Nigel Lythgoe

Each year, hopeful singers from all over the country audition to be part of one of the biggest shows in American television history. Who will become the new American Idol?

The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to just Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres.

Some of this year's most talked about talent open up about the challenges and triumphs of creating critically acclaimed series and performances.

Dancers selected in open auditions across America take part in a rigorous competition designed to best display their talents, training and personalities to a panel of judges and viewers as they strive to win votes and avoid elimination.

Good Day Live was a nationwide talk show seen weekdays on FOX affiliates throughout the US. Each FOX owned and operated station airs a separate Good Day program as part of its newscast. Some FOX stations air up to five hours on weekday mornings, up to three on weekend mornings, (and almost 50% of the programming on these stations contains a locally produced newscast of local news, traffic, national news, weather, sports, business, and public affairs.)

Travel through time via music and comedy drawn from the forty-year library of the legendary, but fictional, musical variety show called “Sherman's Showcase.”

Pop Idol is a British television music competition which ran on ITV from 2001 to 2003. The aim of the show was to decide the best new young pop singer in the UK based on viewer voting and participation. Two series were broadcast - one in 2001-2002 and a second in 2003. Pop Idol was subsequently put on an indefinite hiatus after "Idol" judge Simon Cowell announced the launch of the The X Factor in the UK in April 2004. The show has become an international TV franchise since, spawning multiples of Idol series worldwide. In the mean time a legal dispute arose with the makers of Popstars, which eventually led to the word "Pop" being excluded from the titles of all the spin-offs, such as American Idol, Australian Idol, Indonesian Idol, New Zealand Idol, Latin American Idol and Idols.

The Story of Light Entertainment is a British documentary series shown on the BBC in 2006. The series comprises eight episodes and is narrated by Stephen Fry.

American Juniors is an American reality television singing competition series that was broadcast for one season, in 2003, on the Fox Network. The series was a spin-off of American Idol, but with younger contestants, and had the same production team as American Idol: it was created by Simon Fuller and 19 Entertainment, along with FremantleMedia, and directed by Bruce Gowers, and produced by Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick. However, unlike American Idol, the goal of the competition was not to find a single winner, but rather to create a singing group of five of the contestants. In this way, American Juniors more closely resembled the British series S Club Search, which had produced the group S Club Juniors. The only season of American Juniors aired in the summer of 2003. It was taped in Hollywood, California.

So You Think You Can Dance was a televised dance competition and reality show that launched in the United Kingdom in January 2010 with a format based on an American show by the same name. The show was broadcast on BBC One. The presentation of the show is similar to that of the Pop Idol series of singing competitions. The show focuses not only on the dancers' talent, but also showcases new works by notable choreographers, crafted specifically for the dancers and the show.

Zander Raines, a dazzling and tempestuous young choreographer, gives the break of a lifetime to two hopeful artists when he casts a stunning contemporary dancer, Barlow, and innovative pianist, Charlie, in New York’s most-anticipated new Broadway show: Free Dance. But the move throws off the show’s delicate creative balance when Charlie falls hard for Barlow, while Zander embraces her as his muse.

It will surprise few to discover that star of stage and screen Jerry Lewis has sought to amuse others since he was five years old. Since that early age, audiences split their sides watching his wacky antics, whilst wannabe comics aspired to his prolific career, from his solo work to his double act with Dean Martin. Indeed, many of his famous fans share stories of affection and admiration for the now 86-year-old performer and filmmaker in Gregg Barson’s documentary. Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino, Eddie Murphy and Jerry Seinfeld are among those waxing lyrical about Lewis’ particular brand of genius, and his place in the annals of history. Including a cavalcade of hilarious clips from eight decades in the spotlight, Method to the Madness of Jerry Lewis examines the icon and his influence, and is essential viewing for aficionados of the man and his legacy.

Elton John entertains a celebrity studio audience, answering questions and singing songs with his guests.

The Next Great American Band was a reality television talent show. The show premiered on October 19, 2007 and aired on FOX at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific times Friday nights. The show was taped at CBS Television City in Los Angeles on Wednesday evenings in Studio 36, which is the same studio used for American Idol. The program was created by 19 Entertainment, which is one of the companies behind American Idol, and the show shared the same basic concept as Idol. This time, however, the winner was not a singer but instead a musical band. The contest was open to performers of all genres of music, and there were no age limits for the performers. The three judges were Australian Idol judge Ian "Dicko" Dickson, Sheila E., and John Rzeznik of The Goo Goo Dolls. Dickson served as a judge on Australian Idol concurrently. The host of the show was New Zealand Idol host Dominic Bowden.

All American Girl is a 2003 reality competition that started with 45 females vying for the title of the same name. In the first episode the field of 45 is cut down to 15 by means of a talent show competition and obstacle course. At the talent show and obstacle course, three coaches decided who the 15 finalists would be. After the 15 finalists were decided, the coaches picked five girls to be on their team for the whole series. During the series, the three teams went through a training camp to train them in a vast array of disciplines that included athletic ability, mental agility, performance in the popular arts and beauty. Each week some of the contestants were cut from the competition until there were only six contestants, followed by another cut down to a final three. The winner was decided by viewer phone voting. Jessica Felice, a native of Gahanna, Ohio, won the competition. The program started on ABC in midseason 2003, but due to low ratings, ended on the cable network ABC Family with marathons and tie-in programming in an attempt to salvage the series.

A team of judges combs the Internet in search of talented amateurs capable of opening for acts: Lady Gaga, Gym Class Heroes, Rod Stewart, Nicki Minaj, LMFAO, Brad Paisley, Jason Aldean & Jason Mraz.

In a pseudo-futuristic 1994, a square couple enter the corrupt world of the music industry, and subsequently a maze of drugs, sex, and temptation.

Superstars of Dance was an American reality television show that debuted on January 4, 2009 on NBC. The show featured dance routines from eight different countries from six continents. It was hosted by Michael Flatley, co-creator of Riverdance and creator of Lord of the Dance, and was co-hosted by former Miss USA title holder Susie Castillo. It was created by executive producers Nigel Lythgoe and Simon Fuller, co-producers of So You Think You Can Dance and American Idol. On May 19, 2009, it was announced that NBC would not be ordering a second season of the show.

Thousands of youth hopefuls from all over Australia go through a fly-on-the-wall insight where talented musicians/singers go through stages of elimination where by a select few are given a record contract.

A Saturday evening magic show which ran from 1990 to 1992. Linda Lusardi starred with the host and was replaced by various guest stars for the third and final season. Each episode featured a number of close-up tricks and comedy sketches, before closing with a large scale illusion.