'American Idol' finalist Blake Lewis back in Seattle

Despite gaggles of screaming fans and the instant fame of being an "American Idol" finalist, Blake Lewis kept it cool Friday on a "hometown visit" financed by the show.

Lewis, one of three finalists on America's favorite reality show, beatboxed on demand, sounding like a human mixing machine. He signed autographs and posed for pictures and handled like a pro all the questions ping-ponged at him.

What he didn't do was predict that he's going to win the competition. That, he said, would likely happen for Jordin Sparks, the teenager from Glendale, Ariz.

But Lewis, 25, who's been noticed on the show for his smooth voice, beatboxing rhythms, funky style and frosted locks, was cool with that too. During morning interviews at KCPQ/13, he said his first goal was to get into the to 10 and then the top four.

His main ambition, he said, is to pursue his music and communicate it to people. A lifelong dream, he added, is to host and be the musical guest on "Saturday Night Live."

But winning "American Idol"? Well, he's good with that too.

"If it happens, great. If not, I'm so happy if I got sent home yesterday. When I made the goal of the top four, that was the goal," said Lewis, who said his musical heroes are the band 311 and musician/producer BT (Brian Transeau).

And despite criticism of too much beatboxing in his performances, he said he won't shy away if it feels right.

"If I feel the performance needs it, I don't care," he said. "I've gotten, you know, criticism for my hair and wearing the wrong shirt. Criticism's criticism. It doesn't really affect me."

His prescription for handling all the hype and the pressure is: "Keep doing me. Keep true to myself." He later added: "I just hope everyone sees how much fun I'm having, because I'm having a blast. The only thing I hope comes across is that I'm communicating my song well with everyone each week."

In a finale, he said he'd love to sing with Sting, but others also came to mind, including Adam Levine of Maroon 5 and Bjork. "I'm everywhere in my influences. So much music inspires me."

Lewis has gone further in the pop-singing competition than any entrant from this region. Asked how he would rebound from last week, which judges considered one of his weaker moments, Lewis said, "I think I did well for that moment in time."

He did drop that he hasn't lived by the curfew the show sets for its contestants and goes out just about every night -- to see live music.

"They call me the rebel for that," he said. "I'm not 12 and I don't need to be baby-sat. ... For me, I get all my inspiration from going to live music and being around passionate people."

Friday at the Q13 studios he performed "All Mixed Up" live, followed by some freestyling with the aid of his loop machine and a chaos pad.

Lewis said the hometown support, especially for an "eclectic artist," has been amazing. He called the "American Idol" winnowing process and all of its attendant fame "surreal," and said he hadn't watched the show before auditioning.

"I'm kind of a hermit," he said. I stick to music."

He also gave props to a region that was assailed as the worst source of auditioners for the show by its judges and host.

"There's so much talent here. You can go down to the coffee shop and there's so much talent here," said Lewis, noting that two out of the three finalists -- Sparks is the other -- tried out in Seattle.

Asked what he missed about the area -- which he's been away from for nearly four months -- the Bothell resident said: "I miss the air and the water and pretty much everything about it."

Kara Pierre brought her 9 1/2- month-old son Jensen and some friends to see Lewis at Q13. He didn't get kissed by Lewis, but the baby did manage to tug at Lewis's shiny earring. "We all watch 'American Idol' together, with the babies," Pierre said.

Trailed by an "American Idol" crew and cameras, as well as excited admirers screaming "Go, Blake," wherever he went, Lewis made his way around town in a black and white Ford Excursion stretch limo. He was escorted by Bothell police.

But he managed to snag some private time amid the madness. On Thursday night he had a rehearsal and a private party with friends before overnighting at a downtown hotel. He said he planned to catch the Blue Scholars at the Showbox on Friday night.

At a 12:15 "mini-concert" at Westlake Center, Lewis was set to sing about four songs and have guest performers Sir Mix A Lot and Pat Monahan of Train.

The city of Seattle also planned to proclaim May 11 Blake Lewis Day.

