The second half of American Idol’s Top 24 stood up on the new stage Wednesday night. The new panel got another big introduction before they walked to their seats, and the in-house audience was giddy with excitement.

We’ve no idea why. Largely, Idol’s Top 12 Men were unimpressive (with, at best, three exceptions) on the big stage -- and they weren’t even live. All performances were taped last week, though the Thursday results will go out live in traditional Idol fashion.

Randy Jackson reminded viewing audiences that by the end of Thursday, the show will be left with a Top 10. That’s right -- a whopping 14 of them are going to be broken-hearted in less than 24 hours. “Ya gotta take it the moon today, and that’s where we’re going,” Steven Tyler told the night's performers.

Ta-Tynisa Wilson sang with a ton of power under the bright lights of the Idol stage, but she quickly got quiet during the softer parts of the song. “Only Girl in the World” was a terrible song choice anyway, and didn’t at all show off Wilson’s pretty vocals. It’s a common rookie mistake for new Idols to go for power songs that have too little personality.

“Beautiful way to open the show,” Steven Tyler was psyched anyway. “It’s good that it’s over now and you’re the first one, right?” J-Lo smiled. She thought Wilson “played it the crowd” and thought Ta-Tynisa “brought it home.”

“I think that it was just okay,” Randy Jackson disagreed. He didn’t find anything “special” or “different” in the song. “I mean, you look hot,” he offered weakly.

Naima Adedapo wore a dress that she designed herself, which was actually a pretty fabulous yellow frock. It was a little bit funky and a little bit sexy, like her hairstyle. We wanted to like the girl dressed in an Adedapo original, and she made it easy. Her performance of “Summertime” was everything it needed to be: different, memorable, vocally stunning. Surprising that anyone could bring freshness to one of Idol’s most over-done songs. She brought a good chunk of the audience to its feet by the time she was finished.

“You bring color... you are like an exotic flower in a rose garden,” J-Lo declared. Randy Jackson found it “lounge-acty” but he liked the “interesting” take on her song.

“This is what America needs right now -- it’s a new, old-timey thing,” Steven Tyler was enthusiastic.

Kendra Chantelle strutted on the stage in black leather to croon “Impossible,” song that clearly put her vocal abilities on display. Here’s the problem: the slow number failed to hold attention and Chantelle did almost nothing with it. She merely stood on the stage and belted, which probably won’t be enough.

Randy Jackson “was a little worried” that Chantelle chose an Aguilera song (so were we), but “really liked” the performance. “You did it again. Voice hot. Clothes hot. Style hot. The whole package,” Steven Tyler could not be disappointed.

“You belong here,” J-Lo told her. She found the performance “amazing.”

Rachel Zevita decided to really put on a performance. She appeared on stage wrapped in a black cloak, dramatically sweeping it aside to reveal a little red frock. She strutted, she seduced... she was not vocally strong. But the conviction with which she sang “Criminal” could be enough to save her. Remember Sanjaya? Performance power means a lot on the Idol stage, and we can’t help but enjoy the contestants who know that. Zevita did manage to sell the end note, and she got a rousing burst of applause from the crowd.

“I loved your strut. I loved your swagger. I loved your moves. Little too Broadway for me,” Steven Tyler found.

Jenifer Lopez also had trouble with the song choice, and wanted to see more of Zevita’s “amazing range.”

“It wasn’t good,” Randy Jackson didn’t pull any punches with his critique.

Karen Rodriguez bravely crooned “Hero,” dressed elegantly for her soft performance. It was a bit jaw-dropping when Rodriguez sang part of the song in Spanish, but a fabulous twist. Her quiet theatricality and perfect vocals made Rodriguez look like a true diva, and she was clearly in charge of the stage. The emotion-riddled performance was no more active than that of Kendra Chantelle, who in effect attempted to do the same thing, but Karen actually pulled it off. She gave the crowd emotion and personality, which many would-be divas lack.

“Wow!” Jennifer Lopez was likewise amazed. She loved the language switch, declaring the performance “amazing.”

Randy Jackson through Karen “made it [her] own.”

“Definitely a one-of-a-kind singer,” Steven Tyler told her, encouraging her to sing a duet with fellow competitor Jacob Lusk.

Lauren Turner confidently sang “Seven Day Fool,” a practically unrecognizable little ditty. Maybe it was a bad song choice, but Turner performed the heck out of it in her short, glittering little gown. She’s got a ton of vocal power... and, we wish she’d picked a more popular song.

