American Idol

We're only hours away from Fox crowning either balladeer (and Simon Cowell fave) David Archuleta, 17, or rocker David Cook, 25, as this season's American Idol. Cook seemed to win last night's live audience, the Kansas City Star reports. More »

American Idol —the highest-rated show of the 21st century—finishes its seventh season tomorrow, moving Portfolio to some Idol chatter: Total number of episodes since its debut in 2002 (as of May 19): 270 Number of seasons ranked the No. 1 show on television: 3 Value of the Idol franchise, per Advertising Age : $2.5 billion More »

Syesha didn't make the cut. The "American Idol" competition is down to two—David Cook and David Archuleta—after voters knocked out Syesha Mercado tonight, the AP reports. The 21-year-old showed her range in the final show, mixing sultry sounds with pop, but it wasn't enough. Archuleta, 17, took some ribbing from judges for not taking enough chances, while Cook, 25, earned the most praise. The finale is next week. More »

"American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood ratcheted up her country cred last night, reports the AP, and can now call herself a Grand Ole Opry cast member. Underwood joined the longest-running radio show, fighting back tears as Garth Brooks handled her induction. "This really seems like a great family to be part of," she said. "I promise I'll do everything I possibly can to not make you regret it." More »

David Archuleta may be the fan favorite on "American Idol," but his dad is now Fox's persona non grata backstage. The network has banned Jeff Archuleta, who had been intensely involved in prepping his son, after his call Tuesday to change the lyrics of “Stand By Me,” adding a verse from Sean Kingston’s “Beautiful Girls.” More »

And then there were three. Jason Castro got the boot from "American Idol" last night, leaving David Cook, David Archuleta, and Syesha Mercado remaining in the competition, reports the AP. The dreadlocked Texan was an early favorite but couldn't keep the momentum going. His fate was sealed after he managed to mess up the lyrics to Bob Dylan's "Mr Tambourine Man" on Tuesday's show. More »

A willowy Brooke White wept through her last tune as the majority of the 45-million “American Idol” viewers voted to send the 24-year-old nanny packing back to Arizona. "I just want to say thank you. It's going to be terrible for me, I know," the oft-insecure White said, referring to the encore she had to perform. More »

A marketing survey into why ratings are off for this season of American Idol has some wondering if Ryan Seacrest's days as host are numbered, MSNBC reports. Many questions focused on how viewers respond to Seacrest and his interactions with judges and contestants. One source, though, says the queries “fall under the leave-no-stone-unturned category more than anything else." More »

Viewers voted Carly Smithson off “American Idol” last night despite the rave reviews received from the judges for her “Jesus Christ Superstar” performance Tuesday night, the AP reports. Five finalists are left. More »

American Idol favorite David Archuleta, 17, must skip his high school prom this weekend in Utah to stay in the game, TMZ reports. The reality TV show's strict rules mean that every contestant is on lockdown, including Brooke White, who had to skip her sister's wedding earlier this month. More »

"American Idol" champ Jordin Sparks has been forced to cancel April concert dates with Alicia Keys because of dangerous vocal-cord hemorrhaging, the New York Post reports. Even a sneeze could permanently damage the 18-year-old chart-topper, who has been singing nonstop since winning "Idol" last year. However, her handlers say, Sparks is expected to recover fully. More »

Ratings monster “American Idol” is showing viewership cracks in its seventh season, and rival networks are circling, hoping to steal some of the more than 20 million viewers who tune into the Fox hit each week, reports the Los Angles Times. “Idol” viewership among women 18 to 34 is off 20%, and Tuesday’s show was the lowest-rated among 18- to 49-year-olds in five years. More »

This may be American Idol contestant David Cook's biggest week—and not because he might get the boot. Cook's older brother, who is battling brain cancer, will make the dangerous flight from his Indiana sickbed to watch his kid brother perform tonight, People reports. A frail Adam will be aided by his wife, a medic, and nurse for the risky commute. More »

Australian American Idol hopeful Michael Johns got the heave-ho from the show last night in the biggest shocker so far this season, the Daily News reports. A surprised crowd booed the stunned singer's abrupt departure. Johns had been considered a frontrunner but the 31 million voters were clearly unimpressed by the crooner's effort at Aerosmith's "Dream On." More »

Tonight’s "American Idol" will boast cameos from Miley Cyrus, Brad Pitt, and both the Manning and Jonas brothers—but the most anticipated appearances could be by Hillary Clinton, John McCain, and Barack Obama, the New York Post reports. The charity episode is exhibition-only (no candidate will actually score Paula Abdul’s vote), but there will be much pop-culture popularity at stake. More »

"American Idol"—TV's undisputed ratings champ with its biggest competitors sidelined by the writers strike—is setting records for ad prices. "It's the biggest thing in a landscape where there aren't as many big things as there used to be,'' an ad buyer tells Bloomberg. The price of a 30-second spot bought now rather than in advance tops $900,000. More »

Nielsen released its top-10 ratings for everything from TV to consumer goods this week. Once again, "American Idol" was the most-watched regular show, while the Super Bowl drew the most viewers for a single event. Although "Lost" didn't rank among the top 10 shows during its regular airings, it was the number one time-shifted show—a show recorded and watched later. More »

American Idol season-six winner Jordin Sparks does a sweet job with a hip-hop flavored R&B debut album thanks to a roster of heavy-hitting producers who backed Beyonce and Rihanna among others, writes Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone . She does Prince funk with "Shy Boy," giving her that trademark high-school girlishness. More »

In their 34th year, the American Music Awards looked suspiciously like the American Idol Music Awards. Idol alums Carrie Underwood and Chris Daughtry each won three times, and winners were determined, for the first time, by Idol-esque fan voting. Host Jimmy Kimmel, a WGA member, mostly idled in the wings, saying he was on strike “in my heart” and couldn’t write jokes. More »

Dreamgirls star Jennifer Hudson is joining the cast of Sex and the City: The Movie as Carrie Bradshaw's assistant, reports Variety. The Oscar-winning actress and former "American Idol" contestant is set to begin filming this month in New York with the stars of the TV series, which ended in 2004.  More »