Brooke White

Brooke White

Brooke Elizabeth White (born June 2, 1983) is an American singer-songwriter and the fifth place finalist on the seventh season of American Idol.

Brooke Elizabeth White was born in Phoenix, Arizona, and raised in nearby Mesa with three younger siblings and her parents, Brad and Kaylene and is of English descent. She also has family members in Nova Scotia, Canada.

White currently resides in Van Nuys, California with her husband. White is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

White tried out for American Idol in Philadelphia, where she sang "Like a Star" and received a positive review from all the judges. During her audition, she admitted to never having seen an R-rated movie, prompting Cowell to state that he could "bring her over to the dark side." During the Hollywood week, White performed "Beautiful" by Carole King, accompanying herself on piano. After that performance, judges were quick to point out that Brooke reminded them of a young Carly Simon or Carole King.

Since top 24, White has accompanied herself on guitar for her performances of "You're So Vain", "Jolene", and "I'm a Believer", and on piano for "Let It Be", "Every Breath You Take", "Hero", and "I Am...I Said". Judge Simon Cowell chose White early as one of his four favorites in the competition when he appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show on March 17, 2008.

During the 1970s week, while White was performing "You're So Vain" by Carly Simon, she stared at Simon Cowell. It caught the judges' attention and received good reviews from them. White performed an acoustic version of "Love Is a Battlefield" by Pat Benatar in the next week to good reviews as well. During the Lennon/McCartney week, she performed "Let It Be", a classic song by The Beatles. Randy Jackson said it was a very heartfelt performance and Simon Cowell said it was one of the best of the night, believable, and he thought Brooke picked good song choices in the past three weeks.

Andrew Lloyd Webber was impressed the most by White and predicted a big night for her, but three lines into her performance of "You Must Love Me", White apologized, stopped the band, and re-started the song from the beginning. She later explained, "I lost the lyric." Simon Cowell stated that he would have done the same thing, had he been in her situation. It was the first time in the show's history that a contestant re-started a performance after a song had started (She previously started "Every Breath You Take" on an odd note, so she started over right at the beginning). Despite this, she was the third contestant on the April 23, 2008 results show to be named safe while Carly Smithson went home.

When White performed "I'm a Believer" and "I Am...I Said" during Neil Diamond week, she changed the lyrics, as suggested by Neil Diamond, in the latter song from "I'm New York City born and raised" to "I'm Arizona born and raised" to make the song her own.

White was in the bottom three twice, once on April 2 after her Dolly Parton song "Jolene" and again on April 16 after her Mariah Carey performance of "Hero". After her performance of Neil Diamond's "I'm a Believer" and "I Am...I Said", she was then eliminated from American Idol on April 30, 2008.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, White stated she will continue focusing on recording and that she received a call from Carly Simon. When asked about returning as a nanny of the twins, White said that the family joked that they would give her a raise if she went back, and she said that she didn't mind babysitting every once in a while.

Since her elimination, White has made appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on May 1, 2008, Live with Regis and Kelly and The Ellen DeGeneres Show on May 5, 2008, The Morning Show with Mike & Juliet on May 6, 2008, Good Day L.A. and Access Hollywood. She also filmed an appearance on MTV's Total Request Live on May 6, 2008.

While on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Ellen DeGeneres cut White's husband David's hair, since he had vowed not to cut it until Brooke was eliminated from Idol. She performed "You're So Vain" on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Live with Regis and Kelly, The Morning Show with Mike & Juliet and Access Hollywood.

White shot a video for the VH1 TV show Best Week Ever, called "Brooke White Starts And Stops The Classics". In the video, White mocks herself and starts and stops while singing some classic songs.

White returned to the Idol stage for the season finale, and performed along with the other Top 12 contestants. She also sang "Teach Your Children" with Graham Nash.

White has recently filmed a commercial with fellow finalists, Syesha Mercado and Carly Smithson, she has become the spokeswoman for “Save The World Summer”, a campaign launched by Malaria No More and Idol Gives Back.

In a recent interview, White stated that she won't sign a record deal until the tour is over.

White completed the American Idols LIVE! Tour 2008, which ran from July 1, 2008 to September 13, 2008. She performed "Let It Be" by the Beatles, "1234" by Feist, and "Yellow" by Coldplay (which is also included on White's debut album Songs From the Attic).

White was on the fall 2008 cover of Eliza magazine. The cover was accompanied by an eight page fashion story and article.

On September 27, 2008 (proclaimed by the mayor of Mesa to be "Brooke White Day"), Brooke White visited her hometown of Mesa, AZ, signing autographs at Milano Music Center and performing at the Mesa Amphitheater. The performance was free to the public; however, donations to Malaria No More were accepted. The event was sponsored by the Mesa Convention Center, Milano Music Center, and Malaria No More.

White also appeared at NAMM and did an impromptu performance of "You're So Vain" at the Gibson booth.

White's first CD, Songs from the Attic, was released by the independent label New Millennium Records Group in 2006, and was produced and co-written by Tim Simms.

White's first music video, "Free", was directed by Braden Barty and produced by Tim Simms. In the video, she acts out her story as a beauty school dropout who moves to Hollywood to pursue a singing career.

Songs From the Attic was re-released to US retail stores in July 2008.

White stated in an interview that she won't sign a record deal until the tour is over.

White has recently collaborated a song called "Life Is Okay" with American Idol fellow contestant Michael Johns.

White stated in an interview that she is currently recording an album. The single should be out within the next 45-60 days as of Jan 13, 2009, and she hopes to release an album soon. It is said in a blog on her official myspace that the album High Hopes and Heart Break will be relased on her birthday, June 2, 2009. It is also considered to be called "new Music Tuesday" as many artists will be releasing their albums or singles that day as well.

On January 31, White she said she signed with Sanctuary Artist Group instead of earlier reported Sanctuary Records. She also annouced her new album title, High Hopes and Heart Break.

On February 26, 2009, White returned to American Idol to perform her debut single "Hold Up My Heart", which was released on February 25th.

White cites her musical influences as the "soulful sounds of the 70s" such as the Carpenters, Carole King, Fleetwood Mac, James Taylor, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, the Eagles, America, Carly Simon, the Bee Gees, Hall & Oates, Joni Mitchell, Bonnie Raitt, and Phil Collins.

When asked on American Idol with whom she would like to do a duet, she named John Mayer as her choice for a modern artist. She also says if she could choose a partner for a "dream duet", she would choose Carole King, whom she cites as one of her main influences. She also cites Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood as her favorite former American Idol winners.

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American Idol (season 7)

The seventh season of American Idol, the annual reality show and singing competition, began on January 15, 2008 and concluded on May 21, 2008. Ryan Seacrest continued to host the show with Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson returning as judges. David Cook was announced the winner of the competition on May 21, 2008, defeating runner-up David Archuleta by a margin of roughly 12 million votes out of over 97 million, the highest recorded total in the show's history. The split was 56 percent to 44 percent.

The seventh season was the first season during which neither the winner nor the runner-up were ever in the bottom two or three during any week before the finale on May 21, 2008. It was also the second season during which both the winner and the runner-up were male contestants, with the second season being the first.

The show made some changes for the seventh season, including: allowing contestants to play musical instruments, an element that originated on Australian Idol and can also be seen on Norway's Idol and Canadian Idol; building a brand new set; and creating a new introduction credit sequence. There would also be fewer celebrity mentors so that the producers could focus more on the contestants. The season finale also moved from the Kodak Theatre to the larger Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.

Contestants were required to be between the ages of 16 and 28 on July 28, 2007, and eligible to work in the United States. Those ineligible include former contestants who reached the top 40 of past seasons, those holding recording or management contracts, or those who are not US citizens or landed immigrants (i.e. permanent residents).

