American Idol (titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar in the first season) is a reality competition to find new solo musical talent, created by Simon Fuller. It debuted on June 11, 2002 on the Fox network, and has since become one of the most popular shows on American television. It is currently the #1 TV show in the Nielsen Ratings and is one of only three that have been #1 for five consecutive seasons, along with All in the Family and The Cosby Show. Part of the Idol franchise, it is a spin-off from the British show Pop Idol, of which two series were broadcast between 2001 and 2003 in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.
The program aims to discover the best singer in the country through a series of nation-wide auditions, and subsequent viewer voting. Through telephone voting, America has chosen past winners Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, and Kris Allen (listed in chronological order). Every American Idol winner except for Jordin Sparks (from Arizona) has been from the American South.[1] The eligible age-range for contestants is currently 16–28 years old.
The series employs a panel of judges who critique the contestants' performances: Grammy award-winning record producer and music manager Randy Jackson and award-winning music executive and music manager Simon Cowell have been judges for the entire series. Grammy award-winning pop singer and Emmy award-winning choreographer Paula Abdul was a judge for the show's first eight seasons.[2] The format originally featured three judges, with Grammy award-nominated singer–songwriter and record producer Kara DioGuardi added as a fourth judge for the eighth season. After Abdul's exit, on September 9, 2009, Ellen DeGeneres was confirmed to be her replacement for the ninth season.[3] The shows has been renewed for three more seasons.[4]
Ryan Seacrest has hosted the show for its entire run. During the first season, he was joined by comedian Brian Dunkleman. The American Idol band is currently 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 and Asia, Thursday and Friday nights on ITV2 in the United Kingdom, Friday and Saturday nights in Israel, and Saturday and Sunday nights in Latin America.
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Utica Observer Dispatch
A Rome native with a long-standing love of music made a national appearance Tuesday as a contestant on the Season 9 premiere of American ...
Local man makes it to ' American Idol ' Plattsburgh Press Republican
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By BILL CARTER
Mon, 11 Jan 2010 20:37:58 GM
Simon Cowell will leave ". American Idol. " for a new show, "The X Factor."
