Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi, Ryan Seacrest, Ellen DeGeneres and Simon Cowell
The top 24 is coming in pieces this year.
Instead of announcing the complete group of semifinalists on Wednesday's show, American Idol will reveal some of the chosen few in a two-hour episode Tuesday.
Catch up on Idol with our recaps
After the remaining ...
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Simon Cowell
American Idol has just begun and already one contestant has been booted for bad behavior.
Kirkland, Wash., native Danielle Hayes received a golden ticket to Hollywood Week after her performance of "I'm the Only One" wowed judges Simon Cowell and Kara DioGuardi in...
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Danny Gokey
Change is good for American Idol, according to Danny Gokey. While many fans are dreading Simon Cowell's impending exit, the Season 8 third-place finisher tells TVGuide.com that playing musical judging chairs is necessary for the aging Fox juggernaut. "I think in order for Idol to stay alive, they need to reinvent the wheel," he says. "He is irreplaceable, and when you bring someone new on, you don't want them to copycat exactly what Simon did. But you should let their qualities take over and start fresh." Gokey, who will release his debut album, My Best Days, on March 2, already has some people in mind to take Cowell's seat. Find out who he'd nominate for the judges' table, how he hopes to give back through his organization, Sophia's Heart Foundation, and more.
TVGuide.com: Have you been watching Idol?
Gokey: A little bit. I've been on the road ...
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General Larry Platt
He didn't get a ticket to Hollywood, but General Larry Platt got something better: viral fame.
The 62-year-old veteran from Georgia stole the show on Wednesday's American Idol with his rollicking anti-low-rise jeans anthem, "Pants on the Ground."
Sample lyric: "Pants on the ground, pants on the ground, lookin' like a fool with your pants on the ground / with the gold in your mouth, hat turned sideways, pants hit the ground"
Click here to watch Platt's audition
"I have a horrible feeling ...
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Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell is leaving American Idol after its ninth season concludes in May, he announced Monday.
Cowell, one of the three original Idol judges, will launch an American version of the British show The X-Factor, which will air on Fox beginning in the fall of 2011, he announced at the Television Critics Association winter tour in Pasadena, Calif.
Simon Cowell will leave American Idol, his brother says
"Where we have come to and what we've agreed is that X-Factor will launch in America in 2011, with me judging the show and executive producing the show," said Cowell...
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