More Photos From the American Idol Experience Grand Opening!

I’m glad Kelly was able to make it

Brooke, Kelly, Jason, DA and DC in the same place! I’m happy!

Thanks for the pics!

Ruben looks good! I forget how tall he is. Taylor looks quite nice as well. Go idol dudes!

wow…mandisa and carly are lookin’ good.

aww Archie’s the youngest one there in the group picture. haha

Maybe he got to sing “And I am telling you” to Kelly again. I kid, I kid.

Isnt that David Archuleta with his head half blocked by Fantasia?? Whats up with that, Mr. Photographer!!?

In the future, they should do an Idol mega-reunion with every finalist, every semi-finalist and dozens or hundreds of other contestants…perhaps the whole theme park by invitation only…

You can barely see poor Archie in that group pic. Thanks for all the pics MJ and Sarah thanks for taking the ones of the motorcade.

Am so glad Kelly was there today. Yay for the winners. I love how Kelly, Carrie, and Dave were right in the middle. Hee.

So now Fremantle will give out those trophies moving forward? Cute for today’s festivities but will it be given at the Finale announcement? Will there be a sash as well? Like Miss America? Heh.

mj, the picture of Lakisha doesn’t work when I click on it as the others do. Just a head’s up. Thanks.

Yay for an almost Carrie and Kelly pic. Dammit Paula, Simon and Ryan for ruining it lol.

Yay for an almost Carrie and Kelly pic. Dammit Paula, Simon and Ryan for ruining it lol.

LOL!

Fox Orlando has a video of mini interviews with some of the idols on the blue carpet. Theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve got à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“past idol Jordin Sparksà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ , à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“reigning idol David Cookà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ , à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Grammy winner Carrie Underwoodà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ , à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“cutie pie David Archuletaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ , à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“loopy Jason Castroà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ , and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“studdly Ruben Studdard.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

http://www.myfoxorlando.com/dpp/news/021209_Idol_Experience

Be sure to also check out their extensive photo gallery of the event. They are high quality pics…
http://media.myfoxorlando.com/photogalleries/021209idolexperiencepremier/indexGallery.htm

awww two group photos from getty, jordin and DA *heart*
pic 1, pic 2

Getty has some more pics and one of them… omigosh! hahaha looks like minnie is like attacking DA LOL or trying to pinch his cheeks or soemthing…. lol

Poor David Archuleta..he was blocked by everyone..ha.a..ha.ha.. can’t wait for David Archuleta concert in Pomona ..I hope he is going to sing that cheesy song on the finale..”In this moment” ..I just watched that song and “dltsgdom” on youtube again …I still got chilled after 9 months.

Just found a better video of the Cookwood duet: Go Your Own Way.

Thanks so very much for all the links, everyone who posted them!:-D I am not that far from Disney, but with this economy just couldn’t afford to get out to see my favorites, I can enjoy them this way.

Kelly:
http://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt20/macvista/DisneyFox/Kelly.jpg

Carrie and Cook! That was really really great! They soundd awesome together. Thanks for posting the link!

Sorry for the onslaught of pics, MJ..I had to snip it from the myfoxorlando website..

Kelly, KellyRuben, 7 Idols, Carrie and Fuller, Fantasia and Fuller, David and Fuller, Jordin and Fuller, Jordin and Fuller again
, David and Fuller again, Jordin, David and Ryan, David and Carrie, David and Carrie again, David, Carrie and Ryan

That was so special. I love them together. Their voices blend so well. I get such pleasure from seeing them.

Whoever dressed Kelly should be shot. She’s too young to be wearing old people’s clothes.

The 7 Idols and Mickey
http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/6820/001cd3.jpg

The 7 Idols and Mickey
http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/6820/001cd3.jpg

OMG, I love it!

Cute pictures and a fun event but…
Disney built a thousand seat kareoke bar without alcohol where you get to listen to parkgoers sing for you. The “prize” is a pass to an Idol audition so does that meant there’s an age limit for the singer? So no children or folks over 28 can perform, right? Does that seem like a great family attraction to you?

Disney folk are genius but I’m not actually getting the allure of the “attraction.” Plus, even AI won’t last forever (or maybe even five more years) so do they turn this thing into a regular theatre eventually (scratches head).

They all look incredible. A very exclusive society. Say what you will about who in this picture is successful or not. They are all platinum recording artists, still working in the industry, and I think in 10 years they all will still be working. That is what they signed up for. It’s great to see them all in one picture. I sorta got verklempt!

^Don’t make me tear up, abbysee! I love the Idols.

So… got this quote from ONTD, someone who works at WDW (or claims to) posted it.

