When Ryan comes back out, Carrie shrinks away. “Is one of us about to go home?” she asks in mock fear. “It sure feels like it.” Instead, Ryan introduces four other Idols, then takes a long pause, and adds, “And the very first American Idol — Kelly Clarkson.” It’s the first time all seven Idol winners have been on the same stage at the same time. “There are all of ... MORE

David Cook, who’ll launch his tour Friday in Tallahassee, takes to a stool at the front of the stage and sings Light On, backed by the four members of his band playing acoustic instruments. After he finishes, he says: “Hold on –- it gets better. I’m opening for somebody.”

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A quick run back through the contestants' performances shows that Fake Simon has pegged it: This contest comes down to Alayna Rivera, who sang Respect, and Mark Ellis, who did Superstition. The host makes each contestant step forward. Joel Van Wie and Angela Martin move up, then must take a seat at the side of the stage. Then he calls Alayna's name. Has something gone horribly ... MORE

Mark Ellis, a PA and lighting system designer from Pensacola, Fla., has the final spot, and he's picked Stevie Wonder's Superstition. His decent vocal is done in somewhat by a white-boy dance, but his singing is strong even on the growls. Fake Randy acts surprised. "I did not expect that," he says. "You were channeling Taylor Hicks for a minute." Fake Paula refers to Mark as a ... MORE

Angela Martin's a drama teacher from North Carolina who chooses to sing Heart's Alone. Angela's got good dynamics but serious pitch problems. She's all over the place and shrieky when she reaches for -- and misses -- the highest note. She wouldn't have made it past the judges in an audition show. Fake Randy notes her pitchiness -- "Sharp to flat, sharp to flat." Fake Paula notes ... MORE

Before Wisconsin's Joel Van Wie performs, we see a video segment on the audition process -- which replicates, in condensed form, the regular auditions: first an a cappella performance, which weeds out most hopefuls; then a shot in front of a "producer"; if that goes well, the contestants get several minutes in a lounge to get familiar with their arrangement and have some time with ... MORE

Tonight, Orlando native Alayna Rivera will be singing in front of her favorite Idol, Jordin Sparks. Jordin has previously taped advice for the contestants, and that runs on the big screen at the back of the stage. Alayna gets Syesha Mercado, Fantasia, Melinda Doolittle and several other Idols to their feet with her version of Aretha Franklin's Respect. She sounds a little thin at ... MORE

Caleb Bank, an 18-year-old student from the University of North Alabama, gets one of the prime spots on the real Idol -- but maybe it won't serve him so well with a captive voting audience. He chooses Michael Bublé's Sway....

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In addition to a couple dozen Idols, comedian Steve Harvey is in the audience, along with a hundred high-school students from across the country selected to join this year's Disney Dreamers Academy. The evening begins with an introduction from American...

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Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood and Season 7 winner David Cook are going to duet tonight on Fleetwood Mac’s Go Your Own Way. “I’m going to try to keep up with her,” Cook jokes. His Declaration tour starts Friday night...

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Season 6’s Phil Stacey didn’t like the singoffs Wednesday night. “They’re having to duel with each other. There were people in my season that would have said, ‘I’m not doing this,’ and walked out. I think there were some people...

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On the carpet, Jason Castro was upbeat about brother Michael’s ouster in Hollywood. “He’s told me he’s already got his audition song picked out for next year.” They talked about pitfalls during Hollywood Week. “He’d never sung before with a...

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On the carpet, Season 7’s Carly Smithson is quick to say “No” when she’s asked if she has a comment about Joanna Pacitti being dropped from Idol after being announced Wednesday night as part of the top 36. “Everybody’s asking...

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Season 5’s Mandisa, looking svelte, is wearing a House of Dereon outfit. “It’s Beyonce’s line,” Mandisa says. “She makes clothes for girls with curves, and I’ve got them.” She’s lost 70 pounds and hopes to have lost 100 by the...

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The partnership between American Idol and Disney is doubly good for Josh Gracin. "i'm signed to Lyric Street Records, which is owned by Disney," he says. "Now I get to come down here and welcome Idol. I'm really celebrating two...

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Season 1 runner-up Justin Guarini was the first Idol down the carpet, wearing ostrich boots that John Rich gave him on CMT’s Gone Country 3. Did he have any idea when he auditioned for Idol that it’d turn out this...

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Inside the Superstar Television Theater, the American Idol Experience set is a near ringer for the real deal. "I was lucky and got a record deal--it still made me nervous," says Bucky Covington. One major difference--no stairs at the edge...

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It's 4:30 and the Idol motorcade is about to start. The crowd has been gathering for more than an hour, chanting "I've got the music in me," "Fox 2! Fox 2!" for a local TV station. Diana DeGarmo says all...

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I'm getting ready to go to the front of Walt Disney World's Superstar Television Theater and claim my spot on the red carpet -- actually the carpet is a rich shade of American Idol blue -- for the grand opening of The American Idol Experience. I'd heard all along that tonight's event would attract most of the Idol winners. Word now, though, is they'll have all seven winners ... MORE

Okay - got a couple of minutes my computer and Internet access. I'll give more details later, but I sang my song, Boot Scootin' Boogie, three times -- once for the "producer," once for the "vocal coach" and once onstage in the theater. Most people making it through to each stage would have had a fourth performance -- the a cappella one at the start.

