American Idol 6 (Courtesy Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

The sixth season of American Idol premiered on the Fox Broadcasting Company on January 16, 2007 and ran until May 23, 2007. Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson returned to judge once again, and Ryan Seacrest returned as host. Jordin Sparks won the competition.

Broadcast schedule

Beginning in mid-November 2006, FOX began airing teaser clips of the upcoming sixth season. First a bad contestant was highlighted, with judge Cowell giving his usual horrified grimace, then by early December another began airing, a girl singing "Stormy Weather" as the judges looked on approvingly. Following this, a new commercial began to air, showcasing eventual top 24 contestant Leslie Hunt.

The season premiere began as a two-night, four-hour premiere special on January 16 and January 17. Starting the following week, regularly scheduled hours of the program aired at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Tuesdays and 9 p.m. ET/PT on Wednesdays.

The audition shows were spread over eight episodes, each covering one of the seven cities toured as well as a "Best of the Rest" episode. They aired on January 16 (Minneapolis), 17 (Seattle), 23 (Memphis), 24 (East Rutherford), 30 (Birmingham), 31 (Los Angeles), February 6 (San Antonio), and February 7 ("The Best of the Rest"). Guest judges for that leg of the process included Olivia Newton-John, Carole Bayer Sager and Jewel. The Hollywood round episodes aired on February 13 and February 14. The Top 24 was announced on February 14. Voting rounds began on February 20.

TV Guide Channel brought back a second season of Idol Tonight, the live pre-show to American Idol, which aired on Wednesdays starting in March. The show features former Idol runner-up Justin Guarini as a correspondent along with Kimberly Caldwell and Rosanna Tavarez. Additionally American Idol Extra, a behind-the-scenes show, also returned for a second season, corresponding with the start of the finals in March. It aired Thursdays on Fox Reality.

Early process

Regional auditions phase

Locations

The Auditions were held in the following cities:

• Pasadena, California (billed as the Los Angeles auditions during the broadcast): Rose Bowl - August 6
• San Antonio, Texas: Alamodome - August 11
• East Rutherford, New Jersey (billed as the New York City auditions during the broadcast): Continental Airlines Arena - August 14
• Birmingham, Alabama: Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex - August 21
• Memphis, Tennessee: FedEx Forum - September 3
• Minneapolis, Minnesota: Target Center - September 8
• Seattle, Washington: KeyArena - September 19

Auditioning contestants were required to be between the ages 16 and 28 on August 6, 2006 (born between August 7, 1977 and August 6, 1990).

Structure of auditions

Auditions for the show were held in the seven cities shown above. As reported in The Los Angeles Daily News, the 2006 process was especially difficult: the 10,000 or so contestants waited in long lines, then were herded before two young assistant producers and given roughly 15 seconds to perform one song. At that point the large majority of them were summarily rejected.

Survivors of the first phase were typically seen then by Idol's executive producers, and only if surviving that cut (because they were especially good and fit what Idol was looking for, or especially bad in some novel way) were seen by Cowell, Abdul, and Jackson. The contestants then had one chance to impress the judges by singing a song of their choice a cappella. Then the judges each gave the contestant either a "Yes" or a "No" to continue to the next round. If the contestant received a majority of yeses, the contestant received a "golden ticket" and qualified for the "Hollywood Rounds". If rejected, the contestant returned home.

Many of the people who auditioned had trouble with the double doors, always going towards the wrong door on their way out; this was spoofed by Idol later in the season with "audition footage" featuring Tony Bennett.

Hollywood phase

The so-called "Hollywood" phase of the audition process were held over four days in mid-November 2006 at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles.

The first round consisted of each contestant singing one song a capella of their own choosing in front of the judges and all the other contestants of the same gender. Contestants were then told whether they were moving on or going home, in groups of six. This extended over the first two days, first females, then males.

The second round took place on the second and third day, and consisted of groups of three or four contestants choosing, rehearsing, and then performing one of nine pre-selected songs a capella. Groups were reviewed and contestants were then judged individually as to whether they were moving on or going home.

The third round took place on the fourth day, and consisted of individual contestants performing a song from a pre-selected list, accompanied by a piano and backup singers. Contestants were again informed of whether they had made the cut or not.

Cut down to 24

The final pre-audience voting cut down took place at the Pasadena Civic Center on January 14 or 15, 2007, just before the regional audition shows began airing. Without any further auditioning, but possibly with some audience research having taken place, the 40 remaining contestants were reduced to 24. In a process taking a whole day, contestants wait in a sitting room until one by one, they go up an elevator and take a long walk to the other end of the Center's Gold Room. Then the three judges tell them whether they have made it onto the stage show or are cut.

