American Idol is screened on the Fox Network in the United States which is part of News Corporation and on CTV in Canada.^[1] It is created by Simon Fuller (manager of the Spice Girls and S Club 7) and developed by Simon Jones of Thames Television. The directors are Bruce Gowers (director of Queen's original "Bohemian Rhapsody" video), Nigel Lythgoe (a judge on So You Think You Can Dance), Simon Fuller (creator) and Ken Warwick (Gladiators and Grudge Match).

American Idol is produced by Fremantle North America which is owned by German Bertelsmann. Each contestant may sign a contract with one of Bertelsmann's many music labels because Bertelsmann owns half of Sony BMG. American Idol is managed by 19 Entertainment which is owned by the international joint venture CKX, Inc.

American Idol won a 2005 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award for favorite television show. In the same year the show won the #1 spot on Nielsen Ratings for two years in a row, favored over the NBA Playoffs, NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, Grammy Awards, Daytime Emmy Awards, Academy Awards, and the Olympics. The show's success inspired other nations to produce their own variations of the Idol series, and also became the subject of numerous parodies.

Overview

Early auditions

In the show, hosted by Ryan Seacrest, hopeful contestants are screened by preliminary panels to be selected for singing talent or humorous potential and human interest. Those who pass the prelims are potentially aired on the show. They then audition before the three main judges - Simon Cowell (one of the judges from Pop Idol), Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson - in selected cities across the United States. Sometimes a celebrity fourth judge may be added. These are generally held at large convention centers where thousands of people wait in line for auditions. Past audition cities have included; New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Atlanta, New Orleans, Chicago, Greensboro, Washington, D.C., Houston, Honolulu, Denver, Detroit, St. Louis, Boston, Las Vegas, Orlando, Nashville, Memphis, Dallas, Cleveland and Austin. (Contestants from the Season 5 Austin auditions were flown to San Francisco, Sana Antonio Texas to audition before the judges due to the effect of Hurricane Katrina evacuees on the city.) In order to be eligible, the contestants are not permitted to have any current recording or talent management agreements (but may have had one at some point in the past). Based on turnout and availability, producers select a certain number from the crowd to audition before the three judges (this usually takes 2-4 rounds). Contestants are required to sing a cappella. Those who impress the majority of the judges move on to the second round auditions which take place in Hollywood (typically only several dozen out of the thousands in each city move on). The contestants selected despite lack of singing talent for appearance before the panel provide a major attraction to the viewing audience as they simultaneously proclaim their talent while turning out gut-wrenching performances which are ridiculed by the judges.

Much like the original Pop Idol version, one of the most popular portions of each season are initial episodes showcasing American Idol hopefuls auditioning before the panel of judges. These early episodes focus mainly on the poorest performances from contestants who often appear oblivious to their lack of star talent. These "contestants" have been selected by the preliminary panels in a negative sense; a typical combination is lack of singing ability combined with vanity regarding their "talent." Others are selected for human interest potential: the 2005 auditions featured a "cannibal" who had sampled human flesh in an anthropology class and an aspiring female prize fighter. Other examples include a man dressed in pajamas with no shoes (whose comments made Cowell explode with laughter) and a transvestite who kisses Cowell on the cheek after his (or her) audition wraps up. Poor singers often face intense and humbling criticism from the judges, and especially from Cowell, who can be harsh and blunt in his rejections. Typically the judges express disgust or dismay or suppressed laughter. Some poor performances have attained notoriety on their own; these have included Season 1's portrayal of Lady Marmalade, Season 2's performance of Madonna's Like a Virgin by Keith Beukelaer and Season 3's rendition of Ricky Martin's She Bangs by William Hung.

