The X Factor Auditions Part 4 recap, September 29, 2011.

Welcome to the fourth and final round of The X Factor auditions! Tonight’s show begins with some clips from the best of last night’s auditions with a preview of some of tonight’s attempts to take the stage and wow the judges and the crowd. We begin in Newark, New Jersey, and a huge long line of hopefuls. We’re reintroduced to the judges who will cast their ‘yes’ or ‘no’ votes for each audition.

We start with 14-year old Brian Bradley who aspires one day to be better than Jay-Z. This kid has big dreams. Simon asks Brian why he doesn’t have a record deal yet and he says, “It’s politics, you got to know somebody.” Simon comments to his fellow judges, “He’s a mini, you know.” Brian immediately cuts Simon off with “Wait, wait, wait, yo, yo, yo, Simon. Yo, I see you man.” He’s rattling off a bunch of chatter, astounding the judges with his irreverence and impudence (as Simon might put it). He launches into Stop Lookin’ at My Mom, rapping out the lyrics and dancing with the drum thumps. He’s got the beat down, taking over the stage. Simon says he is “arrogant, obnoxious and argumentative, but you’re one of the most talented young people I’ve heard in a long, long, time.” The tongue bath continues down the line and the kid’s in.

Next up is Kelly Warner, a 22-year old hairdresser at a nursing home. She sings Hallelujah, opening the lyrics with She tied you to her kitchen chair, And she broke your throne and she cut your hair… and hitting it on the Hallelujah chorus. The crowd erupts into cheers and the judges are smiling. We only see a short clip of this audition, but there’s no doubt about her good voice with four yes’s down the line.

Then it’s Aaron Surgeon, 27, who after a very brief introduction, sings Aerosmith’s I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing. He’s got the crowd in swaybot mode. After Nicole and Paula give him a ‘yes’, Simon says that he thought it was a very average vocal and he’s heard so many singers like this before. It comes down to the ever-discerning L. A. Reid, who says, “I think you have what it takes, so you just got another yes.”

The talent they’re finding in Newark must be pretty good, as we get a stream of clips of audition performers who please the judges with yes’s across the table.

Liliana Rose, 26, from New York City, is next up. She works in an office making photocopies all day and singing in her cubicle. And she looks it. Either Liliana has a miraculous voice that her office mates can stand, or it’s a miracle she still has a job. We find out which way it is as she sings You are My Sunshine. Again, we only get a short clip of her performance, but it’s clear that she’s got a sweet, lilting voice that can melt hearts. “You don’t look like a pop star until you start singing,” Simon comments and all of the judges approve. Wait until wardrobe remakes this gal.

Another aspiring contestant is 43-year old Andy Silijkovitz. Like one contestant from last night’s show, he seems to come from a very short family. He admits (even at his age), “I don’t think I’ve ever kissed a girl before.” Simon presses him on the question of whether or not Andy has a girlfriend. Andy says he’d like a girlfriend and if he can go far on the show, maybe he could get one. He sings Mariah Carey’s Hero, clearly off note. Yet the judges let him go on, probably giving him props for trying and enhancing his chances of landing a girlfriend. Simon asks him if he wants Paula’s number! Paula gives Andy a long squeeze of a hug as the rest of the judges take a break.

Clarissa “Cashmere” Cheatham, 27, from Philadelphia is up next. In response to the judges’ questions, she says that she admires Mariah Caray, and that her first album would be self-titled, Cashmere. She sings Mariah Carey’s Always Be My Baby but doesn’t really hit it. Simon breaks down into chuckles, apologizing for his laughing. Cashmere is sent packing.

Then we get Nouf Taraman, a 21-year old bartender. Ack! The crowd openly laughs at her performance and Nouf asks for another chance but gets sent packing. Hula hooping “life coach” Jean Loup Wolfman, 42, dances onto stage, earning Simon’s ire with his antics. He’s cut off and says “I can’t hear myself very well.” “Just as well,” Simon retorts, and Jean Loup gets hooped to the exit. Following him is Maya Lehmann, 58, who has a weird squeaky, screechy sound in her voice that causes everyone to cringe. Off she goes.

The spotlight now moves to blond-haired 17-year old Cari Fletcher, a junior in high school wearing jeans that could use a few patches. She sings Alone by Heart with a very soft, smooth and melodic voice with a nice vibrato. She kicks up the volume of her voice midway into the song and is clearly comfortable on stage, although she’s not really entertaining. She gets positive reviews from the other judges until it gets to Simon. He says that her voice is not memorable and “the problem with you is, you’re boring.” She gets yes’s up the line and Simon adds a ‘yes’ of his own because he thinks she’s smart and will listen.

We get some additional clips of contestants who make the cut and express their happiness at making the cut. “It’s totally a dream come true,” one of them, 48-year old Dorit Yehudai, says.

Next up are Austin and Emily, both 15, who call themselves Ausem. They’re full of energy, with one shot showing Austin sliding down a stairway bannister. They also have a large, noisy fan section of family members and classmates waving signboards in the audience. They sing Christina Perry’s Jar of Hearts in duet with some choreographed moves on stage. They look and sound pretty good together, although some of their duet lines didn’t quite harmonize. They could improve with a bit of joint voice training.

