(S06E13) "The votes are in," Ryan says to start off the show, and this, my friends, is what we've all been waiting for, isn't it? It's finally OUR turn. Tonight we send four people packing, crushing their hopes and dreams in front of a live audience and millions more watching from home. This is true, live, exciting entertainment. And soon we'll know who's in, who's out, and if our favorites are safe...or not.

But first, the judges sum-up their thoughts about the competition, so far. Randy says he thinks this year it's gonna be a "girl's race," but Simon still thinks two or three guys show potential. Paula says the boys have only one way to go, and points up towards the heavens. Unfortunately, she's wrong. Some people can definitely spiral lower and lower (Sundance, Sanjaya, and Antonella, I'm pointing at you) and we'll all be here to watch.

(S06E11) Tonight we moved past the horrible auditions and the Hollywood meltdowns into the part of the competition that many of Idol's critics call "Karaoke Time." I think it's a given that all of the semifinalists are talented singers, having beat out thousands of others, and holding their own during Hollywood Hell Week in order to get to the Top 24. But staying in the competition is going to be tough. They're going to have to go beyond lame or even "safe" Karaoke renditions. They really need to kick some butt big time and shine.

Ah, the infamous Seattle auditions. That was the show that caused all the controversy. Simon was too cruel. The parade of wacko contestants was relentlessly brutal. Before the show even aired, Simon had publicly denounced the Seattle turnout as "the worst bunch of miserable contestants EVER." Even Paula agreed, labeling the auditioners as "unusually fantastically delusional."

Seattle was the butt of Idol's jokes, deemed a pool of untalented crazies. Yet here we are, down to the Top 24, and the last laugh may be on Simon. A total of FIVE semifinalists were found in that "atrocious" city. In comparison, only one semifinalist was found in Birmingham, lovingly dubbed "Idol Country" by the show's writers.

Now that we have a complete list of American Idol's Top 24, it's time to try to predict who will make the Top 12. I'll admit it's a bit early to make educated predictions. After all, how do we judge contestants we've never seen sing?

Honestly, this initial list is really just a compilation based on "gut feelings" or "first impressions." Let's face it, we're totally judging books by their covers.