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American Idol season 7

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Template:Infobox reality music competition

The seventh season of American Idol, the annual reality show and singing competition, began on January 15, 2008 and concluded on May 21, 2008. Ryan Seacrest continued to host the show with Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson returning as judges. David Cook was announced the winner of the competition on May 21, 2008, defeating runner-up David Archuleta by a margin of roughly 12 million votes out of over 97 million, which was at that time the highest recorded vote total ever recorded in the show's history. The split was 56 percent to 44 percent.

The seventh season was the first season during which neither the winner nor the runner-up were ever in the bottom group during any week before the finale on May 21, 2008, with the second being the ninth season. It was also the second season during which both the winner and the runner-up were male contestants, with the second season being the first and the third being the eighth season.

Changes from past seasons

Prior to the start of season 7, Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe admitted that season 6 had placed more focus on the guest mentors than the contestants.[1] Changes were planned for season 7 designed to return attention to the contestants by providing more information on their backgrounds and families.

A major change for the seventh season was allowing contestants to play musical instruments,[2] an element that originated on Australian Idol and can also be seen on Norway's Idol and Canadian Idol. A brand new set was built, and a new introduction credit sequence created. The season finale also moved from the Kodak Theatre to the larger Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.

Regional auditions

For Season 7, auditions were held in the following cities:

Episode Air Date Audition City Date Audition Venue Tickets to Hollywood
January 15, 2008 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania[3] August 27, 2007 Wachovia Center / Hyatt Regency 29
January 16, 2008 Dallas, Texas[4] August 6, 2007 Texas Stadium 24
January 22, 2008 San Diego, California[5] July 30, 2007 Qualcomm Stadium 31
January 23, 2008 Charleston, South Carolina [6] August 18, 2007 North Charleston Coliseum 23
January 29, 2008 Omaha, Nebraska[7] August 10, 2007 Qwest Center Omaha 19
January 30, 2008 Miami, Florida[8] August 22, 2007 American Airlines Arena 17
February 5, 2008 Atlanta, Georgia[9] August 14, 2007 Georgia Dome 21
Total Tickets to Hollywood 164

Contestants were required to be between the ages of 16 and 28 on July 28, 2007, and eligible to work in the United States. Those ineligible include former contestants who reached the top 40 of past seasons, those holding recording or management contracts, or those who are not US citizens or landed immigrants (i.e. permanent residents).

Hollywood week

The Hollywood week took place at the Pasadena Civic Center in Pasadena, California, over a period of five days. A total of 164 contestants were invited from the seven audition cities. This year the process was altered slightly to ensure that no talent would be prematurely dismissed. The contestants were allowed two performances before elimination, and the group round was removed.

The first round of individual performance lasted two days. For the first time ever, contestants had the option of either being accompanied by the band or playing an instrument themselves. Some were shown playing the keyboard, guitar, or even the drums. If the judges approved of the contestant's performance, they received a "free pass" to the third and final round of performances, and 48 contestants were given this "free pass". Unlike previous seasons, contestants whose performances not considered good enough were given a second chance in the second round. They lined up on stage in groups of 10 and each sang a short segment of a song "a cappella." After each group had finished, the judges cut those they felt not talented enough. Almost 100 were eliminated in this round.

In the final round, all the remaining contestants performed individually a song chosen from a large list of songs provided accompanied by the band and three backup singers. After each performance, the judges decided whether or not to cut the contestant. By the end of the day, only 50 contestants remained. The judges then deliberated further on who should be in the Top 24, and their decision was revealed the next day in the Green Mile episode.

One of the more prominent contestants during the Hollywood week was Josiah Leming whose unhappiness with the backing band resulted in him dismissing the band. He was cut in the Green Mile episode. Another piece of drama involved contestant Kyle Ensley when Simon Cowell voiced strong objection over him not being selected for the semifinals. It was later revealed that his non-selection resulted in serious rift between Simon Cowell and the show producer Nigel Lythgoe.[10]