'American Idol' Axes Two More Finalists

'American Idol' Axes a Pair of Contestants, Leaving Four Singers to Vie for the TitleRight, American Idol contestant Phil Stacey sings "Blaze of Glory" by Bon Jovi on American Idol, May 1, 2007 in Los Angeles, California. Left, American Idol Chris Richardson sings "Wanted: Dead or Alive" by Bon Jovi after being eliminated from the competition on American Idol, May 2, 2007 in Los Angeles, California.

With no one ousted at the end of last week's charity-focused show, "American Idol" gave the heave-ho to two contestants Wednesday night Phil Stacey and Chris Richardson.

The viewer vote tally from last week was added to this week's, with more than 135 million phone and text-message ballots cast in all. Stacey, 29, of Jacksonville, Fla., and Chris Richardson, 22, of Chesapeake, Va., drew the fewest votes. With their departure, the number of finalists is down to four. The winner will be chosen May 23.

Randy Jackson said on Tuesday's program that Stacey's take on Bon Jovi's "Blaze Of Glory" was his "best performance ever." Stacey a "good man," said host Ryan Seacrest performed that song one last time on Wednesday, as LaKisha Jones and other finalists wiped away tears.

Richardson, a Justin Timberlake lookalike, hugged "best friend" and finalist Blake Lewis when Seacrest announced he was going home.

"Thank you to everybody for keeping me in this long," said Richardson, before giving a farewell performance of "Wanted Dead Or Alive" again, by Bon Jovi.

And the final four are drumroll, please Jones, Lewis, Jordin Sparks and Melinda Doolittle.

Wednesday's program also featured performances by Robin Thicke and Bon Jovi, the multiplatinum band whose shaggy-haired lead singer was this week's guest coach.

In its sixth season, "American Idol" continues to rule the ratings. It has attracted 26 million to 37 million viewers per telecast this season.

American Idol: Sanjaya, Simon Cowell, Howard Stern, and Dave Della Terza

Last week, Sanjaya's surprise appearance on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno followed hot on the heels of Jon Stewart and Aasif Mandvi's brilliant Partial-Birth Abortion skit ("America Decides") on The Daily Show about his being voted off American Idol. One was relieved to see the kid still on television, shy and charming, and free of anger as ever. And he was wise, saying he felt that he hadn't lived up to the potential Simon had seen in him, and had no hard feelings, taking the wind right out of the sails of anyone looking to pick a fight with him. He said he's not a country singer and knew he had bombed when he saw his Tuesday performance played back. Then he made a point that should not be missed. Who will win, he said, is "totally unpredictable, based on each week's performance." That is to say, there is no way to predict who will win American Idol because you don't know ahead of time what genre is next on the calendar.Clearly, many people have picked up on the perpetually and perennially boorish Simon Cowell's special animosity towards the kid, since he never bothered to disguise it, except in being careful, after Sanjaya's not-so-CBGB downfall, not to emphasize "American" when he said, "Based on the fact that we're supposed to be finding an American Idol..."