As in years past, the Hollywood round took place at the Pasadena Civic Center in Pasadena, over a period of four days. A total of 164 contestants were invited from the seven audition cities. This year the process was altered slightly to ensure that no talent would be prematurely dismissed.

On the first day, all of the contestants took the stage individually and sang for the judges. For the first time ever, contestants had the option of either being accompanied by the band or playing an instrument themselves. Some were shown playing the keyboard, guitar, or even the drums. If the judges approved of the contestant's performance, they received a "free pass" to the third day of auditions. Unlike previous seasons, contestants whose performances were not considered good enough were given a second chance on day two. They were required to line up on stage in small groups and sing a short segment of a song "a cappella." After each group had finished, the judges cut those they felt were not talented enough. Those who were not cut joined the recipients of the free passes on day three of the Hollywood round. Each of these remaining contestants sang with the band, as well as three backup singers, a setup similar to the one used in the semifinals and finals. This replaced the group performances required in past seasons. After each performance, the judges decided whether or not to cut the contestant. By the end of the day, only 50 contestants were remaining. The judges then deliberated on who would be in the Top 24, and their decision was revealed at the end of the process.

Daniel 'Danny' Anthony Noriega (born September 29, 1989 in Azusa, California) is a 18-year-old who auditioned in San Diego. He previously auditioned for Idol in season 6 and made it to Hollywood week but was cut in the first round. His elimination song was "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell. Shortly following his elimination, Noriega received an offer from Rosie O' Donnell to perform on her cruise.

Luke Menard (born December 1, 1978 in Crawfordsville, Indiana) is a 29-year-old) who auditioned in Omaha with "Bend and Break" by Keane. In Hollywood, he sang "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" by Christopher Cross and "Grace Kelly" by Mika. Previously, he auditioned for the sixth season in Memphis and sang "How Deep Is Your Love" but did not make it to Hollywood. Prior to Season 7 of Idol, he was a member of the a cappella group Chapter 6 and has toured with them for the past 6 years, as well as appearing on their albums and DVD. After leaving Idol, Menard was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. He successfully went through chemotherapy and will soon be undergoing radiation therapy.

David Cook (born December 20, 1982 in Houston, Texas) is a 26-year-old (25 at the time of the show) native of Blue Springs, Missouri who auditioned in Omaha, Nebraska. Cook's interest in music began early in life; he received his first guitar at the age of 2. Prior to Idol he worked as a bartender at the "Blank Slate" in Tulsa, where he would also occasionally play shows. He released an album entitled Analog Heart. He enjoys doing crossword puzzles in his spare time and calls himself a "word nerd." On May 21, 2008, he was declared winner over finalist David Archuleta. Since the Top 12 week, he has also been wearing an orange wristband to support a seven-year-old fan with leukemia. He was never in the "bottom three".

David Archuleta (born December 28, 1990 in Miami, Florida) is an 18-year-old (17 at the time of the show) from Murray, Utah who auditioned in San Diego. In 2003, at the age of 12, he sang on several episodes of the television show Star Search and went on to win the season finale and the $100,000 grand prize. On one episode, he competed against Alexandréa Lushington, who was a fellow semi-finalist this season. He was never in the "bottom three".

Syesha Mercado (born January 2, 1987 in Bridgeport, Connecticut) is a 22-year-old (21 at the time of that show) from Sarasota, Florida who auditioned in Miami. She is a student at Florida International University and has been singing and dancing since she was a child. During Hollywood week, she became ill and almost completely lost her voice. In preparation for her final audition, she went on voice rest and wrote down everything she had to say on a pad of paper. Prior to American Idol, she appeared on the aborted US version of Star Academy (known as The One: Making a Music Star when it aired on ABC in July 2006 for two weeks). Ironically, Kara DioGuardi, who was one of the coaches on the Endemol franchise, joined Idol for Season 8.

Jason Castro (born March 25, 1987) is a 21-year-old from Rockwall, Texas who auditioned in Dallas. He started in music playing the drums. In high school, he played for a band, Keeping Lions, which has since disbanded. In 2006, he appeared on Cheyenne Kimball's MTV reality TV series, as her real-life dating interest. Castro is the first person in his family, which is originally from Colombia, to be born in the United States. He is a student at Texas A&M University, with a construction science major and music minor. He began growing his hair out for dreadlocks during his senior year of high school.

Brooke White (born June 2, 1983 in Mesa, Arizona) is a 25-year-old (24 at time of show) nanny from Van Nuys, California who auditioned in Philadelphia. During her audition, she admitted to never having seen an R-rated movie, prompting Cowell to state that the show will "bring her over to the dark side." In 2005, she released an album titled Songs from the Attic under New Millennium Records.

Carly Smithson (born September 12, 1983 in Dublin, Ireland) is a 25-year-old (24 at the time of that show) professional singer and bartender/waitress from San Diego, California, where she has been living for the past three years. Smithson previously signed a recording contract with major USA label MCA Records and released an album in 2001 entitled Ultimate High under her birth name, Carly Hennessy. The album sold approximately 300 copies in the first three months following its release. Smithson was also a contestant in season five, but was dropped from the show due to a problem with her visa.

Kristy Lee Cook (born January 18, 1984) is a 25-year-old (24 at the time of that show) horse trainer from Selma, Oregon who sold her prized horse in order to afford the trip to audition in Philadelphia. In 2001, she was signed to a major label, Arista Nashville. Cook also signed with Britney Spears' production company, and Spears herself was supposed to have a cameo in Cook's first video. At the time of signing, she was managed by the former manager of LeAnn Rimes. In 2005, she released a CD called Devoted with Ren-Hen Records. Since appearing on the show, Kristy Lee Cook has released an album entitled "Why Wait", which peaked on #8 on the Billboard country charts. The album contained a single, "15 Minutes of Shame", which peaked in the Top 30 on the Billboard country charts. As of December 2008, she has been dropped from Arista Nashville.

Michael Johns (born as Michael Lee on October 20, 1978 in Perth, Western Australia) is a 30-year-old (29 at the time of that show) Australian rock/soul singer/songwriter. He moved to the United States from Australia in 1998 and lived in Buckhead (Atlanta) for six years, performing at local venues solo and with local band Film. He has since lived in Los Angeles, California. After recording a demo and traveling to Los Angeles to showcase for a number of labels in 2001, he signed with Maverick Records and formed a rock band called The Rising. Before focusing on his singing career, he was a sportsman, winning a tennis scholarship and playing Australian rules football for the USAFL club Atlanta Kookaburras.

Ramiele Malubay (born September 6, 1987 in Saudi Arabia) is a 21-year-old (20 at the time of that show) Filipino-American from Miramar, Florida who auditioned in Miami. She was raised in the Philippines. Prior to auditioning on Idol, she was a nursing student at Broward Community College and worked part-time at a sushi restaurant. She started Polynesian Dancing when she was in the first grade and started singing at the age of twelve. Since the age of 12, Ramiele has sung at various Filipino-American events..

Chikezie (born Chikezie Eze on September 11, 1985 in Inglewood, California) is a 23-year-old (22 at the time of that show) Nigerian American from Inglewood, California who auditioned in San Diego. During the competition, he dropped using his last name because it was so frequently mispronounced ('eh-zee' and not 'EE-zee').He previously auditioned for the show's sixth season, and made it into the Hollywood Round, where he was cut before the top 44. Before auditioning for Idol, he worked as a TSA officer at Los Angeles International Airport.

Amanda Overmyer (born October 26, 1984) is a 24-year-old (23 at the time of that show) Harley-riding nurse from Mulberry, Indiana who auditioned in Atlanta. She received a nursing degree from Ivy Tech Community College and deals predominantly in respiratory issues. She has been the lead singer of several local hard rock bands, including Steeleto and Ruinaces. Before Hollywood week, she was in a near-fatal car accident. She is engaged to Casey Taylor. Since her elimination, she has been slated to play at The Whisky a Go Go bar in West Hollywood, and is also reportedly in talks to play her real-life musical influence Janis Joplin in a film about the aforementioned bar. Since appearing on the show, Amanda has released a rock album entitled "Solidify". The album is only available on the official Amanda Overmyer website as of January 3, 2009.

