American Idol

American Idol
American Idol title card
Format	Interactive talent show Reality show
Created by	Simon Fuller
Directed by	John Pritchett (live shows, 2008) Bruce Gowers (live shows, 2002–2008, 2009) Nigel Lythgoe (audition shows, 2002–2008, 2011–present) Ken Warwick, Gregg Gelfland (audition shows)
Presented by	Ryan Seacrest Brian Dunkleman (2002)
Judges	Randy Jackson Paula Abdul (2002–2009) Simon Cowell (2002–2010) Kara DioGuardi (2009–2010) Ellen DeGeneres (2010) Jennifer Lopez (2011–present) Steven Tyler (2011–present)
Theme music composer	Jeremy Sweet
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	9
No. of episodes	355 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Nigel Lythgoe (2002–2008, 2011–present) Ken Warwick Cecile Frot-Coutaz
Location(s)	Initial auditions: Various Hollywood auditions: Kodak Theatre Hollywood Semi-finals and finals: CBS Television City Finale: Nokia Theatre
Running time	Varies between 1/2 hour and 2 hours
Production company(s)	FremantleMedia North America 19 Entertainment
Distributor	FremantleMedia Enterprises
Broadcast
Original channel	Fox
Picture format	480i (NTSC) (2002-2005), 720p (HDTV) (2006-2010) 1080i (HDTV) (2011)
Original run	June 11, 2002 (2002-06-11) – present
Status	Returning
External links
Website

American Idol is a reality television competition to find new solo singing talent. Part of the Idol franchise, it was created by Simon Fuller as a spin-off from the British show Pop Idol. Debuting on June 11, 2002, as American Idol: The Search for a Superstar on the Fox network, the show has since become one of the most popular in the history of American television. It is currently the most-watched TV series in the Nielsen ratings and is the only program to have been number 1 for an unprecedented six consecutive seasons, surpassing All in the Family and The Cosby Show, which were both number 1 for five consecutive seasons.

The program aims to discover the best singer in the country where the winner is determined by the viewers. Through telephone and SMS text voting, viewers have chosen as winners Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, Kris Allen, and Lee DeWyze (listed in chronological order).

The series employs a panel of judges who critique the contestants' performances. The original three judges were Grammy Award-winning record producer and music manager Randy Jackson, Grammy Award-winning pop singer and Emmy Award-winning choreographer Paula Abdul and award-winning music executive and music manager Simon Cowell. The judging panel currently consists of Jackson, singer/actress Jennifer Lopez and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler.^[1] The show is hosted by Ryan Seacrest.

The show has been described by rival TV executives as "the most impactful show in the history of television."^[2] It has also become a recognized springboard for launching the career of many artists as bona fide stars. As Entertainment Weekly puts it, "It's given us Kelly, Carrie, Daughtry, and J. Hud. Idol rules the reality roost because the winners of Fox's ratings juggernaut actually do go on to greatness. And Taylor Hicks? He's the exception that proves the rule."^[3]

Contents 1 History 2 Judges and presenters 3 Selection process 3.1 Contestant eligibility 3.2 Initial auditions 3.3 Hollywood 3.4 Audience voting 3.5 Semifinals 3.6 Finals 3.7 Rewards for winner and finalists 4 Season synopsis 4.1 Show overview 4.2 Season 1 4.3 Season 2 4.4 Season 3 4.5 Season 4 4.6 Season 5 4.7 Season 6 4.8 Season 7 4.9 Season 8 4.10 Season 9 4.11 Season 10 5 Geographical bias 6 Controversy 7 Idol Gives Back 8 Television ratings 9 Impact 9.1 Top-selling American Idol alumni 9.2 Major award–winning American Idol alumni 9.3 Idols in musical theater 10 Critical reception 11 Revenue and commercial ventures 11.1 Advertising revenue 11.2 Media sponsorship 11.3 Music releases 11.4 American Idol tour 11.5 Tie-ins 12 Theme park attraction 13 International broadcast 14 Spin-offs 15 See also 16 References 17 External links

[edit] History

American Idol was created based on the British show Pop Idol, which was in turn inspired by Popstars, a show TV producer Nigel Lythgoe saw in Australia and brought over to Britain.^[4] Using the idea from Popstars of employing a panel of judges to select singers in audition, and adding other elements such as telephone voting by the viewing public, which at the time was already in use in shows such as the Eurovision Song Contest, Simon Fuller then created the show Pop Idol. The show debuted in 2001 in Britain with Nigel Lythgoe as the producer and Simon Cowell as one of the judges, and was a big success with the viewing public.^[5]

Simon Fuller and Simon Cowell attempted to sell the Pop Idol format to the U.S in 2001, but the idea was met with poor response from U.S. TV networks.^[6] 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 show.^[6] The show was renamed American Idol: The Search for a Superstar, debuted in the summer of 2002,^[7] and became one of the summer hit shows that year.^[8] The show, with the personal engagement of the viewers with the contestants through voting, and the presence of the caustic-tongue judge Simon Cowell, grew into a phenomenon. By 2005 it had become the biggest show on U.S. TV, a position it then held on for six straight years.^[9] The show is currently scheduled to remain on air until 2011.^[10]

[edit] Judges and presenters

The show had originally planned on having four judges following the Pop Idol format, however only three judges had been found by the time of the audition round in the first season, namely Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell.^[6] New York radio personality Angie Martinez had been hired as a fourth judge in the second season but withdrew only after a few days of auditions due to not being comfortable with giving out deep criticism.^[11] The show decided to continue with the three judges format until Season 8. All three original judges stayed on the judging panel for eight seasons.

In Season 8, Latin Grammy Award-nominated singer–songwriter and record producer Kara DioGuardi was added as a fourth judge.^[12] Paula Abdul left the show before Season 9 after failing to agree terms with the show producers.^[13] Emmy Award-winning talk show host Ellen DeGeneres replaced Paula Abdul for that season but left after just one season.^[14] On January 11, 2010, Simon Cowell announced that he was leaving the show to pursue introducing his show The X Factor to the USA for 2011.^[15] Kara DioGuardi also left the show on September 3, 2010 after two seasons.^[16] On September 22, 2010, it was announced that Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler will join the judging panel.^[1]

Guest judges may occasionally be introduced. For example, Donna Summer, Quentin Tarantino and some of the mentors joined as judges to critique the performances in Season 3 final rounds. Guest Judges were used in the audition rounds for seasons 4 and 9. Season 4 guest judges: Gene Simmons, Brandy Norwood, LL Cool J, Mark McGrath and Kenny Loggins. Season 9 guest judges: Victoria Beckham, Mary J. Blige, Kristin Chenoweth, Neil Patrick Harris, Joe Jonas, Avril Lavigne, Katy Perry and Shania Twain.