Semi-finalists

  • Daniel 'Danny' Anthony Noriega (born September 29, 1989 in Azusa, California) is a 21-year-old (18 at the time of the show) who auditioned in San Diego. He previously auditioned for Idol in season 6 and made it to Hollywood week but was cut in the first round. His elimination song was Soft Cell's version of "Tainted Love". Shortly following his elimination, Noriega received an offer from Rosie O' Donnell to perform on her cruise.[11] Danny is working on his debut album and has just released his debut single, "Poisonous Cure", on February 15.
  • Jason Yeager (born August 26, 1979) is a 31-year-old (28 at the time of the show) from Grand Prairie, Texas who auditioned in Dallas. He appeared and was a finalist on the first season of Making the Band, the MTV reality show that led to the formation of boy band O-Town. He released a Christian album called The Heart of Me in 2008
  • Colton Berry (born October 11, 1989) is a 21-year-old (18 at the time of the show) from Staunton, Virginia who auditioned in Charleston.
  • Garrett Haley (born August 1, 1990) is a 20-year-old (17 at the time of the show) from Elida, Ohio,[17] who auditioned in San Diego.
  • Asia'h Epperson (born August 20, 1988) is a 22-year-old (19 at the time of the show) from Joplin, Missouri who auditioned in Atlanta singing "How Do I Live." Two days before the auditions, her father died in a car accident. Her elimination song was "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" by Whitney Houston. She currently has a few songs of her own on her MySpace page, including a cover of "Can't Buy Me Love". She now lives in Atlanta, GA and is working on her new album. She was arrested August 12, 2010 for assaulting a club goer.[18] In January 2011, she became a part of the original cast of the musical Hair Show starring Chaka Khan. Promotional material for the musical revealed that she is now a protégé of Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds.
  • Kady Malloy (born May 9, 1989) is a 21-year old (18 at the time of the show) from Houston, Texas who auditioned in Dallas. She became known on the show for her impersonation of Britney Spears and can also impersonate several other artists. Malloy is trained in opera singing. Her elimination song was "Who Wants to Live Forever" by Queen. She has released several songs to her MySpace and shot a video for a cover of "Time After Time" with Colton Berry. Simon's comment after her audition was: "Out of all of the people we have seen during this season you are the best." Kady is currently in a pop-country duo with Nashville musician Andrea Young. The pair began writing and recording in early 2010 and perform across the country.[19]
  • Alaina Whitaker (born February 21, 1991) is a 20-year-old (17 at the time of the show) contestant from Tulsa, Oklahoma who auditioned in Dallas. She was a member of the female country group Della Rose along with Andrea Young and Erin James. Before the show, she and her sister won a talent competition in Tulsa, beating one of David Cook's bands, Midwest Kings. Whether or not Cook was in the band at the time is unknown. Her group Della Rose was working on their debut album in Nashville before they disbanded. The group has opened up for numerous major country acts including Travis Tritt, and Keith Anderson, who was also known as the groups Mentor. Whitaker is currently working on a solo album and now resides in Nashville.
  • Alexandréa Lushington (born February 13, 1991) is a 20-year-old (17 at the time of the show) from Douglasville, Georgia who auditioned in Atlanta. In 2004, she sang against fellow Idol semi-finalist David Archuleta on an episode of the television show Star Search.[16]
  • Amy Davis (born June 19, 1982) is a 28-year-old (25 at the time of the show) professional model from Lowell, Indiana. She auditioned in Dallas.

Semi-finals

Top 24 – 1960s

Order Males Females
Contestant Song (original artist) Result Contestant Song (original artist) Result
1 David Hernandez "In the Midnight Hour" (Wilson Pickett) Safe Kristy Lee Cook "Rescue Me" (Fontella Bass) Safe
2 Chikezie "More Today Than Yesterday" (The Spiral Starecase) Safe Joanne Borgella "I Say a Little Prayer" (Dionne Warwick) Eliminated
3 David Cook "Happy Together" (The Turtles) Safe Alaina Whitaker "More Today Than Yesterday" (The Spiral Starecase) Safe
4 Jason Yeager "Moon River" (Andy Williams) Safe Amanda Overmyer "Baby, Please Don't Go" (Big Joe Williams) Safe
5 Robbie Carrico "One" (Harry Nilsson) Safe Amy Davis "Where the Boys Are" (Connie Francis) Eliminated
6 David Archuleta "Shop Around" (Smokey Robinson & the Miracles) Safe Brooke White "Happy Together" (The Turtles) Safe
7 Danny Noriega "Jailhouse Rock" (Elvis Presley) Safe Alexandréa Lushington "Spinning Wheel" (Blood, Sweat & Tears) Safe
8 Luke Menard "Everybody's Talkin'" (Fred Neil) Safe Kady Malloy "A Groovy Kind of Love" (The Mindbenders) Safe
9 Colton Berry "Suspicious Minds" (Mark James) Eliminated Asia'h Epperson "Piece of My Heart" (Erma Franklin) Safe
10 Garrett Haley "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" (Neil Sedaka) Eliminated Ramiele Malubay "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" (Dusty Springfield) Safe
11 Jason Castro "Daydream" (The Lovin' Spoonful) Safe Syesha Mercado "Tobacco Road" (John D. Loudermilk) Safe
12 Michael Johns "Light My Fire" (The Doors) Safe Carly Smithson "The Shadow of Your Smile" (Tony Bennett) Safe

Top 20 – 1970s

Order Males Females
Contestant Song (original artist) Result Contestant Song (original artist) Result
1 Michael Johns "Go Your Own Way" (Fleetwood Mac) Safe Carly Smithson "Crazy on You" (Heart) Safe
2 Jason Castro "I Just Want to Be Your Everything" (Andy Gibb) Safe Syesha Mercado "Me and Mrs. Jones" (Billy Paul) Safe
3 Luke Menard "Killer Queen" (Queen) Safe Brooke White "You're So Vain" (Carly Simon) Safe
4 Robbie Carrico "Hot Blooded" (Foreigner) Eliminated Ramiele Malubay "Don't Leave Me This Way" (Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes) Safe
5 Danny Noriega "Superstar" (Delaney & Bonnie) Safe Kristy Lee Cook "You're No Good" (Betty Everett) Safe
6 David Hernandez "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" (The Undisputed Truth) Safe Amanda Overmyer "Carry On Wayward Son" (Kansas) Safe
7 Jason Yeager "Long Train Running" (The Doobie Brothers) Eliminated Alaina Whitaker "Hopelessly Devoted to You" (Olivia Newton-John) Eliminated
8 Chikezie "I Believe to My Soul" (Donny Hathaway) Safe Alexandréa Lushington "If You Leave Me Now" (Chicago) Eliminated
9 David Cook "All Right Now" (Free) Safe Kady Malloy "Magic Man" (Heart) Safe
10 David Archuleta "Imagine" (John Lennon) Safe Asia'h Epperson "All by Myself" (Eric Carmen) Safe