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I've just finished doing my audition for Walt Disney World's American Idol Experience. In fact, I'm still in the Superstar Theater, posting from my iPhone. I just got the call that the DVD of my audition and my performance is...

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Looks like all the complaints about Joanna Pacitti's relationships with 19 Entertainment execs finally got to the producers of American Idol. The American Idol website has Felicia Barton replacing Joanna in the Final 36. The Fox press release states: "It...

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We have seen the new face of American Idol, and it is a cruel one. The show's producers have always manipulated emotions, drawing out the tension, trying to convince contestants they're going home when, in fact, they're progressing. But tonight's episode showed that the producers can be flat-out mean -- both to the contestants and the viewers.

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Still trying to get my computer back up to speed, so I'm not sure I got everybody -- Kris Allen, Kai Kalama, Jeanine Vailes all get in. So does one other woman. Matt Breitzke and Michael Sarver -- the welder and the oil-rig worker -- will compete for the final spot.

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Jackie Tohn looks like she can barely contain her nervous energy. And when she gets the good news, I swear the woman starts oscillating. But if you think that's crazy, here's Tatiana Del Toro.

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Danny Gokey's in. His friend Jamar is now on the hot seat. Kara says the risks he took in Hollywood Week (like singing Hey There, Delilah) didn't pay off. Danny's going to have to go the rest of the way alone. (I've started to wonder, like one person I talked to, if they didn't keep Jamar around to ensure Danny's continued state of emotional well-being.) The look on Danny's face ... MORE

Shera Lawrence is out. So is Derik Lavers. The mysteriously absent Alison Iraheta is mysteriously absent no more. (So that's at least two singers so far now on their second TV talent competition, right? Alison from Telemundo and Kristen from the USA Network.)

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Thirty people remain -- anybody want to take bets they save Tatiana Del Toro for the end? (Maybe pit her in a sing-off against Nick Mitchell or Nathaniel Marshall?) Felicia Barton gets a split decision -- she's going home. The barely seen Ashley Hollister''s "no" was unanimous, though.

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We're back, and Jenn and Kristen both get strong critiques from the judges before Simon tells Kristen that she's going to be continuing. Then he adds that the other three judges have made the wrong decision (remember -- all three must agree to beat Simon's tie-breaker vote). The decision is easier when it comes to Alexis Grace.

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We start this segment with a string of bad news. T.K. Hash, Reggi Beasley, Chris Chatham -- all get their dreams crushed. Now it's Kendall Beard's turn.

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The woefully under-represented Taylor Vaifanua is up next. Turns out she had a weak group-sing performance, but came back strong by Alicia Keys' If I Ain't Got You. She gives an honest assessment of her time in Hollywood. Randy appreciates that and doesn't mess with her head too much. She's in. So are Jasmine Murray, Arianna Afsar, Casey Carlson, Megan Corkery, Mishavonna Henson ... MORE

Two down, 34 to go. Ryan says the contestants have been told the judges aren't sure about some of them and may make them sing again to secure a spot in the top 36. Cody Sheldon's up first in this segment. Simon asks Cody to sing "whatever is right, and whatever's going to keep you in the competition." Alex Wagner-Trugman is going to be his competition, though neither one knows it ... MORE

We heard there was a final 50 - turns out, it was a final 54. And it looks like at least some of them may have to sing against each other to claim their spot in the top 36 (of course, we've learned that appearances are especially deceiving this season). Everybody's at the "judges' mansion" -- is this where they're going to live this season?

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I'm blogging tonight from my hotel room at Walt Disney World's Polynesian Resort. Disney's new attraction, The American Idol Experience, opens Saturday. Tomorrow, though, is the attraction's big grand opening, which will feature dozens of Idol people -- including at least six of the show's seven winners -- and I plan to blog live from the festivities.

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Some of you had expressed your disappointment last week that Jessica Furney -- the 19-year-old from Wamego, Kansas, who cares for her grandmother and auditioned with Garnet Mimms/Janis Joplin's Cry Baby -- had been eliminated so early during the Hollywood rounds. Jessica and I have been exchanging emails over the past few days, so I thought I'd catch you up with what's she's been ... MORE

Tonight, the four judges trimmed from 72 in an episode told in flashback style. The waiting, as Tom Petty once sang, is the hardest part, and tonight's show began with all the contestants in a waiting room while the judges deliberated and slow picked them apart into four groups. Finally, the producers gave the audience a look at how some of the singers with the most promising ... MORE

So we've got the Sure Things left. We've seen the Sure Things -- Anoop Desai, Scott MacIntyre, Danny Gokey, Jamar Rogers, Jorge Nuñez; Lil Rounds, Kendall Beard, Kristen McNamara, Matt Giraud and Adam Lambert. Not much tension here: They're in. The other batch is less certain and includes a Tatiana Del Toro who is sitting by herself, completely falling apart.

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After nearly three hours, the judges have everybody separated into four rooms. And the people in those four rooms probably have a good idea of their fate, simply by looking at the people they're with.

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More words we've been waiting to hear: "Maybe Norman's done." But Nick just can't let him go. So we get the hammiest version of Georgia on My Mind you could imagine -- though I have to admit, it's done with lots of range, dynamic and control, three qualities that will always impress the judges.

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The judges have been deliberating nearly two hours, and they've decided on another group of 18. I'm not sure they're quite the slam dunks as the first group, but they look like the second half of the Yeses.

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