'American Idol' Tour Kicks Off Tonight!

Tonight, Top-10 contestants of season 7 of FOX's reality contest "American Idol" kick off their summer live concert tour in Glendale, AZ. Check out a TV Guide interview with the young singers as well as all of their spring promos that led to the ultimate 2 Davids showdown, after the jump.



American Idol Tour 2008 Details
Kellogg's Pop Tarts AI Tour Site
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Idol Gals Film Ads

The 2 Davids may have stolen this year's "American Idol," but that won't prevent finalists Syesha Mercado, Carly Smithson & Brooke White from cashing in on their new found fame before they embark on the 2008 American Idol Summer Tour.

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The ladies spent Sunday afternoon filming an advertising campaign for the Beckley brand.

Kellogg's Pop Tarts sponsored American Idol Tour 2008 featuring the top-10 contestants of season 7 will begin in Glendale, Arizona on July 1.



More than 50 shows have been scheduled in various venues across North America. The tour ends in Tulsa, Oklahoma on September 13.

"American Idol" 2008 Ratings Take a Plunge

As "American Idol" races towards its May 21 grand finale and a parent is being banned from the set having crossed the line between constructive input and annoying interference, the FOX reality phenomenon is experiencing a little backstage drama of its own, hitting a 5-year low in the ratings.

Last week's Tuesday night performance show scored 21.25 million viewers, a figure many TV shows today can only dream of.

But in Idol's inflated universe, the show has not been that 'low' since its second season in 2003. Is it this year's talent? Is it that tiring practice of using celebrity mentors? Or is the Idol magic finally wearing thin?

Whatever the reason, the gap between ABC's hit contest "Dancing with the Stars," which has averaged 21.67 million viewers on Monday nights this season, appears to be getting smaller.

Although "Idol" won't be going away any time soon, if the negative trend continues, FOX may have to shake things up a bit or they'll be losing those outrageous $750,000 per 30 seconds ad rates.

AMERICAN IDOL 2008 Ratings
(Tuesday night performance shows)

33.24 million (Jan. 15)
29.05 million (Jan. 22)
28.07 million (Jan. 29)
27.79 million (Feb. 05)
29.87 million (Feb. 12)
28.84 million (Feb. 19)
28.45 million (Feb. 26)
28.22 million (Mar. 04)
29.33 million (Mar. 11)
27.00 million (Mar. 18)
24.38 million (Mar. 25)
25.19 million (Apr. 01)
24.00 million (Apr. 08)
22.97 million (Apr. 15)
24.00 million (Apr. 22)
24.44 million (Apr. 29)
21.25 million (May 06)

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VIDEO: American Idol Top-5 (with Neil Diamond)

I'm getting so tired of "American Idol" (can we just skip the next two shows and get to the two Davids finale?), that I'm almost too lazy to post these videos. After all, the best 60 seconds of last night's tedious and overstuffed Neil Diamond telecast belonged to Paula Abduloopy.




Jason Castro, "Forever in Blue Jeans"



David Cook, "I'm Alive"



Brooke, "I'm a Believer"



David Archuleta, "Sweet Caroline"



Syesha Mercado, "Hello, Again"



Jason, "September Morn"



David C., "All I Really Need Is You"



Brooke, "I Am, I Said"



David A., "America"



Syesha, "Thank the Lord for the Nighttime"



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VIDEO: American Idol Top-7 (with Mariah Carey)

Mimi was in the Idol house last night giving FOX talent show hopefuls constructive advice on how to perform songs from her early catalog. Take a look at the consistently solid performances (especially on the boys' side) after the jump.

Will tonight's elimination show give us a shocker of the Michael Johns magnitude? Or will Syesha, Carly or Kristy be sent packing? Although I'd be happy to see Kristy gone, a have a bad feeling her fan base will manage to keep her in the competition.




David Archuleta: "When You Believe"




Carly Smithson: "Without You"




Syesha Mercado: "Vanishing"




Brooke White: "Hero"




Kristy Lee Cook: "Forever"




David Cook: "Always Be My Baby"




Jason Castro: "I Don't Want to Cry"

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David Cook Released From Hospital

"American Idol" contestant David Cook, known for taking non-rock songs and finding rock arrangements for them on the Internet, was released from hospital after being treated for heart palpitations and high blood pressure.

David has been under a lot of stress lately because his brother, who has been sick with cancer, has recently suffered a setback. TMZ reported that David was not feeling well all day yesterday and his condition worsened after his performance during last night's country style show.

David is currently one of the front runners in the race for this year's title, as many analysts believe the May battle between the final 2 will include himself and the other David in the competition.

