American Idols Live Tickets

Idols in Teen Choice 2008
American Idol will be well represented in the upcoming Teen Choice 2008 airing Monday, August 4 at 8/7c on FOX.  American Idol Winner David Cook along with runner-up David Archuleta, Season 6 Winner Jordin Sparks and Season 5 runner-up Katharine McPhee will be presenting awards in this year's special. Find out more about Teen Choice 2008.

Josh, Bucky & Phil Sing Disney
Nashville, TN- Country music’s biggest stars including three Idol finalists have assembled for the upcoming Country Sings Disney project, in stores Tuesday, July 8. The fifteen song collection features classic and contemporary Disney tracks performed by today’s favorite country stars, including former Idols, Bucky Covington, Josh Gracin, and Phil Stacey. Bucky Covington sings "You'll Be In My Heart" and Phil Stacey performs "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" while Josh Gracin sings "When I See An Elephant Fly." Take another look at Bucky's Transformation Gallery!

Catching Up With Ramiele
Once Ramiele Malubay was chosen as one of the top 24 contestants in season 7 of American Idol, life for her has been anything but dull. After competing for five weeks knowing that she would be on tour during the summer, Ramiele stayed in L.A. This worked out well for her, as rehearsals for the finale and the tour began in earnest before the season even ended. Life in the Idol world is always fast paced.  As soon as the finale ended, rehearsals really kicked up and then the top 10 Idols were on the road, touring America from coast to coast.  Lucikly for us, Ramiele took some time out of her busy schedule while she was in Newark to share some thoughts about the past year. Ramiele has had a great experience on the road and she notes that "every city is different. We try to get off the bus, put our stuff inside and go and sign autographs before we have hair and makeup done and do press and whatnot."  Later, she followed up, "I really didn't come into this with any expectations.  I just love getting off the bus in other cities. I love waking up in different cities." While it sounds glamorous and exciting, being on the road can be somewhat exhausting.  Ramiele, though, exclaims, "It's less exhausitng then the show."  Without having to stoiclly receive feedback from the judges after every performance, she confirms there's just less stress. This is how Ramiele describes a typical day on the road for her: "Usually, after a show, if we have a show the next day, we'll travel to the next city and it will be, like, a four or five hour drive.  We get out of the bus, take all of our stuff out, go and sleep for a couple hours, get ready, get all of our stuff back, get our hair and makeup done, meet the sponsors, perform, meet people after the show and, then, we go sign autographs outside and, then, we go and do the same thing all over again." Whew. "All of us have gotten it down to a routine schedule.  We're working on getting things done quicker.  You know, like hair and makeup because there are five girsl and four of the girls are in the first set, so it's hard to get everybody done, but we're doing really well." Being on tour is also quite different from being on the show in that she is now regularly performing in front of thousand and thousands of people. Laughing, Ramiele told us what kind of effect this has had on her: "Backstage I freak out a little bit when I look into the audience.  I go second, so when Chikezie is out there, I peek through the little cracks and see how many people are out there.  I kinda freak out a little because there are  so many people.  Then, you go out there and you do the same songs every night. You don't have to learn new words or impress anybody -- you're just being yourself. Putting yourself out there for the people who have been watching you and supporting you." Being away from family and friends for so long can be challenging, but she speaks to them often.  When we spoke to her, Ramiele was missing her dog very much, but, fortunately, her boyfriend was coming into town with her dog for a visit. After the tour, Ramiele hopes to meet with some major studios and will be retuning to the Philippines in December to do a few concerts. Visit our Tour section to find out where you can see Ramiele and nine other Idolsi n concert this summer, see Fan Photos and Fan Reviews..

Kara DioGuardi Announced As Fourth Judge
Grammy-Nominated songwriter Kara DioGuardi has joined American Idol as a fourth judge.  She will sit alongside Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson at the judges' table and use her background as an award-winning songwriter and producer to praise or critique the wannabe hopefuls throughout the competition.  The eighth season of American Idol premieres January 2009 on FOX. "We are turning the heat up on Idol this year and are thrilled to welcome Kara to the judges' table," said creator and executive producer Simon Fuller.  "She is a smart, sassy lady, and one of America's most successful songwriters.  We know she will bring a new level of energy and excitement to the show." "We had originally intended for American Idol to have four judges," said executive producer Cecile Frot-Coutaz. "We've seen from our international series that having a fourth judge creates a dynamic that benefits both the contestants and the viewers." Mike Darnell, President, alternative Programming of FOX, added, "For the past seven seasons, Paula has had to endure the experience of being the only woman at the judges' table.  She's been as an island of consideration and gentle criticism between Randy and Simon, offering her invaluable expertise as a performer and No. 1 artist to the thousands who have competed on American Idol.  With Kara by her side, Paula finally has some back-up and now there is going to be a lot more 'girl power' on the show." One of the industry's most sought after songwriters and producers, DioGuardi's songs have appeared on more than 100 million records.  Her songs have been recorded by Grammy award-winning artists including Kelly Clarkson, Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani, Celine Dion, Faith Hill, Carrie Underwood, Santana and Pink.  Scores of major recording artists including Britney Spears, Avril Lavigne, Pussycat Dolls, Miley Cyrus, The Jonas Brothers, Natasha Bedingfield, Jewel, Ashley Tisdale, Katharine McPhee, Taylor Hicks, Bo Bice, Clay Aiken, Ashlee Simpson, Hilary Duff, Jessica Simpson, Kylie Minogue, Enrique Iglesias, Nick Lachey and Marc Anthony have also released DioGuardi's songs.  Over the last four years, she has been awarded 10 BMI Pop Awards for having written the most performed songs on radio.  From her catalog of several hundred songs, over 264 have been released on major labels worldwide; and over 165 have appeared on multi-platinum selling albums.  DioGuardi co-owns Arthous Entertainment, where she develops and mentors fellow hit writers, producers and artists. Watch our interview with Kara. 

