The pain and suffering of watching hours of “American Idol” auditions is almost over and it’s time for the next great star to begin their journey on the stage.

After weeks of seeing auditions across the country, Fox’s “American Idol” contest is set to take shape. There’s only one problem that could end up with viewers experiencing an “Idol” overload.

Instead of one night of performances followed by a night of eliminations, this season there’s going to be two nights of singing leading up to the final farewell.

The top 24 were revealed Wednesday night, and next week the male and female contestants each will sing on Tuesday and Wednesday night, respectively, during two-hour shows starting at 8 p.m., followed by a shorter elimination show on Thursday.

One thing is certain, I’m going to have to make some room on the DVR.

And for those of you who keep an eye on spoiler reports – information that leaks out before a show is aired – a post made before Wednesday night’s finalist elimination made it clear that “Idol” contestant Shaun Barrowes wasn’t going to be part of the mix.

An online posting allegedly written by Barrowes popped up on several sites, including votefortheworst.com and the L.A. Times.

The statement included remarks about this season’s lack of variety, and that Barrowes was glad he didn’t sign the top 24 contract because he said “Idol” would “own me for three years.”

Maybe Simon should start making contestants sign a contract sooner that promises they won’t make disparaging remarks if they’re cut. But, as the saying goes, any publicity is good publicity.

An entertainment industry issue that has received a lot of press lately is the writer’s strike. While the strike was good for reality television viewers who got to see early releases of some of their favorites, it’s about to end.

The writers have reached an agreement that has given them some leverage (also known as more money) in the digital age and have agreed to come back to work. For reality TV, the impact won’t be great. Sure, some of the lame shows that popped up during the strike will disappear, but they were doomed from the beginning.