TV show reviews

American Idol
American Idol, formerly known as American Idol: The Search for a Superstar, is an American television series. It is part of the Idol series, originating from the UK show Pop Idol, a singing talent contest to determine the best "undiscovered" young singer in the country. In recent years it has become one of the most highly publicized music competitions in the world.

American Idol is screened on the Fox Network in the United States which is part of News Corporation and on CTV in Canada. It is created by Simon Fuller (manager of the Spice Girls and S Club 7) and developed by Simon Jones of Thames Television. The directors are Bruce Gowers (director of Queen's original "Bohemian Rhapsody" video), Nigel Lythgoe (a judge on So You Think You Can Dance), Simon Fuller (creator) and Ken Warwick (Gladiators and Grudge Match).

American Idol is produced by Fremantle North America which is owned by German Bertelsmann. Each contestant may sign a contract with one of Bertelsmann's many music labels because Bertelsmann owns half of Sony BMG. American Idol is managed by 19 Entertainment which is owned by the international joint venture CKX, Inc. Telephone and text message voting are managed by Telescope.

American Idol won a 2005 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award for favorite television show. In the same year the show won the #1 spot on Nielsen Ratings for two years in a row, favored over the NBA Playoffs, NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, Grammy Awards, Daytime Emmy Awards, Academy Awards, and the Olympics. The show's success inspired other nations to produce their own variations of the Idol series, and also became the subject of numerous parodies.

-Overview-

Early auditions
In the show, hosted by Ryan Seacrest, hopeful contestants are screened by preliminary panels to be selected for singing talent or humorous potential and human interest. Those who pass the prelims are potentially aired on the show. They then audition before the three main judges - Simon Cowell (one of the judges from Pop Idol and The X Factor), Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson - in selected cities across the United States. Sometimes a celebrity fourth judge may be added. These are generally held at large convention centers where thousands of people wait in line for auditions. Past audition cities have included; New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Atlanta, New Orleans, Chicago, Greensboro, Washington, D.C., Houston, Honolulu, Denver, Detroit, St. Louis, Boston, Las Vegas, Orlando, Nashville, Memphis, Dallas, Cleveland and Austin. (Contestants from the Season 5 Austin auditions were flown to San Francisco, California to audition before the judges due to the effect of Hurricane Katrina evacuees on the city.) In order to be eligible, the contestants are not permitted to have any current recording or talent management agreements (but may have had one at some point in the past). Based on turnout and availability, producers select a certain number from the crowd to audition before the three judges (this usually takes 2-4 rounds). Contestants are required to sing a cappella. Those who impress the majority of the judges move on to the second round auditions which take place in Hollywood (typically only several dozen out of the thousands in each city move on). The contestants selected despite lack of singing talent for appearance before the panel provide a major attraction to the viewing audience as they simultaneously proclaim their talent while turning out gut-wrenching performances which are ridiculed by the judges.

Much like the original Pop Idol version, one of the most popular portions of each season are initial episodes showcasing American Idol hopefuls auditioning before the panel of judges. These early episodes focus mainly on the poorest performances from contestants who often appear oblivious to their lack of star talent. These "contestants" have been selected by the preliminary panels in a negative sense; a typical combination is lack of singing ability combined with vanity regarding their "talent." Others are selected for human interest potential: the 2005 auditions featured a "cannibal" who had sampled human flesh in an anthropology class and an aspiring female prize fighter. Other examples include a man dressed in pajamas with no shoes (whose comments made Cowell explode with laughter) and a transvestite who kisses Cowell on the cheek after her audition wraps up. Poor singers often face intense and humbling criticism from the judges, and especially from Cowell, who can be harsh and blunt in his rejections. Typically the judges express disgust or dismay or suppressed laughter. Some poor performances have attained notoriety on their own; these have included Season 1's portrayal of Lady Marmalade, Season 2's performance of Madonna's Like a Virgin by Keith Beukelaer and Season 3's rendition of Ricky Martin's She Bangs by William Hung.