Contestants must be U.S. citizens 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. For the fourth season, the upper age limit was raised to 28 with an earlier cutoff date, August 4, to attract more mature and diverse contestants. In early 2003, a 50-year-old college professor named Drew Cummings filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, charging the show with age discrimination because producers denied him an audition due to his age. His case was not taken up by the EEOC. Auditioning contestants must bring with them to the audition a valid proof of age (and citizenship) such as a birth certificate, driver's license, and a passport, and minors under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. All auditioning contestants are required to sign on to the Web at www.americanidol.com and print out a copy of the release form 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 were found out to have given false information are disqualified. Those who are ineligible are: those who have current talent representation or a recording contract; have made it to a top 30 on Season 1, top 32 on Seasons 2 and 3, or top 44 on Seasons 4 and 5; or are affiliated with Fox, Fremantle, 19, its sponsors, its affiliates, its subsidies and parent companies; anyone whose age is not in the required age range; and non-US citizens. 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.

Idol Audition Cities

Hollywood

Once in Hollywood, the three judges narrow the initial field of a few hundred down to a group of 24 semi-finalists (30 in Season 1 and 32 in Seasons 2 and 3) (complete list). In Season 1, the 30 semi-finalists were split into three groups of ten and the top three in each group advanced to the final ten. Three groups of three yielded nine finalists, so the tenth was chosen in a wild card show consisting of five previously-eliminated performers the judges felt deserved a second chance. In Seasons 2 and 3, the 32 semi-finalists were split into four groups of eight, from which the top two performers in each group earned a slot in the finals. Four groups of two yielded eight finalists out of twelve slots. The last four finalists were chosen in a wildcard competition, with each judge selecting one performer to advance to the finals and one performer chosen by audience voting. (The eventual Season 2 runner up, Clay Aiken, was the viewers' wild card choice that season, having originally been eliminated the week that eventual winner Ruben Studdard and third-place finisher Kimberley Locke advanced to the finals.) Beginning with the fourth season, the semi-finalists were split into two groups separating the male contestants from the female contestants, promoting an equal number of each gender to the finals. For three consecutive weeks, the male semifinalists compete only against the other men, and the female semifinalists compete only against the other women. Each contestant performs a song of his or her choice live (in the eastern and central time zones), in prime time and receives critiques from the judges, who, from this point on, serve almost entirely in an advisory capacity, with no direct influence on the results. This format has since been used on other Idol series.

Viewers have two hours following the broadcast of the show in their time zone to phone in votes for their favorite contestant by calling a toll-free number. Viewers with Cingular Wireless cell phones may also send text messages to vote. Callers are allowed to vote as many times as they like for any number of contestants, as long as they vote within the voting window for the time zone assigned to their phone's area code. (Cell phone voters who have tried voting while traveling in other time zones have reported on various fan forums that their votes were rejected if they tried to vote outside the time zone assigned to their home area codes.) On the following night's episode the results of the nationwide vote are announced, and the bottom two vote-getters are eliminated each week. At the end of the semifinal rounds, the six men and six women who remain advance to the finals.

Semi-finalists (and in some cases, other contestants as well) must submit to background checks and may be summarily disqualified for past behavior deemed undesirable, such as an arrest record. Several finalists have been disqualified for revelations that surfaced late in the competition. Semi-finalists are also subjected to drug tests, in order to avoid scandals involving drug usage. Contestants who failed the test have not been allowed to proceed in the competition.

Under terms of the personal release contract, contestants agree to be "conclaved" from the outside world. Contestants may not use cell phones (unless between family members or during an emergency), or the World Wide Web (especially chatting and message boards). They also may not leave the Hollywood jurisdiction, and may not leave their apartments without consent. Furthermore, they may not communicate with third-parties, watch television (especially news and sports), listen to radio stations, or read newspapers during their duration in the competition.

Final Twelve

In the finals, which last eleven weeks, each finalist performs a song live in prime time from a weekly theme (two songs in later rounds) at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California 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 Billy Joel, Neil Sedaka, The Bee Gees, Barry Manilow, Rod Stewart, Gloria Estefan, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Queen and Elvis Presley. Once in the top 5, the contestants sing two songs each.

When there are three finalists remaining, themes are no longer used. Instead, each contestant sings three songs: one of their own choice, one chosen by the judges, and one chosen by record executive Clive Davis. However in Season 2, in the final three, one song was chosen randomly from a bowl, with one chosen by the performer and one by the judges.