David Hernandez (born May 31, 1983 in Glendale, Arizona) is a 25-year-old (24 at the time of that show) from Glendale, Arizona and a student at Arizona State University with a major in Broadcast Journalism. He gave up his apartment to move to Hollywood. Until September 30, 2007, Hernandez worked as a male stripper named "Caden" at Dick's Cabaret in Phoenix, Arizona, performing fully nude and giving lap dances to male patrons. This did not prevent his being on the show.

During the Hollywood weeks, "Hollywood's Not America" by Ferras played when contestants were eliminated, while "Best Days" by Graham Colton was the elimination song for the semi-finals round. For the finals, season 2 winner Ruben Studdard remade Kenny Loggins' "Celebrate Me Home" as the exit song.

The contestants also performed medleys of songs from that week's theme.

In addition, songs are played during the elimination night to promote an artist, single, album, or the show itself. Included is a list of those songs with their Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Digital Songs reactions. This chart does not include finale performances.

1 Due to the Idol Gives Back special airing on the show's regular Wednesday results night, the results show was moved to Thursday.

2 From this point forward, neither the bottom 3 nor bottom 2 contestants were explicitly identified.

This season, American Idol has partnered with iTunes to make available for sale exclusive performance videos and full length studio recordings of the songs contestants performed on the show. In order to keep the competition fair, these singles are not allowed to appear on iTunes sales charts until after the finale. As a result only David Cook and David Archuleta's songs charted.

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Here Comes the Sun

The song, one of Harrison's best-known Beatles contributions alongside "Something", originated from a songwriting collaboration between Harrison and close friend Eric Clapton called "Badge," recorded by Clapton's group Cream, and featuring an arpeggiated guitar riff that is similar to the one that forms the bridge of "Here Comes the Sun". 1969 was a difficult year for Harrison: he was arrested for marijuana possession, he had his tonsils removed, and he had temporarily quit the band. The song was written while Harrison was away from all of these troubles.

Harrison sang lead vocals and played acoustic guitar and Moog synthesizer. Paul McCartney sang backing vocals and played bass guitar. Ringo Starr played drums, with all three Beatles providing handclaps. John Lennon did not contribute to the song as he was recovering from a recent car crash (he was also absent from George Harrison's "Long, Long, Long"). Unnamed musicians played violas, cellos, double bass, piccolos, flutes, alto flutes, and clarinets.

Harrison capoed his guitar on the 7th fret, resulting the final key of A major. He also used the same technique on his 1965 song "If I Needed Someone," which shares a similar melodic pattern.

Harrison, McCartney and Starr recorded the rhythm track in 13 takes on 7 July, 1969. Towards the end of the session Harrison spent an hour re-recording his acoustic guitar part. The following day he taped his lead vocals, and he and McCartney recorded their backing vocals twice to give a fuller sound.

A harmonium and handclaps were added on 16 July. Harrison's guitar solo was overdubbed on 6 August, and the orchestral parts were added on 15 August. Here Comes The Sun was completed four days later with the addition of Harrison's Moog part.

The song was covered by reggae artist Peter Tosh and released as a hit single; another popular Jamaican version was released in 1971 by singer and producer Rupie Edwards on his Success label. Additionally, American folk singer Richie Havens saw his 1971 version reach #16 in the U.S.

The most successful UK cover was by Steve Harley who reached number 10 in 1976. Singer/pianist/songwriter Nina Simone also recorded the song on an album with the same title: Here Comes the Sun (1971). The German bandleader James Last also made a cover version, taking the style of the song sung by Richie Havens as a basis for a version sung on his Beachparty2 album in 1971. In 2002 Linda Eder covered this song as the first track on her Gold album. It had been recorded on 19 November 2001 - just 10 days before the death of writer George Harrison. A recent cover (instrumental) by Bill Laswell appears on the album OHM Shanti by Asana (2005), and on the album Una Guitarra, Un Sentimiento (2005) by classic Latin guitar master Pedro Guasti. The pop/rock singer Paul Monday (aka Gary Glitter) also recorded the song and issued it as a single in 1969. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds have also covered the song.

The song was also performed by George Harrison and Paul Simon in a televised appearance on Saturday Night Live, in 1976.

There is a live cover by Belle and Sebastian recorded in Belfast in 2001 included on their BBC Sessions album released in 2008.

Les Fradkin has an instrumental version on his "While My Guitar Only Plays" CD with Nokie Edwards of The Ventures on 2nd guitar.

Acen sampled the song for the Breakbeat Hardcore track "Close Your Eyes," but copyright issues led to its removal from some releases.

The Punkles did a Punk cover of this song on their fourth Album "For Sale".

Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora also performed the song as a tribute to Harrison after his death.

Lindsey Buckingham performed an acoustic solo guitar version of the song on New Year's Eve, 2001 as a tribute after Harrison's death.

Voodoo Glow Skulls recorded a cover of this song for their album Who Is, This Is?.

Sheryl Crow recorded a version of this song for Jerry Seinfeld's Bee Movie played at the end of the movie and over the end credits.

Brooke White performed the song on American Idol in 2008 during "The Beatles" week (Top 11).

Rockapella recorded the song for their 2002 album Smilin'.

Sarah Bettens covered this song as a b-side to her single Stay from her album Scream.

Travis covered Here Comes The Sun as a b-side on their single Flowers In The Window.

George Benson has also covered it.

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American Idol

American Idol (American Idol: The Search for a Superstar in season 1) is an American singing competition airing on Fox. It debuted on June 11, 2002, and has since become one of the most popular shows on American television. Part of the Idol franchise, it is a spinoff from the reality program Pop Idol, which was created by British entertainment executive Simon Fuller and first aired in 2001 in the United Kingdom.

The program seeks to discover the best singer in the country through a series of nationwide auditions. The American public decides the outcomes of the later stages through phone voting. The judges give critiques of the contestants' performances: Grammy award-winning record producer and music manager Randy Jackson; Grammy award-winning pop singer and Emmy award-winning choreographer Paula Abdul; music executive and TV producer, A&R Executive, Record label Manager Syco, Music Manager Simon Cowell; and Grammy award-nominated singer-songwriter and record producer Kara DioGuardi. The format originally featured three judges, with Kara DioGuardi added in the eighth season.

The show is hosted by television personality Ryan Seacrest. Comedian Brian Dunkleman co-hosted with Seacrest during season 1. The American Idol band is led by Rickey Minor.

The show usually airs on Tuesday and Wednesday nights in the United States and Canada, Wednesday and Thursday nights in Australia & Asia, and Thursday and Friday nights in the United Kingdom.

Before contestants get the chance to see the show's judges they go through two sets of cuts: the first consists of a brief audition in front of one or two of the show's producers with three other contestants. Contestants are then either sent through to the next round of producers or are asked to leave. Only about 100–200 contestants in each city make it past this round, a small percentage of the tens of thousands of people who show up to audition in each city.

Singers are not permitted to have any current record deals or talent management agreements (though they may have had one at some point in the past). They must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents eligible to work full-time and, for the first three seasons, had to be 16 to 24 years of age on October 19 of the year of audition. Since season 4, the upper age limit was raised to 28 with an earlier cutoff date, August 4.

Others who are ineligible to compete include those who have made it into the top 40 contestants in past seasons (or the top 50 of season 7), and people employed by affiliates of Fox, FremantleMedia or 19 Entertainment (including sponsors, subsidiaries and parent companies). Even if a person is eligible, he or she may not have a chance to audition or be seen because the show can see only a limited number of people in each city.

