Haeley Vaughn

Four members of the remaining "American Idol" hopefuls had to be sent home tonight, and the results shows only grow more emotional each week. The evening began with the top twenty contestants singing the Black Eyed Pea's hit I've Got a Feeling and the song was just, well, awkward. This is not the type of song that lends itself to a group performance and the "Idol" staff showed us exactly why that's the case. The harmonies were odd, the rapping by many of the contestants didn't fit, and the song just sounded odd. Katie Stevens was the standout, as she seemed to actually be enjoying herself and was having fun with the song. (Perhaps this is more the type of song she should be choosing on a weekly basis?)

The women were back tonight and ready to perform after last night's last minute switch. The theme was still Billboard Chart Toppers and the night had some songs that were up to Billboard caliber. Others, however, fell flat, as contestants were again plagued by poor song choices. Of all the judges, Randy seemed most frustrated by the multitude of poor choices. Hopefully this is a skill that will come with time and the contestants will get better. Some of the ladies, however, knew exactly where they wanted to be and were spot on in their selection.

In a year where 'Idol' is clearly pushing for a female winner, the first performances by the top twelve women was quite a letdown. Even the judges seemed to notice a rather lackluster group of performances from each of the twelve female finalists, with Simon seemingly growing more and more frustrated as the night went on. There were few bright spots in the evening that should have been a step up from the final performance in Hollywood, but none of the contestants progressed, with many of them taking a step backward on the first night.

AMERICAN IDOL's Top 24 semi-finalists walked the red carpet for their first star-studded special event held at STK + Coco de Ville in West Hollywood on February 18, 2010.

After learning the first seven of the Top 24 last night, tonight's episode left audiences in anticipation, waiting to see if their favorite singers would be selected through to the next round. Some of the choices seemed obvious (i.e. Andrew Garcia), while others left audiences wondering if they would receive good news or leave the judging room in tears.

On Wednesday, AMERICAN IDOL revealed the remaining 17 semifinalists in the season's top 24 contenders. (Spoiler Warning: Do not read ahead if you don't want to know yet who the top 24 are.)

In an 'American Idol' first, seven of the Top 24 contestants were revealed on tonight's episode. After featuring snippets of many contestants' performances, 'Idol' split the hopefuls into three groups, sending one-third of the contestants home before the final judging. Then, each remaining contestant sat down with the judges to learn whether they would be singing in front of America or ending their journey in Hollywood. Some performances worked, others fell surprisingly flat, but the big news from tonight's 'Idol' is who made it through Hollywood.

Tonight episode of 'American Idol' brought the always-entertaining group auditions. The remaining contestants form groups of three to five people, choose from a select list of songs, and choreograph the number to perform in front of the judges. Group auditions always provide for an excellent episode, as it is the only time in the show when contestants are forced to depend on others in their performance.

The first round of Hollywood auditions on 'American Idol' brought the welcome addition of Ellen DeGeneres to the judging panel. Ellen replaced Paula Abdul, after Paula was not hired back for 'Idol's' ninth season. Ellen was a refreshing change to panel, being brutally honest to the contestants, as well as providing several amusing comments about the performances.