We love it when American Idol judge Jennifer Lopez cracks a little.
Her standard mode is beautiful, articulate, smart and totally intimidating, so when she spontaneously cries onscreen or even just gets a little sentimental, we are fascinated. At last night's American Idol finalists bash in Hollywood, Lopez gave E! News another little peek inside her world when she revealed which of the top 24 she most wanted to keep—but couldn't—and why they struggled to pick a wildcard. Watch and learn what J.Lo thinks of the top 13 and the ones that got away:
Picking a wildcard was anything but easy, Lopez tells E! News: "It was very hard, and we weren't ready. It was tough—it was really tough. We decide how many people we wanted to sing and OK now they sang and they did pretty good. It was hard. I love them all.
"They're all so talented, they're all doing so great. It's amazing how they come through when they need to."
It was also tough for Lopez to let go of some of her faves from the top 24. When asked which ones she most regretted losing, Lopez said, "Robbie [Rosen], Kendra [Chantelle]...Jovany [Barreto]. All of 'em."
She also reminisced about her tears after the elimination of Chris Medina, telling us, "I realize now when I watch the show that I started getting emotional before that happened—like it was building up—and each person was getting tougher and tougher. By the time I had to tell Chris, I did it without breaking down in front of him, but afterward, I had to take a minute. This is tough, this is hard, these kids, all their hopes and dreams are hanging on this moment, and I know what that feels like."
Speaking of kids, Lopez's twins, Max and Emme, cannot be counted among Idol's millions and millions of devoted fans. Lopez tells us, "They don't sit still long enough to watch [the show]. The only thing they sit still for is The Chipmunks—she's like, 'Mommy, you be Theodore.' 'OK, I'll be Theodore.' " (So cute!)