As we end the laughable auditions and intense Hollywood portion of American Idol, we get to the part the audience has been waiting for. No longer are judges Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell in control; now the audience gets to take a crack at destroying people's dreams. As the new rules go, the top 24 guys and girls will compete on separate nights to fill the final spots of six guys and six girls. All have the dream to be the next Idol, but some will prove to be nothing more than cannon fodder for the true standouts of this seventh season. At this portion of the stage, guys will compete on Tuesdays, girls on Wednesday, and in total four people will be cut from the competition based on America's votes on Thursday.
Starting out on Tuesday night, it's guys night and they're all singing songs from the 1960's. This seems odd, considering contestants used to sing songs to show off their strengths from any genre or decade to show off their strengths, but does add a new challenge. The night starts with witty bantering between the judges and host Ryan Seacrest, and then a showing of all the top 12 guys with background music provided by last year's runner up Blake Lewis.
As the night progressed, there was a very clear line between those that are destined to go far and those that will quickly be sent packing back to their hometowns. It's hard to pick one top guy performing, as three truly stood out from the rest to battle it out for the guy to beat. Michael Johns, the 29 year old Australian heartthrob belted out "Light My Fire", winning praises from all three of the judges and proved to be a crowd favorite. David Archuleta got some face time during the audition process, being a 17 year old kid who thought he may have lost his voice forever. He proved however that his voice was mature beyond his years with the odd song choice of "You Better Shop Around." Though there was question in the choice of song, all judges gushed and Archuleta's shock to the praise did good by winning over fans who will want to take him home and pinch his cheeks. Jason Castro, an artist who was invisible through much of the process, was the only one to bring a guitar on stage for his rendition of "Daydream", and went from people questioning who he was to becoming a black horse to take the title.