Contestants must be U.S. citizens eligible to work full-time and, for the first three seasons, had to be 16 to 24 years of age on October 19 of the year of audition. For the fourth season, the upper age limit was raised to 28 with an earlier cutoff date, August 4, to attract more mature and diverse contestants. In early 2003, a 50-year-old college professor named Drew Cummings filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, charging the show with age discrimination because producers denied him an audition due to his age. His case was not taken up by the EEOC. Auditioning contestants must bring with them to the audition a valid proof of age (and citizenship) such as a birth certificate, driver's license, and a passport, and minors under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. All auditioning contestants are required to sign on to the Web at www.americanidol.com and print out a copy of the release form to fill out and turn in at the audition in order to grant permission to be seen and heard by the producers' cameras. Contestants who were found out to have given false information are disqualified. Those who are ineligible are: those who have current talent representation or a recording contract; have made it to a top 30 on Season 1, top 32 on Seasons 2 and 3, or top 44 on Seasons 4 and 5; or are affiliated with Fox, Fremantle, 19, its sponsors, its affiliates, its subsidies and parent companies; anyone whose age is not in the required age range; and non-US citizens. Even if a person is eligible, he or she may not have a chance to audition or be seen because the show can see only a limited number of people in each city.

Hollywood
Once in Hollywood, the three judges narrow the initial field of a few hundred down to a group of 24 semi-finalists (30 in Season 1 and 32 in Seasons 2 and 3) (complete list). In Season 1, the 30 semi-finalists were split into three groups of ten and the top three in each group advanced to the final ten. Three groups of three yielded nine finalists, so the tenth was chosen in a wild card show consisting of five previously-eliminated performers the judges felt deserved a second chance. In Seasons 2 and 3, the 32 semi-finalists were split into four groups of eight, from which the top two performers in each group earned a slot in the finals. Four groups of two yielded eight finalists out of twelve slots. The last four finalists were chosen in a wildcard competition, with each judge selecting one performer to advance to the finals and one performer chosen by audience voting. Beginning with the fourth season, the semi-finalists were split into two groups separating the male contestants from the female contestants, promoting an equal number of each gender to the finals. For three consecutive weeks, the male semifinalists compete only against the other men, and the female semifinalists compete only against the other women. Each contestant performs a song of his or her choice live (in the eastern and central time zones), in prime time and receives critiques from the judges, who, from this point on, serve almost entirely in an advisory capacity, with no direct influence on the results. This format has since been used on other Idol series.

Viewers have two hours following the broadcast of the show in their time zone to phone in votes for their favorite contestant by calling a toll-free number. Viewers with Cingular Wireless cell phones may also send text messages to vote. Callers are allowed to vote as many times as they like for any number of contestants, as long as they vote within the voting window for the time zone assigned to their phone's area code. (Cell phone voters who have tried voting while traveling in other time zones have reported on various fan forums that their votes were rejected if they tried to vote outside the time zone assigned to their home area codes.) On the following night's episode the results of the nationwide vote are announced, and the bottom two vote-getters are eliminated each week. At the end of the semifinal rounds, the six men and six women who remain advance to the finals.

Semi-finalists (and in some cases, other contestants as well) must submit to background checks and may be summarily disqualified for past behavior deemed undesirable, such as an arrest record. Several finalists have been disqualified for revelations that surfaced late in the competition. Semi-finalists are also subjected to drug tests, in order to avoid scandals involving drug usage. Contestants who failed the test have not been allowed to proceed in the competition.

Under terms of the personal release contract, contestants agree to be "conclaved" from the outside world. Contestants may not use cell phones (unless between family members or during an emergency), or the World Wide Web (especially chatting and message boards). They also may not leave the Hollywood jurisdiction, and may not leave their apartments without consent. Furthermore, they may not communicate with third-parties, watch television (especially news and sports), listen to radio stations, or read newspapers during their duration in the competition.

Final Twelve
In the finals, which last eleven weeks, each finalist performs a song live in prime time from a weekly theme (two songs in later rounds) at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California (Also where CBS's The Price Is Right gets taped.) in front of a live studio audience. Themes have included Motown, disco, big band music, and Billboard #1 hits. Some themes are based on music recorded by a particular artist, and the finalists have a chance to work with that artist in preparing their performances. Artists around whom themes have been based include Billy Joel, Neil Sedaka, The Bee Gees, Barry Manilow, Rod Stewart, Gloria Estefan, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Queen and Elvis Presley. Once in the top 5, the contestants sing two songs each.

When there are three finalists remaining, themes are no longer used. Instead, each contestant sings three songs: one of their own choice, one chosen by the judges, and one chosen by record executive Clive Davis. However in Season 2, in the final three, one song was chosen randomly from a bowl, with one chosen by the performer and one by the judges.

