Hollywood with a twist

After weeks of agonizingly boring auditions, 164 contestants have made it to Hollywood week. Ryan mentions a couple of times that this year, Hollywood week will be different, so I'm wondering what they'll do to change it up.

Well, we get to the first difference right away. No one is going to be cut in the first two days. In their auditions, they will hear either yes or no. But this year, no doesn't mean you're out - yet. On the third day, the people who were not let through automatically will have to sing for their lives and only then will they find out if they continue on or not.

I'm not sure who told Brooke White, the girl who's never seen a rated R movie, that horizontal stripes are flattering, but she seems to be rather fond of them. She wore a striped shirt at her first audition and here she is again, with stripes. I suppose when you're as thin as she is, you can wear pretty much anything and still look good. I'm not bitter...

For the first time this year, contestants are allowed to play instruments, and she chooses to play keyboard as she sings. I like the new addition of instruments - for one, I think it helps keep them in tune, but besides that, it's just much more entertaining for viewers - it's a real performance instead of listening to voice after voice without accompaniment. But anyway, she does a good job - I don't think her voice is strong enough to win the whole thing, but I wouldn't mind hearing her again. Simon tells her she has great potential and Paula tells her the risk of playing an instrument was worth it and Randy says yes 100%. Paula and Simon say yes too and she's through to the next round.

Lorena Pinot, whom I vaguely remember from Miami, will have to sing for her life, as will Amy Flynn, the dance captain who preaches about abstinence, and Leo Marlowe, who I know we've seen, but I just can't remember at all. That's the problem with this season - there's just no one who sticks out - at least not yet.

Apparently the intrument thing didn't work out for a few people - Simon criticizes a bunch of them - even Jake Mellema, who sings while playing the drums. I actually thought he was pretty good, but the judges hate it. I think it was the song - he chose "Hooked On a Feeling," which they didn't like. Simon tells him there was nothing redeeming about it other than the fact that they stopped it early. I think that's way too harsh - it wasn't all that bad, really... but looks like he's going to have to come back on day three to sing for his life, too.