And kelly clarkson totally bitched out. She was supposed to be in the parade but dipped out last minute so Kimberly locke was the last one, so depressing. Kelly is at the convention right now though, she just rode tower with david cook.

I don’t really care about the first part, but the thought of Kelly and DC riding Tower of Terror together made me LMAO.

Whoever dressed Kelly should be shot.

Heh. I’m sure she dressed herself.

Loved the Cook/Carrie duet. They should record something together.

The 7 Idols and Mickey
http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/6820/001cd3.jpg

Oh, this one’s the best yet! Thanks!

That story about Kelly being bitchy rings true. I’m sure she hated doing this kind of cheesy event. I still have fond memories of her scowling though a World Idol fiasco.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m sure she hated doing this kind of cheesy event. I still have fond memories of her scowling though a World Idol fiasco.

Which I find ironic because as much as I like Kelly, I’ve always found some of her songs a bit on the cheesy side….her recent song is kind of a guilty pleasure for me.

This is an Idol fan’s dream event. I love the pics of all seven idols together on stage. Loved the photos frogcooke posted of the entire group where Jordin moved over in such a way that Archie could be seen. Those two really have a wonderful friendship, it seems. Kelly does not look happy in the group photos. Maybe her choice of dress was a statement of her feelings about Idol.

LOL, I love the picture of all seven idols with Mickey! I’m a WDW freek so I really wish I could have been there. So much fun!

Thanks mj and everyone else who posted photos and information about the event. :smile2_tb:

Can someone tell me how they determined which idols would go to this event? I know that they wanted all of the winners there and I’m glad they all showed up. But some of the runner ups are missing.

Where are Clay Aiken, Kathrine McPhee and Blake Lewis? And is Diana Degarmo there? Did Fox just send out invitations to all or most of the finalists over the past 7 seasons, and those who were able to attend did? Or did they only invite some of the past contestants, and maybe a few of them couldn’t make it?

^Diana was there, so was Syesha, Jason Castro, Brooke White, Carly Smithson, Michael Johns.

From Season 6: Melinda, Phil Stacey, Chris Sligh, Sanjaya (I can’t remember who else)

jpfan, a little clarification for you about the attraction. There is no upper age limit to participate and the lower age limit is 14. If you participate and win a dream ticket but are outside of the age range to audition for AI, you can transfer it to someone who IS within the age range.

I’ve had several friends who previewed and even participated in the soft opening process they did for a few weeks and everyone said that it’s a really great attraction and will be a huge draw for that park. I’m gonna go back to the park tomorrow but will probably only watch a show. I’ll try to audition at a later time.

Maybe her choice of dress was a statement of her feelings about Idol.

LOL! She looks like she was going to a funeral. I gotta give her props though for showing up. That says a lot about her.

I was just coming to post about KC’s hideous choice of clothing. She looks matronly. Heck, I’m almost 57 and I wouldn’t be caught dead (literally) in an outfit like that!

Thanks for the clairification about Diana widz. I thought that was possibly her standing beside Kim Locke, but I didn’t know for sure.

Wow, Kelly looks horrible. I think Carrie seems to be the face of American Idol now.

Wow, Kelly looks horrible. I think Carrie seems to be the face of American Idol now.

Seems that way. I think Kelly was driven into going by the planners and backed down on her opposition as she probably hates American Idol now. Carrie, on the other hand, is proud of the show and seems to be happy as its icon, and she probably still watches the show religiously just like we do.

I don’t see the big deal either way. At least Kelly showed. Good for her.

I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t see the big deal either way. At least Kelly showed. Good for her.

I agree, Kelly was part of the show SEVEN years ago, so I’m just glad she showed up. She’s paid her dues, so hey, if she wants do wear a granny dress who’s to stop her?

itsalleternal I agree, I think Kelly seems to have no interest in idol or the people from the show. Carrie is more than gracious. She is experiencing mega stardom and I think Kelly is sorta falling behind. Carrie and David will probably be the most successful from AI in the long run.

Honestly I don’t think Kelly needs Idol at all. She’s on a hot streak right now and she had built a career separate from Idol. She wasn’t there to perform like Carrie and David, just to hang around and get some photos taken – not exactly top notch promotion for her.
I think there was probably a LOT of pressure on her, otherwise I don’t think she’d have been there.

I think Kelly seems to have no interest in idol or the people from the show. Carrie is more than gracious. She is experiencing mega stardom and I think Kelly is sorta falling behind.

