Tonight is the premier of Season 8 of American Idol!  Grab the popcorn and get ready for a 4 hour, two night event!

There are lots of changes in store this year.  The biggest being the addition of Kara DioGuardi who will be the fourth judge on Idol.  It’s going to be a big change, but we’ll make it through.

There will be other twists and turns like the rumored absence of Idol Gives Back, the top 36 to be voted on by you, the viewer, and wild card shows.

And lets not overlook the ugly new American Idol logo as seen in this page.  I hope this is not a sign of things to come.

Will American Idol continue to reign as TVs top show?  Only time will tell!

Congratulations to Jordin Sparks as she won the American Idol Finale last night in Hollywood. She beat out the bet boxing Blake Lewis and definitely deserves the title.

The show, which was just over two hours long, seemed more about American Idol overall than season 6 or Jordan and Blake.

All former Idols where there with the exception of Fantasia who was busy on broadway. Kelly Clarkson kicked off the show with her new single. Tailor also sang his new single. Carrie sang her Idol Gives Back song and Rubin did a duet with Jordin. Then all the Idols came back on stage and did a tribute to Sargent Pepper.

There we also many musical guest stars but everyone was there trying to up their album sales. Pretty soon we’ll have a commercial free American Idol as it’s all turning into advertising anyway.

Carrie Underwood was presented with an award from the American Idol record company for having the biggest selling album. With just over 6 million sales, and tons of awards, she’s well on her way to be the biggest Idol ever. It was also noted that Chris Daughtry, who placed fourth last year, has the biggest selling album so far this year. Not just for American Idol, but for the music industry overall. Taylor has almost half a million album sales, Kathrine is at about a quarter of a million and Chris is at two million. Interesting.

Last night Melinda and Sanjaya also got to share the spotlight as those two Idols got their own spot on the show. Melinda sang with the group she use to sing backup for and they sang an odd song that sounded like something out of an after school special. Sanjaya sang his horrible You Really Got Me Going song with Joe Perry from Areosmith. Even Ashley Ferl was on hand to cry cry cry.

Ohh and lets not forget about the Golden Idol Awards. The awards that promote the worst and continue to tarnish the finale show. I really think these things hurt American Idol’s image as it shows they are not just looking for the best singer, but they reward the horrible, bush baby owl and giant chicken, singers. Come on.

And after all the Idol advertising and artists promoting their albums or shows it was time to get back to why we were all here, oh yea, to crown an American Idol.

609 Million votes were cast this season, 74 just for the finale. And what it all came down to was Jordin Sparks. The 17year old that has been amazing the judges and audience for the past few weeks. She deserves it and has earned it!

The American Idol finale was long, over done and seemed to focus more on everyone else than the two fighting it out for the title. I had to skip the season finale of Lost for this and it true Idol fashion, it was one hell of a show.

Carrie Underwood has cracked into Billboard Hot 100’s Top 10 at number 6 without having a single on the radio. “I’ll Stand By You” has had about 125 thousand downloads since it debuted on Idol Gives back, it’s a huge hit for such a small audience.

By small audience I mean that the only place “I’ll Sand By You” has been heard is on the Idol TV special. It’s not been played on the radio, it’s not available on CD and only available online in iTunes. That’s a HUGE feet for any song. Sure, there are millions of American Idol viewers, but no one has been pushing the song on the public.

Not only is this a huge deal for Carrie Underwood & iTunes, but it’s also a massive success for Idol Gives Back and helping raise money for those that need it. A big thanks goes out to everyone who purchased the song as it couldn’t have happened without you.

I haven’t seen official totals, but as of last Thursday, Idol Gives Back has raised over $60 million. Give it a few more days and $100 million is not out of the question. It’ll be exciting tomorrow to see what the official totals are.

Of course, you can still give back by shopping at iTunes or donating at the Idol Gives Back page.

Here’s hoping that we made more than a few lives better!!

I was all ready to write my disappointing iTunes post this morning but I don’t have to. iTunes has been updated with more content including:
– American Prayer – By the top 6 Idols (written by Bono I think)
– Up to the Mountain – Kelly Clarkson (with Jeff Beck)
– You Raise Me Up – Josh Grobin
– My Wish – Rascal Flatts
– Somewhere – Il Divo
– Time to Care – By the top 6 Idols
– Medley – Earth, Wind and Fire

Bridge over Troubled Water by Annie Lennox is currently only in video format, but it may come eventually to just song format.

You can download all the songs right now on iTunes. I had Carrie Underwood’s I’ll Stand By You on my iPod yesterday and am totally addicted to the song.

The iTunes selection is slowly grown and it’d be nice if it kept going too.

Idol gives back was an amazing show. I think it’s great that such a sensation can take some time and give back.

