Stand-Out of the Night

For biased reasons, I’m going with Halley and Leland because 1) Leland is the name of my favorite character from my favorite book (“Sometimes a Great Notion,” by Ken Kesey, if anyone was wondering) 2) “American Girl” is my favorite Tom Petty song. So many favorite things coming together at once!

The “Mehs”

Neal, 33, from Salt Lake City, failed to get any button-pushes with his rock-infused “I Heard It Through The Grapevine,” and neither did Dez, a 21-year-old Yale football star who sang the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way.” (Side note on Dez – I know people like him, the attractive, talented, wholesome people who seem to genuinely have good hearts and seem to be always happy. They confound me.)

A few others failed to make the cut, some whose auditions we saw, and others who were submitted into quick montages. So far this season, 10 people haven’t been selected for teams, but I get the feeling we haven’t seen the last of them. If, by the end of the blind auditions, the judges haven’t filled the 12 spots on their teams, the rejected contestants get to come back for a second shot.

The Sob Stories

Jamar’s HIV-positive and a former meth addict. Angel had an abusive childhood. Gwen chose music over starting a family. NBC, stop it. I can only take so much of the redeeming power of music.

Leftover Thought:

Seriously, what is up with that cat Cee Lo keeps holding? It’s freaking me out.

Answer: The cat’s name is Purrfect, and it (He? She?) has a Twitter account: @PurrfectTheCat. Of course. Told you the show was gimmicky. As I type this, my own cat is snoring at my feet. She should be on “The Voice.” I’d bet good money she could out-meow Purrfect the Cat. Cee Lo, how about a Battle of the Felines? Have your people call my people.