In any case, each week on the following night's live "results" episode, the contestant with the fewest votes is sent home. The bottom three vote-getters (bottom two in final four, five or, from Season 5 onwards, six) are separated from the remaining contestants. Over the course of the episode, two of the bottom group (one in final four, five or six) are revealed as being "safe" for the week, and the reject is sent home after performing one final song to end the episode. This process is repeated each week until the Top 3. There is no bottom 2 in the Top 3; instead the eliminated contestant's name is announced. Then in the finale, one remaining contestant is declared the winner. The stage is moved to the Kodak Theatre for the finale showdown, where the two remaining contestants perform for an audience of at least 3,400. The winner is announced at the end of the show.

Post-Idol promotion

At the end of the season, the winner obtains $1 million (US) dollars, a five-album major record deal, and a strong fanbase,^[2] in some cases this is not limited to the winner, as other finalists may also get a record deal and fanbase.

Following the week of a rejected (final twelve) contestant's elimination, he or she makes guest appearances in testimonial interviews, press releases, and on talk shows to promote American Idol. The winner and runner-up make guest appearances after the season ends. After the final episode airs at the end of the season, a studio compilation album of the top twelve contestants as well as a CD single featuring the winner and runner-up each are also made to promote the show. The compilation album is released by RCA Records and the CD singles are released by the RCA label division that the contestant signed with. The compilation album includes full-length covers — each contestant records one song that they performed on the show, usually chosen as their "best" song. These tracks are not actual singles for radio airplay and are sold on Web retailers as digital download songs.

In the summer of the same year, usually starting in July and ending in September, the top ten contestants tour the continental United States (and maybe parts of Canada, such as Toronto) in over 40 major cities. They perform in notable concert venues and sports arenas throughout the country, most of which are considered "sold-out" shows.

In late fall or early winter, the debut albums of some contestants, including but not limited to the winner and runner-up, are released by a Sony BMG label division.

Season synopses

Season 1

Main article: American Idol (Season 1)

The first season of American Idol debuted without hype as a summer replacement show in June 2002 on the Fox Broadcasting Company after being rejected by numerous other networks. The show's co-hosts were Ryan Seacrest and Brian Dunkleman. 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 ending with a finale viewed by an estimated fifty million viewers in September 2002. Following such a success, the second season was moved to air the upcoming January during the higher profile 2003 fall schedule. The number of episodes increased, as did the show's budget and the charge for commercial spots.

Winner Kelly Clarkson signed with RCA Records the label in partnership with American Idol's 19 Management. Immediately post-finale, Clarkson released two singles, most notably the coronation song "A Moment Like This" which debuted at #52, but marked the biggest jump in Billboard history when it shot to #1, breaking a record set by The Beatles. As part of the promotion planned for the show's first winner, the song had been pre-recorded ready to air on radio stations the day after the finale. Appearances on numerous entertainment/news shows followed, as did videos for the singles that began airing on MTV's TRL. Clarkson has subsequently had two successful albums, Thankful and Breakaway, and several hit singles mostly from her more successful second album Breakaway. While her first album failed to sell outside of North America, her second was a global success and garnered two Grammy Awards in 2006.

The show inspired a 2003 musical film, From Justin to Kelly, featuring Kelly Clarkson and runner-up Justin Guarini. The musical love story, produced by American 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^[3] during its short run in theatres. A DVD with additional footage was released and the movie airs periodically in the U.S. and other countries.

Besides Clarkson and Guarini, also signed were Nikki McKibbin (3rd), Tamyra Gray (4th), and Christina Christian (6th). It is the only year the runner-up did not release a single following the show's finale.

