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Get ready to welcome back Simon, Paula, Randy - and, of course, the "dawg pound."
The television juggernaut known as "American Idol" is set for its sixth go-round as it debuts with consecutive-night, two-hour specials this week.
Tuesday marks the season premiere's first installment, beginning at 8 p.m. on KXTL Channel 40, of what's become a no-fly-timeslot for rival networks. The fun continues Wednesday, same time, same channel.
Six years after its debut, it seems Americans just can't get enough of "American Idol."
The show continued the upward ratings trend last year, with Season 5 logging an impressive 14 percent increase (to 30.6 million average viewers) over Season 4 (26.8 million).
And it's reportedly worth $500 million a year in advertising revenues.
Not bad for a show that was initially greeted with a less-than-stellar response by television execs.
The British import - it's known there as "Pop Idol" - was rejected by nearly every network before Fox gave it a shot in 2002, throwing it on as a mid-summer replacement.
Not exactly a ringing endorsement.
Since then, the American version has been exported to more than 100 countries, many of which have received their own country-specific versions. There's now "Malasian Idol," "Singapore Idol," and "Turkstar" - seen throughout Turkey.
Tuesday's premiere will highlight early auditions, so prepare for the usual batch of so-bad-they've-got-to-be-joking entrants. Not to mention a healthy dose of Simon Cowell's trademark snide remarks.
Already, the famously caustic critic is raising eyebrows, telling Playboy he prefers show product Kelly Clarkson to "bore" folk-hero Bob Dylan.
Roseville resident Jennifer Kunde, who sang her way to the show's coveted Hollywood round last year, isn't sure if she'll watch this time around.
"Part of it is it's just getting old," said Kunde, who at 30 was ineligible to compete this year. "Who knows? I love to watch the first episodes."
And she has some advice for this year's crop: "Always be yourself, always," she said. "If you're boisterous, speak out, if you're shy you're shy ... And pick a song that you are going to show your voice off with."
Among other questions - will judge Randy Jackson finally tire of calling everyone "dawg" - fans are wondering who could show up on the "Idol" stage.
Rumor sites are abuzz that this year could see ex-Beatle Paul McCartney play guest judge, the biggest "get" following appearances by big-name stars like Prince, Olivia Newton-John and Barry Manilow.
In the spirit of "Idol"-mania, test your I.Q. (Idol Quotient) with our quiz:
1. The upper age-limit for "Idol" contestants was 24, but was raised in Season 4 to:
a. 28
b. 30
c. 31
d. 34
2. This many votes were cast during the entire fifth season of "Idol":
a. 52 million
b. 450 million
c. 580 million
d. 720 million
3. True or False? The season finale of "Idol" Season 5 was the most watched program of 2006.
4. Which album title is not among Season 3 reject William Hung's discography?
a. Inspiration
b. Hung for the Holidays
c. William Hung: Hanging with Hung
d. Miracle: Happy Summer from William Hung
Answers:
1. a; 2. c; 3. False - it was third, trailing the Super Bowl and the Academy Awards; 4. c
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AMERICAN IDOL NEWS
Catching Up With Ramiele  Once Ramiele Malubay was chosen as one of the top 24 contestants in season 7 of American Idol, life for her has been anything but dull. After competing for five weeks knowing that she would be on tour during the summer, Ramiele stayed in L.A. This worked out well for her, as rehearsals for the finale and the tour began in earnest before the season even ended.
Life in the Idol world is always fast paced. As soon as the finale ended, rehearsals really kicked up and then the top 10 Idols were on the road, touring America from coast to coast. Luckily for us, Ramiele took some time out of her busy schedule while she was in Newark to share some thoughts about the past year.
Ramiele has had a great experience on the road and she notes that "every city is different. We try to get off the bus, put our stuff inside and go and sign autographs before we have hair and makeup done and do press and whatnot." Later, she followed up, "I really didn't come into this with any expectations. I just love getting off the bus in other cities. I love waking up in different cities."
While it sounds glamorous and exciting, being on the road can be somewhat exhausting. Ramiele, though, exclaims, "It's less exhausting than the show." Without having to stoicly receive feedback from the judges after every performance, she confirms there's just less stress. This is how Ramiele describes a typical day on the road for her:
"Usually, after a show, if we have a show the next day, we'll travel to the next city and it will be, like, a four or five hour drive. We get out of the bus, take all of our stuff out, go and sleep for a couple hours, get ready, get all of our stuff back, get our hair and makeup done, meet the sponsors, perform, meet people after the show and, then, we go sign autographs outside and, then, we go and do the same thing all over again." Whew.
"All of us have gotten it down to a routine schedule. We're working on getting things done quicker. You know, like hair and makeup because there are five girls and four of the girls are in the first set, so it's hard to get everybody done, but we're doing really well."
Being on tour is also quite different from being on the show in that she is now regularly performing in front of thousands and thousands of people. Laughing, Ramiele told us what kind of effect this has had on her:
"Backstage I freak out a little bit when I look into the audience. I go second, so when Chikezie is out there, I peek through the little cracks and see how many people are out there. I kinda freak out a little because there are so many people. Then, you go out there and you do the same songs every night. You don't have to learn new words or impress anybody -- you're just being yourself. Putting yourself out there for the people who have been watching you and supporting you."
Being away from family and friends for so long can be challenging, but she speaks to them often. When we spoke to her, Ramiele was missing her dog very much, but, fortunately, her boyfriend was coming into town with her dog for a visit. After the tour, Ramiele hopes to meet with some major studios and will be retuning to the Philippines in December to do a few concerts.
Visit our Tour section to find out where you can see Ramiele and nine other Idols in concert this summer, see Fan Photos and Fan Reviews.. JPL Blogs!  Season 3 Finalist Jon Peter Lewis took some time off from the road to share his thoughts from the Salt Lake City auditions. He was there hanging with the auditioners -- you'll even see him doing some interviews for americanidol.com later this summer/fall! He was also in Salt Lake to celebrate the release of his second album, Break The Silence, which hit stores on July 22nd.
Don't miss his take on the Salt Lake experience, and, if you're heading to the Kansas City auditions, you might just see him there, too! Happy Birthday Amy Adams Season 3 finalist Amy Adams celebrates her birthday today. Everybody remembers Amy from her bright pink hair, fun personality and amazing voice. After her time on Idol, she debuted on broadway as the narrator of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolr Dreamcoat in September, 2005. In regard to her personal life, Amy married Ross Vamer in October, 2004 and had a son in May, 2005.
Check out this fun photo of Amy performing from season 3.
americanidol.com warmly wishes Amy a very happy birthday! Idols in Teen Choice 2008  American Idol will be well represented in the upcoming Teen Choice 2008 airing Monday, August 4 at 8/7c on FOX. American Idol Winner David Cook along with runner-up David Archuleta, Season 6 Winner Jordin Sparks and Season 5 runner-up Katharine McPhee will be presenting awards in this year's special.
Find out more about Teen Choice 2008. |
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