Nigel Lythgoe News

AMERICAN IDOL launched an all-new app today with special features to be released over the season, providing IDOL fans access to show content and deep interactive and social experiences, as well as enhanced voting capabilities on their iOS and Android devices.

This past weekend, Nigel Lythgoe and Adam Shankman of "So You Think You Can Dance" attended a performance of Newsies, the Tony Award winning new American musical, and visited with the cast backstage afterwards. Cast members Evan Kasprzak and Jess LeProtto have both competed on the Fox dance competition, in seasons five and eight respectively. Check out backstage photos below!

FOX announced today that the producers of American Idol, including Nigel Lythgoe, will live-tweet tonight's auditions in Charlotte, tomorrow's in Baton Rouge, LA.

On last night's episode of AMERICAN IDOL, America was introduced to Lazaro Arbos of Florida who has suffered from a terrible stutter since the time he was a little boy. Although he struggled to speak to judges Randy Jackson, Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban, the inspirational 21-year-old blew them away with his rendition of 'Bridge Over Troubled Water.' Check out his performance below!

Fox has now made last night's much anticipated AMERICAN IDOL season 12 premiere available on demand. The episode will be available for one week for customers of AT&T U-verse, Cox, Mediacom, Optimum TV, Time Warner Cable, Verizon FiOS, Xbox, Xfinity and many more.

Below, check out a recap of last night's New York City Auditions on the premiere episode of FOX's AMERICAN IDOL Season 12.

According to preliminary rating's reports, the premiere of the 12th season of FOX's AMERICAN IDOL earned a 6.0, down 19% from last year's 7.4 among adults 18-49. The premiere rating is the lowest since the first season which aired in the summer.

Fox Broadcasting Company (FOX); 19 Entertainment Ltd., a division of Core Media Group; and FremantleMedia North America today announced that Ford Motor Company, Coca-Cola and AT&T will return as official sponsors for the 12th season of AMERICAN IDOL.

AMERICAN IDOL executive producer Nigel Lythgoe spoke by phone about the long-running singing competition and revealed the big changes in store for the upcoming 12th season.

Hosted by the inimitable Ryan Seacrest, AMERICAN IDOL Season 12 features a dynamic new judging panel including Randy Jackson, a Grammy Award-winning producer whose expertise and beloved persona have been instrumental in discovering IDOL talent from the beginning

On Jan. 1, Ovation, the only cable television network exclusively devoted to the arts, was officially dropped from Time Warner Cable's (TWC) lineup. Just before being dropped, Ovation delivered TWC a petition signed by over 25,000 Americans. The petition, which was hosted online at the website KeepOvation.com expresses dismay at TWC's intention to drop the network and urges the cable company to keep Ovation in its lineup.

Digitalspy.com reports that AMERICAN IDOL contestant Hollie Cavanagh plans to release her first album in 2013. The fourth runner up, who has been working with Idol's Nathan Porter, is currently searching for a record label.

FOX has picked up the Emmy Award-winning SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE for its 10th season, it was announced today by Mike Darnell, President of Alternative Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company.

AMERICAN IDOL is ringing in the holiday season with a gift just for you! From Tuesday, Dec. 18 - Monday, Dec. 24, AMERICAN IDOL will provide complimentary gift wrapping in local shopping centers in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas and Atlanta. At the festive stations, shoppers can have their purchases wrapped in exclusive IDOL-themed paper and watch clips and exclusive AMERICAN IDOL content. Former IDOL contestants, including Bo Bice, Brooke White and Anthony Fedorov, among others, will stop by the gift wrapping stations to spread some holiday cheer (appearance schedules to be announced).

Ovation, the only network devoted to artists and every kind of artistic expression, will premiere encore presentations of So You Think You Can Dance season nine starting January 4 at 8 p.m.ET. The enhanced presentations will also include exclusive never-before-seen "extras" on Ovation's website, Facebook Page and YouTube channel, including special features with the So You Think You Can Dance All-Stars.

Shine America has entered into an exclusive, multi-year production partnership with Nigel Lythgoe Productions, owned and operated by the prolific executive producer behind such hits as 'American Idol' and 'So You Think You Can Dance,' to cooperatively develop and produce entertainment franchises with the Shine Group for the global TV marketplace.

Ovation, the only television network devoted to artists and every kind of artistic expression, will usher in the holiday season with programming celebrating theater and dance. On Thanksgiving night, Ovation will present an Ovation Original documentary special, A SNOW WHITE CHRISTMAS: OPENING NIGHT, which takes viewers behind- the-curtain for the Lythgoe Family's (American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance) quest to bring the entertaining and cheerful British "panto" musical theater tradition to American audiences for the first time. Ovation then kicks off its sixth annual programming event, "BATTLE OF THE NUTCRACKERS," featuring stunning Nutcracker productions and a chance for viewers to vote on their favorites. The popular programming event will now air for a month on Sunday afternoons in a celebration the entire family can enjoy together.

Ovation, the only television network devoted to artists and every kind of artistic expression, will usher in the holiday season with programming celebrating theater and dance. On Thanksgiving night, Ovation will present an Ovation Original documentary special, A SNOW WHITE CHRISTMAS: OPENING NIGHT, which takes viewers behind- the-curtain for the Lythgoe Family's (American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance) quest to bring the entertaining and cheerful British "panto" musical theater tradition to American audiences for the first time. Ovation then kicks off its sixth annual programming event, "BATTLE OF THE NUTCRACKERS," featuring stunning Nutcracker productions and a chance for viewers to vote on their favorites. The popular programming event will now air for a month on Sunday afternoons in a celebration the entire family can enjoy together.

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts Los Angeles® (BAFTA Los Angeles), which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, has announced it will honor multi-Academy® and BAFTA Award-winning actor Daniel Day-Lewis with the prestigious Stanley Kubrick Britannia Award for Excellence in Film