Runner-up Justin Guarini also signed with RCA Records. Contract restrictions required him to reject outside offers received and delay solo projects following the season finale, eventually debuting an album in 2003 after the conclusion of Season 2. RCA dropped him shortly after its debut. Guarini formed his own entertainment company and independently released a second album in 2005, with a third album and an independent movie scheduled for release in 2006. Nikki McKibbin signed with RCA, but was dropped when she refused to record a country album. She has since made appearances on various Reality TV shows, and is finishing her debut album. Tamyra Gray was signed to RCA, but was dropped when she demanded to write the album. She then signed with American Idol's Simon Fuller's new label 19 Entertainment, and her self-written debut album was released in 2004. She was dropped by the label in 2005. She had a supporting role in the 2005 movie The Gospel. RJ Helton released a Christian album, but sales were lackluster. Ryan Starr had trouble getting out of her contract with RCA Records, but independently released a single My Religion, which sold 360,000 downloads via iTunes. She is expected to release her debut album in 2006 or 2007. Jim Verraros the first openly gay contestant to appear on American Idol starred in an indie film and released a dance-pop album, charting a dance hit on Billboard. Christina Christian, EJay Day (tenth), and AJ Gil (eighth) have had little success after the show.

The first season of American Idol will be syndicated on select T.V stations in United States called American Idol: Rewind. The rewind episodes will start on September 2006.

Season 2

Main article: American Idol (Season 2)

In Season 2, Seacrest surfaced as the lone host, since Dunkleman reportedly hated working on the show, and the studio was dissatisfied with his performance. Kristin Holt was a special correspondent. This time, Ruben Studdard emerged as the winner with Clay Aiken as runner-up. Out of 24 million votes recorded, Studdard finished just 130,000 votes ahead of Aiken, although there remains controversy over the accuracy of the reported results. There was much discussion in the communication industry about the phone system being overloaded, and that more than 150 million votes were dropped, making the voting invalid. ^[4] Since then the voting methods have been modified to avoid this problem.

In an interview prior to the start of the fifth season, executive producer Nigel Lythgoe revealed for the first time that Aiken had led the fan voting from the wild card week onward until the finale.^[5] Despite Studdard's victory, Aiken has enjoyed more widespread popularity, emerging as one of the season's true breakout stars, even being the first to have a U.S. Hot 100 number one with This is The Night. Ruben's next album is scheduled to be released September 26, 2006. Kimberley Locke has also enjoyed radio success after American Idol with her debut album, One Love. Her next album is also rumored to be released in 2006.

Fourth-place finisher and former Marine Josh Gracin has had huge success as a country artist, signing with Lyric Street Records, and his first album spawned three hit singles, including a number one song, Nothing to Lose."

One contestant, Frenchie Davis, was disqualified and removed from the competition after topless photos of her surfaced on the Internet. She later appeared in the Broadway musical Rent.

During the course of the contest Ruben became known for wearing 205 Flava jerseys representing his area code. Shortly after the end of the contest, Ruben sued 205 Flava, Inc for $2 million for using his image for promotional purposes. Flava responded by alleging that Ruben had accepted over $10,000 in return for wearing 205 shirts, and produced 8 cashed checks to validate their claim. The allegations, if true, indicate a clear violation of the American Idol rules. ^[6] The lawsuit was settled out of court. ^[7]

The rumor mills were buzzing once again in 2005 when Season 2 contestant Corey Clark, who was kicked off the show because of a police record he had not disclosed earlier, alleged that he had an affair with judge Paula Abdul. Clark also alleged that Abdul gave him preferential treatment on the show because of their alleged romance. A subsequent investigation by Fox found no evidence to support Clark's charges. ^[8]

Season 3

Main article: American Idol (Season 3)

The third season of American Idol premiered on January 19, 2004.

The early part of the season introduced William Hung, a UC Berkeley student, who became popular following his terrible rendition of Ricky Martin's "She Bangs." His performance as well as his attitude facing Simon's criticisms (which was a stark contrast to other contestants' confrontational, angry reactions) landed him a record deal with Koch Entertainment Records making over $500,000 in record sales.

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 were unexpectedly eliminated. Jasmine Trias, despite some negative comments from Simon Cowell survived elimination and took the third spot over Latoya London. Jasmine later released a CD and attracted fans in her home state of Hawaii and in 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 and Diana DeGarmo was runner up. Fantasia has enjoyed commercial success and has been labeled by many respected individuals as a future musical legend. She released her first single in June 2004 on the RCA record label. The single included "I Believe" – cowritten by former Idol contestant Tamyra Gray (who also sang backup on it) – 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, the first artist to do so with her first record. [4] On the sales chart, the single spent 11 consecutive weeks at number one (10 weeks in Canada), giving it the longest consecutive stay at #1 on that chart for an American Idol contestant. The 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 recieved 3 Billboard Awards. In 2006 she recieved 4 Grammy Nominations for her double platinum debut album "Free Yourself."