The first season was presented by Ryan Seacrest and Brian Dunkleman. Brian Dunkleman elected not to return after the first season,^[17] and Ryan Seacrest has presented the show alone since.

Judges Randy Jackson Paula Abdul (2002–2009) Simon Cowell (2002–2010) Kara DioGuardi (2009–2010) Ellen DeGeneres (2010) Jennifer Lopez (2011–present) Steven Tyler (2011–present)

Presenters Ryan Seacrest Brian Dunkleman (2002)

[edit] Selection process

In a series of steps, the show selects the eventual winner out of many tens of thousands of contestants.

[edit] Contestant eligibility

The eligible age-range for contestants is currently 15–28 years old. The initial age limit was 16-24 in the first three seasons, but the upper limit was raised to 28 in Season 4. On June 21, 2010, Idol announced that the age limit would be lowered to 15.^[18] The contestants must be legal U.S. residents, and must not hold any current recording or talent representation contract by the semifinal stage^[19] (in previous years by the audition stage).^[20]

[edit] Initial auditions

Contestants go through three rigorous sets of cuts. The first is a brief audition with three other contestants in front of selectors which may include one of the show's producers. The number of auditioners can exceed 10,000 people each city, but only about 100–200 contestants in each city may make it past this round of preliminary auditions. Successful contestants are sent through to audition in front of producers. More contestants are cut in the producers round before they can proceed to audition in front of the judges, which is the only audition stage shown on the show.^[21] However, in later seasons, some contestants were able to skip the initial auditions and go straight through to audition in front of the American Idol judges, one example being Jordin Sparks who earned that privilege as the winner of Arizona Idol.^[22] Those selected by the judges are sent to Hollywood. Only around 10–40 people in each city may make it to Hollywood. They have never visited the same city three seasons in a row.

[edit] Hollywood

Once in Hollywood, the contestants perform on different days, with eliminations in 3 rounds by the judges. For the first round, contestants select a song from a list to sing. For the next round, with the exception of Season 7, the contestants split themselves up into small groups and perform a song together. This musical group round was eliminated in Season 7, and a contestant may move directly to the final Hollywood round on judges' approval. In the final round, the contestants performed a song of their choice a cappella.

[edit] Audience voting

From the semifinal onwards, the fate of the contestants is decided by public vote. During the contestant's performance as well as the recap at the end, a toll-free telephone number for each contestant is displayed on the screen. For a two-hour period after the episode ends (up to four hours for the finale) in each US time zone, viewers may dial or text their preferred contestant's telephone number, and each call or text registered as a vote for that contestant. Viewers are allowed to vote as many times as they can within the two-hour voting window, however, the show reserves the right to discard votes by power dialer.^[23] One or more of the least popular contestants may be eliminated in successive weeks until a winner emerges. Over 110 million votes were cast in the first season, and by Season 8 the seasonal total has increased to 624 million.^[24] Voting via text messaging was made available in the second season when AT&T Wireless joined as a sponsor of the show, and 7.5 million text messages were sent to American Idol that season.^[25] The number of texts rapidly increased, reaching a peak of 178 million texts in Season 8.^[26] The votes are counted and verified by Telescope Inc.^[27]

[edit] Semifinals

In the first three seasons as well as Season 8, the semifinalists were split into different groups to perform individually in their respective night.^[28] In Season 1, there were three groups of ten, with the top three contestants from each group making the finals. In Seasons 2 and 3, there were four groups of eight, and the top two of each selected. In Season 8 there were three groups of twelve, with three contestants moving forward - the highest male, the highest female, and the next highest-placed singer. These four seasons also featured a wildcard round where contestants who failed to qualify were given another chance. In Season 1, only one wildcard contestant was chosen by the judges, giving a total of 10 finalists. In Seasons 2 and 3, each judge championed one contestant with the public advancing a fourth into the finals, making 12 finalists in all. In Season 8, four were chosen to produce a final 13.

From Seasons 4 to 9, excepting Season 8, the 24 semifinalists were divided by gender in order to ensure an equal gender division in the Top 12. The men and women sang separately on consecutive nights, and the bottom two in each groups were eliminated each week until only six of each remained.^[29]

[edit] Finals

The finals are broadcast live in prime time from CBS Television City in Los Angeles, in front of a live studio audience. The finals lasted for eight weeks in season one, and eleven weeks in subsequent seasons. Each finalist performs a song or songs selected from a weekly theme. The themes may be based on a musical genre such as Motown, disco, or big band, songs recorded by particular artists such as Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley or The Beatles, or more generic themes such Billboard No.1 hits, or songs from each contestant's year of birth. Contestants usually work with a celebrity mentor related to the theme. Initially the contestants sing one song each week, but this is increased to two song from Top 4 or 5 onwards, then three songs for the Top 2 or 3.

The most popular contestants are usually not revealed in the result show, instead typically the three contestants (two in later rounds) who received the lowest number of votes are called to the center of the stage. One of these three is sent to safety, the two remaining however need not both be ones with the fewest votes.^[30] The contestant with the fewest votes is then revealed and eliminated from the competition. A montage of the eliminated contestant is played and they give their final performance. However, in Season 8 and 9, the judges may overturn viewers' decision with a "Judges' Save" - they can save a contestant on a unanimous decision, but the following week 2 will be eliminated. The save can only be used once, and only before Top 5.

In the finale, the two remaining contestants perform to determine the winner. For the first six seasons, apart from Season 2, the finale was broadcast from the Kodak Theatre, which has an audience capacity of approximately 3,400. The finale for Season 2 took place at the Gibson Amphitheatre. From Season 7 onwards, the venue was changed to the Nokia Theatre, which holds an audience of over 7,000. A special 2-hour result show the next night follows where the winner is announced at the end.

[edit] Rewards for winner and finalists

The winner receives a record deal with a major label, which may be for up to six albums in seven years,^[31][32] and secures a management contract with American Idol-affiliated 19 Management (which has the first option to sign all contestants), as well as various lucrative contracts. All previous winners have reportedly earned at least $1 million in their first year as winner.^[32] All the runners-up of the first nine seasons, as well as some of other finalists, have also received record deals with major label. All top 10 finalists earn the privilege of going on a tour where the participants may each earn a six-figure sum.^[33]

[edit] Season synopsis

[edit] Show overview

Each season premiers with the audition rounds in different cities where a few hundreds out of many thousands of contestants may be selected by the judges. The audition episodes typically feature a mix of potential finalists, interesting characters and woefully inadequate contestants. Each successful contestant receives a golden ticket to proceed on to the next round in Hollywood. Based on their performances during the Hollywood round, 24 to 36 contestants are selected by the judges to participate in the semifinals. From the semifinal onwards the contestants perform their songs live, and are voted for by the viewing public. The outcome of the public votes is then revealed in the result show typically on the following night. The season reaches its climax in a 2-hour result finale show where the winner of the season is revealed.

