‘American Idol’: Meet 7 Of The Top 24

Becky Bain | February 17, 2010 9:05 am

Rookie judge Ellen DeGeneres continued to emerge as a strong, critical but affable figure on the Idol panel, but the real star of the final Hollywood round wasn’t Ellen or any of the 71 contestants still alive at the start of the episode—the night belonged to Michael Jackson and Jason Mraz. It felt like every other contestant tried to bare their souls to either Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” or Mraz’s “I’m Yours,” though only a handful earned spots in the Top 24. Take a look at who’s in, who’s out, and who’s still got a shot:

WHO’S IN:

Didi Benami sang “Angel” in honor of her friend who recently passed away, and the loving tribute worked in her favor—she’s the first girl selected for the Top 24. Simon tells her she had some rough moments, but “when you were good, you were fantastic.”

Katelyn Epperly proficiently sings Jason Mraz’s song “I’m Yours,” and has to withstand Ellen torturing her with a comedy bit before she announces that she’s in the Top 24.

Michael Lynche, aka “Big Mike”, also tackles the same Jason Mraz song, but it doesn’t fit his voice as well. No matter – the new father is in the Top 24, and he does the most adorable victory dance we’ve ever seen. (Check it out at 5:35 below.) There have been rumors that Mike was cut due to his dad allegedly blabbing to the press that he made the Top 24 (although Poppa Lynche tried to clear the air by saying he heard the news from a messageboard, not his son). So far it remains a rumor—we’ll have to wait til the live tapings to see if Big Mike shows up.

Todrick Hall, continuing the trend, sings “I’m Yours,” but makes it into an R&B jam, resulting in the best rendition of the song all night. The judges love their Mraz—he’s in.

Lee Dewyze, who we haven’t seen much of in the past few episodes, sings “You Found Me” by The Fray, and sounds like Scott Stapp from Creed.He’s absolutely stunned when the judges tell him he’s moving forward.

Aaron Kelly, the 16 year old heartthrob, sings “Angel,” just like Didi. He rebels against Rule #1 of Idoldon’t forget the lyrics—but the judges must think teens will fall hard for this guy like they did David Archuleta in Season 7. Who needs to remember the lyrics when you already have your own fan site?

Casey James, the shirtless wonder himself,sings a Michael Bublé song.  There’s some weird small talk between the judges about his hometown of Cool, Texas before they break the news that he’s in the Top 24. Casey responds by hugging Kara, and Kara responds by kicking her heels up in giddyness. Is it time for Kara to officially take over the loopy role at the judge’s table in Paula’s absence?

WHO’S GOING HOME:

Simon tells it like it is to the contestants in Room 2: “Most of you were better than we thought you were going to be, and we’re glad you entered.” Still, it’s not good news. We say goodbye to police officer Brian Walker, Christian Spear, and Charity Vance. Hope Johnson showed her inexperience in a weak version of Daughtry’s song “Home” and Mary Powers showed her limitations (in both her vocals and imagination) in an uninspired, by-the-numbers take on Katy Perry’s “Hot ‘N Cold.” Dock worker Lloyd Thomas‘ performance of “Man in the Mirror” was edited down so we could see more of him tearing up while talking about his wife and kids – and sadly, he doesn’t make it through.

Also out: Shelby Dressel was able to make it past the 3rd round, but wasn’t good enough to break the Top 24. The decision, apparently, was not unanimous: “That was the wrong decision,” says Simon. Jessica Furney (the only member of her group to remember the lyrics to Gwen Stefani’s “The Sweet Escape) made it past the 3rd round as well, but became aggressive when she didn’t make the cut to the Top 24. Agitated and defensive, she wouldn’t take no for an answer and demanded to know what she did wrong. “You didn’t sing as well as the others,” says Simon bluntly. She comes off as bitter and unable to take criticism, which only makes her final appearance on Idol all the more damaging to whatever career she may have in the future.

WHO’S LEFT:

There are ten girls left to choose for the Top 24. Our guesses: Janell Wheeler (who shocked us with a supbar performance of “Taylor Swift’s “Love Song” after wowing us with Estelle’s “American Boy”), Ashley Rodriquez, Lily Scott, Angela Martin, Katie Stevens, Tori Kelly (who’s reggae jam of “Hot ‘n Cold” was much better than ousted Mary Powers’ karaoke version), Haeley Vaughn, Tasha Leighton, Siobhan Magnus and Crystal Bowersox (arguably the most unique girl in the bunch).

And here’s our guesses for the remaining seven guys: Andrew Garcia (the most consistant contestant on the show), John Park (who we haven’t seen in forever, but remember being that impressed with him during the audition rounds), Jermaine Sellers (who will learn to cut back on the diva moves after criticizing the backup band for potentially hurting his performance), Thaddeus Johnston (who has the most cheerful, encouraging stage mother ever), Chris Golightly, and… we can’t even think of two more men that they’ve highlighted on the show worthy of a spot in the Top 24. So we’ll be as surprised as you are to find out who makes the cut tomorrow night!

Best Quote of the Night: “I’m not ‘Bubbly’… but I’m a bubbly person!” —Says the charming Thaddeus Johnston, when the band started playing Colbie Caillat’s song instead of his song pick of “Man in the Mirror.” Personality is half the battle, Idol hopefuls! So keep that in mind as you make your way to the finals.

And as much as we love Michael Jackson and Jason Mraz, we need a nice, long break from listening to either of their hit songs again.