“The guys overall, maybe about five or six of them, were just stronger and stood out more than the girls,” Cowell told reporters on a conference call yesterday. “But I’ve said this in the past and been wrong. Anything can happen.”

He added that last year’s crop was a bit too similar for some. With four judges this season, Idol promises to hold a bit more excitement than it did last year.

Since David Archuleta is from Utah, a “thank you” concert for local fans seemed like a natural. But American Idol kibboshed his plans.

Widynowski did not go into detail as to why Archuleta could not perform at the E Center — but just said that the Murray High School student simply could not appear at the non-American Idol sanctioned event.

Widynowski said the “thank you” concert would instead be postponed to a later date, which was not set. However, the agent said it would have to wait until the American Idol tour concludes.

The good news for American Idol fans is that Archuleta will be returning, along with sanctioned cast members, when the American Idol tour hits their area on July 14th.