West's Shelby Tweten back on 'Idol' this week

It's Hollywood Week on "American Idol"! North Mankato's own Shelby Tweten, 17, was featured on the Fox show a couple of weeks ago when her audition resulted in a golden ticket to Hollywood. So there's a good chance Ms. Tweten will get some air time this week, especially considering her personal story about her depression and bipolar disorder resulted in numerous national news outlets reporting on her audition.

During the first part of Hollywood week, group performances take place and sweeping cuts are made. Sometimes whole groups go home. Sometimes the judges send contestants home just for forgetting the words to a song, or for not standing out against their more talented group members. So Tweten will definitely be up against a challenge.

Hollywood Week episodes are not live, so in all likelihood, the Twetens already know if Shelby has progressed to the semifinals. Perhaps even further than that. Again, some blogs and fan sites are reporting a list of the top 42 contestants, and Shelby's name is on it. If it's true, that is. No official confirmation has been made.

Anyway, be sure to tune in! The schedule is below. And if you don't know what I'm talking about, read the story here.

"American Idol" schedule:

Wed, Feb 8: 7:00 PM, Hollywood Round, Part 1

Thu, Feb 9: 7:00 PM, Hollywood Round, Part 2

Wed, Feb 15: 7:00 PM, Hollywood Round, Part 3

Thu, Feb 16: 7:00 PM, Performance Challenge

Wed, Feb. 22: 7:00 PM, FINAL JUDGMENT, PART 1

Thu, Feb. 23: 7:00 PM, FINAL JUDGMENT, PART 2

Wed, Feb. 28: 7:00 PM, Semifinalists perform, part 1

Thu, Feb. 29: 7:00 PM, Semifinalists perform, part 2

Wed, March 1: Finalists Announced and Judges' wild card picks revealed

West girl explodes on web after 'American Idol' performance

Before Wednesday night, a google search of Shelby Tweten didn't turn up much. A couple of pictures, a private Facebook site, her Twitter account and a mention of her on "American Idol" fan sites and blog entries.

Google her right now. Go ahead. I'll wait.

She has EXPLODED. Mtv.com has a graph on her in their "Idol" roundup. Newsday.com's "Idol" blog writer Jamshid Mousavinezhad even said Tweten was her favorite of the season under this headline: Bipolar Shelby Tweten is 'fearless' and fantastic on 'American Idol.'

From PopCrush: 'American Idol' Aspen Auditions Recap: Shelby Tweten, Jenni Schick Win Our Hearts

Hollywood Life: 'American Idol' Recap: Bipolar Teen Wants To Be Known For More Than Disorder

It's clear that Shelby made an impression on America on Wednesday's show, and she certainly made an impression on the judges. Read all about her performance here.

Tweten could be on 'American Idol' tonight!

Tonight could very well be the night we see Mankato West High School student Shelby Tweten on "American Idol."

Tweten was said to have auditioned for the show in Colorado, and tonight's episode features Colorado auditions. Now, not all singers who get through to Hollywood get much air time. Some are just glimpses, and heck, with so many good singers, it's possible some don't get much airtime at all.

However, if you see a post below, you'll see that various fan sites and blogs have leaked the Top 42 contestants list, and Shelby is on it. Some are even saying that the judges are really, really liking Shelby. So perhaps that hints at us getting to hear her sing tonight.

I wonder what crazy things Steven Tyler will say about her? Exciting! Tune it at 7 p.m. on Fox. Or see tomorrow's Free Press for what happened.