Local ‘Idol’ contestant Daniel Seavey advances

Vancouver “Idol” Daniel Seavey, 15, will continue his quest to become America’s next singing sensation.

Seavey passed the scrutiny of “American Idol” judges in an episode that aired Thursday night on the Fox TV network.

This week’s two episodes focused on “Hollywood Week,” where 218 contestants identified in the regional tryouts were brought together for the first time. Judges Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick Jr. are winnowing the field to the contestants who will appear on the weekly shows leading to the May finale.

Next week’s episodes will show the last part of Hollywood Week, which ended with the judges picking the top 48 contestants.

Those 48 contestants advanced to a new part of the competition, Idol Showcase, which was taped in December at the House of Blues in Hollywood. From there, 24 semifinalists will go to Motown Week, to be taped at the Fillmore Theater in Detroit, according to a website, on-camera-audiences.com, that is distributing the live audience tickets. This is the first time “American Idol” has taped in Detroit.

From there, the finalists for the series of live shows, which begin March 12, will be identified.