TMZ obtained a copy of the contract every “American Idol” contestant must sign before going on the show — and one thing is perfectly clear …. Ryan, Randy, Ellen, Kara, Simon, Theodore and Alvin are not available for their pleasure.

According to the legal doc — a copy of which was filed in court because a contestant was a minor — the contestants promise the following:  “Neither I nor any members of my family or my friends will enter into any personal, social, business, and or financial relationships with any of the judges, host(s), guest stars …”  The prohibition runs for the duration of the show and 6 months thereafter.

But the way we see it … there’s no way the contract can bind family or friends.  Nonetheless, it’s a good threat, because according to the doc, a contestant will be disqualified for violating the rule and forfeit any prize money.

And in the money department … here’s the way it breaks down.
The winner gets $175,000 when he/she starts recording … and another $175,000 when that person  “delivers” the first album. If the winner gets a second album, he/she gets anywhere between $275,000 and $550,000 depending on the success of the album.  As for a third album — anywhere between $325,000 and 650,000.  As for a forth — anywhere between $375,000 – $750,000.  As for a fifth — $450,000 – $900,000.  And a six album gets the winner between $500,000 and a cool $1 mil.

The second place finisher gets $150,000 when he/she starts recording their first album … and another $150,000 upon delivery. The second album gets the runner-up between $225,000 and $450,000 and so on.

As for 3rd through 12th place — if the label signs them — they each get $100,000 when he/she begins recording album #1 and another $100,000 upon delivery … though most of them end up playing hot air balloon festivals.

And get this … according to the contract, “A.I.” isn’t required to pay incidental expenses during the show.  Contestants even have to pay for their own transportation when they’re not traveling to and from the show.

Adam Lambert (AP photo)

The 2009 “American Idol” runner up Adam Lambert announced the dates for his upcoming tour. 

Lambert’s “Glam Nation Tour” will kick off June 4 in Pennsylvania and it will conclude Sept. 18 in St. Petersburg, Florida. 

Lambert finished second to Kris Allen during season eight of “American Idol.”  He receives more attention than anyone else from that season partly due to his ability to create controversy and attract camera attention.

He ignited a firestorm when he gave a graphic and lewd performance last year at the American Music Awards.  The tour dates are posted below.  The opening act will be rock singer Orianthi.

•  June 4 – Wilkes-Barre, PA @ The FM Kirby Center for the Performing Arts
•  June 5 – Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
• June 8 – Toledo, OH @ Omni
• June 10 – Council Bluffs, IA @ Harrah’s Ballroom
• June 11 – Mahnomen, MN @ Shooting Star Casino
• June 12 – Prior Lake, MN @ Mystic Lake Casino Hotel
• June 14 – Columbus, OH- LC Pavilion
• June 15 – Milwaukee, WI @ Riverside Theater
• June 17 – Hammond, IN @ The Venue at Horseshoe Casino
• June 18 – Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Theater
• June 19 – West Toronto, ON, Canada @ Molson Amphitheatre
• June 22 – New York, NY@ Nokia Theatre
• June 24 – Mashantucket, CT @ MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods
• June 26 – Atlantic City, NJ @ Borgata Spa & Resort—Event Center
• July 15 – Kansas City, MO @ Midland Theatre
• July 27 – Costa Mesa, CA @ OC Fair, Pacific Amphitheatre
• July 28 – Costa Mesa, CA @ OC Fair, Pacific Amphitheatre
• August 13 – Bethlehem, PA @ Musikfest
• September 18 – St. Petersburg, FL @ Tropicana Field

American Idol Top 10 (Fox)

The top 10 contestants from the 2010 season of  ”American Idol” will hit the road for a 49-city tour this summer. 

The tour will begin July 1 in Auburn Hills, and it will end Sept. 14 in Pittsburgh.  The contestants also will swing through Tulsa’s BOK Center on Aug. 8.

The 10 contestants who will perform on the tour are Siobhan Magnus, Casey James, Michael Lynche, Didi Benami, Tim Urban, Andrew Garcia, Katie Stevens, Lee DeWyze, Aaron Kelly and Crystal Bowersox.

The tour dates are posted below.

