'American Idol' Top 24 Revealed

While there were a few surprises on "American Idol" tonight, for the most part the top 24 have been telegraphed to us from the start. Even when favorite contestants faltered or stumbled or forgot their words, we knew that "AI" would be pushing them through to fill a certain demographic, quirk, or back story need. Despite a few disappointments, this top 24 is very talented overall, and I'm already leaning towards a few favorites. The only concern is the voters, who managed to knock out three of the most unique contestants in the first round of "American Idol" competition last year.

Miraculously, after the "cliffhanger" last night that judge Jennifer Lopez might not continue judging, someone whispered "contractual obligation" and J-Lo amazingly decided to get back to work. Oh, the drama. Or not.

Nineteen contestants moved on tonight, to join the chosen 5 from last night. Here's the breakdown of who's moving on, followed by two of the most heartbreaking defeats.

Julie Zorilla: One of Jennifer's favorite contestants, Zorilla broke out the tulle and stilettos to try and at least win the fashion portion of the competition. I've been lukewarm on Zorilla, but she knocked it out of the park last night in her beautiful duet with Tim Halperin. The good news was that Jennifer rightly let her know that her performances, while technically good, lacked depth and emotion. The bad news was that Zorilla was staring blankly at Jennifer while receiving this helpful information. I'm suspecting she'll add another layer of tulle instead of another layer of emotion.

Karen Rodriguez: If Karen Rodriguez wasn't so talented, or so bubbly and cute, it would be a lot more annoying that she chose to suck up shamelessly to Jennifer by performing "If You Had My Love" and a Selena tune. Shameless, but apparently effective as J-Lo ate up the compliments. We'll see if Rodriguez continues to raid the "American Idol" judges catalog or throws in an Aerosmith song for variety.

Lauren Turner: We haven't seen enough of her to really judge, but Lauren Turner definitely belted out a beautiful "Let It Be" on Beatles night. She tore into Etta James tune "Steal Away," for her final solo performance, and the judges were impressed. So impressed that Jennifer actual stood up from her chair to hug an emotional Turner after she got the news that she'd made it to the Top 24. The girl's got some 'tude, in the best way possible, so hopefully she'll liven things up on "American Idol."

Kendra Chantelle: We really haven't gotten to see much of Kendra Chantelle in this competition, and that's going to make it tough for her to win over the voting public. Most of the girls in the Top 24 are outstanding, so it's going to take a lot of personality and power notes for Chantelle to break out of the pack.

Rachel Zevita: Quirky little Rachel Zevita, accessorized to the hilt for her long walk to the judges, brought her mom and gram cross country for the yay or nay news. Outside the theater, Zevita's mom asked Ryan if he was losing weight: "You look like a teenager!" Ryan teasingly asked what she was doing after the show, and Ms. Zevita seemed game for a date. I'm not sure what to make of Zevita yet; her final solo performance of "Speechless" was kind of crazy and theatrical, but I'm intrigued to see more. She definitely is one of the standout personalities on the girls' side.

Pia Toscano: "American Idol" contestant Pia Toscano is gorgeous, has a wonderful deep tone to her voice, and moves around the stage fairly well. That's a nice change from a lot of previous season's contestants--particularly last year--who stood riveted to the spot on stage. Pia belted it out big on her final solo number and the judges kept it short and sweet when they gave her the news--it's on to the Top 24.

Lauren Alaina: Unless the "American Idol" machine makes sure she wins the whole thing, I'm expecting a meltdown from Lauren Alaina. Dressed a little too provocatively in her showgirl "Barbie cowgirl" outfit and constantly running over to hug Steven Tyler, Alaina looked ready to receive all the praise they've convinced her she deserved--even when her performances weren't all that. As they toyed with her, making it seem as if she wasn't going through, Alaina's pink glossed lips fell apart in disbelief that she wasn't as uber awesome as everyone said! Oh wait, she is!

