Jordin Sparks is the New American Idol

Jordin Sparks became the youngest ever to win American Idol.

From People:

The wrap-up featured Green Day, Tony Bennett, Gwen Stefani, Gladys Knight and Bette Midler. Kelly Clarkson sang a defiant new rock song that made her sound like Meat Loaf, and a special gag award was presented to (and gleefully accepted by) the audition-round curiosity named Margaret Fowler, that strange, cackling woman dressed in screaming yellow. Last season's show ended with Prince: This time we got past winners and current finalists in a tribute to the 40th anniversary of the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper. Btw, Sanjaya Malakar appeared at the finale and reprised his best number, "You Really Got Me," with Joe Perry of Aerosmith.

The result: With over 74 million votes, 17 year-old Jordin Sparks became the youngest American Idol winner - ever.









Jordin Sparks and Ruben Studdard:

Melinda Doolittle Says Trying Out For 'American Idol' Was 'A Fluke'

It's hard to imagine the sixth season of "American Idol" without Melinda Doolittle.

In a year of mini-scandals, questionable talents and buzzed-about hairdos, the 29-year-old backup singer from Brentwood, Tennessee, brought expertise and humility to the otherwise-chaotic stage. As Randy Jackson put it, she was the show's "resident pro."

And as unpredictable as this season has been (Sanjaya in the finals, anyone?), it should come as no surprise that Doolittle -- considered a shoo-in for the top two — was sent packing Wednesday night.

We caught up with the ever-gracious Mindy Doo on Thursday (May 17) to talk about her older fanbase, her new sense of style and how she actually never meant to audition for "Idol" in the first place.

Q: Why do you think you were sent home?

A: I was up against two amazing contestants. ... But also, I know that I was probably getting a little bit of the older vote, which is great, and I had a lot of people come up to me and say, "I voted for you five times last night, it was so good." Sometimes they may not spend a full two hours voting, and that's OK. But I really feel like, personally, that I've won as far as where I ended up in this competition.

Q: How did your mom react to your elimination?

A: My mom was at home, so she called me and was so, so encouraging and so sweet about everything. Once I told her I was OK, she was like, "Great -- then I'm OK."

Q: Simon gave you a hard time about always looking surprised when you got a compliment. Did you realize you were doing that?

A: It's part of my personality. Plus, I was coming out of a singing background for so many years, I got so used to having to sound like other people. "American Idol" was my first time really stepping out and finding out what my voice sounded like. So the fact that people liked it and were giving me good comments was surprising to me. It was a great honor. And it always kind of shocked me right at first. It was my little adjustment process there. I couldn't help it!

Q: We saw your fashion sense kind of evolve during the season. Do you think you're ready to branch out and be your own stylist now?

A: You know what? I am packing my suitcase as we speak and wondering the same thing. The show has great stylists. ... I was privileged to have a best friend that was a stylist also, so she was very helpful to me. Hopefully they've instilled something in me to help me shop a little better. I'm probably just going to wear things I've worn already that I know work on me.

Q: Simon brought up song arrangements a few times on Tuesday's show. Do you think they make a big difference?

A: Sometimes you can have an arrangement that you love and people don't really connect with it because they're so used to a different version of the song. Then there are other times where you can take the song to a whole other level. I really commend Blake for taking risks like that. And I think that he did a great job taking a song and making it more like Blake and kind of taking it to another level, as opposed to taking it backwards.

Q: How did you end up trying out for "Idol"?

A: Deciding to audition for "American Idol" kind of happened on a fluke, because I was driving down with a friend of mine and wanting to support him. The way he talked me into driving to Memphis was [by saying], "Remember the funny auditions? Maybe now you can see them in person!" So we got a couple more friends and we all went down and had to audition to get inside. So we all signed up to audition, and I ended up being the only one out of that group to make it through. And as it kept going, I was like, "Oh my goodness. I'm still here?" It kind of forced me to take it by the reins and just be like, "OK, God, we're gonna do this, I guess." The growth in me has just been amazing, and just me learning about myself and learning how I react to these kinds of situations and how I react to being up front.

Q: Can you talk a little bit about what goes on behind the scenes of "American Idol"?

