American Idol

Tonight is the night. Much like Halloween, all the freaks, geeks and weirdos will be out in full force. Hopefully there will be a few good singers, too.

American Idol Season 7 premieres at 8/7c on FOX. Tonight’s two-hour premiere will be followed by another two-hour episode Wednesday. These are the auditions where it’s tough to pick out the Kelly Clarksons from a much larger crowds of William Hungs.

Check out the previous post to watch the winning performances from the show’s first six seasons. And be sure to return to watchingamericanidol.com tonight for live blogging throughout the episode. See you then …

American Idol

On the eve of her debut CD release, American Idol Season 6 winner Jordin Sparks may be getting a Tattoo. (Get it? Tattoo, her first single, you know?) Or maybe she’s just preparing for what’s about to be a whirlwind media tour in promotion of her self-titled release.

The CD, which is being released Tuesday, will find the singer as a guest on ABC’s Good Morning America on release day. Other upcoming appearances include a Nov. 21 stop at Live With Regis and Kelly on NBC, a day before Jordin will appear in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade.

CDs are certain to be flying off the shelves all day Tuesday, especially in the Tempe, Ariz., area, where Jordin will appear Saturday to sign autographs for fans in her hometown. The signing will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 24 at the Virgin Megastore, 5000 Arizona Mills Circle. Anyone who buys the CD beginning Tuesday at the store can get a wristband for the signing.

After the weekend, Jordin will return to the small screen for an appearance Monday, Nov. 26 on the Ellen DeGeneres Show on NBC.

American Idol, Tattoo, Jordin Sparks

Jordin Sparks performs after it’s announced she is the winner of Season 6 of American Idol. The show, which returns Jan. 15 to FOX, has been nominated for a People’s Choice Award.

With Season 7 two months away, American Idol fans can stand up and show their support for their favorite reality show.

Idol has been nominated for a People’s Choice Award in the Favorite Competition/Reality Show category. The awards, to be broadcast Tuesday, Jan. 8 on CBS, will be hosted by Queen Latifah. Considering the ongoing TV writers strike, Idol may be some of the only fresh programming airing in 2008.

To cast your vote, visit the People’s Choice Awards polls. Voting closes in 20 days, according to a countdown on the Web site.

American Idol, Jordin Sparks, People’s Choice Awards, Queen Latifah

FOX has announced Season 7 of American Idol will begin with a two-night season premiere on Jan. 15 and 16.

Each night will feature a two-hour episode, starting at 8/7c both nights. If we’re lucky, this guy from the Philadelphia auditions may even shock us with a good voice.

Did you audition for Season 7 of Idol? If so, I’d like to hear your story. Share it in the comments section.

American Idol

January can’t get here fast enough. Right?

American Idol starts its seventh season in the first month of 2008, but much of the show already is underway. The auditions have wrapped. Hollywood week is coming soon — though we won’t likely get many details until the show starts — and producer Nigel Lythgoe is talking about other changes fans can expect.

One of the changes that certainly could change the face of the show is the fact finalists will be allowed to use instruments during the Hollywood week rounds at the very least.

“We knew Chris Daughtry, Carrie (Underwood) and Bo (Bice) could play the guitar but we really couldn’t show it,” Lythgoe told the New York Post. “If (the contestants) can play an instrument this year we want to be able to see that, and we’ll introduce a couple of days of that during Hollywood week.”

There are about 160 finalists from seven regional auditions. At the end of Hollywood week, it will be down to the top 24 — 12 males and 12 females.

Adding the instrumental element certainly will bring a new flavor to the show. And it will pull in a completely different style of talent. There certainly is no faking when it comes to playing guitar or piano or any other instrument.

Lythgoe, who also produces So You Think You Can Dance, said next year’s summer tour of Idol may combine the dance kids into the mix. That announcement comes after both shows’ tours struggled to do as well as they had in the past.

“I’d love to see the Dance tour go out with the Idol tour and put the singing and dancing together,” he told the Post. “They should never be separate.”

This season also will feature fewer celebrity mentors — at least not every week, Lythgoe said — in order to focus more on the lives of the contestants.

American Idol, Nigel Lythgoe, So You Think You Can Dance, Chris Daughtry, Bo Bice, Carrie Underwood

Elliott Yamin may be one of the hardest working “American Idol” finalists out there. Calm down, Kelly, Clay and Carrie fans. I haven’t forgotten about your favorites.

Yamin, a Season 5 “Idol” finalist, has been busy touring behind his successful debut. And now the singer is stepping up to support a cause that’s particularly important to him — diabetes awareness.

The pop singer, who has type 1 diabetes, is serving as a Global Ambassador to promote the Diabetes Creative Expression Competition, an international contest looking for submissions from those with diabetes, as well as their family and friends, to express what diabetes means to them.