In any case, each week on the following night's live "results" episode, the contestant with the fewest votes is sent home. The bottom three vote-getters (bottom two in final four, five or, from Season 5 onwards, six) are separated from the remaining contestants. Over the course of the episode, two of the bottom group (one in final four, five or six) are revealed as being "safe" for the week, and the reject is sent home after performing one final song to end the episode. This process is repeated each week until the Top 3. There is no bottom 2 in the Top 3; instead the eliminated contestant's name is announced. Then in the finale, one remaining contestant is declared the winner. The stage is moved to the Kodak Theatre for the finale showdown, where the two remaining contestants perform for an audience of at least 3,400. The winner is announced at the end of the show.

Post-Idol promotion
The winner receives a one million (US) dollar record deal with a major label, and is managed by American Idol-related 19 Management. In some cases, non-winners have also been signed by the show's management company (who has first option to sign finalists) and received record deals with it's major label partner. Individual post-Idol promotion/appearances for winners and non-winners has varied, however, from season to season. As has stipulations in contracts signed by contestants at the beginning of each season.

In general, immediately post-finale the winner's single of the coronation song written specifically for the season finale is released for sale and to radio. Soon afterward, a video for the song is released. The winner also makes the rounds of interview/performance appearances. With the exception of Season One runner-up Justin Guarini, runners-up have also released a single of the second song created for their season's finales, with accompanying promotional appearances/performances, etc.. In Season One, the winner Kelly Clarkson released both finale songs with accompanying promotion. In subsequent seasons, as project restrictions for non-winners signed by 19 Management lessened significantly, some non-winners even released debut albums prior to the winner's, two examples being Season Two runner-up Clay Aiken debuting prior to winner Ruben Studdard, and Season Five sixth-place finalist Kellie Pickler debuting before both winner Taylor Hicks and runner-up Katharine McPhee.

Each season a compilation album with the top twelve finalists (top ten for Season One) is also released. Other compilations, such as a Christmas album, have also been released. Top ten finalists participate in a post-season American Idol promotional concert tour. Tour lengths and large-size venue locations vary from season to season. Prior to the Season One American Idol Tour, the entire top forty finalists performed in a televised Las Vegas concert. The venture has not been repeated for subsequent seasons.

-Season synopses-

Season 1
The first season of American Idol debuted without hype as a summer replacement show in June 2002 on the Fox Broadcasting Company after being rejected by numerous other networks. The show's co-hosts were Ryan Seacrest and Brian Dunkleman. Through word of mouth generated by the appeal of its contestants and the presence of acid-tongued British judge Simon Cowell, the show grew into a phenomenon ending with a finale viewed by an estimated fifty million viewers in September 2002. Following such a success, the second season was moved to air the upcoming January during the higher profile 2003 fall schedule. The number of episodes increased, as did the show's budget and the charge for commercial spots.

Winner Kelly Clarkson signed with RCA Records the label in partnership with American Idol's 19 Management. Immediately post-finale, Clarkson released two singles, most notably the coronation song "A Moment Like This" which debuted at #52, but marked the biggest jump in Billboard history when it shot to #1, breaking a record set by The Beatles. As part of the promotion planned for the show's first winner, the song had been pre-recorded ready to air on radio stations the day after the finale. Appearances on numerous entertainment/news shows followed, as did videos for the singles that began airing on MTV's TRL. Clarkson has subsequently had two successful albums, Thankful and Breakaway, and several hit singles mostly from her more successful second album Breakaway. While her first album failed to sell outside of North America, her second was a global success and garnered two Grammy Awards in 2006.

The show inspired a 2003 musical film, From Justin to Kelly, featuring Kelly Clarkson and runner-up Justin Guarini. The musical love story, produced by American Idol's Simon Fuller, was filmed in Miami, Florida over a period of six weeks shortly after the season ended. Released several months later in June 2003, the film failed to make back its budget during its short run in theatres. A DVD with additional footage was released and the movie airs periodically in the U.S. and other countries.

Besides Clarkson and Guarini, also signed were Nikki McKibbin (3rd), Tamyra Gray (4th), and Christina Christian (6th). It is the only year the runner-up did not release a single following the show's finale.