With the exception of Seasons 1 and 2, the contestants in the semifinals onwards performed in front of a studio audience, and with a full band in the finals. From Season 4 to Season 9, the American Idol band was led by Rickey Minor, from 2011 onwards Ray Chew.^[34] Assistance may also be given by vocal coaches and song arrangers, such as Dorian Holley (left in 2010), Michael Orland, and Debra Byrd to contestants behind the scene. Contestants may perform with a musical instrument starting Season 7 from the Hollywood rounds onwards.^[35] The performance is usually aired live on Tuesday night and the result show on Wednesday in the United States and Canada.

[edit] Season 1

The first season of American Idol debuted as a summer replacement show in June 2002 on the Fox network. It was co-hosted by Ryan Seacrest and Brian Dunkleman.

In the audition rounds, 121 contestants were selected from around 10,000 who auditioned. These were cut to 30 for the semifinal, with 10 going on to the finals. One of the early favorites, Tamyra Gray, was eliminated at the Top 4, the first of several such shock eliminations that were to be repeated in later seasons. Jim Verraros was the first idol openly gay contestant on the show. His sexual orientation was revealed in his online journal, however it was removed during the competition after a request from the show producers who were concerned that it might be unfairly influencing votes.^[36] The final showdown was between Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini, a contest which Kelly Clarkson won.

In what was to become a tradition, Clarkson released a coronation song, performed during the finale, immediately after the season ended. The single, "A Moment Like This", went on to break a 38 year old record held by The Beatles for the biggest leap to number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Kelly Clarkson has since become a major international recording artist with worldwide album sales of more than 23 million.^[37] Clarkson and Guarini were contractially obligated to make a musical film, From Justin to Kelly, which was released in 2003 but was widely panned.

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

[edit] Season 2

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, leaving Seacrest as the lone host. Kristin Adams (née Holt) was originally announced as a co-host,^[38] but her role was reduced to special correspondent upon airing.

Corey Clark was disqualified during the finals for having an undisclosed police record, however, he later alleged that he and Paula Abdul had an affair while on the show and that this contributed to his expulsion. Clark also claimed that Abdul gave him preferential treatment on the show due to their affair. The allegations were dismissed by Fox after an independent investigation.^[39] Two other contestants, both semi-finalists, were also disqualified that year - Jaered Andrews after he was arrested on an assault charge, and Frenchie Davis for having previously modelled for an adult website.^[40]

Ruben Studdard emerged as the winner, beating Clay Aiken by a small margin. Out of a total of 24 million votes, Studdard finished just 134,000 votes ahead of Clay Aiken. The slim margin of victory was controversial due to the large number of calls that failed to get through.^[41] In an interview prior to season 5, executive producer Nigel Lythgoe indicated that Aiken had led the fan voting from the wildcard week onward until the finale.^[42]

Both finalists were successful after the show, but Clay Aiken out-performed Ruben's coronation song "Flying Without Wings" with his single release from the show "This Is the Night", as well as in their subsequent album releases. The fourth-place finisher Josh Gracin also enjoyed some success as a country singer.

[edit] Season 3

The third season premiered on January 19, 2004. One of the most talk-about contestants during the audition was William Hung whose off-key rendition of Ricky Martin's "She Bangs" received widespread attention. His exposure on Idol landed him a record deal and surprisingly he became the third best-selling singer from that season.

Much media attention on the season had been focused on the three African American singers, Fantasia Barrino, LaToya London, and Jennifer Hudson, dubbed the Three Divas. All three unexpectedly landed on the bottom three on the Top 7 result show, with Jennifer Hudson controversially eliminated.^[43] Elton John, who was one of the mentors that season, called the results of the votes 'incredibly racist'.^[44] The prolonged stay of John Stevens and Jasmine Trias in the finals, despite negative comments from the judges, had aroused resentment, so much so that John Stevens reportedly received a death threat, threat which he dismissed as a joke 'blown out of proportion'.^[45]

The last two finalists were Fantasia Barrino, later known simply as "Fantasia", and Diana DeGarmo. Over 65 million votes were cast on the night, more than the first two seasons combined, and Fantasia was crowned as the winner. Fantasia release as her coronation single "I Believe", a song co-written by Season 1 finalist Tamyra Gray, and Diana DeGarmo released "Dreams". Fantasia emerged from the show as a successful recording artist, Jennifer Hudson who was eliminated early also enjoyed considerable success post-Idol as an Oscar-winning actress.

[edit] Season 4

The fourth season premiered on January 18, 2005. The age limit was raised to 28 in this season to increase the variety of contestants.^[20] Among those who benefited from this new rule were Constantine Maroulis and Bo Bice, "the two rockers" of the show. The presence of more rock-oriented contestants inspired more rock musicians to audition in later seasons, such as Chris Daughtry in season 5.

The Top 12 finalists originally included Mario Vazquez, but he dropped out citing 'personal reasons' ^[46] and was replaced by Nikko Smith. Later, an employee of Freemantle Media which produces the show sued the company for wrongful termination, claiming that he was dismissed after complaining about lewd behaviour by Mario Vazquez towards him during the show.^[47]

At Top 11, due to a mix-up with the contestants' telephone number, the voting was repeated on what was normally the result night, with the result reveal postponed until the following night.

In May 2005, Telescope announced that the fourth season had a total of approximately 500 million votes. The winner was Carrie Underwood, with Bo Bice the runner-up. Both Carrie Underwood and Bo Bice released the coronation song "Inside Your Heaven". Carrie Underwood has since become the most successful Idol contestant in the U.S. in terms of album sales, selling of over 12 million units.

[edit] Season 5

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 the highest-rated season in the show's run so far. Two of the more prominent contestants during the Hollywood round were the Brittenum twins who were later disqualified for identity theft.^[48]

Daughtry's performance of Fuel's "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" on the show was widely praised and led to an invitation to join the band as Fuel's new lead singer, an invitation he declined.^[49] His performance of Live's version of I Walk The Line was well-received by the judges but later criticized in some quarters for not crediting the arrangement to Live.^[50] He was eliminated at the Top 4 in a shock result.

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.^[51] Taylor Hicks was named American Idol, with Katharine McPhee the runner-up. "Do I Make You Proud" was released as Taylor Hicks' first single and "My Destiny" Katharine McPhee's.

Despite being eliminated earlier than expected, Daughtry became the biggest star to emerge from this season. Many other contestants from this season, such as Kellie Pickler, Elliott Yamin, Bucky Covington, Mandisa, the winner Taylor Hicks and runner-up Katharine McPhee, also enjoyed varying level of success, and this season remains the most productive in the number of successful recording artists it generated.