Top 16 – 1980s

Order Males Females
Contestant Song (original artist) Result Contestant Song (original artist) Result
1 Luke Menard "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" (Wham!) Eliminated Asia'h Epperson "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" (Whitney Houston) Eliminated
2 David Archuleta "Another Day in Paradise" (Phil Collins) Safe Kady Malloy "Who Wants to Live Forever" (Queen) Eliminated
3 Danny Noriega "Tainted Love" (Gloria Jones) Eliminated Amanda Overmyer "I Hate Myself for Loving You" (Joan Jett) Safe
4 David Hernandez "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (Pandora's Box) Safe Carly Smithson "I Drove All Night" (Cyndi Lauper) Safe
5 Michael Johns "Don't You (Forget About Me)" (Simple Minds) Safe Kristy Lee Cook "Faithfully" (Journey) Safe
6 David Cook "Hello" (Lionel Richie) Safe Ramiele Malubay "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" (Phil Collins) Safe
7 Jason Castro "Hallelujah" (Leonard Cohen) Safe Brooke White "Love Is a Battlefield" (Pat Benatar) Safe
8 Chikezie "All the Man That I Need" (Linda Clifford) Safe Syesha Mercado "Saving All My Love for You" (Whitney Houston) Safe

Finalists

David Cook

David Cook (born December 20, 1982 in Houston, Texas, 24 at the time of the auditions and 25 at the time of the show) is a native of Blue Springs, Missouri who auditioned in Omaha, Nebraska with Bon Jovi's "Livin' On A Prayer". Cook's interest in music began early in life; he received his first guitar at the age of 2.[20] He formed a band while still at high school called Axium which was chosen as the best band in Kansas City in 2004. He later joined Midwest Kings in Tulsa, but left to pursue a solo project where he released an album titled Analog Heart. Prior to Idol he worked as a bartender at the "Blank Slate" in Tulsa, where he would also occasionally play shows. He enjoys doing crossword puzzles in his spare time and calls himself a "word nerd."[20] His Hollywood performance of Bryan Adams's "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" did not impress Simon Cowell but did so with his second performance Edwin McCain's "I'll Be". He wore an orange wristband to support a seven-year-old fan with leukemia from Top 12 week onwards. He was never in the "bottom three". On May 21, 2008, he was declared the winner. He was signed to RCA Records and released a self-titled album on November 18, 2008, that was certified platinum in January 2009.

David Archuleta

David Archuleta (born December 28, 1990 in Miami, Florida, 16 at the time of the auditions and 17 at the time of the show) is from Murray, Utah who auditioned in San Diego with John Mayer's "Waiting on the World to Change". In 2003, at the age of 12, he sang on several episodes of the television show Star Search[16] and went on to win the season finale and the $100,000 grand prize.[21] In one episode, he competed against Alexandréa Lushington, who was a fellow semi-finalist this season. He suffered from vocal paralysis after that show which affected one of his vocal cords. He impressed the judges with his performance of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" and Bryan Adams's "Heaven" during the Hollywood round. He was never in the "bottom three" in American Idol and finished as the Season 7 runner-up. He was signed to Jive Records and has since released a number of albums.

Syesha Mercado

Syesha Mercado (born January 2, 1987 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, 21 at the time of the show) is from Sarasota, Florida who auditioned in Miami with Aretha Franklin's "Think". She is a student at Florida International University and has been singing and dancing since she was a child. During Hollywood week, she became ill and almost completely lost her voice. In preparation for her final Hollywood performance with Aretha Franklin's "Chain of Fools", she went on voice rest and wrote down everything she had to say on a pad of paper. Prior to American Idol, she appeared on the short-lived US version of Star Academy (known as The One: Making a Music Star when it aired on ABC in July 2006 for two weeks). Kara DioGuardi, who was one of the coaches on the Endemol franchise, joined Idol for Season 8.[22] She was voted off as a third-place finisher and has since pursued a career in musical theatre.

Jason Castro

Jason Castro (born March 25, 1987, 20 at the time of the show) Rockwall, Texas auditioned in Dallas with Keith Urban's Once in a Lifetime and Ray LaMontagne's version of Gnarls Barkley's Crazy. He started in music playing the drums. In high school, he played for a band, Keeping Lions, which has since disbanded.[23] In 2006, he appeared on Cheyenne Kimball's MTV reality TV series, as her real-life dating interest. Castro is the first person in his family, which is originally from Colombia, to be born in the United States. He is a student at Texas A&M University, with a construction science major and music minor. He began growing his hair out for dreadlocks during his senior year of high school. He exited the competition in fourth place. He has since been signed to Atlantic Records and released a number of albums and EPs.

Brooke White

Brooke White (born June 2, 1983 in Mesa, Arizona, 24 at time of show) was a nanny from Van Nuys, California auditioned in Philadelphia with Corinne Bailey Rae's Like a Star. During her audition, she admitted to never having seen an R-rated movie, prompting Cowell to state that the show will "bring her over to the dark side." In 2005, she released an album titled Songs from the Attic under New Millennium Records. She performed Carole King's "Beautiful" on Hollywood week. She finished in fifth place on Idol. After the contest, she started her own record label "June Baby Records" with Randy Jackson, and released an album, High Hopes & Heartbreak.

