American Idol

"American Idol" Champ Breaks Digital Singles Chart Record

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 29, 2008 - 10:30am.

New York - "American Idol" winner David Cook saw a record 14 of his songs enter the Billboard Hot Digital Songs chart today, including the No. 1 "The Time of My Life," which sold 236,000 downloads.

"American Idol" Contestant's Album Pulled from Amazon.com

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 23, 2008 - 9:26am.

Los Angeles - A 2006 album from current "American Idol" contestant David Cook that was the top-seller at Amazon.com's (NASD: AMZN) MP3 store over the weekend, besting even Mariah Carey's new album, has now been removed from the store, FoxNews.com reported. Whether the album was taken down by Cook himself or at the behest of someone else remains a mystery.

iTunes Store Adds "American Idol" Performances

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 19, 2008 - 1:36pm.

Cupertino, Calif. - Apple (NASD: AAPL) said on Tuesday that it will begin offering exclusive audio and video downloads of every performance from the top 24 semifinalists on Fox's "American Idol." Song versions will cost $0.99 each, while videos will sell for $1.99 each. Fans will also be able to subscribe to automatic downloads of performances from favorite contestants the day after they after their on-air broadcast.

Ludia to Create "American Idol" Online Game

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 14, 2008 - 1:09pm.

Montreal - Interactive entertainment developer Ludia said Monday it has signed a deal with FremantleMedia Enterprises, licensor for the "American Idol" TV show, to create online games based on the series. Montreal-based Ludia said its game, set to launch in conjunction with the show's 2009 season, will feature performance, online community and social networking components.

What Do Dr. Drew & Jessica Sierra Have in Common?

Authored by Scott Goldberg on December 19, 2007 - 11:35am.

The answer to that question, my American Idol-loving friends, is that Drew has been asked to appear in court on Sierra’s behalf by her lawyer, says TMZ.  The former Idol star is facing two misdemeanor charges – disorderly intoxication and obstructing justice – and two felonies – cocaine possession and felony battery.

American Idol Proves its Worth at the American Music Awards

Authored by Scott Goldberg on November 19, 2007 - 2:11am.
American Idol LogoTwo former contestants of the Fox series American Idol came away with plenty of loot at last night’s American Music Awards, as Chris Daughtry and Carrie Underwood each captured three trophies.  The AMA’s, much like the reality series, allowed fans to vote online this year, a departure from the traditional platform in which winners were selected from an opinion poll of 20,000 music buyers, Reuters reports.

American Idol Creator Simon Fuller to Join Google in TV Venture

Authored by Scott Goldberg on November 11, 2007 - 4:32pm.
Google logoThe creator of American Idol, Simon Fuller, has reportedly been holding secret conversations with Google (NSDQ: GOOG) over the past year about a TV-over-the-internet joint venture, The Guardian reports.  The partnership likely means that Google and Fuller will create original content, and directly compete with major broadcasters in the TV market.

Jennifer Hudson signs on for Film Version of Sex & the City

Authored by Scott Goldberg on September 11, 2007 - 5:13am.
 The MovieThe Oscar-winning actress of Dreamgirls and American Idol fame has joined the cast of Sex & the City: The Movie.  The 25-year-old Hudson will reportedly play the assistant of Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) in the New Line film.  Though final negotiations about her role are still taking place, the film is scheduled to begin shooting on September 19th New York.

Jordin Sparks - An American Idol Post Mortem

Authored by Bill Tancer on May 28, 2007 - 10:23am.

As I wrote in last week's TIME column, predicting American Idol results based on search term data is not an easy feat, really more art than science. Last week based on search terms for the week ending 5/19/07, Blake Lewis led Jordin Sparks in overall search term volume, the basis for my prediction that Blake would win. The biggest challenge in making an idol prediction using search term data is that you can't factor the last performance and vote (on Tuesday evening, our search term data is weekly and updates on Monday for the previous Saturday).

Buzz Watch: Blake Lewis Will Win American Idol According to Search Data

Authored by Bill Tancer on May 23, 2007 - 10:51am.