A: Because of the pressure of what we go through, when we get backstage, we are ready to let go. We are a silly bunch. We love to hang out, kind of like one big, happy family. We tease about certain things that maybe are on the Internet or certain things the judges may have said. We try to take it as lightly as possible so we don't go home crying.

Q: Who did you joke around with the most on the show?

A: Everybody's hilarious. I'm kind of the mama of the bunch because I'm the oldest, so I call them all my babies. Jordin, being the youngest, is my baby girl definitely. We all hang out. Blake is kind of the class clown, so he might have been one of the funniest ones.

Q: What do you like about this year's top two?

A: First of all, Jordin is 17 years old, and it does not make any sense to me for a 17-year-old to be able to sing that amazingly well. I am just in awe of her. She's got one of the most mature voices I've ever heard, especially on someone her age. And she's got such a pure heart -- I think it comes through when she goes to sing and when she goes to emote her song. That's my baby girl and I wish her the best. ... I think that Blake may quite possibly be one of the most original performers "American Idol" has ever had. He takes a song, he makes it his own — whether it's beatboxing, dancing, kind of putting a different groove to it. I believe that he took risks, and I am so proud of him for doing that and for stepping out and making people listen to a different style.

Q: What kind of album do you want to put out?

A: The only way I know how to describe it is just soul music. Anything from the heart. I love a groove, I love anything where I can tell a story. For me, I just call that soul music.

-- Katie Byrne (MTV.com)

American Idol - Idol Gives Back Episode

Thanks to People magazine for this report on last night’s American Idol …

Everybody Loves Ellen: Ellen DeGeneres, who cohosted Wednesday’s Idol Gives Back from L.A.’s Disney Concert Hall, came out to greet the crowd before the show and show off some of her signature dance moves as she shook her hips and did some tricks for the roaring audience. The talk-show host got a standing ovation and the audience chanted her name – “Ellen, you rock!” screamed one fan – before DeGeneres introduced R&B supergroup Earth, Wind & Fire to kick off the night.



Heart-y Support: As the Idol Top 6 walked to the center of the stage for the show’s opening, Jordin Sparks scanned the crowd to find her family. Dad Philippi caught his daughter’s eye and held up his hands in the shape of a heart. She smiled and winked at her proud papa.







Life Is Beautiful: An audience member had the opportunity to ask Simon Cowell how his trip to Africa affected him and he sincerely replied, “You don’t feel sorry for yourself anymore.” The audience responded with polite applause.









Tearful Moment: After Josh Groban performed an emotional rendition of “You Raise Me Up” with the The African Children’s Choir, they got a two-minute-long standing ovation from the crowd at the Disney Concert Hall. And over at the Idol studio, the Top 6 were equally emotional about the tender song: When the show went to commercial, Jordin buried her head into her hands and turned away from the audience as she tried to regain her composure while LaKisha Jones rubbed her back.





Chris Richardson was also in tears and quickly left the stage to pull himself together. Upon his return, Melinda Doolittle embraced him and patted him on the back.

Thumbs Down, Thumbs Up: For a crowd who had been anticipating surprise duet, there was an audible letdown when it was Celine Dion and Elvis Presley, who made a “guest appearance” next to her in the form of a 1968 performance. There were grumblings and light boos from the audience, who talked amongst themselves during the performance. Much more well-received was Annie Lennox’s show-stopping closing performance of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” While Lennox sat down at her piano to prepare for her song, an excited DeGeneres came over to greet and hug the British singer.

All Hail Sanjaya! Only a week after being ousted from Idol, Sanjaya Malakar returned to the Idol studio as an audience member and was the talk of the night. After Jack Black’s performance of Seal’s “Kissed From a Rose,” and Simon snarked that the funnyman sang it “worse than Sanjaya,” producer Debbie McVickers asked the 17-year-old during the commercial how he liked being teased.

The smiley Seattle native’s response? “I liked it!” During the next break, Simon summoned Sanjaya to the judges’ table, where the he was greeted warmly with hugs from him, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson. Later in the night, during another break, Sanjaya reunited with the Top 6 contestants on the stage. They all embraced him, especially an excited Phil Stacey, who picked him up and swung him around before putting him back on his own two feet.

