect with her old group... much to her new
group's chagrin. She chooses her old group over the new, and the
heartstrings are soon mended.
Meanwhile, Nick, Kristin, and Nancy's
group come up with a name.. Team Compromise. Tatiana's group... no such
luck. Back with Compromise, Kristin needs to take a break. Nancy needs
to work harder. This drives Nick to tears trying to bring the two back
together. This is what happens when you have your dream in other
people's hands.
(C-Note: a moment, if you will. Nancy is
saying that by resting, Kristin is saying that she doesn't want this.
Contrary to her wishes, this is actually a good move for Kristin. As a
singer, I've found that if you don't rest your voice when the time
comes, you do not come through with the clean overtones).
Things are falling apart at Team Diva, as
Katrina decides to head to bed. The rest of the group is left to wonder
about her fate.
Day 3; 7a.
A new day begins, with new promise. Many
of the teams went without sleeping. Many teams are putting the finishing
touches. One team is without a Bikini Girl, and Team Diva is up to
collect their missing element. Or try to, at least. They go up to her
room and find out that... she's "not feeling too good." Yeah, stick a
fork in her, she's done.
Meanwhile, over at Team Compromise,
Nathaniel is being a drama queen and Nancy is being too overbearing.
She's done with the group; she needs to start worrying about her.
Action Squad falls apart at morning runs.
Tatiana's group comes together for the common good in the morning time.
Team Diva... is still missing Katrina. But not for long, as
Katrina arrives fashionably late. She just wants to be honest with the
group, but will they welcome her back with open arms? Nope, they'll
welcome her back with an awkward silence. "We're going to be that group
that gets up there and is an absolute trainwreck," says Rose.
Okay, enough drama. It's SHOWTIME! Songs
to be featured...
- "Mercy," Duffy
- "I Want You Back," The Jackson 5ive
- "Get Ready," The Temptations
- "Don't Stop," Fleetwood Mac
- "Somebody to Love," Queen
- "Some Kind of Wonderful" - Grand Funk Railroad
And there's one important rule to
remember... "Forget the words, you're out."
First up, White Chocolate (India
Morrison, Justin Williams, Kris Allen, and Matt Giraud) with "I Want You
Back". They set the standard with their a cappella version. Seacrest
puts it best. "They're cheering now, but on the inside, they're
saying... 'Damn. I wish we were that good.'" They're THROUGH.
Next is ... a montage of mangled lyrics.
Jorge Nunez and Nick Mitchell are through. Their corresponding
ladyfriends... Nope.
Next is Alex Wagner-Trugman, Ryan
Pinkston, Anne Marie Boskovich, and Emily Wynne-Hughes, collectively
known as Action Squad!. Choreography first, vocal second. They sing
"Don't Stop." Alex and Anne Marie won't stop. They're THROUGH. Emily
leaves with a calm understanding. Ryan leaves calm... but not
understanding. He's convinced... that Paula's evil.
Simon's on the warpath after several
groups fail to overwhelm. What we need is some harmony. With an a
cappella "Somebody to Love" is the Rainbow Coalition of Danny Gokey,
Jamar Rogers, Taylor Vaifanua, and a fourth unnamed singer. Danny is
THROUGH. The rest of his group... also THROUGH.
Good news for anyone who sang "Some Kind
of Wonderful"... They're ALL THROUGH.
Team Diva puts their differences aside,
and none too soon, because it's time for "Mercy". Lord have mercy on
Rose and Katrina. BOTH messed up their lyrics. Jasmine is THROUGH. The
others are out. Katrina gives every excuse in the book for her lack of
performance.
And Katrina's ready for her closeup, not
so much for a hug. What a catty dog.
4:20p... and Group Day is drawing to a
close.
David Osmond... CUT. Austin Sisneros...
CUT. Some chick named Deanna... CUT.
We're down to two groups. First up,
Tatiana's team (Muna Hiluf, Tatiana del Toro, and two others) with "I
Want You Back". Tatiana gets two more seconds to make her case. Okay,
that's enough. You're all safe. Tatiana takes time to thank everyone
she's ever met... and everyone she'll ever meet... and I think that
about covers it.
Compromise will be the closer tonight, as
Nate tries to work through drama to make Kristin's prophetic vision of
"everything, kiss, will, kiss, be, kiss, all, kiss, right". Nancy
Wilson, Kristin McNamara, and Nathaniel Marshall sing "Mercy". And Nancy
flubs. Combine that with Kristin's power note, and it's an open and shut
case for resting your voice. Simon calls it sabotage. He says one girl
is safe. Another isn't.
Nathaniel... and Kristin... are THROUGH.
Nancy, for all her "wanting it", is out. And soon, wanting turns to
whining. And line of the night in five... four... three... two...
(BLEEP, BLEEP).
Yeah, use your imagination, folks.
So Group Day is done... and for 75
people, it's another night in Hollywood.
Up next, it's the solo sing and the final
judgment. By this time next week, we will have your top 36 singers, and
then we unleash them to you, the voting public. We'll see you then. |