The show capturing this phase was aired February 14, 2007.

Semi-finalists

The semi-finals began on February 20, with the names announced on February 14. There were three shows each week for the three weeks of the semi-finals. The February 20 through May 16 shows originated from CBS Television City in Hollywood.

There are no format changes from season 4 and 5. The semi-finals featured the contestants (24 total) divided by gender with the 12 male singers singing on Tuesdays and the 12 female singers on Wednesdays. Each person had the chance to select a song to sing live in front of the judges. Following the show's airing, each U.S. timezone would have two hours to vote by phone or by text-messaging. On Thursday, the two of each group with the lowest amount of votes were eliminated each week until the finals.

The 24 semi-finalists, announced February 14, 2007, were:

Females	Males
Amy Krebs	Paul Kim
Nicole Tranquillo	Rudy Cardenas
Alaina Alexander	Nicholas Pedro
Leslie Hunt	AJ Tabaldo
Antonella Barba	Jared Cotter
Sabrina Sloan	Sundance Head
Stephanie Edwards	Brandon Rogers
Gina Glocksen	Chris Sligh
Haley Scarnato	Sanjaya Malakar
Lakisha Jones	Phil Stacey
Melinda Doolittle	Chris Richardson
Jordin Sparks	Blake Lewis

Top 24 semi-finalists

Females

Sabrina Sloan (born October 31, 1979) is a 27-year-old and is originally from Mission Viejo, California but now calls Studio City, CA her home. Sloan toured the United States as part of the Broadway musical Hairspray under her maiden name, Sabrina Scherff. She earned her Bachelor"s degree from Northwestern University in Musical Theatre and Communication Studies. She was later signed to a recording contract with Universal Music Group, as part of a duet with Sundance Head. I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You) (Aretha Franklin) All the Man That I Need (Whitney Houston) Don't Let Go (Love) (En Vogue)- Eliminated March 8, 2007

Antonella Barba (2123) (born February 8, 1987), age 20, auditioned with her best friend Amanda Coluccio and made it to Hollywood. An undergraduate at The Catholic University of America, she is originally from Point Pleasant, New Jersey. She made it to Round 3 with Coluccio and both passed the group round (although their third member, Baylie Brown, did not). Coluccio was eliminated in the cut for the top 40. While Barba appeared on the show, racy photographs of her emerged, including photographs of Barba topless along with other women on a beach. These pictures received mainstream attention including a February 27, 2007 featured article in USA Today, a full segment concerning the controversy on the February 26, 2007 edition of FOX News' The O'Reilly Factor and also on multiple episodes of MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann (as recent as March 2007). Photos of Barba posing in a wet t-shirt in the fountain of the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. also surfaced; however, Barba's friend Coluccio has stated that the sexually explicit photos were fake. I Don't Want to Miss a Thing (Aerosmith) Because You Loved Me (Celine Dion) Put Your Records On (Corinne Bailey Rae)- Eliminated March 8, 2007

Leslie Hunt (73560) (born March 23, 1982), a 25-year-old dog walker from Chicago, Illinois, who was featured in an American Idol commercial before Season 6 started. She is a self-described indie rocker. She suffers from the autoimmune disease lupus. (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman (Aretha Franklin) Feeling Good (Nina Simone and others) - Eliminated March 1, 2007

Alaina Alexander (66442) (born July 21, 1982) auditioned in Los Angeles. She is 24 years old and from West Hollywood, California. Before her American Idol 6 audition, Alexander revealed that after struggling for six years to make it in the music business in Los Angeles she had decided she was not going to sing anymore and had decided to go to college instead. She considered American Idol to be her last chance to pursue a singing career. For her Los Angeles audition, Alexander sang "Feeling Good" by Michael Buble. Brass in Pocket (The Pretenders) Not Ready to Make Nice (Dixie Chicks) - Eliminated March 1, 2007

Nicole Tranquillo (60162) (born August 13, 1985) is 21 years old and from Wernersville, Pennsylvania. She gained a vocal major at the University of the Arts. She auditioned in Memphis. Stay (Chaka Khan) - Eliminated February 22, 2007

Amy Krebs (80984) (born May 2, 1984) is 22 years old and is from Federal Way, Washington. She is fluent in German. She auditioned in Seattle. I Can't Make You Love Me (Bonnie Raitt) - Eliminated February 22, 2007

