If there was one word used to describe Megan from her very first audition, it is definitely "quirky."From her vintage clothes to her tattoos to her extremely unique voice, the judges were smitten with a contestant whom they thought was relevant to todays music industry.She stayed true to her originality right to the very end, when she flapped her arms like a bird and "cawed" her

Make sure to watch on Tuesday at 8/7c as the Top 8 hopefuls sing songs from their birth years, which is a theme that has produced some amazing performances in past Idol seasons. Come back on Wednesday at 9/8c to find out if the judges use their save or if America sends another finalist home. Also, Kellie Pickler returns to the Idol stage to perform her new single, "Best Days of

The only criterion for song choices for the Top 9 Idol hopefuls was that it be a popular download on iTunes. The free range they were given had the singers excited, and rightfully so. With songs from various decades and multiple artists, they had the opportunity to really let their unique musical styles take flight. As always, some were better choices in the eyes of the judges,

Season two's Trenyce is living proof of how effective the Wild Card can be. While she made it to the Top 32 that season, she did not originally make it into the Top 12 until the Wild Card show. She proceeded to impress the judges and America, and ended the season in an impressive fifth place. After the show, Trenyce toured with her AI peers, singing "Proud Mary" and "I Have

The fourth season of Fox Reality Channel's original series, American Idol Extra, continues this Thursday, April 2nd. Coming to you directly from the Idol stage, American Idol Extra gets the exclusive first in-depth interview with each of the Top 10 Idol contestants, moments after their emotional elimination. What's even more exciting is Ace Young joins Jillian Reynolds as the new

In an interview with the media after his departure, Michael Sarver says that Idol was an interesting experience for him, as it actually helped him to clarify his priorities. Although he plans on giving a career in music everything he's got, it's his family that will forever be number one to Michael. He doesn't think that was a disadvantage during the competition, however. Instead,

After delivering 3 consecutive Top 10 hits at country radio and selling more than 400,000 units of his self-titled CD to become the best-selling country debut release of the 2007 class, Bucky Covington is preparing to deliver his first new music since last year's poignant Top 10 hit, "I'll Walk". The new single, "I Want My Life Back," is written by tunesmiths Frank Myers and

We're eight seasons in and encountering some of the best talent in AI history, but the Idol alums are still letting their presence be known. Kelly Clarkson's recent album, All I Ever Wanted, is holding steady at #1 on the charts for its second week. This comes on the heels of her return to the AI stage to sing her hit single, "My Life Would Suck Without You".

Ruben Studdard is

The fourth season of Fox Reality Channel's original series, American Idol Extra, premieres this Thursday, March 26th. Coming to you directly from the Idol stage, American Idol Extra gets the exclusive first in-depth interview with each of the Top 10 Idol contestants, moments after their emotional elimination. What's even more exciting is Ace Young joins Jillian Reynolds as the new

Motown Makes Unprecedented Move to Unlock the Vaults for Season 8 Contestants;

All 10 Motown Songs Will Be Available Exclusively on iTunes Starting This Thursday!

After the top 10 performed the greatest hits from the Motown catalog on Wednesday, the exclusive downloads available on the iTunes Store the following day will feature the contestants in the studio singing their vocals

The Top 10 Idols had the time of their lives this week for more reason than one. Not only were they mentored by the legendary Smokey Robinson for their Motown performances but, in an unprecedented AI event, they were also able to sing with the original Motown instrumental recordings! You can make these special recordings part of your own collection by going to the American Idol

Who could forget when the stunning Katharine McPhee made it to the Top 24 and kissed the judges on the lips? It was the beginning of what became known as "McPheever" on season five. She continued to impress all season with her amazing vocals and equally amazing fashion sense. She also had some memorable performances, such as when she sat down and performed "Black Horse And The

The fourth season of Fox Reality Channels original series, American Idol Extra, premieres this Thursday, March 26th. Coming to you directly from the Idol stage, American Idol Extra gets the exclusive first in-depth interview with each of the Top 10 Idol contestants, moments after their emotional elimination. What's even more exciting is Ace Young joins Jillian Reynolds as the new

David Archuleta took time out of his busy touring schedule to sit down for an interview with Habbo.com, the virtual world and online community for teenagers, on Tuesday, March 17th. As part of that interview, David chatted live with tons of Habbos in real-time, and also answered some questions submitted by real Habbo users. He touched on a number of subjects, including his

Don't just be a passive admirer of your favorite Idols and judges - be their friends! Here's how:

Go to the Contestant Profile Pages and the Judges' Profile Pages. Once on the page of your choice, click on the "Add to Friends" button, and you're done! It's as simple as that!

