American Idol

Killing Firefly was Fox's biggest fail ever

Fuck Fox. Not for FoxNews or American Idol or any of the other questionable shit the network has thrown out there in the name of entertainment over the years. People like what people like, however inexplicable that may be, so I couldn't care less about any of that. No, Fox earned my everlasting ire ... More >>

American Idol is now more focused on judges than contestants

And the season 11 winner of American Idol is...

Five months of auditions, live performances and rounds and rounds of voting led to last night's big moment. Who would be crowned the American Idol champion after so much anticipation? Who deserved to win? Phillip Phillips. Beating Jessica Sanchez, the season's runner-up, in a record-breaking 132 m ... More >>

Eric Church's beef is outdated...and lacking taste

Idol recap: Phillip Phillips stays consistent, Jessica Sanchez and Hollie Cavanagh thaw out

It's down to the wire on American Idol now. On last night's show, each of the four remaining contestants brought out everything they had to be considered for the final three. No longer are any of the contestants resting on their laurels, except Phillip Phillips who stuck with his tried-and-true form ... More >>

Idol's Top 7: DeAndre Brackensick eliminated

No surprises last night on American Idol. The bottom three, Elise Testone, Hollie Cavanaugh and DeAndre Brackensick, deserved to be on the chopping block following their poor performances on Wednesday. Cavanaugh, the sure-fire one to go home, made it through to the next round -- a second chance. Bra ... More >>

American Idol Top 9: Heejun Han gets an attitude adjustment and is sent home

After he spent all season with a bad attitude, Heejun Han was finally sent home during last night's elimination round on American Idol. It's not that Han was a poor singer -- in fact, he performed well throughout his time on the show -- it's that he just didn't seem committed to the Idol concept o ... More >>

American Idol recap: Jermaine Jones booted when producers discover his criminal past

Even before the contestants performed last night, one had been eliminated. Jermaine Jones, the "gentle giant" of this season's American Idol, was forced to leave the show after Idol staff's discovery of his criminal activity -- oh, and him lying to Idol producers about the whole thing didn't help th ... More >>

American Idol: From 25 to the Top 13

After weeks of anticipation, the top thirteen contestants of American Idol were revealed. Last night's episode, however seemingly straightforward, wasn't short of Adele-drenched drama, though. Spoilers: Jen Hirsh, Reed Grimm and Brielle Von Hugel all had to sing for their lives -- and all fell flat ... More >>

American Idol Live Show: 3 of 13 men shine during the first live round

The first of the live rounds, last night's episode of American Idol was a welcomed return to true form. We saw all of the male contestants in the Top 24 perform, including the thirteenth contender who was brought back to compete live, Jermaine Jones, the appropriately dubbed "gentle giant" with a st ... More >>

American Idol Top 24: Steven Tyler takes his clothes off to welcome the Top 23

Of all the American Idol judges in the show's history to dive off the deep end, we didn't expect it from Steven Tyler so early in his tenure -- and we're not talking figuratively, either. During last night's episode, the second in a two-episode reveal of the Top 24 contestants, Tyler stripped down t ... More >>

American Idol Top 24: Stop toying with us, Randy Jackson

Fourteen of the 24 semifinalists were revealed last night on American Idol. For most of these, it was fairly predictable whom was going to be sent on and whom was going to be cut, but that didn't stop Randy Jackson from again having his fun with the contestants' emotions. The format to last night's ... More >>

American Idol Hollywood Round 3: fear and illness hit the groups hard

American Idol is really coming down to the wire now. As last night marked the last episode of Hollywood week, we saw many contestants fold under the pressure -- a pressure which plagued the episode as either stage fright or actual illness. And while the judges managed to stay clear of the contagion, ... More >>

American Idol Hollywood round two: Symone Black is okay, but the show is limping along

Symone Black's plummet from the stage doesn't compare to the decline in viewers Idol will see next week if it doesn't focus more on singing and less on drama.​Listen here, American Idol producers: Spending a large majority of last night's show, the second part of the Hollywood round, on anythi ... More >>

American Idol in St. Louis: When the contestants are good, they're really good

Ah, the last of the auditions round of American Idol . With mediocre expectations of the talent going into the Hollywood round, there aren't more than ten contestants who truly blew us away thus far in the competition. However, in last night's St. Louis episode, a few contestants managed to at least ... More >>

