Is it just me, or did the Season 7 premiere of “American Idol” in Philadelphia seem less mean-spirited than usual?

I can’t help but think that the judges felt the burn once they realized that teasing Special Olympics athletes and those suffering from disease isn’t the best idea. So whether it was just kinder editing or a real change in philosophy, the show was a lot more fun to watch. Other than a bad-audition montage here and there, I felt a lot less dirty once it was over.

Turns out, the meanest “Idol”-related content I faced yesterday was posted by fundamentalist Claymates who didn’t like where Clay Aiken was ranked on my list of the Top 20 “American Idol” Contestants of All Time. The irony is I like Clay Aiken, but while some of his fans agreed with my analysis, posted kind words or respectfully disagreed, others were a little, um, never mind. Let’s just say I fear for my safety.

My breakdown of last night’s season premiere is after the break.

Joey Catalano, 19, from Mays Landing, N.J., lost 204 pounds and busts out with Maroon 5’s “Sunday Morning.” Nice man, decent pipes. And we have our first footage of a Season 7 contestant heading to Hollywood.

With a thick accent, Alaa “Youake” Youakeem, 25 of Jersey City, N.J., loves America and “American girls.” He’s basically a kinder, gentler Wild And Crazy Guy for the 21st century, except he’s from Egypt instead of the Czech Republic. Shortly after he explains that a girl has called him “Sexy Face,” he tells Simon Cowell he loves Paula Abdul because she’s a good singer. The camera catches a Cowell eye-roll. His Mr. Bee-Gees song doesn’t have the same charm and he departs with a gap-toothed smile.

Melanie Nyema, 26, of Los Angeles has a bright personality but a voice that’s totally mediocre. But since she has been a backup singer to Taylor Hicks—and my four talented and gorgeous female friends who made the trip to Philly were not—she makes it to Hollywood. In case you missed it, while voices are important, human interest stories will rule this season.

Tour guide James Lewis, 22, of Philadelphia—who has a perfectly normal speaking voice—makes me laugh very hard with a singing voice that sounds like Will Ferrell’s “Old School” character when he gets hit with a tranquilizer dart. And I feel awful, because he seems like a genuinely nice guy. But even he should know that asking “Would you like me to sing something else?” is almost always the kiss of death.

Cowell then tells a 16-year-old girl to shut up. But it comes across as more funny than mean.

Junot Joyner, 25, of Bowie, Md., is good. Jose Candelaria, 23, of Bayonne, N.J., sings unbreak my heart—beautifully—in Spanish. Jonathan Baines, 17, of Smyrna, Del., is only OK. They all make it through.

Temptress Browne, a 16-year-old middle linebacker on her football team, says she’s auditioning for her ill mother. Cut to an obese woman, with breathing tubes in her nose, who’s being wheeled around the holding room. They share a moment before Temptress sings “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going” as performed by Jennifer Hudson. Cowell and the gang try to let her down easy, but the tears start flowing and, oof, it gets a little rough. After Paula and Randy give Temptress a group hug, Simon comes up with the idea for the three judges to escort her out of the room in a supportive way. It’s a surprisingly touching moment for a round that’s notorious for snark.

Udgeet “Udi” Sampat, 28, of Horsham, Penn., works in finance. He does his best David Brent/Michael Scott impression, explaining how he gets the most out of his coworkers. He says one “creative way to lead a meeting” is by coming into work in a funny costume! And just like the bosses in the British and American versions of the “The Office,” Sampat even shows off his best dance moves before his audition. But to no avail.

Then we see the obligatory “bad auditioner” montage to Joan Jett and the Blackhearts’ “I Love Rock & Roll.” Thankfully, there’s only one of these in the two-hour show.

