*Reigning “American Idol” champion Scotty McCreery’s debut single “I Love You This Big” sales have gone above the half million mark, which means it has reached gold status.

Season 10 Idols on the current charts:

• Scotty McCreery, I Love You This Big (24,000, +29%, 503,000)
• Pia Toscano, This Time (15,000, -30%)
• Lauren Alaina, Like My Mother Does (8,000, +122%, 247,000)

*Season 10′s James Durbin recently tweeted that he’s working on a song that’s not for his new album. The cryptic tweet read “Recording a badass song called Stand Up! Not for the record… but not to keep you waiting too long. I’ll tell ya more when I can!”

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FOX has officially confirmed the return of all the judges for American Idol 2012 after Nigel Lythgoe let the word slip the other week. Apparently Jennifer Lopez, the sole holdout, had not yet signed her contract. But now she has and is $20 million richer for it.

FOX released their usual “greatest season ever!” press release with all the highlights you’ll need for the new Idol season. Highlight of the news is the American Idol 2012 premiere date set for Sunday, January 22, 2012 on FOX.

Global icon Jennifer Lopez, rock legend Steven Tyler and Grammy Award-winning producer Randy Jackson will return to the judges’ panel for the 11th season of AMERICAN IDOL. The trio, along with Emmy®-nominated host Ryan Seacrest, will begin their search for America’s next singing superstar when AMERICAN IDOL debuts Sunday, Jan. 22 (10:00-11:00 PM ET/7:00-8:00 PM PT), immediately following the NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME on FOX.

AMERICAN IDOL recently received an incredible 10 Primetime Emmy® Award nominations, more than any other reality program on television and the most nominations in the show’s history. Highlights include Emmy® nominations for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program as well as an Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program for Ryan Seacrest.

“Having both Jennifer and Steven return to IDOL in 2012 alongside Randy is such a positive reflection on what was a wonderful and hugely successful season last year, and everyone is delighted,” said Simon Fuller, Creator and Executive Producer, AMERICAN IDOL.

“I am very pleased to have our panel of judges back for the 11th season of AMERICAN IDOL,” said executive producer Cecile Frot-Coutaz. “Their chemistry and ability to select amazing talent made last season one of our most successful yet, and we look forward to going on another exciting ride.”

“From the very first day of auditions, we knew we had something special in our new judges panel, and we’re so happy that America felt that way too,” said Mike Darnell, President of Alternative Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company. “Together with Ryan – who is fantastic day in and day out – they built an incredible connection with both the contestants and our viewers, and I’m absolutely thrilled to welcome them all back to IDOL for another season.”

The final day of 2012 auditions wraps up this week, but then the judges will continue touring the country for the callback events. Lots more news should be coming soon as the new season closes in with just four months to go.

Source: FOX press release

This content is owned by American Idol Net.

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Each week we scour the internet for the latest and greatest photos of our favorite TV stars. From the latest photos for upcoming episodes to the hottest red carpet events to just walking down the street. It's clear that celebrities are working hard this summer.

Check out last week's photos of Glee on the red carpet, True Blood's Alexander Skarsgard and more.

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“The Voice” judge and Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine recently blasted “American Idol” to Out Magazine over the way they treat gay contestants.

“What’s always p***ed me off about Idol is wanting to mask that, for that to go unspoken,” Levine told the magazine. “C’mon. You can’t be publicly gay? At this point? On a singing competition? Give me a break. You can’t hide basic components of these people’s lives. The fact that The Voice didn’t have any qualms about being completely open about it is a great thing.”

On the premiere season of “The Voice,” there were four openly-gay contestants, two of whom made it to the finale. So the topic is fresh in Levine’s mind. Levine also said he has a gay brother so he’s always been passionate about gay rights and acceptance.

‘Idol’ has never had a contestant openly say they’re gay while on the show, including Season 9′s Adam Lambert.

Levine does recognize that “The Voice” still isn’t in the same league as “Idol.”

“I can’t f*** with ‘American Idol,’ ” Levine said. “It’s a cultural institution. On ‘The Voice,’ we just care about a different list of things.”

Do you think Levine is just taking shots at his competition or do you think he makes a good point? Should a contestants’ sexual orientation matter enough to be hidden or put out in the open?

This content is copyrighted by AmericanIdolnet.com.

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Season 10 “American Idol” winner Scotty McCreery and runner-up Lauren Alaina will both be releasing their debut albums in October.

Scotty’s album “Clear as Day” is set to drop Oct. 4 while Lauren’s “Wildflower” the following week on Oct. 10.

“We’ve been working hard on this album not only in Nashville, but in studios across the country because I’ve been on the Idol tour,” Scotty said in a press release. “We’re putting what I believe are the best songs we could find on it and I really hope everyone likes it. The whole experience has been amazing!”

According to the release, Scotty’s new album is a collection of songs in the same straight-ahead country style that captured the nation’s hearts – and votes—on the show. It’s the next step in a promising career that is already breaking records.

Lauren says her album has a little something for everyone.

“I feel like it has a flavor for everybody,” Lauren said in a release. “It’s a mixture of all different songs, so I hope it will appeal to all different kinds of people. There are fast songs for people who like up-tempos that you can dance to, and there are also tearjerkers for people who like slower ballads.

Original content from American Idol 2011.

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