Carly Smithson

Carly Smithson (born September 12, 1983 in Dublin, Ireland, 24 at the time of that show) is a professional singer and bartender/waitress from San Diego, California, where she has been living for the past three years. Smithson previously signed a recording contract with major USA label MCA Records and released an album in 2001 entitled Ultimate High under her birth name, Carly Hennessy. The album sold approximately 300 copies in the first three months following its release. Smithson was also a contestant in season five, but was dropped from the show due to a problem with her visa. She auditioned in San Diego with Whitney Houston's I'm Every Woman, and performed Leo Sayer's version of "When I Need You" and Heart's version of "Alone" in the Hollywood rounds. She finished sixth in the show. She later teamed up with former members of Evanescence and formed a new band We Are The Fallen as its lead singer.

Kristy Lee Cook

Kristy Lee Cook (born January 18, 1984, 24 at the time of that show) is a horse trainer from Selma, Oregon. She sold her prized horse in order to afford the trip to audition in Philadelphia where she auditioned with Amazing Grace, a song she also performed during the Hollywood week. In 2001, she was signed to a major label, Arista Nashville.[16][24] Cook also signed with Britney Spears' production company, and Spears herself was supposed to have a cameo in Cook's first video.[16][24] At the time of signing, she was managed by the former manager of LeAnn Rimes.[16][24] In 2005, she released a CD called Devoted with Ren-Hen Records.[25] Since appearing on the show, Kristy Lee Cook has released an album entitled "Why Wait", which peaked on #8 on the Billboard country charts. The album contained a single, "15 Minutes of Shame", which peaked in the Top 30 on the Billboard country charts. As of December 2008, she has been dropped from Arista Nashville.[26]

Michael Johns

Michael Johns (born as Michael Lee on October 20, 1978 in Perth, Western Australia, 29 at the time of that show) auditioned in San Diego with Otis Redding's I've Been Loving You Too Long. He is Australian and moved to the United States from Australia in 1998 and lived in Buckhead (Atlanta) for six years, performing at local venues solo and with local band Film. He has since lived in Los Angeles, California. After recording a demo and traveling to Los Angeles to showcase for a number of labels in 2001, he signed with Maverick Records and formed a rock band called The Rising.[27] Before focusing on his singing career, he was a sportsman, winning a tennis scholarship[28] and playing Australian rules football for the USAFL club Atlanta Kookaburras.[29] During the Hollywood round, he performed The Doors' "Light My Fire" but it was his performance of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody that was one of the highlights of that week. He was surprisingly eliminated on April 10, 2008 and finished in eighth place. He released an album independently Hold Back My Heart in 2009.

Ramiele Malubay

Ramiele Malubay (born September 6, 1987 in Saudi Arabia,[30] 20 at the time of that show) Filipino-American from Miramar, Florida auditioned in Miami with Aretha Franklin's Natural Woman. Prior to auditioning on Idol, she was a nursing student at Broward Community College and worked part-time at a sushi restaurant. She started Polynesian Dancing when she was in the first grade and started singing at the age of twelve. Since the age of 12, Ramiele has sung at various Filipino-American events.[31] She performed Aretha Franklin's Until You Come Back to Me and The Kiki Dee Band's "I've Got The Music In Me" at the Hollywood rounds. She was eliminated as a ninth place finisher.

Chikezie

Chikezie (born Chikezie Eze on September 11, 1985 in Inglewood, California, 22 at the time of that show) is a Nigerian American from Inglewood, California who auditioned in San Diego with Luther Vandross's version of "All the Woman I Need". During the competition, he dropped using his last name because it was so frequently mispronounced ('eh-zee' and not 'EE-zee').[32] He previously auditioned for the show's sixth season, and made it into the Hollywood Round, where he was cut before the top 44. Before auditioning for Idol, he worked as a TSA officer at Los Angeles International Airport.

Amanda Overmyer

Amanda Overmyer (born October 26, 1984, 23 at the time of that show) Harley-riding nurse is from Mulberry, Indiana who auditioned in Atlanta with Janis Joplin's Turtle Blues and Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Travelin' Band". She received a nursing degree from Ivy Tech Community College and deals predominantly in respiratory issues. She has been the lead singer of several local hard rock bands, including Steeleto and Ruinaces. A week before the Hollywood week, she was injured in a serious car accident. She performed The Doors' "Light My Fire" at the Hollywood rounds. After the season ended she married her fiancé Casey Taylor. Since her elimination, she has played at The Whisky a Go Go bar in West Hollywood and various venues. Since appearing on the show, Amanda has released a rock album entitled "Solidify". The album is only available on the official Amanda Overmyer website as of January 3, 2009.

David Hernandez

David Hernandez (born May 31, 1983 in Glendale, Arizona, 24 at the time of that show) is from Glendale, Arizona and auditioned with The Temptations' "Ain't Too Proud to Beg". He was a student at Arizona State University with a major in Broadcast Journalism. He gave up his apartment to move to Hollywood. Until September 30, 2007, Hernandez worked as a male stripper named "Caden" at Dick's Cabaret in Phoenix, Arizona, performing fully nude and giving lap dances to male patrons.[33] This did not prevent him from being on the show.[34][35] He performed Stephen Stills's Love the One You're With on Hollywood week. He was voted off in twelfth place soon after his stripper past was publicized by Vote for the Worst.

