The contestants were singing country music this time, and their performance was somehow unexpected for some of them. If we only think at Anoop Desai who was almost about to go home last week, because of his poor performance singing “Beat It” by Michael Jackson, this night he was much better. Simon appreciated his evolution, so he’s probably safe through this stage of the competition. Anoop sang “You are always on my mind”, of Willie Nelson.

The recent widower Danny Gokey sang “Jesus Takes the Wheel” of Carrie Underwood’s, in an original manner. Danny is good, but he’s just exaggerating a bit towards the end of the performance.

Megan Joy Corkrey was touching in her original variant of Patsy Cline’s “Walkin’ After Midnight” and she’s probably not going to be eliminated this week.

Then we saw Matt Giraud singing “So Small” by Carrie Underwood. He surely is good, he stands good chances to become the next American Idol for Season 8.

Allison Iraheta sang “Blame it On your Heart” by Patty Loveless, in a mature way. Judges liked her performance.

Kris Allen opted for Garth Brooks’ “To Make You Feel My Love”, making it his own version in a nice way.

Who is going to go home from AI 2009 contest after the March 17th performance? We will know it very soon.

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.

These are the contestants we’ve seen tonight in Kansas City. Out of them, 26 got their ticket to Hollywood.

Chelsea Marquardt

Her voice sounded strange, despite the fact that she looked pretty on the stage. When Simon Cowell compared her to a cat jumping off the Empire State building and making her last noises as she goes down, we knew it was the end for Chelsea. She’s got a NO.

Ashley Anderson

Ashley’s song was “Footsteps in the Sand” by Leona Lewis. Unfortunately, she misses some of the lyrics, fact punished by Simon Cowell, who’s the writer of this song. Her good voice singing a Sara Bareilles song, finally convinced the judges to give her a ticket for Hollywood.

Casey Carlson

She sang “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton. Not incredibly good, but not bad either, she passes on to the next stage of the American Idol 2009.

Brian Hetter

His song was “Think” of Aretha Franklin’s. His voice is horrible, and he makes a fool of himself by exaggerating the way he moves. His outfit was incredibly hilarious, so it is possible that people remember him for a long time, but not for his musical performance.

James Michael Avance

“When you say nothing at all” was his song, but he’d better remained silent, as his voice did not convince anyone of his musical talent.

Von Smith

The song he’s chosen was “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”. Randy, Simon, Paula and Kara liked him and gave him the ticket to Hollywood.

Michael Castro

Michael is singing “In Love With a Girl”, of Gavin DeGraw’s. The judges give him the ticket. I don’t know if his family relationship with Jason Castro had a big contribution to this decision, but here’s Michael, good to go to Hollywood.

Vaughn English

He doesn’t make it, the judges sent him home quickly.

Matt Breitzke

Married with children, Matt manages to go to Hollywood, despite the fact that Randy is not very fond of his musical skills. He was singing “Ain’t No Sunshine”.

Jasmine Joseph

“Somewhere Over the Rainbow”, but she doesn’t make it further. All judges agree to send her home.

Jessica Paige Furney

Jessica ‘s choice of song is “Cry Baby” of Janis Joplin. She lives with her very old grandma, a bit deaf, and popping pills, and she was celebrating her 20th birthday on the audition day. Her present was the ticket to Hollywood. She deserved it, as she has a good voice. I think she has potential to win the Idol in 2009.

Asia and India McClain

India made it to Hollywood, while Asia didn’t. I was not too impressed by India either, so I think she’s going to leave the show rather early.

Jamar Rogers

“California Dreamin’”, sang in a very strange way, in my opinion, earned him the ticket. His voice was not bad.

Danny Gokey

Fresh widower, as his wife passed away just a few months ago, Danny is a music teacher. Singing “How to Save a Life”, he earned his ticket, as all four judges liked him.

Anoop Desai

Looking awfully, he features a good voice, and that makes the judges say YES.

Andrew Lang

Singing “My Girl”, Andrew came with two cheerleaders, criticized by Simon, and finally he’s being sent back home.

Asa Barnes

He is a band director in a highschool. His song: “The Way You Make Me Feel” by Michael Jackson. He sounds rather nasal, but he gets a ticket to Hollywood.

Michael Nicewonder

His performance was so bad that Simon and Kara made fun of it and let him go back home. He started to cry after the audition.

Dennis Brigham

He enters the stage with a backflip and he tells Simon about a dream he had, featuring Simon and him dancing together. He sings Chris Brown’s “Hey Lil Mama”, and he gets an yellow ticket.

Mia Conley

Minnie Riperton’s “Loving You” is her song. She gets rejected by the judges.

Lil Rounds

The judges loved her and they gave her the ticket to Hollywood. Lil is from Memphis, and her song was a Stevie Wonder one.

This concludes the second day of American Idol 2009, auditions held in Kansas City, MO.
Stay tuned, there’s more to come, as the show has just started.

