American Idol 8 News (Page 4)

One-third of American Idol's 36 semifinalists took to the stage last night during the first round of fan voting.

While Jackie Tohn kicked the show off with an energetic performance of "A Little Less Conversation," and while Anoop Desai once again proved that his vocal talent belies his youthful, innocent appearance, two contestants truly separated themselves from the others.

• Fans were shown the original, awkward audition of Alexis Grace, during which Kara told her to go home and make love to her fiance. After her rendition of "Never Loved a Man" by Aretha Franklin, however, it seemed like the judges wanted to make love to Grace. Even Simon was impressed.

• Danny Gokey closed the show, meanwhile, and received a standing ovation for his version of Mariah Carey's "Hero." Paula already has him selling out arenas, while Simon said he wasn't buying all of the hype just yet... but was clearly impressed.

Who was your favorite contestant last night?

The top male and female will move on the final 12, along with the next highest vote-getter. We'd be shocked if Grace and Gokey aren't included in this group.

We got it mostly right.

The previously-released list of American Idol semifinalists was almost spot-on, with one notable exception:

According to a Fox press release issues this morning, “it has been determined that Joanna Pacitti is ineligible to continue in the competition."

Looks like the singer's previous connections with executive at 19 Entertainment, as well as a deal in 2005 with A&M records, were too much for the show to justify her inclusion any longer.

Aside from that controversy, most of the contestants that have moved on to the round of 36 are familiar names. Among our early favorites:

• Danny Gokey
• Lil Rounds
• Anoop Desai
• Kristen McNamara

Follow this article's jump to get a close look at each semifinalist, along with his/her name, age, hometown and picture...

Continue Reading...

American Idol fans learn the official list of final 36 contestants tonight.

We'd be shocked if the following names were not on there, however, as these singers blew us away last night...

Adam Lambert goes first on the night. People say he's too theatrical, but we think he's fun and different. Sings "Believe" by Cher.

Danny Gokey goes with the cheesiest song ever written, Lee Ann Womack's "I Hope You Dance." Paula pretty much throws her underwear on stage. (Ann Marie Boskovich also did a good job on this song later in the night.)

Scott MacIntyre is a blind guy on a piano. Gets us everytime. Great job.

Kristen McNamara makes a bold choice and goes with a Kelly Clarkson song. Always a dangerous move. But this beauty knocks it out of the park.

Anoop Desai totally rocks "My Prerogative." Not even Bobby Brown looked this cool singing it.

Isn't American Idol supposed to focus on actual talent once it moves to Hollywood?

Instead, the show teamed up contestants in various groups last night, as the drama was fun for a minute or two -- but then Katrina Darrell's selfishisness wore old quickly, as did the pure insanity of Tatiana Del Toro and Nathanial Marshall.

With that in mind, here are a few photos of contestants that actually relied on vocal talent to garner attention.

They include: Jasmine Murray, Danny Gokey and others...

Click on the photos above for larger images of these American Idol hopefuls.

On last night's first evening of American Idol auditions in Hollywood, the field was cut down to 104.

There's still a ways to go before we meet the final 36. But a trio of contestants that stood out last night seem like locks to advance at least that far:

1. Lil Rounds received a rousing ovation following her rendition of "I Will Always Love You."
2. Jorge Nunez was fashionable in his scarf, and impressive with his version of "Angel."
3. Danny Gokey showed more talent on "Kiss From a Rose" than he did during his original audition.

Click on the photos of each of these contestants, and then vote in our poll below:

Which of these American Idol contestants has the most potential?

American Idol moves to Hollywood this week, where the show will eventually whittle the number of contestants down to 36.

The official announcement of these finalists won't air until February 11, but reliable sources have released the following names. Take them with a grain of salt the size of Simon's ego, but the following 36 singers are reportedly headed for the fan-voting rounds:

• Adam Lambert
• Alexander Wagner-Trugman
• Alexis Grace
• Allison Iraheta
• Ann Marie Boskovich
• Anoop Desai
• Arianna Ayesha Afsar
• Brent Keith
• Casey Carlson (pictured)
• Danny Gokey
• Jackie Tohn
• Jasmine Murray
• Jeanine Vailes
• Michael Bartul
• Jessica Langseth
• Joanna Pacitti
• Jorge Nunez
• Junot Joyner
• Kai Kalama
• Kendall Beard
• Kristen McNamara
• Continue Reading...

Before he received his ticket to Hollywood on last night's American Idol, Tennessee native Brent Keith Smith promoted a Country Music Television album with a tour of local Walmarts.

Here's a look at one of his performances:

Last night's season eight premiere of American Idol drew 30.1 million viewers. Here's a closer look at its ratings.

Still Going Strong: With 30.1 million viewers, per Nielsen estimates, the show's eighth-season debut was the night's - and the season-to-date's - number one telecast.

Good or Bad? Compared to the seventh-season premiere, American Idol was off 10 percent, which is approximately the standard decline for even TV's most successful shows these days. Compared to last May's David Cook-crowning finale, the series was down 5 percent.

Where Did It Rank Historically? Tuesday's was the fifth-biggest, or, if you prefer, the fourth-smallest, premiere in show history. It goes down as the franchise's fifth straight premiere with at least 30 million viewers.

Free Tip for Idol Contestants: Work the cougar vote. No demographic watched the show in greater numbers than women 25-54.

After two hours worth of American Idol auditions, we don't think we've seen the next Daughtry or Carrie Underwood.

Still, here are the contestants that impressed us the most last night:

• Emily Wynne-Hughes: From Los Angeles, sang “Barracuda” by Heart
• Stevie Wright: From Phelen, CA, sang “At Last” by Etta James
• Katrina Darrell: From Chino Hills, CA, sang “Vision of Love” by Mariah Carey
• Deanna Brown: From Louisville KY, sang “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding
• Alex Wagner Thugman: From Studio City, CA, sang “Baby Come to Me” by James Ingram
• Arianna Afsar: From San Diego, CA, sang “Put Your Records On” by Corrine Bailey Rae

Click on the images below for a series of audition pics from last night's American Idol season premiere:

We shouldn't have to tell any loyal reader this... but American Idol premieres tonight!

How will new judge Kara Dioguardi come across? Which auditions will be blow our respective socks off, and which will result in total train wrecks? How much sexual tension will exist between Simon and Paula? Or between Simon and Ryan?

Visit our site everyday for the latest American Idol pics, videos and opinions!

We can't wait to go along for the most exciting ride on reality television once again. Won't you come with us?!?