America Idol in Portland: The judges were spot on, but the contestants were a mixed bag

If you're going to take on Freddie Mercury's vocal prowess on "Somebody To Love" and use it as an audition piece for American Idol, you better be able to hit those notes. Unfortunately for the baby-faced Ben Harrison, 28, none of the judges loved his take. The falsetto, on blast, would have made Mer ... More >>

American Idol in Pittsburgh: Judges still too soft

American Idol glided through Pittsburgh last night without blemish. There weren't any major breakdowns, nor letdowns, nor catty digs at Steven Tyler's wacky facial expressions. No, the Steel City produced a cornucopia of talented, Hollywood-bound contestants -- a whopping 38 in total, with big ambit ... More >>

American Idol is back, with a new host of hopefuls

If the hat Steven Tyler wore during last night's premiere of American Idol is anything to go by, it's going to be an interesting season.​Nearly eight months since Scotty McCreery became America's latest Idol in May 2011, it's good to have the cast of American Idol 2.0 back in action. To wit, R ... More >>

American Idol returns tonight on Fox

And so it begins. Another edition of American Idol is upon us. Idol's eleventh season arrives tonight on Fox with a two-hour episode featuring scenes from Savannah, which served as the callback for the South Carolina auditions. Back in July, we were on hand when the Idol makers came to the Mile High ... More >>

Reader: Leave Taylor Hicks out of this!

​If there's anything we've learned in our hundreds of years blogging, it's that American Idol fans are nothing if not loyal, passionate, outspoken and quick to defend the honor of whatever idol they happen to have a Google alert set for at the expense of disparaging any fellow alums they may b ... More >>

Scotty McCreery breaks a few Billboard records, plus a breakdown of this week's charts

Scotty McCreery​Scotty McCreery's new album, Clear As Day, broke records this week by debuting at number one on the Billboard 200, proving that American Idol can still produce stars, even if it's been a while. Clear As Day is the first debut release from an American Idol winner to catapult to ... More >>

American Idol wannabes in Denver did more before noon than you will do all day

4:30 a.m. today.​To cynics, American Idol is passé by this point. Season 10's Scotty McCreery only just won back in May. But auditions for Season 11 began weeks ago around the country, and this morning in the pre-dawn black around Invesco Field, wannabes were already lined up.

Video: American Idol takes over Invesco

One of the best parts about living in America is freedom. The freedom to sing, dance, play in the streets, wear duct-tape skirts, paint your face for televised events and, most importantly, worship false idols. That's right, American Idol has invaded Denver yet again in search of that one voice, th ... More >>

Constantine Maroulis and Jim Breuer at Rock of Ages party tonight at Rockaway

​As the musical Rock of Ages wraps up its Denver run, the Rockaway Tavern (2036 Broadway) is hosting an "Impromtu" closing night party tonight with American Idol contestant and Rock of Ages star and Constantine Maroulis and comedian Jim Breuer. Jerri Theil, who is hosting the party with Lynn ... More >>

American Idol is giving us a ticker-tape parade of the same boring B.S.

Five better things for JLo to cry about than American Idol

​JLo couldn't handle the dream crushing on last week's American Idol. Apparently, she was under the impression that this show consisted of judges telling people how inspiring their life stories are. She shed some tears and questioned her future on the show, but despite the manufactured drama, ... More >>

Amerian Idol, Julie Zorrilla: another homegrown hopeful from Colorado

​Look out, Denver. Apparently, we have another American Idol contestant in our midst. And this one fits the title of American Idol better than anybody we've seen thus far. This is the second year in a row that we've had two ladies in the contest hailing from Colorado. You've already seen Emma ... More >>

American Idol is dead. What's next?

​Well, that was fun while it lasted. American Idol had its worst season premiere ever, coming off the heels of its first season where winning didn't translate to commercial pop success. Turns out J-Lo and fossilized Steven Tyler are pushovers trying to make their own careers as much as anyone ... More >>

Ten pop music paradigm shifts in 2010

​Teen dream Justin Bieber is arguably the biggest pop star in the country and Simon Cowell isn't doing American Idol. A lot's changed since last year in the world of pop. Institutions fell, ideas were challenged, and the Black Eyed Peas didn't have the number one song in the country at any poi ... More >>