[edit] Season 6

The sixth season began on Tuesday, January 16, 2007. The premiere episode of the season drew a massive audience of 37.3 million viewers, peaking in the last half hour with more than 41 million viewers.^[52]

Teenager Sanjaya Malakar was the season's most talked-about American Idol contestant,^[53] as a weak singer who managed to survive elimination for many weeks, as well as for his widely commented-on hairdo.^[54] 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.^[55] Semi-finalist Antonella Barba also drew some attention due to racy photographs of her which emerged during the show.

This year saw the first ever Idol Gives Back telethon-inspired event, which raised more than $76 million in corporate and viewer donations.^[56] No contestant was eliminated that week but two, Phil Stacey and Chris Richardson, were eliminated the next.

Jordin Sparks was declared the winner on May 23, 2007, with a new record of 74 million votes in the finale against runner-up Blake Lewis. Sparks has enjoyed success as a recording artist post-Idol, selling over 1.6 million copies worldwide of her debut album.^[57]

This year saw the launch of the American Idol Songwriter contest which allowed fans to vote for the "coronation song". Thousands of recordings of original songs were submitted by songwriters, and 20 entries selected for the public vote. The winning song, "This Is My Now", was performed by both finalists during the finale and released by the winner Jordin Sparks on May 24, 2007.

[edit] Season 7

American Idol returned for its seventh season on January 15, 2008 for a two-day, four-hour premiere.^[58] The media focused on the professional status of the Season 7 contestants, the so-called 'ringers',^[59] many of whom had prior records deals, such as Kristy Lee Cook, Brooke White, Michael Johns, and in particular Carly Smithson.^[60] The finalist David Hernandez also attracted some attention due to his past working as a stripper.^[61]

For the finals, American Idol debuted a new state-of-the-art set and stage On March 11, 2008, along with a new on-air look. David Cook's performance of "Billie Jean" on Top 10 night was lauded by the judges, but controversy erupted when the judges apparently mistook the Chris Cornell arrangement to be David Cook's own even though the performance was introduced as Cornell's version. Chris Cornell himself said he was 'flattered' and praised David Cook's performance.^[62] David Cook was taken to hospital after Top 9 performance due to heart palpitations and high blood pressure.^[63]

Idol Gives Back returned on April 9, 2008 and raised $64 million for charity.^[64] The finalists were David Cook and David Archuleta, the first time in the show's history where neither of the top 2 were ever in the bottom 3. David Cook was announced the winner of American Idol season 7 on May 21, 2008, the first 'rocker' to win the show.

The American Idol Songwriter contest was also held this season. From ten of the most popular submissions, each of the final two contestants chose a song to perform, although 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 and is the best-selling of all coronation songs to date. Both David Cook and David Archuleta are successful as recording artists.

[edit] Season 8

The eighth season of American Idol began on January 13, 2009. This season featured fewer drawn-out semifinal episodes. Mike Darnell, the president of alternative programming for Fox, stated that the season would focus more on the contestants' reality and emotional state,^[65] much early attention on the show was therefore focused on the widowerhood of Danny Gokey as well as characters like Tatiana Del Toro and Nick Mitchell.

In the first major change to the judging panel, a fourth judge, Kara DioGuardi, was introduced; Paula Abdul, however, left the show after the season ended. This was also the first season without executive producer Nigel Lythgoe who left to focus on the international versions of his show So You Think You Can Dance.^[66] The Hollywood round was moved to the Kodak Theatre for 2009 and was also extended to two weeks. Idol Gives Back was cancelled this season due to the ongoing global economic crisis.^[67]

There were 13 finalist this season but two were eliminated in its first result show of the finals. A new feature introduced was the "Judge's Save", and Matt Giraud was saved from elimination at the Top 7 by the judges when he received the fewest votes. The next week Lil Rounds and Anoop Desai were eliminated.

The two finalists were Kris Allen and Adam Lambert, both of whom had previously landed in the bottom 3 at the Top 5. Kris Allen won the contest in the most controversial voting result since season 2. It was claimed,^[68] later retracted,^[69] that 38 of 100 million votes cast that night came from Kris Allen's home state Arkansas alone, and that AT&T employees unfairly influenced the votes by giving lessons on power-texting at viewing parties in Arkansas.^[70]

Both Kris Allen and Adam Lambert released the coronation song written by Kara DioGuardi "No Boundaries". Kris Allen and Adam Lambert have enjoyed some success as recording artists.

[edit] Season 9

The ninth season of American Idol premiered on January 12, 2010. The upheaval at the judging panel continued. Ellen DeGeneres joined as a judge to replace Paula Abdul at the start of Hollywood Week, which aired February 9, 2010. After the season finished, DeGeneres announced that she would be leaving the show, and Kara DioGuardi's contract was not renewed for the next season.

One of the most prominent auditioners that season was General Larry Platt whose performance of Pants on the Ground became a viral hit song.^[71]

Crystal Bowersox, who has Type-I diabetes, fell ill due to diabetic ketoacidosis on the morning of the girls performance night for the Top 20 week and was hospitalized.^[72] The schedule was rearranged so the boys performed first and she could perform the following night instead. Later she revealed that Ken Warwick, the show producer, wanted to disqualify her but she begged to be allowed to stay on the show.^[73]

Michael Lynche was the lowest vote getter at Top 9 and was given the Judges' Save. The next week Katie Stevens and Andrew Garcia were eliminated. That week Adam Lambert was invited back to be a mentor, the first Idol alum to do so. Idol Gives Back returned this season on April 21, 2010.

A special tribute to Simon Cowell was presented in the finale for his final season with the show. Many figures from the show's past, including Paula Abdul, made an appearance.

This was the second season where neither of the final 2 contestants had been in the bottom 2 or 3. Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox join Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, and David Archuleta as members of the final 2 who had never been in the bottom 2 or 3. Lee DeWyze was declared the winner during the May 26 finale. No new song was used as coronation song this year; instead, the two finalists each released a cover song - Lee DeWyze chose U2's "Beautiful Day", and Crystal Bowersox chose Patty Griffin's "Up to the Mountain".

[edit] Season 10

The tenth season of the series is slated to premiere on January 19, 2011 on Fox. Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler joined Randy Jackson this season as judges.^[1] This season Jimmy Iovine, chairman of the Interscope Geffen A&M Records group, the new partner of American Idol, will be the in-house mentor with no weekly guest mentor, with other significant changes promised.^[74] Nigel Lythgoe will return as executive producer.^[75]

Season 10 was the first to include online auditions. Contestants could submit a 40 second video audition via Myspace, between September 15 and October 10, 2010. The rules are otherwise the same and the online auditions will be judged in a similar fashion to the live auditions.^[76]

The show will now air on Wednesday and Thursday nights, instead of Tuesday and Wednesday.

