The evening of June 11, 2002, was the debut of Fox’s American Idol, the singing competition that would go on to dominate and change television.
American Idol 1
Ten American Idol contestants cut from the show for various reasons are suing, asking for $25+ million each in damages because the show has systematically engaged in disqualifying contestants who are black. The lawsuit’s claims, as first reported by TMZ, are fascinating. The lawyer representing the contestants, James H. Freeman, earlier asked the U.S. Equal …
Exactly 10 years ago tonight, American Idol: The Search for a Superstar concluded on Fox, its first season giving television another shot of reality TV-fueled adrenaline that has lingered to this day. The show debuted on June 11, 2002, having been preceded by ads featuring Simon Cowell being rude to auditioners, which back then was …
Original American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson’s support for Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul resulted in reaction from her fans and speculation from the media that it helped her sell more records last week. Kelly Clarkson’s note of support for Ron Paul caused significant enough reaction that she apologized “if I have offended anyone” and added, …
Former American Idol contestants can get anywhere from $5,000 to more than $500,000 for a single appearance. MJ’s Big Blog unearthed Degy Booking International’s spring 2011 PDF of booking fees for musical acts, and some of those are alumni from the Fox series. The rates may change or be intentionally inflated (especially on a public …
The producers of American Idol released a statement today promising that they’ve never distorted the vocals of contestants using Auto-Tune or other technology. That statement comes in the wake of a scandal in the UK, where The X Factor has admitted manipulating vocals of its performers. “We have never, nor would we ever, use Auto-Tuning …
Billboard has ranked the top 24 American Idol contestants based on their sales of albums, singles, and radio play, and the first winner remains on top. Kelly Clarkson beat #2 Carrie Underwood thanks to sales of singles and radio play, which is nearly double Carrie’s. Chris Daughtry is a distant but still strong number three, …