Males

Jason "Sundance" Head (53540) (born January 22, 1979) auditioned in Memphis and lives in Porter, Texas. He is a 28-year-old and is the son of Roy Head, who had a number-two single with "Treat Her Right" in 1965; the song was second on the charts to The Beatles, which Jason said made his dad dislike them. He sang the classic hit "Stormy Monday." Nights in White Satin (The Moody Blues) Mustang Sally (Wilson Pickett) Jeremy (Pearl Jam) - Eliminated March 8, 2007

Jared Cotter (8067) (born June 17, 1981) is from Kew Gardens, New York (listed as Long Island on the show). He is 25 years old and auditioned in New York City. Cotter played basketball in college, but quit to start his music career. He currently works at FUSE on the show "The Sauce." Back at One (Brian McKnight) Let's Get It On (Marvin Gaye) If You Really Love Me (Stevie Wonder) - Eliminated March 8, 2007

A.J. Tabaldo (66398) (born January 3, 1985) auditioned in Los Angeles and is from Santa Maria, California. He is 22 years old. Tabaldo is half-Filipino and half-Portuguese, and auditioned for American Idol five times. Never Too Much (Luther Vandross) Feeling Good (Nina Simone and others) - Eliminated March 1, 2007

Nicholas Pedro (10377) (born April 24, 1981) is 25 years old. He auditioned in New York and is from Taunton, Massachusetts. Pedro dropped out of the competition last season after forgetting the lyrics of "Buttercup" in Hollywood. This audition, he gave a soulful rendition of "Fly Me To The Moon" which earned him a second chance to fulfill his Idol aspirations. Now and Forever (Richard Marx) Fever (Peggy Lee) - Eliminated March 1, 2007

Rudy Cardenas (59576) (born April 3, 1978) auditioned in Seattle and is from North Hollywood, California. Originally from Venezuela, the 28-year-old is part of a Los Angeles-based band called M-Pact. In his audition, he sang Journey rock classic "Open Arms". Although Simon was unimpressed with his singing, Rudy made it to Hollywood with the support of the other two judges. In Hollywood, he sang "How Deep Is Your Love" together with Chris Sligh, Blake Lewis, and Tom Lowe in group round. The judges were impressed by their vocals. Free Ride (Edgar Winter Group) - Eliminated February 22, 2007

Paul Kim (74201) (born March 26, 1981) auditioned in Los Angeles. He is from Saratoga, California, and attended Monta Vista High School. Kim is 25 years old, and being Korean-American, his motivation for auditioning was to alter the stereotypical Asian image that William Hung gave during the previous seasons. His performance received unanimous praise from the judges as Randy mentioned that Kim has one of the best male vocals he has heard this season. In contrast to their early praise, the judges mentioned when they put him through that Paul made it to the top 24 by "a split decision". He sang barefoot during all of his performances. Careless Whisper (Wham!) - Eliminated February 22, 2007

Top 12 finalists

The 12 finalists were announced on March 8, 2007. As in past years, the top 12 will appear on the annual compilation album while the top 10 will be the participants in the American Idol summer concert tour. Also as in past years, one finalist was eliminated every week, with the exception of the April 25 show, when all contestants were declared safe. As a result, two of the participants were eliminated on the May 2, 2007 results program.

The following is first in reverse chronological order by elimination date, then in alphabetical order by family name, where applicable.

Jordin Brianna Sparks (80066) (born December 22, 1989) is a 17-year-old from Glendale, Arizona who auditioned in Seattle. She was a contestant on America's Most Talented Kid in 2003 and also appeared on the program's Tournament of Champions, on which she sang the Celine Dion ballad "Because You Loved Me" in her auditions. She is the daughter of former NFL defensive back Philippi Sparks. She also performed in the "Christmastime" Tours in 2005 and 2006 for Contemporary Christian singer Michael W. Smith. Give Me One Reason (Tracy Chapman) Reflection (Christina Aguilera) Heartbreaker (Pat Benatar) If We Hold On Together (Diana Ross) I (Who Have Nothing) (Shirley Bassey/Tom Jones; originally recorded by Ben E. King) Hey Baby (No Doubt) On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (Barbra Streisand and many others) Rhythm Is Gonna Get You (Gloria Estefan) A Broken Wing (Martina McBride) You'll Never Walk Alone (from the musical Carousel) Livin' on a Prayer (Bon Jovi) To Love Somebody (Bee Gees) Woman in Love (Barbra Streisand) Wishing on a Star (Rose Royce) She Works Hard for the Money (Donna Summer) I (Who Have Nothing) (Shirley Bassey/Tom Jones; originally recorded by Ben E. King) Fighter (Christina Aguilera) A Broken Wing (Martina McBride) This Is My Now (Jordin Sparks) - Winner May 23, 2007