Kelly Clarkson:


Jack Black:


Celine Dion and Elvis Presley!!!:


Josh Groban:


Results/Vote Videos:


Earth, Wind and Fire:


Carrie Underwood:


Il Divo:


Top 6 Perform Quincy Jone's "Time to Care":


Annie Lennox:


Simon Cowell on the Simpsons:


Rascal Flatts:


Jordin Sparks and Chris Richardson Results:

China gives thumbs-down to 'American Idol' imitators

CHANGSHA, China - Zhou Dong is a polite, articulate boy-next-door type who reveres his parents. If the government is to be believed, he is also a threat to China's moral fabric.

The 26-year-old travel agency employee in the central Chinese city of Changsha is one of thousands of young men across the country hoping to enter "Happy Boy," China's new all-male answer to "American Idol".

"I love to sing, and I just want to have the chance to express my love for my parents for everyone to hear," Zhou says while relaxing in a coffee shop in Changsha, home to "Happy Boy's" producers, Hunan Satellite TV.

Crooning a few bars from a syrupy Chinese love ballad, Zhou clearly seems guilty of little more than an inability to hit the high notes.

But China's government sees it differently.

The successor to Hunan Satellite's smash hit "Super Girl," "Happy Boy" is one of many Western-inspired reality shows whose success has triggered a crackdown by a Communist Party apparently sensing a destabilizing cultural threat.

"Many (reality shows) are low-quality, low-brow programs only catering to the bottom end of the market," Wang Taihua, head of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, said in January.

The administration, which acts as the government's TV censor, last week issued a thumbs-down directly at "Happy Boy" that was worthy of Simon Cowell, American Idol's famously acerbic judge.

"No weirdness, no vulgarity, no low taste," it told Hunan Satellite as it listed 11 restrictions for this year's series.

Contestants must only sing "healthy and ethically inspiring" songs, while the show must not indulge in "gossip". No one aged under 18 is allowed to apply.

The censor's notice said the rules were aimed at "preparing a good atmosphere" in society ahead of the ruling Communist Party's five-yearly National Congress late this year.

"The government worries that the popularity of this type of entertainment will destroy the mainstream ideology of the party," said Zhu Dake, a professor of Chinese culture at Shanghai's Tongji University.

"Today's culture of entertainment is a double-edged sword; it brings profits but also can cause the collapse of more refined cultural values."

China's leaders have declared past wars on various forms of "spiritual pollution," but face a formidable foe in the reality show phenomenon.

Three years ago, Hunan Satellite launched its first talent show in Changsha -- ironically, a short drive from the birthplace of the founder of Communist China Mao Zedong.

"Super Girl's" huge popularity -- and profitability -- won it a national audience and spawned myriad imitators among revenue-hungry local and regional broadcasters. Even Beijing-based party flagship China Central Television piled in.

Since then, up to 500 reality shows have been created, ranging from a search for the next Beijing Opera star to a program where well-off urbanites temporarily swap lives with poor farmers.

The Idol-style fare, however, has proven particularly popular in a music-loving society where people often unabashedly burst into song in elevators, checkout lines and other public sites.

Last year's "Super Girl" finale drew one of the highest television audiences in Chinese history, with an estimated 400 million viewers tuning in.

"The impact (of such shows) has been huge, both on culture and business. But people born in the 1980s or '90s are sinking into a mess of fanaticism and confusion," said Ma Xiangwu, a culture critic at People's University in Beijing.

"I think the government and central authorities are very worried about this."

Yet many see greed behind an official backlash that seems particularly focused on Hunan Satellite.

Speculation was rife that the broadcaster would be banned from airing another season this year.

This was averted only when Hunan province's Communist Party boss personally flew to Beijing to plead for leniency for the provincial cash cow, according to various media reports.

It gained the green light last month, but only by changing to an all-male format and jettisoning its valuable brand name in favor of the childish "Happy Boy".

Theories abound for the change, but it threw Hunan Satellite's advertising strategy into disarray and was widely seen as an attempt to prevent the market leader from hoarding too much of the pie.

"This was about competition. No question," said Hunan Satellite TV newscaster Zhang Dandan.

