American Idol hopefuls face trouble back home

It seems doubtful Terrell and Derrell Brittenum, 28, will make the next round of the top-rated show after their taped Chicago audition drew praise from "American Idol's" panel of judges.
Terrell could not even watch himself on the show that aired on Tuesday because he was sitting in the Shelby County jail, where he has been held on charges of forgery and theft by deception since January 10, Shelby County Sheriff's spokesman Steve Shular said.
"Unfortunately, he didn't have access to the (jail) television at the time," Shular said.
The twins' mother called police to say Derrell would turn himself in, but he had yet to do so and was being sought by authorities, Shular said.
The charges relate to the purchase of a car in June in Rockdale County, Georgia, where the brothers are suspected of using another man's identity.
A spokesman for the television show would not comment on the "personal lives of their contestants," or on future episodes. Early episodes focus on tryouts around the country to select semifinalists who come to Hollywood to compete in weekly elimination rounds. The winner gets a shot at fame and a recording contract.
More than 35 million viewers watched the two-hour debut

'American Idol' returns to record season debut

The two-hour debut of Season 5 on Tuesday, featuring celebrity judge Simon Cowell viciously critiquing aspiring pop stars auditioning in Chicago, averaged 35.5 million viewers, according to preliminary figures.
Early episodes of the show focus on tryouts around the country to select semifinalists who come to Hollywood, where they compete in weekly elimination rounds for a shot at fame and a recording contract.
Cowell was at his brutal best on Tuesday, comparing one woman's voice to the sound of screeching cats and urging a male contestant to shave off his beard, put on a dress and become a female impersonator.
Except for ABC's telecast of the Rose Bowl college football championship earlier this month, which drew 35.6 million viewers, the return of "Idol" ranked as the most watched U.S. television program so far during the 2005-2006 season, Nielsen said.
In addition to surpassing the first four "Idol" premieres in total audience, the start of the fifth edition was the show's most highly rated season opener among viewers aged 18 to 49, the demographic most prized by advertisers.