Exclusive Interview With Ace On Debut CD
Americanidol.com caught up with Ace Young in New York City in a stretch limo as he set off for Connecticut to do the CD release party at the Mohegan Sun Casino. Ace’s self-titled debut album Ace Young which hit stores today has already received rave reviews from Billboard.com which praised its “sleekly funky soundscapes.” Understandably, Ace was enthusiastic about the release of Ace Young. “It’s a dream come true to be able to say my album is in stores and available when I created it the way I wanted to and partnered with a guy as amazing as Desmond Child.” With a career spanning three decades and amazing diversity from KISS to Kelly Clarkson, Desmond Child is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame. We asked Ace what it was like to work with such a legend. “In the beginning, it was like going to songwriting camp because he’s written for his whole life. As far as myself, I’ve been writing since I was nine years old but I haven’t written “Dude Looks Like A Lady” or “Living On A Prayer”, “Crazy,” for Aerosmith. So I was quiet in the beginning and just took it all in." But quickly Ace felt comfortable with the collaboration. "It was nice to know that I was a big part of it because Desmond couldn’t steer the song the right way without me, and at the same point, both of us coming together made it really what the album is, which is a cross between the rock and the indie influences which have created me musically.” The debut album stands out partly for the number of original songs written specifically for it. We asked Ace about the collaborative process. “I wrote with Desmond Child, Andreas Carlson, Kellie Ingstrum and Diane Warren even wrote a ballad on the album called, “You Redeem Me.” She wrote it specifically for  the album. She had it on hold on for Lenny Kravitz and when I heard it I said, “Can I cut it to see how it sounds?” She was totally open to the idea and once we recorded it, it brought the whole song to life.” Which of course means that should Lenny Kravitz now choose to perform the song, he will be doing an “Ace cover.” Another fascinating element of the album is the amount of travel both here in the States and abroad in Sweden that went into its recording. As Ace explained, “I covered the whole country and it’s something you hear on the album. It goes through R&B, Indie and Rock. The only thing that keeps the album consistent is me.” Also interesting are the personal elements in the album. Ace explained that “Addicted” was written about his oldest brother’s drug addiction. “Every song has a deeper meaning.” Ace also told us how his acting performance on the TV show “Bones” evolved from what was intended to be just a background figure in the crowd to being a full guest star. “I hung out with the producers and they asked if I could sing a song like this... and I said, 'sure.' And then they asked if I could say a certain line angry, and I said 'sure.' And then they said, ‘How’d you like to be a guest star on the show?’ And I said, “Well, it’s Bones, so long as you show me dead.” The producers clearly agreed because in the end, Ace was portrayed decapitated with one eye hanging out. “My nephews were so scared, they called me to see if I was okay.” In addition to his musical career, Ace plans to continue pursuing acting opportunities in the future. Finally, recalling the roots of his fame, Ace offered advice to American Idol auditioners who begin this week in San Francisco, “Pick a song you’re very comfortable with, do your best, and be aware that your whole life can change within a year’s time.” Hopefully Ace’s success on Idol and now with his debut CD will inspire those who are setting out on their journeys. Take a look at the amazing transformation Ace experienced back in Season 5!

Phil Stacey Releases "Old Glory" to Radio
Just in time for the 4th of July holiday, Phil Stacey is releasing his patriotic song “Old Glory” to country radio. Written while he was still serving active in the US Navy, Phil has widely sung “Old Glory” in public, including, recently, at the Grand Ole Opry. “The song always gets a great reaction and we’ve fielded a lot of calls from our friends in radio asking where they can get the song,” says Lyric Street VP Promotion Kevin Herring. “I’m proud to have the chance to record this song,” says Phil. “I wrote it several years ago while I was still in the Navy and it means a lot to get to share it with all the country music fans to honor our service members.”  Phil Stacey earned the admiration of millions as a finalist on American Idol. He wowed us with his unforgettable performance of “Blaze of Glory” as well as such country hits as “Where The Sidewalk Ends” and “I Need You.” americanidol.com caught up with Phil last summer when he was touring and had just released the single, “If You Didn’t Love Me.” Check out what he had to say!