Fantasia has also taken part in writing and acting projects. These include her life memoir, Life Is Not A Fairy Tale, and an original Lifetime movie about her life story, which debuted to a record breaking 19 million viewers over it's weekend premiere and is Lifetime's 2nd most watched movie in the Networks' 22 year history. ^[9] Fantasia also guest starred on an episode of The Simpsons as a younger version of herself named Clarissa Wellington. Her character came in third on the American Idol parody, Li'l Starmaker. Fantasia appeared on a Luther Vandross tribute CD a year after winning the show. She also appeared on Sam Moore's collaboration CD "Overnight Sensational on a track entitled Blame It On The Rain and has collaborated with Soul Legend Aretha Franklin on a song entitled "Let Me Put You Up On Game" set to be released on Aretha Franklin's upcoming album. Fantasia's as-yet-untitled sophomore CD has collaborations with Aretha Franklin, Kanye West,Steven Tyler, Missy Elliott, Ne-Yo, Tweet and Diane Warren and is due out December 5th, 2006.

Diana DeGarmo's first CD, Blue Skies, unfortunately was not a commercial success due to a lack of promotion by RCA and she eventually asked to be released from the contract with RCA. She was not dropped by the label, a common misconception. She has since received a role in the Broadway production of Hairspray, where she played the part of role of Penny Pingleton from February 7th-May 21st and received outstanding reviews from critics. Currently, Diana is starring with Melba Moore in the national tour of Brooklyn the Musical through mid-August. On September 8th, Diana will return to the Broadway production of Hairspray to once again assume the role of Penny Pingleton for a six month period. Diana is also working independently on a second album while performing in the musicals.

Diana wasn't the only non-winner of the season to land herself a record deal. Jasmine Trias signed with an independent label, and 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. Latoya London signed with Peak Records and released an album of slow jams, which didn't sell well. George Huff signed with Word Records to release a gospel album and has since had mild success in that genre.

John Stevens, the red-haired crooner who many say made it farther than he should have, landed a deal with Maverick Records, but was dropped due to low album sales. Jennifer Hudson is starring alongside Beyoncé Knowles and Jamie Foxx in the upcoming Dreamgirls movie, and is expected to release her album sometime in 2007. Camile Velasco was once signed to Motown Records, but left the label after her first single flopped. Still, like Jasmine, she has become somewhat popular in the Philippines. Eleventh place contestant Matthew Rogers is now a TV personality, starring alongside Mikalah Gordon on Idol Extra, which goes behind the scenes of the American Idol season 5.

Ironically, the amusingly unmusical also-ran William Hung became a bigger star than most of the finalists from that season.

Season 4

Main article: American Idol (Season 4)

The 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.^[10][11] Among those who benefited from this new rule were Constantine Maroulis (born September 17) and Bo Bice (born November 1), 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-orientated contestants has 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 2 of each gender being voted off each week until 12 finalists were left.

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, the first winner since Kelly Clarkson to not only win but avoid being in the bottom three for the entire competition. Bo Bice came in first runner-up. Her 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 Carrie's CD was Independence Day, a cover of the Martina McBride hit. On November 15, 2005, Carrie released her debut album, "Some Hearts", which peaked and debuted at #2 on Billboard. It has currently sold over 3 million copies, and has gone triple platinum. Underwood's first single, Jesus, Take The Wheel was made available for radio airplay on October 18, 2005. It received so much airplay that it debuted at #39 on the Billboard Country Chart in its first week, setting a record. As it climbed, it finally reached #1 for 6 consecutive weeks, and was only two weeks shy of Connie Smith's record of an 8 week run back in 1964-1965. The single also debuted at #48 on the Billboard Hot 100 where it reached a peak of #20. Underwood's second single, Don't Forget to Remember Me, released for radio in 2006, is currently at #2 on the Billboard Hot Country Charts, as well as, #49 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Meanwhile, 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 second-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. Sixth-place contestant Constantine Maroulis has redone his Bohemian Rhapsody rendition for a Queen tribute album, and has announced his pre-production debut album's release in the fall of 2006, as well as to star in an ABC television sitcom and an independent feature film. Maroulis was also featured in the Broadway musical The Wedding Singer, beginning in August 2006. Seventh-place contestant Anwar Robinson has released his self-titled EP on an independent label. Mario Vazquez and Nikko Smith will each have a new single by the summer of 2006. 12th-place contestant Lindsey Cardinale has recorded her first single, Nothing Like A Dream (B-side Drive) in the summer of 2005 on an independent label, and released in March 2006.