Obviously, industry players know quite well that America Does Not Decide. But Sanjaya is an American kid, half Italian-American as well as half Indian. He cannot recognize Simon's carry-over-colonial style, nor Simon's oblique manner of exerting his strangely assumed authority, because this very American teen has no prior knowledge of where it's coming from. Each show gave us a glimpse of his utter bafflement at the way Simon treated him.Simon Cowell is a denizen of another era, when Indian pop stars disguised themselves as Englishmen. Cliff Richard never made it to America at all, and mostly hid his Indian roots like Merle Oberon; Engelbert Humperdinck needed a ludicrous name borrowed from a deceased German composer to arrive piggybacked, if I recall correctly, on Tom Jones' transatlantic voyage; Freddy Mercury, sweet Parsi boy from such a nice family in Bombay, was only identified as Indan posthumously and fictionally by Salman Rushdie in The Ground Beneath Her Feet. If you were Indian, you had to go through Britain to access the rest of the world. Nowadays, it seems, if you're going to be a rock star of Indian descent, you still need to count on positive guidance from the West to win support in India. The Indian press has been inclined in many quarters to report or redistribute more of the bad news about Sanjaya, and less of the good news — essentially, whatever is being said here — although American Idol is shown in India a day later and audiences can figure it out for themselves. Is it possible that no Indian viewers noticed the American Idol band's complete unpreparedness and inability to support his very fluid but on target microtonal inflections that are a regular feature of Indian vocal music?Howard Stern and the highly prescient Dave Della Terza of VoteForTheWorst both have good reason to want to bring down American Idol. It's a bogus formula forced upon a home-grown art form. Clearly, the panel of judges is composed to reflect the notion that Simon Cowell is a WASP, but he is not. What extraordinary effrontery to suppose a fellow with a voice like an animated gekko's cantankerous cousin should sit in judgment of what works in America, let alone be its gatekeeper — even if he is a Sony executive.Perhaps the Idol routine makes sense in England, or once did. There isn't (or certainly once wasn't) any problem with looking for a pop song generalist there. Despite all internal distinctions (i.e., I can tell Johnny Rotten from Boy George, and still download Cream and Pink Floyd tracks when I'm feeling nostalgic), all British pop forms a distinct and unified subgenre in that it is always in some part a highly abstracted imitation of American music. But in the U.S. of A, where we never expected Bruce Springsteen to give us salsa, or Eddie van Halen to play Copacabana, or Beastie Boys to sing Motown, the Idol competition makes little sense. It is shaped like a baccalaureate of pop, with a series of courses administered in surprise sequence with a trip-you-up trickery aspect to the testing method that smacks of preparation for managing distant colonies in the midst of hordes of unwilling natives. In other words, the show's management can direct the sequence of styles especially to eliminate particular contestants on the management's whim. This sort of manipulation is not entirely unfamiliar to past generations in India who had to cope with the colonial imagination, but maybe now rock 'n' roll natives should become more completely unwilling to put up with this nonsense.

American Idol - Season 6 - Elimination Results

American Idol - Season 6 - Elimination Results

Tonight we saw another American Idol contestant fall, Haley Scarnato. Even though her sexy attire choice for that night was spot on, her song of Maria, Maria received mixed reveiws from the judges. Seven Contestants Left to compete for the finale . Who will be the last man/woman standing? And how long will Sanjaya last? Will he and his atrocious singing make it to the end or will people finally come to their senses and stop voting for him? Only time will tell. So we bid thee farewell Haley and we hope to soon say goodbye to COUGH! Suckjaya COUGH! excuse me Sanjaya Malakar.

American Idol - Season 6 - Elimination Day

Before we set off to find out who is getting voted off tonight on April 11th, lets have a look on your favorite top 6 contestants:

Haley Scarnato :
FAST FACTS

Age: 24 Hometown: San Antonio, TXAudition City: San Antonio






Favorite male pop artists?
Michael Jackson

Favorite female pop artists?
Christina Aguilera

When did you first start to sing?
12 years old.

Do you have any formal singing training?
Yes. I had a voice teacher and took musical production training.

What other talents do you have?
I’m a “singer who can dance” which means move.
If you don’t make it on AMERICAN IDOL, what will you do?
Keep singing and pursuing my career.

What are your personal goals in life?
Career in music and live my life fully through God.

What album would your friends be surprised you own?
Elvis Presley

Who is your AMERICAN IDOL?
Celine Dion – Of course.

Do you have any rituals or things you do each time before you perform?
Pray to God and spray my throat with Entertainer’s Secret.

Most embarrassing moments?
Falling down on stage.

What has been your proudest moment in life so far?
Finding the man I am marrying.

If you couldn’t sing, which talent would you most like to have?
Awesome dancer.

What is your definition of AMERICAN IDOL?
All around talent with awesome attitude that shines through performances.

Who is your favorite judge and why?
Simon, because normally he is the most honest.