[edit] Geographical bias

Since the show's inception in 2002, six of the nine Idol winners, including its first five have come from the American South.^[77] The three exceptions are Jordin Sparks who came from Arizona, David Cook from Missouri and Lee DeWyze from Illinois. A large number of other notable finalists during the series' run have also hailed from the American South, including Clay Aiken, Kellie Pickler, and Chris Daughtry who are all from North Carolina.^[77] At the time of the 2004 finals, which pitted North Carolina's Fantasia Barrino against Georgia's Diana DeGarmo, their Southern character, or character appealing to the South, has been cited as reason for their success.^[78] More recently, Chris Muratore, vice president of Nielsen Entertainment noted, "Each one of these artists appeals to the larger music consumer ... Carrie Underwood is not a traditional country artist; she crosses over. Kelly Clarkson is the same."^[77] Data from Nielsen SoundScan, a music-sales tracking service, showed that of the 47 million CDs sold by Idol contestants through January 2010, 85 percent were by contestants with ties to the American South.^[77]

The show itself is particularly popular in the American South, with households in the Southeastern United States 10 percent more likely to watch American Idol during the eighth season in 2009, and those in the East Central region, such as Kentucky, were 16 percent more likely to tune into the series.^[77] When asked about the appeal of Southern contestants, season 5 winner Taylor Hicks, from the state of Alabama said, "People in the South have a lot of pride ... So, they’re adamant about supporting the contestants who do well from their state or region."^[77]

[edit] Controversy

The show had been criticized in earlier seasons over the onerous contract contestants had to sign that gave excessive control to 19 Entertainment over their future career,^[79] and handed large part of their future earnings to the management.^[80][81]

Individual contestants have generated controversy in this competition for their past actions,^[40][82] or for being 'ringers' planted by the producers.^[59] A number of contestants had been disqualified for various reasons, for example Joanna Pacitti in Season 8 for having connections to the producers at 19 Entertainment,^[83] and Chris Golightly of Season 9 for having an existing contract in violation of the rules,^[84] although the show had been accused of double standard for disqualifying some but not the others.^[85]

Voting results have been a consistent source of controversy, for example when Jennifer Hudson was eliminated in Season 3. The mechanism of voting had also aroused considerable criticisms, most notably in Season 2 when Ruben Studdard beat Clay Aiken in a close vote,^[86] and in Season 8, when the massive increase in text votes (100 million more text votes than Season 7)^[26] fueled the texting controversy.^[87] Since the 2004 season, the vote has also been affected to some degree by online community services such as DialIdol.com, Worldsentiment.com, and VotefortheWorst.com.

[edit] Idol Gives Back

Idol Gives Back is a special charity event started in Season 6 featuring performances by celebrities and various fund-raising initiatives. This event was also held in Season 7 and 9 and has raised nearly $185 million in total.^[64]

[edit] Television ratings

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.

Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps.

Season	Premiered		Ended		TV Season	Timeslot	Rank
	Date	Viewers (in millions)	Date	Viewers (in millions)
1st[88][89]	June 11–12, 2002	9.90	Final Performances: September 3, 2002	18.69	2002	Tuesday 9:00PM (performance show)	#30
			Season Finale: September 4, 2002	23.02		Wednesday 9:30PM (results show)	#25
2nd [88]	January 21–22, 2003	26.50	Final Performances: May 20, 2003	25.67	2003	Tuesday 8:00PM (performance show)	#5
			Season Finale: May 21, 2003	38.06		Wednesday 8:30PM (results show)	#3
3rd[88][90]	January 19–20, 2004	28.56	Final Performances: May 25, 2004	25.13	2004	Tuesday 8:00PM (performance show)	#2
			Season Finale: May 26, 2004	28.84		Wednesday 8:30PM (results show)	#3
4th [88][91]	January 18–19, 2005	33.58	Final Performances: May 24, 2005	28.05	2005	Tuesday 8:00PM (performance show)	#1
			Season Finale: May 25, 2005	30.27		Wednesday 8:00PM (results show)	#3
5th [88][92]	January 17–18, 2006	35.53	Final Performances: May 23, 2006	31.78	2006	Tuesday 8:00PM (performance show)	#2
			Season Finale: May 24, 2006	36.38		Wednesday 8:00PM (results show)	#1
6th [88][93][94]	January 16–17, 2007	37.4	Final Performances: May 22, 2007	25.33	2007	Tuesday 8:00PM (performance show)	#2
			Season Finale: May 23, 2007	30.76		Wednesday 8:00PM (results show)	#1
7th [95][96][97]	January 15–16, 2008	33.4	Final Performances: May 20, 2008	27.06	2008	Tuesday 8:00PM (performance show)	#1
			Season Finale: May 21, 2008	31.66		Wednesday 8:00PM (results show)	#2
8th [98][99][100]	January 13–14, 2009	30.4	Final Performances: May 19, 2009	23.82	2009	Tuesday 8:00PM (performance show)	#2
			Season Finale: May 20, 2009	28.84		Wednesday 8:00PM (results show)	#1
9th[101][102][103]	January 12–13, 2010	29.8	Final Performances: May 25, 2010	20.07	2010	Tuesday 8:00PM (performance show)	#1
			Season Finale: May 26, 2010	24.22		Wednesday 8:00PM (results show)	#2

American Idol premiered in June 2002 and became the surprise summer hit show of 2002. The first show drew 9.9 million viewers, giving Fox the best viewing figure for the 8.30pm evening spot in a year.^[104] The audience steadily grew, and by finale night, the audience had averaged just under 23 million, with more than 40 million watching some part of that show.^[105] That episode was placed third amongst all age group, but more importantly it led in the 18-49 demographic, the age group most valued by advertisers.^[8]

The growth continued into the next season, starting with a season premiere of nearly 27 million.^[106] The season attracted an average of 21.7 million viewers, and was placed second overall amongst the 18-49 age group.^[107] The finale night when Ruben Studdard won over Clay Aiken was also the highest-rated ever American Idol episode at 38.1 million for the final hour.^[108] By Season 3, the show had become the top show in the 18-49 demographic^[109] a position it has held for all subsequent years up to and including Season 9. By Season 4, American Idol had become the most-watched series amongst all viewers on American TV, with an average viewership of 26.8 million.^[110] The show reached its peak in Season 5 with numbers averaging 30.6 million.^[110]