Finals

Top 12 – Lennon/McCartney Songbook

Order Contestant Song Result
1 Syesha Mercado "Got to Get You into My Life" Bottom Three
2 Chikezie "She's a Woman" Safe
3 Ramiele Malubay "In My Life" Safe
4 Jason Castro "If I Fell" Safe
5 Carly Smithson "Come Together" Safe
6 David Cook "Eleanor Rigby" Safe
7 Brooke White "Let It Be" Safe
8 David Hernandez "I Saw Her Standing There" Eliminated
9 Amanda Overmyer "You Can't Do That" Safe
10 Michael Johns "Across the Universe" Safe
11 Kristy Lee Cook "Eight Days a Week" Bottom Two
12 David Archuleta "We Can Work It Out" Safe

Top 11 – The Beatles

Order Contestant Song Result
1 Amanda Overmyer "Back in the U.S.S.R." Eliminated
2 Kristy Lee Cook "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" Bottom Two
3 David Archuleta "The Long and Winding Road" Safe
4 Michael Johns "A Day in the Life" Safe
5 Brooke White "Here Comes the Sun" Safe
6 David Cook "Day Tripper" Safe
7 Carly Smithson "Blackbird" Bottom Three
8 Jason Castro "Michelle" Safe
9 Syesha Mercado "Yesterday" Safe
10 Chikezie "I've Just Seen a Face" Safe
11 Ramiele Malubay "I Should Have Known Better" Safe

Top 10 – Year They Were Born

Order Contestant Song (original artist) Result
1 Ramiele Malubay "Alone" (i-TEN) Safe
2 Jason Castro "Fragile" (Sting) Bottom Three
3 Syesha Mercado "If I Were Your Woman" (Gladys Knight & the Pips) Bottom Two
4 Chikezie "If Only for One Night" (Luther Vandross) Eliminated
5 Brooke White "Every Breath You Take" (The Police) Safe
6 Michael Johns "We Will Rock You" / "We Are the Champions" medley (Queen) Safe
7 Carly Smithson "Total Eclipse of the Heart" (Bonnie Tyler) Safe
8 David Archuleta "You're the Voice" (John Farnham) Safe
9 Kristy Lee Cook "God Bless the USA" (Lee Greenwood) Safe
10 David Cook "Billie Jean" (Michael Jackson) Safe

Top 9 – Dolly Parton

Mentor: Dolly Parton

Order Contestant Song Result
1 Brooke White "Jolene" Bottom Three
2 David Cook "Little Sparrow" Safe
3 Ramiele Malubay "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind" Eliminated
4 Jason Castro "Travelin' Thru" Safe
5 Carly Smithson "Here You Come Again" Safe
6 David Archuleta "Smoky Mountain Memories" Safe
7 Kristy Lee Cook "Coat of Many Colors" Bottom Two
8 Syesha Mercado "I Will Always Love You" Safe
9 Michael Johns "It's All Wrong But It's All Right"" Safe

Top 8 – Inspirational Music

Order Contestant Song (original artist) Result
1 Michael Johns "Dream On" (Aerosmith) Eliminated
2 Syesha Mercado "I Believe" (Fantasia) Bottom Three
3 Jason Castro "Over the Rainbow" (Judy Garland) Safe
4 Kristy Lee Cook "Anyway" (Martina McBride) Safe
5 David Cook "Innocent" (Our Lady Peace) Safe
6 Carly Smithson "The Show Must Go On" (Queen) Bottom Three
7 David Archuleta "Angels" (Robbie Williams) Safe
8 Brooke White "You've Got a Friend" (Carole King) Safe

Top 7 – Mariah Carey

Mentor: Mariah Carey

Order Contestant Song (original artist when applicable) Result
1 David Archuleta "When You Believe" (Mariah Carey & Whitney Houston) Safe
2 Carly Smithson "Without You " (Badfinger) Safe
3 Syesha Mercado "Vanishing" Bottom Three
4 Brooke White "Hero" Bottom Two
5 Kristy Lee Cook "Forever" Eliminated
6 David Cook "Always Be My Baby" Safe
7 Jason Castro "I Don't Wanna Cry" Safe

Top 6 – Andrew Lloyd Webber

Mentor: Andrew Lloyd Webber

Order Contestant Song (production) Result
1 Syesha Mercado "One Rock & Roll Too Many" (from Starlight Express) Bottom Two
2 Jason Castro "Memory" (from Cats) Safe
3 Brooke White "You Must Love Me" (from Evita) Safe
4 David Archuleta "Think of Me" (from The Phantom of the Opera) Safe
5 Carly Smithson "Superstar" (from Jesus Christ Superstar) Eliminated
6 David Cook "The Music of the Night" (from The Phantom of the Opera) Safe

Top 5 – Neil Diamond

Mentor: Neil Diamond

Each contestant sang two songs.

Order Contestant Song (original artist when applicable) Result
1 Jason Castro "Forever in Blue Jeans" Safe
2 David Cook "I'm Alive" Safe
3 Brooke White "I'm a Believer" (The Monkees) Eliminated
4 David Archuleta "Sweet Caroline" Safe
5 Syesha Mercado "Hello Again" Safe
6 Jason Castro "September Morn" Safe
7 David Cook "All I Really Need Is You"" Safe
8 Brooke White "I Am...I Said" Eliminated
9 David Archuleta "America" Safe
10 Syesha Mercado "Thank the Lord for the Night Time" Safe

Top 4 – Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Each contestant sang two songs.

