American Idol

Fans Will Get a Sneak Preview of All-New Guitar Hero World Tour and Watch A Guitar Hero Competition on Center Stage

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jun 25, 2008 -- This summer, Activision, Inc.'s (Nasdaq:ATVI) Guitar Hero(R), the #1 best selling video game franchise of 2007, will go coast-to-coast with the American Idols Live! Tour 2008, kicking off in Glendale, Ariz. on July 1.    » read more »

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla., Feb. 7, 2008 -- Walt Disney Parks and Resorts will create an "American Idol" attraction that will bring the television and pop culture phenomenon to life at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, it was jointly announced today by Jay Rasulo, chairman of Disney Parks and Resorts; Simon Fuller, CEO of 19 Entertainment; and Keith Hindle, executive vice president of FremantleMedia Licensing.    » read more »

Washington, 11 January 2008 (By Mary Morningstar) -- American Idol will kick off its seventh season on January 15. Last summer, auditions took place in San Diego, Dallas, Omaha, Atlanta, Charleston, Miami and Philadelphia. Contestants had to be between the ages of 16 and 28 to audition.

FOX-TV will air two shows weekly through February 6 that will show highlights of the auditions.

On February 13, we'll learn who the 24 finalists are. The 12 male finalists will perform on February 19 and the 12 female finalists will take the Hollywood stage on February 20.    » read more »

Wednesday, January 09, 2008 -- Maroon 5, the five-member American rock band from Los Angeles, CA, Matchbox 20, a rock band who have sold in excess of 37 million albums worldwide, and Blake Lewis, the human beat boxer and runner-up on last season's "American Idol" will all perform live on "The View" (11:00 a.m.-12:00 noon, ET), Jan.14-18 on the ABC Television Network. Additional guests include John Laroquette (ABC's "Boston Legal"), Sam Waterston ("Unity '08" and "Law & Order") and Laura Prepon (ABC's "October Road").    » read more »

23 September 2007 -- China has introduced new rules designed to curb the growth of "American Idol"-style television programs.

The regulation published Saturday by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) forbids TV talent shows from broadcasting during prime-time or from allowing audiences to vote for contestants by mobile phone text messages, telephone or the Internet.

The rules also place restrictions on the qualifications for judges, candidates' clothing and hairstyle, and how hosts interact.    » read more »

14 September 2007, Washington (By Mary Morningstar) -- Singer Elliott Yamin joins a long list of American Idol contestants who have gone on to achieve success in the music industry. Elliott recently appeared on VOA's live request program, "Border Crossings", to talk about his debut album and quick rise to fame. Mary Morningstar has this report.

"Wait For You" was the first single released from Elliott Yamin's self-titled debut album. It climbed to Number 3 on a U.S. airplay chart and propelled sales of his album to nearly 400,000 copies.    » read more »

31 July 2007, Washington (By Mary Morningstar) -- Since winning the first "American Idol" competition in 2002, Kelly Clarkson has sold 15 million albums worldwide, and won two Grammy Awards. Her third album was recently released following a much-publicized feud with music mogul Clive Davis. VOA's Mary Morningstar has more on Kelly Clarkson's new CD, "My December."    » read more »