Here you can find out the announced official schedule of American Idol 2009, to be aired on FOX TV:

• Tuesday, Jan. 13 (8:00-10:00 PM) Season Premiere, Part 1
• Wednesday, Jan. 14 (8:00-10:00 PM) Season Premiere, Part 2
• Tuesday, Jan. 20 (8:00-9:00 PM) Auditions Episode
• Wednesday, Jan. 21 (8:00-9:00 PM) Auditions Episode
• Tuesday, Jan. 27 (8:00-9:00 PM) Auditions Episode
• Wednesday, Jan. 28 (8:00-9:00 PM) Auditions Episode
• Thursday, Jan. 29 (8:00-9:00 PM) Auditions Episode
• Tuesday, Feb. 3 (8:00-9:00 PM) Hollywood Round, Part 1
• Wednesday, Feb. 4 (8:00-9:00 PM) Hollywood Round, Part 2
• Tuesday, Feb. 10 (8:00-9:00 PM) Hollywood Round, Part 3
• Wednesday, Feb. 11 (8:00-10:00 PM)Hollywood Round, Part 4 – Top 36 Semifinalists Announced
• Tuesday, Feb. 17 (8:00-10:00 PM) 12 Semifinalists Perform
• Wednesday, Feb. 18 (8:00-9:00 PM) First LIVE Results Show (ET live/PT tape-delayed) Finalists Advance
• Tuesday, Feb. 24 (8:00-10:00 PM) 12 Semifinalists Perform
• Wednesday, Feb. 25 (8:00-9:00 PM) LIVE Results Show (ET live/PT tape-delayed) 3 Finalists Advance
• Tuesday, March 3 (8:00-10:00 PM) 12 Semifinalists Perform
• Wednesday, March 4 (8:00-9:00 PM) LIVE Results Show (ET live/PT tape-delayed) 3 Finalists Advance
• Thursday, March 5 (8:00-9:00 PM) Wild Card Round – Top 12 Finalists Revealed
• Tuesday, March 10 (8:00-10:00 PM) Top 12 Finalists Perform

This is where the schedule stops for now, but let’s live through March 10th and see who’s in the finale, then we’ll probably know more on how they will be scheduled to compete for the big award.

These are the first day’s contestants:

Tuan Nguyen

Weird and looking pretty much like one of Michael Jackson’s ballet robots, his dance made the audience smile not only once. Although he might have some musical talent, his voice does not always obey his brain, so at times it becomes very hard to listen. If he doesn’t improve some things quickly, he’s not going to make it to the 2009 finale, or at least I guess so.

Emily Wynne-Hughes

She’s good and she has a beautiful and strong voice. Her song, Barracuda, is difficult even for experienced singers, yet she handles it awesomely. Her pop-rock star look, her crazy hair and the scene attitude qualifies her to go on in the show, and I’d say she stands a good chance to be the next American Idol.

Randy, the guitar guy

The first contestant who started to cry in front of the judges. Simon Cowell surely had a great contribution to this. Too bad Randy doesn’t make it, although he didn’t sound really bad.

J.B. Ahfua

Nothing special with Ahfua, a pretty good voice, maybe a bit too high-piched for my taste, but the judges gave him green light.

Michael Gurr

Shy, stressed and extremely nervous, Michael sounds very strange, so he’s not making it further. One of his songs was by Kara DioGuardi, the new judge in the American Idol show. She must have been horrified by the sound.

Will Kunick

“Mad World” by Tears for Fears was his song, but the performance was rather poor, so he needs more practice for the next editions, if he’s determined to compete further on.

D.J. Bradley

This Seattle guy sings Celine Dion in such an original manner that he is off the show.

Aundre Caraway (aka X-Ray)

He is surely original, he has some good scenic movement, but when it comes to singing, there’s a long way to go, so he left the stage with a big NO.

Arrianna Asfar

Her chosen song was “Put Your Records On,” by Corinne Bailey Rae. She sings pretty much OK, so she passes on to the next stage. She’s 16.

This concludes Day 1 of Arizona’s auditions.

Arizona Day 2 Auditions – American Idol 2009

Elijah Scarlett

Elijah is singing “My First, My Last, My Everything”. It was indeed his last, as none of the judges liked his performance.

Leah Marie

Big fan of Kara DioGuardi, all dressed up in pink and full of hopes at her 16 years of age, Leah Marie fails in convincing the judges that she has what it takes to go to Hollywood.

Stevie Wright

Her song was “At Last” by Etta James. I liked the way she performed, and the judges gave her a yes, but with a shroud of a doubt. Time will tell if she’s that good.

Jeremy Sarver

His voice has a very pleasant sound, so the judges are impressed and let him go on in the contest.

Katrina, the Bikini Girl

She is not at all a bad singer, however Kara DioGuardi dislikes her. Despite this, the Bikini Girl gets the ticket through to Hollywood.

Eric Thomas, Sexual Chocolate

Eric doesn’t stand a chance, as his performance is not so good quality to convince the judges.

Brianna Quijada

She’s rather an average singer, yet she manages to get through. I think she’s going to leave the competition pretty soon, as her voice is not as good as others I’ve heard so far in this American Idol season.

Deanna Brown

Her song was “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding, she sang it nicely, so she’s got her ticket.

Cody Shell

His song was “Wonderful World” by James Morrison. He has a good voice and a good show presence, so he is accepted.

Alex Wenger-Troutman

His song: “Baby Come to Me,” by James Ingraham. Judges disagree on his performance, but in the end he gets accepted.

Scott McIntyre

The guy plays classical piano and he’s blind. Despite his blindness, he manages to write songs, dance and sing. His song was “And So it Goes” by Billy Joel. All judges agreed to give him the ticket for Hollywood. I also liked him and I hope to see him in the 2009′s final.

Some of the funniest contestants were “Bikini Girl” and “Sexual Choolate”, but we’ve also noticed Scott McIntyre the blind guy with great voice, Cody Shelton, who was appreciated by all four judges, Emily Wynne-Hughes, the red headed girl from California and Arianna.

Golden tickets awarded tonight in Phoenix, Arizona: 27.

This was mainly the American Idol Season 8 opening. We are coming back to you with photos, videos and more news as the show advances.

Simon Cowell is also involved in the British version of the American Idol, called X-Factor. Indirectly, the UK show is bringing him a very nice, passive income, thanks to one of the show winners, Alexandra Burke, who has been extremely successful with her version of the well-known song Hallelujah.

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.