By now, the name ‘American Idol’ has gained worldwide popularity. People all across the world stay glued to their television sets to view this popular reality show. The current trend of reality shows have taken over like a storm in the television industry. American Idol is one of the most popular reality shows on television that telecasts a competition among several contestants to win the title of this show. The aim of this program is to find new and emerging solo singer. The show eventually turned out to be one of the most popular shows in the history of television industry in America, securing the number one ranking for six consecutive years as per the Nielsen ratings.

American Idol is supposed to be influenced by a British television show ‘Pop Idol’, and is a creation of Simon Fuller. In order to participate in American Idol, you need to go through a nationwide audition. To participate in American idol you must be within the age range of 16 to 28. The final verdict comes in the form of viewers’ voting who decide the winner of the show. Votes are given through telephone or SMS. Apart from the viewers, there is also a panel of judges who evaluate the performance of the participants through their comments. Personalities such as randy Jackson, Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, Kara DeGeneres, and Ellen DeGeneres have been the judges of American Idol.

While Americans and Canadians view the show on every Tuesday and Wednesday nights, the audiences in Australia, United Kingdom, parts of Asia view it on Wednesday and Thursday nights. However, the show is telecast on Saturday and Sunday nights in Latin America and on Friday and Saturday nights in Ireland.

The huge number of participants reflects the emotional attachment that is associated with American Idol. The show is a dream come true for several aspiring singers and promises to turn their dream of becoming a celebrity into reality. However, among the thousands of contestants who come to fulfill their dreams of earning fame and glamor, only a few get to live this dream, and only one final contestant is chosen to be the idol of young Americans all through the country. The final performance has a live studio audience and is broadcast live in Los Angeles. It takes multiple weeks to complete the finals with each contestant choosing a theme for the song of each week.

The songs chosen in American Idol are from different musical genre, sung by famous artists. Some of the common themes of these songs include disco, band music, Motown, etc. Also, some of the common artists whose songs are sung by the contestants include Billy Joel, Michael Jackson, Elton John, Mariah Carey, Elvis Presley, The Beatles, to name a few.

American Idol, although influenced by another show, has made an impact of its own in the American television industry. In every season, it has presented the country with some of the finest new singing talent, and kept its promise of delivering quality. Some of the names that have made history on the stage of American Idol are Fantasia Barrino, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Ruben Studdard, etc. The show is marked for its popularity and fame, in terms of inspiring the upcoming talent of America.

Aside from the three judges of American Idols Live, there is one other star that brings American Idols Live to realize its full potential. Aside from Simon Cowell, he is arguably the only other irreplaceable talent of the show. I am speaking of course of the host of American Idols Live, Ryan Seacrest. He certainly has a following when it comes to American Idols Live, and I’m not too sure if another host would be well received by the diehard fans of American Idol. No one else could ever offer the entertainment given from his on air banter with Simon Cowell. Although I doubt we will ever see him depart from the show that gave him stardom, considering all of his other projects, it would not surprise me if he did none day decide to leave the show.

Ryan Seacrest is considered to be one of the hardest working men in show business. His work is show business goes far beyond his duties as host of American Idols Live.

Long before America Idols Live, Seacrest began his career in 1990 at age 15 with Atlanta radio station “Star 94″ (WSTR-FM) while still in high school by interning with nighttime personality Tom Sullivan. Sullivan trained Seacrest in all aspects of broadcasting and put him on the air for the first radio broadcast of his career. He made his first television appearance in 1993, hosting the Radical Outdoor Challenge.
In 1995, Seacrest became the afternoon drive DJ at “Star 98.7″ (KYSR-FM), an adult contemporary radio station in Los Angeles, California. Despite all of his other projects, he remained committed to that DJ role until 2003. Also during his early twenties, Seacrest hosted a few short-lived game shows. His first TV gig was Gladiators 2000 for syndication and Wild Animal Games for Fox Family (now ABC Family). In 1997, Seacrest hosted the weekly syndicated internet game Click, which lasted only two seasons. Also from time to time he became a substitute host for Talk Soup.
Sea crest’s first major television job was as the host of “The New Edge”, a weekend morning show created by CNET showcasing new technology. Seacrest accepted the position as co-host of the hit reality TV series American Idols Live in 2002 with comedian Brian Dunkleman.
American Idols Live went on to become a success when the ratings went through the roof. This put Seacrest in the national spotlight. The following year, he became the sole host when Dunkleman left the show. (In a 2005 interview on the syndicated Howard Stern Show, Dunkleman insisted that it was his idea to leave “Idol”, to pursue his career as an actor, but he was bitter at Seacrest’s occasional put-downs after Dunkleman’s departure.) In 2003, Seacrest hosted the spin-off show, “American Juniors”.
In January 2003, Seacrest launched a daily entertainment/variety/talk syndicated television program, “On Air with Ryan Seacrest”. Due to low ratings, the show was cancelled and aired its last episode on September 17, 2004. In January of 2004, Seacrest became the new host of the legendary radio program “American Top 40″, created and formerly hosted by Casey Kasem. The show was syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks. Before he took over as host on AT40, he was a substitute host four times in 2003. In February 2004, Seacrest became host of popular Los Angeles radio station KIIS’s morning show, replacing long-time host Rick Dees. This show, also known as On Air with Ryan Seacrest, remains on the air. “Every day I’ve showed up at a radio station, and every day I’ve essentially talked on the radio. I mean every day of my life — Monday through Friday — since I was 15. So for me, I’m so used to walking into a studio and having interesting conversations people can relate to. It’s my job.
In August 2005, it was announced that Seacrest would become executive producer and co-host of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, and that he would be the legendary producer-host’s eventual successor. On December 31, 2005 Seacrest performed much of the show’s hosting duties. Dick Clark’s role was limited by speech and mobility issues due to his recovery from a stroke. Seacrest also occasionally serves as a substitute host on the CNN television program Larry King Live.
With all of these projects in the works, one wonders how much longer Seacrest will remain with American Idols Live. In 2007 he reportedly made $32 million dollars, and I’m sure the bulk of that income was not from American Idols Live. If he did leave American Idols Live I think it would hurt the ratings, but I doubt it would even leave a dent in his career. Until then, Seacrest out.