After Hollywood week, I learned quite a bit more about the contenders and the Top 24. Most of them have now been featured (and it’s going to be a tough road for those who haven’t been)… So without further ado, here’s my top 2nd installment of Top 24 Power Rankings

1. Andrew Garcia – I don’t think there’s any doubt he’s the favorite. I think his only concern might be setting the bar too high too early. I’ve seen lots of his stuff and think he’s got plenty of amazing performances left in him, but my ONLY worry is he’ll get a little stale after weeks and weeks… Plus, with Idol, you have to do a lot of different stuff… But he know’s who he is and has to be the leader.
2. Didi Benami -
3. Lacey Brown -
4. Lee DeWyze -
5. Ashley Rodriguez -
6. Crystal Bowersox -
7. Casey James -
8. John Park -
9. Todrick Hall -
10. Janell Wheeler -
11. Katie Stevens -
12. Jermaine Sellers -
13. Tyler Grady -
14. Lilly Scott -
15. Michael Lynche -
16. Katelyn Epperly -
17. Siobhan Magnus -
18. Alex Lambert -
19. Aaron Kelly -
20. Michelle Delamor -
21. Chris Golightly
22. Paige Miles
23. Haeley Vaughn -
24. Joe Muñoz

Read WHY at IdolBattles.com

So the biggest news of the new season might not be Paula leaving or Ellen joining.  It might just be that this will be the victory lap for Simon Cowell who will be leaving American Idol after the season to start an American version on his hit The X Factor.  While this is stunning news for Idol fans, it could be a blessing in disguise.  We’ll still get to see Simon on Fox and Idol could drop a peg, allowing it to tone down a bit on the “bad” and become more about finding the best talent.  Then The X Factor could be another huge hit that gave us more stars.  Who knows how it will pan out, but we can dream, right?

Felicia Barton singing “Big Girls Don’t Cry” @ Lucky Oyster:

Felicia Barton singing “Black Horse and a Cherry Tree”

Felicia Barton singing “No One” on January 30, 2009 at Lucky Oyster

Felicia’s husban, Loren, has given the update as to how Felicia found out she was back in the top 36!  Here’s from his Facebook Group:

And then we got the call!!! Sure enough, right smack in the middle of the 150 viewers that were gathered at Freedom to watch the show, Ken Warwick (executive producer for Idol) called Felicia’s cell phone. She ran into the girl’s bathroom to take the call, and she was bouncing off the walls when Ken told her to pack her bags, because she was now in the top 36!!!! He also told her not to tell a soul until they made it public the next day. So we had to finish out the night as if she never got the call!

Of course, we awoke this morning to a media firestorm…with Felicia at the center of it! And now it’s time for her to go back to Hollywood and take the competition by storm! It’s going to be the ultimate underdog story when she becomes the next American Idol!!!

Last night, we were at Freedom Fellowship’s Idol viewing party with about 150 other excited, wonderful people. As the show began, I could see Felicia’s eyes watering up as she sat, prepared to relive her Great Disappointment. It had been almost a month now, since she received the big “No” from the judges and we flew home, rejected. Trust me…our emotions and thoughts ran the gamut, as we tried desperately to process what had just occurred. What they didn’t show on last night’s episode is that Felicia was actually in a ‘sing-off’ with a 16 year old girl! Felicia sang “No One” by Alicia Keys, and she said she felt like it was her best performance ever, and then she listened from the hallway as the other girl give, what she felt, was a very average performance.

So you can understand Felicia’s response of ,”Really…are you sure?” when the judges told her that it was the end of the road.

So there’s your inside look!  Some other blogs with the scoop…  MJ | JP

Here’s the song that got Felicia to Hollywood.  Enjoy!

Thanks to MJ for the video

Well, I’d been hearing for weeks that Felicia wasn’t making the top 36 and plenty of her fans were bummed!  With Joanna Pacitti getting canned, Felicia gets her second chance! For those of you who haven’t been following, here’s Felicia:

Felicia Barton Audition Picture