American Idol (season 7)

American Idol
Season 7
Broadcast from	January 15 – May 21, 2008
Judges	Paula Abdul Simon Cowell Randy Jackson
Host(s)	Ryan Seacrest
Broadcaster	Fox Broadcasting Company
Finals venue	Nokia Theatre Los Angeles
Winner
David Cook
Origin	Blue Springs, Missouri, United States
Song	"The Time of My Life"
Genre(s)	Alternative rock Post-grunge
Runner-up
David Archuleta

The seventh season of American Idol, the annual reality show and singing competition, began on January 15, 2008 and concluded on May 21, 2008. Ryan Seacrest continued to host the show with Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson returning as judges. David Cook was announced the winner of the competition on May 21, 2008, defeating runner-up David Archuleta by a margin of roughly 12 million votes out of over 97 million, which was at that time the highest recorded vote total ever recorded in the show's history. The split was 56% to 44%.

The seventh season was the first season during which neither the winner nor the runner-up was ever in the bottom group during any week before the finale on May 21, 2008. It was also the second season during which both the winner and the runner-up were male contestants, with the second season being the first.

Changes from past seasons

Prior to the start of season 7, Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe admitted that season 6 had placed more focus on the guest mentors than the contestants.^[1] Changes were planned for season 7 designed to return attention to the contestants by providing more information on their backgrounds and families.

A major change for the seventh season was allowing contestants to play musical instruments,^[2][3] an element that originated on Australian Idol and can also be seen on Norway's Idol and Canadian Idol. A brand new set was built, and a new introduction credit sequence created. The season finale also moved from the Kodak Theatre to the larger Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.

Regional auditions

For Season 7, auditions began in San Diego, California on July 30, 2007, and continued in the following cities:^[4]

Contestants were required to be between the ages of 16 and 28 on July 28, 2007, and eligible to work in the United States. Those ineligible include former contestants who had previously reached the semifinal of Season 1 - 3 or the last phase of Hollywood round of Season 4 -6 (top 44 of Season 4 and 5, top 40 of Season 6), those holding recording or management contracts, or those who were not US citizens or landed immigrants (i.e. permanent residents).

One auditioner this year Alexis Cohen gained media attention due to her outraged reaction and profuse profanities after the judges rejected her in the Philadelphia audition.^[20] She also returned in Season 8 to audition in New York and her audition was featured. She was later found dead in a hit-and-run accident.^[21]

Another auditioner who gained some public attention was Renaldo Lapuz who sang his own composition "We're Brothers Forever" which he wrote for Simon Cowell. He was later asked to return to perform in the finale.

Hollywood week

The Hollywood week took place at the Pasadena Civic Center in Pasadena, California, over a period of five days. A total of 164 contestants were invited from the seven audition cities. This year the process was altered slightly to ensure that no talent would be prematurely dismissed. The contestants were allowed two performances before elimination, and the group round was removed.

The first round of individual performance lasted two days. For the first time ever, contestants had the option of either being accompanied by the band or playing an instrument themselves. Some were shown playing the keyboard, guitar, or even the drums. If the judges approved of the contestant's performance, they received a "free pass" to the third and final round of performances, and 48 contestants were given this "free pass". Unlike previous seasons, contestants whose performances not considered good enough were given a second chance in the second round. They lined up on stage in groups of ten and each sang a short segment of a song "a cappella." After each group had finished, the judges cut those they felt not talented enough. Almost 100 were eliminated in this round.

In the final round, all the remaining contestants performed individually a song chosen from a large list of songs provided accompanied by the band and three backup singers. After each performance, the judges decided whether or not to cut the contestant. By the end of the day, only 50 contestants remained. The judges then deliberated further on who should be in the Top 24, and their decision was revealed the next day in the Green Mile episode.

One of the more prominent contestants during the Hollywood week was Josiah Leming whose unhappiness with the backing band resulted in him dismissing the band. He was cut in the Green Mile episode. Another piece of drama involved contestant Kyle Ensley when Simon Cowell voiced strong objection over him not being selected for the semifinals. It was later revealed that his non-selection resulted in serious rift between Simon Cowell and the show producer Nigel Lythgoe.^[22]