As far as comparing their relative success, I think they are both very successful and what we’re experiencing is the normal peaks and valleys of celebrities’ relative popularity based on the timing of their respective promo opportunities. Carrie’s been riding a wave of popularity with nominations, awards, singles, etc. associated with her second album but will likely go a bit more quiet in a few months when she writes/records her third album. Meanwhile, Kelly has been out of the spotlight for a while due to writing/recording her album but is due to come out with her new album next month. (And she also just broke that Billboard record (jump from 97->1 on Hot 100), right?) Also, perception of popularity really depends on what genre of music you listen to. I am aware of Carrie’s enormous popularity primarily because of being on this board, but other than the rare crossover hit of hers on HAC or Top40 radio, I hear WAY more Kelly songs than Carrie songs on the radio.

I don’t think Kelly is falling behind anything. Her newest single went to the top of the hot 100. Who can predict who’ll have a career in the long run.
Kelly showed up, smiled and I think that’s more that what was originally expected from her. And I thought she looked fine.

So what if she didn’t want to ride in the parade? None of us know whether or not she was asked to do so ahead of time anyway. If they sprung it on her when she thought she was just doing the party and pictures I don’t blame her for saying no. I had also read that her plane was delayed and that was the reason she didn’t participate. Either way it’s not a big deal.

The group photo is cute. Josh Gracin and Diana Degarmo are almost unrecognizable from their show days. Both look great. Just different.

Kelly is definitely not falling behind in her own career by any means. It is just that she is really trying to distance herself far from American Idol, unlike many others who are still trying to keep the links connected.

How is Kelly trying to distance herself away from Idol?
She goes to the event, performs on the show and talks about Idol in nearly every interview she does.

Kelly had been in music industry the longest compare to other Idols. And being able to still exist as top singer after 7 years. (by her number one song recently), she show to all people that she will stay in this business for a long long time.

In my opinion, Kelly and Carrie so far will be likely stay on top. Others who had suceess in their debut album still had to wait for their second album to prove that.

Umm no. Idol owes Kelly, not the other way around.

Ryan said that the trophy was given to them for making the show run 7 years… In that case Kelly should’ve gotten all 7 trophies cause that girl’s personality and talent is why the show is still on.

ET has a video up

Honestly I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think Kelly needs Idol at all. Sheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s on a hot streak right now and she had built a career separate from Idol.

ITA. Sheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s one of those that could survive even when Idol is already gone. She doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t need any promo/mention/pimpage from Idol just to sell an album or single. When ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s all said and done, I think she (and maybe a few more if theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re lucky) is the only one people would remember 10 years from now. IMO Idol needs her more than she needs them. I think the same can be said for Jennifer Hudson.

As for Carrie, her gratitude towards Idol is very endearing. She just needs to be careful not to overdo it or else sheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll end up being merely an Idol Tool. I do think though that sheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll be fine even when Idol is gone. The girl is not just a singer anymore à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ she has become a celebrity. Sheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a press darling.

I think you could add David to that mix too. He is someone that will be remembered 10 years from now. He’s going to be in the music industry for many years to come. AI loves him, he has one of the biggest fanbases and the press loves him as well.

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Thanks for all the pictures everyone. Taylor looks really, really handsome! Ruben was sharp in his suit. It was very cool to see all 7 winners together for this event. It may never happen again.

Loved seeing all the Idols together, it was a real treat for a long time Idol watcher. Kelly knows that you wouldn’t even know her name if she hadn’t appeared on the show. I think they are all here because they appreciated the chance that Idol provides. The Idol aura fades the longer your away from the show. It can be a good thing and a bad thing. And yes Ladybug Taylor does look handsome, best looking guy there IMO.

I just saw the coverage of this on E! News. All 7 together for the first time. That is SO MUCH FUN!!! I wish I could’ve been there. I was just in Orlando like a month ago, sheesh!

I dunno- maybe Kelly is unhappy right now with the weight thing bothering her. Similar to Oprah’s confessions about when she was on stage with Tina and Cher. Or maybe she was being the opposite of expectations on purpose. I don’t really care if she flat out loved that dress and that’s why she wore it. She IS the American Idol. Personally, don’t like Underwood at all… she’s still a kitten trying to be a tiger IMO.

Taylor looks de.lic.iou.ssssss

ET interviewed some of the Idols during the motorcade. Kimberly Locke was doing the interviewing. CLICK HERE.

I found a picture of Carrie and Cook riding the Rockin Roller Coaster at Hollywood Studios:

Click here

^Thanks Cheese! Undercook ftw!
Here’s the XL version:
http://photos.attractionsmagazine.com/gallery/7350378_VAntZ#473103694_qSD6p-XL-LB

Is the girl in the green shirt Brooke? Who is the guy right by Jason, Melinda, Diana and Kim?