Blake Colin Lewis (77804) (born July 21, 1981) is a 25-year-old and auditioned in Seattle, and is from Bothell, Washington. He is a former member of the a cappella group KickShaw. Claiming to be the city's beatboxing champion, Lewis sampled a hip hop tune to the judges before rendering Seal's "Crazy". He passed the auditions but Simon commented to him that "you are not as good as you think you are", reminding him not to be cocky and overconfident in the future. Somewhere Only We Know (Keane) Virtual Insanity (Jamiroquai) All Mixed Up (311) You Keep Me Hanging On (The Supremes) Time of the Season (The Zombies) Love Song (The Cure) Mack the Knife (Bobby Darin and many others) I Need to Know (Marc Anthony) When the Stars Go Blue (Tim McGraw) - Bottom 3 April 18, 2007 Imagine (John Lennon) You Give Love a Bad Name (Bon Jovi) You Should Be Dancing (Bee Gees) This Is Where I Came In (Bee Gees) Roxanne (The Police) This Love (Maroon 5) When I Get You Alone (Robin Thicke) You Give Love a Bad Name (Bon Jovi) She Will Be Loved (Maroon 5) This Is My Now (Jordin Sparks) - Runner-Up May 23, 2007

Melinda Doolittle (57073), (born December 1, 1977) age 29, auditioned in Memphis, and is from Brentwood, Tennessee. Despite being a professional back-up singer, she admitted she was still tense and nervous about competing in the show. She auditioned with "For Once in My Life" popularized by Stevie Wonder, and was met with universal praise from the three judges on her vocal ability. The judges did express concern about her nerves and told her to believe in herself. Her elimination the week before the finale had many critics and viewers in shock, and Simon Cowell looked extremely disappointed, as he felt that she deserved to be in the finale for "week to week consistency". She has sung back up for Aaron Neville, CeCe Winans, and Season 3 finalist George Huff. (Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone (Aretha Franklin) My Funny Valentine (Chet Baker and many others; based on Chaka Khan's version on the Waiting to Exhale soundtrack) I'm a Woman (Peggy Lee/Maria Muldaur) Home (Stephanie Mills/Diana Ross) As Long As He Needs Me (Shirley Bassey) Heaven Knows (Donna Summer with Brooklyn Dreams) I Got Rhythm (Ethel Merman and many others) Sway (Dean Martin) Trouble is a Woman (Julie Reeves) There Will Come a Day (Faith Hill) Have a Nice Day (Bon Jovi) Love You Inside Out (Bee Gees) How Can You Mend a Broken Heart? (Bee Gees) I Believe in You and Me (Whitney Houston) Nutbush City Limits (Ike & Tina Turner) I'm a Woman (Peggy Lee/Maria Muldaur) - Eliminated May 16, 2007

LaKisha Ann Jones (8292), (born January 13, 1980) a 27-year-old bank teller who performed "Think" by Aretha Franklin, and is originally from Flint, Michigan. Viewers were first introduced to Jones during the "Best of the Rest" episode. After her audition in New York, LaKisha celebrated with her family and cried tears of happiness with her daughter. She is also the runner up of the Houston show, KPRC Local 2 Gimme the Mike, in 2005. She listed Fort Meade, Maryland as home on her application, and also has a Houston following. And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going (Jennifer Holliday/Jennifer Hudson) Midnight Train to Georgia (Gladys Knight & the Pips) I Have Nothing (Whitney Houston) God Bless the Child (Billie Holiday/Diana Ross) Diamonds Are Forever (Shirley Bassey) Last Dance (Donna Summer) Stormy Weather (Lena Horne and many others) Conga (Gloria Estefan) Jesus, Take the Wheel (Carrie Underwood) - Bottom 2 April 18, 2007 I Believe (Fantasia) This Ain't a Love Song (Bon Jovi) Stayin' Alive (Bee Gees) Run to Me (Bee Gees) - Eliminated May 9, 2007

Christopher Michael Richardson (8963) (born February 19, 1984) is a 23-year-old. He auditioned in New York and is from Chesapeake, Virginia. During Richardson's audition Randy compared him to Justin Timberlake. I Don't Want to Be (Gavin DeGraw) Geek In the Pink (Jason Mraz) Tonight I Wanna Cry (Keith Urban) The Boss (Diana Ross) Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying (Gerry & the Pacemakers) - Bottom 2 March 21, 2007 Don't Speak (No Doubt) Don't Get Around Much Anymore (Duke Ellington and many others) Smooth (Santana & Rob Thomas) - Bottom 3 April 11, 2007 Mayberry (Rascal Flatts) Change the World (Eric Clapton) Wanted Dead or Alive (Bon Jovi) - Eliminated May 2, 2007

