Top 24 Revealed - 2/24/11

:) Yeppers we now know who our top 24 are for this season 10. Tonight's show mainly consisted of flashback scenes, many phrases being repeated by the judges, some clips of the solos, comments from the contestants and of course whether or not the contestant made it to the top 24.

Rather than going step by step on how the show played out for this re-cap I plan to name each contestant who made it with the song they sung that was briefly shown. Before I get to that I have to comment how after the contestant had taken that long walk a judge asked them basically the same question which was "how are you"? Of course the reply was usually the same about being nervous. More repeated phrases by the judges were how difficult it was to only pick 24. Each of the contestants received good and bad comments and some were encouraged to try again. One last note was I was glad that Jennifer was finally calmed down enough to follow through with this last bit of picking the top 24. She seemed in control throughout the show after those first few moments we saw.

I have to also comment on how entertaining Ryan Seacrest was with his comments before and after a contestant was sent to the judges. His special moments with Rachel Zevita, Julie Zorrilla, Thia Megia and Jacob Lusk were the highlights of his actions for me personally.

Now for the contestants who did make it.

The Girls:

Naima Adedapo - Put Your Records on by Corrine Bailey Rae
I felt Naima sang this song well. She is very emotional when she sings but frankly on this particular song I was not blown away.

Haley Reinhart - Baby, It's You by the Shirelles
Haley has the type of raspy voice I love. She sounded fairly good in this number and I look forward to her bringing her bluesy voice to many songs during the competition.

Ashthon Jones - I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston
This girl can really sing and I picture her going into the R&B genre of music in the future. Of course she might also be the next Whitney, who knows.

Karen Rodriguez - a song by Selena
Karen has a powerhouse voice but I think she might be over-looked once the show gets started. It all depends on song choice.

Tatynisa Wilson - Un-Break My Heart by Toni Braxton
Frankly I was surprised this girl made it through as I have not liked her singing at all in the clips we have seen of her.

Julie Zorrilla - not sure what her song was
Julie is quite pretty and I love the clothes she wears. To add to this she is a pretty good singer who I think might go far in the competition.

Lauren Turner - Steal Away by Robbie Dupree
Lauren is another girl with a powerhouse voice. While I have liked some of her moments during the competition I was not blown away by her singing this song.

Rachel Zevita - Speechless by Lady GaGa
This girl can truly sing but my problem with her is the vocal gymnastics she sometimes displays when singing. On this song, she went overboard I think.

Kendra Chantelle - Fallin by Alicia Keys
Kendra has a sweet voice but overall she does nothing for me personally when she sings.

Lauren Alaina - Unchained Melody by The Righteous Brothers
Here is another girl who can sing but is not consistent for me personally. Her outfit tonight reminded me of someone who was going to a square dance.

Pia Toscano - Don't Mean A Thing by Alicia Keys
Another pretty girl with a good voice however I feel her time on the show will depend on song choice on how far she will go in the competition.

Thia Megia - You Raise Me Up by Josh Grobin
She is only 15 but does bring it when she is sure of the material she is singing. Very good job on this song.

Before we head to the guys have to comment that I felt Jessica Cunningham did not earn any points for her un-gracious behavior after she learns she is being cut from the competition. I do realize it was her birthday and she has tried out seven times for this show but acting that way will not endear her next time around should she try again.

The Guys:

Clint Jun Gumboa - Hello by Lionel Ritchie
He can sing for sure and quite well. I do think however his treatment of young Jacee may be a factor for the public who is voting.

Paul McDonald - original song
I know Paul has alot of fans already but frankly I am not blown away by this soft-type singer.

Robbie Rosen - Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word by Elton John
Robbie is cute, has a soulful voice and I am sure will be a hit with the younger crowd.

Tim Halperin - original song
I was not crazy about his song but was very impressed with him during his audition and his duet with Julie Zorrilla.

Scotty McCreery - Long Black Train by Josh Turner
Scotty has gotten alot of face time during this season. He is cute, witty and has a real shot being a successful country artist. I also appreciated his comments tonight about being a better man.

Jovany Barreto - latin song
Jovany has charisma when he sings I think although I did not know the name of the song he sang for the solo I did find him to be quite good as a singer.

Jordan Dorsey - So High by John Legend
I know I may not be liked for my comment here but frankly I think Jordan is a bit of a jerk and is really not that great of a singer. Maybe his fans will keep him in the competition.

Stefano Langone - original song
I did not care for his song but he can truly sing and I am hoping he goes far in the competition.

Jacob Lusk - A Song For You by Donny Hathaway
Jacob has a great range and sometimes sounds awesome to my ears. However I do feel he goes overboard with his vocal gymnastics at times. He needs to watch this during the competition.

James Durbin - A Change Is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke
What a range this young man has and as he sang this song I actually got goosebumps. He probably needs to tone down the screaming but overall this boy will go far I think.

Casey Abrams - Why Don't You Do Right by Peggy Lee (I think)
Casey not only can sing but has a very witty personality to boot. I feel very entertained when I watch him perform.

Brett Loewenstern - original song
I sort of like his number but I think his real attraction when he sings is the tone of his voice which sounds very good. He also seems like a very nice person and that should earn him votes.

