American Idol: Lilly Scott and Haeley Vaughn make it past another round of cuts, vie for spots in the Top 24

If not for her vocal prowess alone, Lilly Scott deserves to advance on the sheer merit of her unconventional — at least in contrast to the other contenders — song selection. She made it to this round with her version of “Lullaby of Birdland,” and last night, while seemingly everyone else was had inexplicably (seriously, these folks are aware that MJ has other songs, right?) chosen to sing “Man In the Mirror,” Scott wisely dialed up “Rich Girl” by Hall & Oates. It wasn’t her best performance (jump to 1:54 in the video), but it was good enough to move on to the next round of cuts.

Now it’s down to determining who the final two dozen will be from the remaining 46 contestants. Cowell and company narrowed it down to that number by eliminating one of the three roomful of contestants — another baffling quirk of the process. Each contestant is ultimately judged on the merits of their individual performances, right? Yet for this stage of elimination, as with the ill-advised group effort last week, they’re judged collectively. Baffling. As a result, a few made it through on the heels of admittedly clunky performances (looking at you, Janell Wheeler) while some keepers got tossed.

As for Haeley Vaughn from Fort Collins, she didn’t fall in either category. Yep, girlfriend made it with through last night with her rendition of “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz. Like Scott, although it wasn’t her best performance thus far (jump to 5:40), it was compelling enough to help her room get the nod to be in contention for the Top 24. Will she make it? Maybe. Maybe not. Guess we’ll have to wait until tonight to find out she and Scott have what it takes.

Vaughn’s group gets the news that they’re staying…

Vaughn’s performance at 5:40

Vaughn’s group gets the news that they’re staying…