American Idol first debuted on American television under the name of American Idol: The Search for a Superstar. It is part of an Idol series which started in the United Kingdom as Pop Idol, and now has versions all over the globe including Australian Idol and Singapore Idol. All shows run under a similar basic format and operate as talent shows meant to find the best undiscovered talent in each country. Although founded as a singing competition, American Idol has grown into a massive marketing machine that is driven by sponsors who pay a million dollars for a 30 second commercial during run time. Product placement is another key moneymaker for American Idol; you'll often see contestants drinking of Coca-Cola plastic cups or lounging backstage in the Coca-Cola Red Room, complete with a red leather Coca-Cola couch.



American Idol is shown on the Fox network in the United States and managed by 19 Entertainment. Initially shopped around and rejected by many other networks, American Idol has found its permanent home and has become a huge hit for Fox, partly due to the presence of judge Simon Cowell. The acid-tongued Brit, Simon Cowell, was initially a judge on Britain's Pop Idol, and has since become an American household name due to his blunt and searing critiques of many of the American Idol contestants. Simon Cowell has since produced American Inventor and the latest television talent competition, America's Got Talent.

The success of American Idol is irrefutable, having won the top spot on Neilson Ratings for the last 4 years and earning a larger viewership than the Olympics, The Grammy Awards and the NBA Playoffs.

American Idol is hosted by the affable Ryan Seacrest who we first meet during the audition process. The talent competition holds auditions in several US cities including LA, Memphis. Salt Lake City and Boston, where associate judges weed through thousand of Idol hopefuls in booths and tents in arena parking lots.

If a contestant has what it takes to entertain American television audiences, then he or she is passed through to Directors Nigel Lythgoe and Simon Fuller. If the contestants impress either or both of these two men, the contestant is then able to reach the highest stage of judging -- meeting Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson. Once the contestant performs a song or two for Simon, Paula and Randy, the final judgment on whether they will advance to Hollywood is given. Each contestant needs two out of three votes, and if the vote is in the contestant's favor, he or she gets the famous yellow ticket and is sent to Hollywood for a week of exhausting performances and tough judging. At the end of Hollywood week, the top 24 have evolved and usually represent a diverse group of males and females of all races and musical genres.

There are several criteria one must meet in order to try out for Idol. All audition hopefuls must be between the ages of 16-29 years of age and not have a recording contract or talent representation. Release forms must be signed by all in order to enable American Idol to use your voice or image during any part of its broadcasts.