Runner-up Justin Guarini also signed with RCA Records. Contract restrictions required him to reject outside offers received and delay solo projects following the season finale, eventually debuting an album in 2003 after the conclusion of Season 2. RCA dropped him shortly after its debut. Guarini formed his own entertainment company and independently released a second album in 2005, with a third album and an independent movie scheduled for release in 2006. Nikki McKibbin signed with RCA, but was dropped when she refused to record a country album. She has since made appearances on various Reality TV shows, and is finishing her debut album. Tamyra Gray was signed to RCA, but was dropped when she demanded to write the album. She then signed with American Idol's Simon Fuller's new label 19 Entertainment, and her self-written debut album was released in 2004. She was dropped by the label in 2005. She had a supporting role in the 2005 movie The Gospel. RJ Helton released a Christian album, but sales were lackluster. Ryan Starr had trouble getting out of her contract with RCA Records, but independently released a single My Religion, which sold 360,000 downloads via iTunes. She is expected to release her debut album in 2006 or 2007. Jim Verraros, who came out of the closet after being voted off American Idol, starred in an indie film and released a dance-pop album, charting a dance hit on Billboard. Christina Christian, EJay Day (tenth), and AJ Gil (eighth) have had little success after the show.

The first season of American Idol will be syndicated on select T.V stations in United States called American Idol: Rewind. The rewind episodes will start on September 2006.

Season 2
In Season 2, Seacrest surfaced as the lone host, since Dunkleman reportedly hated working on the show, and the studio was dissatisfied with his performance. Kristin Holt was a special correspondent. This time, Ruben Studdard emerged as the winner with Clay Aiken as runner-up. Out of 24 million votes recorded, Studdard finished just 130,000 votes ahead of Aiken, although there remains controversy over the accuracy of the reported results. There was much discussion in the communication industry about the phone system being overloaded, and that more than 150 million votes were dropped, making the voting invalid. Since then the voting methods have been modified to avoid this problem.

In an interview prior to the start of the fifth season, executive producer Nigel Lythgoe revealed for the first time that Aiken had led the fan voting from the wild card week onward until the finale. Despite Studdard's victory, Aiken has enjoyed more widespread popularity, emerging as one of the season's true breakout stars, even being the first to have a U.S. Hot 100 number one with This is The Night. Ruben and Clay both released albums in the fall of 2006. Kimberley Locke has also enjoyed radio success after American Idol with her debut album, One Love. Her next album is also rumored to be released early in 2007.

Fourth-place finisher and former Marine Josh Gracin has had huge success as a country artist, signing with Lyric Street Records, and his first album spawned three hit singles, including a number one song, Nothing to Lose."

One contestant, Frenchie Davis, was disqualified and removed from the competition after topless photos of her surfaced on the Internet. She later appeared in the Broadway musical Rent.

During the course of the contest Ruben became known for wearing 205 Flava jerseys representing his area code. Shortly after the end of the contest, Ruben sued 205 Flava, Inc for $2 million for using his image for promotional purposes. Flava responded by alleging that Ruben had accepted over $10,000 in return for wearing 205 shirts, and produced 8 cashed checks to validate their claim. The allegations, if true, indicate a clear violation of the American Idol rules. The lawsuit was settled out of court.

The rumor mills were buzzing once again in 2005 when Season 2 contestant Corey Clark, who was kicked off the show because of a police record he had not disclosed earlier, alleged that he had an affair with judge Paula Abdul. Clark also alleged that Abdul gave him preferential treatment on the show because of their alleged romance. A subsequent investigation by Fox found no evidence to support Clark's charges.

Season 3
The third season of American Idol premiered on January 19, 2004.

The early part of the season introduced William Hung, a UC Berkeley student, who received widespread attention following his off-key rendition of Ricky Martin's "She Bangs." His performance, as well as his positive attitude facing Simon's criticisms (a stark contrast to other contestants' confrontational, angry reactions), landed him a record deal with Koch Entertainment Records making over $500,000 in record sales.

During the season, controversy over the legitimacy of the contest increased as rocker Jon Peter Lewis and young crooner John Stevens stayed afloat while others were unexpectedly eliminated. Jasmine Trias, despite negative comments from Simon Cowell, survived elimination and took the third spot over Latoya London. Trias later released a CD and attracted fans in her home state of Hawaii, the Philippines, Singapore, Guam and other South East Asian countries. The third season was also shown in Australia on Network Ten about half a week after episodes were shown in the U.S..

