American Idol Judges Pick 24 in Hollywood -- Recap & Review

Tonight was an emotional night on American Idol in Hollywood. With such a talented crowd, the cuts to the final 24 have been brutal. There were times when the American Idol judges were unanimous in their vote, and other times when it seemed the judges did not agree. Some of this dissension may have been due to the producers making decisions that the judges had to follow.

Click HERE for the 2011 "American Idol" Top 24 Results!

Going in to tonight's American Idol, we already knew who 7 of the final 24 were: Michael Lynche, Didi Benami, Katelyn Epperly, Casey James, Aaron Kelly, Lee Dewyze, and Todrick Hall. With only 17 slots left, the American Idol audience knew they were going to be in for some heartbreak.

American Idol Final 24 -- Don't Flub It Up

First up on tonight's American Idol is Janell Wheeler. Though she's performed strongly in previous rounds, her final performance of "American Boy" in front of the judges didn't go so well. "I flubbed it up," Janell tells the American Idol cameras before she heads in for the verdict. "I couldn't take the pressure."

Janell is thinking positive, however. She's amazed she's come this far, and feels it's all been "a dream come true". Once she's in the theater with the American Idol judges, Ellen can tell Janell's really nervous. Ellen notes that it's tougher for Janell, as she doesn't do singing for a living, and hasn't experienced all the stress of performing this way. "It's a crash course," Ellen sympathizes.

Janell is preparing herself for a rejection as Ellen goes on about how tough the American Idol competition has been, and how "it doesn't make sense to tell someone who has a great voice they're not going through." Ellen pauses, then says, "So I'm not going to tell you that. You're through."

Janell is thrilled, and outside she excitedly teases American Idol host Ryan Seacrest , "If I were Bikini Girl, I'd kiss you." Ryan looks stunned for a moment, as if he's deciding whether that's a good idea or not.

American Idol Final 24 -- Totally Groovy, Man

Next up on American Idol is Tyler Grady. We haven't seen too much of this sexy 70s-style rocker since the Boston auditions, but the montage clip shows us some stellar performances. After singing an excellent rendition of a Daughtry song with the lyrics "I'm going home", Tyler asks the judges not to take that so literally. "That's not on my to-do list, 'going home'."

Later Tyler sidles up to the American Idol stage and greets the judges, "Fancy seeing you guys here." Kara tells him she likes that he has that whole 70s vibe, and she asks him what the deal is. Tyler explains that a lot of his musical idols, like Robert Plant and Roger Daltrey, were from the 60s and 70s era. Kara says sometimes he slips into the "Planet Tyler" groove, and then asks him if he'd planning on bringing his retro moves to the next round of competition.

"Any moves you want, I'll give 'em to you," Tyler drawls. Kara loves this response, and tells him he's going through. (Casey James may now have some competition for Kara's affections.) Tyler jumps up to thank the judges, and nudges a distracted Simon with a "How's it going, man?" and an offered hand. Simon shakes it, and Tyler's on to the American Idol final 24.

American Idol Final 24 -- Four More Go Through

Lacey Brown is a contestant we haven't seen since the final American Idol "Road to Hollywood" auditions episode. With her dark pixie-ish hair cut and sultry singing style, Lacey has apparently impressed the American Idol judges all the way through, finishing up with a stellar smooth performance of Louis Armstrong's classic "What a Wonderful World".

Going in to see the American Idol judges, Lacey reminisces with them about being cut the previous year. Lacey says she agreed with their decision, and that she needed to learn more and come back this year. Simon tells her it was "just your luck that the girls were tougher this year". Lacey's luck turns positive, however, because she's going through to the final 24.

American Idol lets us know that we're also going to see American Idol contestants Ashley Rodriguez, Alex Lambert, and Joe Munoz in the final 24.

American Idol Final 24 -- The Right Platform

Crystal Bowersox is definitely not your typical American Idol contestant. A more stripped down, gritty singer than the usual showy pop vocalists American Idol attracts, Crystal is mature and grounded and just loves music. I was poised to throw a remote through the TV if Crystal didn't move on, because her voice and guitar skills are both phenomenal. Crystal tells the American Idol cameras that she thinks mainstream music "needs a pick-me-up", and has to "get back to its roots".