Season 5

Main article: American Idol (Season 5)

The fifth season of American Idol began on January 17, 2006. 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. Contestants had to be between the ages of 16 and 28 on August 15, 2005, being born on or between August 16, 1976 and August 15, 1989.^[12][13]

Although this season had little controversy in comparison to the four prior seasons, various troubles emerged. Derrell and Terrell Brittenum were twins who auditioned together in Chicago. Derrell had threatened to, and did quit when he had mistakenly heard his brother was cut. After realizing his error, Derrell pleaded to the judges to let him reclaim his spot in the competition, much to their consternation. They gave Derrell and his brother another chance, but the twins were later disqualified in January 2006 due to a prior arrest for identity theft.

Finalist Bucky Covington also had prior troubles with the law. Coincidentally, Covington's crimes involved himself and his twin brother, Rocky. The two had allegedly switched spots in 1998 to confuse the police. However, this prior crime had no effect on Covington's time on American Idol, and he was voted off on April 12.

The winner of the season was Taylor Hicks, with Katharine McPhee finishing as runner up. Taylor Hicks joined Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood as the only winners of American Idol to never be in the bottom three or two. Taylor was named American Idol on May 24, 2006 at 9:56 PM (EDT). 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 finale was seen by some as the best yet, with surprise performances from stars such as Live, Mary J. Blige, and Toni Braxton singing duets with the members of the final 12. An additional performance by Prince was generally seen as a statement of Idol's acceptance in the music world.

The introduction of the Golden Idol awards brought back memories from the auditions, such as the return of "Crazy Dave" and even the foul-mouthed Rhonetta Johnson (or at least a skilled impersonator), while providing comic relief in the midst of the suspense. For example, Michael Sandecki was an auditioner who closely resembled Season 2 runner-up Clay Aiken at his original audition, but unlike Clay, Michael was not a good enough singer to be accepted to Hollywood. He appeared on the finale to receive a Golden Idol for "Best Impersonation", and was asked to sing. He started to sing Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me, and much to his and the fans' joy and surprise, the real Clay Aiken came out on stage and finished the song with him.

Season 6

Main article: American Idol (Season 6)

American Idol Season 6 will begin in January 2007.

Media sponsorship

American Idol is often noted for advertising its sponsors during the show's runtime. Being the number one rated show in the United States, it costs around $705,000 for a 30-second commercial^{citation needed]}.

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, while contestants and host Ryan Seacrest 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 remaining contestants and host 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.

Voting is made possible by Cingular Wireless, and viewers who cast votes on Cingular Wireless cellular telephones benefit from lower billing costs^{citation needed]}.

Kellogg and Pop-Tarts are also two major sponsors, especially of the cast tour that follows the end of every season^{citation needed]}.

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 and 5 each won free Mustangs. In addition, the American Idol logo strongly resembles the Ford Motor Company logo (both are blue ovals featuring cursive script). Previous winners Kelly Clarkson and Taylor Hicks have also been tapped to do commercials for Ford.

Contestants will occasionally don Old Navy clothing during performances^{citation needed]}, 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^{citation needed]}.

Controversy

Main article: American Idol controversy

• The show is known for encouraging favoritism within the contestants and having viewers vote for their "favorite" rather than singing ability. Critics claim that this treatment places social status above musical aesthetics.