After a nationwide vote of more than 65 million votes in total - more than the first two seasons combined - Fantasia Barrino won the American Idol title over runner-up Diana DeGarmo. She released her first single in June 2004 on the RCA record label. The single included "I Believe" – cowritten by former Idol contestant Tamyra Gray (who also sang backup) – which Fantasia performed on the finale of Idol, the Aretha Franklin hit "Chain of Fools" (released before on an American Idol compilation), and her signature version of "Summertime". The single entered the Billboard Hot 100 at #1 and held steady for 11 consecutive weeks (10 weeks in Canada), achieving the longest consecutive stay at #1 on that chart for an American Idol contestant. Fantasia's CD, I Believe, went on to become the top selling single of 2004 in the U.S and has since been certified double platinum by the CRIA and received 3 Billboard Awards. In 2006, she received 4 Grammy nominations for her double platinum debut album Free Yourself.

Sales of Diana DeGarmo's first CD, Blue Skies, suffered partly from a lack of promotion by RCA. DeGarmo eventually asked to be released from her RCA record contract. She has since received a role in the Broadway production of Hairspray, where she played the part of Penny Pingleton from February 7th-May 21st to positive reviews. Currently, DeGarmo is starring with Melba Moore in the national tour of Brooklyn the Musical through mid-August. On September 8th, she will return to the Broadway production of Hairspray to once again assume the role of Penny Pingleton for a six month period. DeGarmo is also working independently on a second album while performing in the musicals.

Runner-up Jasmine Trias signed with an independent label. Although she has failed to achieve commercial success in the mainland USA, she has become a major celebrity in other countries, such as the Philippines and Japan, where she is signed with Universal Records. Latoya London signed with Peak Records and released an album of slow jams, though album sales have been low. George Huff signed with Word Records to release a gospel album and has since had mild success in that genre.

John Stevens landed a deal with Maverick Records, but was dropped due to low album sales. Jennifer Hudson is starring alongside Beyoncé Knowles and Jamie Foxx in the upcoming Dreamgirls movie, and is expected to release her album sometime in 2007. Camile Velasco was once signed to Motown Records, but left the label after her first single flopped. Still, like Trias, she has become somewhat popular in the Philippines. Eleventh place contestant Matthew Rogers is now a TV personality, starring alongside Mikalah Gordon on Idol Extra, which went the scenes of American Idol's fifth season.

In May 2005, Telescope announced that the third season had a total of approximately 360 million votes, in comparison to its succeeding season which jumped to about 500 million.

Season 4
The season of American Idol premiered on January 18, 2005. It was the first season in which the age limit was raised to 28, in order to increase variety. All Season 4 contestants had to be between the ages of 16 and 28 on August 4, 2004, born on or between August 5, 1975 and August 4, 1988. Among those who benefited from this new rule were Constantine Maroulis (born September 17) and Bo Bice (born November 1), considered to be the eldest and somewhat most experienced of the season's Idol contestants. They were also constantly mentioned by Seacrest and in the media as "the two rockers", since their long hair and choice of rock songs made them stand out from conventional Idol standards. The presence of more rock-orientated contestants has continued with Chris Daughtry in Season 5, who was inspired to audition for the show by Bice.

This season also implemented new rules for the final portion of the contest. Instead of competing in semi-final heats in which the top vote-getters are promoted to the final round, 24 semi-finalists were named; 12 men and 12 women, who competed separately, with 2 of each gender being voted off each week until 12 finalists were left.

Mario Vazquez, who was originally one of the top 12, dropped out of the competition on March 11, just days before the top 12's first performance, citing "personal issues", opening a spot in the final 12 for Nikko Smith (son of Baseball Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith), who had been voted off in the semi-finals the previous week.

The winner was Carrie Underwood, a country singer, the first winner since Kelly Clarkson to not only win but avoid being in the bottom three for the entire competition. Bo Bice came in first runner-up. Carrie Underwood's first single, "Inside Your Heaven", was released on June 14, 2005. The single debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, with first-week sales of 170,000 copies, and briefly stopped Mariah Carey's run at #1 with "We Belong Together". One week later, runner-up Bo Bice released his version of the song, which debuted at #2. The B-side of Underwood's CD was "Independence Day", a cover of the Martina McBride hit. On November 15, 2005, Carrie released her debut album, Some Hearts, which peaked and debuted at #2 on Billboard. It has currently sold over 4 million copies, and has gone quadruple platinum. Underwood's first single, Jesus, Take The Wheel was made available for radio airplay on October 18, 2005. It received so much airplay that it debuted at #39 on the Billboard Country Chart in its first week, setting a record. As it climbed, it finally reached #1 for 6 consecutive weeks, and was only two weeks shy of Connie Smith's record of an 8 week run back in 1964-1965. The single also debuted at #48 on the Billboard Hot 100 where it peaked at #20. Underwood's second single, "Don't Forget to Remember Me" peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot Country Charts, as well as, #49 on the Billboard Hot 100. Underwood's third single "Before He Cheats" not only hit #1 on the Billboard Hot Country charts, but also peaked at #24 on the Billboard Hot 100. Currently, Underwood has the most successful debut album sales out of the American Idol finalists. Some Hearts has sold over 4 million copies as of December 2006, beating the previous most sells record held by Clay Aiken's Measure of a Man, which sold 2.7 million copies.

