Ok America, it’s time to get your voting fingers ready, the Top 24 have been identified (they begin performances next week) and here they are…

• David Hernandez
• Carly Smithson
• David Cook
• Amanda Overmyer*
• David Archuleta*
• Kristy Lee Cook
• Brooke White
• Danny Noriega
• Jason Castro
• Asia’h Epperson
• Colton Berry
• Luke Menard
• Alexandrea Lushington
• Ramiele Malubay
• Michael Johns*
• Syesha Mercado
• Robbie Carrico
• Garrett Haley
• Kady Malloy
• Chikezie Eze
• Amy Davis
• Alaina Whitaker
• Jason Yeager
• Joanne Borgella

But the big shockers of the night were that Josiah Leming didn’t make it (he’s the one who lives in his car), and Simon actually told Kyle Ensley that he thought he should have gotten through. I think Simon was almost pissed off about the decision. (You can read the full coverage at msnbc.com)

And there you have it America…after the “brutal cuts” and “good lookin out dawg” and about 50 promo’s for the movie Jumper, we now know who is on the show…so, who are you planning to vote for?

I’ll be voting for the stars, er asterisks. Who will you vote for next week?

Ok America, the audition process is over for American Idol 2008.

Next week, we’re off to Hollywood for the first round of eliminations, and it’s sure to be a blast. The contestants get to augment their performances with instruments (if they choose), so we’re in for a treat I think.

If you missed the auditions check out my American Idol 2008 Auditions page for all the details from our cross-country trip, and get ready for Hollywood!!

If you haven’t been keeping up with American Idol yet, you can catch up on my American Idol Auditions page…you’ll see highlights from the first three weeks.

But I will warn you, it’s been lackluster. First off, the possibility of getting a golden ticket is VERY low. Like playing slot machines. For example, in Omaha, there were around 10,000 auditioners, and only 19 tickets to Hollywood given out. That’s 0.19%, and that’s pretty remote of a chance. You’ve got to have something special to get through at that point.

For the most part, the auditions have been boring. They aren’t really showing many of the entertainingly horrific ones (some yes, but a majority no), and we’re not hearing enough about the people who got through, and too much about some people who have personal tragedy in their lives (see previous link). I really don’t like hearing at the end that “12 others made it through and we’re going to show you who they are in the next 10 seconds of cheering montage”. How can I fall in love with the contestants if I don’t even get to see them get the golden ticket?

Anyway…so far we have two hot cowboys, a couple divas, and some cute gays. It’s like being at the bar on a Friday night, only with less cowboys, divas, and gays.

I was looking through my log analytics and ran across this image…it shows the spike in traffic on the day of the American Idol 2008 premier.

Addicts.

This post isn’t specifically about American Idol, so I can still say that I’m not flooding my blog with AI posts…however…

If you are one of the many fanatics out there who is keeping a running blog of the 2008 competition, please post your blog link in the comments here and I will add it to my main American Idol 2008 page. I’d also love a reciprocal link if you like.

So how did everyone enjoy the season premier shows anyway?

That’s right folks - tonight is the season premier of American Idol 2008.

For all of the juicy details, you can visit (and bookmark) my American Idol 2008 link on the right side of the page. That’s where you’ll find updates on the audition process, top contestants, and results.

I am doing this to make sure I don’t flood my main blog with AI posts, in consideration of you my reader. Aren’t I just wonderful that way?

Get your TIVO/DVR set and ready for tonight!!!

Enjoy!

I know there are those of you who read this blog who are probably dreading that American Idol is almost here.

You are probably thinking, “Oh no. Heath’s blog is now going to be filled with American Idol posts every week, recounting the auditions and describing the dreadful songs the contestants are singing.”

Calm Down. Seriously. Calm Down.

I have good news for you my del.icio.us reader.

Instead of creating a multitude of posts about the show (like I did last year, and the previous year), I’m going to create a single PAGE for American Idol 2008. That will provide you the ability to CHOOSE to view updates/info on American Idol 2008 only if you really want to.

I have created a link in the right sidebar and if you’re feeling like you need to catch up - click it and you’ll see the latest and greatest.

Don’t thank me.

It’s my gift to you.

Love Heath.