Auditioning contestants must bring with them to the audition a valid proof of age and work eligibility, such as a birth certificate and driver's license, a passport, or a green card, and those under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. All auditioning contestants are required to print out a copy of the release form (available on the show's web site) to fill out and turn in at the audition in order to grant permission to be seen and heard by the producers' cameras. Contestants who are found to have given false information are disqualified. After auditioning—regardless of the outcome (even if eliminated on the very first cut)—contestants are under contract with the show until three months after the final episode.

In an interview with Anderson Cooper on the CBS TV current affairs show 60 Minutes on March 17, 2007 (repeated in extended format on CNN's AC 360 program on March 27, 2007), judge Simon Cowell openly declared that the underlying primary purpose of the Idol franchise (including American Idol) was for 19 Entertainment (the parent corporation that produces the Idol TV shows) to discover new singing talent that can be signed to recording agreements that the corporation maintains with a major record company (Sony/BMG), and benefit from the record sales of contestants and winners who are exposed to the worldwide marketplace through the TV shows. Cowell indicated that revenue from recordings by performers associated with the Idol franchise has already exceeded US $100 million. 19 Entertainment also retains exclusive right of refusal for management and merchandising of any contestant. Exercising management rights is at the sole discretion of 19 Entertainment; in the alternative the contestant performer is free to pursue his or her own career.

Once in Hollywood, the contestants perform on different days, with eliminations by the judges on each day. The first day typically has each hopeful sing a song that they had selected from a list. In the next round, the contestants split themselves into small groups and perform a song together. In the final round, the contestants perform a song of their choice a cappella.

Starting in the 2008 season, the structure of the Hollywood round was revamped. There were no longer musical group rounds (the group round was reintroduced in the 2009 season); rather, the contestants would sing on the first day and if the judges felt the performance was adequate, the contestant moved onto the final Hollywood round. If the performance was not up to par, the contestant would have one more chance to impress the judges before the final round. For the first time, contestants were allowed to perform with a musical instrument if they so desired.

In the first three seasons, the semifinalists were randomly split into different groups. Each contestant would then sing in their respective group's night and the top two or three, depending on season, who received the most votes from America in each group would advance to the finals. In season 1, there were three separate groups and the top three contestants from each group made it to the finals. In seasons 2 and 3, there were four groups of eight and the top two contestants would move onto the finals.

The first three seasons each featured a Wildcard show in that contestants who failed to make it to the finals would be allowed to perform once more for a chance at a spot. In season 1, only one Wildcard contestant would be chosen by the judges. However, in seasons 2 and 3, each judge would champion one contestant and the public would advance the fourth Wildcard contestant into the finals. In the season 2, a few hopefuls who had failed to make the semifinals were selected by the judges to compete in the Wildcard round. In season 3, the judges eliminated four contestants from the Wildcard round before they had the opportunity to sing.

From season 4 to 7, the semifinals were cut down to 24 contestants who were divided by gender in order to ensure an equal division in the top 12. The men and women would sing on sequential nights and the bottom two would be eliminated from each group on the results show until the top 12 finalists were left.

In season 8, the semifinals will go back to the basic form of the first three seasons. There will be 36 semifinalists who are then divided into three semifinal groups. The three finalists with the highest number of America's votes, one male, one female and the next top vote getter, will advance to the finals. The Wildcard round will also return with the judges choosing four previously eliminated contestants to advance to the finals.

In the finals, which last 11 weeks, each finalist out of all of the contestants performed a song live in prime time from a weekly theme (two songs in later rounds) at CBS Television City in Los Angeles in front of a live studio audience. Themes have included Motown, disco, big band music, and Billboard #1 hits. Some themes are based on music recorded by a particular artist, and the finalists have a chance to work with that artist in preparing their performances. Artists around whom themes have been based include The Beatles, Billy Joel, Neil Sedaka, Mariah Carey, The Bee Gees, Barry Manilow, Rod Stewart, Gloria Estefan, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Neil Diamond, Queen, Bon Jovi, Diana Ross, Dolly Parton, and Elvis Presley. Once in the top four and five, the contestants sing two songs each; once in the top three and finale, the contestants sing three songs each.

Following each performance episode, a results show airs that reveals the breakdown of the voting public's decision. The most popular contestants are not typically revealed (although they have been in very rare cases), but the bottom three least popular contestants are typically called to the center of the stage. From the bottom three, the bottom two are revealed, until finally the contestant who received the lowest amount of votes is eliminated from the competition. A montage of the contestant's experience is played and they give their final performance.

In the finale, one remaining contestant is declared the winner. Until the 2008 season, the stage was moved to the Kodak Theatre for the finale showdown, where the two remaining contestants perform for an audience of at least 3,400. In 2008, the venue was changed to the Nokia Theatre, which holds an audience of over 7,000. The winner is announced at the following results show. The winner receives a $1,000,000 (US) record deal with a major label, and is managed by American Idol-related 19 Management. In some cases, other finalists have also been signed by the show's management company (who has first option to sign contestants) and received record deals with its major label partner.

Fox, along with other networks, initially rejected American Idol. However, Rupert Murdoch, head of Fox's parent company, was persuaded to buy the show by his daughter Elisabeth who was a fan of the British version. Through word-of-mouth generated by the appeal of its contestants and the presence of acid-tongued British judge Simon Cowell, the show grew into a phenomenon.

The first season of American Idol debuted without hype as a summer replacement show in June 2002 on the Fox network. It was co-hosted by Ryan Seacrest and Brian Dunkleman. The show ran for 13 weeks from June–September. An estimated 50 million people watched the finale in September 2002.

The winner, Kelly Clarkson, signed with RCA Records, the label in partnership with American Idol's 19 Management. Immediately post-finale, Clarkson released two singles, including the coronation song, "A Moment Like This". Clarkson has since released three successful albums—Thankful, Breakaway, and My December. Her fourth album All I Ever Wanted will be released on March 10, 2009. Clarkson was the first contestant ever to win a Grammy and has gone on to receive several awards and sell over 20 million records worldwide.

Runner-up Justin Guarini also signed with RCA Records, eventually debuting an album in 2003 after the conclusion of season 2. RCA dropped him shortly after its debut. Guarini went on to form his own entertainment company and independently produced a jazz album in 2005, and is a host/commentator for the TV Guide Network.

In addition to Clarkson and Guarini, also signed were Nikki McKibbin (3rd), Tamyra Gray (4th), R. J. Helton (5th), and Christina Christian (6th). Tamyra Gray was signed, but was dropped before releasing an album. She then signed with Idol creator Simon Fuller's new label 19 Entertainment, released her debut album in 2004, and was dropped from that label in 2005.

The show inspired a 2003 musical film, From Justin to Kelly, featuring Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini. The musical love story, produced by Idol's Simon Fuller, was filmed in Miami, Florida over a period of six weeks shortly after the season ended. Released several months later in June 2003, the film failed to make back its budget during its short run in theaters, and is often ranked among the worst movies ever made.

Starting September 30, 2006, the first season of American Idol was repackaged as "American Idol Rewind" and syndicated directly to stations in the US.

Following the success of season 1, the second season was moved up to air in January 2003. The number of episodes increased, as did the show's budget and the charge for commercial spots. Dunkleman left the show, and Seacrest surfaced as the lone host. Kristin Holt was originally announced to be added as a co-host, but upon airing, her role was reduced to special correspondent.

This time, Ruben Studdard emerged as the winner, with Clay Aiken as runner-up. Out of 24 million votes recorded, Studdard finished 130,000 votes ahead of Aiken. There was discussion in the communication industry about the phone system being overloaded, and that more than 150 million votes were dropped, making the voting suspect. Since then, the voting methods have been modified to avoid this problem.

