The Wed., Feb. 8 show earned a 6.0 rating in the advertiser’s coveted 18-49 demographic, which was not enough to beat NBC’s “The Voice” this week.

On Mon., Feb. 6, “The Voice” pulled in a 6.7 rating in the demographic and 17.7 million viewers total. But the Feb. 8 “Idol” episode — the first edition of Hollywood Week — did beat out “The Voice” in total viewers with 18.9 million.

In terms of total viewers in the key 18-49 demographic, 7.7 million viewers tuned into “Idol,” while “The Voice” had 8.5 million viewers.

Tyler was cheered by the crowd anyway. Watch:

‘American Idol’ contestant Shannon Magrane and her family were seen by about 21.9 million viewers.

Approximately 21.9 million people watched the show’s 11th-season kickoff, down 17% from a year earlier, according to preliminary Nielsen data. Among adults between the ages of 18 and 49 years old—a cohort prized by advertisers—the ratings decline was nearly 24%.

Both Fox and The Wall Street Journal are owned by News Corp.

It is the fifth consecutive year in which the “Idol” premiere has come in lower than the one a year earlier. And the rate of decline was greater than for last year’s debut, when the total audience fell 13% and the 18-to-49 rating was down by 17%.

Read the rest on the Wall Street Journal

He shot the video with director Shane Drake while in Los Angeles for rehearsals of the American Idols Live tour. “He was the guy who shot all of our music videos for the Ford commercials for American Idol,” Scotty says. “It was great because I already knew him and we had a good relationship.”

The video was shot in an area called Angels Point. “The location for the shoot was really cool,” he says. “If you looked one way, you could see Dodger Stadium, and if you looked another way, you could see downtown L.A.

“We found this park that had a little country feel to it and it all worked out,” he says. “If I hadn’t told you that, you would think we would have shot that in North Carolina. The music video has a summertime barbecue feel, like a July Fourth party with fireworks and hot dogs and families.”

As a way of saying thank you to the fans for helping him win Season Ten of American Idol, Scotty wants them to be the first to receive the exclusive details of his much-anticipated album release. To receive the breaking news about his debut country album, fans should register at his official Web site, www.scottymccreery-official.com.

“For this first album, we are definitely going to let the fans know first about all of the details coming out,” he says. “We want them to know just what’s happening with the album and when it’s coming out because they’re the ones who are going to buy the music and they’re the ones who have been following me through this Idol journey.

“I’m really excited to let people hear what we’ve been working on and putting so much effort and energy and time into. It’s something that I’m really proud of. I can’t wait for them to hear it! Hopefully they’ll feel what I was feeling in the studio.”

Starting today, Scotty’s site is also offering an exclusive album pre-order package that includes Scotty’s full-length debut album, an 8×10 photo, a personalized poster and an instant download of his single “I Love You This Big,” as well as a chance to enter a sweepstakes for an ultimate CMA Awards experience that includes a meet-and-greet with Scotty.

“I Love You This Big,” earned the highest debut for a new artist’s first single on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart since at least 1984. The song, which hit the Top 20 in seven weeks, is one of the fastest-rising debut singles for a new country artist in history.

He is currently featured on the American Idols Live Tour that runs through September. He will also perform on ABC’s Good Morning America on Aug. 12 and sings with Josh Turner in the three-hour prime-time concert special, CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock, which airs on ABC on Sunday, Aug. 14.

I want to see a good video of Adam Lambert performing “Mad World” on American Idol on youTube but they all suck. Help!!
- Sarah – Atlanta, GA

Well Sarah, it really isn’t that hard to find. But since you asked here it is–not from YouTube. Although we did love the video of Adam Lambert’s performance shot by someone actually videotaping their television.

Adam Lambert – "Mad World" (American Idol Studio Version)
Uploaded by YouL00K.

A devoted American Idol fan since the show’s debut, Los Angeles native Allison turned her childhood dream into reality when she became one of the final four contestants of Season 8. The 17-year-old singer impressed the American Idol judges and viewers with performances that reached well beyond her years. Her debut album, Just Like You on 19 Recordings/Jive Records, was released December 1 and features her first single “Friday I’ll Be Over U,” penned and produced by Swedish hit-maker Max Martin. Also included on the album is “No One Else,” which was co-written by American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi, Greg Wells and P!nk.

Allison Iraheta was the last standing girl on Season 8 of Idol. Tune in this Thursday!

Cowell told reporters at the TV Critics Association winter press tour that “There’s been a lot of speculation [futureusgalleryabout my future], partly because we didn’t have an agreement. We reached an agreement formally about half past 11 this morning. Where we have come to is that The X Factor will launch in America in 2011, with me judging the show and executive producing the show, and because of that, this will be my last season on American Idol this year.”

First things first, The X Factor isn’t much different than American Idol except that contestants of all can enter and the judges mentor as well as just critique.

The X Factor will air in the fall, while Idol will continue airing in the spring. So what will happen with this season of American Idol and Cowell?

“I’ve always said this was my last year,” Simon told us. “Everyone thought I was negotiating, but that wasn’t the reason behind it. I felt like doing something different. I like the challenge. I want to leave Idol this year, bigger and better than it’s been before…I hope it’s going to be higher than it was last year.”

In addition to enjoying “My Best Days Are Ahead of Me” on the country airwaves, the digital single is available this week for the first time, and listeners can stream the track on the recently launched dannygokey.com, where fans can also sign-up for Danny’s newsletter and access forums, wallpapers, news, upcoming events, photos, video, and much more.

An intimate Danny Gokey performance of “O Holy Night” is now available on USA Today’s website usatoday.com. For a limited time during the holiday season, this video can be viewed on the home page or Life or Idol Chatter sections. (Links: www.usatoday.com/life/default.htm or www.idolchatter.usatoday.com.)

Wednesday’s issue of USA Today, the nation’s largest newspaper with a total print circulation of 1.9 million, will highlight Danny, the cover of his debut album and spotlight his “O Holy Night” special online performance.

A final holiday mention: Danny is confirmed to sing the National Anthem prior to the 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time FOX network broadcast of the Green Bay Packers/Seattle Seahawks game on Sunday, December 27.

The single was serviced to country radio on Wednesday, and fans can also check it out right now with an online stream at dannygokey.com.

Danny rolls out of a busy holiday weekend and will be in Atlanta, GA, tomorrow morning for a schedule that includes an interview and performance on FOX’s Good Day Atlanta and a national anthem performance tomorrow evening in Charlotte, NC. Gokey will sing the anthem prior to the NBA match-up between the Charlotte Bobcats and the Boston Celtics. Fans will be able to see Gokey’s performance as FOX Sports South airs its HD broadcast of the game across the Carolinas.

Danny spent Thanksgiving in Detroit, where he performed on Wednesday evening as part of the festivities leading up to the city’s 83rd America’s Thanksgiving Parade before returning to his native Wisconsin on Saturday to serve as Grand Marshal for the 30th Annual Grafton Christmas Parade in Grafton, WI, near his hometown.

The digital single for “My Best Days Are Ahead of Me” will be available on December 22, with a full album arriving early next year.