Semi-finalists

• Daniel 'Danny' Noriega (born September 29, 1989 in Azusa, California, 18 at the time of the show) auditioned in San Diego. He previously auditioned for Idol in season six and made it to Hollywood week but was cut in the first round. His elimination song was Soft Cell's version of "Tainted Love". Shortly following his elimination, Noriega received an offer from Rosie O'Donnell to perform on her cruise.^[23]
• Luke Menard (29 at the time of the show) auditioned in Omaha with "Bend and Break" by Keane. In Hollywood, he sang "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" by Christopher Cross and "Grace Kelly" by Mika. He auditioned for the sixth season in Memphis and sang "How Deep Is Your Love" but did not make it to Hollywood. Prior to season seven of Idol, he was a member of the a cappella group Chapter 6.
• Robert "Robbie" Carrico (26 at the time of the show) is from Melbourne, Florida, and auditioned for the show in Miami. His professional singing career prior to American Idol includes being a member of the pop group Boyz N Girlz United, which opened for Britney Spears during her "...Baby One More Time Tour" in 1999.^[24][25]
• Jason Yeager^[26] (28 at the time of the show) is from Grand Prairie, Texas, and auditioned in Dallas. He appeared and was a finalist on the first season of Making the Band, the MTV reality show that led to the formation of boy band O-Town.
• Colton Berry (18 at the time of the show) is from Staunton, Virginia. He auditioned in Charleston.
• Garrett Haley (17 at the time of the show) is from Elida, Ohio.^[27] He auditioned in San Diego.
• Asia'h Epperson (19 at the time of the show) is from Joplin, Missouri, and auditioned in Atlanta singing "How Do I Live." Two days before the auditions, her father died in a car accident. Her elimination song was "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" by Whitney Houston.
• Kady Malloy (18 at the time of the show) is from Houston, Texas, and auditioned in Dallas. She became known on the show for her impersonation of Britney Spears and can also impersonate several other artists. Malloy is trained in opera singing. Her elimination song was "Who Wants to Live Forever" by Queen. She has released several songs to her MySpace and shot a video for a cover of "Time After Time" with Colton Berry. Simon's comment after her audition was: "Out of all of the people we have seen during this season you are the best."
• Alaina Whitaker (17 at the time of the show) is from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and auditioned in Dallas. She was a member of the female country group Della Rose along with Andrea Young and Erin James. Before the show, she and her sister won a talent competition in Tulsa. Her group Della Rose was working on their debut album in Nashville before they disbanded. The group has opened up for numerous major country acts including Travis Tritt, and Keith Anderson, who was also known as the groups mentor.
• Alexandréa Lushington (17 at the time of the show) is from Douglasville, Georgia, and auditioned in Atlanta. In 2004, she sang against fellow Idol semi-finalist David Archuleta on an episode of the television show Star Search.^[25]
• Joanne Borgella (25 at the time of the show) was a model from Hoboken, New Jersey, who auditioned in Philadelphia. Before auditioning for Idol, she appeared in and won Mo'Nique's Fat Chance.
• Amy Davis (25 at the time of the show) is professional model from Lowell, Indiana, who auditioned in Dallas.

Semi-finals

Finalists

David Cook David Cook (born December 20, 1982 in Houston, Texas, 24 at the time of the auditions and 25 at the time of the show) is a native of Blue Springs, Missouri who auditioned in Omaha, Nebraska with Bon Jovi's "Livin' On A Prayer". Cook's interest in music began early in life; he received his first guitar at the age of 2.[28] He formed a band while still at high school called Axium which was chosen as the best band in Kansas City in 2004. He later joined Midwest Kings in Tulsa, but left to pursue a solo project where he released an album titled Analog Heart. Prior to Idol he worked as a bartender at the "Blank Slate" in Tulsa, where he would also occasionally play shows. He enjoys doing crossword puzzles in his spare time and calls himself a "word nerd."[28] His Hollywood performance of Bryan Adams's "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" did not impress Simon Cowell but did so with his second performance Edwin McCain's "I'll Be". He wore an orange wristband to support a seven-year-old fan with leukemia from Top 12 week onward. He was never in the "bottom three". On May 21, 2008, he was declared the winner. He was signed to RCA Records and released a self-titled album on November 18, 2008.

David Archuleta David Archuleta (born December 28, 1990 in Miami, Florida, 16 at the time of the auditions and 17 at the time of the show) is from Murray, Utah who auditioned in San Diego with John Mayer's "Waiting on the World to Change". In 2003, at the age of 12, he sang on several episodes of the television show Star Search[25] and went on to win the season finale and the $100,000 grand prize.[29] In one episode, he competed against Alexandréa Lushington, who was a fellow semi-finalist this season. He suffered from vocal paralysis after that show which affected one of his vocal cords. He impressed the judges with his performance of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" and Bryan Adams's "Heaven" during the Hollywood round. He was never in the "bottom three" and finished as the season seven runner-up. He was signed to Jive Records.

