American Idol 2010
American Idol is now in its ninth season and since its launch in 2002 has become one of the most popular shows in the history of American Television.
Auditions are held throughout America as the finalists are eventually selected to perform in front of the nation on live television. The only two judges who have been ever-presents in the series are Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson – Kara DioGuardi started in 2009 while Ellen DeGeneres is a new judge from 2010 onwards.
With stars such as Kelly Clarkson and Jordin Sparks having won American Idol in past seasons, the popularity of the show has continued to grow and shows no signs of slowing down.
The Season 9 format sees successful applicants go through to the Hollywood stage (181 performers made it through). During a gruelling week of challenges and performances, this number was whittled down to 46 by the final round, where the judges would then decide who would make the list of 24 semi-finalists. These lucky few then perform in a series of semi-finals until the final 12 is decided – with the live final shows airing from 17th March to 26th May.