American Idol (season 8) American Idol (season 8) 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. 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
Latin American Idol (season 4) Latin American Idol (season 4) The fourth season of Latin American Idol premiered on September 9, 2009. This season brings new changes as host Monchi Balestra and judge Gustavo Sánchez leave the show. The show was hosted by Erika de la Vega, judges Jon Secada and Mimi return to judge once again and a new judge joins them, Oscar Mediavilla, an Argentine producer. The auditions for Season 4 were on July 2009. There was a form to fill in the "Latin American Idol" MySpace site to try for auditions for 2009. Auditioners had to be between the ages of 18