Tatynisa Wilson: She seems like a nice girl, but Tatynisa Wilson seriously has to be there just so there's someone to eliminate from the competition next week. After giving us a quick preview of all of her wobbly performances and her completely made up lyrics for her Hollywood solo tune, "American Idol" tried to tell us she gave us her best performance in Vegas--then showed us precisely one second of another wobbly vocal. Jennifer let her know that "American Idol" is "about not having a bad day," but apparently she meant "from this moment on," as Wilson got into the Top 24 without having a good day.

Thia Megia: Hopefully the young Thia Megia got some vocal coaching for her final solo performance for the judges; if she did, it means the message might stick. After weeks of forcing the notes into a nasally, somewhat flat tone, Megia lightened up on her vocals and delivered her softest and prettiest performance in the "American Idol" competition. I'm still not sure about her as a finalist, but "AI" seems determined to get the teenagers in there. The fact that Megia knocked out the only girl rocker in the competition, Jessica Cunningham, was also disturbing. More on Cunningham later.

Last night we learned that Ashthon Jones, Naima Adedapo and Haley Reinhart will also be moving on.

Jovany Barreto: I am not sold on this guy yet. He has some incredible moments of almost operatic grace, but then he always goes off the rails with what sounds like a voice break in every verse. He's got pipes, but I'm not sure he's got the control yet. He gets style points for dressing up in a brand new suit (Ryan had to pull the tags off) to meet the judges, and formally shook their hands before he got the verdict that he was in the Top 24.

Jacob Lusk: When he's not sobbing uncontrollably after a song, he's doing a three mile happy dance and screaming his joy in song and spinning Ryan Seacrest around like a rag doll. No one can say that Lusk is boring, but the overflow of emotion may be a bit too much. I'm with Jimmy Iovine, and would love to see Lusk tone things down once in awhile, so the big moments would actually stand out--rather than just be a torrent of sound and runs and wails constantly barreling down on us in each performance.

Robbie Rosen: Okay, Robbie Rosen teetered on the precipice of Cheese with his final solo performance of "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word." I like this guy a lot, he's adorable, and he has probably the sweetest tone in the competition. It's clear from this performance that he needs to be careful not to turn his natural, smiling charm up to 11--it's too much for the world to handle, Robbie! Jennifer called him one of the best singers in the "American Idol" competition, and Randy expressed admiration for Robbie's "unassuming" air.

Stephano Langone: I actually forgot Stefano Langone's back story about surviving a terrible car crash, which is a good thing. That means his powerful performances have been the story instead. Langone sat behind the grand piano for his final solo performance, belting out endlessly held clear notes on an original song. I'm interested to see what more this guy, with his awesome red shoes, gets to do.

Jordan Dorsey: This is another one of those moments when I think a contestant is just "a'ight" and the judges think it's awesome. We haven't agreed on Dorsey since the auditions, but here we still are, and Dorsey is through to the Top 24. Now that voting is a factor, Dorsey will need to prove he's not the diva they showed in the group rounds.

Tim Halperin: I loved this guy in his flirty audition, and in his flirty duet with Julie Zarilla, and then not as much in his final, slightly whispery solo performance. Apparently this guy shines more when he's got a girl to sing to, and I didn't like the sudden feeling that he might become the "behind the piano guy" of the season. Please, Halperin, make googly eyes at J-Lo and sing it out, and don't use the piano as a crutch.

James Durbin: I'm still liking this guy, and judge Steven Tyler agrees with me. Young James Durbin looked ready to be crushed when Tyler declared that Durbin's performance of "I Don't Want To Miss a Thing" "really let me down." Then Tyler slyly added, "You do it better than I do." Now that's a compliment Durbin's going to be carrying with him the rest of his life. Durbin screamed the heck out of his "A Change Is Gonna Come," and I think the Tyler comparison is a better one than that of Adam Lambert. Durbin's got more of a gritty rocker screech, and that's been working for Steven Tyler for decades. Just because Durbin doesn't have the fuller-bodied notes of a Lambert, it doesn't mean he isn't good.