Joel Phillip Stacey (51815) (born January 25, 1978) is a 29-year-old and serves in the United States Navy. He auditioned in Memphis and is from Jacksonville, Florida. He missed the birth of his daughter, McKayla, to audition for Idol. He performed two songs before getting through to Hollywood: My Girl and Let's Get It On. I Could Not Ask for More (Edwin McCain) Missing You (John Waite) I Need You (LeAnn Rimes) I'm Gonna Make You Love Me (Dee Dee Warwick/The Supremes & The Temptations) - Bottom 3 March 14, 2007 Tobacco Road (The Nashville Teens) Every Breath You Take (The Police) - Bottom 3 March 28, 2007 Night and Day (Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra, and many others)- Bottom 3 April 4, 2007 Maria Maria (Santana & The Product G&B) - Bottom 2 April 11, 2007 Where the Blacktop Ends (Keith Urban) The Change (Garth Brooks) Blaze of Glory (Jon Bon Jovi) - Eliminated May 2, 2007

Sanjaya Joseph Malakar (80203) (born September 10, 1989) is a 17-year-old. He auditioned in Seattle with his sister Shyamali, singing "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)." He is from Federal Way, Washington, the same town as Amy Krebs. After Sanjaya's audition, Simon commented that he had a better voice than his sister. Both made it to Hollywood, but Sanjaya was shown tearfully embracing his sister when he made it to the top 40 in Hollywood and she was cut. Knocks Me Off My Feet (Stevie Wonder) Steppin' Out With My Baby (Tony Bennett) Waiting on the World to Change (John Mayer) Ain't No Mountain High Enough (Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell/Diana Ross) - Bottom 2 March 14, 2007 You Really Got Me (The Kinks) Bathwater (No Doubt) Cheek to Cheek (Fred Astaire and many others) Bésame Mucho (Consuelo Velázquez/Andy Russell) Something to Talk About (Bonnie Raitt) - Eliminated April 18, 2007

Haley Suzanne Scarnato (50411) (born June 15, 1982) is a 24-year-old former wedding band singer. She sang "I Can't Make You Love Me" by Bonnie Raitt during her audition. She lives in San Antonio, Texas. It's All Coming Back to Me Now (Celine Dion) Queen of the Night (Whitney Houston) If My Heart Had Wings (Faith Hill) Missing You (Diana Ross) Tell Him (The Exciters/Billie Davis) True Colors (Cyndi Lauper) - Bottom 2 March 28, 2007 Ain't Misbehavin' (Fats Waller, Ella Fitzgerald and many others) - Bottom 2 April 4, 2007 Turn the Beat Around (Vicki Sue Robinson/Gloria Estefan) - Eliminated April 11, 2007

Gina Glocksen (53750) (born July 4, 1984) is a 22-year-old, auditioned in Memphis, and is from Naperville, Illinois. She auditioned in Chicago during Season 5 and made it to Hollywood but was cut before the Top 40. All By Myself (Eric Carmen) Alone (Heart) Call Me When You're Sober (Evanescence) Love Child (The Supremes) Paint It, Black (The Rolling Stones) I'll Stand By You (The Pretenders) Smile (Charlie Chaplin and many others) - Eliminated April 4, 2007

Charles Christopher Sligh (24994) (born April 13, 1978) is a 28-year-old, hails from Greenville, South Carolina, and graduated from North Greenville University. He auditioned in Birmingham and sang "Kiss from a Rose" by Seal, after which Paula gave a standing ovation and stated, "I like you very much." Paula, Simon, and Randy laughed at his ambition "to make David Hasselhoff cry" (a nod to the Season 5 finale where David Hasselhoff did, in fact, cry). Typical (Mute Math) Trouble (Ray LaMontagne) Wanna Be Loved (dc Talk) Endless Love (Diana Ross & Lionel Richie) She's Not There (The Zombies) Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic (The Police) - Eliminated March 28, 2007

Stephanie Edwards (52357) (born August 5, 1987) is a 19-year-old and from Savannah, Georgia. She auditioned in Memphis. How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore? (Prince/Alicia Keys) Dangerously in Love (Beyoncé) Sweet Thing (Rufus featuring Chaka Khan) Love Hangover (Diana Ross) You Don't Have to Say You Love Me (Dusty Springfield) - Eliminated March 21, 2007