What would people be surprised to learn about you?
Not afraid to be goofy.
How has this changed your life?
Completely overnight – it just motivates me to succeed.

Do you have any lucky charms?
No.

Who are your heroes in life?
Celine Dion, my mom.

What’s been your toughest obstacle in life?
Getting through my uncle’s death and both my grandpas’ deaths

Do you think the audition process was fair?
Yes

If you win, who will you thank first?
God, of course.

Blake Lewis

Blake Lewis:
FAST FACTS

Age: 25

Hometown: Bothell, WA

Audition City: Seattle


Favorite male pop artists?
Robbin Thicke, Jamaroqui, Maroon 5, Jason Mraz, U2, Gnarls Barkley, Half Past Forever, Michael Jackson, Prince, Sting, Eric Benet, Martin Sexton, Duncan Sheik, M-Pact

Favorite female pop artists?
Bjork, Fiona Apple, Imogen Heap, Estmerd, Jill Scott, Tori Amos, Ella Fitzgerald, Sade

When did you first start to sing?
Age 5

Do you have any formal singing training?
Yes

What other talents do you have?
Photography, songwriting, producing, characters kisser.

If you don’t make it on AMERICAN IDOL, what will you do?
Music-perform.

What are your personal goals in life?
Tour the world, play SNL.

What album would your friends be surprised you own?
K-Fed.

Who is your AMERICAN IDOL?
Chris Sligh, Rudy Cardenas

Do you have any rituals or things you do each time before you perform?
I go pee, stretch out.

Most embarrassing moments?
Ripping my pants (crotch) on stage.

What has been your proudest moment in life so far?
My first steps.
If you couldn’t sing, which talent would you most like to have?
Acting.

What is your definition of AMERICAN IDOL?
Someone who is a great talent and who communicates well with the audience.

Who is your favorite judge and why?
Randy: he’s the musician.

What would people be surprised to learn about you?
I have many tattoos.

How has this changed your life?
Ask me again in a year.

Do you have any lucky charms?
2 of them.

Who are your heroes in life?
Mom and Dad.

What’s been your toughest obstacle in life?
The obstacles of life.

Do you think the audition process was fair?
Yes.

If you win, who will you thank first?
Mom and Dad.

Jordin Sparks

Jordin Sparks
FAST FACTS Age: 17 Hometown: Glendale, AZ Audition City: Seattle

Favorite male pop artists?
John Mayer & Justin Timberlake

Favorite female pop artists?
Christina Timberlake

When did you first start to sing?
18 mos.

Do you have any formal singing training?
No.

What other talents do you have?
I can do accents really well.

If you don’t make it on AMERICAN IDOL, what will you do?
Keep pursuing music.

What are your personal goals in life?
My goals are to tell meaningful stories through songs and touch people’s lives… and hopefully make a living doing it.
What album would your friends be surprised you own?
Blake Shelton

Who is your AMERICAN IDOL?
Tony Dungy because he’s gone through so much and still holds his head high.

Do you have any rituals or things you do each time before you perform?
I pray and breathe.

Most embarrassing moments?
N/A

What has been your proudest moment in life so far?
Winning the “Overall Spotlight Winner” for the GMA Academy in 2004. And making the top 24 out of how many?

If you couldn’t sing, which talent would you most like to have?
To play piano by ear.

What is your definition of an AMERICAN IDOL?
Someone people of all ages can look up to.

Who is your favorite judge and why?
Simon, because he’s brutally honest and thinks I’m “sweet.”

What would people be surprised to learn about you?
How many genres of music I love! I love to sing it too! And I’m a football and basketball freak! Fav players? Larry Fitzgerald (Cardinals), Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, Leandro Barbosa & Shawn Marion! (Phx Suns), Tiki Barber (NYG).

How has this changed your life?
It hasn’t that much… yet.

Do you have any lucky charms?
My cross pin with a music note.

Who are your heroes in life?
My heroes are just everyday people who work hard, are honest and have integrity.

What’s been your toughest obstacle in life?
Trying to get through math class.

