AMERICAN IDOL Reveals Top 40 Semifinalists Heading to Vegas

The American Idol auditions came to a conclusion tonight as the judges' semifinalists picks were revealed. After intense deliberations, Mariah, Randy, Nicki and Keith have chosen the Top 40 contestants, who will now head to Las Vegas to perform on the stage of Cirque du Soleil's Beatles LOVE Theatre at The Mirage.

The Vegas move is a new twist in the competition, during which the Top 40 once again will be split by gender. On Wednesday, Feb. 20 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) and continuing Thursday, Feb. 21 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), Wednesday, Feb. 27 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) and Thursday, Feb. 28 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), 10 semifinalists will perform each night - Girls on Wednesdays and guys on Thursdays. Each night, the judges will be faced with the tough decision of choosing which five will stay and which five will be sent home. At the end of the first stage of the semifinals, only 20 contestants will remain.

Top 20 Girls include:

NAME AGE CITY/STATE

Melinda Ademi 19 Yonkers, NY
Janelle Arthur 23 Oliver Springs, TN
Juliana Chahayed 15 Woodland Hills, CA
Cristabel Clack 29 San Antonio, TX
Aubrey Cleland 19 West Linn, OR
Candice Glover 23 St. Helena Island, SC
Rachel Hale 21 Prescott, AR
Kree Harrison 22 Nashville, TN
Jett Hermano 25 Seattle, WA
Amber Holcomb 18 Houston, TX
Brandy Hotard 26 Port Allen, LA
Isabelle 22 Duluth, GA
Zoanette Johnson 20 Tulsa, OK
Adriana Latonio 17 Anchorage, AK
Angela Miller 18 Beverly, MA
Kamaria Ousley 29 Oakland, CA
Breanna Steer 18 Laplace, LA
Tenna Torres 28 Queens, NY
Shubha Vedula 17 Mt. Pleasant, MI
Jenny Beth Willis 17 Owensboro, KY

Top 20 guys include:

Lazaro Arbos 21 Naples, FL
Charlie Askew 17 Little Rock, AR
Nick Boddington 27 Memphis, TN
Curtis Finch Jr. 24 St. Louis, MO
Kevin Harris 28 Montgomery, AL
Josh Holiday 24 Celeste, TX
J'DA 27 Chicago, IL
Paul Jolley 22 Palmersville, TN
Johnny Keyser 24 Pompano Beach, FL
Elijah Liu 18 Rowland Heights, CA
Vincent Powell 29 Austin, TX
Cortez Shaw 21 Dallas, TX
Gurpreet Singh Sarin 22 North Potomac, MD
Jimmy Smith 25 Waynesboro, TN
Bryant Tadeo 23 Hilo, HI
BurNell Taylor 19 New Orleans, LA
Mathenee Treco 26 Aurora, CO
Devin Velez 18 Chicago, IL
Chris Watson 25 Fords, NJ
David Willis 21 Mount Dora, FL

Then, it's up to viewers to vote for who will advance to the finals and who will go home, during a special three-night American Idol event. In the season's first live show, airing on a special night, Tuesday, March 5 (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed), the first group of 10 semifinalists will perform LIVE from Las Vegas for America's vote. On Wednesday, March 6 (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed), the second group of 10 semifinalists will perform LIVE. On a super-sized, 90-minute episode airing Thursday, March 7 (8:00-9:30 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed), America's vote and the American Idol finalists will be announced LIVE from Los Angeles.

Visit www.americanidol.com for interviews with the Top 40, as well as additional American Idol news.

"Like" American Idol on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AmericanIdol. Follow the series on Twitter@AmericanIdol and join the discussion at #idol. Also, follow host Ryan Seacrest at @RyanSeacrest, and follow the judges: @MariahCarey; @yo_randyjackson; @nickiminaj; and @keithurban. Download the American Idol app for iOS devices from the App Store; and for Android devices at Google Play.**

AMERICAN IDOL is produced by 19 Entertainment, a division of Core Media Group, and FremantleMedia North America. The series is created and executive-produced by Simon Fuller, CEO, XIX Entertainment. Cecile Frot-Coutaz, FremantleMedia, Trish Kinane, FremantleMedia North America; Ken Warwick, FremantleMedia North America; and Nigel Lythgoe, CEO, Nigel Lythgoe Productions also serve as executive producers.