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VIDEO: "American Idol" Top-9: Country Edition (with Dolly Parton)

Celebrity mentors are back on FOX's "American Idol" and country legend and mega-star Dolly Parton was the first in line to give Idol hopefuls guidance. Who was on the top of their game in the genre that is difficult to excel at unless it really suits you? Check out the performances, after the jump.




Brooke White: "Jolene"




David Cook: "Little Sparrow"




Ramiele Malubay: "Do You Miss Me?"





Jason Castro: "Travelin' Through"




Carly Smithson: "Here You Come Again"




David Archuleta: "Smokey Mountain Memories"




Kristy Lee Cook: "Coat of Many Colors"



Syesha Mercado: "I Will Always Love You"




Michael Johns: "It's So Wrong, but It's So Right"


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NBC's Today on David Archuleta's Stage Dad

NBC has picked up on the story circulating for weeks about baby-faced early "American Idol" front runner David Archuleta's recent underwhelming performances being attributed to pressure from his "stage dad from hell," Jeff Archuleta, a producer and music consultant with "Idol" connections.


Archuleta, whose son David was also a contestant on CBS' revival of "Star Search" in 2002, offers consulting services to up and coming artists and boasts his background in the music industry, including "excellent contacts with record labels." Archuleta charges his clients on hourly basis.

Recent reports by TMZ.com and other sources, which FOX declined to comment, suggested Archuleta interferes with his son's song choice and puts a lot of pressure on him during rehearsals, even bringing him to tears. Will he ultimately hurt his son's shot at fame?



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Danny Noriega "Out & Proud"

"American Idol" castoff Danny Noriega has indeed accepted the recent offer of Rosie O'Donnell to join her and friends on a family cruise vacation and sing along the likes of Cindy Lauper and Rosie herself.



Following his recent axing from the FOX singing competition, Rosie invited the "bold" and "beautiful" Danny to sail away with her to exotic ports.

In a fresh video-blog post Danny appears to have accepted Rosie's offer and embarked on the cruise on Saturday. Furthermore, Rosie and friends once again acknowledged Danny's bravery for being an "out and proud" young man.



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VIDEO: David Hernandez on Ellen

American Idol castoff David Hernandez appeared on the Ellen show on Monday to address the rumors and sing a song. The former male stripper also said he knew he did badly last week, but did not expect to go home.

As you may see, the rumors Hernandez is addressing are those about his stripping, not about his sexual orientation. If in fact he is gay, he decided to remain tight-lipped about that.

The fact that Hernandez was a stripper in a Glendale gay bar is hardly a rumor at this point as the owner of the bar recently confirmed Hernandez was indeed one of his employees and there are also images from the venue to prove that.

Herhandez expressed disappointment over the fact that his work as a stripper would matter in a talent competition.

What Hernandez may have had to realize is that "American Idol" is more of a popularity contest rather than a talent competition, and over 40% of Americans still hold very prejudiced views on the issue.



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Simon Cowell Picks His Favorites to Win "Idol"

"American Idol" judge Simon Cowell made an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show on Monday and finally did what he always does early in the competition - pick four people one of whom he thinks will go on to win this year's reality contest.

In a February "Regis & Kelly" interview Cowell also said he wished he could simply tell the 20 semi-finalists he thought would never win the competition, they could immediately go home.

Yesterday, he went a step further choosing David Archuleta, David Cook, Jason Castro and Brooke White as the possible winners this year. Simon did underline that David Archuleta remains the front runner.

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"American Idol" Top-12 Photo Shoot

FOX's unstoppable blockbuster competition "American Idol" kicked off the finals last week with an exciting live show premiering the new set and featuring an unexpected rise of Chikezie and an equally unforeseen fall of David Archuleta. No wonder CBS' honcho Les Moonves wants someone to kill that show. Here is a recent photo shoot with this year's top-12 contestants in wallpaper-sized promo stills.

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Is America Too Homophobic For Gay "Idol"?

This CNN report suggests the recent axing of "American Idol" contestants Danny Noriega and David Hernandez may have had more to do with their perceived sexual orientation rather than poor singing.

Noriega, who recently rapped about being gay in a YouTube video, and Hernandez, who worked as a stripper in a Glendale gay bar, generated quite a bit of buzz in the past couple of weeks, and yet they both ended up on the chopping block.

Although the singers recently received some harsh criticism from judge Simon Cowell, did both of them really deserve to get booted off the show?

According to TMZ.com, judge Randy Jackson reacted to axing of Noriega, who certainly knew how to make his appearances fun to watch, by saying "We should have kept him." Given some of the talent left on the show, no surprise there.