Do you think the audition process was fair?
Yes. Everyone knows what they’re getting into.

If you win, who will you thank first?
God, mom, dad.

LaKisha Jones

LaKisha Jones
FAST FACTS

Age: 27
Hometown: Fort Meade, MD Audition
City: New York




Favorite male pop artists?
n/a

Favorite female pop artists?
Kelly Clarkson

When did you first start to sing?
5 years old

Do you have any formal singing training?
I have training in classical and opera.

What other talents do you have? Skating / Acting.

If you don’t make it on AMERICAN IDOL, what will you do? Go back to working, but still singing.

What are your personal goals in life? To provide a good life for me and my daughter.

What album would your friends be surprised you own?
Kelly Clarkson.

Who is your AMERICAN IDOL? Grandma (Ruth Morris)

Do you have any rituals or things you do each time before you perform? Pray, drink cool tea.

Most embarrassing moments? Bra strap broke in Hollywood week.

What has been your proudest moment in life so far?
When I gave birth to my daughter (Brionne)

If you couldn’t sing, which talent would you most like to have?
Acting

What is your definition of AMERICAN IDOL?
A leader

Who is your favorite judge and why?
I don’t have a favorite. They all have been very kind to me.

What would people be surprised to learn about you? Not much. What you see is what you get.

How has this changed your life?
It has given me an opportunity I’ve been waiting for.

Do you have any lucky charms?
No

Who are your heroes in life?
Mother, grandmother

What’s been your toughest obstacle in life?
Trying to break into the music industry.

Do you think the audition process was fair?
Yes, not everyone can sing and if it’s your time, you will make it.

If you win, who will you thank first? God Almighty.

Chris Richardson

Chris Richardson
FAST FACTS

Age: 22

Hometown: Chesapeake, VA

Audition City: New York


Favorite male pop artists?
Jason Mraz, JT, James Brown, Michael Jackson

Favorite female pop artists?
Early 90’s Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera

When did you first start to sing?
Very young.

Do you have any formal singing training?
No.

What other talents do you have?
Guitar, drums, piano, drawings, songwriter, poetry.

If you don’t make it on AMERICAN IDOL, what will you do?
Continue pursuing a music career.

What are your personal goals in life?
To achieve things I thought were out of reach because of the probabilities (music, career, football).

What album would your friends be surprised you own?
Elvis Presley.

Who is your AMERICAN IDOL?
My Pops and Mom.

Do you have any rituals or things you do each time before you perform?
Breathe, maybe go to the bathroom.

Most embarrassing moments?
n/a

What has been your proudest moment in life so far?
Making the top 24 out of a lot of people.

If you couldn’t sing, which talent would you most like to have?
Instruments.

What is your definition of AMERICAN IDOL?
An individual, someone who has their own portrayal of who they are and people recognize the separation.

Who is your favorite judge and why?
No favorite, like ‘em all.

What would people be surprised to learn about you?
Very self-conscious about myself, but hide it well.

How has this changed your life?
I don’t know yet, but hopefully it’s gonna do something for me.

Do you have any lucky charms?
Rubber bands (2 on my right wrist).

Who are your heroes in life?
God, my family.

What’s been your toughest obstacle in life?
Trying to get completely inside the music industry door.

Do you think the audition process was fair?
Really don’t know what’s fair and unfair in this competition b/c there’s so much talent here and everywhere else, it’s hard to choose everyone. But as for the people here, awesome choices.

If you win, who will you thank first?
God

Melinda Doolittle

Melinda Doolittle
FAST FACTS

Age: 29

Hometown: Brentwood, TN

Audition City: Memphis

Favorite male pop artists?
Stevie Wonder, Jonny Lang, Donny Hathaway

Favorite female pop artists?
Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight

When did you first start to sing?
7th Grade

Do you have any formal singing training?
Yes – college (Music Major) and vocal lessons ever since

What other talents do you have?
Um… I love to make people laugh.

