The Buzz with CCX - Season 21 Episode 3

[ScarletDevilCCX]

They're advertising a "life-changing miracle", I assume we'll have to wait until 9:55 to see that one. Yards Philadelphia Pale Ale tonight, at least to start, though I started it at dinner so I may move on before the show ends. Sara Beth is a 25-year-old mother of three from California, who the judges insist is only 16. She was originally going to sing "Bennie and the Jets" but her voice is...something, so she's singing "You Know I'm No Good" by Amy Winehouse. They don't think it's enough and ask her to go back to her original choice. It's better, and she goes through, barely. She's clearly nervous.

 

Judges talking about their 21st birthdays for the Season 21. Tanner Charles, 20, from Broken Arrow, OK, is a singer-songwriter (though his day job is a valet), and he's brought his girlfriend Delaney along. He confides to Ryan that he's singing an original song that he wrote for her and it's a surprise for her birthday which is a week after the audition. It's called "Golden Eyes", and I love the song before the singing even starts. And love it more once it does. He's a good singer and a good songwriter. Katy is nearly in tears; Delaney's faring a little better. Katy asks Luke how it lasts after 15 years, to which he says "liquor". My mom says that if it's good, it can last forever...I'm sad. Both because I'm in my mid-thirties and haven't even really dated, and because it's been almost four years since my dad died and my mom's still like a fresh widow.

 

Mikey Burson, 22, from Nashville, TN, does gigs with his mother under the name "Mo & His Mom", He's doing "Cold as Ice" by Foreigner, with mom on the piano. It's considered "too karaoke" and he doesn't go through. Next we have...sorry, I'm multi-tasking. We have a young man who has perfect pitch, and also autism, and he's really good.

 

We Ani, 23, from Harlem, has a squeaky speaking voice, but she belts out Demi Lovato's "Anyone" and it's incredible. There's supposed to be an accent over the e in her name, by the way, but for some reason my computer's failing. She says her name means "diligence" in Swahili. She goes through.

 

Marybeth Byrd, 21, is a radio host from Armorel, AR, which is "country with a K". She's doing "If It Hadn't Been For Love" by the Steeldrivers. She's going through.

 

Bre is a "dueling pianist", so she and Lionel go back and forth on "All Night Long". Then we've got a contestant dressed as a fairy. Then we've got Lionel advising a contestant to "sing from their colon", and finally we get a contestant with a full name. Olivia Soli, 20, from Los Angeles, is singing Lionel's "Hello" and playing piano. And holy hell, she's amazing. She goes through of course.

 

I lost focus again so I don't know who I'm listening to but he's really good, a country singer. Preston something-or-other. He wrote the song he was singing, too! He's going to Hollywood.

 

Montage of contestants with musical theater backgrounds being too over-the-top. Emma Busse, 20, from Vancouver, BC, is a performer, and she's singing "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" by Elton John. It's...not great, though her range is impressive. They tell her she needs to get rid of that "slow-ow-ow-ow vibrato-o-o-o". They make her do "Happy Birthday to You" just as an exercise on singing without vibrato. It takes some work. I do feel like Randy, Paula, and Simon would never have tried so hard to wring something yes-worthy out of a contestant, but then again half the yeses didn't even get shown in the Cowell era so that we had more room for deluded losers, so maybe they did.

 

Keelin, 24, is from Ireland (which explains why her name is spelled like that when it's pronounced "Kaylin") but lives in New York, and she's our designated quirky girl for the year. She's singing an original called "Don't Call Me". She's...very bubblegum. ...What is this? This feels more like one of the novelty auditions. Well, they like it. She's memorable. Luke says no. Katy gives a stare and says she thinks she sees something in there, "it's a little weird but so am I". And Lionel gives her the second yes she needs. Luke says he's not mad she's going through, that it's going to be interesting.

 

Luke's making duck calls as Elijah McCormick, 21, walks in. He's from Raeford, North Carolina...oh, he's the one who had a miracle. He was in a really bad car accident a few years ago. He flatlined a couple of times. Was in the hospital for 79 days, had ten surgeries. Open-heart surgeries. He's singing Rascall Flatts' "Bless the Broken Road". It's beautiful and of course he's going through.