• Thurs., July 1, Auburn Hills, MI, The Palace at Auburn Hills
• Fri., July 2, Milwaukee, WI, Summerfest
• Sat., July 3, Grand Rapids, MI, Van Andel Arena
• Mon., July 5, Hamilton, ON, Copps Coliseum
• Wed., July 7, Wantagh, NY, Jones Beach
• Sat., July 10, Atlantic City, Etess Arena
• Sun., July 11, Philadelphia, PA, Wachovia Center
• Tues., July 13, Uncasville, CT, Mohegan Sun
• Wed., July 14, Manchester, NH, Verizon Wireless Arena
• Thurs., July 15, Hershey, PA, Giant Center
• Sat., July 17, Albany, NY, Times Union Center
• Sun., July 18, Mansfield, MA, Comcast Center
• Tues., July 20, Newark, NJ, Prudential Center
• Fri., July 23, Washington, DC, Jiffy Lube Live
• Sat., July 24, Baltimore, MD, 1st Mariner Arena
• Sun., July 25, Charlotte, NC, Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre1
• Tues., July 27, Columbus, OH, Nationwide Arena
• Wed., July 28, Knoxville, TN, Thompson-Boling Arena
• Thurs., July 29, Virginia Beach, VA, Virginia Beach Amphitheater
• Sat., July 31, Lexington, KY, Rupp Arena
• Sun., Aug. 1, Duluth, GA, Arena at Gwinnett Center
• Tues., Aug. 3, Sunrise, FL, BankAtlantic Center
• Wed., Aug. 4, Tampa, FL, St. Pete Times Forum
• Sat., Aug. 7, Houston, TX, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
• Sun., Aug. 8, Tulsa, OK, BOK Center
• Mon., Aug. 9, Dallas, TX, American Airlines Center
• Thurs., Aug. 12, Phoenix, AZ, US Airways Center
• Fri., Aug. 13, Los Angeles, CA, Staples Center
• Sat., Aug. 14, Mountain View, CA, Shoreline Amphitheatre at Mountain View
• Mon., Aug. 16, San Diego, CA, Viejas Arena
• Tues., Aug. 17, Anahem, CA, Honda center
• Wed., 18, Sacramento, CA, ARCO Arena
• Fri., Aug. 20, Seattle, WA, Key Arena
• Sat., Aug. 21, Portland, OR, Rose Garden
• Mon., Aug. 23, Denver, CO, Comfort Dental Amphitheatre
• Wed., Aug. 25, Kansas City, MO, Sprint Center
• Thurs., Aug. 26, Omaha, NB, Qwest Center
• Fri., Aug. 27, St. Louis, MO, Scottrade Center
• Sun., Aug. 29, Minneapolis, MN, Target Center
• Mon., Aug. 30, Chicago, IL, United Center
• Tues., Aug. 31, Des Moines, IA, Wells Fargo Arena
• Thurs., Sept. 2, Toledo, OH, The Huntington Center
• Fri., Sept. 3, Cincinnati, OH, Riverbend Music Center
• Sat., Sept. 4, Indianapolis, IN, Conseco Fieldhouse
• Tues., Sept. 7, Winnipeg, MTS Centre
• Fri., Sept. 10, Buffalo, NY, HSBC Arena
• Sat., Sept. 11, Cleveland, OH, Quicken Loans Arena
• Mon., Sept. 13, Bridgeport, CT, Arena at Harbor Yard
• Tues., Sept. 14, Pittsburgh, PA, Consol Energy Center

During the show, several celebrities made appearances on “American Idol” to raise money for the humanitarian efforts around the world.

The celebrities included Carrie Underwood, Black Eyed Peas, Mary J. Blige, Alicia, Elton John, Jennifer Garner, Victoria Beckham, President Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Russell Brand and Queen Latifah, among others.

A photo gallery from the show is posted below. Click the Associated Press images to enlarge them.

Lady Gaga (AP photo)

Lady Gaga will appear on the May 5 episode of “American Idol.”

The pop singer made the announcement on her Twitter page.  She said “See you on American Idol. May 5th, Little Monsters.”

This will be Gaga’s second appearance on the talent show.  Last year, she performed her hit song “Poker Face” on the show.

Crystal Bowersox (AP photo)

Crystal Bowersox is considered the front runner on this season’s “American Idol.”  But two weeks ago, Bowersox tried to leave the show because she missed her son back home, and it was an emotional drain.

Idol host Ryan Seacrest confirmed reports that Bowersox tried to leave the show, but Seacrest convinced her to stay.

Seacresttold the E! Network  he found Bowersox in the parking lot, and he told her “The greatest thing I ever did was make enough money so I could buy my mom a house. You can buy your mom a house.”

Meanwhile, Bowersox confirmed the reports on the “American Idol” Facebook page.  She said “We all have moments of doubt. As much as I miss my kid, the big picture is this: I’m doing this for him and my fans. I’m having the time of my life!”

Anna Trebunskaya and Anna Trebunskaya on "Dancing with the Stars." (AP photo by Adam Larkey)

The ABC network has something to dance about.  The show “Dancing with the Stars” beat Fox’s “American Idol” in the ratings for the first time. 