If you don’t make it on AMERICAN IDOL, what will you do?
Keep traveling and singing

What are your personal goals in life?
To represent Christ well and do everything 150%

What album would your friends be surprised you own?
Tchaikovsky

Who is your AMERICAN IDOL?
My mommy!

Do you have any rituals or things you do each time before you perform?
Pray and warm up

Most embarrassing moments?
Crying EVERY time I advance another round

What has been your proudest moment in life so far?
Actually auditioning for AI

If you couldn’t sing, which talent would you most like to have?
Dancing or gymnastics

What is your definition of an AMERICAN IDOL?
Someone who, when given the platform, represents who they truly are and can convey it in a way that makes the audience want to know more

Who is your favorite judge and why?
Simon! He’s so real with ya – Even when I don’t like it, I love it!

What would people be surprised to learn about you?
[blank]

How has this changed your life?
I’m singing lead now. Who knew?!

Do you have any lucky charms?
My Bible.

Who are your heroes in life?
My mom, dad, my vocal coach (Janet Kenyon)

What’s been your toughest obstacle in life?
Fear

Do you think the audition process was fair?
I think it has, although I have seen some great people go home.

If you win, who will you thank first?
Jesus and my mommy.

Phil Stacey

Phil Stacey

FAST FACTS

Age: 29

Hometown: Jacksonville, FL

Audition City: Memphis

Favorite male pop artists?
Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Prince, Sting, Michael Jackson, Timberlake, Robbie Williams, James Taylor and, of course, Sir Paul McCartney

Favorite female pop artists?
Vienna Teng, Sheryl Crow, Anastasia, Paula Abdul

When did you first start to sing?
I’m a pastors kid, so Mom and Dad had me singing in church as soon as I could.

Do you have any formal singing training?
I do—I took lessons in college.

What other talents do you have?
I like to draw. I also play piano, guitar, bass, and drums. I also enjoy writing songs and producing independent projects.

If you don’t make it on AMERICAN IDOL, what will you do?
I don’t even know—probably just curl up in a big ball and cry myself to sleep.

What are your personal goals in life?
To be a good husband and father, and to get a PhD so people can call me Dr. Phil.

What album would your friends be surprised you own?
Frank Sinatra…Live at the Sands maybe…I don’t know. I’m pretty musically diverse so I doubt they’d be surprised with anything.

Who is your AMERICAN IDOL?
My wife, Kendra—she’s hot.

Do you have any rituals or things you do each time before you perform?
I ask God to help me do my best. I also cough a lot every time I perform. It’s a nervous tick.

Most embarrassing moments?
I sang at the U.T.K. Arena in front of 25,000 people and forgot the song on stage—lesson learned—won’t be repeated on A.I.

What has been your proudest moment in life so far?
Marrying the most amazing woman on the planet and then, of course, meeting my babies.

If you couldn’t sing, which talent would you most like to have?
I’d love to be able to produce records well.

What is your definition of AMERICAN IDOL?
Someone from the U.S. whom people idolize. I guess technically they could be from South America or Canada, too.

Who is your favorite judge and why?
Probably Randy because he’s the first one of them to believe in me—but they’re all really cool. Paula is amazing.

What would people be surprised to learn about you?
I had a car stolen from me at gun point when I was in high school. But it was very nice of the guy not to shoot me, so I’m not entirely bitter.

How has this changed your life?
I’m probably more famous. I’m also exercising now to look a little better on TV.

Do you have any lucky charms?
My friends bought me a trophy of a guy singing into a mic that looked just like me. The head popped off of it on the way to Hollywood week, but it still served me well.

Who are your heroes in life?
My parents and my in-laws—both excellent examples of genuine integrity.

What’s been your toughest obstacle in life?
Making it through round one…sad but true.

Do you think the audition process was fair?
There are moments that seemed jacked up to me, but overall, it is absolutely the best way to conduct a competition on this scale.

If you win, who will you thank first?
Maybe the girl who almost passed on me the first audition day but ended up sending me through, but probably God. Yeah, I’ll go with God.