Order Contestant Song (original artist) Result
1 David Cook "Hungry Like the Wolf" (Duran Duran) Safe
2 Syesha Mercado "Proud Mary" (Creedence Clearwater Revival) Safe
3 Jason Castro "I Shot the Sheriff" (Bob Marley) Eliminated
4 David Archuleta "Stand by Me" (Ben E. King) Safe
5 David Cook "Baba O'Riley" (The Who) Safe
6 Syesha Mercado "A Change Is Gonna Come" (Sam Cooke) Safe
7 Jason Castro "Mr. Tambourine Man" (Bob Dylan) Eliminated
8 David Archuleta "Love Me Tender" (Elvis Presley) Safe

Top 3 – Judges' choice, Contestant's choice & Producer's Choice

Each contestant sang three songs.

Order Contestant Song (original artist) — Judge Result
1 David Archuleta "And So It Goes" (Billy Joel) — Paula Abdul Safe
2 Syesha Mercado "If I Ain't Got You" (Alicia Keys) — Randy Jackson Eliminated
3 David Cook "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" (Peggy Seeger) — Simon Cowell Safe
4 David Archuleta "With You" (Chris Brown) Safe
5 Syesha Mercado "Fever" (Little Willie John) Eliminated
6 David Cook "Dare You to Move" (Switchfoot) Safe
7 David Archuleta "Longer" (Dan Fogelberg) Safe
8 Syesha Mercado "Hit Me Up" (Gia Farrell) Eliminated
9 David Cook "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" (Aerosmith) Safe

Finale – Clive Davis' choice, New Song & Contestant's Choice

Each contestant sang three songs.

Order Contestant Song (original artist) Result
1 David Cook "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" (U2) Winner
2 David Archuleta "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" (Elton John) Runner-Up
3 David Cook "Dream Big" Winner
4 David Archuleta "In This Moment" Runner-Up
5 David Cook "The World I Know" (Collective Soul) Winner
6 David Archuleta "Imagine" (John Lennon) Runner-Up

Elimination chart

Legend
Female Male Top 24 Top 12 Winner
Safe Safe First Safe Last Eliminated
Stage: Semi Finals Finals
Week: 2/21 2/28 3/6 3/12 3/19 3/26 4/2 4/101 4/16 4/23 4/302 5/7 5/14 5/21
Place Contestant Result
1 David Cook Winner
2 David Archuleta Runner-Up
3 Syesha Mercado Bottom 3 Bottom 2 Bottom 3 Bottom 3 Bottom 2 Elim
4 Jason Castro Bottom 3 Elim
5 Brooke White Bottom 3 Bottom 2 Elim
6 Carly Smithson Bottom 3 Bottom 3 Elim
7 Kristy Lee Cook Bottom 2 Bottom 2 Bottom 2 Elim
8 Michael Johns Elim
9 Ramiele Malubay Elim
10 Chikezie Elim
11 Amanda Overmyer Elim
12 David Hernandez Elim
13-16 Danny Noriega Elim
Asia'h Epperson
Luke Menard
Kady Malloy Bottom 3
17-20 Robbie Carrico Elim
Alaina Whitaker
Alexandréa Lushington
Jason Yeager
21-24 Colton Berry Elim
Joanne Borgella
Amy Davis
Garrett Haley

1 Due to the Idol Gives Back special airing on the show's regular Wednesday results night, the results show was moved to Thursday.
2 From this point forward, neither the bottom 3 nor bottom 2 contestants were explicitly identified.

Results night performances

During the Hollywood weeks, "Hollywood's Not America" by Ferras played when contestants were eliminated, while "Best Days" by Graham Colton was the elimination song for the semi-finals round. For the finals, season 2 winner Ruben Studdard remade Kenny Loggins' "Celebrate Me Home" as the exit song.

Group song

The contestants also performed medleys of songs from that week's theme.

Finale

Other performances

Guest artists may perform songs to promote their work or the show itself, or for charitable purpose. Most performed on the result shows, except for Ruben Studdard at the end of the Top 2 performance show and those on the Idol Gives Back special. Included is a list of those songs with the impact of performance on the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Digital Songs chart for the week. See Idol Gives Back for the list of performances in that special episode.

Week Performer(s) Title Hot 100 Reaction
(chart position)		 Hot Digital Songs Reaction[36]
(chart position, sales for week)
Top 24 Paula Abdul
Randy Jackson		 "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow"
(video premiere)		 #62 (+18 - new peak) #36 - 32,215 (+559%)
Top 20 No guest performer
Top 16 Blake Lewis "How Many Words" — #128 - 10,182 (+999%)
Top 12 Katharine McPhee
David Foster (piano)		 "Something" No legal digital release
Top 11 Kellie Pickler "Red High Heels" Ineligible to re-enter —
Top 10 Kimberley Locke "Fall" — —
Top 9 The Clark Brothers "This Little Light of Mine" — —
Dolly Parton "Jesus and Gravity" — —
Top 8 Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown "No Air" #3 (+4 - new peak) #4 - 153,648 (+34%)
Top 7 Elliott Yamin "Free" — —
Mariah Carey "Bye Bye" #23 (debut) #11 - 60,037 (+999%)
Top 6 Leona Lewis "Bleeding Love" #1 (4th week as #1) #1 - 235,880 (+30%)
Top 5 Natasha Bedingfield "Pocketful of Sunshine" #8 (+11 - new peak) #4 - 134,830 (+110%)
Neil Diamond "Pretty Amazing Grace" — —
Top 4 Maroon 5 "If I Never See Your Face Again" #57 (debut) #21 - 42,983 (+999%)
Bo Bice "Witness" — —
Top 3 Fantasia "Bore Me (Yawn)" No legal digital release
Top 2 Ruben Studdard "Celebrate Me Home" — —*
"—" denotes songs that did not chart

*"Celebrate Me Home" was removed from iTunes the day after it was performed. It reached the top 60 before it was removed.

