American Idol Season 11: Early Favorites Among the Boys

Twenty-four semi-finalists - 12 girls and 12 guys - have been named in the 11th season of American Idol. Tonight, the boys perform live and a male wildcard will be revealed. Then next week, it's the girls' turn to perform for America's votes.

The judges made their final decision on who should get on the "Idol" stage after the contestants were down to 42 in Las Vegas, with one final performance from each of the hopefuls being the most crucial factor in the decision.

After this, it was up to the voters to decide who will be the next American Idol.

Almost all the guys in the Top 24 have been doing pretty great throughout the pre-live stage rounds. But five of them stand out for their combined star charisma and singing power.

This list would have been six if Johnny Keyser were not sent home right before the Vegas rounds. But it was only right that he got a thumbs down. It seemed he needed a strong wake up jolt for idling when he is only a few steps away from his dreams. He and his group chose to while the time away and relax in the pool instead of practicing for their lasy Hollywood group performance. It's not something one would do in a race to the big dream.

David Leathers, Jr. should be given a chance as a wildcard semi-finalist. The kid has the vocal tone of a young Michael Jackson. When he sings the right song, he is delightful to the ears. Besides, out of the four named contestants for the wildcard slot, he is the only one who seems to have a good grasp of what it is like to be an entertainer under pressure, with or without a group.

Click start to get to know some of the best performers pre-live rounds this season.