“That’s how you do it, man!” Randy Jackson loved her “power” and the “flavor” she brought to her performance.

“That was spectacular,” Steven Tyler added.

“Your voice is undeniable,” J-Lo told her. She told Turner to “get in the camera’s face,” and really sell her performances.

Ashton Jones performed “Love All Over Me” strongly, showing off her big voice. Her somewhat sexy performance felt a little slow, but her voice is absolutely amazing. It filled up the Idol stage.

“You got the confidence of a Queen,” Steven Tyler complimented.

“You have all the makings of a diva,” Jennifer Lopez said, praising Ashton’s “composure.”

“I didn’t love the song, if I’m really being honest,” Randy Jackson admitted, though he loved Ashton’s vocals.

Julie Zorrilla dressed sensationally to perform “Breakaway,” which Kelly Clarkson performed with a rock n roll feeling. That’s not the way Zorrilla performed it. She looked so uncertain in her little pink dress, and she never warmed up to the vocals that should have made her wonderful voice soar. Instead, she couldn’t even sing up to the music and got completely swallowed up by the huge Idol stage. With a song that should have highlighted her talents, Zorrilla completely failed.

“How you feel up there?” Jennifer Lopez asked. She didn’t think it was Julie’s best performance, which is a colossal understatement.

“I love that song,” Randy Jackson told her, but found that Julie “sang it not nearly as good as [Kelly Clarkson].”

“Great chorus on that song, but... wrong song for you,” Steven Tyler explained, though he praised Julie’s “great voice.”

Haley Reinhart put on a sexy black sheath to sing “Fallin’,” which she started with so much swagger she immediately won the audience over. To call her performance over-thought is kind; every move was contrived. Haley really tried to sell her over-performance and it all felt inauthentic.

“It didn’t do anything for you,” Randy Jackson criticized, finding the performance “a karaoke kind of thing.”

Steven Tyler found “just the right amount of style, just the right amount of sexy.” He told Randy, “If I agreed with you, we’d both be wrong!”

Jennifer Lopez “saw a lot of different colors” in Haley’s voice, but advised her to “get out of your head just a little bit.” Totally.

Thia Megia stood on stage in a single spotlight to sing “Out Here on My Own,” an apt choice. It’s a true diva song, and Thia didn’t disappoint with her strong voice. It was all very dramatic, and that’s what Idol watchers want.

“Sometimes a person’s pitch can be so perfect, it doesn’t matter what they sing,” Steven Tyler loved it. “You’re making it easy for me right now. That was beautiful.”

Jennifer Lopez also found the performance “beautiful,” calling Thia’s song “really, really special.”

Randy Jackson loves the “quality of tone” Thia has to her voice. “This is what hot singing is about!” He declared.

Lauren Alaina chose a rollicking country number to ignite the crowd, “Turn On the Radio,” but she got lost during some parts of the song. Alaina did her best to sell the performance, but she, too, looked very tiny on the Idol stage. She’s got a great sound and a ton of power, and midway through the performance she started to pull it together. With a strong backing from Idol’s faithful country music lovers, Alaina could manage to hang in there for another round or two.

“The voice is just so effortless,” Jennifer Lopez praised, calling Alaina “a natural.”

Randy Jackson also heaped praised on Alaina, comparing her to both Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood.

Steven Tyler added his praise to the litany. As her numbers were given out, Lauren Alaina introduced Ryan Seacrest as “Peaches,” because he’s from Georgia. Seacrest didn’t seem to enjoy the interaction much.

Pia Toscano sang “I’ll Stand By You” convincingly enough on the big stage. She has an absolutely wonderful singing voice, chose a very memorable song and scored the much-coveted closing spot on the show. It’ll be a real shock if she doesn’t sail through the Thursday elimination round.

The judges were on their feet when Toscano offered up her big finish. Randy Jackson thought it was one of Idol’s most amazing performances, crying “That was unbelievable!” Steven Tyler seconded Jackson’s comments, adding “that was gorgeous.” J-Lo found it “out of this world.”

Thursday night, most of these performers will be going home. Only 5 of the girls and 5 of the Top 12 Men will stay on the show, and it all comes down to your votes. This year, Idol is also offering online voting through Facebook. You’ll find the link on the show's official site.

Keep track of all the gossip, spoilers and recaps by reading all our American Idol 10 posts.