The biggest shocker of the night was when Jordin Sparks was left standing. She was the last one to be told she was safe. That’s right, this week only, no one goes home. If I were her I’d smack Ryan Secrest for pulling such a stunt. Surely her heart sank when she thought she was the one going home. But luckily she’s not. Next week two people will go home and this weeks votes will help decide who those two are.

The other shocker had to be the king himself, Elvis, singing a duet with Celine Dion. With a little bit of video magic, they both shared the stage and the Idol hopefulls sang backup. It was pretty darn amazing.

The celebrity list that showed up to help out Idol Gives Back is much to long to list. For some it was with an exclusive song while others just did a little ‘call now’ announcement. Either way Hollywood was out in full force.

And today, iTunes is suppose to have exclusive content from the event; which it does. You can get the high quality Elvis and Celine duet, download Carrie Underwood sining I’ll Stand By You or get the Ford music video. All proceeds will go to Idol Gives Back and then onto help children of the world.

I have to say, the iTunes selection is very lacking. I was hoping for so much more this morning. Lets hope it’s still on the way. Especially the last song of the evening that all the Idols sang. I’d love that one.

Overall, Idol Gives Back was a great show and they did raise a lot of money for good causes. If you haven’t given, head over to AmericanIdol.com and give. Even if it’s just $10, it will do so much good.

In iTunes this morning, Idol Gives Back is featured with some celebrity playlists. Those happen to be Blake Lewis, Chris Richardson, Jordin Sparks, LaKisha Jones, Melinda Doolittle and Phil Stacey. Each playlist is a mix of songs that drive them to perform and include various artists from all genre’s of music. You can download individual songs or the entire albums.

Keep checking back though as iTunes get more exclusive content of the Idol Gives Back performances. The exclusive content will benefit the charity and it’s one way you can help out! There is also talk of an exclusive Carrie Underwood track coming!!

It’s Idol Gives Back week and your vote tonight helps raise money for those that need it. Honestly, making one phone call is all you have to do. It’s not that hard. Plus phone lines are open for four hours and that gives plenty of time. The call is free, the vote turns into cash, some kids get a meal. How can it be any better?

To keep in step with the theme, Idol wannabes sang inspirational songs.

Chris did an excellent job on Change the World and Melinda amazed on Faith Hill’s There Will Come a Day. Not many idols can hold a candle to voices like Faith’s but Melinda has no problems.

Blake sang John Lennon’s Imagine which is a beautiful song, but it just didn’t amaze like the others. He’ll most likely be in the bottom three.

Lakisha needs to stop singing previous Idol songs. She sang Fantasia’s I Believe and just couldn’t make it her own. Much like Blake, it was good but not the right choice. Again in the bottom three.

Phil took on Garth Books’ The Change. He did alright, but I didn’t feel like he put enough heart into it. Phil will make up the third in the bottom three.

Then there is Jordin. The 17yr old is almost walking away with the Idol title and making it look like a breeze. She sang Walk On and had everyone on their feet before she was even done. I thought she was going to break out and cry during it but she held strong. She’s simply amazing.

The best part of the night was the announcement that iTunes was going to have an exclusive Carrie Underwood song and Ford music videos on Wednesday! All download profits will benefit Idol Gives Back and I’ll be on there for sure.

What are you waiting for? Call in and vote now to help those that need it here in the US and around the world!

Idol Gives Back is this week and American Idol is hoping to raise lots of money for underprivileged children in Africa and those that need help right here in the US too.

Tuesday night’s show is just one hour and Wednesday’s is two as the stars come together to help raise money. During all this, the top 6 will still have to compete and sing as the path to the next American Idol moves on.

Not only can you help out by voting on Tuesday for your favorite, but you can call in your own donation on Wednesday.

Tuesday, April 24: Your vote will count more than ever. Each time you call, sponsors will make a donation to Charity Projects Entertainment Fund to help children and young people in the USA and Africa.

Wednesday, April 25: A very special results show will featur a star-studded extravaganza of celebrity artists performing at both the American Idol stage and prestigious Disney Hall. You will be able to make your own donation either by caling our toll free number or via their donation website.

Celebrities set to appear or perform via satellite include:
Hugh Grant
Keira Knightley
Kelly Clarkson
Forest Whitaker
Daniel Radcliffe
Teri Hatcher
Helena Bonham Carter
Gwen Stefani
Josh Groban
Pink
Michael Buble
Annie Lennox
Il Divo
Borat
Mr. Bean – Rowan Atkinson
Rascal Flatts
Carrie Underwood
U2’s Bono

Many others will also be on hand I’m sure. They even say there is a special guest duet that will be big!!

There’s not doubt in my mind that the first Idol Gives Back will be a huge success and will help many who need it.

More details at the official Idol Gives Back website.