Kris Allen

Age: 23
Lives in: Conway, AR
Occupation: Kris Allen is a student at the University of Central Arkansas
Singing since: 13 years old.

Megan Joy Corkrey

Age: 23
Lives in: Sandy, UT, with her 2-year-old son, Ryder
Occupation: self-professed “foodie”
Singing since: 3 years of age

Anoop Desai

Age: 22
Lives in: Chapel Hill, NC.
Occupation:working on his Master’s degree in Folklore at the University of North Carolina.
Singing since: in the childhood he was a member of the UNC Clef Hangers, an a cappella group.

Matt Giraud

Age: 23
Lives in: Kalamazoo, MI
Occupation: piano player and singer in local clubs and hotels

Danny Gokey

Age: 28
Living in:Milwaukee, WI
Occupation: president and founder of a non-profit organization

Alexis Grace

Age: 21
Living in Memphis, TN
Occupation: member of the Concert Choir at the University of Memphis
Singing since: 7 years old

Allison Iraheta

Age: 16
Lives in: Downey
Occupation: high school junior
Singing since: 5 years of age

Adam Lambert

Age: 27
Living in: Hollywood
Occupation: musical theater performer
Singing since: 10 years of age

Scott MacIntyre

Age: 23
Originating from: Scottsdale, AZ
Scott graduated from Arizona State University at age 19, and attended graduate school in London, England
Musical skills: plays piano, guitar and drums.

Jasmine Murray

Age: 17
Living in: Starkville, MS
Occupation: student at The Mississippi School of the Arts
Singing since: 3 years of age

Jorge Nunez

Age: 21
Lives in: in Carolina, Puerto Rico
Occupation: student at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras

Lil Rounds

Age: 24
Living in: Memphis, TN; she is married, with three children.
Singing since: 3 years of age

Michael Sarver

Age: 27
Living in Jasper, TX; he is married with two children
Occupation: oil rig worker

Out of the 13 finalists, Anoop Desai was the last one to find a wild card. He knew he didn’t make the top 12, but he got a great surprise to discover that the top 12 is actually Top 13, for the first time in the American Idol.

Paula Abdul to Judge American Idol in 2009

Paula Abdul was one of the American Idol judges in the 2008 contest. Despite the rumors that she’s not going to be in the team for the 2009 competition, it seems that she’s going to stay with the show for one more season. This is good news, because Paula is very popular among Americans, so she’ll be welcome. The judges team will expand with the addition of Kara DioGuardi, a famous song writer and music producer. She has written songs for artists such as Santana, Christina Aguillera, Celine Dion, Gwen Stefani or Carrie Underwood, and she’s really cool and energetic, and a true professional, committed to her work.

Changes for the New American Idol Season

One of the main changes is that the number of judges will increase by one. Another change is getting back to the wild-card system. Moreover, there will be 36 semi-finalists in 2009, by comparison with past editions, when there were only 24 contestants competing in the semi-finals. Rumors tell that in this new reality show, we are going to see more of the off-stage interaction of the contestants. This means that the broadcast time will be probably increased compared to previous years. It’s interesting how Idol Watchers will receive the new format. In case they might not be true fans of Big Brother, they’ll lose interest in the American Idol and not watch what’s going on in the house on regular basis.

On the contrary, the changes may bring in new watchers, new fans for the Idols to be, and more money from TV commercials, of course. Besides, it is possible that more viewers will be tempted to vote for their favorite contestant.

The group will be winnowed down to 12 finalists, with nine chosen by audience voting and three wild-card singers selected by judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and a previously announced newcomer, singer-songwriter Kara DioGuardi.

In 2008, the American Idol contest was won by David Cook, voted over runner-up american idol David Archuleta.