In an interview prior to season 5, a statement by executive producer Nigel Lythgoe suggested that Aiken had led the fan voting from the wildcard week onward until the finale. Aiken became the first non-winning contestant to have a U.S. Hot 100 number-one with "This Is the Night".

In addition to Studdard and Aiken, Kimberley Locke (3rd), Josh Gracin (4th), and Carmen Rasmusen (6th) have signed with various record labels.

The show caused controversy when contestant Frenchie Davis was disqualified from the competition when topless photos of her surfaced on the Internet. Shortly afterwards, she landed a role in the Broadway musical Rent, and continues to work on Broadway.

Also, after the end of the contest, Studdard sued 205 Flava, Inc. for $2 million for using his image for promotional purposes. Flava responded by alleging that Studdard had accepted over $10,000 in return for wearing 205 shirts, and produced eight cashed checks to validate their claim. The case was settled out of court.

In 2005, contestant Corey Clark (whom producers disqualified because he had not disclosed a police record) alleged that he and judge Paula Abdul had an affair while he was on the show and that this contributed to his removal. Clark also alleged that Abdul gave him preferential treatment on the show due to this affair. A subsequent investigation by an independent counsel hired by Fox "could not corroborate the evidence or allegations provided by Mr. Clark or any witnesses".

American Idol Rewind started re-airing this season in the fall of 2007.

The third season of American Idol premiered on January 19, 2004. American Idol was ranked by Forbes as the most successful show of all reality television shows. By the end of its third season, the network profited more than $260,000,000. The winner of this season of American Idol was Fantasia Barrino, later known professionally as simply "Fantasia," and the runner-up was Diana DeGarmo. This was also the season that Golden Globe Award-, Grammy Award, and Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Hudson was discovered.

The early part of the season introduced William Hung, a UC Berkeley student, who received widespread attention following his off-key rendition of Ricky Martin's "She Bangs." His performance, as well as his positive attitude facing Simon's criticisms (a stark contrast to other hopeful contestants' confrontational, angry reactions), landed him a record deal with Koch Entertainment and made him over $500,000 in record sales. He also starred in a Cingular Wireless commercial with host Ryan Seacrest.

During the season, controversy over the legitimacy of the contest increased as rocker Jon Peter Lewis and young crooner John Stevens stayed afloat while others, such as Jennifer Hudson, who had become a favorite to win, were unexpectedly eliminated. Jasmine Trias, despite negative comments from Simon Cowell over her later performances, survived elimination and took the third spot over La Toya London. Trias later released a CD and attracted fans in her home state of Hawaii, the Philippines, Singapore, Guam and other South East Asian countries. The third season was also shown in Australia on Network Ten about half a week after episodes were shown in the U.S.

After a nationwide vote of more than 65 million votes in total—more than the first two seasons combined—Fantasia Barrino won the American Idol title over runner-up Diana DeGarmo. She released her first single in June 2004 on the RCA record label. The single included "I Believe"—co-written by former Idol contestant Tamyra Gray (who also sang backup)—which Fantasia performed on the finale of Idol, the Aretha Franklin hit "Chain of Fools" (released before on an American Idol compilation), and her signature version of "Summertime". The single entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number one, making Fantasia the first artist in the history of Billboard to debut at number one with their first single. The song remained at the number one for one week (it topped the sales chart for 11 weeks in the US and 10 weeks in Canada). Fantasia's CD, I Believe, went on to become the top selling single of 2004 in the U.S. and has since been certified double platinum by the CRIA and received 3 Billboard Music Awards. In 2006, she received 4 Grammy nominations for her double platinum debut album Free Yourself.

Sales of Diana DeGarmo's first CD, Blue Skies, suffered partly from a lack of promotion by RCA. DeGarmo eventually asked to be released from her RCA record contract. She received a role in the Broadway production of Hairspray, where she played the part of Penny Pingleton from February 7 May 21 to positive reviews. DeGarmo then starred with Melba Moore in the national tour of Brooklyn the Musical through mid-August. On September 8, she returned to the Broadway production of Hairspray to once again assume the role of Penny Pingleton for a six month period. DeGarmo is also working independently on a second album while performing in the musicals. She recently appeared on the CMT reality show Gone Country.

Jasmine Trias signed with an independent label. Although she has failed to achieve commercial success in the mainland USA, she has become a major celebrity in other countries, such as the Philippines and Japan, where she is signed with Universal Records.

La Toya London signed with Peak Records and released an R&B/soul album, "Love & Life," selling 55,000 copies. Her single, "Appreciate/Every Part of Me/All by Myself," charted at number 8 on the Billboard Singles Sales Chart, and her songs, "Appreciate," "Every Part of Me," and "State of My Heart," all received moderate success on urban and adult contemporary radio. She starred in the Los Angeles revival of the retro-musical, "Beehive," and also starred with Angie Stone and Kim Fields in the tour of the play, "Issues: We All Got 'Em." London played the role of Nettie in the touring production of the Broadway musical, The Color Purple, which began with an extended run in Chicago, Illinois in April, 2007. The musical also starred Michelle Williams of Destiny's Child.

George Huff signed with Word Records to release a gospel album and has since had mild success in that genre. John Stevens landed a deal with Maverick Records but was dropped due to low album sales.

Jennifer Hudson starred alongside Beyoncé Knowles and Jamie Foxx in the 2006 feature film Dreamgirls and won several honors and awards, including a Golden Globe for her performance and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. The soundtrack to Dreamgirls, featuring Hudson's acclaimed version of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," reached Number One on the Billboard Top 200 album chart on January 10, 2007, after five weeks in release. Her latest picture, is the movie Sex and the City, based on the television series. Hudson plays a secretary for Sarah Jessica Parker's character, looking for love. Hudson, who signed a recording contract with Clive Davis' Arista label in late 2006, released her debut album in September 2008. In 2009 she received 4 Grammy Award nominations and won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album. She has also won 4 NAACP Image Awards, 2 BET Awards, 2 Black Reel Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award and a BAFTA.

Camile Velasco returned to the Philippines in December 2004 after 17 years for a whirlwind tour of television appearances and a concert with Martin Nievera. In 2005, she signed to Motown Records, but left the label after a lack of promotion for her first single. Camile performed at several concerts in Hawaii, California and Illinois, maintaining her ambition to become an artist. In 2006, she appeared in a Black Eyed Peas video and performed in Hawaii, California, Nevada, New Jersey, New York and the Philippines. Camile is now writing and producing her own songs on Up Above Records.

In May 2005, Telescope announced that the third season had a total of approximately 360 million votes.

The fourth season of American Idol premiered on January 18, 2005. It was the first season in which the age limit was raised to 28, in order to increase variety. All season 4 contestants had to be between the ages of 16 and 28 on August 4, 2004, born on or between August 5, 1975 and August 4, 1988. Among those who benefited from this new rule were Constantine Maroulis (born September 17, 1975) and Bo Bice (born November 1, 1975), considered to be the eldest and somewhat most experienced of the season's Idol contestants. They were also constantly mentioned by Seacrest and in the media as "the two rockers", since their long hair and choice of rock songs made them stand out from conventional Idol standards. The presence of more rock-oriented contestants continued with Chris Daughtry in season 5, who was inspired to audition for the show by Bice.

This season also implemented new rules for the final portion of the contest. Instead of competing in semi-final heats in which the top vote-getters are promoted to the final round, 24 semi-finalists were named; 12 men and 12 women, who competed separately, with two of each gender being voted off each week until 12 finalists were left. This was in response to season 3 results, which produced a Top 12 of eight women and just four men.

Mario Vazquez, who was originally one of the top 12, dropped out of the competition on March 11, just days before the top 12's first performance, citing "personal issues", opening a spot in the final 12 for Nikko Smith (son of Baseball Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith), who had been voted off in the semi-finals the previous week.