Final comments regarding the guys. I was so sorry to see Jacee Badeaux cut from the competition but do think next time he will make it into the top 24 should he try out again. This boy can really sing. I also appreciated the comments Brett made at the end of the show regarding that all 40 were shining stars.

Those cut from the competition tonight besides Jacee Badeaux were Brittany Mazur, Jimmie Allen, John Wayne Schulz, Tiwan Strong, Eryn Kelly, Jackie Wilson, Colton Dixon and Jessica Cunningham.

Moving on to next week we know it is a three night show. Tuesday the guys perform, Wednesday is the girls and Thursday will be the dreaded eliminations. I am so glad to be finally at this point in the show. So with that being said, I must now bid you adieu. Take care all!

From the looks of things I'll be depending on your Thursday recaps to figure out what happened. Thank you so much Crystal for taking the time to do this so I can stay updated on the latest American Idol news. After reading your recaps I'm happy that some of my favorites are in the top 24. Remember in an earlier post I said I didn't find any of the girls I liked. I take that statement back. After watching and listening to the Las Vegas elimination rounds I came to like Naima, Haley and Ashton, the first three girls picked for the top 24. I was also thrilled to see Casey Abrams, Scott McCreery and James Durbin made it too. So sad about Jacee but he is young and I think with a little time he can come back even better than before.
Good luck to our Top 24 contestants. Now comes the really fun part. Us, AI fans, casting our votes. Quick note: Even though this young man has a very good singing voice Clint Gambo (is that how to spell his last name?)....anyway, he won't be getting any of my votes. I don't like his attitude.

no body - there is no one that i am interested in supporting or even voting for - no one really caught and held my attention.

Hi Deni, good to hear from you. I have some updated news regarding the competition. First of all Casey Abrams may not be in the show after all. Seems he got sick and was hospitalized. He was suffering with horrible stomach pains and the hospital decided to keep him. Now what it is boiling down to is whether or not Casey was able to make it to the rehearsals for next week's show which were taped on Friday, the 25th. Not sure at this point.

I was glad some of my favorites made it to. Sad about Jacee for sure but maybe next year. As for Clint most of the people on the AI site have opted not to vote for him so I feel his chances are limited in getting to the top 10. Another one I absolutely will not vote for is Jordan Dorsey, what a cocky s.o.b. He is the type of person like Clint who would walk over anyone to get his way. At least that is my opinion.

Now for some news I hope is not true. According to the comments on the AI website, next week all perform but according to our votes on Thursday half of the group will be cut (yep that is 12 people). Seems Nigel Lygoe wants to get to the top 12 right away. I feel this is a stupid idea as we have yet to see many of them perform a full number. Needless to say if this is true, I will be voting like crazy next week to keep my top favorites in. Jeesh, I hate that!

Well Mae sorry to hear no one peaks your interest. I kind of thought Scotty McCreery would be your fave.

One last note before I sign off. Seems like Chris Medina has released a single and proceeds will go to the care of his Julie. Sorry I can not remember the name of it off-hand but you can check it out at the AI website. I also read on another site that $27,000 has been raised already for the medical bills that Julie has. I think this is wonderful.

Okay, gotta go.

now who is Clint? was he the mean kid that kick Jacee out of the group?

Yes Mae Clint is the one who kicked out Jacee. He did apologize when he was in front of the judges to find out whether or not he would be in the top 24 but I think the damage has already been done.

Another update:

Seems Casey Abrams did get out of the hospital and make it to the rehearsals so guess he is still in the competition. I am glad about this as he is one of my personal favorites.

Another thing it looks like the show cutting 12 people is for real as I read an article Nigel gave to TV Guide. I find this utterly stupid in my opinion and I think it is really un-fair to the contestants. All they had to go through to maked it to the top 24 and then be cut on the first week. Dumb, dumb, dumb!

Yay, glad to hear Casey Abrams is doing well enough that he could make the rehearsals for next week. He is one of my top favorites too. I'm glad Chris Medina is doing whatever he can to raise money for his fiance. That is such a sweet and loving gesture.

LOL Leave it to Nigel to bring a little drama to American Idol. Sheeeeeesh!

Sorry to hear that Mary. Maybe later on during that actual voting you may find one you like. Ya never know.

Another thing it looks like the show cutting 12 people is for real as I read an article Nigel gave to TV Guide. I find this utterly stupid in my opinion and I think it is really un-fair to the contestants. All they had to go through to maked it to the top 24 and then be cut on the first week. Dumb, dumb, dumb!

agree 1000% with this

I too am glad that Casey is doing okey. Chances are i won't vote for him but i didn't want him to miss out due to illness.

Taysiah wrote:

Another thing it looks like the show cutting 12 people is for real as I read an article Nigel gave to TV Guide. I find this utterly stupid in my opinion and I think it is really un-fair to the contestants. All they had to go through to maked it to the top 24 and then be cut on the first week. Dumb, dumb, dumb!

agree 1000% with this

I too am glad that Casey is doing okey. Chances are i won't vote for him but i didn't want him to miss out due to illness.

I couldn't agree more. Casey deserves a chance to win this thing. :)