As she joins the American Idol judges, Simon talks about her different style, and how Crystal must have originally thought of AI as the completely wrong platform for her. Crystal agrees, but says once she got here, she realized it was a really good experience for her. Simon is pleased. "So you're glad you came?" Crystal says she is. "I want you to know, we were all in agreement," Simon tells her. "You're going through."

Crystal is stunned, and pretty much stumbles off the American Idol stage in a daze. "We're really glad you're here!" Ellen calls after her. Crystal happily bursts through the door to meet up with her family, including her baby son. It's a good day for Crystal, and for American Idol viewers that get to see her again in the top 24 competition.

American Idol Final 24 -- Teen Dream

Next up we have 17 year old Katie Stevens, the sweet and talented gal who wants to win big for her beloved but ailing grandmother. We see a clip of Katie once again knocking it out of the park in her final American Idol performance for the judges, singing Stevie Wonder's "For Once in My Life".

Ellen next goes into one of her famous rambles, talking about how hard this job is for her, because she's all about positivity. She hates having to let people down, or say negative things to them. "I thought you did great," she tells Katie, as if she's softening the blow. Then, of course, she tells Katie she's going through to the American Idol top 24.

American Idol Final 24 -- TooMuch of a Story?

Chicagoan Angela Martin was up next. Angela is one of the best and most compelling performers for American Idol season 9. She also has a heart-breaking back story, filled with personal tragedies and setbacks that have previously prevented her from moving on. We'd heard in her audition episode that Angela missed out on callbacks for a previous season because of a traffic court date--turns out it was for jail time due to tickets she couldn't pay for.

American Idol shows us that Angela had a tough performance on day one in Hollywood, but nailed the group song and final performance. Feeling overwhelmed with emotion, Angela starts crying as she walks up to the American Idol stage. Kara actually sits down in the chair with Angela to hang on to her as they talk, and we know right away this is going to be bad news.

Kara tells Angela that the American Idol judges thought she was special, that she had worked hard, and it was just a difficult choice to narrow down to 12 girls. Kara gets the other judges to join in as she tells Angela that there are other ways to fulfill her dreams, and that she absolutely should not give up. Before she leaves, Simon hugs her warmly, and he looks devastated himself. American Idol host Ryan also consoles Angela, making her promise to look on the experience as a positive thing and not another negative. Angela promises, and is determined to keep on. "Music heals me," she says.

This was definitely the perfect time to throw the remote through the TV. Some lesser singers got through, in my opinion, ahead of Angela Martin. I have a sneaking suspicion it has to do with her personal life--that as much as American Idol loves a good story, Angela may have toomuch of a story. During this season, Angela's been coping with another personal issue: her mother going missing. After American Idol, the nightly news reported that Angela's mother may have gone back on drugs, and was perhaps wandering around not knowing where she was. This type of press is probably the last thing American Idol wants for what is considered a family show.

Whatever the reason, Angela Martin has plenty of talent, and I wish her luck in continuing to pursue her dreams. She has worked hard and deserves a chance to surpass her back story, to leave it in the past and move on to bigger and better things.

American Idol Final 24 -- American Idol Style? Not So Much

American Idol treated us to another listen of Lilly Scott's bluesy rendition of "Lullaby of Birdland" on Hollywood Day One. Unfortunately, for her final performance, Lilly Scott struggled in rehearsals with Hall & Oates' "Rich Girl". Her performance was also slightly off, which it shouldn't have been, as the song seemed well within her range.

Sitting down in front of the American Idol judges, Lilly says she felt she'd had a good Hollywood week, despite a little trouble the previous night. Kara tells her that she's unique and stays true to herself, which they like. "You don't have the biggest voice here," Kara says, going on to say that hitting the highest and longest notes are something of an American Idol trademark. I'm protesting in my mind, but then Kara adds, "And I don't always think that's the best singing." Lilly and I are both relieved that Lilly's style of singing lands her in the American Idol final 24.