Season 6 started with some the most-watched ever episodes of American Idol, and many television executives began to regard the show as a programming force unlike any seen before.^[2] American Idol's consistent dominance of an hour two or three nights a week exceeded the 30- or 60-minute reach of previous hits such as The Cosby Show. As a result, competing networks, whose personnel called the show "the Death Star",^[111] often rearranged their schedules in order to minimize losses. However, Season 6 also showed a steady decline in viewership over the course of the season. The season finale saw a drop in ratings of 19% from the previous year.^[112]

The loss of viewers continued into Season 7. The premiere was down 11% among total viewers,^[113] and the results show in which Kristy Lee Cook was eliminated delivered its lowest-rated Wednesday show among the 18-34 demographic since the first season in 2002.^[114] However, the ratings rebounded for Season 7 finale with the excitement over the battle of the Davids, improving over Season 6 as the third most-watched finale. The strong finish of Season 7 also helped Fox becoming the most popular TV network for the first time since its inception.^[115] Overall ratings for the season were down 10% from Season 6.^[116] General attrition of television audiences may be a reason for this ratings decline, in line with the fall in viewership across all networks due in part to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike.^[117][118]

The declining trend however continued into Season 8, as numbers fell by 5-10% for early episodes compared to similar episodes from season 7,^[119] and by 13% for the finale.^[120] In Season 9, Idol's six-year extended streak of perfection in the ratings was broken, when NBC's coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympics on February 17 beat Idol with 30.1 million viewers compared to 18.4 million for the results show.^[121] Later in that same season, Dancing with the Stars on ABC drew more viewers than Idol on some episodes.^[122] Nevertheless, American Idol finished its ninth season as the most-watched TV series for the sixth year running, breaking the previous record of five consecutive seasons achieved by CBS' All in the Family and NBC's The Cosby Show.^[9]

[edit] Impact

The enormous success of the show and the revenue it generated has been transformative for Fox Broadcasting Company,^[123] and helped push Fox becoming the leading TV network in 2008.^[115] It success also helped lift the ratings of other shows that were scheduled around it such as House and Bones.^[2] The show, its creator Simon Fuller claimed, "saved Fox".^[124]

As one of the most successful shows on U.S. television history, American Idol has a strong impact not just on television, but also in the wider world of entertainment. The intent of the show, as indicated in its original title, is to 'search for a superstar' amongst undiscovered talents, and it had some success doing so. It helped created a number of highly successful recording artists, such as Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, as well as others of varying notability. According to Fred Bronson, author of books on the Billboard charts, no other entity has ever created as many hit-making artists and best-selling albums and singles.^[125] Towards the end of 2009, American Idol alumni had sold a total of over 46 million albums and 56 million download tracks in the U.S., and 66 million albums worldwide.^[125] In 2007, they accounted for 2.1% of all music sales.^[126] Its alumni have a massive impact on radio; in 2007, American Idol had become "a dominant force in radio" according to the president of the research company Mediabase which monitors radio stations Rich Meyer.^[127] By 2010, four idols each had more than a million radio spins, with Kelly Clarkson leading the field with over 4 million spins.^[128]

Its impact is also strongly felt in musical theatre, where many of Idol alumni have forged successful career. The striking effect of former American Idol contestants on Broadway had been noted and commented on,^{[129][130][131]} where the casting of a popular Idol contestant can led to significantly increased ticket sales. Other alumni have gone on to work in television and films, the most notable being Jennifer Hudson who, on the recommendation of the Idol vocal coach Debra Byrd,^[132] won a role in Dreamgirls and subsequently received an Oscar for her performance.

[edit] Top-selling American Idol alumni

Currently, American Idol alumni in their post-Idol career have amassed a total sales of over 50 million albums and 60 million singles in the U.S.

[edit] Major award–winning American Idol alumni

Idol Contestant & Season	American Music Awards	Billboard Music Awards	Grammy Awards	Academy Awards
Kelly Clarkson (Season 1, Winner)	4 2005 Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist 2005 Artist of the Year 2006 Favorite Pop/Rock Female 2006 Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist	12	2 2006 Best Female Pop Vocal 2006 Best Pop Vocal Album	0
Clay Aiken (Season 2, Runner-Up)	1 2003 Fan's Choice Award	3	0	0
Fantasia Barrino (Season 3, Winner)	0	3	0	0
Jennifer Hudson (Season 3, 7th Place)	0	0	1 2009 Best R&B Album	1 2006 Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Carrie Underwood (Season 4, Winner)	6 2006 Breakthrough artist 2007 Artist of the year 2007 Favorite Country Album 2007 Country Female Artist 2008 Favorite Country Album 2010 Favorite Country Album	14	5 2007 Best New Artist 2007 Best Female Country Vocal 2008 Best Female Country Vocal 2009 Best Female Country Vocal 2010 Best Country Collaboration with Vocals	0
Chris Daughtry (Season 5, 4th Place)	4 2007 Breakthrough Artist 2007 Best Adult Contemporary Artist 2007 Best Pop/Rock Album 2008 Favorite Band, Duo or Group- Pop/Rock	6	0	0
Jordin Sparks (Season 6, Winner)	1 2008 Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist	0	0	0
Adam Lambert (Season 8, Runner Up)	0	4	0	0

[edit] Idols in musical theater

Many American Idol contestants have turned to musical theatre post-Idol, some leaving their mark on the Great White Way. These people include:

• Justin Guarini – Carlos in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Broadway)
• Tamyra Gray – Priya in Bombay Dreams (Broadway), Mimi in Rent (Broadway)
• Ruben Studdard – Fats Waller in Fats Waller's Ain't Misbehavin (National Tour)
• Clay Aiken – Sir Robin in Spamalot (Broadway)
• Frenchie Davis – Rent (Broadway)
• Josh Strickland – Tarzan in Tarzan (Broadway)
• Trenyce – a performer in Fats Waller's Ain't Misbehavin (National Tour)
• Vanessa Olivarez – Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray (Toronto)
• Fantasia Barrino – Celie in The Color Purple (Broadway and National Tour)
• Diana DeGarmo – Penny Pingleton in Hairspray (Broadway), Brooklyn in Brooklyn (National Tour), Sarah in The Toxic Avenger (Off-Broadway), Sheila Franklin in Hair (Broadway), and Doralee Rhodes in 9 to 5 (National Tour)
• LaToya London – Nettie in The Color Purple (National Tour)
• Amy Adams – The Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (National Tour)
• Anthony Fedorov – Matt in The Fantasticks (Off-Broadway), Joseph in Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
• Constantine Maroulis – Sammy in The Wedding Singer (Broadway), Young Soldier in Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris (Off-Broadway), Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar, Drew Bowie in Rock of Ages (Tony Award Nomination, 2009) (Broadway and National Tour)
• Anwar Robinson – Tom Collins in Rent (Tour)
• Ace Young – Kenickie (Broadway) and Danny (National Tour) in Grease, Berger in Hair (Broadway)
• Taylor Hicks – Teen Angel in Grease (Broadway and National Tour)
• Jordin Sparks – Nina Rosario in In the Heights (Broadway)
• Syesha Mercado – Deena Jones in Dreamgirls (Apollo Theatre NYC/National Tour)
• Adam Lambert – Fiyero understudy in Wicked (US Tour/Los Angeles) (before American Idol)

