Time to face the judges

The final step before the finals is the “American Idol” tribunal. Each of the remaining 44 hopefuls, with no lawyer present, has to get out of the elevator and take the long walk across the hardwood to sit in an uncomfortable chair in front of the table where Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson sit in judgment.

None of the hopefuls really know the variables that will determine whether the news is good or bad, and none know whether they will be accepted or rejected for solid reasons or superficial ones. There is no right to appeal. And while it goes beyond the boundaries of good taste to take the comparison to a courtroom much further, it's easy to make a case that in some cases the judges' actions consisted of cruel and unusual punishments.

That having been said, justice was ultimately done. At the end of the day, there were few surprises among the finalists.

Many of the men were easy to predict, since this year's crop doesn't seem to be as deep as last season's. Contributing to that was the dismissal of the Brittenum twins, who got rejected in an off-camera aside with an oh-by-the-way-they-got-arrested vignette. While being arrested on felony charges doesn't fit the "Idol" model, it still was a cheap way to be rid of the two people that producers made the centerpiece of the Hollywood round.

Of the remaining contestants, Brett "Ace" Young looks to be the early candidate for the "heartthrob" label, while Chris Daughtry is the "rocker" and Taylor Hicks the "guy who looks like your father and sings like he's escaped from a 70s band."

It's also a crop heavy on the crooners, with David Radford, William Makar and Kevin Covais all getting the good news. The trio should have high-school girls text-messaging votes at record rates.

The women featured some similar no-brainers. Of course Paris Bennett was going to get through — the judges have loved her every step of the way, plus she's really good. Of course Kellie Pickler was a no-brainer; after all, Carrie Underwood won it all last year, and Pickler has that same homespun appeal plus the tugs-on-the-heartstrings background.

Lisa Tucker was Simon's star 16-year-old, and the only question mark about her was her age, but if she could play a role in a major theatre production in the big city, odds were pretty small that she'd fall victim to the pressure. She didn't, and the judges kept her in the competition.

Ayla Brown hasn't gotten much airtime since her Boston audition — but reached the finals anyway, which probably pleased everyone she knows except for the Boston College women's basketball coaches, who have to be wondering if she'll actually make it to campus to honor her scholarship this fall.

Rebecca O'Donohue likewise played basketball in college, likewise auditioned in Boston, likewise had no screen time in Hollywood, and likewise made it through. Her basketball coach is likely thrilled, since she's used up her eligibility anyway.

Of course, not every decision is so obvious. There were moments of genuine drama. Unlike in previous seasons, the judges decided to get a lot of the bad news over with early, as the first seven contestants shown on Wednesday's show were rejected. Until Katherine McPhee made it through, it looked like this "Idol" season might end before St. Patrick's Day because the judges couldn't find enough qualified candidates.  

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