The winner was Carrie Underwood, a country singer. Carrie Underwood's first single, "Inside Your Heaven", was released on June 14, 2005. The single debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, with first-week sales of 170,000 copies, and briefly stopped Mariah Carey's run at #1 with "We Belong Together". One week later, runner-up Bo Bice released his version of the song, which debuted at #2. The B-side of Underwood's CD was "Independence Day", a cover of the Martina McBride hit. On November 15, 2005, Carrie released her debut album, Some Hearts, which both debuted and peaked at #2 on Billboard. Underwood's first single, "Jesus, Take the Wheel" was made available for radio airplay on October 18, 2005. The single also debuted at #48 on the Billboard Hot 100 where it peaked at #20.

Bo Bice's first single "The Real Thing" has appeared on American Top 40 radio. Although Bice's sales did not match that of Underwood, he stands as the third-most successful recording artist to not win the American Idol title with RIAA platinum status. Third-place contestant Vonzell Solomon landed a role in a film, Still Green and a single on a Christmas album. Fourth-place contestant Anthony Fedorov has appeared in television shows such as Fear Factor, where he competed with season 2 contestant Carmen Rasmusen, winning second place, and has finished taping several episodes for a new MTV show to air in the fall. Federov will be performing in The Fantasticks on off-Broadway May through July 2007. Sixth-place contestant Constantine Maroulis has redone his rendition of "Bohemian Rhapsody" for a Queen tribute album, and released his first full-length solo album in 2007. Since August 2006, Maroulis has appeared in the Broadway musical The Wedding Singer and the now closed off-broadway play Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris and has appeared on CBS' The Bold & the Beautiful. Seventh-place contestant Anwar Robinson has released his self-titled EP on an independent label. Twelfth-place contestant Lindsey Cardinale's first single, "Nothing Like A Dream", was released in March 2006.

In May 2005, Telescope announced that the fourth season had a total of approximately 500 million votes.

On February 11, 2007, Carrie Underwood became the first winner of American Idol to sweep all three major music awards (American Music, Billboard, and Grammy Awards) in a single season (for 2006-2007),(2007-2008) & (2008-2009).

The fifth season of American Idol began on January 17, 2006; this was the first season of the series to be aired in high definition. It remains highest-rated season in the show's run so far. Auditions were in Austin, Boston, Chicago, Denver and San Francisco, with Greensboro, North Carolina and Las Vegas, Nevada included after the cancellation of the Memphis auditions due to Hurricane Katrina. The season used the same rules as season 4.

Taylor Hicks was named American Idol on May 24, 2006; he was the fourth contestant to never fall into any week's "bottom three". His first post-Idol single, "Do I Make You Proud", would debut at #1 and be certified gold. Hicks' album, Taylor Hicks, has sold 702,000 copies to date.

On May 30, 2006, Telescope announced that a total of 63.5 million votes were cast in the finale round. A total of 580 million votes were cast in the entire season. Taylor Hicks is the second American Idol winner from the city of Birmingham, Alabama (the first being Ruben Studdard), and the fourth finalist with close ties to the city.

The fifth-season contestant with the most commercial success is fourth-place finisher Chris Daughtry, now lead singer of the band Daughtry. Their eponymous debut album has sold over 5 million copies to date - surpassing former winners Studdard and Fantasia's respective two-album totals - and produced two top-ten singles. The album, which spent two weeks at #1 in the US, is also the fastest-selling debut rock album in Soundscan history.

As of November 2008: Runner-up Katharine McPhee's debut album has sold 374,000 copies; she has two Top 40 Billboard hits. Also notable: sixth-place finisher Kellie Pickler, whose Small Town Girl reached #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and has sold over 795,000 copies. Third-place finisher Elliott Yamin's eponymous debut album was certified gold and produced a platinum-selling single. Eighth-place finisher Bucky Covington's self-titled debut album has sold 384,000 copies and generated a top 20 and two top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. Ninth-place finisher Mandisa's True Beauty album earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album in 2007.

The sixth season began on Tuesday, January 16, 2007. The premiere episode of the season drew a massive audience of 37.7 million viewers, peaking in the last half hour with more than 41 million viewers. Jordin Sparks was declared the winner on May 23, 2007, at 10:05 EST, with a new record of 74 million votes in the finale against runner-up Blake Lewis.

Teenager Sanjaya Malakar was the season's most polarizing and talked-about American Idol contestant, as he continued to survive elimination for several weeks. The weblog Vote for the Worst and satellite radio personality Howard Stern both encouraged fans to vote for Sanjaya. However, on April 18, after over 38 million votes, Sanjaya was voted off.

The Top 6 singers performed inspirational music as a part of the first ever "Idol Gives Back" telethon-inspired event which raised more than $60 million in corporate and viewer donations. None of the singers were eliminated, and the votes from that week were added to the votes from the following week to eliminate two singers. Both weeks saw a two-hour extension of the regular two-hour voting window, and in the end, the two-week combined voting totaled 135 million votes.

A little over a month earlier, the show had launched the American Idol Songwriter contest which enabled fans to select the "coronation song" to be performed by whichever two contestants made it to the finale. In the songwriting contest, amateur songwriters were able to submit original songs they had written and recorded. A selection committee headed by Idol creator Simon Fuller then narrowed thousands of submissions down to twenty finalists. With "one online vote per fan," fans were able to listen to snippets from each song and rate them. When the ratings were tallied, the winning song was the ballad "This is My Now" co-written by Scott Krippayne and Jeff Peabody.

In the finale, both Jordin and Blake started the night off strong. However, the final song of the night was "This is My Now," the winner of the American Idol Songwriter contest. At the end of the episode, Ryan confirmed both Randy's and Simon's predictions announcing Jordin Sparks the season 6 winner of American Idol, after approximately 74 million votes.

Jordin Sparks first non American Idol single was the top hit (peaking at #8) Tattoo, which received platinum certification. Blake Lewis's single was Break Anotha!, which failed to chart the Billboard Hot 100.

Jordin's second single is the Billboard Hot 100 #3 hit No Air with Chris Brown. The song went to #1 in several countries, and also topped Billboard's Pop Airplay chart. The song had been certified platinum in April but recently passed the 2.5 million copies mark. The song peaked at #2 on Billboard's Pop chart, and became the biggest #2 ever (in terms of bullet). Jordin recently released a third single off her album, One Step At A Time, which has peaked at #17. Making Jordin the only American Idol contestant ever to have their first 4 singles become a Top 20 Hit. One Step at a Time has so far sold 1 million copies and is certified platinum.

Blake's second single "How Many Words" also failed to chart the Billboard hot 100, peaking only at 25 in the Bubbling Under chart (hot 100 equivalent = 125). Shortly afterward, Blake confirmed that he had been dropped by Arista records. His album sales are just over 300,000. The drop also canceled Blake's apparent plans for a third single release.

Phil Stacey, tied for fifth place with Chris Richardson, is now signed to Lyric Street and has released his first single If You Didn't Love Me. Tenth place finalist Chris Sligh recently released a Christian album after signing with Brash Music.

This season of American Idol produced two Top 3 contestants that were never in bottom 2 or 3, Jordin Sparks (the season 6 winner) and Melinda Doolittle (third place). They are joined by Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks as Top 3 contestants never to have been in the bottom 2 or 3.

Jordin recently signed a deal for a clothing line with Wet Seal. Wet Seal has stated in an interview that Jordin is the perfect teenage role model that kids look up to. The clothing line was released on November 19, 2008 and has sold astonishingly over $5 million of merchandise.