Want to take the latest and greatest on American Idol with you? Grab this widget and put it on your

As much as Alexis Grace felt in her heart she would last longer in the competition, she admits she did have a feeling she'd be in the bottom three on Wednesday. She's very honest about the fact that she was certainly upset over the news, and can't help but second guess what happened a bit. She even said that she considered using her guitar during "Jolene," which may very well have

While the AI hopefuls this year are particularly talented, there were only a few for whom a night of Grand Ole Opry songs seemed like a natural fit. It turned into an evening filled with surprisingly good performances by some who were initially intimidated by the genre. And the song choices were equally as entertaining. Even mentor Randy Travis raised an eyebrow at a few of the

In recent Billboard chart news, Kelly Clarkson tops the Billboard 200 as her second #1 album, All I Ever Wanted, climbs in to the "penthouse" with 255,000. Kelly has been topping the charts since 2003 with her debut effort Thankful, which began with 297,000. Breakaway came next, a #3 debut, along with 2007's My December (#2 with 291,000). During the release week of All I Ever

Wear your love for American Idol on your sleeve...or your favorite Internet sites with our Behind-the-Scenes widget. It's a ton of fun, as each week it will give you direct access to some of the greatest Behind the Scenes photos and videos featured on AmericanIdol.com. Let others in on your Idol adoration - grab this widget and go, go, go!

Do you love American Idol so much it hurts? Take it with you everywhere you go! Grab this widget and bring it with you to your favorite Internet sites. You'll get direct access to Americanidol.com, which will keep you in the Idol know at all times. What are you waiting for? Grab it and go!

We went behind the scenes during the Top 13 Photo Shoot and talked to them about all things style. Watch this video to find out what they think of the whole professional styling process, what era they most admire style-wise, what style tricks they've passed on to others, and what is the most memorable style look from years of Idol past. You might be surprised by their answers to

Just in time for Grand Ole Opry Week comes the news that Diana DeGarmo has released a 4-song Country EP. CDbaby.com calls them songs "that reveal the true strength of her vocals in an unplugged acoustic format. The vocals and musicianship on this project are absolutely stunning."

After starring as Penny Pingleton in Broadway's Hairspray, Diana is also returning to the stage. She

With the first theme on the show Songs by Michael Jackson, the Top 13 hopefuls were up against quite a challenge. Some rose to the occasion while others chose songs that resulted in performances that didn't quite connect with the judges. Whether a hit or a miss, one thing there was no shortage of was entertainment. Some singers even had the judges so impressed, they already

Jorge Nunez and Jasmine Murray opened up to the media after being the first two eliminated from the Top 13, and both were as gracious about their exits as they had been during their time on the show. Jorge was up first, and he was very up front about the fact that he had no hard feelings that the judges didn't use their "save" to keep him on the show. He says he doesn't want to

Carrie Underwood will be gracing the Idol stage once again on Wednesday, March 18. To make it an epic evening, Reigning ACM and CMA Male Vocalist and Grand Ole Opry member Brad Paisley will be performing during that same show. American Idol will feature a Grand Ole Opry theme March 17 & 18, as contestants will select and perform songs popularized by Opry members.

Brad will debut

Four-time Grammy winner and 2009 ACM Entertainer of the Year nominee Carrie Underwood has recorded a song for season eight. The song, a remake of Motley Crue's "Home Sweet Home," will air each week as the farewell theme for contestants leaving the show. It made its debut on American Idol tonight. "Home Sweet Home" will release as a digital single, found exclusively at iTunes

Idol Tonight, TV Guide Network's exclusive live pre-show for America's top-rated TV sensation, has been greenlit for a fourth season. The network has also brought back its two popular co-hosts Kimberly Caldwell and Justin Guarini, who will gear-up fans each week right from the doorstep of American Idol. Idol Tonight will premiere tonight at 8/7c with special guest Taylor Hicks,

Where does one start when doing a tribute to Carrie Underwood? The once shy, small town girl from Checotah, OK, who auditioned for American Idol has used that stage as a springboard for one of the most successful crossover Country/Pop music careers today. She has become a multi-platinum selling recording artist and a multiple Grammy Award winner. What most AI fans most likely love

FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) and Zumobi, today introduced the first-ever official American Idol application for Apple's revolutionary iPhone and iPod touch. "American Idol Season 8 Exclusive" follows this season's American Idol Top 13 finalists in their quest to be named the next American Idol and brings fans exclusive multimedia content and news updates.

