Music, American Idol | featured news

Simon Cowell believes a woman is likely to win his final season on "American Idol." The acerbic British judge told a teleconference Thursday he thinks one of the 12 women among the ninth season's 24 semifinalists has a good shot to win the Fox singing contest....

Seven "American Idol" contestants can stop worrying, for now: They're in the top 24....

Ellen DeGeneres hit the right notes with "American Idol" viewers. Fans took to the Internet to express their pleasant surprise over the 52-year-old funnylady's debut as the singing competition's fourth judge. DeGeneres assumed her judging panel post for Tuesday's episode chronicling the first round of "Hollywood Week," the cutthroat post-audition phase in which 181 contestants will be narrowed down to 24 semifinalists.

Howard Stern told his satellite radio listeners on Monday that he is considering leaving Sirius — and radio altogether — to become a judge on “American Idol.”

The head of Taylor Swift's record label is fired up and ready to defend his superstar from people who are criticizing her Grammy-night performance. "She is the voice of this generation. She speaks directly to (her fans), and they speak directly back to her," said Big Machine Records CEO Scott Borchetta in a phone interview. "This is not `American Idol.' This is not a competition of getting up and seeing who can sing the highest note. This is about a true artist and writer and communicator. It's not about that technically perfect performance."

"American Idol" will return next month with a two-night, four-hour premiere featuring auditions in Boston and Atlanta, the Fox network says....

The end of an era
Yes, we've heard this a million times. It seems as though every single year, Simon Cowell threatens to leave American Idol. But this time his brother is saying it. Do you think it's really true?

Lambert to appear on ABC's 'The View' after complaining of being dropped from other ABC shows

As far as ABC is concerned, the controversy surrounding Adam Lambert still hasn't cooled down enough for him to be handled. For the second time, the network has cancelled an appearance by the onetime American Idol favorite.

Kris Allen knows he's not garnering as much attention as Adam Lambert — and that's OK with him.