Scotty McCreery: I was ready to be enraged by this seeming one-note-wonder making it to the Top 24, but then he performed "Long Black Train" and he was adorable and engaging once again. He got into the sweet spot of his range, dipping low down without overdoing it, and he hammed it up just enough to get the judges going. Jennifer took on her "preach it!" raised-arm stance and declared her amazement at being a Bronx girl digging country. McCreery then turned up the charm a notch by passing along a message from his grandmother that he was 1/4 Puerto Rican. For J-Lo, that explained the "soul" and the "flavor" of her favorite new country singer.

Brett Loewenstern: Aka The Aggressive Hugger, but we'll get to that later when I weep over the loss of Colton Dixon and his lovely hair--and voice. I was digging Loewenstern early on, but I thought then and still do, that he's not always consistent with his notes or his tone. There's definite talent and soul there, but I think Loewenstern might have benefited from another year of practice before landing a Top 24 spot.

Casey Abrams: It's impossible not to smile when this guy performs. Even if his quirky jazzy stylings aren't your cup of tea, you can't deny that this kid loves every minute of what he's doing. In his final solo performance for the judges, Abrams said he wanted to prove "people like me can be sexy." Once again plucking away at the stand-up bass, Abrams performed "Why Don't You Do Right" with pure joy and sass that once again had all the judges grinning. The bad news? TVSquad reports Abrams was recently hospitalized for severe stomach pains, and if he can't perform tomorrow for the judges, he'll be out of the Top 24. "Idol" or no "Idol," we're wishing Abrams a speedy recovery.

Last night we learned that Paul McDonald and Clint Jun Gamboa are also in the Top 24.

Tonight we said goodbye to Jacee Badeaux and Colton Dixon, in favor of the giant red hair of Brett Loewenstern. Colton, he of the beautiful hair and voice, gave an awesome final solo performance that blew his competition away. It seems utterly wrong that Dixon goes home in favor of Loewenstern, but it's one of those "Idol" moments of "bullied kid" winning over "pretty boy" and Dixon lost out.

Little Jacee Badeaux is adorable, a sweet singer and a good kid, but he does not have the power or the maturity yet to handle this competition. The judges urged Jacee and Colton to return and try again, but Colton didn't look all that convinced. Loewenstern attempted to diffuse the tension of the competition by deciding to hold hands with both of his rival contestants on the way up to the stage. And back. And deciding to hug Colton and Jacee. And hug Colton again. And again. Yes, we know Colton is hot, but you've got to read people's body language and know when to stop. You don't want to be the "hugging guy" that everyone runs away from.

Brett also tried to helpfully suggest to his ousted competitors (as he wrapped his arm around Colton's waist) that "we're all shining stars." That at least gave Colton a good laugh. We hope he comes back, or makes it on his own now that he's gotten some exposure on "American Idol." I'm sure there are plenty of people who will want to buy his music, admire his hair, and try to get their own hug.

In other sad news, "American Idol" decided to keep another teenager instead of the only rocker, Jessica Cunningham. As this was Cunningham's 25th birthday, and her 7th time auditioning, this was not the news she wanted to hear. As the judges urged her to try again, she said "I don't know if I can handle it three more times." Then, in true rocker style, she told the "AI" cameras that cutting her on her birthday was "evil," and she gave the whole "Idol" machine the finger--with both hands. Rock on, Cunningham!

We never saw much of John Wayne Schulz again once the "American Idol" producers started focusing on the other country contender Scotty McCreery. The judges told him that he wasn't ready yet, so maybe there was some inconsistency we didn't see, but maybe he just didn't fit their master plan.

Extra points for Casey Abrams for knocking over the sadistic Plastic Chair of Doom and letting it tumble off the stage. "I'll pay for it," he promised, but he was so excited at his Top 24 induction that he forgot to even pick it up. The judges were impressed with his first step towards trashing hotel rooms, rocker style.

Next wee, America gets a vote. Watch "American Idol" every Wednesday and Thursday, at 8 pm ET. Check your local listings to verify times!

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