Brandon Rogers (74191) (born January 9, 1978) is a 29-year-old. He auditioned in Los Angeles and is from North Hollywood, California. Rogers has been a backup singer to established artists, performing on Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera's 2003 Justified and Stripped Tour and Anastacia's 2005 Encore Tour. After hearing his audition song, the judges (including guest judge Olivia Newton-John) were impressed with his vocals. Simon Cowell later mentioned he was the best auditioner coming from that city. Rock with You (Michael Jackson) Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper) I Just Want to Celebrate (Rare Earth) You Can't Hurry Love (The Supremes) - Eliminated March 14, 2007 Song themes Just as was done in season 5, the performers whose themes are performed do not appear as judges. Instead, they "mentor" the contestants on the theme. Week 1 (March 13) - Diana Ross - Diana Ross Week 2 (March 20) - British Invasion - Peter Noone and Lulu Week 3 (March 27) - No Doubt and songs by singers who inspired Gwen Stefani - Gwen Stefani Week 4 (April 3) - American Classics - Tony Bennett Week 5 (April 10) - Latin - Jennifer Lopez Week 6 (April 17) - Country - Martina McBride Week 7 (April 24) - Inspirational - Bono Week 8 (May 1) - Bon Jovi - Jon Bon Jovi and David Bryan Week 9 (May 8) - Songs written by Barry Gibb - Barry Gibb Week 10 (May 15) - Judges' choice, producers' choice, contestant's choice Week 11 (May 22) - Contestant's choice, song previously sung by contestant, winning song of the American Idol Songwriter Contest Performers on results shows Semifinal Round 1 (February 22) - The Top 24 sang "Sowing the Seeds of Love" by Tears for Fears, and Fantasia performed "I'm Here" from The Color Purple. Semifinal Round 2 (March 1) - The Top 20 sang "Joy to the World" by Three Dog Night, and Kellie Pickler performed "I Wonder." Semifinal Round 3 (March 8) - The Top 16 performed "Stuck in the Middle with You" by Stealers Wheel, and Carrie Underwood performed "Wasted." Week 1 (March 14) - Diana Ross sang "More Today Than Yesterday," from her latest album I Love You, and the Top 12 performed a medley of three Supremes' hits: "Where Did Our Love Go," "Baby Love" and "Stop! In the Name of Love." Week 2 (March 21) - Peter Noone performed "There's a Kind of Hush;" Lulu performed "To Sir, With Love." Week 3 (March 28) - Gwen Stefani and Akon performed "The Sweet Escape." Week 4 (April 4) - Because Tony Bennett was unable to perform due to a case of the flu, Michael Bublé performed Frank Sinatra's "Call Me Irresponsible." Week 5 (April 11) - The Top 8 sang "Bailamos" by Enrique Iglesias, Akon performed "Don't Matter," and Jennifer Lopez performed "Qué Hiciste," her first single from her latest album, Como Ama Una Mujer. Week 6 (April 18) - The Top 7 sang Jo Dee Messina's "I'm Alright," Fergie performed "Big Girls Don't Cry," the fourth single from her album The Dutchess, and Martina McBride performed "Anyway," from her new album Waking Up Laughing. Week 7 (April 25) - Idol Gives Back Special (see below) Week 8 (May 2) - Robin Thicke performed "Lost Without U." Bon Jovi sang "(You Want to) Make a Memory." Week 9 (May 9) - Pink performed "Who Knew," the Top 4 sang a medley of Barry Gibb penned songs, and Barry Gibb performed "To Love Somebody." Week 10 (May 16) - Elliott Yamin sang "Wait for You," and Maroon 5 performed "Makes Me Wonder." Week 11 (Performance) (May 22) - Daughtry performed "Home" (elimination anthem) Season 6 Finale (May 23) - Kelly Clarkson, Gwen Stefani, Smokey Robinson, Doug E. Fresh, Gladys Knight, Tony Bennett, BeBe and CeCe Winans with Melinda Doolittle, Sanjaya Malakar, Joe Perry, Carrie Underwood, Green Day, Taylor Hicks, Ruben Studdard, and Bette Midler Elimination song This year, the song played during the flashback to an eliminated contestant's journey is Daughtry's "Home," replacing "Bad Day" by Daniel Powter. The only exception was Phil Stacey, on May 2, 2007, whose exit song was "I'll Stand by You," performed by Carrie Underwood. Semi-finals and finals elimination chart Note: Bottom 2 indicates that the contestant was 'saved' last. This may or may not indicate his or her actual vote rank. Sometimes, Seacrest will announce that the contestant is in the bottom 2, sometimes he will not. On the March 21 show, only the bottom 2 were announced. On the May 9 show, no bottom 2 was announced, but Blake was the last one to be saved. * During the week of April 25, there was no eliminated contestant. That week's votes were added to the votes for the week of May 