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The eighth season of ''American Idol'' premiered on January 13, 2009, and concluded on May 20, 2009. Judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson continued to judge the show's contestants, along with Ryan Seacrest as host. The season introduced Kara DioGuardi as the fourth judge on the ''Idol'' panel.〔(Songwriter Kara DioGuardi joins 'American Idol' panel )〕 It was also Abdul's final season as a judge.〔(Paula Abdul Leaving 'American Idol' )〕 Kris Allen, a native of Conway, Arkansas, was announced the winner of the competition on May 20, 2009, defeating runner-up Adam Lambert after nearly 100 million votes. Kris Allen is the only married winner of the competition at the time of his victory. This was the second season where both of the final two contestants had been in the bottom three or two at least once before the finale, with the first being season three. The eighth season saw numerous changes to the format of the show. There were 36 semi-finalists instead of 24, and thirteen finalists instead of twelve, nine contestants chosen by the public and four by the judges in a wild card round. Another addition was the "save," which was used on the top seven results show to veto Matt Giraud's elimination. Seven contestants from this season were signed to record deals. The signed artists are Kris Allen, who was then signed to 19 Entertainment/Jive Records. In addition to Allen, Adam Lambert, Danny Gokey, Allison Iraheta, Lil Rounds, Anoop Desai and Michael Sarver. ==Changes from previous season== Several changes were planned for season eight. Fox Entertainment president Kevin Reilly stated that ''Idol'' would feature fewer "William Hung-like" contestants and "funny auditions," and would quickly move its focus to the potential singers during the earlier stages of the competition, thus moving the season at a faster pace.〔(OK! Magazine – First for Celebrity News – Less is More for Next Season of American Idol (Google Cache) )〕 Mike Darnell, president of Fox's alternative programming, said the contestants would be more emotional and that viewers would learn more about them and their pasts than they had in the previous season.〔(‘Idol's’ emotional focus will highlight Abdul )〕 Songwriter and record producer Kara DioGuardi was added as a fourth judge on the panel. She had previously collaborated with Celine Dion, Hilary Duff, Britney Spears, Enrique Iglesias, Leona Lewis and Christina Aguilera, and produced several Top 40 hits. As a songwriter, she had already worked with several American Idol alumni and winners, including Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, David Archuleta and David Cook.〔(Associated Press )〕 Meanwhile, Ken Warwick became the new executive producer, as Nigel Lythgoe had left the show to focus on ''So You Think You Can Dance'' and his new show with Simon Fuller, ''Superstars of Dance''.〔(Lythgoe Leaving 'American Idol' )〕 ''Idol Gives Back'' was canceled for season 8, as the ongoing economic crisis and recession, left ''Idol'' officials uncomfortable asking financially struggling viewers to donate.〔(American Idol Shelves "Give Back" Show for 2009 Season )〕 The semifinals saw the biggest change as the wild card round returned for the first time since the third season. After voters picked three finalists from each of three groups of 12 semi-finalists, the judges selected eight of the previously eliminated 27 semifinalists to return and perform a song on the March 5, 2009, show. They were judged by the panel, instead of a vote by the viewers, with four advancing to the finals.〔(Fox releases 'American Idol' schedule, confirms format changes )〕〔(MTV How WIll The Wild-Card Round Work On 'American Idol' )〕 Although the finals had been billed from the beginning of the season as a set of 12 contestants, the judges announced at the last minute that they would be advancing a fourth wild card/thirteenth contestant, Anoop Desai, as well. The eighth season also marked the first time that auditions were conducted outside the United States, when the show traveled to San Juan, Puerto Rico to screen potential contestants. Several people from Puerto Rico were eventually selected for the semi-final rounds of the show. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「American Idol (season 8)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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