American Idol returned for its seventh season on January 15, 2008 for a two-day, four-hour premiere. David Cook was announced the winner of American Idol season 7 on May 21, 2008, with a record breaking 56% of the 97.5 million votes. Known for his rock-oriented cover versions, most of which he arranged himself, Cook was the first 'rocker' to win the show.

Prior to the start of season 7, Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe admitted that season 6 had placed more focus on the guest mentors than the contestants. Changes were planned for season 7 designed to return attention to the contestants by providing more information on their backgrounds and families. In addition, starting with the Hollywood rounds, contestants were allowed to accompany themselves on musical instruments.

On March 11, 2008, American Idol debuted a new state-of-the-art set and stage, along with a new on-air look. The two-night season finale, as announced by Seacrest, was broadcasted live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on May 20 and 21, 2008.

Idol Gives Back, which raised more than $75 million in 2007 for various charitable organizations, returned on April 9, 2008. It is said that the revenue earned from the April 9, 2008 event is comparable to the amount raised in 2007 and will be distributed by the Idol Gives Back Foundation.

The media noted that several of the season 7 semi-finalists had previously had record deals, including Kristy Lee Cook, Brooke White, Michael Johns, and Carly Smithson. (Eventual winner David Cook released an independent solo album and had finished recording a follow-up prior to his audition for the show, but he was never involved with a record label or contract.) Idol rules state that contestants may have had a record deal in the past, but are still eligible as long as they are no longer under contract when Idol begins. Former season 2 contestant Clay Aiken commented during an interview on The View in May 2008 about the general innocence of the contestants, that has increasingly been lost over the years. Aiken stated that the contestants are "increasingly more experienced than ever before".

The American Idol Songwriter contest, launched during season 6, was continued for this season. During the top two performance show, each contestant performed a song he had selected from the top ten vote getters, but neither of their selections was used as the “coronation song”. The winning song, "The Time of My Life", was recorded by David Cook and released on May 22, 2008. The song was certified platinum by the RIAA on December 12, 2008.

This season David Archuleta and David Cook joined Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, and Melinda Doolittle as the Top 3 contestants to never have been in the bottom 3 or 2. David Archuleta and Clay Aiken are the only runner-ups to have never been in the bottom 2 or 3. This season's finale was also the first time in the show's history where neither one of the Top 2 were ever in the bottom 3.

David Archuleta signed with Jive Records and his self-titled debut album was released on November 11, 2008. Archuleta's first single, "Crush", debuted at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Hot Digital Songs chart, giving it the highest single debut of 2008. The song has sold 1.5 million copies as of January 2009, making it one of the most successful singles ever from an Idol contestant. A second single from the album, "A Little Too Not Over You" has been released.

David Cook's debut album was released on November 18, 2008, on 19 Recordings / RCA Records and was certified platinum by the RIAA on January 22, 2009. Cook teamed with Grammy winning producer Rob Cavallo (Green Day, Kid Rock) on the album. A single from the album, "Light On", was released in September 2008.

1 None of the bottom 3 on the April 10 results show was sent back to safety before the elimination announcement. 2 From the Final 5 onward, only the names of the eliminated contestants were announced, with no mention of a bottom three or two.

The eighth season of American Idol began on January 13, 2009. Auditions began July 17. It has been revealed that this season will feature fewer drawn-out audition episodes and more half-hour result shows. Mike Darnell, the president of alternative programming for Fox, stated that this season the contestants will be more emotional and viewers will see more of their reality and emotional state. Also this season will have a fourth judge on the panel: record producer, singer and songwriter Kara DioGuardi.

After Fox and producers promised changes to the show, on August 4 showrunner and executive producer Nigel Lythgoe announced he was leaving "Idol" to focus on international versions of his other show So You Think You Can Dance. It was also announced that Idol Gives Back will not return this season due to the ongoing economic crisis and recession. In addition, the Hollywood round was moved to the Kodak Theatre for 2009 and was also extended to two weeks.

This season featured for the first time 36 semifinalists with 12 different semifinalists performing every Tuesday. The male, female, and the next top vote getter with the highest number of America's votes made it into the top 13. This season also featured the return of the Wild Card round, last used in season 3. The judges selected eight eliminated contestants. The plan was for them to select three of those to advance to the finals based on their singing on March 5. When the time came, they put through four instead of three.

Semi-Final #1 consisted of Jackie Tohn, Ricky Braddy, Alexis Grace, Brent Keith, Stevie Wright, Anoop Desai, Casey Carlson, Michael Sarver, Anne Marie Boskovich, Stephen Fowler, Tatiana Del Toro, and Danny Gokey. Gokey (top male vote getter), Grace (top female vote getter), and Sarver (next highest vote getter) advanced to the final 13.

Semi-Final #2 consisted of Jasmine Murray, Matt Giraud, Jeanine Vailes, Nick Mitchell, Allison Iraheta, Kris Allen, Megan Joy Corkrey, Matt Breitzke, Jesse Langseth, Kai Kalama, Mishavonna Henson, and Adam Lambert. Lambert (top male vote getter), Iraheta (top female vote getter) and Allen (next highest vote getter) advanced to the final 13.

Semi-Final #3 consisted of Kendall Beard, Taylor Vaifanua, Ju'Not Joyner, Scott MacIntyre, Nathaniel Marshall, Kristen McNamara, Jorge Nuñez, Felicia Barton, Lil Rounds, Von Smith, Arianna Afsar, and Alex Wagner-Trugman. MacIntyre (top male vote getter), Rounds (top female vote getter) and Nuñez (next highest vote getter) advanced to the final 13.

The Wild Card consisted of Von Smith, Jasmine Murray, Ricky Braddy, Megan Joy Corkrey, Tatiana Del Toro, Matt Giraud, Jesse Langseth and Anoop Desai. Murray, Corkrey, Giraud, and Desai advanced to the final 13.

American Idol is often noted for advertising its sponsors during the show's runtime. Idol showed 4,151 product placements in its first 38 episodes during season 7, according to Nielsen Media Research. Being the number-one-rated show in the United States, it costs around $700,000 for a 30-second commercial.

Coca-Cola is a major sponsor in the U.S., and all the judges, hosts, and contestants are seen consuming beverages out of cups bearing the Coca-Cola logo although video evidence suggests there is no liquid in the cups. Contestants and host Seacrest are shown gathering for a "Keeping it Real" segment between songs in the "Coca-Cola Red Room," the show's equivalent to the traditional green room. (During rebroadcast on ITV in the UK, the Coca-Cola logo is obscured in the shots.) In seasons 1 through 4, after every Wednesday results show, the host and remaining contestants meet in the Coca-Cola Red Room to discuss next week's theme; the footage of this meeting is shown at the start of the following Tuesday's performance show. The red room was removed in season 7 at the beginning of the top 12 when American Idol switched to a new stage. Highlights of the show were also featured on the official American Idol web site with a Coca-Cola logo surrounding them.

Products from the Ford Motor Company also receive prominent product placement; contestants appear in Ford commercials on the results shows, and the final two of seasons 4, 5 and 6 each won free Mustangs; the final two of season 7 received Ford Escape Hybrids. Previous contestants Kelly Clarkson and Taylor Hicks have been tapped to do commercials for Ford. Also, in the top 24's studio, in the red room there is a glass table with a Ford wheel inside of it. The camera routinely captures the logo.

Text voting is made possible by AT&T Mobility, formerly Cingular Wireless. AT&T created an ad campaign that centered around an air-headed teenager going around telling people to vote. This kind of branding to American Idol enabled AT&T to become the favored system to vote for many Americans (Jenkins 87).

Apple iTunes joined as a season 7 major sponsor in the U.S., and Ryan Seacrest notes during the program that all performances are available via iTunes. Video is regularly shown of contestants learning their songs by rehearsing with iPods. During season 8 iTunes has been promoted as the official source to download contestant performances. iTunes is listed in the closing credits as a sponsor of the show.

