Mike Lynch, Didi BenAmi, Todrick Hall, Lee DeWyze, Katelynn Epperly, Aaron Kelly, and Casey James got through in last night's bullshit second hour. The final 17 slots in the Top 24 were revealed tonight. Kind of! With one bizarre moment!

First up, Janell Wheeler. I forgot how unimpressed I was with her original audition, but I LOVED her first Hollywood performance. Then she bombed in group night and her final song. So, she's uneven. But there are flashes of greatness there. I really think she could be a contender. Also: cute as a BUTTON! And she's through. Yay! Alas, she joked about Bikini Girl afterward. That I can't support.

Next was Tyler Grady, who I think has a decent voice, but I find his whole 70's throwback shtick so clichéd. He has that hipster aura about him that I find totally offputting. He cited his main influences as Roger Daltry, Robert Plant, etc., which makes a lot of sense. But how about being original, Tyler? Kara flirted with him some more - she has become a total cougar this season - and he was put through. I kind of hope he gets cut during semis.

Lacey Brown was cut at this point in the competition last year in favor of Megan Corkrey, which is such a slap in the face I can't even stand it. I wonder how she reacted to watching that Megan crowing her way through "Rockin' Robin" last year. To Lacey's credit she handled the whole thing with a lot of grace, and said she really needed the extra year. And the time paid off, since she was put through this year. I'm not sure how her bluesy voice will pay off with the public vote, but we'll see.

We saw rapid-fire yeses for Ashley Rodriguez (eh), Alex Lambert (REALLY?!), and Joe Munoz (who?). I can't believe Lambert made it. He had two terrible performances that we saw, and he seemed like he wanted to crawl off the stage both times. I suspect he's going to have major anxiety issues performing live for the cameras.

Crystal Bowersox is practically a lock for the Top 12, in terms of talent. She's phenomenal. However, she definitely doesn't fit the mold of the typical "Idol" contestant. To underscore that, she estimated the show's viewing audience at something like 3 million, which is a good 20 million or so off. Poor lamb. When Simon brought up the fact that a hippy-dippy chick like her might not fit in with something so establishment, she said that she wanted this "so bad." And that's good, because she's in. Good. If she doesn't implode/recede she could be unstoppable.

Katie Stevens is 17, has Disney queen written all over her, and she has a great voice. Ellen toyed with her, saying that she hates critiquing people, she hates delivering bad news (then why are you a judge, sweetheart?), but ultimately put Katie through. Of course. She's pretty much a lock for Top 12, I think.

And then we had a montage of a bunch of people getting cut, who the show didn't even bother to name. That's shitty. A couple of them were recognizable, some of them weren't, but none of them got ID'd.

Angela Martin exhausts me. She has tried out for the show three times, and has had a different terrible story each time. She has a baby with serious developmental problems. Her father died right before trying out one year. She couldn't come to Hollywood one year because she was in JAIL. I just feel like she's a bad news buffet. She seems to be hanging so much of her future on this show, and she shouldn't. I just don't see the talent there that has gotten her repeatedly to this point. She seems like so many other girls who have come and gone on this show without making much of an impact. Kara did a lovely thing by coming over to her, sitting in Angela's chair, and literally comforting her, with her hand on Angela's back as she delivered the news that Angela didn't make it. I really admired that from Kara, and I thought Angela dealt with it quite well, given the circumstances. Goodness, that was unpleasant to watch.

Lilly Scott sounded AMAZING on Hollywood's first day. Her voice is just so piercing and clear. And I love a girl who loves her some Hall & Oates. She wasn't happy with her final performance in Hollywood Week, but I thought she sounded great. I don't understand her silver hair, but it is unmistakable - she has a look about her. Kara played with her, telling her she doesn't have the biggest voice in the group. But it didn't matter - she was going through to the Top 24. YAY! I could see voting for her.

Short flashes of good news for Paige Miles, Siobhan Magnus, Michelle Delamor, Jermaine Sellers (NO!), and John Park. I don't know Paige or Michelle, but I loved Siobhan and did NOT like Jermaine. I seem to recall liking John, but we haven't seen him in a while.

Last two girls: Haeley Vaughn vs. Tori Kelly. To me, this is an easy choice. Tori is fairly generic, while Haeley is very much an original. You don't find black, female country singers, like, anywhere. I agree that Haeley is uneven, and she can get squeaky on her high notes. But she's got a lot of personality. Simon started by talking to Haeley, telling her that she had the misfortune of auditioning in a year with a lot of strong girls. And HOW. Last year the girls SUCKED while the guys dominated, but this year it's the complete opposite. Meanwhile, Randy blathered to Tori, who was...fine on "Hot and Cold" in her final piece. And the decision went in favor of Haeley. I'm glad. I think she'll be really interesting to watch in this competition.

Final two guys: Andrew Garcia vs. Thaddeus Johnson. Again, another no-brainer for me. Thaddeus is a fine singer, if not a little annoying. But Andrew has been simply incredible throughout Hollywood Week. He's the only male singer of the bunch that really excites me. His acoustic "Straight Up" was near perfect. And ultimately, Andrew was the chosen one - thank goodness - and Thaddeus got cut. The kid is 16, he'll be back. Not that I think he has any shot of winning this competition, ever. But he can sing, and he has some future in music ahead of him. His blubbering reaction was not fun to watch, especially since it ended with him, in a bathroom stall, with his mother. That was too pathetic for words.

And then weirdness: when the show flashed to the Top 12 guys, I realized that there was a gent in there I did not recognize at all, a guy with poofy blonde hair. But then when they did the roll call of all the guys, somehow Tim Urban was in there, despite never being shown getting the thumbs up. What's up with that? I suspect that Mr. Poofy got yanked between the shooting of this episode and now, and Urban got slipped in quietly as his replacement. That's too bad, as I've found Urban to be pretty awful in every round so far. He just doesn't have that good of a voice. And I'm afraid he's going to do well in this competition because he's moderately cute. Sigh.

Given how awful the initial audition episodes were I think we got a pretty solid Top 24. I'm especially interested in the girls this year. I think Didi, Crytal, Janell, Siobhan, Haeley, Lilly, and Katie all have a really good shot at the Top 12, if not THE top, period. It's too bad only six of them will make Top 12. As for the guys, I've got my eye on Andrew for certain, and I think Casey, Aaron, and Big Mike will make the Top 12 for sure.