This year’s season of American Idol already looks to be struggling to match last year in terms of audience numbers.

Down a whopping 24% on last year’s premiere, this season’s debut failed to match the hype of Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler’s entrance at the beginning of 2011 and the trend has continued.

The American Idol roadshow is packing up the station wagon and heading to the mountains with a stop for the first time in Aspen.

First up is little miss energetic, Jenni Schick. She sings Heartbreaker and convinces the judges with her energy.  She gets to kiss Steven Tyler.  She's so stoked.

In 11 seasons, this is the first time the audition train has headed to Pittsburgh.  It's the city of champions so can it produce the next American Idol?

First up tonight is Korean Heejun Han.  When he finally opens up and sings How Am I Supposed to Live Without You everyone is so surprized by how he sounds.  I think everyone was expecting another William Hung. Pleasantly surprized. He is SO through to Hollywood. He sounds Asian when he speaks but when he sings it's totally different.

Wednesday night’s American Idol return was down 24% on last year’s premiere, according to Nielsen estimates.

The 11th season kicked off with an average of 21.9 million viewers, well down from the 26.3m that last season’s premiere drew and even further away from the 29.9m that saw 2010’s debut.

American Idol wannabe Amy Brumfield ... the 24-year-old singer who lives in a tent ... has a long criminal record ... revealing a serious battle with alcohol.

According to police records obtained by TMZ, Brumfield has been arrested at least 6 times in the past 7 years ... with 3 arrests involving booze.

Brumfield -- who blew the "Idol" judges away with her rendition of Superwoman by Alicia Keys -- was arrested in Tennessee on August 22, 2010 after cops say she was so drunk, she peed on herself in the lobby of a Baskin Robbins.

Where were you on the day it all started and thousands of dreams were born?  10 years in the making.  Kids who were 6 years old when Kelly Clarkson was first crowned American Idol will tonight get their chance to audition for their shot at becoming the next American Idol.

One of the new introductions for 2012 is contestant cam.  Their journies from their perspective.  Fun times.

Tonight our auditions start in Savanah, GA and Randy Jackson, Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez are back for the 11th season.

First up is 17 year old ladies man David Leather's Jr who beat last year's winner, Scotty McCreery in a competition in 2009.  He sings Remember the Rain.  He's very good. They want to hear him sing some Michael Jackson so he delievers Never Can Say Goodbye. It's a unanimous and resounding yes to start the show.

Ford, Coca-Cola and AT&T will all return as sponsors of the latest season of American Idol this year.

Fox, FremantleMedia and 19 Entertainment announced this week that the three principal sponsors are all on board again for season 11.

Ford has sponsored the show since 2002 and will continue to give its cars as prizes to the winner and runner-up of the show.

American Idol will face more competition this year in the talent show genre than it ever has in its previous ten seasons.

With the introduction of The Voice and The X Factor onto the scene, Idol now has major competitors in a genre that was once its own.

USA Today’s Idol reporter Brian Mansfield says: You are a month away from the end of 'X Factor' and a month away from the beginning of 'The Voice'. And so you do wonder if, even though 'X Factor' was not as big a success as Simon Cowell had anticipated, if it managed to cannibalize viewers from 'Idol.' And I think that is the big question going in.”

It’s official: viewers still prefer American Idol over all the others.

The Fox reality series has claimed the award for favourite competition show at the 38th Annual People’s Choice Awards, which took place on Wednesday.

Idol kicked clear of Dancing with the Stars, America’s Got Talent, The Voice and So You Think You Can Dance.

Former American Idol finalist Stefano Langone has signed a record deal with Hollywood Records.

The season ten finalist is now the seventh contestant from the season to sign a major-label deal.

The Washington native, who finished seventh on last year’s Idol season, has been working in the studio for a month now.