"'Super Girl' was built into a powerful brand name, so this is a big blow for Hunan TV."

How big remains to be seen. The broadcaster -- which received well over 100,000 entries for Supergirl last year -- began accepting entries for "Happy Boy" last month.

But the popularity and profitability of such shows could mean they will remain a cultural thorn in the Communist Party's side for some time, Ma said.

"To completely ban these shows would be inappropriate. The media, society and business world demand them. Entertainment and business are becoming one in China," he said.

As he prepared to enter, Zhou remained bemused about all the fuss.

"I'm not trying to become a star. This is just fun and a valuable personal experience. Young Chinese just want to be able to express themselves." AFP

Clay Aiken - Unchained Melody

Katharine McPhee - I Have Nothing

Clay Aiken - Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me

Fantasia Barrino - Signed, Sealed, Delivered

Anwar Robinson - I Believe I Can Fly

Camille Velasco - One Last Cry

Mandisa - I'm Every Woman

Fantasia Barrino - Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Joseph Murena - Let's Stay Together

Bucky Covington - Superstition

Jared Cotter - Back at One

Melinda Doolittle - I'm A Woman

Melinda Doolittle - For Once In My Life (Audition)

Over It - Katharine McPhee

It's Not Over - Chris Daughtry

It's Not Over is the hottest single from all American Idol season 5 contestants.

Brandon Rogers Fanvid

Sundance Head - Night in White Satin

Clay Aiken is Jealous of Jennifer Hudson

CLAY AIKEN made an appearance on "Good Morning America" Thursday to promote UNICEF’s public awareness campaign for Child Survival 2007, and the "American Idol" runner-up also revealed which former contestant gets his vote! "I’m jealous," Clay lightheartedly replied when asked about JENNIFER HUDSON. "There was a point I was considered the most successful ‘Idol’ loser, but now I’m not anymore. I saw the movie [’Dreamgirls’] and she deserves the Academy Award," he added. "Now I’m going to be in second place again." The singing sensation wants to use his fame to help others, and is a dedicated advocate for children’s causes, such as UNICEF’s mission to provide health, education, equality and protection for children across the globe. "We want to get people involved," Clay said of his role with the organization.

'Idol' judges, producer deny show is meaner

PASADENA, California (Reuters) - Days after "American Idol" stormed back onto the airwaves, the judges and producers of the hit talent show joined a top Fox TV executive in shrugging off viewer complaints the series has grown too mean-spirited.

Appearing at the network's semi-annual gathering of television critics, Peter Liguori, entertainment president for the Fox Broadcast Co., denied the show focused too much on the worst contestants or that the celebrity judges had become too harsh.

Simon Cowell, the British record producer known for his brutal honesty, has been criticized this season for being especially cruel toward some of the less-talented and offbeat contestants appearing on the show's popular audition segments.

Singling out one performer for his appearance, Cowell said the contestant resembled "one of those creatures that live in the jungle with those massive eyes ... what are they called? Bush babies?"

Liguori defended Cowell and the other judges when asked about the incident, which drew an outcry from TV talk-show host Rosie O'Donnell this week.

"I've actually had people say to me it seems Simon is somewhat toned down this year," he said. "More people are coming to the show ... they know what to expect. They have to appreciate the spirit in which that commentary is given."

Taking questions later with fellow "Idol" judges Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson, Cowell acknowledged there were times when he felt embarrassed by things he had said on the show but that he had no regrets.

"I feel more comfortable being on a show where we're prepared to show the warts as well as the good things, because truthfully, in auditions ... bad things do happen," he said.

Asked about comparing a contestant to a primate, Cowell said it was an "off-the-cuff remark. ... If he's offended, then I apologize. I might never call anyone a bush baby again."

Bad singers good for ratings

Executive Producer Ken Warwick made no apologies for dwelling on the delusional, the tone-deaf and oddballs among contestants, insisting he was giving viewers what they wanted.

"People like the bad singers," Warwick said. "It's more the bad singers that will bring in the ratings."

Indeed, Tuesday's two-hour premiere of the sixth season of "American Idol" drew 37.3 million viewers, the most ever for a debut episode of the show, and nearly 37 million more tuned in on Wednesday for another round of auditions.