Without comment, the judges vote on Ausem. Simon says yes. L. A. also says yes, although he qualifies that by saying, “I’m not convinced of the duo.” Nicole echoes L. A.’s comments, saying ‘no’ this time and adding that Austin is the one with the voice. Simon asks her, “So you’d split them up now?” Suddenly, everybody looks worried. Nicole can’t decide and Simon presses her with a “Yes or bloody no?” to splitting them up. Paula tells Simon he’s like a car honking the horn, and he walks from his chair, “For god’s sake, I can’t do this.” Meanwhile, Austin and Emily are looking kind of freaked out at what’s going on with the judges’ panel. Emily gets the crowd to chant “Ausem” and Nicole finally relents and smiles, saying “yes”. Ausem is through. Simon returns and comments “that could have been done 20 minutes ago.” Indeed.

Driving all the way to Newark from Tuscon, Arizona is 21-year old Tora Woloshin. She’s going to school to become an automotive technician and would like to build race cars. She sings I Want You Back by the Jackson Five. She starts off by clapping and dancing across the stage and kicks right into song. She’s got a clear, loud voice that moves right along with the song. L. A. is jiving it. So, too, is Simon as the audience gets into the swing. Quite entertaining! Standing ovation. Simon thinks she could be special and the judges all agree across the table with four yes’s.

Unshaven Jor-El Garcia is next up, singing Lucky Star by Madonna. He tells them that he’s going to start from offstage and he works his way back onstage in song and dance moves. He gets funky with some hip moves, although he could use a slightly larger t-shirt with his belly becoming visible above his black jeans at times. It’s a bit over the top and eventually Simon raises his hand to call a halt to the performance and it’s four no’s down the line.

Similarly, John Duff, 21, tries to show off some dance moves with his performance but his voice just doesn’t cut it. Clips of a few more rejects follow. Darlene and Sherone, both 22 and sales associates, come on stage as a duo. Their over the top dance moves have the judges’ jaws dropping and they get sent packing. Rick White comes on singing Land of a Thousand Dances and he jiggles a out dance and song. He was entertaining perhaps, but his voice was rather lacking and out he goes.

We’re introduced next to Stereo Hogzz, a five-some of best friends. “Music is definitely our way to stay out of trouble.” One of them just had a baby girl earlier that morning at midnight. Immediately we can see that these guys have practiced a lot together, as they dance in perfect choreography with the beat. Indeed, Simon remarks that their performance has “got this air of being over-rehearsed.” Nicole, on the other hand, appreciates it. When it comes to the vote, L. A. says, “You know what guys… yes.” and it’s four yes’s up the line.

Next up is Brennan Hunt from Nashville, Tennessee, who does some modeling on the side. He has that cocky young rebel look and air about him. “My ultimate goal is to rule the world,” he says. Really, now? He thinks he’s really sexy, too. The question here is, does he have a voice and can he entertain? He says he’s toured for four and half years before and Simon asks him why, then, didn’t he get a deal? He says he’ll sing a song he wrote himself, How We Make It, and Simon chuckles, “That’s risky, very risky.” The crowd cheers while he sings, Paula smiles, but Simon looks skeptical. Simon thinks, though, that he has a brilliant voice and hasn’t had the right advice in the music industry. Brennan gets four yes’s and walks on the way out with his girlfriend.

Following the commercial break is Paige Elizabeth Ogle, who gets Simon’s nod and four yes’s. Then it’s songwriter Leroy Bell, who astounds the judges with his youthful looking 59 years. He sings Lean on Me with a clear, soulful voice, looking very comfortable on stage with the audience clapping along with him. The judges love him and he’s going to Boot Camp. The Brewer Boys, 13 and 17, follow with a nice performance of their own that has Simon smiling. Nick Dean, 14, comes next with Walk Away, which Simon thought was “absolutely fantastic”.

As we approach the close of tonight’s show, Devon Tally from New York sings Season’s of Love. It’s 525,600 giggles coming from the audience at this performance, as Devon’s voice doesn’t quite connect with them. Does he “measure up”? Even while Simon comments about the numbers, Devon tries to sing some more. But it’s four no’s down the line.

Last on is a very nervous Jazzlyn Little, 16, who’s a little overawed by being on stage. Simon asks her if she has anything on the Internet and she says that she put up one video that got maybe 500 hits. She sings I’m Goin’ Down by Mary J. Blige. The crowd immediately likes her. She sings with a voice much more mature than her age, and gets much better as she gets past the song’s introduction. She has a wide vocal range, good vibrato, able to hit just the right volume on each line. It’s a nice performance that has the crowd and judges cheering in a standing ovation. Simon thinks she could be a “world star” with a little work and she gets four yes’s. L. A. says “she’s like a tiger.”

Thus ends the auditions for The X Factor. We end with a long series clips of quite a mixed bag of contestants who will soon go to Boot Camp, which starts next week. “They’d better be on their game,” L. A. remarks.

We will find out next week which judges will mentor which groups between the Boys, Girls, Over 30’s and Groups. Stay tuned!