Idol Eliminates 4 Contestants

Television's top-rated show tallied viewers' votes and scratched off the bottom two of each sex — Becky O'Donohue, Stevie Scott, Bobby Bennett and Patrick Hall.
Judge Paula Abdul's eyes brimmed with tears when O'Donohue, 25, got the cut after receiving the lowest number of votes. The New York native, who sang "Because the Night," made other news this week when Maxim released some sexy photos of her and her twin sister, Jessie, it had taken a couple of years ago.

American Idol Top 12 Girls

The biggest surprises of the Top 12 girls American Idol performance show probably came from the judges. When Ryan Seacrest asked Simon Cowell how he is handling the criticism, Simon snapped back “I haven’t had any.” Randy Jackson also showed nerve by proclaiming “I believe in the boys this year” right before the girls took the stage. Perhaps, the biggest surprise though is Paula Abdul, who has actually learned how to make critical comments.

American Idol Top 12 Boys

Is it too early to predict who the final four American Idol boys will be in the competition? If tonight was any indication, Taylor Hicks, Chris Daughtry, Elliott Yamin, and Ace Young should definitely be on their way to the final four. These four all delivered stellar performances.

'American Idol' constestant strikes sexy poses for Maxim

The aspiring singer is featured alongside her twin sister, Jessie, in a series of sexy photos on the Maxim magazine website.
The 25-year-old twins pose in bikinis, unbuttoned baseball jerseys, and glistening with sweat in a sauna-like setting, wearing only towels.
The photos were taken two years ago for the magazine's online fantasy baseball game, said Jordan Burchette, executive editor of Maxim Online. The images "found new life" when O'Donohue became an Idol contestant, Burchette said.
"There's all kind of new buzz surrounding them," he said.
When the twins posed for the pictures, they were models for hire.
"They were athletes in college, then models, and now they're vocalists," Burchette said. "We look forward to their political careers."
A spokeswoman for Fox, which airs American Idol, had no comment.

Idol Goes for Gold

The success of "American Idol" against the Winter Olympics may be surprising to some, but not to Simon Cowell."American Idol" stomped the Olympics twice last week, beating them in the adults 18-49 demographic and setting up for "Idol" to roll over them again three times next week.For Cowell, the wins are explained by simple arithmetic. Fewer medals for American teams, less interest for American fans."The U.S. and the U.K. are in the same boat this year ... We're not interested in Swiss people winning things, genuine or not," Cowell said of TV viewers, displaying the same direct honesty that won him millions of fans on "American Idol."The 46-year-old record executive-turned-TV star spent Thursday in New York City, doing interviews. On Friday morning, he co-hosted "Live with Regis and Kelly" with Kelly Ripa.Five years in, "American Idol" is stronger than ever. Cowell credits this in part to a shift in emphasis toward more non-traditional finalists this time around, people who have talent but also may not look like the typical American Idol."We tried to put in 12 who under normal circumstances wouldn't get a record deal," Cowell said. He said that this year, some of the finalists are "the underdogs as well as the obvious talent."And this time around, he can argue for seven or eight of them who have a legitimate shot of winning it all this spring."I think it's a better show this year," Cowell said.Yet it's also a cruel show, something which Cowell doesn't make any apologies for: The music industry is cruel. He estimates that 500,000 people have gone on stage during the show's run. Only two of them -- Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood -- have a legitimate chance of staying power in the music industry, he said.

Columbia native taking center stage on "American Idol"

A Columbia native is living her dream. 28-year-old Kinnik Sky is one of 24 finalists on the show "American Idol," and her family couldn't be more excited.
Kinnik's mom, Jean Moore, is fully behind her daughter, "She's so talented, I know something would come of her gifts and now she can share her gifts with the world. It's very exciting."
Exciting because, out of thousands that tried out, Kinnik is one of 24 who made it on the show.
Moore tells News 10 about the process, "She told me she was going to audition and I said, 'Good, good.' And then she called and said she made it and I said, 'Oh, what?!?!'"
Roderick Favor is Kinnik's brother and another witness to her ambition, "This is what she has always dreamed of in middle school, back then there wasn't an "American Idol," but now this is what she worked for."
Kinnik grew up in Columbia, the youngest of three kids. Roderick describes her as a triple threat, a talented singer, songwriter, and actress.
Now, she has to prove it to the rest of the country. Kinnik's brother is rooting for her, "This is the only time I'm nervous, not because I don't think she is good enough; I just know the intensity."
Kinnik will be judged by the show's audience Tuesday night, to see if she will go on the next level.
And Kinnik can count on the support of her family, including her brother, who says, "If they're looking for a talented American Idol, then the next American Idol will be Kinnik Sky."

Top 12 American Idol

Who will make the Top 12 of American Idol 5? While it might seem early to make a prediction, several favorites have already emerged among the media, the fans, and the judges. In previous years, the contestants who have gotten the most early screen time have often held an advantage in making the Top 12, and this year should be no different.

Bets on American Idol

Online bookies are figuring that Ace Young or Katharine McPhee are the best bets to win "American Idol."
PinnacleSports.com picks Young as their favorite with McPhee right behind.
A British bookie says McPhee and Paris Bennett both have the best chances to win. He doesn't pick Young for a high finish at all.
The semifinals will start with the 12 women singers. The guys follow on Wednesday and two from each group will get the boot on Thursday.

Only 3 Idols Have a Chance

"American Idol" gets down to serious business with two-hour episodes tonight and tomorrow (8 to 10 on Fox) featuring the 24 finalists who emerged from the seemingly endless auditions.
No finalists are from Kentuckiana. Almost half are from the South. Nearly half come from three states: North Carolina and California each have four hopefuls, and three are from New York.
And of all of them, "only three have a chance at making it in the music business," "Idol" judge Simon Cowell told USA Today.
"You're not going to find 12 amazing singers," he said in an interview with the New York Post.
He does expect this group to act up more than any "Idol" bunch so far, however, which should give him plenty of shots at putting them down.