Those kinds of numbers make "Idol" the most-watched show on US television, dominating the prime-time landscape for months at a time and giving Fox a powerful promotional platform for new and struggling series. Fox is a unit of News Corp.

Even "American Idol" rejectees have basked in the show's afterglow. Several, including the target of Cowell's "bush baby" remark, turned up on the talk-show circuit this week.

Abdul spent much of Saturday's session explaining an online video that emerged last week showing her slurring and gesticulating her way through a promotional TV appearance.

Abdul said her erratic appearance resulted from a combination of technical problems and fatigue. The interview, she said, was conducted over a remote linkup with multiple stations, was fraught with audio glitches and followed dozens of back-to-back interviews.

"It was very weird, because what you're hearing is not exactly what you think you're answering questions to," she said, adding she felt chagrined to see the video later. "I was watching it myself, and I'm like, 'Oh God."'

'Idol' storms US ratings, disappoints some fans

LOS ANGELES - "American Idol" took US television by storm with a record 37.3 million viewers tuning in for the sixth season premiere, ratings showed on Wednesday, but the show's tone-deaf wannabe singers struck a sour note for some fans.

The two-hour debut on Fox TV on Tuesday, featuring an "urban Amish" singer and a woman who growl-sung like the lion in "The Wizard of Oz," received the highest audience numbers in the show's history, according to Nielsen Media Research.

The 37.3 million total audience was a 5 percent increase over last year's opening show of the fifth season.

Despite the monster ratings for the top-rated show in America, some fans and critics were largely disappointed with the mix of good and hopeless auditions held in Minneapolis and the judges who send the best to the next round in Hollywood.

"I think that we need to see more of the good with the bad. Not only did we get bad, but it seemed to be longer segments of individuals .... I'm not going to waste my time tonight," said one fan on the Americanidol.com Web site message board.

On the Yahoo Web message boards, one fan said the bad singers were just too much to take. "Too much of a bad thing is not so entertaining. Let's see more of the ones that were almost good enough or that blow us away. The bad ones are just mostly ridiculous, by this point."

Critic Linda Stasi of the New York Post wrote, "Why not take us to the real dawg pound and watch the dogs get ready for euthanasia."

"American Idol," a spin-off of a British hit that was a surprise US success in 2002, dominated US television ratings in 2006.

The show and its viewer-driven format has produced a number of bona-fide stars including Kelly Clarkson, country singer Carrie Underwood and Jennifer Hudson, who this week won a Golden Globe for her performance in the musical movie "Dreamgirls."

This year's winner will be chosen by the viewing public in May. Reuters

American Idol - Minneapolis Auditions (Episode 1)

American Idol Season 6 Episode 1 Highlights:

Denise Jackson - sentimental favorite or not, this 16 year-old girl can sing! She was a "crack" baby and i don't know what kind of disability is that when you can sing a difficult song like "And I Am Telling You."


Perla Meneses - the latina who gets noticed after singing Shakira's Hips Don't Lie.


Jarrod Fowler - Can't believe he made it to Hollywood.


Here's Denise, Perla and Jarrod's auditions:


Michelle Steingas - Simon said she's "confident without irritatingly precautious" (whatever that means).


Matt Sato - this 16 year old dude is going to Hollywood! The scene when he told her mom the good news is a little tearjerker. My god, this season is getting more emotional.


Rachel Jenkins - Another soldier who made it to Hollywood since Josh Gracin.


Sarah Krueger - She's the best in Minneapolis (assuming that they aired all the passers). The judges find her refreshing, warm and pretty.


Uniquely Worst of the Day is Trista Giese who brought her lion impression from the Wizard of Oz to her audition.

Season 6 Intro

American Idol Fever Returns to TV

LOS ANGELES - TV talent show "American Idol" launches its sixth season on Tuesday with its customary assortment of tone-deaf wannabes and acerbic judges plus a handful of changes aimed at sustaining its monster ratings.