Sanjaya Malakar

Sanjaya Malakar

FAST FACTS

Age: 17

Hometown: Federal Way, WA

Audition City: Seattle

Favorite male pop artists?
Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson

Favorite female pop artists?
Lauryn Hill, Susan Tedeschi

When did you first start to sing?
Once I stopped crying.

Do you have any formal singing training?
Yes.

What other talents do you have?
Culinary Arts.

If you don’t make it on AMERICAN IDOL, what will you do?
Use the experience to further my career.

What are your personal goals in life?
To become witty.

What album would your friends be surprised you own?
My friends don’t get surprised by my musical choices.

Who is your AMERICAN IDOL?
Stevie Wonder.

Do you have any rituals or things you do each time before you perform?
No.

Most embarrassing moments?
I don’t get embarrassed.

What has been your proudest moment in life so far?
Making it to the top 24 on American Idol.

If you couldn’t sing, which talent would you most like to have?
Singing.

What is your definition of AMERICAN IDOL?
A role model.

Who is your favorite judge and why?
Simon Cowell, ‘cause he’s brutally honest.

What would people be surprised to learn about you?
I can independently raise both corners of my upper lip.

How has this changed your life?
I’m scared that I’ll never be able to walk into a supermarket without someone recognizing me.

Do you have any lucky charms?
I don’t eat sugary cereal.

Who are your heroes in life?
Joseph Paul Recchi Sr. (My Grandpa).

What’s been your toughest obstacle in life?
Overcoming shyness.

Do you think the audition process was fair?
Yes, grueling but fair.

If you win, who will you thank first?
My family.

American Idol Bobble Heads Are Here!

If you have a favorite Idol from any of the Top 12 contestants, then you'll definitely want to visit AmericanIdol.Com to download your own free bobbing head widget! Every time you click your Idol's head, it bobs about. And, once you've downloaded, it will move around on your desktop or you can share it with other fans by email. You can even insert it in your blog. Who knows, maybe an American Idol Bobble Head will even bring your favorite Idol the luck he or she needs to win!

It's Voting Time Again!

It's make-it-or-break-it time again. After a night of Latin music, your favorite Idol could either remain in the competition or s/he might be sent packing. Fortunately for you, your vote can help to make the difference! Make sure to call in or text your vote after the show (which airs at 8/7c). Don't be caught thinking about what might have been!

The American Idol Songwriter Competition

Are you the next big songwriter and think you have what it takes to make your mark in music history? Just when you thought you’ve seen everything, the American Idol juggernaut begins its search for the best amateur songwriter in America. Show creator and executive producer, Simon Fuller announced today the American Idol Songwriter Competition, giving Idol fans their first chance to write the next American Idol’s hit single. Additional details and online submissions, which are now open, can be found at : official American Idol Songwriter Competion section.

Fuller and his 19 Entertainment A&R staff will select the initial Top 20 songs from all the entries. Beginning May 2, fans will then be able to go online, listen to and vote for their favorite songs. The song chosen by the nation will then be performed live in front of millions of viewers on the season’s finale. But that is only the beginning, as the song will be recorded and released by this year’s American Idol. The winning songwriter will receive a music publishing deal with 19 Entertainment; a cash advance on royalties; and the thrill of watching their song belted out by American Idol finalists on the show’s final episodes.

"American Idol has been the vehicle for discovering so many great new artists over the years and now, with the launch of American Idol Songwriter, we are searching for great undiscovered songwriting talent,” stated Simon Fuller. “Having an untapped songwriter create the winner's single seemed like a natural next step for our show. Not only do the fans pick their American Idol, but also his or her first single. This show has always been, and will continue to be, all about fulfilling dreams."

Key Dates for American Idol Songwriter Competition

April 4 – Launch contestant submission phase on http://songwriter.americanidol.com

April 17 – Submission phase ends

May 2 – Online voting commences

May 8 – Online voting closes

May 22 - The songwriting winner announced on American Idol finale