American Idol
Gossip (Page 11)

It's still incredibly early on season eight of American Idol.

But the second week of auditions has been completed and a few contestants stood out; some due to controversial prior experience (Joanna Pacitti), others due to their ex-boyfriends (Raquel Houghton).

Click on the photos of contestants below to be reminded of those that received a ticket to Hollywood; then vote in our poll...

Which aspiring singer has the best chance at being named the next American Idol?

Sorry, Justin Gaston. You may not be the most famous former Nashville Star contestant anymore.

On last night's American Idol, Brent Keith Smith - a contestant on the CMT reality competition in 2004 - was approved for Hollywood.

Did the judges make the right choice? Watch the following clip of Smith's audition and let us know:

American Idol took its show on the road to Louisville last night, and it saved the best for last.

Leneshe Young was the final contestant to audition on the program. An 18-year old from Cincinnati, this aspiring singer grew up in and out of homeless shelters. But it wasn't just a touching personal story that led to Young receiving a ticket to Hollywood.

As you can see in the video below, girl can sing! She belted out an original song for the judges:

Others that moved on to the next round last night included:

• Felicia Barton
• Brent Keith Smith
• Joanna Pacitti

It's early on season eight of American Idol.

It's very, very early.

Still, a handful of contestants stood out after the first two night of auditions; some for their bikinis (Katrina Darrell), others for their names (Lil Rounds) and others for their siblings (Michael Castro).

Among those that received a ticket to Hollywood, who has the best chance of taking home the title in May?

Click on the photos below to be reminded of some of the best; then vote in our poll...

Two American Idol contestants, two contrasting bikini babes.

Katrina Darrell made headlines during the season eight premiere by auditioning in a bathing suit, getting into a fight with Kara DioGuardi and trying to kiss Ryan Seacrest. We enjoyed her antics, don't get us wrong.

Meanwhile, Casey Carlson received a golden ticket to Hollywood last night off the basis of her vocal talents, as her rendition of Vanessa Carlton's "A Thousand Miles" received unanimous praise from the judges.

Turns out Carlson also has a bikini-baring past, but it isn't a self-promoting one: a couple years ago, Casey posed for a calendar sponsored by Campus Girls USA. The proceeds from its sales went toward breast cancer awareness.

Using your breasts to fight breast cancer? That's a cause we can get behind!

Click on the images above for enlarged pics of Casey Carlson, looking sexy and raising awareness.

While the opening night of American Idol was dominated by Katrina Darrell and her bikini, the second installment of season eight auditions revealed a few contenders.

Foremost among them? Lil Rounds, a singer Randy Jackson referred to as a mixture of Fantasia and Mary J. Blige. Wow. Should we just hand her the trophy right now?

Here's a look at the five contestants that impressed us the most last night:

• Ashley Anderson: From Clarksburg, NJ; sang “Footprints in the Sand “ by Leona Lewis 
• Casey Carlson: From Minneapolis, MN; sang “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton 
• Asa Barnes: From Kansas City, MO; sang  “The Way You Make Me Feel” By Michael Jackson 
• Von Smith: From Greenwood, MO sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” 
• Lil Rounds: From Memphis, TN; sang “All I Do” by Stevie Wonder

Von Smith, left, was all business last night; while bikini photos of contestant Casey Carlson have already surfaced online. Might one of these be the next American Idol?

Fourth judge Kara DioGuardi wasn't the only refreshing aspect of American Idol last night.

The eighth season of the show kicked off with an emphasis on - gasp! - talented contestants.

Granted, there was the occasional train wreck of an audition - such as Tuan Nguyen, the half-Vietnamese dude with a giant afro that didn't comprehend the judges were laughing at him, not with him - but the premiere focused more than usual on competitors that have a chance to make it far this season.

Here are a few of our (very) early favorites:

• Michael Sarver: Resident of Jasper, Texas; sang “Thank You” by Boyz II Men; oh, and works on an oil rig as part of the fifth most dangerous job in America.

• Katrina Darrell: Say hello to bikini girl! This model sang “Vision of Love” by Mariah Carey. At least we think she did. Like Simon, Darrell's outfit - which helped her move on to Hollywood in the hilarious video posted below - distracted us from her actual audition.

• Scott MacIntyre: This blind pianist auditioned with “And So It Goes” by Billy Joel. And so he'll go off to Hollywood!

• Deanna Brown: Our favorite from the opening night. From Louisville, Kentucky; received four positive reviews for “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding.

We might never hear from Scott MacIntyre or Deanna Brown again. But for one night, the American Idol stage belonged to these contestants.

A series of changes are in store on season eight of American Idol.

While new judge Kara DioGuardi is most prominent among them, the show will also focus more on the early auditions of actual singers, as opposed to complete and utter trainwrecks.

The following promo backs up this welcome change.

Pay special attention to the third contestant featured below; she goes by the name of Lil Rounds and she's rumored to make it far this season...

Want an early look at other American Idol hopefuls, such as Kendall Beard?

Browse through our season eight album of contestants right now!

Barack Obama's inauguration won't be the most exciting event to take place on a Tuesday in January.

A week prior to this ceremony, American Idol premieres its eighth season.

The show will have a new judge (Kara DioGuardi) and a new format (36 contestants, as opposed to the typical 24, will move on to the finals), but the same weekly excitement of trying to find the next Carrie Underwood or Jordin Sparks.

In an earlier spoiler post, we announced the names of a few contestants rumored to move on to the Hollywood round.

Since then, our research team has uncovered even more names and pictures of these aspiring singers. Click on the following photos to read more about various season eight contestants, any one of which might be our next American Idol...

We heart Simon Cowell.

In the movie below, a bikini-clad contestant attempts to make it through to Hollywood. While Paula Abdul and new judge Kara DioGuardi think the singer lacks the vocal chops necessary to be considered an American Idol, the beauty somehow receives a golden ticket.

Any questions why are removed by Simon's hilarious, mischievous smile at the conclusion of the clip...