[edit] Critical reception

Early reviews noted the excessive product placement in the show negatively.^[133] Some critics were harsh about what they perceived as its blatant commercial calculations - Karla Peterson of The San Diego Union-Tribune charged that American Idol is "a conniving multimedia monster" that has "absorbed the sin of our debauched culture and spit them out in a lump of reconstituted evil."^[134] On its early episodes, Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly considered that "As TV, American Idol is crazily entertaining; as music, it's dust-mote inconsequential".^[135] Others however thought that "the most striking aspect of the series was the genuine talent it revealed".^[8] Other aspects of the show have attracted criticisms, for example the decision to send the Season 1 winner to sing the national anthem at the Lincoln Memorial on the anniversary of September 11 in 2002 was poorly received by many. Lisa de Moraes of The Washington Post noted with satirical flair that "The terrorists have won" and, with a sideswipe at the show's commercialism and voting process, that the decision as to who "gets to turn this important site into just another cog in the Great American Idol Marketing Mandala is in the hands of the millions of girls who have made "American Idol" a hit. Them and a handful of phone-redialer geeks who have been clocking up to 10,000 calls each week for their contestant of choice (but who, according to Fox, are in absolutely no way skewing the outcome).^[136]

Some of the later writers about the show were more positive, Michael Slezak, again of Entertainment Weekly, thought that "for all its bloated, synthetic, product-shilling, money-making trappings, "Idol" provides a once-a-year chance for the average American to combat the evils of today’s music business."^[137] Others focused on the personalities in the show; Ramin Setoodeh of Newsweek accused judge Simon Cowell's cruel critiques in the show of helping to establish in the wider world a culture of meanness, that "Simon Cowell has dragged the rest of us in the mud with him."^[138] Some in the entertainment industry were critical. Usher, a mentor on the show, bemoaning the loss of the 'true art form of music', thought that shows like American Idol made it seem "so easy that everyone can do it, and that it can happen overnight", and that "television is a lie".^[139]

American Idol has been nominated for Emmy's Outstanding Reality Competition Program for eight years but never won. Director Bruce Gower won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing For A Variety, Music Or Comedy Series in 2009, and the show won two Creative Arts Emmys in 2007 and one in 2008.

[edit] Revenue and commercial ventures

The dominance of American Idol in the ratings has made it the most profitable show in U.S. TV for many years. The show was estimated to generate 900 million for the year 2004 through sales of TV ads, albums, merchandise and concert tickets.^[124] By Season 7, the show was estimated to earn around $900 million from its ad revenue alone, not including ancillary sponsorship deals and other income.^[140][141] One estimate puts the total TV revenue for the first eight seasons of American at $6.4 billion.^[142] Sponsors that bought fully integrated packages can expect a variety of promotions of their products on the show, such as product placement, adverts and product promotion integrated into the show, and various promotional opportunities.^[143] Other off-air promotional partners pay for the rights to feature "Idol" branding on their packaging, products and marketing programs.^[144] American Idol also partnered with Disney in its theme park attraction The American Idol Experience.

[edit] Advertising revenue

American Idol became the most expensive series on broadcast networks for advertisers starting Season 4,^[145] and by the next season, it had broken the record in advertising rate for a regularly scheduled prime-time network series, selling over $700,000 for a 30-seconds slot,^[146] and reaching up to $1.3 million for the finale.^[147] Its ad prices reached a peak in Season 7 at $737,000.^[141] Estimated revenue more than doubled from $404 million in Season 3 to $870 million in Season 6.^[148] While that declined from Season 8 onwards, it still earned significantly more than its nearest competitor,^[149][150] with advertising revenue topping $800 million annually.^[151]

[edit] Media sponsorship

Ford Motor Company and Coca-Cola were two of the first sponsors of American Idol in its first season. The sponsorship deal cost around $10 million in Season 1,^[152] rising to $35 million by Season 7^[144] The third major sponsor AT&T Wireless joined in the second season. iTunes joined in Season 7.

American Idol prominent display of its sponsors' logo and products had been noted since the early seasons.^[8][105] By Season 7, Idol showed 4,151 product placements in its first 38 episodes, according to Nielsen Media Research.^[153] The branded entertainment integration has been beneficial for both the show and its advertisers. Promotion of AT&T text-messaging as a means to vote successfully introduced the technology into the wider culture,^{[25][154][155]} Coca-Cola has seen its equity increased during the show,^[156] and Ford used the show to promote the "think" technology of its cars with a series of adverts featuring the contestants as well as the winner in 2009.^[143]

• Coca-Cola - Cups bearing logo of Coca-Cola, and occasionally its subsidiary Vitaminwater,^[157] are featured prominently on the judges table. Contestants and host are shown gathering between songs in the "Coca-Cola Red Room," the show's equivalent of the traditional green room. (The Coca-Cola logo however is obscured during rebroadcast in the UK which until 2010 banned product placement.^[158])
• Ford - Contestants appear in the special Ford videos on the results shows, and winners Kelly Clarkson, Taylor Hicks, and Kris Allen have also appeared in commercials for Ford. The final two each won a free Ford Mustang in seasons 4, 5 and 6, Ford Escape Hybrid in Season 7, Ford Fusion Hybrid in Season 8, and Ford Fiesta in Season 9. In the red room, there is a glass table with a Ford wheel as its base.
• AT&T - AT&T Mobility is promoted as the service provider for text-voting. AT&T created an ad campaign that centered on an air-headed teenager going around telling people to vote.
• Apple iTunes - Ryan Seacrest announces the availability of contestants' performances exclusively via iTunes. Videos are regularly shown of contestants learning their songs by rehearsing with iPods.
• Previous sponsors include Old Navy and Clairol's Herbal Essences. In Seasons 2 and 3, contestants sometimes donned Old Navy clothing for their performances with celebrity stylist Steven Cojocaru assisting with their wardrobe selection,^[159] and contestants received Clairol-guided hair makeovers. In the Season 7 finale, both David Cook and David Archuleta appeared in "Risky Business"-inspired commercials for Guitar Hero, a sponsor of the tour that year.^[160]

[edit] Music releases

American Idol has traditionally released studio recordings of contestants' performances as well as the winner's coronation single for sale. For the first five seasons, the recordings were released as a compilation album at the end of the season. All five of these albums reached the Top 10 in Billboard 200 which made then American Idol the most successful soundtrack franchise of any motion picture or television program.^[161] Starting Season 6, individual performances were released during the season as digital downloads, initially from the American Idol official website only. In Season 7 the live performances and studio recordings were made available during the season in iTunes when it joined as a sponsor.