In addition to promoting the contest, Yamin will help judge U.S. entries. The singer even has agreed to donate a prize of concert tickets and backstage passes to those winners.

“I’m thrilled to be joining this important campaign to help children with diabetes around the world,” Yamin, 29, said in a press release. The singer was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 16. “Children in developing nations often lack the medicines, supplies, education and basic care they need to survive and thrive. Even here in the U.S., there are kids who want to attend a diabetes camp but can’t afford it. By participating in the Inspired by Diabetes contest and expressing how diabetes affects you, you can have a direct impact on a child’s life.”

Submissions, which are encouraged through art, essays, poetry, photography and music, are being accepted until Jan. 31. Entries are being accepted in these categories:

— Short essay or poem – 500 words or less
— Photograph(s) – Up to three prints
— Original drawing or painting – no larger than 43cm x 66cm (17” x 26”)
— Music – Original composition, up to three minutes in length (instrumental and lyric)

The Inspired By Diabetes contest categories are:

— Children (age sub-groups 5-6, 7-8, 9-12, 13-17 years old; includes children with diabetes or family members or friends under 18
— Adult with diabetes (ages 18 and older)
— Family member or friend of a person with diabetes
— Health care professional

To learn more about the Inspired by Diabetes or to download an entry form to enter the competition, visit www.inspiredbydiabetes.com.

Elliott Yamin, Inspired By Diabetes, American Idol

Chace Crawford, an actor on “Gossip Girl,” is rumored to be the latest love interest for Season 4 “American Idol” winner Carrie Underwood.

She just broke off a relationship with football star Tony Romo, but it seems Carrie Underwood is moving on.

The Season 4 “American Idol” winner has a new man, according to multiple gossip reports. The new man in Underwood’s life is reportedly actor Chace Crawford, star of the new series “Gossip Girl.”

“He’s really cute,” Underwood recently told People magazine. “I’ve met him and he seems like a really nice guy. He’s got cool hair, he’s a nice height and he just has beautiful eyes.”

Underwood, 24, and Crawford, 22, are said to have met at Hollywood hotspot Hyde on Sunset Boulevard. They since have been seen hanging out together in New York.

Crawford, who plays Nate Archibald on “Gossip,” comes after Underwood and Romo, a Dallas Cowboys quarterback, separated in July.

Underwood is a native of Oklahoma, and Crawford grew up in Dallas, Texas, where he worked as a model before moving to California. The Season 4 “Idol” winner found great success in the country market with her debut CD, “Some Hearts,” which earned her a mantle full of awards — including Grammys and several Country Music Association and Country Music Television awards, among others. The debut CD sold almost 315,000 copies in its first week and remained on the charts for dozens of weeks.

On Tuesday, Underwood will release her next CD, “Carnival Ride.” The first single from the sophomore effort, “So Small,” has been up and down the top 100 songs on iTunes. It currently resides at No. 68, which is 40 spots behind Season 6 “Idol” winner Jordin Sparks’ “Tattoo.”

American Idol, Carrie Underwood, Chace Crawford, Jordin Sparks

An all-star night brought out Jennifer Hudson, the most successful “American Idol” alum, Tuesday night for the ALS “Tomorrow is Tonight” fundraiser.

The 10th-anniversary celebration took place at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, where Hudson was a performer.

“Tomorrow is Tonight” is an event to raise awareness about ALS disease, as well as Parkinson’s Alzheimers and several other life-threatening diseases. Also on hand were Greg Kinnear, Julianna Margulies and Edie Falco.

Hudson, who was a finalist on Season 3 of “Idol,” later shot to fame by playing the role of Effie White in last season’s “Dreamgirls.” She then swept every major award in which she was nominated, topping it off with the Oscar win. She later was asked to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the group of actors and industry professionals that votes for the winners.

The singer still hasn’t been able to complete her debut CD, especially since her acting career has taken off. Most recently, Hudson has been playing around in New York with Sarah Jessica Parker and the gang for the “Sex and the City” movie, expected for release next fall. Hudson plays assistant to Parker’s character, Carrie.

Almost a year after he self-released his debut CD, “Stories From Hollywood,” Jon Peter Lewis is teaming up with Authentic Records to promote the disc.

Lewis, the Season 3 “American Idol” finalists dubbed “The Pen Salesman” and later JPL, may have been best known for his Elvis performance on the reality series, but his debut is much more sophisticated.

“It’s not a traditional rock record,” Lewis told watchingamericanidol.com earlier this year. “It has a lot of diversity on the record, there’s some soul stuff, some acoustic numbers and some big production pop/rock songs.”

Authentic Records is based in Des Moines, Iowa, and also is the label for national acts The Nadas and The Josh Davis Band. Lewis will spend the next several months touring with these Authentic bands to promote “Stories From Hollywood,” which the label will re-release.

