'American Idol' : Audition and Premiere (2011)

American Idol is a reality television competition to find new solo singing talent. Part of the Idol franchise, it was created by Simon Fuller as a spin-off from the British show Pop Idol. Debuting on June 11, 2002, as American Idol: The Search for a Superstar on the Fox network, the show has since become one of the most popular in the history of American television. As of January 2011 it the most-watched TV series in the Nielsen ratings and is the only program to have been number one for an unprecedented six consecutive seasons, surpassing All in the Family and The Cosby Show, which were both number one for five consecutive seasons.The series employs a panel of judges who critique the contestants' performances.

The original three judges were Grammy Award-winning record producer and music manager Randy Jackson, Grammy Award-winning pop singer and Emmy Award-winning choreographer Paula Abdul and award-winning music executive and music manager Simon Cowell. As of January 2011 the judging panel currently consists of Jackson, singer/actress Jennifer Lopez and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler.The show is hosted by Ryan Seacrest.The show was described by rival TV executives as "the most impactful show in the history of television." It has also become a recognized springboard for launching the career of many artists as bona fide stars. As Entertainment Weekly puts it, "It's given us Kelly, Carrie, Daughtry, and J. Hud. Idol rules the reality roost because the winners of Fox's ratings juggernaut actually do go on to greatness. And Taylor Hicks? He's the exception that proves the rule.

Judges:

The show had originally planned on having four judges following the Pop Idol format, however only three judges had been found by the time of the audition round in the first season, namely Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell.A fourth judge, radio DJ Stryker, was originally chosen but he dropped out citing "image concerns". In the second season, New York radio personality Angie Martinez had been hired as a fourth judge but withdrew only after a few days of auditions due to not being comfortable with giving out deep criticism.The show decided to continue with the three judges format until season 8. All three original judges stayed on the judging panel for eight seasons.

In season eight, Latin Grammy Award-nominated singer–songwriter and record producer Kara DioGuardi was added as a fourth judge. Paula Abdul left the show before season nine after failing to agree terms with the show producers.Emmy Award-winning talk show host Ellen DeGeneres replaced Paula Abdul for that season, but left after just one season. On January 11, 2010, Simon Cowell announced that he was leaving the show to pursue introducing his show The X Factor to the USA for 2011. Kara DioGuardi also left the show on September 3, 2010 after two seasons. On September 22, 2010, it was announced that Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler will join the judging panel.

Guest judges may occasionally be introduced. For example, Donna Summer, Quentin Tarantino and some of the mentors joined as judges to critique the performances in season three final rounds. Guest judges were used in the audition rounds for seasons four and 9. Season four guest judges: Gene Simmons, Brandy Norwood, LL Cool J, Mark McGrath and Kenny Loggins. Season nine guest judges: Victoria Beckham, Mary J. Blige, Kristin Chenoweth, Neil Patrick Harris, Joe Jonas, Avril Lavigne, Katy Perry and Shania Twain.

The first season was presented by Ryan Seacrest and Brian Dunkleman. Dunkleman quit after the first season but would have been fired had he not left, and Ryan Seacrest has presented the show alone since.

Judges

* Randy Jackson
* Paula Abdul (2002–2009)
* Simon Cowell (2002–2010)
* Kara DioGuardi (2009–2010)
* Ellen DeGeneres (2010)
* Jennifer Lopez (2011–present)
* Steven Tyler (2011–present)
Presenters

* Ryan Seacrest
* Brian Dunkleman (2002)

Each season premiers with the audition rounds in different cities where a few hundreds out of many thousands of contestants may be selected by the judges. The audition episodes typically feature a mix of potential finalists, interesting characters and woefully inadequate contestants. Each successful contestant receives a golden ticket to proceed on to the next round in Hollywood. Based on their performances during the Hollywood round, 24 to 36 contestants are selected by the judges to participate in the semifinals. From the semifinal onwards the contestants perform their songs live, with the judges making their critiques after each performance. The contestants are voted for by the viewing public, and the outcome of the public votes is then revealed in the result show typically on the following night. The result show features group performances by the contestants as well as guest performers. The season reaches its climax in a 2-hour result finale show where the winner of the season is revealed.