Thursday night's (Jan. 23) American Idol episode 4 featured the auditions in Atlanta, Ga., where Harry Connick Jr., who was expected to be the meanest panelist on the reality-singing competition series, showed his completely different, rather soft side -- he is a dog's best friend.

Chris Medina, a 23-year-old member of the Army National Guard, walked in with both his guitar and cute black Labrador named Bobby, instantly grabbing everyone's attention. "She goes everywhere with me. I don't like leaving her," the contestant said to the panelist trio.

Connick Jr., who is considered as a stern judge, held onto the dog while her owner performed the Adele hit "Chasing Pavements." "It's just for the cameras," he said as the dog sat quietly on his lap. "I'm trying to get rid of that whole 'Harsh Harry' image."

"It's going to take more than that," fellow judge Jennifer Lopez said jokingly.

All three judges were impressed with Medina's voice, as well his canine pet, voting in favor of sending him to Hollywood. "Do you know that song, 'I have a small plastic bag and a towelette'?" Connick Jr. asked the wannabe singer. "I believed you. I believe I have a wet spot on my pants."

"From the dog?" Medina asked, laughing. "No, the dog's been great. This is a personal matter," Connick Jr. Responded.

"I believed you when you sang," Keith Urban added. "That's such a huge thing."

A 21-year-old preschool teacher, Majesty York, was actually the first one to audition in Atlanta. With flowers in her hair, she sang a natural version of Coldplay's "Violet Hill," and wowed the panelists indeed. Harry Connick Jr. said, "You sing and play a lovely melody in a quiet, elegant way. It's refreshing and that bodes well for you because not many people do that anymore," while Lopez also commented: "It was really beautiful. It was really effortless which I love. I guess because I have to work so hard at everything I do, I just love when I see something that's effortless." Urban certainly agreed to his fellow judges: "You completely pulled me in. It was almost like the quieter you got, the more I leaned in."

There were two familiar faces from season 11 who got golden tickets to Hollywood -- personal assistant Neco Starr, 22, got two nods, while musician Caleb Johnson, also 22, got a "yes" from all three panelists.

The two youngest contestants who impressed the judges were Bria Anai and Jordan Brisbane, both only 15-years-old. Brisbane sang the Bruno Mars hit "When I Was Your Man" and was sent to the next round of auditions, after the judges advised him to keep his vocal simple. Anai was complimented on her vocal talents, as well as her hard-to-miss bright purple lipstick after singing her rendition of Adele's "One and Only." "Look at that lipstick," said Connick Jr. "My daughter would love that." J. Lo added, "I love the sparkles on the lips. But only because you can sing like that."

A 21-year-old student, Sam Burchfield, surprised the judges with his unusual choice of song, "I Wanna Be Like You" from Disney movie, "The Jungle Book." The judging trio's opinions obviously split. Lopez loved his originality and Urban applauded his voice and skills on the guitar. On the other hand, Connick Jr. said, "You speak normally and then when you sing you have this weird impediment. I didn't buy it. It just wasn't strong enough."

"So that's a no?" the Latina mogul asked Connick Jr. and he then bluntly replied, "Well, most people would interpret that as a no, but I'll say it for those that don't understand. That's a no." However, the votes from J. Lo and Urban outnumbered Harry's, sending Burchfield to the next round, though Keith Urban was heard saying, "I don't think he'll last," after he left the room.

A 24-year-old waiter Ben Briley performed Amos Lee's "Arms of a Woman." Connick Jr. described him as "gumbo," because of his different musical influences. Urban joked that he would be in danger of crashing his car if he heard him singing acappella on the radio.

Both Jessica Meuse, a 22-year-old student from Slapout, Alabama, and Jesse Cline, a 19-year-old gas station attendant, received golden tickets to Hollywood. Harry Connick Jr. told Meuse that her performance of original song "Blue Eye Lie" was "low maintenance," while Urban told Cline he was a "born singer" after his performance of Need To Breathe's "Washed by the Water."

However, sales associate Alyson Ragona was sent home after she gave a weak performance of Queen classic "Bohemian Rhapsody," wearing a bizarre cat t-shirt. "The cat is freaking me out right now. It's like a David Bowie cat," said Keith Urban. "My head is reeling trying to make David Bowie cat references," Harry Connick Jr. added. "Major Tom cat -- that's what it is."

Travis Hunter-Brown, a 26-year-old barista also received a "no" following his performance of "Valerie" by Amy Winehouse.

A 24-year-old nurse tech Kristen O'Connor and a 17-year-old student, Emily Piriz, got the approvals from the judges with their performances.

Lauren Ogburn, a 19-year-old receptionist, also received a golden ticket to Hollywood after her performance of Reba McEntire's "Fancy," was criticized for her questionable fashion sense. She wore a stars and stripes bandana and cowboy boots. "I think you can over-accessorize to the point of ridicule," said Harry Connick Jr. "We get it, you're a Southern girl. You've got so much Americana stuff on, I think you're trying a little too hard in that department. But I thought it was good. I really enjoyed it."

A 24-year-old student Nica Nashae raised some eyebrows with her overly confident attitude. "I'm going to win it," she declared after the judges quickly sent her through to the next round, following her rendition of "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman." Connick Jr. commented, "We're going to be having some nightmares about Nica. She was in here, like, 20 seconds."

There were 44 contestants who moved to the next round in Hollywood. American Idol Season 13 continues next week in Salt Lake City, Utah.