American Idol Final 24 -- Five More Make It Through

The TV was safe again as another of my favorites, Chicago native John Park, made it through. The American Idol final 24 will also include Paige Miles, Siobhan Magnus, Michelle Delamor, and Jermaine Sellers. We see a montage of the happy contestants thanking the American Idol judges. Jermaine stands over a seated Simon and demands, "I want a hug!" I love that contestants force Simon to be smooshy. Good for them.

American Idol Final 24 -- Final Woman in the Top 24

Next we're presented with a dilemma: Tori Kelly or Haeley Vaughn? Both are strong singers, so it's another one of those tough calls the American Idol judges keep talking about. We see Haeley first, and see the ups and downs of her Hollywood performances. Simon tells her that while she can sometimes be fantastic, she can sometimes be annoying. He tempers this by saying that she's super super talented, but unfortunately she chose an American Idol year with a lot of strong female singers--"Otherwise the choice would have been easy," he tells her. Apparently the hard choice is just as good, though, because Haeley is going through to the next round. Simon gets himself another hug.

This leaves us Tori Kelly, who was feeling strong about her last American Idol Hollywood performance. Randy skips any Ellen-like theatrics and gets straight to the point, telling Tori it was a hard decision, but "It's not going to happen." Tori has a good attitude, saying "It's been an awesome experience. I'm overwhelmed." Here's hoping we'll see Tori again.

American Idol Final 24 -- Final Showdown for the Men

The last match-up of the night is between Andrew Garcia and Thaddeus Johnson. This is going to be a heart-breaker, because both men are excellent American Idol performers. Garcia consistently cranks out interesting and appealing performances, and Thaddeus put on an especially strong performance of "Man in the Mirror" the night before. "I killed it," Thaddeus says confidently. Garcia is feeling equally good about his rendition of Paula Abdul's "Straight Up." It's going to be a tough one.

Thaddeus comes in first, and he's very nervous. Simon tells him it was very close, but he didn't make it. "You didn't do anything wrong." When Thaddeus starts crying and breaking down, Simon tells him "Chin up." Thaddeus can't compose himself as he goes outside the doors and tries to get away from the cameras, which mercilessly follow him until he barricades himself with his mother in a bathroom stall. I can understand his disappointment--it's almost worse to be told you did everything right, but you didn't make it anyway. I think this is another case where they made some choices according to reality TV "drama" needs, rather than on pure talent. Thaddeus was robbed.

Now we know that Andrew Garcia is going through, but he doesn't know. Ellen asks him about his American Idol Hollywood week, and Andrew says the group was tough, but he felt good otherwise. He says he enjoys playing with the arrangements of songs and seeing what he can do with them. Ellen tells him that they enjoy that too, and that he's in to the final 24. Andrew is overwhelmed. Outside, he emotionally tells American Idol host Ryan that he can't talk to him at the moment. Ryan says he understands, and Andrew replies, "I'm usually a cool guy." It's okay, Andrew, we'll allow you to be emotional just this once.

American Idol Final 24 -- Erm...What Did I Miss?

American Idol then gives us the montage of all the contestants who will be going through. For the ladies, we've got: Didi Benami, Katelyn Epperly, Janell Wheeler, Lacey Brown, Ashley Rodriguez, Crystal Bowersox, Katie Stevens, Lilly Scott, Paige Miles, Siobhan Magnus, Michelle Delamor, and Haeley Vaughn.

For the men: Michael Lynche, Casey James, Aaron Kelly, Lee Dewyze, Todrick Hall, Tyler Grady, Alex Lambert, Joe Munoz, Jermaine Sellers, John Park, and Andrew Garcia. Hmm. Notice anything missing? The 12th male contestant, perhaps? In the montage we see Tim Urban as one of the final 24. How did I miss that?

I didn't. Idol360 reports that the missing contestant was Chris Golightly, but that he was disqualified for having an undisclosed management contract that had expired. So far, Chris is out and lucky Tim Urban is in. We've finally reached the American Idol Top 24. The 12 girls compete next week on American Idol.

Check out: American Idol Picks Seven Finalists in Hollywood -- Recap & Review

Watch American Idol on FOX, every Tuesday and Wednesday night. Check local listings for times, as they can vary.