During the week of March 29, the Monday episode of “Dancing with the Stars” had nearly 23 million viewers compared to “American Idol’s” viewership of 21.8 million Tuesday and $20.5 million Wednesday last week, according to TV Guide. 

I’m not surprised by the shift in ratings.  This year’s “American Idol” season has been lackluster.  It’s not as exciting as it used to be in previous years because of the contestants aren’t “wowing” people this year. 

I have watched most “American Idol” episodes, but I’ve never seen “Dancing with the Stars.”  I think I’m going to watch my first episode next week to see what all the hoopla is about.

Adam Lambert (AP photo)

Adam Lambert will be the next celebrity to serve as a mentor to the contestants on “American Idol.”

The rock singer will be the mentor on the April 13 episode. 

Lambert placed second on the 2009 season of “American Idol.”  He was edged out by Kris Allen.

R&B singer Rihanna will be the latest celebrity to make a stop on “American Idol.”

On Wednesday’s episode (April 7), Rihanna will perform her new song titled “Te Amo.” 

Meanwhile, on Tuesday’s episode, the contestants will perform songs by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.  Rihanna will not be serving as the mentor.

Clay Aiken, left, and Ruben Studdard during the 2003 finale of "American Idol." (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)

Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken were competitors during season two of “American Idol” in 2003.

Studdard and Clay competed for “American Idol” title when both of them advanced to the finale.  Studdard beat Clay for the title, but they are now teaming up for a joint tour.

The 17-city tour will kick off July 23 in North Carolina, and it will conclude Aug. 14 in Mississippi.  The tour schedule is posted below.

• Fri., July 23: Biltmore Estates, Asheville, N.C.
• Sat., July 24: Florida Theater, Jacksonville, Fla.
• Sun. Jul. 25: King Center for Arts, Melbourne, Fla.
• Mon., July 26: Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, Fla.
• Thurs., July 29: Casino—Mountain View Plaza, Snoqualmie, Wash.
• Sat., July 31: Silver Legacy Casino, Reno, Nev.
• Sun., Aug. 1: Club Nokia, Los Angeles, Calif.
• Tues., Aug. 3: Potowanami Casino, Milwaukee, Wisc.
• Thurs., Aug. 5: Caesar’s Windsor, Ontario
• Fri. Aug. 6: Chautauqua Institution Amphitheatre, Chautauqua, N.Y.
• Sat., Aug. 7: MGM Grand Foxwoods, Mashantucket, Conn.
• Sun., Aug. 8: American Music Theater, Lancaster, Penn.
• Tues., Aug. 10: HB Casino, Hampton Beach, N.H.
• Wed., Aug. 11: Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, N.Y.
• Fri., Aug. 13: Horseshoe, Hammond, Ind.
• Sat., Aug. 14: Beau Rivage, Biloxi, Miss

Siobhan Magnus “Paint It Black”

Crystal Bowersox “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”

Lee Dewyze “Beast of Burden”

Aaron Kelly “Angie”

Paige Miles “Honky Tonk Woman”

Casey James “It’s All Over Now”

Michael Lynche (Big Mike) “Miss You”

Did Benami “Play With Fire”

Lacey Brown “Ruby Tuesday”

Andrew Garcia “Gimme Shelter”

Katie Stevens “Wild Horses”

(American Idol/Fox)

Season eight “American Idol” contestant Anoop Desai’s new song titled “My Name” will be released March 23. 

The song will appear on his upcoming album “All Is Fair” which will be released May 4.  The album will have an Indian, R&B and pop flavor, according to a press release from his publicist. 

Desai placed sixth on ”American Idol” in 2009.

During the show he sang songs from a variety of genres and musicians, including Boyz II Men, Stevie Wonder, Bobby Brown, Jimmy Ruffin, Michael Jackson, usher, Willie Nelson, Cyndi Lauper, Bryan Adams and Donna Summer. 

In 2009, he was nominated at the Teen Choice Awards for best summer tour, along with the other “American Idol” top 10 contestants from season eight.

Nicknamed “Noop Dogg” on the show, Desai was one of my favorites to win the title.  But he fell short because “American Idol” viewers/voters weren’t smart enough to keep him on the show by voting.

Desai was raised in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, by his Indian father and South African mother, according to a press release from his publicist. 

Desai is not currently tied to a record company.  His album will be released independently.  Fans can keep up with Anoop on his Web site at www.anoopdesai.com

(provided by JS2 Communications)

The contestants will perform songs from the Roling Stones during tonight’s episode (March 16). Who is your favorite female contestant so far?