Simon Fuller News

After learning the first seven of the Top 24 last night, tonight's episode left audiences in anticipation, waiting to see if their favorite singers would be selected through to the next round. Some of the choices seemed obvious (i.e. Andrew Garcia), while others left audiences wondering if they would receive good news or leave the judging room in tears.

On Wednesday, AMERICAN IDOL revealed the remaining 17 semifinalists in the season's top 24 contenders. (Spoiler Warning: Do not read ahead if you don't want to know yet who the top 24 are.)

In an 'American Idol' first, seven of the Top 24 contestants were revealed on tonight's episode. After featuring snippets of many contestants' performances, 'Idol' split the hopefuls into three groups, sending one-third of the contestants home before the final judging. Then, each remaining contestant sat down with the judges to learn whether they would be singing in front of America or ending their journey in Hollywood. Some performances worked, others fell surprisingly flat, but the big news from tonight's 'Idol' is who made it through Hollywood.

Here is the audition of Todrick Hall, who was seen on Broadway opposite Fantasia Barrino in The Color Purple. Hall has also appeared in 'High School Musical 2' and in a 'Beauty and the Beast' production at Disney World. He has also appeared on Disney cruise ships as well as writing, choreographing and directing his own original production called 'Oz, the Musical.'

Here is the audition of Todrick Hall, who was seen on Broadway opposite Fantasia Barrino in The Color Purple. Hall has also appeared in 'High School Musical 2' and in a 'Beauty and the Beast' production at Disney World. He has also appeared on Disney cruise ships as well as writing, choreographing and directing his own original production called 'Oz, the Musical.'

For the first time in the history of AMERICAN IDOL, the first 7 contenders of the top 24 have been announced, reports TVGuide.com.

Tonight episode of 'American Idol' brought the always-entertaining group auditions. The remaining contestants form groups of three to five people, choose from a select list of songs, and choreograph the number to perform in front of the judges. Group auditions always provide for an excellent episode, as it is the only time in the show when contestants are forced to depend on others in their performance.

The first round of Hollywood auditions on 'American Idol' brought the welcome addition of Ellen DeGeneres to the judging panel. Ellen replaced Paula Abdul, after Paula was not hired back for 'Idol's' ninth season. Ellen was a refreshing change to panel, being brutally honest to the contestants, as well as providing several amusing comments about the performances.

The excitement has been building, and the moment America has been waiting for is almost here! Ellen DeGeneres joins judges Simon Cowell, Kara DioGuardi, Randy Jackson and host Ryan Seacrest to help winnow down the AMERICAN IDOL contestants during the Hollywood Round beginning Tuesday, Feb. 9 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

The excitement has been building, and the moment American Idol fans have been waiting for is almost here! Ellen Degeneres joins judges Simon Cowell, Kara DioGuardi, Randy Jackson and host Ryan Seacrest to help winnow down the American Idol contestants during the Hollywood Round beginning Tuesday, Feb. 9 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. BroadwayWorld brings you the first footage teaser of Ellen's Idol debut from Fox.

'Idol' closed out its fourth week of auditions with a 'Best of the Rest' episode, containing singers from each of the seven audition cities. In typical 'Idol' fashion, some of the singers were quite talented, while others were simply pitiful. Very few standouts were seen in this last episode; however, one of the more interesting stories to take place thus far on 'Idol' was featured.

The 'American Idol' auditions made their last stop tonight, visiting Denver, the home to one of the biggest rock stars to come from 'Idol,' Daughtry. Since season five when Daughtry appeared on the show, the number of auditions to be the next 'American Idol' more than doubled, bringing the total number of contestants in Denver to over 9,000. Guest judge Victoria Beckham was back on the judging panel, bookending the auditions after joining the show on its first stop in Boston.

'American Idol' made its way back to the location of its season one winner, visiting the city of Dallas and home of pop superstar Kelly Clarkson. The guest judges joining 'Idol' in the state of Texas were teen heartthrob Joe Jonas and television and Broadway star and Tony Award host Neil Patrick Harris. Dallas brought some excellent singers into the mix and some will definitely make a splash in Hollywood.

The fifth stop on the audition tour of 'American Idol' landed in 'Idol's' own backyard, Los Angeles. Joining Simon, Randy, and Kara were two young pop stars themselves, Avril Lavigne on the first day and Katy Perry on the second day. Lavigne was rarely seen on screen and did not seem to add much to the judging panel; Perry, however, was one of the few guest judges to truly understand the competition. Instead of joining Kara as the 'feel-good-judge' and sending people to Hollywood if they came in with a good story, Perry only voted 'Yes' to singers who she felt would actually have the chance to win the competition. A welcome change to the judging panel, Katy was more reminiscent of Simon and made her decision based purely on talent.

Judy Craymer, producer of the global film and theatre smash hit, Mamma Mia!, has announced an agreement with Simon Fuller's new XIX company, The Spice Girls and Universal Music. Judy Craymer Productions is to create and produce a new musical, under the working title Viva Forever, based on the songs of another world-wide phenomenon, The Spice Girls.

Day 4 of 'American Idol' kicked off in Orlando tonight with guest judge and Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth. Many remember Chenoweth's show-stealing, Tony-winning performance in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown and her triumphant star turn when she originated the role of Glinda (or Galinda) in Wicked, which earned her a Tony Award nomination. Chenoweth most recently starred in the ABC series Pushing Daisies, for which she just won the Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. She'll next be seen back on Broadway in the revival of Promises, Promises. Although Chenoweth was only available for half the episode (one day in Orlando), her presence was welcome to 'Idol' and Broadway fans alike.

Last night's two-hour season premiere of the ninth season of American Idol still garnered masterful ratings, despite recent shakeups and changes. With Paula Abdul's departure and Simon Cowell's very recent announcement that he, too, is leaving the show, American Idol still was the most watched show of the night with 29.9 million viewers.

American Idol has returned for its much-anticipated ninth season - Simon Cowell's last. So far, the show has held auditions in Boston, Atlanta, and Chicago.

After two very successful audition dates in Boston and Atlanta, 'American Idol' made its way to the Windy City. With the largest attendances as yet, 'Idol' came to Chicago with high expectations. 5-time Grammy winner Shania Twain served as guest judge for the 12,000 hopefuls and Chicago looked to be a promising stop on the long road to Hollywood.

AMERICAN IDOL hopeful Mike Davis may have the most interesting day job of any other contestant on the show: he is an actor on a speedboat. As he tells during his Golden Ticket interview, Davis is part of the 'Codzilla' speedboat experience, a tourism attraction with a theatrical flair.