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American Idol is a musical competition reality television series that airs on the American network Fox. It was created by Englishman Simon Fuller and made its debut television appearance on June 11, 2002. It is one of the most popular shows in the United States of all times. It also airs in Australia, Asia, Canada, Ireland, Israel, Latin America, the United Kingdom, and many other countries throughout the world.

American Idol judges and producers audition contestants nation-wide and picks the best contestants between the ages of 16 and 28 to compete on the show. Between ten and forty people from each of seven cities are sent to the next round of auditions in Hollywood.

Once the contestants make it to the Hollywood portion of American Idol, eliminations are made daily. They must sing both solo performances and in small groups for the judges. The next step for contestants that aren’t eliminated are the televised finals. During the finals, contestants perform one song each week they select from a weekly theme. Various themes are selected from a wide variety of musical genres and feature artists such as The Beatles, Dolly Parton Mariah Carey, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, and more.

Americans are able to vote for their favorite musical talent by calling or texting their vote, and have chosen the following winners since the shows beginning: Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, and Kris Allen. The winner of American Idol gets a $1 million record deal with a major label.

American Idol hosts a panel of judges that critiques the musician’s performances. This panel was originally comprised of Randy Jackson, a music manager and Grammy award-winning record producer, Simon Cowell, music executive and manager, and Paula Abdul, pop singer and award winning choreographer. A fourth judge, singer-songwriter Kara DioGuardi was added for the eighth season. Paula Abdul was recently replaced during the ninth season with comic Ellen DeGeneres and Simon Cowell recently announced he would be leaving after the 2009-2010 season. The host of American Idol since its beginning has been Ryan Seacrest. The show is currently on track to stay on air for at least another three seasons.

American Idol has been called by many critics as one of the best television shows to hit American television. It is undoubtedly one of the most popular, having spent an entire five years in the number one spot, making it one of only three shows to ever accomplish this feat. There is speculation that Idol’s popularity might be waning; the viewing audience dropped 19% in the sixth season and continue to drop during the seventh and eighth seasons.

American Idol is involved in an annual charity called “Idol Gives Back.” The annual show features celebrities, featured performers, and donations from viewers. Past performers for “Idol Gives Back” include Kiefer Sutherland, Miley Cyrus, Robin Williams, Celine Dion, Dane Cook, and more.