I am attempting to verify the first season Golden Tickets were given to contestants to illustrate their admission to the Hollywood round of American Idol. I believe this may first have been initiated in season 4, but am unsure. Any information (personal or otherwise) would be very much appreciated.

I remember that at a certain stage (like the top 3 or something) they bring the American Idol contestants to their hometowns and then show it in an episode. At what point in the show do they do this?

American Idol Season 8 is already here. We’ve seen the Arizona auditions in the first day of the premiere, and now we are watching the Kansas auditions, in the second day of the 2009 tv show. The tonight’s auditions are taking place in Kansas City, MO, the home town of one of the last season’s [...]

This is a brief report on the Day 1 auditions for American Idol Season 8, from Phoenix, Arizona. We are going to keep you updated day after day, with all contestants and a few words about them, so you can watch their evolution together with us. These are the first day’s contestants: Tuan Nguyen Weird [...]