For those of you waiting for our American Idol prediction, you can find it here in my Science of Search column for TIME. Our prediciton was also quoted in USAToday (see sidebar) alongside the read from Yahoo! Buzz Index.  I'm calling it a close race with advantage to Blake Lewis, while Yahoo! Buzz has the finale going to Jordin Sparks. So you might be wondering why Hitwise search data would predict a different winner than Yahoo! Check out the search term analysis for each finalist's name query:

Sanjaya Dominates American Idol Internet Buzz

Authored by Bill Tancer on April 3, 2007 - 3:06pm.
Despite the hunger strike launched by a MySpace user known only as "J," who promised not to eat until Sanjaya was voted off (the hunger strike has ended by doctors orders) Sanjaya continues to dominate contestant searches heading into Tuesday night's show. As of Sunday, Sanjaya searches outnumbered the nearest contestant, Blake Lewis by more than 2-1.

American Idol: Haley Scarnato Has the Most Internet Buzz Right Now

Authored by Bill Tancer on March 22, 2007 - 10:44am.
We're down to eleven contestants and its game-on for our analysis of contestant search volume. The chart below shows search volume for the top eight contestants for the week ending 3/17/07 (Gina Glocksen, Jordin Sparks and Stephanie Edwards didn't make the chart this week due to insufficient volume, although based on Jordin's blockbuster performance last night she's sure to enter the chart next week).

Analysis: Fame Might be the Biggest Motivator for Millennials

Authored by Scott Goldberg on March 19, 2007 - 10:37am.
Camera Phone FameAs part of our upcoming Millennials Conference April 18th in LA we’re putting together a documentary about the generation loosely defined as ages 15-25 with Victorhouse Films.  We’ve noticed an interesting trend in our interview subjects, one that I’ve increasingly noticed in advertising as well: Millennials might be more motivated by fame than any preceding generation, and it’s not difficult to understand why.  It's just a click away.

Buzz Watch: Liza Persky - American Idol Critic

Authored by Jay Baage on March 16, 2007 - 10:13am.
Appearantly, Idol Week isn’t over until the Idol Critic sings. Liza Persky is getting a lot of buzz in the blogosphere. And why not, she is funny.

Buzz Watch: American Idol Alumni Kellie Pickler an Internet Sensation

Authored by Jay Baage on March 2, 2007 - 3:49pm.
Kellie Pickler is one of the people who gathered the most searches on the Internet on Friday, according to Yahoo Buzz, after her performance on "American Idol" last night when she gave Ryan Seacest a breathtaking view of her newly acquired pair of ... shoes. You can see the clip here. If all PR is good PR, then she made a good investment. It remains to be seen, however, if her new single, "I Wonder" will be as big of a hit.

Buzz Watch: Will Star Express Be The American Idol of Cell Phones?

Authored by Jay Baage on February 2, 2007 - 11:46am.
Anna Carrfors Bråkenhielm, CEO of Talpa ScandinaviaEndemol founder John de Mol’s new production house Talpa is expanding its partnership with Norwegian telecom carrier Telenor for another year. As part of the new deal, Talpa will provide a lot of new original video content for cell phones. First out is “Star Express” - a talent search competition in the style of American Idol.

AT&T to Offer "American Idol" Mobile Videos, Bad Audition Ringtones

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 29, 2007 - 2:30pm.

Atlanta - AT&T (Cingular) announced on Monday that it has renewed its wireless agreement with Fox and FremantleMedia for "American Idol." AT&T will now offer mobile entertainment including clips of audition videos, and Bad Audition ringtones to AT&T subscribers. Other features will include mobile chat, trivia and Live Idol Tones.

Buzz Watch: Will Search Data Predict The Right American Idol Winner Again?

Authored by Bill Tancer on January 16, 2007 - 8:43am.
You may remember that in May 06, we used Hitwise search term volume data to predict that Taylor Hicks would win American Idol Season 5. After sweating it out, watching the finale on my living room coach (I was quoted that morning in USAToday predicting Taylor Hicks to be the winner), our prediction came true.

AOL Releases Top Search Terms in 2006; Entertainers Top List

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on December 13, 2006 - 1:00pm.

Dulles, Va. - AOL on Wednesday unveiled this year's top searches, based on topics in specific categories that received the highest volume of online queries on AOL Search and AOL Video Search. The most popular search terms included Paris Hilton, American Idol and Brad Pitt, with the rise in online video leading to a new wave of results dominated by music and entertainment. The complete list of top searches is available at the link below.

Sony to Sell "American Idol"-branded Music Creation Software

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 9, 2006 - 12:44pm.
Madison, Wisc. - Sony Media Software announced on Wednesday that it has signed an agreement with FremantleMedia, creators of the "American Idol" series, to develop American Idol-branded versions of its music creation software.