For the first nine seasons, Sony Music was partnered with American Idol to promote and distribute its music, and had the right of first refusal to sign contestants for three months after the season's finale. In 2010, Sony was replaced by as the music label for American Idol by UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M Records.^[162]

[edit] American Idol tour

The Top 10 toured at the end of every season. Kellogg's Pop-Tarts was the sponsor for the first 7 seasons, and Guitar Hero was added for the Season 7 tour. M&M's Pretzel Chocolate Candies was announced as the sponsor of the season 9 tour.^[163] The Season 5 tour has been the most successful tour with gross of over $35 million.

[edit] Tie-ins

American Idol video games

• American Idol – PlayStation 2, PC, Game Boy Advance, mobile phone
• Karaoke Revolution Presents American Idol – PlayStation 2, Xbox 360
• Karaoke Revolution Presents American Idol Encore – PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360
• Karaoke Revolution Presents American Idol Encore 2 – PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360

[edit] Theme park attraction

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 and opened on February 14, 2009.

Park guests choose from a list of songs and audition privately for Disney cast members. Those selected then perform on a stage in a 1000 seat theater replicating the American Idol set used during later rounds of recent seasons for an audience of park guests. Three judges, cast to resemble the actual American Idol judges, critique the performances.^[164] Audience members vote for their favorite. There are numerous shows each day with the last show combining the winners of previous shows that day to select the overall winner that day.^[165] Winners are selected by a combination of audience vote and input from a panel of judges. Winners each day are given a "Dream Ticket" which grants them front of the line privileges at any American Idol audition for the real TV series.^[166]

Winners of American Idol promoted the attraction by appearing in commercials and announcing "I'm going to Disney World". All first seven winners as well as many other finalists appeared at its opening, with Carrie Underwood and David Cook performing at the show.

[edit] International broadcast

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), but Malaysia, India, Indonesia, the Philippines and the Middle East on STAR World; it may be simsubbed with CTV by the BDUs depending on provider and region for those in Canada. 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 STAR World where you have to pay for a showtime package to watch it,and also on MBC4 the finales are live. and the UK airs episodes 1 day after their US showing on digital channel ITV2. It is also aired in Ireland on TV3 Ireland 2 days after the showing. In Brazil and Israel, the show airs 2 days after the showing in the United States.

Country / Region	Channel
United States (origin)	Fox
Latin America	Sony Entertainment Television (Latin version of Latin American Idol)
Middle East	MBC4
Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, India	STAR World
Hong Kong, Macau, Guangdong, China	aTV World
Australia	FOX8
Canada	CTV/Fox
Croatia	RTL Televizija
Brazil	Sony Entertainment Television
Denmark	TV3 Viasat
Estonia	TV3
Finland	Sub ->2007, MTV3
France	M6
China	STAR TV
Hungary	TV2
Iceland	Stöð 2
India	STAR World India
Iran	PMC
Ireland	TV3 Ireland
Israel	HOT family / yes stars Base
Italy	Sky Uno
Japan	FOXlife, FOX HD, BS11
Malaysia	8TV, STAR World STV6
New Zealand	TVNZ
Norway	TV2 Zebra
Philippines	ABC (now TV5) (2004–2007) QTV11 (2008–present), GMA (occasional broadcast) STAR World, Fox
Portugal	FOXlife
Romania	AXN
Singapore	MediaCorp TV Channel 5, STAR World
South Africa	M-Net Series (Season 1–8) M-Net (Season 9)
Sweden	TV4
Taiwan	STAR World
United Kingdom	ITV2
Vietnam	HTV2 (season 6 & 8), STAR World

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

It also airs in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, 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 broadcast and subtitled by Sony Entertainment Television.

In southeast Asia, this show is brought to the audiences via satellite by STAR World every Wednesday and Thursday exactly nine hours after.

[edit] Spin-offs

American Juniors American Idol Rewind American Idol Extra The Next Great American Band

From Justin to Kelly An American Idol Christmas Idol Camp Idol Wrap

[edit] See also

• List of American Idol finalists
• Nashville Star
• Star Search
• The X Factor (U.S.)

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• American Idol Official Website (owned by Fox Interactive Media)
• American Idol Official Music Website
• American Idol at the Internet Movie Database
• American Idol at TV.com
• American Idol Episodes on TVGuide.com

v • d • e American Idol Seasons 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 Hosts Ryan Seacrest · Brian Dunkleman (2002) Judges Randy Jackson · Paula Abdul (2002–2009) · Simon Cowell (2002–2010) · Kara DioGuardi (2009–2010) · Ellen DeGeneres (2010) · Jennifer Lopez (2011–present) · Steven Tyler (2011–present) Winners Kelly Clarkson · Ruben Studdard · Fantasia Barrino · Carrie Underwood · Taylor Hicks · Jordin Sparks · David Cook · Kris Allen · Lee DeWyze Winners' singles "A Moment Like This" · "Flying Without Wings" · "I Believe" · "Inside Your Heaven" · "Do I Make You Proud" · "This Is My Now" · "The Time of My Life" · "No Boundaries" · "Beautiful Day" Runners-up Justin Guarini · Clay Aiken · Diana DeGarmo · Bo Bice · Katharine McPhee · Blake Lewis · David Archuleta · Adam Lambert · Crystal Bowersox Other alumni Josh Gracin · Jennifer Hudson · Elliott Yamin · Chris Daughtry · Kellie Pickler Spin-offs From Justin to Kelly · Juniors · Christmas · Extra · Rewind Related articles World Idol · Underground · Compilation series · Controversies · Discography · Hot 100 singles · Episodes · Idol series · Magazine · Alumni album sales · Alumni single sales · Alumni awards and nominations · Video game · The American Idol Experience · Idol Gives Back

v • d • e Idol series National franchises United Kingdom (original) • Armenia • Australia • Belgium • Brazil • Bulgaria • Canada • Croatia • Czech Republic • Denmark • Estonia • Finland • France • Georgia • Germany • Greece • Iceland • India • Indonesia • Kazakhstan • Macedonia • Malaysia • Netherlands • New Zealand • Nigeria • Norway • Philippines • Poland • Portugal • Russia • Singapore • Slovakia • South Africa • Sweden • Turkey • United States • Vietnam Regional franchises Pan Arab • Asia • Czech Republic & Slovakia • East Africa • Latin America • Serbia, Montenegro & Macedonia • West Africa • World Idol List of winners