Hernandez, on the other hand, was rumored to be - along with front runner David Archuletta - the focus of record companies executives. His recent rendition of "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" generated a lot of praise from all 3 judges.

Unlike some of the contestants whose spouses/boyfriends/girlfriends are mentioned on the show, neither one of the two singers made any references to their personal lives. Coincidence? Or fear of losing votes?



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"American Idol": Top-12 Revealed

Kady Malloy, Luke Menard, Asia'h Epperson and Danny Noriega are sent packing as "American Idol" reveals the top-12 contestants of season 7.

Kady has been a weak performer since the beginning, while Luke and Asia'h made the fatal error of choosing signature songs of superstar singers (George Michael, Whitney Houston) and paling in comparison.

The outrageous and, given the nature of some voters, very courageous contestant Danny Noriega, fought tears as he was told he was the last to go.



That means the top-12 contestants are:

David Archuleta, 17, Murray, Utah;
Jason Castro, 20, Rockwall, Texas;
David Cook, 25, Blue Springs, Mo.;
Kristy Lee Cook, 24, Selma, Ore.;
Chikezie Eze, 22, Inglewood, Calif.;
David Hernandez, 24, Glendale, Ariz.;
Michael Johns, 29, Los Angeles;
Ramiele Malubay, 20, Miramar, Fla.;
Syesha Mercado, 21, Sarasota, Fla.;
Amanda Overmyer, 23, Mulberry, Ind.;
Carly Smithson, 24, San Diego; and
Brooke White, 24, Mesa, Ariz.

Accoridng to Dial Idol, the two currently most voted for contestants are David Archuleta and Carly Smithson.

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VIDEO: American Idol Top 8 Girls

Top-8 girls performances as the 80s themed semifinals of "American Idol" season 7 continue.



Asia'h Epperson, "I Wanna Dance with Somebody"




Kady Malloy, "Who Wants to Live Forever"




Amanda Overmyer, "I Hate Myself for Loving You"




Carly Smithson, "I Drove All Night"




Kristy Lee Cook, "Faithfully"




Ramiele Malubay, "Against All Odds"




Brooke White, "Love Is a Battlefield"




Syesha Mercado, "Saving All My Love for You"

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VIDEO: "American Idol" Top 8 Guys (3/04)

Last night the top-8 guys performed on an 80s themed edition of "American Idol," including the undisputed #1 front runner David Archuleta performing Phil Collins' classic "Another Day in Paradise."

Personally, I would like to see Chikezie, whose take on Whitney Houston's "All the Man That I Need" I did enjoy, as well as Luke Menard, who tragically paled in comparison with George Michael, go.

The judges gave the amazing Archuleta some criticism asking him to lighten up a bit. I would suppose they see Archuleta as this year's winner, but fearing backlash decided to tone down the praise a notch.

Will David Hernandez be hurt following the disclosure of his stripper past? The bugger story and the "meh" performance sure won't help.

Meanwhile, Danny Noriega, who is supported by VoteForTheWorst.com, got little love from Simon, prompting a 'whatever' gesture. Go Danny!

















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American Idol's David Hernandez: Gay Stripper

Mainstream media has finally picked up on the story circulating around the web for days - one of the 8 remaining male contestants on "American Idol" was a gay stripper. Will that endanger David's chances on FOX's (supposedly) squeaky clean show?

FOX never mentioned the fact that Hernandez worked as a stripper for 3 years, appearing fully nude and doing lap dances for male clientèle. The manager of "Dick's Cabaret" however confirmed on Monday David was employed at the Glendale club until September 30 (after he was cast on "American Idol.")

Obviously, there is nothing wrong with being a gay stripper. Unfortunately, a certain segment of the reality show's target audience may disagree and Hernandez may lose some votes despite his recent strong performance of The Temptations' "Papa Was a Rolling Stone."

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American Idol Cuts First 4

The carnage begins as FOX's "American Idol" dumps the first 4 out of 24 contestants. Plus Paula Abdul's new video premieres. Check it out, after the jump.


Garrett Haley, Amy Davis, Colton Berry and Joanne Borgella were the 4 contestants who lasted only a single week of the semifinals.



Haley and Berry were 2 of the 4 teenagers in this year's somewhat younger group of male contestants.



Simon was particularly nasty to the 18-year old self-proclaimed Ellen Degeneres lookalike Berry to whom he said:



"I would say, get a good job and then enjoy singing, because I don’t think you’ll make a successful career out of it."




Finally, here is Paula Abdul's new video which premiered during last night's show, "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow".

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