Lewis has been living in Los Angeles since his time on “Idol,” and he will begin his tour at the nearby Roxy Theatre on Nov. 1.

Other upcoming shows include:

Nov. 15 — The Hub; Cedar Falls, Iowa
Nov. 16 — Redstone Room; Davenport, Iowa
Nov. 18 — AK O’Connors; Des Moines

JPL also will be touring in Nebraska, Colorado, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Arizona, California, Florida, Pennsylvania and New York, according to the label.

“Stories From Hollywood” includes the title track, as well as singles such as “If I Go Away,” “Boy Next Door” and “Man From Amsterdam,” the song Lewis said is most representative of the entire collection.

Aside from his “A Little Less Conversation” performance on “Idol,” judge Simon Cowell at one point called him “the dark horse to win the competition.” The singer ended up finishing in eighth place on Season 3 of “Idol,” which Fantasia Barrino won.

Jon Peter Lewis, American Idol, Authentic Records, JPL

More awards could be in store for “American Idol” alumni. The 35th annual American Music Award nominations include three “Idol” alums up for half a dozen awards.

Daughtry, the band of Season 5 “Idol” finalist Chris Daughtry, was nominated for Best New Artist. The band also received nominations for Favorite Album in the pop/rock category and adult contemporary artist. Daughtry tied Justin Timberlake, Beyonce Knowles and Linkin Park with the most nominations this year.

Daughtry, along with Celine Dion, Fergie and Rihanna, are among the musicians expected to perform at the awards ceremony.

Carrie Underwood, Season 4 “Idol” winner, has garnered plenty of awards in her short career — including Favorite New Breakthrough Artist at the 2006 AMAs. Now the singer is nominated for two more awards, including Favorite Female Artist in the country category and Favorite Album for “Some Hearts.”

“Some Hearts” has been a huge success for Underwood, whose new single, “So Small,” already is showing signs her sophomore effort, “Carnival Ride,” will be just as successful.

Aside from Daughtry and Underwood, Fantasia Barrino — winner of Season 3 of “Idol” — garnered a nomination for Favorite Female Artist in the soul and R&B category.

Comedian Jimmy Kimmel will host the AMAs, which will be broadcast live Nov. 18 on ABC from the L.A. Live entertainment complex. This year’s nominees initially were chosen based on record sales and a sampling of 15,000 ballots sent throughout the nation.

For the first time in the history of the awards, the public will be able to vote for nominated artists online. Winners previously had been chosen exclusively through a random sampling of 20,000 people.

American Idol, American Music Awards, Chris Daughtry, Daughtry, Carrie Underwood, Fantasia Barrino

“American Idol” started out as the search for the next great pop singer.

Of course, it turned out to be one of the biggest talent searches in the world — producing top-selling musicians, as well as Broadway stars, actors and tons of other talent. Even an Oscar win for Jennifer Hudson.

“Idol” has been a powerhouse, but it never was limited to the pop audience. More evidence comes from the fact the 2007 Country Music Awards feature not 1, but three “Idol” alums.

Nominee Carrie Underwood, who is up for three awards at the show, also has been named to the list of performers. While it’s not confirmed, it’s likely Carrie will performer her new single “So Small,” which comes from her Oct. 23 follow-up release to the multiple award-winning debut, “Some Hearts.”

Also nominated at the CMAs are Season 1 “Idol” winner Kelly Clarkson, as well as Kellie Pickler. The 41st Annual CMA Awards will air at 8/7c Wednesday, Nov. 7 on ABC.

Carrie Underwood, American Idol, Kelly Clarkson, Kellie Pickler

Following in the footsteps of Fantasia Barrino, “American Idol” finalist LaKisha Jones also is headed for the stage of “The Color Purple.”

Jones will join the Broadway cast of the show staring Dec. 19. She will sing the show’s opening number, “Mysterious Ways.”

Also joining the cast is Chaka Khan, who will play Sofia, beginning Jan. 9, and BeBe Winans as Harpo. After Khan joins the show, Jones will fill in as Sofia for matinee performances.

Jones, a native of Flint, Mich., finished in fourth place on the sixth season of “Idol.” She spent the summer with other “Idol” finalists on the American Idols Live tour, and she has started work on her debut CD.

Season 3 “Idol” winner Fantasia Barrino has been performing in “The Color Purple” as Celie. She is signed to keep performing through Jan. 6.

The Color Purple, American Idol, LaKisha Jones, Fantasia Barrino

It has been called on and called off several times, but the “American Idol” songwriting competition eventually came back. After getting thousands of entries, the “Idol” producers have narrowed the field of songs down to 20.

Starting Wednesday, you can visit americanidol.com and vote for your favorite. The winning song will be revealed at the end of the season, when the finalists sing it during the finale. This year’s winner also will record the song.

To vote on the winning song, you have to first register here.