Singer from St. Pete reaches top 24 on 'Idol'

In a slow, painful, two-hour "American Idol" on Tuesday, hearts were broken, dreams were shattered and a singer from St. Petersburg made it in to the semifinals.

But viewers will have to wait until tonight to learn the fate of Janell Wheeler, a 24-year-old sales rep from Tampa who was in tears during the first hour of the show.

St. Petersburg native Michael "Big Mike" Lynch, a 25-year-old personal trainer who lives in New York, was the first to be welcomed to the top 24.

The judges had sad news for Shelby Dressel, 19, a courageous singer from Avon Park born with nerve damage that left the right side of her mouth paralyzed. She didn't make the cut.

Wheeler, 24, who has lived in Apopka and has been romantically linked to former University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, told host Ryan Seacrest that she felt that she "blew it" in her last performance.

She had a cough and appeared nervous. "I couldn't take the pressure," she said.

But there have been unconfirmed reports that she got into the semifinals.

The program started with 71 hopefuls and the field was narrowed to 46 during the first hour. The second hour saw the judges pass seven to the top 24. The rest of the semifinalists will be announced at 9 on tonight's program.

There also have been unconfirmed reports that Lynch was disqualified after the program was taped but Fox officials have not commented on it.

OLYMPICS: Tonight could be one of the most exciting for NBC's Winter Olympics coverage.

Look for skier Lindsey Vonn racing downhill, speed skaters Shani Davis and Apolo Anton Ohno on the ice and snowboarder Shaun White hitting the halfpipe.

Those scheduled events are subject to change.

CNN IN TOWN: CNN visited Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo last week for a story on the record death of Florida's endangered manatees due to the prolonged cold temperatures. The broadcast story aired Friday on "CNN Nightly News with Campbell Brown."

This year, nearly 300 have died from cold stress-related illnesses. That's estimated to be 5 percent of the population in Florida.

DOC OZ: Samantha Windsor, a 37-year-old mother in Lake Wales, is rescued from a devastating addiction to crystal meth on "The Dr. Oz Show" at 9 a.m. today on WFTS, Channel 28.

Windsor says she became hooked on the drug 12 years ago because she liked the rush of energy it seemed to give her. But that was followed by a crash and a lot of personal suffering.

Last year, her mother, Dale Boggs, wrote to Oprah Winfrey seeking help for Windsor. The request went to Dr. Oz (Mehmet C. Oz), who was Winfrey's go-to medical expert. Oz, director of the Cardiovascular Institute and Complementary Medicine Program at New York Presbyterian Hospital, launched his own TV series last fall. Windsor first appeared on the program in October.

Oz dispatched his intervention expert, Brad Lamm, to get Windsor into a rehab program. She returns today after 107 days of being clean and sober. She will share her experiences, including a video diary she made while in treatment.

"It was a great help because I couldn't afford a rehab myself," says Windsor, who is married and has four children.