American Idol Just Made Us Cry All the Tears

You got us again, American Idol.

We"re well aware of how you stage and sort of manipulate certain situations during initial audition episodes in order to tug at the heartstrings of viewers…

… but darn if that still doesn"t work sometimes. 

And the audition of Tristan McIntosh was one of those times.

Only 15 years old, McIntosh tried out in front of Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick Jr.

Guitar in hand, she put on an impressive performance of Mickey Guyton’s “Why Baby Why," one that earned her a ticket to Hollywood.

Before doing so, however, McIntosh told the panelists about the one family member who could not be there to support her at that time.

Her mother is a Major in the army and she was all set to retire … before she was called up to serve as a hero in the Middle East.

“It’s just a really weird feeling she’s not here for something of this magnitude,” said the 15-year-old. “I just want to make my mom proud, she’s sacrificed so much.”

Connick Jr. then read an emotional email from Tristan"s mother, but the emotion got turned up far more when the parent came out and surprised her daughter right then and there!

"Do you think I would miss this for the world?” mother told her sobbing child.

And that"s when we started sobbing, too. So did Urban and Lopez.

Check out the full audition below and then also take a look at Tristan"s competition. We must say, Olivia Rox looks awfully tough to beat.

Clay Aiken SLAMS American Idol: What a Snoozefest!

In honor of its final season kicking off, American Idol brought back a few fan favorites on its Wednesday night premiere.

Clay Aiken was not one of them. And we have a feeling he won’t be making an appearance on the show that made him famous any time soon, either.

The Season 2 finalist live-Tweeted his American Idol viewing experience this week, telling followers it was the first time he tuned in for the show in about 10 years.

And it’s safe to say he was not impressed.

“Well… now I know why the ratings are down,” Aiken wrote early on, adding:

“Oh good Lord… those boring ass responses from the judges!? Where is Simon when you need him!? That guy need a hook to pull him off stage.”

There are many reasons why American Idol has lost popularity over the years, from other singing shows such as The Voice rising up to simple viewer fatigue.

But Aiken isn’t wrong. Losing Simon Cowell was a major blow to the franchise.

It’s been a struggle to replace someone with his expertise, honesty and humor.

In Aiken’s view, he was the only reason to tune in on a weekly basis:

“It’s VERY clear now that @SimonCowell was the reason @AmericanIdol was a hit. I’ve watched root canals more entertaining than these judges.”

Aiken finished second on Season 2 to Ruben Studdard.

He has gone on to star on Broadway and even run for political office in North Carolina.

He is unafraid to speak his mind.

“Leave it to the contestants from #Raleigh NC to totally make tonight’s show worth watching!!” he also Tweeted, remaining loyal to his home state.

Upon receiving backlash for his rebuke of American Idol, Aiken replied that he only spoke this way out of love… and frustration:

“When your favorite team that you’ve cheered for for years happens to play a shitty game, you’re absolutely allowed to be upset about it.

“We’re all more critical of the things we care about most.”

Kanye West Auditions For American Idol! WATCH!

In the first preview for the final season of American Idol, we caught a brief glimpse of an up-and-coming rapper from Chicago named Kanye West. 

Now, we have the full footage of that young dreamer who "no one believed in" (his words) as he shows off his talent (and his sense of humor) for the panel of judges.

Kanye"s wife – a stylish, very pregnant young woman named Kim Kardashian – shows up to support him, and she seems to really believe the guy"s got a future in music.

Remarkbly, Kim isn"t star struck by the sight of Ryan Seacrest, and she manages to keep her composure during "Ye"s tense audition.

When the big moment finally comes, our man Kanye swings for the fences. 

Rather than belting out a Celine Dion ballad (which we had hoped for), he chooses to rap about one of judges" butts, and it goes over remarkably well.

Even so, it"s not a tactic that we would recommend for other aspiring Idol contestants.

Anyway, the kid seemed a little nervous, but call us crazy – we think you might be hearing his name somewhere down the line.

No no one speak to him until he finishes his album! 

American Idol Teaser: Is That Kanye West?!?

Ryan Seacrest is preparing his final remarks.

Jennifer Lopez is readying her final low-cut top.

And Fox is all set to dominate the airwaves with the final season of American Idol.

Yes, the long-running show will sign off for good following its upcoming season, having introduced the world so such superstars as Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Lee DeWyze.

Okay, well… to such superstars as Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood at least.

In all seriousness, however, American Idol has left quite a mark on the world of television.

It has spawned such copycat competitions as The Voice and it has produced a number of Grammy Award-winners.

In its prime, it also earned ratings that simply blew away the competition.

We go back in time in the following trailer, revisiting the auditions of former famous contestants and the commentary of former famous judges, most notably Simon Cowell, of course.

We then end with a visit by… Kanye West? What is Mr. Kim Kardashian doing there?!?

Jennifer Lopez appears to be asking the same question in the promo, as she laughs and act all befuddled as to why West is on hand to audition.

Prepare for all past American Idol judges to return this winter or spring (please tell Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey will once again share a screen!) and check out the first promo below.

American Idol will kick off its final season in January.

Look Who Just Auditioned for American Idol!

Who says Kanye West doesn"t have a sense of humor?

On Saturday in San Francisco, the rapper appeared before Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick Jr. in order to audition for the 15th and final season of American Idol.

Footage of West singing his 2005 hit “Gold Digger” was shared on Instagram by Kim Kardashian, who accompanied her husband for his pressure-packed audition.

Check out a sneak peek at the performance here and consider yourself spoiler warned: Kanye received a Golden Ticket to Hollywood. Hooray!

He was in the city over the weekend for a fundraiser, headlining an event that featured a Presidential endorsement from Barack Obama. 

Not a bad 24 hours for Yeezy, huh?