• American Idol has come under fire for maintaining what some claim to be total control of the careers of the winners of the contest. Former co-host Brian Dunkleman referred to the show as "owning" the winning contestants, noting that winners sign contracts to only record with companies owned by the show's producers and to allow related agencies to manage their careers.

• Former contestant Corey Clark told reporters in April 2005 that he and Idol judge Paula Abdul had a "secret affair" prompting an internal Idol investigation. ^[14] Abdul was eventually deemed innocent.

• During season three, contestants LaToya London and Jennifer Hudson, both of African-American heritage, were eliminated. Thought both of them would be the final three (especially LaToya), along with Fantasia Barrino, many were outraged because they believe eliminating two favorite singers from the show who are African-American is racism.

• Season 3 winner Fantasia Barrino included a controversial song on her first album titled Baby Mama about single motherhood that has received widespread criticism. Although the song has been thought of and labeled by Fantasia herself as an inspirational anthem for single mothers everywhere by many, others see the song as an example of poor "family values."

• Since the 2004 season, American Idol producers have battled online community services such as the weblogs DialIdol.com, Worldsentiment.com, and VotefortheWorst.com. DialIdol predicts the winner of each week's contest based on how often an automatic dialer encounters a busy signal for each contestant; Worldsentiment uses very large samplings and algorithms to predict the outcome of the vote-off; and VotefortheWorst exhorts viewers to vote for what the site deems to be the worst contestant, rather than the best. Some in the media have implied that Las Vegas odds makers exert behind-the-scenes influence in protecting the services.

• Former season 2 and 5 contestant, Daniel James 'DJ' Boyd, arrested for allegedly videotaping sexual encounters with minors after supplying them with alcohol in Utah.^[15]

• Season Two contestant, Corey Clark, arrested again on Trespassing charges and violating terms of probation.^[16]

Television ratings

U.S.

Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of American Idol on FOX.

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

American Idol doesn't have a ranking for the 2001-2002 season because it aired in the summer of 2002. If it had aired within the official 2001-2002 U.S. television season, the Wednesday results show would have ranked #25 and the Tuesday performance show would have ranked #30, assuming it would have had the same rating as it did in the summer.

American Idol has bucked the trend of most successful television programs, past and present, by growing in audience numbers in its fifth season. According to the overnight ratings for May 24, 2006, an average of 42.94 million viewers^[22] tuned in to the final half-hour of the fifth season finale when Taylor Hicks was announced as the 2006 American Idol.

International

American Idol is broadcast to over 100 nations outside of the United States, including many with their own version of Idol; however, it is not a live broadcast and may be tape delayed by several days or weeks (excluding India, Israel, Canada, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Phillippines, and the United Arab Emirates in which it is also aired live).

International networks broadcasting American Idol

• In Australia, the show screens on Network Ten.
• In Canada, the show screens on CTV.
• In Japan, the show screened from the 5th season on FOX TV Japan.
• In India it airs live on Star World.
• In Indonesia, the show screens on RCTI as well as on Star World live satellite feed.
• In Malaysia, the show screens on 8TV as well as on Star World live satellite feed.
• In the Philippines, the show screens on Associated Broadcasting Company as well as on Star World live satellite feed.
• In the United Kingdom, the show screens on ITV1/ITV2
• In Latin America, the show screens on Sony Entertainment Television.
• In Ireland, the show screens on TV3 Ireland.
• In Finland, the show screens on Subtv.
• In South Africa, the show screens on M-Net.
• In the United Arab Emirates, the show airs LIVE on Star World.
• In Denmark, the show screens on TV3.
• In Germany, the show screens on RTL.
• In Singapore, the show screens on Channel 5.
• In Israel, the show screens on IBA-channel 1, IBA-Channel 33, as well as on Star World.
• In Slovakia, the show screens on Jednotka.

See also

External links

• American Idol Official Website
• American Idol at MySpace - show page on MySpace.com, from News Corporation. Includes video recaps, contestant interviews and other exclusive videos.
• American Idol Recap and Results From FOXNews.com
• Idol Confidential News and information on previous contestants
• DigitalReview.net Reviews of American Idol show and contestants

Footnotes