Seven Reasons American Idol Should Be Cancelled

​American Idol has been around for eight years and going on ten seasons. And really, anything has a natural lifespan, and television shows, for the most part, live theirs in close to dog years. Like Great Dane years. Which means, essentially, that American Idol is long in the tooth. It's blind ... More >>

Westword Music Showcase headliners: Lilly Scott discusses her American Idol experience

​ By now, we're presuming you're already very familiar with Lilly Scott, the bewitching local siren who helped breathe new life into the tired American Idol franchise this year with her unique voice and unorthodox song selections. Given the other singers she was up against, we were certain sh ... More >>

American Idol: Lilly Scott discusses her Idol experience

​ Lilly Scott isn't going to be the next American Idol. Not tonight. Not ever. And that's baffling. She should be. In spite of her undeniable talent, though, she wasn't even chosen to be among the final dozen contestants. Early on, before she was even cut, there was no shortage of folks (ours ... More >>

Bikini Boy speaks!: Ty Hemmerling on his revealing American Idol performance

Ty Hemmerling ties one on.​Last night's American Idol episode focusing on the show's Denver auditions introduced America to Fort Collins' Haeley Vaughn, who's clearly Colorado's great Idol hope. But arguably the most memorable moment came courtesy of Ty Hemmerling, dubbed "Bikini Boy" by judg ... More >>

Top Five Candidates to replace Simon Cowell on American Idol

​So by now you've heard that legendary curmudgeon Simon Cowell is leaving American Idol after this season. Good for him. Probably a few years too late if he were hoping to jump ship before the franchise jumped the shark, but whatever. Anyhow, his absence will all but drain Idol's talent pool ... More >>

We miss you already, Paula!: American Idol auditions in Denver, round two

Cheer up, Paula. You can always schedule a comeback tour. Straight up!​The American Idol auditions at Invesco Field last month attracted thousands of fame junkies, earned oodles of media attention and reportedly killed at least one dog. But today's session is the one that counts: It determines ... More >>

Another spot of genius from PETA

Q: What's the highest rated television show in the history of everything? A: American Idol. Q: And who is the most high-profile judge on American Idol? A: Simon Cowell. That's right.  And if there's one organization in the world that knows how to exploit celebrity (even if it happen ... More >>

Shmuck of the Week: The Idol audition dog-killer

Sometimes we have to dig a little to find a shmuck worthy of our weekly dishonor. And sometimes, a dude lets his girlfriend's terrier die a slow death out in the car while he watches her audition for American Idol. Oh, Quincy Vanderbilt from North Dakota. You could have done so many things diffe ... More >>

American Idol auditions: It's all over but the regrets

A Channel 31 photo of "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest being quizzed by 2/31's Chris Parente. Yesterday's American Idol auditions took place out of the view of local news cameras, in order to save the good, the bad and the ugly for the talent contest's next season of broadcasts. But that didn't s ... More >>

Fresh Breath Committee's Purpose getting his 'Idol' on

While Fresh Breath Committee holds its breath for the results of the Westword Music Showcase, one member of the collective is participating in another contest. Purpose, aka Mykal Hudson, is a finalist in FOX 31's Denver Idol competition.Yes, he sings as well as raps. Who knew? He performed for local ... More >>

Denver Idol offers American Idol shortcut

When I heard about the American Idol auditions set to take place here July 12-14, I began looking into flights out of town, in order to avoid being trampled to death by wannabe superstars who'd actually like to see Paula Abdul in person. (It can't be any worse than the video version. Is there any ... More >>

Boulder's Ace Young back on American Idol -- kind of, sort of, in a way

The newly shorn Ace Young, now of "American Idol Extra." American Idol didn't prove to be a skyrocket to fame for Boulder's Ace Young, a 2006 Westword profile subject. But three years after finishing seventh in the contest -- remember how he equated that number with the one John Elway wore? -- he's ... More >>

Carrie Underwood

Sunday, March 9, Pepsi Center, 303-830-8497.

Idolicious

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We just can't quit this countrified Karaoke.

American I-Dull

Since anointing Kelly Clarkson, the star machine's been running on empty.

Various Artists

Killer Queen: A Tribute to Queen (Hollywood)

The Beatdown

In which yours truly auditions for Gimme the Mike.

Fantasia and Ruben Studdard

Free Yourself (J Records) I Need an Angel (J Records)

Backwash

Start me up: The Stones came to town — and everyone knew it.