Richard Kalan Porter is a Canadian singer-songwriter from Medicine Hat, Alberta, and the winner of the reality television series Canadian Idol in season 2. He started to sing at an early age and is classically trained, playing several instruments, most notably, the violin and viola. He writes and arranges violin solos for many of his songs. Porter's first single "Awake in a Dream" is the best selling debut single for a Canadian artist to date and has been certified 8x Platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association. He is also the highest selling solo Canadian Idol singer. In 2013 he was a graduate student in business at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Ashley Leitão Is a Canadian recording artist. She was the ninth-place finisher on the third season of the reality show Canadian Idol in 2005. Her heritage is Portuguese. As of 2005, she resided in Burnaby, British Columbia.
Melissa Crystal O'Neil is a Canadian singer and actress who was the winner of the third season of Canadian Idol in 2005. She was the first Canadian female winner. She is also an actress, known for her roles as Two/Portia Lin on Dark Matter and as Officer Lucy Chen on The Rookie.
The second season of American Idol premiered on January 21, 2003, and continued until May 21, 2003. The title of show was shortened from American Idol: The Search for a Superstar of Season 1 to just American Idol. Brian Dunkleman quit after the first season, and Seacrest therefore became the lone host in Season 2 as well as all subsequent seasons. Kristin Holt was a special correspondent.
The sixth season of American Idol premiered on the Fox Broadcasting Company as a two-night, four-hour premiere special on January 16 and January 17, and ran until May 23, 2007. Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson returned to judge once again, and Ryan Seacrest returned as host. A new record of 74 million votes were cast in the finale round, and a new record of 609 million votes were cast in the entire season. Jordin Sparks won the competition with Blake Lewis as the first runner-up and Melinda Doolittle finishing third. Jordin Sparks is also the youngest winner of the competition, winning at age 17, as well as the first winner from outside the Southern United States. Sparks remained the last female winner until the twelfth season.
The fourth season of Canadian Idol began in February 2006 ran until September 2006. Zack Werner, Jake Gold, Sass Jordan, and Farley Flex returned to judge, and Ben Mulroney returned to host, with Elena Juatco as the new roving reporter. The season premiered on May 29, five days after the finale of American Idol Season 5. The Canadian Idol title was awarded to competitor Eva Avila on September 17, 2006.
The fifth season of Canadian Idol is the fifth installation of the Idol series in Canada. It was again hosted by Ben Mulroney, with Farley Flex, Jake Gold, Sass Jordan and Zack Werner all returning as judges. The show premiered on June 5, 2007 with a 90-minute episode. Voting began during the fourth week. New events introduced that season included the Help Idols build a house and the Kraft Confidential with David Kerr. The elimination song for this year was Walk on Home by Kalan Porter. The final episode of the season was broadcast on September 11, 2007 when Brian Melo was crowned Canadian Idol.
Amber Fleury is a Canadian recording artist, and was the eighth-place finisher in the third season of Canadian Idol, which aired during the summer of 2005. Born in Dauphin, Manitoba, she now lives in Calgary, Alberta where she is a paralegal.
Brandon Jones is a Canadian singer/songwriter from Quispamsis, New Brunswick. He was a competitor on season 4 of Canadian Idol and was eliminated on August 1, 2006, placing him 8th.
The eighth season of American Idol premiered on Tuesday, 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. It was also Abdul's final season as a judge. 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. 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.
Brian Melo is a Canadian singer-songwriter from Hamilton, Ontario who was the winner of the fifth season of Canadian Idol in 2007. His first studio album, Livin' It, achieved Gold Status in Canada. His second album, The Truth, was released October 2010.
Devika Mathur, is a Mumbai-born, singer, radio jockey and voice over artist based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Kristy Lee Cook is an American country singer who was the seventh place finalist on the seventh season of American Idol. In 2005, Cook released her first album called Devoted. In June 2008, Cook signed to 19 Recordings and Arista Nashville. She released her post-Idol album, Why Wait, on September 16, 2008. This album has produced her first chart single, "15 Minutes of Shame", a Top 30 hit on the Billboard country charts. Her first single for Broken Bow Records, "Airborne Ranger Infantry", was released on October 16, 2012.
The sixth and final season of Canadian Idol is the sixth and final installation of the Idol series in Canada and premiered on June 3, 2008, on the CTV Television Network. It is again hosted by Ben Mulroney, with the addition of Jully Black as a special correspondent and general mentor to the contestants. Farley Flex, Jake Gold, Sass Jordan and Zack Werner all returned as judges. This season saw a number of major and minor show format changes in an effort to keep the franchise fresh and innovative. The final episode of the season, in which the Canadian Idol was crowned, aired on September 10, 2008. The winner of the sixth season was Theo Tams. The sixth season became the final season of Canadian Idol following its cancellation in 2009.
The fifth season of Australian Idol premiered on 5 August 2007 on Network Ten. It concluded on 25 November.
The third season of Australian Idol debuted on 26 July 2005. The first of three semi-finals was held on 16 August 2005 with three of the Final 12 contenders announced the following night on 17 August 2005. 2Day FM radio host Kyle Sandilands replaced former judge Ian Dickson.
The second season of Australian Idol debuted on 13 July 2004. Over 50,000 people throughout Australia auditioned.
The sixth season of Australian Idol premiered on Sunday, 24 August 2008, on Network Ten. The season finale aired live on Sunday, 23 November 2008. The winner was Wes Carr with Luke Dickens as runner-up.
