The Rushfield Review: Many are called, few will be chosen to survive 'Idol's' Hollywood Week

The field will be pared to the final 36, and it's likely many contestants won't be gracious losers.

Throughout its season, "American Idol's" executioner proceeds at an almost stately pace, dispatching a contestant a week to his or her greater reward and then taking a full week to catch his breath. But before contestants can enjoy such luxury, they first must survive Hollywood Week -- the demolition derby of the "Idol" season.

During Hollywood Week's four-episode run, which ends tonight with the mega-drama of the Green Mile episode, 140 young aspiring singers, freshly plucked from the tens of thousands who lined up to audition around the country, face their first true "Idol" test.

For the one-quarter who make the cut, the week will mark their transition from wannabes to genuine contenders for stardom. And for the viewers, Hollywood Week marks the greatest pure drama we will see all season -- rife with breakdowns, breakups, catfights and name-calling.

"It's my favorite part of the season because it's when you still have enough kids that it's fun," said "Idol's" executive producer (and head of Fremantle North America) Cecile Frot-Coutaz in a telephone interview. "You still have some train wrecks and car crashes and all of that stuff. . . . But, more importantly, it's the first time when you really start to figure out who you like.

"The reality is that it's one thing to see the kids sing a cappella in a hotel room on the road to seeing them step onstage at the Kodak Theatre. That's when you start to see the men from the boys, seeing if people can really handle this or not."