Idol Gives Back

Main article: Idol Gives Back

The "Idol Gives Back" initiative returned on April 9 for a second year, with a special start time of 7:30 p.m. ET, running for 150 minutes. Again, proceeds will go to children's charities in Africa and the United States. Unlike "Idol Gives Back 2007" when no finalist was eliminated (and two were eliminated in the following week), Michael Johns was eliminated during "Idol Gives Back 2008."

Controversies

  • Season 7 contestant Carly Smithson stirred up controversy due to a prior major label record deal she had with MCA Records. It has been reported [citation needed] that MCA spent over 2 million dollars promoting Smithson's previous album "Ultimate High," which she made under the name Carly Hennessy. The album only sold 378 copies but is now available on iTunes. To further complicate things, Randy Jackson worked for MCA during the same period of time that Smithson was signed. The media noted that several of the other season 7 semi-finalists had previously also had record deals, including Kristy Lee Cook, Brooke White, and Michael Johns (David Cook released an independent solo album and had finished recording a follow-up prior to his audition for the show, but he was never involved with a record label or contract.) According to a poll conducted by AOL Television, 63 percent of those polled believed that contestants who have already had record deals should not be contestants on American Idol.[37] However, Idol rules state that contestants are eligible as long as they are no longer under contract when Idol begins, irrespective of any past contracts.
  • David Hernandez was revealed by VotefortheWorst.com to have worked as a stripper in Phoenix, AZ. According to the owner of Dick's Cabaret, David's job included a routine featuring full nudity and performing lap dances for male clientele.[38]
  • On the April 29 show, the five remaining contestants each sang two songs. Diverting from their usual format, due to time constraints, the judges' critiques after each performance were instead to be bundled until after both songs were performed. However, after the first round had finished, host Ryan Seacrest asked for comments, and judge Paula Abdul, in discussing Jason Castro, delivered feedback on his second song before he had performed it. This has led to speculation that the show is scripted or rigged.[39] The next day, Abdul claimed on Seacrest's radio show that she listened to the performance in rehearsal and in the rushed atmosphere of the show was confused and thought she was supposed to critique both.[40]
  • The presence of David Archuleta's father was a matter of some discussion and he was banned from providing his son with musical input during his song preparation[41]

Releases

iTunes

During Season 7, American Idol partnered with iTunes to make available for sale exclusive performance videos, live performance singles of the semi-finalists and full length studio recordings of the songs that contestants performed on the show. In order to keep the competition fair, these singles were not allowed to appear on iTunes sales charts until after the finale. The contestants' performances during the season were removed from sale soon after the finale.

The winning song, "The Time of My Life", was recorded by David Cook and released on May 22, 2008. The song was certified platinum by the RIAA on December 12, 2008.[42] It was the first winner's song not to be performed during the competition as the Top 2 each selected a different song from a list of 10 entries in song-writing competition to perform instead. Cook performed "The Time of My Life" after Ryan Seacrest announced him as the winner of Season 7.

Post-Idol

David Cook's debut album was released on November 18, 2008, on 19 Recordings / RCA Records and was certified platinum by the RIAA on January 22, 2009.[42] Cook teamed with Grammy winning producer Rob Cavallo (Green Day, Kid Rock) on the album. A single from the album, "Light On", was released and peaked at 20 on the billboard top 100 list.[43] His sophomore album, "This Loud Morning", will be released on June 28th, 2011.

David Archuleta signed with Jive Records and his self-titled debut album was released on November 11, 2008 and debuted at number 2. Archuleta's album certified gold. Archuleta's first single, "Crush", debuted at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Hot Digital Songs chart, giving it the highest single debut of 2008 and the highest single debut in 18 months. The song has sold 1.9 million copies as of January 2009.[44]

Albums

Personal/Individual Albums

Single

David Cook

Kristy Lee Cook

US Nielsen ratings

Season 7 of American Idol was the top show for the 2007-8 broadcast prime-time season. The Tuesday episode viewership averaged 27.665 million while the Wednesday episode averaged 26.843 million, taking the top 2 spots for the season.[45] The show helped Fox become the top network for the first time in its history, and gave it its fourth successive win in the 18/49 demo.[46] Click on "show" below for the ratings details for the season.