Aiming to find the nation's next instant pop star, the show -- a spin-off of a British hit that was a surprise US success in 2002 and became the top-rated US television show in 2006 -- kicks off a two-day, four hour premiere on Fox TV on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Despite producing bonafide stars like Kelly Clarkson, country singer Carrie Underwood and Golden Globe winner Jennifer Hudson in the movie "Dreamgirls," the question this year is not so much whom viewers will vote as the winner in May, but how long the family-friendly show can continue its winning ratings streak. It garnered an average 30 million viewers per episode last year.

"I think this is the greatest music talent show ever, right?," record producer Randy Jackson, one of the three-judge panel, told a conference call last week. "I think the show can continue to be successful as long as we go out and find great talent."

For fans, it will be business as usual on Tuesday with the start of seven shows of must-see auditions of awful and occasionally awe-inspiring performers from major US cities.

But in case interest begins to flag as the singers are whittled down in the viewer-voting format, producers are promising a public songwriting contest for the winning singer's first single. They are also teasing a big midseason surprise, but keeping details under wraps for now.

$2.5 billion franchise

For the first time, episodes will be available on the http://www.americanidol.com/ Web site after they air and individual performances will be available on Cingular cell phones.

Paul McCartney and Mariah Carey are among the stars reportedly being courted for an appearance in 2007 after the show upped its music credentials last year with guest spots from Stevie Wonder, Rod Stewart and a live performance by the reclusive Prince in the finale.
Advertising Age this month estimated the "American Idol" franchise at $2.5 billion, including $500 million a year in domestic advertising sales on Fox TV, and millions more in CD sales, music downloads and live "Idol" tour fees.

The show has also spawned merchandise ranging from a PlayStation karaoke game to Nestle candy bars and new Dreyer's ice-cream flavors Drumstick Diva, Roc'n'Rolo and Hollywood cheesecake.

Win or lose -- and either result has made stars out of 2006 4th placed Chris Daughtry, 2003 runner-up Clay Aiken and 2004 7th placed Jennifer Hudson -- for the 12 eventual finalists, "Idol" is primarily about the music and about people power.

Idol Runner-up McPhee Rushes to Make Album

NEW YORK - When 2006 "American Idol" runner-up Katharine McPhee rushed off the road and into the studio last fall to begin working on her debut album, she quickly realized the art of the compromise. Indeed, while some tracks for the self-titled set, due January 30 via RCA, were fully-formed demos from veteran songwriters, others were crafted with McPhee's input from the ground up by Timbaland sideman Nate "Danja" Hills, Babyface and Kara DioGuardi.

McPhee fell particularly in love with two tracks from producer Ryan Leslie, but then they wound up not making the cut. "I'm learning that's the way it goes in this business," she says. "You give and you take."

Due to McPhee's post-"Idol" touring commitments, RCA hasn't had much setup time for the project; the first single, "Over It," hits US radio outlets January 15.

"We basically had two or three months to go from start to zero and make a complete album," RCA Music Group senior VP of A&R Steve Ferrera says. "It's not like a normal artist signing, where you develop them, find the material and refine as you go. Because of the momentum of 'Idol,' we had to get this thing out."

In contrast to "Idol" stars like Bo Bice and Taylor Hicks who had already spent years pursuing a music career, McPhee's prior experience was limited to musical theater. Once in album-making mode, she also struggled with putting her own stamp on material that was already written.
"The demos, it's so hard once you hear whoever is singing to get that out of your head, especially for me, being new to recording," McPhee says. Being able to craft songs with outside collaborators generated "the memory of where we were when we were writing the song. There's a kind of history behind it."

That said, McPhee and Ferrera say they're thrilled with the finished product, which they both describe as a "rhythm pop album."

"One of the first things I asked her was, 'What's on your iPod?"' Ferrera recalls. "She said, 'I'm 22 years old. I want to make a record kids my own age will want to listen to, a la Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado and Fergie.' We set out to make a record that had those components to it, and also a few really big ballads like she sang on the show."

Ferrera is now drafting a live band for McPhee in advance of a busy slate of TV performances this month. Meanwhile, McPhee is taking a proactive approach to her fan base, even personally responding to friends who have signed up on her MySpace page. "Little things like that make the difference to fans and they love it," she says. Reuters

Taylor Hicks - the Maze

Taylor Hicks - The Maze