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American Idol (Season 8) Format Interactive television Reality television game show Created by Simon Fuller Directed by Bruce Gowers Starring Simon Cowell Paula Abdul Randy Jackson Kara DioGuardi Ryan Seacrest Country of origin United States No. of episodes 11 Production Executive producer(s) Ken Warwick Simon The eighth season of American Idol premiered on January 13, 2009. Judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson are judges once again, along with Ryan Seacrest as host. This season introduced Kara DioGuardi as the fourth judge on the Idol panel.[1] Contents [hide] 1 Changes from Season 7 2 Early process 2.1 Regional auditions phase 2.2 Hollywood phase 3 Semi-finalists 3.1 Male semi-finalists 3.2 Female semi-finalists 4 Elimination chart 5 References 6 External links // Changes from Season 7 Several changes were planned for season 8. Fox Entertainment president Kevin Reilly stated that Idol will feature fewer "William Hung-like" contestants and "funny auditions", and will quickly move its focus to the potential singers during the earlier stages of the competition. The upcoming season will also move at a faster pace. As part of this thrust, there will be a return to half-hour result shows, which was done prior to Season 5.[2] Mike Darnell, president of Fox's alternative programming, also revealed that this season the contestants will be more emotional and viewers Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe confirmed that he is leaving Idol, stating that he is moving on with So You Think You Can Dance and his new show with Simon Fuller Superstars of Dance, therefore Ken Warwick is the new Executive Producer for the show.[4] and in a change to the judging panel, the show will now feature a permanent fourth judge — songwriter and record producer Kara DioGuardi. The professional songwriter has collaborated with many pop artists and superstars including Celine Dion, Hilary Duff, Enrique Iglesias, Leona Lewis and Christina Aguilera and has produced several Top 40 hits. The songwriter also has worked with many of the American Idol alums and winners, including Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, David Archuleta and recent winner David Cook (singer).[5] Additionally, Idol Gives Back will not return this season. This is due to the ongoing economic crisis and recession, as Idol officials did not feel comfortable asking viewers to donate as many are struggling financially.[6] However, the semifinals will see the biggest change as the Wild Card round returns for the first time since American Idol (season 3). Also, there will be 36 semi-finalists picked instead of 24. They will be divided into 3 groups | ||||
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