We meet Alexis Cohen, 23, an Allentown woman who’s studying to be a veterinarian. We see footage of her humble apartment, and because the audience has been warned before the break she’s the “scariest woman in Philadelphia,” I feel dirty for peeking in. She does a throaty, heavier version of Grace Slick’s “Somebody to Love,” and while the judges aren’t cruel, the slow boil begins. As soon as she steps out the door, Cohen unleashes a diatribe of expletives. And while she leaves “with dignity” and announces plans to go into “actressing,” Cowell compares her facial structure to that of Willem Dafoe. “Always be victorious,” she says, hoping to be discovered. “I hope to hear from you. I’ll be waiting!”

This awkward moment, thankfully, is followed by a supportive-family montage. This leads us to the comely 26-year-old Chicago single mother Angela Martin, whose young daughter has Retts Syndrome. Martin explains how she’s auditioning for “Idol” as a way to get the best care for her daughter, who has endured seizures, operations and all kinds of adversity. She perks up a bit when she walks into the judges’ room and sings a spirited, albeit slightly artificial, version of Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours.” While Simon asks her to de-wedding her singing style, she’s through to the next round. Good for her and her extended family, who seem like an incredible group of people.

Loud singer montage. One screams: “How do I get you aloooone?” Simon’s reply: “You wouldn’t.”

Milo Turk—ahem, “39”—of Absecon, N.J., starts singing his original song “No Sex Allowed” and Randy and Paula join in on the second half of the first chorus. Just bizarre. Thankfully, Simon notes that Turk is “too old,” so the judges don’t even get to say no.

You want a lock for the Top 12? Check out Kristy Lee Cook, 23, the kickboxing, horse-training natural beauty from Selma, Ore. Cute woman with a decent voice, but because she’s a rough-and-tumble country girl with a heart of gold and a voice with a hint of Underwood, she’s likely to be a hit with the text-voting Hannah Montana set. So, to use a phrase that ceased to be relevant three years ago, lock it up.

The “love” song of 32-year-old Paul Marturano was simultaneously hysterical and creeptacular. Paula, change your cell phone number immediately.

Beth Stalker, a single mom whose face kind of looks like Scarlett Johannson’s, represents Grand Blanc, Mich., and exhibits a smoky tone on “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” that doesn’t scream pop. But Randy and Paula like it enough to send her to Hollywood.

Ben Haar, 27 of Newark, Del., who appeared earlier in the episode to reveal himself in a Princess Leia slave costume, returns with a waxed chest per Paula’s request. He gets out about three words of the Pussycat Dolls’ “Dontcha” before Simon dismisses him. Haar, a good sport, smiles and walks out the door.

Chris Watson, 20, Deleware, sings Uncle Kracker’s “Follow Me” and sounds a little like Babyface. He’s got the vibe and the look down pat, and while he sings a song with about a four-note range, he does it well and makes it to Hollywood.

Christina Tolisano, 24, from Enfield, Conn., is a self-described “Star Wars” fan, if you couldn’t tell by her Princess Leia ear-buns or her giant “Star Wars” belt buckle. (“Duh,” as she says repeatedly.) She’s just average on “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me” and again, the judges actually let her down easy. But once she walks out the door, she says the show doesn’t want a dork. And as emotional as her rant was, I can’t pick on Tolisano; we dorks have to stick together.

Last, we meet 24-year-old Brooke White, a nanny of 1-year-old baby girls, who lives in Van Nuys, Calif. Neither she nor her husband of three years has seen an R-rated movie and she doesn’t smoke or drink, but she doesn’t need a bad-girl image to convince the trio of judges that she’s good enough for Hollywood.

Random thought about the episode: Did anyone notice all the ads for movies being released on Valentine’s Day? I’d complain about all the fluffy movies, but one of them stars Amy Adams. Mmm… Amy Adams. What? Huh? Oh, right. “American Idol.”

Some 100,000 people in seven cities auditioned for “Idol” this year. Twenty-nine made it to Hollywood from Philly. How many will come from Dallas? Find out tonight at 8 p.m. EST on Fox.

(Photos courtesy of Fox—in addition to Ryan and the judges, photos are Alexis Cohen and Ben Haar. Like you had to guess on the latter.)