Yuma Star Group 2 live blog!

Reporter Mara Knaub blogged live during the Group 2 Round 1 show of the Yuma Star competition at the Historic Yuma Theater Wednesday night.

If you can't make the show, join us online for the latest on the talented singers and don't forget to vote online for your favorites starting noon Friday!

9:21 p.m. The 12 finalists, and perhaps a couple of wild cards, will perform at the Oct. 10 finals show. You will not want to miss the finals since the audience as a whole will be the sixth judge. Their votes will count toward 40 percent of the final scores

The show will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale now. They are available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Yuma Sun offices, 2055 S. Arizona Ave.

9:17 p.m. Congrats to the Top 10! Now it's up to you, Yuma! Who do you want in the finals? Vote online at YumaSun.com/YumaStar

9:08 p.m. John Courtis is back on stage with the Top 10 in his hand! And they are ...

Juni Hernandez, Clara Ortega, Taylor Stephens, Matthew Alexander, Marina Vjetrovic, Nannette Avendino, Victoria Atondo, Ruben Verdusco, Joey Leon and Carolyn Johnston!

8:58 p.m. Phew! Now the judges scores are being tallied. The top 10 will go on to the online voting round at YumaSun.com/YumaStar starting Friday noon. The top 6 -- chosen by you -- will go on to the finals show Oct. 10. 

All shows will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale now for all three events. They are available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Yuma Sun offices, 2055 S. Arizona Ave.

8:54 p.m. And the last contestant, to loud applause... Matthew Alexander. He joked, "I have to live up to that?" Singing "And I Am Telling You." Awesome. Very deep, strong voice. Love it too!

He's got confidence and a sense of humor. "And I'm telling you judges, you are going to love me!" People loved it. He's the perfect person to close the show!

8:50 p.m. Victoria Atondo singing American Honey. Very nice. I love her voice. Very strong. One of my favorites.

8:45 p.m. Now up is Joey Leon in his drag queen persona "April." He (her?) started with a rap prelude, which I have to say sounded good. Although I have no idea what he said. LOL

He followed up with the slower "Titanium." He's got a strong voice and knows how to put on a show. Except for a few glitches, pretty good.

8:40 p.m. Eunice Juni Hernandez. Wow wow. This girl is talented. Love her! Singing Something in the Water. I would have to say one of the best! Perfect voice and good stage presence.

8:37 p.m. Ruben Verdusco. Uh-oh! Missed name of the song. (The internet is not cooperating tonight. It keeps saying "Not responding." Very frustrating!)

8:30 p.m. Carolyn Johnston tackled Take to the Sky. Lots of spunk.

8:27 p.m. Taylor Stephens singing The Remedy. Although he doesn't always keep on pitch, he's a crowd pleaser. People are dancing and clapping. He's more an entertainer than singer. Why not?

8:25 p.m. Clara Ortega singing That's It. I Quit! I'm Moving On. Love the title although I'm not familiar with the song. Kinda jazzy. She's also being accompanied by a guitarist. Nice!

8:20 p.m. Lights blinking! Show is about to start again.

MC John Courtis (aka Ryan Seacrest) again thanked our celebrity judges: vocal coach Ruben Dominguez, 2006 Yuma Star winner Adriana Tansey, Monster Media rep Jeff Harris, BigJoyWow lead singer Gina Flores and Yuma Sun rep Bob Roeser.

And let's not forget the sponsors who make this show possible - Aiello Eye Institute, Sun Graphics and Desert Document Shredders, Monster Media, Chretin's and new sponsor Fretworks Music Store.

8:02 p.m. Marina Vjetrovic on the stage now. Nice! Good job with Ain't No Sunshine. Loved her performance. Simple and good!

7:56 p.m. Manny Lopez and his guitar. John Courtis said he would like to get rid of Autotune. LOL He's singing I'll Be by the Goo Goo Dolls.

He's got some good moments. But occasionally he loses his pitch. But kudos to him for having so much energy. He's giving it his all.

7:52 p.m. Wow. Now this girl has some pipes. Nannette Avendino (she showed up!). I'm glad she showed up (where was she?). She sang a beautiful version of "Hurt." The crowd was mesmerized.

7:55 p.m. 13-year-old Alana Ochoa singing AND rapping! People loved the rapping. I missed out on the song title (anybody?). She had stage presence, if not a perfect voice.

7:35 p.m. Up next ... Nannette Avendino. Hmmm. No one came out ...?

John Courtis went on to the next contestant Libby Johnson with Swing It. She's got a good country rock vibe. And lots of fans too. Loud cheers! 

I like that she got people to dance! She brought a lot of energy! Good job.

7:35 p.m. Returning contestant Sarah Rico is now singing Goodbye to You, with guitar in hand. She's got a sweet voice. I love her tone. She's got talent. 

7:30 p.m. Next is Jacob Puga showing off his rapping skills with "Boyfriend." Again, I'm not the greatest fan of rapping, so it's not my favorite style. But I have to say, he knows how to involve the crowd. He's got everyone clapping. And he seems comfortable on the stage.

7:28 p.m. Wow. I think the crowd is excited tonight. They are loud! They loved Marco's rendition.

7:25 p.m. Now time for the contestants! First up is 16-year-old Marco Chaira, singing All By Myself. He must have a lot of fans, judging from the cheers.

7:15 p.m. We have a special treat tonight! Adriana Tansey is the opening act. She started off the evening with "Umbrella" by Rihanna. It's a beautiful, soulful version.

She followed up with Lady Antebellum's Need You Now. Beautiful voicel No wonder she won Yuma Star in 2006!

Then she kicked it up a notch with the classic Midnight Train to Georgia. I've heard many people sing this and she's good!

7 p.m. MC John Courtis (aka Ryan Seacrest) has taken the stage! First, he thanks the sponsors who make this show possible - Aiello Eye Institute, Sun Graphics and Desert Document Shredders, Monster Media, Chretin's and new sponsor Fretworks Music Store.

He also introduced our celebrity judges: vocal coach Ruben Dominguez, 2006 Yuma Star winner Adriana Tansey, Monster Media rep Jeff Harris, BigJoyWow lead singer Gina Flores and Yuma Sun rep Bob Roeser.

6:59 p.m. I'm also on @YS_Marketing on Twitter and on Facebook/YumaSunMarketing.

6:53 p.m. Hello all Yuma Star fans who are joining us tonight via this live blog! This is Mara Knaub, Yuma Sun reporter, charged with bringing you the show if you weren't able to make it in person.

The Historic Yuma Theatre is starting to fill up with about 7 minutes to go ...