Bo Bice's first single "The Real Thing" has appeared on American Top 40 radio. Although Bice's sales did not match that of Underwood, he stands as the second-most successful recording artist to not win the American Idol title with RIAA platinum status. Third-place contestant Vonzell Solomon landed a role in a film, Still Green and a single on a Christmas album. Fourth-place contestant Anthony Fedorov has appeared in television shows such as Fear Factor, where he competed with Season 2 contestant Carmen Rasmusen, winning second place, and has finished taping several episodes for a new MTV show to air in the fall. Sixth-place contestant Constantine Maroulis has redone his rendition of "Bohemian Rhapsody" for a Queen tribute album, and has announced his pre-production debut album's release in the fall of 2006. Since August 2006, Maroulis has appeared in the Broadway musical The Wedding Singer. He will also star in an ABC television sitcom. Seventh-place contestant Anwar Robinson has released his self-titled EP on an independent label. Twelfth-place contestant Lindsey Cardinale's first single, "Nothing Like A Dream", was released in March 2006.

In May 2005, Telescope announced that the fourth season had a total of approximately 500 million votes.

Season 5
The fifth season of American Idol began on January 17, 2006. Auditions were in Austin, Boston, Chicago, Denver and San Francisco, with Greensboro, North Carolina and Las Vegas, Nevada included after the cancellation of the Memphis auditions due to Hurricane Katrina. The season used the same rules as Season 4. Contestants had to be between the ages of 16 and 28 on August 15, 2005, being born on or between August 16, 1976 and August 15, 1989.

Although this season had little controversy in comparison to the four prior seasons, various troubles emerged. Derrell and Terrell Brittenum were twins who auditioned together in Chicago. Derrell had threatened to, and did quit when he had mistakenly heard his brother was cut. After realizing his error, Derrell pleaded to the judges to let him reclaim his spot in the competition, much to their consternation. They gave Derrell and his brother another chance, but the twins were later disqualified in January 2006 due to a prior arrest for identity theft.

Finalist Bucky Covington also had prior troubles with the law. Coincidentally, Covington's crimes involved himself and his twin brother, Rocky. The two had allegedly switched spots in 1998 to confuse the police. However, this prior crime had no effect on Covington's time on American Idol, and he was voted off on April 12.

The winner of the season was Taylor Hicks, with Katharine McPhee finishing as his runner-up. Taylor Hicks joined Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood as the only winners of American Idol to never be in the bottom three or two. Hicks was named American Idol on May 24, 2006 at 9:56 PM (EDT). On May 30, 2006, Telescope announced that a total of 63.5 million votes were cast in the finale round. A total of 580 million votes were cast in the entire season. Taylor Hicks is the second American Idol winner from the city of Birmingham, Alabama (the first being Ruben Studdard), and the fourth finalist with close ties to the city. The finale was seen by some as the best yet, with surprise performances from stars such as Live, Mary J. Blige, and Toni Braxton singing duets with the members of the final 12. An additional performance by Prince was generally seen as a statement of Idol's acceptance in the music world.

The introduction of the Golden Idol awards brought back memories from the auditions, such as the return of "Crazy Dave" and even the foul-mouthed Rhonetta Johnson (or at least a skilled impersonator), while providing comic relief in the midst of the suspense. For example, Michael Sandecki was an auditioner who closely resembled Season 2 runner-up Clay Aiken at his original audition, but unlike Aiken, Sandecki was not a good enough singer to be accepted to Hollywood. He appeared on the finale to receive a Golden Idol for "Best Impersonation", and was asked to sing. He started to sing "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", and much to his and Idol fans' joy and surprise, the real Clay Aiken came out on stage and finished the song with him.

Season 6
American Idol Season 6 will begin on Tuesday, January 16, 2007.