Syesha Mercado Syesha Mercado (born January 2, 1987 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, 21 at the time of the show) is from Sarasota, Florida who auditioned in Miami with Aretha Franklin's "Think". She is a student at Florida International University and has been singing and dancing since she was a child. During Hollywood week, she became ill and almost completely lost her voice. In preparation for her final Hollywood performance with Aretha Franklin's "Chain of Fools", she went on voice rest and wrote down everything she had to say on a pad of paper. Prior to American Idol, she appeared on the short-lived US version of Star Academy (known as The One: Making a Music Star when it aired on ABC in July 2006 for two weeks). Kara DioGuardi, who was one of the coaches on the Endemol franchise, joined Idol for season eight.[30] She was voted off as a third-place finisher.

Jason Castro Jason Castro (born March 25, 1987, 20 at the time of the show) Rockwall, Texas auditioned in Dallas with Keith Urban's Once in a Lifetime and Ray LaMontagne's version of Gnarls Barkley's Crazy. He started in music playing the drums. In high school, he played for a band, Keeping Lions, which has since disbanded.[31] In 2006, he appeared on Cheyenne Kimball's MTV reality TV series, as her real-life dating interest. Castro is the first person in his family, which is originally from Colombia, to be born in the United States. He is a student at Texas A&M University, with a construction science major and music minor. He began growing his hair out for dreadlocks during his senior year of high school. He exited the competition in fourth place.

Brooke White Brooke White (born June 2, 1983 in Mesa, Arizona, 24 at time of the show) was a nanny from Van Nuys, California auditioned in Philadelphia with Corinne Bailey Rae's Like a Star. During her audition, she admitted to never having seen an R-rated movie, prompting Cowell to state that the show will "bring her over to the dark side." In 2005, she released an album titled Songs from the Attic under New Millennium Records. She performed Carole King's "Beautiful" on Hollywood week. She finished in fifth place. After the contest, she started her own record label "June Baby Records" with Randy Jackson, and released an album, High Hopes & Heartbreak.

Carly Smithson Carly Smithson (born as Carly Hennessy on September 12, 1983 in Dublin, Ireland, 24 at the time of the show) is a professional singer and bartender/waitress from San Diego, California, where she has been living for the past three years. Smithson previously signed a recording contract with major US label MCA Records and released an album in 2001 entitled Ultimate High under her birth name, Carly Hennessy. The album sold approximately 300 copies in the first three months following its release. Smithson was originally auditioned in Las Vegas during season five, but was dropped from the show due to a problem with her visa. She auditioned in San Diego with Whitney Houston's I'm Every Woman, and performed Leo Sayer's version of "When I Need You" and Heart's version of "Alone" in the Hollywood rounds. She finished sixth in the show.

Kristy Lee Cook Kristy Lee Cook (born January 18, 1984, 24 at the time of the show) is a horse trainer from Selma, Oregon. She sold her prized horse in order to afford the trip to audition in Philadelphia where she auditioned with Amazing Grace, a song she also performed during the Hollywood week. In 2001, she was signed to a major label, Arista Nashville.[25][32] Cook also signed with Britney Spears' production company, and Spears herself was supposed to have a cameo in Cook's first video.[25][32] At the time of signing, she was managed by the former manager of LeAnn Rimes.[25][32]

Michael Johns Michael Johns (October 20, 1978 - August 1, 2014, born as Michael Lee in Perth, Western Australia, aged 29 at the time of the show) auditioned in San Diego with Otis Redding's I've Been Loving You Too Long. He was Australian; he moved to the U.S. from Australia in 1998 and lived in Buckhead, Atlanta for six years, performing at local venues solo and with local band Film. Afterwards, he lived in Los Angeles, California. After recording a demo and traveling to Los Angeles to showcase for a number of labels in 2001, he signed with Maverick Records and formed a rock band called The Rising.[33] Before focusing on his singing career, he was a sportsman, winning a tennis scholarship[34] and playing Australian rules football for the USAFL club Atlanta Kookaburras.[35] During the Hollywood round, he performed The Doors' "Light My Fire" but it was his performance of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody that was one of the highlights of that week. He was eliminated on April 10 and finished in eighth place. Johns died on August 1, 2014, making him the first American Idol finalist to die.[36]

Ramiele Malubay Ramiele Malubay (born September 6, 1987 in Saudi Arabia,[37] 20 at the time of that show) Filipino-American from Miramar, Florida auditioned in Miami with Aretha Franklin's Natural Woman. Prior to auditioning on Idol, she was a nursing student at Broward Community College and worked part-time at a sushi restaurant. She started Polynesian Dancing when she was in the first grade and started singing at the age of twelve. Since the age of 12, Ramiele has sung at various Filipino-American events.[38] She performed Aretha Franklin's "Until You Come Back to Me" and The Kiki Dee Band's "I've Got The Music In Me" at the Hollywood rounds. She was eliminated in ninth place.