1, and the bottom two were then eliminated on the May 2 show. It was never noted who received the lowest number of votes, although Stacey was announced as the first to leave, and Richardson second. Contestants are in reverse chronological order of elimination. Legend Female Male Top 12 Top 24 Stage: Semi-Finals Finals Week: 2/22 3/1 3/8 3/14 3/21 3/28 4/4 4/11 4/18 4/25* 5/2 5/9 5/16 5/23 Place Contestant Result 1 Jordin Sparks Winner 2 Blake Lewis Btm 3 Runner-Up 3 Melinda Doolittle Elim 4 LaKisha Jones Btm 2 Elim 5-6 Chris Richardson Btm 2 Btm 3 Elim Phil Stacey Btm 3 Btm 3 Btm 3 Btm 2 7 Sanjaya Malakar Btm 2 Elim 8 Haley Scarnato Btm 2 Btm 2 Elim 9 Gina Glocksen Elim 10 Chris Sligh Elim 11 Stephanie Edwards Elim 12 Brandon Rogers Elim 13-16 Sundance Head Elim Sabrina Sloan Antonella Barba Jared Cotter 17-20 Leslie Hunt Elim A.J. Tabaldo Alaina Alexander Nicholas Pedro 21-24 Rudy Cardenas Elim Nicole Tranquillo Amy Krebs Paul Kim "The crying girl" Ashley Ferl is a 13-year-old girl who has become known for crying during Sanjaya Malakar's and other contestants' performances on the Top 11 episode of American Idol 6. Ferl's family, who are from Riverside, California, obtained tickets on a website to attend the dress rehearsal of the program. Since Ferl cried a great deal at the rehearsal, producers offered her family seats for the final taping of the episode. Ferl started to cry not long after Malakar began his performance of "You Really Got Me," and was invited to hug him on stage immediately following his performance. She was also shown crying for several more contestants. At the end of the show, she went on stage a second time, and got a chance to hug and get autographs from of all of the contestants and was introduced to the judges. Television vans from E!, Access Hollywood, and Fox were waiting outside of her house the next day, and, that evening, NBC paid for Ferl's entire family to fly to the taping of the Today Show. She subsequently gave several other radio and news interviews to sources such as MSNBC, Fox News, and Entertainment Tonight. Saturday Night Live spoofed both Malakar and Ferl following the former's elimination. Kristen Wiig portrayed Ferl in the sketches. Ferl has also been spoofed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Live with Regis and Kelly, and Family Guy, as well as mentioned on Best Week Ever. Ashley Ferl returned during Malakar's performance in the finale, crying. Idol Gives Back See Idol Gives Back for more information On the March 8, 2007 results show, Ryan Seacrest announced an initiative to give back to people in poverty in both Africa and the United States (including those affected by Hurricane Katrina). The event took place over two episodes of the series. For every vote cast immediately following the April 24, 2007 broadcast, many sponsors donated funds to the Charity Projects Entertainment Fund. The fund will distribute the money raised to many charities in the US as well as in Africa. News Corp pledged to donate 10 cents for every vote made to the show for the first 50 million calls, that is, up to $5 million. MySpace created a special profile page for the event in order to spread the word. Donations from viewers were accepted by phone and website during the April 25, 2007 results show, in a manner similar to a telethon. Near the end of the broadcast, Seacrest announced the show raised 30 million US dollars, with the final tally coming on May 1, 2007. As of May 1, 2007, over $70 million has been raised as a result of Idol Gives Back. Between contestant performances, video vignettes showing the judges and Seacrest visiting and observing squalid conditions in Africa and the United States were aired. Similar vignettes were aired during the results show. For this special, the voting period was doubled to four hours following the show, rather than the usual two. In response to the anticipated call volume, each contestant was assigned two toll free numbers. Over 70 million votes were cast. The results show was broadcast from two locations"the regular American Idol stage and Disney Hall"and included many celebrity actors and personalities. The show also included numerous performers; for a full list of performances, see the the main article. Ellen DeGeneres co-hosted the event from the Disney Hall stage. Proceeds from ticket sales benefited the fund. Videos of the results show's performances are available for purchase on iTunes, with proceeds going to charity. Due to the "charity" theme of the show, no contestant was eliminated on the April 25 