See also

References

  1. ^ Stransky, Tanner (2007-07-25). "''Idol'' producer: ''We made mistakes'' | American Idol | TCA Press Tour | TV | Entertainment Weekly". Ew.com. Retrieved 2010-08-25.
  2. ^ Starr, Michael (2007-11-05). "'American Idol' Shake Up". New York Post.
  3. ^ ‘American Idol’ to hold auditions in Philly
  4. ^ "Singers swarm Dallas for 'Idol' auditions". MSNBC. Associated Press. 2007-08-06.
  5. ^ Wilkens, John (2007-07-30). "Thousands audition in S.D. for 'American Idol'". Union-Tribune.
  6. ^ American Idol Auditions - Charleston, SC
  7. ^ Stickney, Dane (2007-08-09). "'Idol' audition crowd thins out in the afternoon". Omaha World Herald. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ Not What They're Looking For - American Idol Tryouts
  9. ^ Disqualified Brittenum twins return for 'American Idol 7' auditi
  10. ^ American Idol: Journalist Richard Rushfield Pens “Idol” Tell-All Book
  11. ^ Riley, Heather (2008-03-17). "Danny Noriega Goes Cruising With Rosie O'Donnell". National Ledger.
  12. ^ Former Idol Luke Menard has cancer | American Idol|Television News|News + Notes|Entertainment Weekly
  13. ^ No mo' chemo | Luke Menard
  14. ^ Former ‘American Idol’ Contender Luke Menard ‘Cancer Free’ | Access Hollywood - Celebrity News, Photos & Videos
  15. ^ a b Cantiello, Jim (2008-01-31). "Britney Spears' Ex-Boyfriend: The Next American Idol?". MTV.
  16. ^ a b c d e f Delaveris, Lea (2008-02-19). "Ringer Singers: Some 'Idol' Contestants Aren't Novices". Columbus Dispatch.
  17. ^ Byrne, Katie (2008-02-22). "'American Idol' Castoffs Speak: Garrett Isn't Worried About Being Pale, Colton Tells Ellen To Give Him A Call". MTV. MTV Networks.
  18. ^ ‘Idol’ hopeful charged with battery | Celebrities|Entertainment|Toronto Sun
  19. ^ http://www.29-95.com/music/story/music-you-should-listen-2011
  20. ^ a b Aspinwall, Cary (2008-02-27). "'Word nerd' spars with Simon". Tulsa World.
  21. ^ "David Archuleta is New Junior Singer Star". 2003-03-19.
  22. ^ Becnel, Thomas (2008-02-20). "Sing from the Soul, Hope for Best". Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
  23. ^ Stengle, Jamie (2008-03-17). "Kin-dread spirit: Castro family musical". AP News Wire.
  24. ^ a b c "Kristy Lee Signs In Triplicate with Arista, Britney, and BMI". BMI. 2001-08-07.
  25. ^ "Devoted on Amazon.com". Retrieved 2008-02-23.
  26. ^ Kristy Lee Cook, Arista Nashville split
  27. ^ "Music Morsels". www.serge.org. Retrieved 2008-01-13.
  28. ^ Ho, Rodney (2008-02-15). "Michael Johns interview (updated)". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Access Atlanta.
  29. ^ Sean (2008-02-18). "Could a former USAFL player be the next American Idol?". World Footy News.
  30. ^ Rocchio (2008-03-08). "'American Idol' cuts final four semifinalists, reveals Top 12 finalists". Reality TV World.
  31. ^ The Billboard Q&A: AI Finalist Ramiele Malubay
  32. ^ Ryan, Joal (2008-03-27). "No Hard Feelings for Chikezie". E! Online.
  33. ^ Lang, Derrik J. (2008-03-04). "Strip Club: 'Idol' Once Danced Here". Google News. Associated Press.
  34. ^ Lang, Derrik J. "Hernandez to stay on 'Idol' despite past" (Document). {{cite document}}: Cite document requires |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |archivedate= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |archiveurl= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |url= ignored (help)
  35. ^ Lambert, Suzanne Condie (2008-03-05). "Ariz. 'Idol' contestant disregards idle buzz". The Arizona Republic. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  36. ^ ATRL - Charts: Billboard Hot 100 (Top Singles) - Page 519
  37. ^ Serjeant, Jill (2008-05-19). "Underwood most popular "Idol," Castro overrated". Reuters.
  38. ^ "Club Manager Says 'Idol' Contestant Was a Stripper?". Entertainment Weekly. Associated Press.
  39. ^ "Abdul makes gaffe on US Idol show". BBC News. 2008-04-30.
  40. ^ Vary, Adam B (2008-04-30). "Paulagate 2008: Ms. Abdul does some 'splaining on Ryan Seacrest's radio show". Entertainment Weekly.
  41. ^ Nigel Lythgoe clarifies David Archuleta's dad's 'American Idol' banning
  42. ^ a b "RIAA Search – David Cook". Riaa.com. Retrieved 2010-08-25.
  43. ^ Marnie September (2008). http://www.americanidol.com/news/view/?pid=1413
  44. ^ "Idol Chatter 2009-01-28". Blogs.usatoday.com. 2010-08-20. Retrieved 2010-08-25.
  45. ^ Final 2007-8 Season Top TV Shows By Viewers
  46. ^ It's official: Yes, Fox wins the season
  47. ^ a b tvbythenumbers Jan 23, 2008
  48. ^ a b Jan 29, 2008
  49. ^ a b tvbythenumbers Feb 5, 2008
  50. ^ a b tvbythenumbers Feb 12, 2008
  51. ^ a b tvbythenumbers Feb 20, 2008
  52. ^ a b c tvbythenumbers Feb 27, 2008
  53. ^ a b c TV by the numbers 03-04-2008
  54. ^ a b c TV by the numbers 03-11-2008
  55. ^ a b TV by the numbers 03-18-2008
  56. ^ a b TV by the numbers 03-25-2008
  57. ^ a b TV by the numbers 04-01-2008
  58. ^ a b TV by the numbers 04-08-2008
  59. ^ a b c TV by the numbers 04-15-2008
  60. ^ a b TV by the numbers 04-22-2008
  61. ^ a b TV by the numbers 04-29-2008
  62. ^ a b TV by the numbers 05-06-2008
  63. ^ a b TV by the numbers 05-13-2008
  64. ^ a b TV by the numbers 05-20-2008
  65. ^ a b TV by the numbers 05-28-2008
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