Kellogg and Pop-Tarts are also two major sponsors, especially of the cast tour that follows the end of every season. Guitar Hero was added as a sponsor during the season 7 tour. Promotion included demonstrations during intermission as well as a music video featuring the top 10 Idols. In addition, David Cook and David Archuleta appeared in “Risky Business” inspired Guitar Hero commercials that aired during the season 7 finale.

Jordin Sparks, the winner of the sixth installment of 'Idol', filmed a commercial promoting the new "American Idol Experience" attraction of the Florida theme park, Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Contestants will occasionally don Old Navy clothing during performances, and celebrity stylist Steven Cojocaru appeared in two previous seasons to assist contestants with picking out wardrobe pieces from Old Navy. Clairol hair care products also sponsors the show, with contestants usually getting Clairol-guided hair makeovers after the first two or three episodes during the round of 12.

This is just a small sampling. See above link for full article.

Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of American Idol on FOX. It is one of the highest-rated TV shows in the history of television.

American Idol's consistent dominance of an hour two or three nights a week exceeds the 30- or 60-minute reach of previous hits such as The Cosby Show. As a result, competing networks—whose personnel call the show "the Death Star"—have often rearranged their schedules in order to minimize losses. Conversely, FOX has used American Idol to help promote other programs on its schedule.

However, since Season Six, the show has shown a steady decline in viewership. On the season finale of the sixth season, the ratings of American Idol saw a drop of 19% from last year, when Taylor Hicks was crowned as the 2006 Idol. Ratings of the season finale peaked at 34.9 million viewers at 10 pm, just five minutes before Jordin Sparks was declared the winner of Idol.

Season Seven coincided with the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, which, according to early predictions would help the show's ratings by eliminating scripted competition (Idol, being unscripted, was unaffected by the strike). However, the ratings decline continued into season seven, starting with the premiere which was down 11% among total viewers and 13% among adults ages 18 to 49 from last year. The performance show featuring the top seven finalist was the lowest-rated Tuesday American Idol show in five years among adults ages 18 to 49. The subsequent results show, in which Kristy Lee Cook was eliminated, delivered American Idol's lowest-rated Wednesday among adults ages 18 to 34 since its first season back in 2002. Overall, ratings for the seventh season were down 10% from last season. General attrition of television audiences was the primary reason cited for this ratings decline.

Initial numbers for season 8 show further erosion, as numbers have fallen approximately 15% compared to similar episodes from season 7.

American Idol is broadcast to over 100 nations outside of the United States. In most nations these aren't live broadcasts and may be tape delayed by several days or weeks. Episodes are aired live in Canada, Australia & Israel (for most episodes), Malaysia, India, Indonesia, the Philippines and the Middle East on Starworld. In the instances where the airing is delayed, the shows are usually combined into one episode to summarize the results. Australia airs episodes just 5 hours after their US showing, MBC4 another Middle East Channel broadcasts American Idol 19 hours after its showing in the US most people may watch it on MBC4 as it is a free channel unlike Starworld where you have to pay for a showtime package to watch it, and the UK airs episodes 2 days after their US showing on digital channel ITV2. It is also aired in Ireland on TV3 Ireland 2 days after the showing. In Brazil, the show airs 8 days after the showing in the United States.

Currently American Idol is televised on TVNZ in New Zealand, Fox in the United States and Canada, MNET Series in South Africa, FOX8 in Australia,Channel5 in Singapore, ITV2 in the UK, Fox Life in Italy and Portugal, Global TV in Indonesia, 8TV in Malaysia, TV3 Ireland in Ireland, Star World in several parts of Asia, MBC4 in the Middle East and some parts of Asia aTV World in Hong Kong, QTV11 in the Philippines, TV3 Viasat in Denmark, Sub in Finland, TV4 in Sweden and on TV2 in Hungary.

From season 7 onwards, American Idol is exclusively being broadcast direct to Australia via satellite on FOX8 just seven hours after it's US premiere.

It also airs in Matamoros, Mexico in English because that market has a Fox affiliate that serve a US market. The broadcast is live, as it is in the Central time zone on XHRIO, while in the rest of the country, as of the rest of Latin America, the show is broadcasted and subtitled by Sony Entertainment Television.

On a detailed note, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Jennifer Hudson are the only three Idols to win Grammy Awards, although many of these Idols have been nominated numerous times. Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Hudson are the only Idols to win a Grammy for an album. Carrie Underwood is the only Idol to win the Best New Artist category. Jennifer Hudson is also the only Idol to be nominated for and to win an Academy Award. She won the Best Supporting Actress category in February 2007 for her performance as Effie White in the hit film Dreamgirls, based on the musical of the same name.

On February 7, 2008, The Walt Disney Company announced the development of "The American Idol Experience", a live attraction based on American Idol to be built at its Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. The show is co-produced by 19 Entertainment. The attraction opened on February 14, 2009, with many of the former Idol contestants present for the event. Park guests are able to audition and possibly perform in the live show. Winners are selected by a combination of audience vote and input from a panel of judges. Winners each day will have the chance to audition for the real TV series.

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Syarif Masahor

Sayyid Mashhur bin Muhammad Al-Shahab (commonly also known as Syarif Masahor or Sharif Masahor in Malayan contexts) (died 1890 in Singapore) was a famous Malay warrior of Hadhrami descent in Sarikei, Sarawak state, Malaysia during the Brooke White Rajahs era in that state.

Before the arrival of James Brooke, he was a powerful member who ruled and, in the past, like Datu Patinggi Abdul Gapur, he was very influential and respected due to both his charisma in uniting the people of different races and beliefs, and also due to his lineage.

James Brooke's expansion policy caused disturbance in many parts of Borneo. In the initial agreement between James Brooke and the Sultan of Brunei, Sarawak was only a territory which stretched from Tanjung Datu to Maong River (Sungai Maong). Syarif's territory was far away from the designated area. Brooke's encroachment into local leaders' territory caused many locals to rebel, including Syarif Masahor.

James Brooke departed for England at the end of 1857, leaving his nephew Charles behind to monitor the rule. This allowed Masahor to put his plans into action. In July 1859, Masahor and his army attacked Brooke's outpost near Bukit Rejang in Kanowit. During this attack, officers Charles Fox and Henry Steele were killed by Melanau people led by Sawing and Sakalai. This angered the British people throughout Kuching following the rebellion by the Chinese people.

In early 1860, Masahor ordered Temenggung Hayim Jalil from Brunei to go to Pontianak for a meeting with Abdul Gapur. In early February 1860 they mounted an assault on Kuching (at that time, Sarawak), according to Masahor's plan. Masahor and his army wanted to approach Kuching via the Sarawak River. In the battle that ensued, the British forces gained the upper hand when Charles Brooke succeeded in ambushing and destroying all Masahor's ships. Facing defeat, Masahor retreated to Brunei, where he would seek shelter from the British.

However, in 1861, James Brooke went to Brunei, in hopes of forcing the Sultan of Brunei to banish Syarif Masahor to Singapore once and for all. Masahor eventually arrived at Singapore, and he died there in 1890.

Even after the loss of Syarif Masahor, Datu Patinggi Abdul Gapur continued his resistance against the Brooke occupation of Sarawak through Pontianak. But the Dutch quickly captured him, and he was imprisoned in Betawi, Jawa.

Furthermore, most Malays in what was Sarawak at that time (presently Kuching) did not give support to Syarif Masahor and his resistance fighters because of their loyalty to James Brooke, as Brooke was deemed as a saviour from Brunei's tyranny. However, they in the same time did not give any support to James Brooke, as Syarif Masahor was claimed to be of holy lineage, descended from the Islamic prophet Muhammad himself. Malays, Melanaus and Dayaks from areas outside Kuching (largely Kanowit) rallied behind Syarif Masahor.

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