results show. This was a surprise both to viewers, to whom Seacrest promised the "most shocking elimination ever," and to the contestants. All of the votes from that week were added to the next week's votes, and the bottom two contestants were eliminated. American Idol songwriter contest On the April 3, 2007 show, Ryan Seacrest announced the first American Idol Songwriter: a songwriting contest. Following an open online submission process where over 25,000 submissions were received, twenty songs were selected for competition by Simon Fuller and A&R representatives of his 19 Entertainment. Beginning May 2, 2007 and ending May 8, 2007, the American public rated each song on a scale from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest) on the American Idol Songwriter website. On the May 22, 2007 show, the two finalists performed the winning song, "This Is My Now." The song was released as a single by Jordin Sparks, the winner of American Idol Season 6. The titles of the twenty songs are: "Close to Me" - Michael Doane and AnneMarie Milazzo "Forever Starts Today" - Erin Boheme and CJ Vanston "If You Ask Me To" - Jennifer Hamady and Shedrick Mitchell "I'm Going to Be Me" - Lane Lenhart "In Your Eyes" - Colin Armstrong "I Saw Stars" - Reed Waddle "Lost (Without You)" - Cal Harris, Jr. "Love Me till the Lonely's Gone" - Michael Patzig and Tracey Naples "The Next Big Thing" - Ray Grant and Sam Sims "One Night" - Kelley Hill "Right Here with Me" - Kelli Trontell and Don Gatlin "Secrets and Lies" - Drew Yowell and Byron Zanos "Send Me on My Way" - Matthew Rogers and Scott Young "Someday" - Nelson Kole "This Is My Now" - Jeff Peabody and Scott Krippayne - Contest Winner "Tonight" - Kelly Corsino "Waking in a Dream" - R. J. Martinez and Stacy Hogan "When You Need a Moment" - Christie Leigh "With All the Love Your Heart Can Hold" - Robin Randall and Diana De Witt "You Never Gave Up On Me" - Billy Aerts and Burton Collins UK edition For the UK back-to-back repeat of the performance and results shows on the following Friday night on ITV2, Cat Deeley presents additional sections preceding and following each commercial break, and follows the end of the show with a short interview with that week's eliminated contestant. Releases Major releases Unlike previous seasons the top 12 compilation album did not come out while the show was airing. The top 12 recorded studio versions of each of the songs they sang on the show. The songs were available for purchase on AmericanIdol.com as digital downloads through the night of the finale. Sparks' and Lewis' songs (except Sparks' "Livin' on a Prayer") remain available on the website through June 20, 2007, and are on sale in the iTunes Store as well. Originally, a collage of the finalists' head shots from the top 24 photo shoot was used as album art on AmericanIdol.com, with the title American Idol 6: Greatest Moments; at present, the covers of Sparks' and Lewis' EPs are used instead. The American Idol Season 6 Greatest Hits was eventually released on June 12, 2007 on iTunes/Americanidol.com. This is the only season that the season's collection is not distributed by Sony BMG/RCA Records. Singles "This Is My Now" as performed by Jordin Sparks was released as a radio single. It debuted on Billboard's Hot 100 chart at number 15. iTunes/AmericanIdol.com EPs On May 24, 2007, the winner Jordin Sparks and runner-up Blake Lewis released five-song EPs on iTunes Store; though only iTunes calls them "EPs", they are also available as "bundles" for the same price on AmericanIdol.com through June 20, 2007. Sparks' EP contained the winner's single, "This Is My Now", as well as four songs she performed on Idol: "I (Who Have Nothing)", "A Broken Wing", "To Love Somebody", and "Wishing On a Star". Lewis' EP did not contain "This Is My Now"; all of the tracks were songs he performed on the show: "You Give Love a Bad Name", "Time of the Season", "I Need to Know", "Love Song", and "When the Stars Go Blue". On June 12, 2007, Apple released five song EPs for the rest of the top 12 finalists (Melinda Doolittle, LaKisha Jones, Chris Richardson, Phil Stacey, Sanjaya Malakar, Haley Scarnato, Gina Glocksen, Chris Sligh, Stephanie Edwards and Brandon Rogers) along with the compilation album as a collector's edition of the season's songs. Each of the songs are also available for individual purchase. Minor or independent releases Note: this does not include pre-Idol releases For My Lady Love (Sherman Pore) One (Sarah Burgess) - November 30, 2007

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