AMERICAN IDOL Announces First 7 of Top 24; Including Broadway Alum

For the first time in the history of AMERICAN IDOL, the first 7 contenders of the top 24 have been announced, reports TVGuide.com. (Spoiler Warning: Please stop reading if you do not want to find out who the top 7 are.)

While going through the selection on Tuesday's episode, new judge Ellen Degeneres said, "There's so many good singers," DeGeneres said. "And we keep saying, you made it this far, so you're know you're good. It's not about being a good singer. It's about star power, presence ..."

The first seven contestants of the top 24 to be chosen are: Michael Lynche (Orlando auditions), Didi Benami (Los Angeles auditions), Katelyn Epperley (Chicago auditions), Casey James (Denver auditions), Aaron Kelley (Orlando auditions), Lee Dewyze (Chicago auditions) and Todrick Hall (Dallas auditions), who appeared in The Color Purple on Broadway with Fantasia Barrino.

"American Idol" is a reality competition to find new solo musical talent, created by Simon Fuller. It debuted June 11, 2002 on the Fox network and has since become one of the most popular shows on American television. It is currently the #1 TV show in the Nielsen Ratings and is one of only three that have been #1 for five consecutive seasons. The cast of "Idol" includes judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi, and Ellen Degeneres, and host Ryan Seacrest.

The program aims to discover the best singer in the country through a series of nation-wide auditions, and subsequent viewer voting. Through telephone voting, America has chosen past winners Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, and Kris Allen.

Several "Idol" contestants have been seen on the Broadway stage, including Barrino (The Color Purple), Hicks (Grease), Clay Aiken (Spamalot), Diana DeGarmo(Hairspray), Josh Strickland (Tarzan), Tamyra Gray (Rent, Bombay Dreams), and Constantine Maroulis (The Wedding Singer, Rock of Ages).

"American Idol" airs on Tuesday and Wednesday nights on Fox at 8PM EST.