Only days after the

The four Wild Card contenders who made it into the Top 12 took some time out of their busy schedules to talk to the media, and up first was the young and upbeat Jasmine Murray. While incredibly poised when she performs and in front of the judges, Jasmine is all teen at heart. As she said of her choice to do the "age appropriate" song, "Reflection," "And it was like from a Disney

When one considers the fact that Lil Rounds was born in Memphis, a city with unlimited bars and clubs in which to sing the Blues and just about anything else, it might be thought of as a disadvantage that Lil Rounds only grew up singing in churches. However, she doesn't think of it that way. Her family was a major influence, and her grandfather performed with Blues legend B.B.

International superstar and 12-time Grammy Award winner Kanye West will perform his hit single, "Heartless," on the American Idol results show Wednesday, March 11 (9/8c) on FOX.

Kanye West's fourth consecutive chart-topping album, 808s & Heartbreak, was released in November 2008 and has sold over 1.5 million copies to date. He has received numerous accolades for his latest album,

A second chance must have been just the motivation the eight hopefuls from the Wild Card round needed, as the judges thought the performances were outstanding. Check out the song choice list below:

Jasmine Murray - Reflection" by Christina Aguilera Anoop Desai - "My Prerogative" by Bobby Brown Tatiana Del Toro - "Saving All My Love for You" by Whitney Houston Ricky Braddy -

In a surprising "Wild Card" episode, it was revealed that Jasmine Murray from Starkville, MS; Megan Joy Corkrey from Sandy, UT; Matt Giraud from Kalamazoo, MI; and Anoop Desai from Chapel Hill, NC, were chosen by the American Idol judges to advance in the competition and join Kris Allen, Danny Gokey, Alexis Grace, Allison Iraheta, Adam Lambert, Scott MacIntyre, Jorge Nunez, Lil

Season One American Idol winner and superstar recording artist Kelly Clarkson returns to the AI stage to perform her new hit single, "My Life Would Suck Without You," on the results show Wednesday, March 11 (9/8c) on FOX.

"My Life Would Suck Without You" was released on January 28 and dominated the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks in a row. In February, the song catapulted

Tuesday's song choices were a mix of true classics and some contemporary numbers but the common thread was a very entertaining element in all of the performances. We've compiled the song list, along with the artists, from the show. Check it out below:

Arianna Afsar - "The Winner Takes It All" by ABBA Kendall Beard - "This One's For The Girls" by Martina McBride Kristen McNamara -

Chris Sligh, who has carved a name for himself in the world of Gospel/Christian music, was recently nominated for a Dove Award. For the first time in the history of the awards, the power is in the hands of the fans for certain categories, so YOU can vote for Chris! He is up for "New Artist Of The Year". Vote for him here!

Giggling as she admits that she's not a natural redhead, Allison Iraheta shows us that, despite her booming voice, she truly is just a sixteen-year-old at heart. But she has no regrets trying out at such a young age, and she doesn't think the outcome would have been any different had she tried out in a few years. The only thing she has to conquer is the nerves, and she doesn't

There were a few classic numbers last night as Group Two performed but, overall, the theme seemed to be contemporary songs. Some hit home with the judges while others inevitably missed the mark in their eyes.

Check out the song list below: Megan Corkrey - "Put Your Records On" Mishavonna Henson - "Drops Of Jupiter" Allison Iraheta - "Alone" Jesse Langseth - "Bette Davis

Jennifer Hudson's debut album took some time due to her success in the film industry, but it has certainly been worth the wait. After just winning a Grammy for Best R & B album for this first effort, a new deluxe edition of her album is now available. The deluxe version contains her Grammy and Super Bowl performances in addition to some remixes of songs from the album.

Download it