Chikezie Chikezie (born Chikezie Eze on September 11, 1985 in Inglewood, California, 22 at the time of that show) is a Nigerian American from Inglewood, California who auditioned in San Diego with Luther Vandross's version of "All the Woman I Need". During the competition, he dropped using his last name because it was so frequently mispronounced ('eh-zee' and not 'EE-zee').[39] He previously auditioned for the show's sixth season, and made it into the Hollywood Round, where he was cut before the top 44. Before auditioning for Idol, he worked as a TSA officer at Los Angeles International Airport.

Amanda Overmyer Amanda Overmyer (born October 26, 1984, 23 at the time of that show) Harley-riding nurse is from Mulberry, Indiana who auditioned in Atlanta with Janis Joplin's Turtle Blues and Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Travelin' Band". She received a nursing degree from Ivy Tech Community College and deals predominantly in respiratory issues. She has been the lead singer of several local hard rock bands, including Steeleto and Ruinaces. A week before the Hollywood week, she was injured in a serious car accident. She performed The Doors' "Light My Fire" at the Hollywood rounds. After the season ended she married her fiancé Casey Taylor.

David Hernandez David Hernandez (born May 31, 1983 in Glendale, Arizona, 24 at the time of that show) is from Glendale, Arizona and auditioned with The Temptations' "Ain't Too Proud to Beg". He was a student at Arizona State University with a major in Broadcast Journalism. He gave up his apartment to move to Hollywood. Until September 30, 2007, Hernandez worked as a male stripper named "Caden" at Dick's Cabaret in Phoenix, Arizona, performing fully nude and giving lap dances to male patrons.[40] This did not prevent him from being on the show.[41][42] He performed Stephen Stills's Love the One You're With on Hollywood week. He was voted off in twelfth place.

Finals

Elimination chart

^Note 1 Due to the Idol Gives Back special airing on the show's regular Wednesday results night, which was April 9. The results show was moved to Thursday, April 10.

Results night performances

During the Hollywood weeks, "Hollywood's Not America" by Ferras played when contestants were eliminated, while "Best Days" by Graham Colton was the elimination song for the semi-finals round. For the finals, season 2 winner Ruben Studdard remade Kenny Loggins' "Celebrate Me Home" as the exit song.

Idol Gives Back

The "Idol Gives Back" initiative returned on April 9 for a second year, with a special start time of 7:30 p.m. ET, running for 150 minutes. Again, proceeds will go to children's charities in Africa and the United States. Unlike "Idol Gives Back 2007" when no finalist was eliminated (and two were eliminated in the following week), Michael Johns was eliminated during "Idol Gives Back 2008."

Controversies

• Season 7 contestant Carly Smithson stirred up controversy due to a prior major label record deal she had with MCA Records. It has been reported that MCA spent over 2 million dollars promoting Smithson's previous album "Ultimate High," which she made under the name Carly Hennessy. The album only sold 378 copies but is now available on iTunes. To further complicate things, Randy Jackson worked for MCA during the same period of time that Smithson was signed. The media noted that several of the other season 7 semi-finalists had previously also had record deals, including Kristy Lee Cook, Brooke White, and Michael Johns (David Cook released an independent solo album and had finished recording a follow-up prior to his audition for the show, but he was never involved with a record label or contract). According to a poll conducted by AOL Television, 63 percent of those polled believed that contestants who have already had record deals should not be contestants on American Idol.^[44] However, Idol rules state that contestants are eligible as long as they are no longer under contract when Idol begins, irrespective of any past contracts.
• David Hernandez was revealed by VotefortheWorst.com to have worked as a stripper in Phoenix, AZ. According to the owner of Dick's Cabaret, David's job included a routine featuring full nudity and performing lap dances for male clientele.^[45]
• On the April 29 show, the five remaining contestants each sang two songs. Diverting from their usual format, due to time constraints, the judges' critiques after each performance were instead to be bundled until after both songs were performed. However, after the first round had finished, host Ryan Seacrest asked for comments, and judge Paula Abdul, in discussing Jason Castro, delivered feedback on his second song before he had performed it. This has led to speculation that the show is scripted or rigged.^[46] The next day, Abdul claimed on Seacrest's radio show that she listened to the performance in rehearsal and in the rushed atmosphere of the show was confused and thought she was supposed to critique both.^[47]

• The presence of David Archuleta's father was a matter of some discussion and he was banned from providing his son with musical input during his song preparation.^[48]

Releases

Albums

Personal/Individual Albums

• Why Wait (Kristy Lee Cook)
• David Archuleta (David Archuleta)
• David Cook (David Cook)
• Solidify (Amanda Overmyer)
• Hold Back My Heart (Michael Johns)
• High Hopes & Heartbreak (Brooke White)
• Christmas from the Heart (David Archuleta)
• Jason Castro (Jason Castro)
• Tear the World Down (Carly Smithson)
• The Other Side of Down (David Archuleta)
• Who I Am (Jason Castro)
• This Loud Morning (David Cook)
• Begin (David Archuleta)
• Till Death Do Us Party (Danny Noriega)
• Digital Vein (David Cook)

Singles

David Cook

• "The Time of My Life"
• "Light On"
• "Come Back to Me"
• "Bar-ba-sol"
• "Permanent"
• "Jumpin' Jack Flash"
• "Don't You (Forget About Me)"
• "The Last Goodbye"
• "Fade into Me"
• "The Last Song I'll Write for You"
• "Laying Me Low"
• "Wait For Me"
• "Criminals"

David Archuleta

• "Crush"
• "A Little Too Not Over You"
• "Touch My Hand"
• "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" ft. Charice
• "Something 'Bout Love"
• "Elevator"
• "Falling Stars"
• "Everything And More"
• "Wait"

Kristy Lee Cook

• "15 Minutes of Shame"

Brooke White

• "Hold Up My Heart"
• "Radio Radio"
• "Double Trouble"
• "Night After Night"

Jason Castro

• "Let's Just Fall In Love Again"

U.S. Nielsen ratings

Season 7 of American Idol overall was the most watched primetime program in the United States for the fourth consecutive year, during the conclusion of the 2007-2008 television season. The Tuesday episode viewership averaged 27.665 million while the Wednesday episode averaged 26.843 million, taking the top 2 spots for the season.^[52] The show helped Fox become the most watched overall television network in the U.S. for the first time in its history (as well as a record first for a non-Big Three major network in American television history), and lead the 18-49 demographic ratings with still-standing largest ever margin since the introduction of the people meter technology in the Nielsen nationwide television tallies during the 1985-1986 television season.^[53]

Contestants who appeared in other talent shows/seasons

• Julie Dubela, who originally auditioned in Miami, but did not advance past through the Hollywood Round, competed in American Juniors and eliminated in the semi-final stage.
• Mishavonna Henson, auditioned in season 7 and got cut during the Hollywood rounds, returned for the eighth season and made it in the top 36.
• Colton Swon, who originally auditioned in Dallas, but he was cut in the last day of Hollywood Week, competed in the fourth season of The Voice with his older brother Zach as The Swon Brothers. They finished third.
• Chris Watson, who originally auditioned in Philadelphia, but was cut in Las Vegas, returned for the twelfth season and made it in the top 40.
• Danny Noriega would later compete on the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race as Adore Delano in 2014 where he was runner-up. In 2016, Danny returned for the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars where he quit the competition in the second episode placing him ninth overall.

Deaths

Michael Johns

Finalist Michael Johns died in Tustin, California on 1 August 2014.^[73][74] On 18 November 2014, the coroner reported that Johns had died of dilated cardiomyopathy, which inhibited the flow of blood to his body and also caused his heart to enlarge.^[75] A fatty liver also contributed to his death.^[76]

Joanne Borgella

In October 2013, Semi-Finalist Joanne Borgella posted a video stating she had been diagnosed with cancer.^[77] She said she was suffering from severe headaches and, upon going to the emergency room to determine the cause of those headaches, discovered that cancer had spread to her brain. Borgella died early on October 18, 2014, at age 32.^[78]

See also

• American Idols LIVE! Tour 2008

References

External links

• Official American Idol Contestants Website
• American Idol (Season 7) on IMDb
• American Idol (Season 7) at TV.com