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WELCOME BACK, AMERICAN IDOL

THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY BEGINS WITH A TWO-NIGHT PREMIERE WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18 AND THURSDAY, JANUARY 19;
AUDITIONS CONTINUE WITH A SPECIAL BROADCAST SUNDAY, JANUARY 22
FOLLOWING THE NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME ON FOX

Hollywood Rounds Begin Thursday, February 9

Performance Challenge Airs Wednesday, February 22

Semifinalists Revealed Thursday, February 23

Semifinalists Perform Tuesday, February 28 and Wednesday, February 29

Americas Vote Reveals Finalists Thursday, March 1

The incredible journey is about to begin as AMERICAN IDOL, Americas No. 1 show, returns for its remarkable 11th season. Featuring host Ryan Seacrest and returning judges Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler, AMERICAN IDOL is set to return with a two-night event showcasing the nations most extraordinary talent Wednesday, Jan. 18 and Thursday, Jan. 19. Auditions will continue with a special, extended primetime broadcast of AMERICAN IDOL Sunday, Jan. 22 (10:00 PM ET/7:00 PM PT), following the NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (6:00 PM-CC ET live/3:00 PM-CC PT live) on FOX.

The shows judges – Jackson, Lopez and Tyler – traveled to Savannah, Aspen, Galveston, Pittsburgh, Portland, San Diego and St. Louis in search of contestants with the raw talent and potential to become the next AMERICAN IDOL. Auditions continue on Wednesday, Jan. 25 and Thursday, Jan. 26; Wednesday, Feb. 1 and Thursday, Feb. 2; and Wednesday, Feb. 8 on FOX.

The contestants who impress the judges will head to Hollywood and be put to the ultimate test during the Hollywood Rounds, airing Thursday, Feb. 9; Wednesday, Feb. 15; and Thursday, Feb. 16.

On Wednesday, Feb. 22, those who make it through Hollywood must then take the Performance Challenge, where they face the judges one last time before the top male and top female semifinalists are revealed on Thursday, Feb. 23.

The judges have their say after every performance, but its the viewing public that determines who will advance to the next round of the competition and who will go home. In the milestone 400th episode, airing on a special night, Tuesday, Feb. 28, the first group of semifinalists will take the stage to sing for Americas votes.

The following night, Wednesday, Feb. 29, the remaining semifinalists will perform. The competition takes an intense turn on the LIVE results show Thursday, March 1 as Americas vote reveals the first set of finalists, then those that remain will have one last chance to perform for the judges who will round out the 2012 AMERICAN IDOL finalists with their wild card picks.

The following week, the competition heats up when the finalists take the stage on Wednesday, March 7. One finalists journey will end as Americas vote is revealed on Thursday, March 8.

All AMERICAN IDOL episodes begin at 8/7c unless otherwise noted.

RECAP

Wednesday, Jan. 18 Season Premiere, Part 1

Thursday, Jan. 19 Season Premiere, Part 2

Sunday, Jan. 22 Auditions Episode (Special Broadcast)
(10:00 PM ET/7:00 PM PT)

Wednesday, Jan. 25 Auditions Episode

Thursday, Jan. 26 Auditions Episode

Wednesday, Feb. 1 Auditions Episode

Thursday, Feb. 2 Auditions Episode

Wednesday, Feb. 8 Auditions Episode

Thursday, Feb. 9 Hollywood Round, Part 1

Wednesday, Feb. 15 Hollywood Round, Part 2

Thursday, Feb. 16 Hollywood Round, Part 3

Wednesday, Feb. 22 Performance Challenge

Thursday, Feb. 23 Semifinalists Announced

Tuesday, Feb. 28 Semifinalists Perform/
400th Episode (Special Broadcast)

Wednesday, Feb. 29 Semifinalists Perform

Thursday, March 1 Results Show; Finalists Announced and
Judges Wild Card Picks Revealed
(ET live/PT tape-delayed)

Wednesday, March 7 Finalists Perform

Thursday, March 8 Results Show; First Elimination
(ET live/PT tape-delayed)

Visit americanidol.com for all of your AMERICAN IDOL news.

Become a fan of AMERICAN IDOL on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AmericanIdol. Follow the series on Twitter @AmericanIdol and join the discussion at #AmericanIdol. Also, follow host Ryan Seacrest at @RyanSeacrest, and follow the judges: @yo_randyjackson; @JLo; and @iamstevent.

AMERICAN IDOL is produced by 19 Entertainment, a division of CKX, Inc. and FremantleMedia North America, Inc. The series is created and executive-produced by Simon Fuller, CEO, XIX Entertainment, and executive-produced by Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO, FremantleMedia North America, Inc.; Ken Warwick, Executive Producer, FremantleMedia North America, Inc.; and Nigel Lythgoe, CEO, Nigel Lythgoe Productions. AMERICAN IDOL has been No. 1 among Adults 18-49 for the past eight consecutive seasons.

Forget the expensive bauble he gave you over the holidays. And its not about the trip your wife promised. Nor is it a matter of who wears the pants in the family.

The secret to marital happiness is as simple as making your spouse tea in the morning. Turning down his side of the bed. Giving her a back rub.

More related to this story

• Happiness in couples is contagious. So is misery
• Put your partner on a pedestal? You might have a happier marriage
• Are you stuck in a lsquo;semi-happy marriage? Sure about that?

Small acts of kindness are not just what we should be practising in the world at large, it would seem, but also right in our homes.

The generous marriage has a much greater chance of being a happy one.

Thats the finding of a recent study by the University of Virginias National Marriage Project, examining the role of generosity in marriages. Defined as the virtue of giving good things to ones spouse freely and abundantly, such thoughtfulness adds a new dimension to our understanding of how couples can build a strong, stable partnership, say the researchers. Their questions were directed in three areas. Did spouses offer small kindnesses to each other? Did they regularly express affection? Were they able to forgive? The researchers claim that this is the first empirical study of generosity.

A happy marriage is not just about satisfying sex, in other words. (Although, of course, its about that, too.)

In fact, sexual satisfaction came first as the factor that cements a partnership, followed by a sense of commitment. Generosity was third. Other factors include a positive attitude about raising children, social support from friends and family and spirituality within marriage. All 2,870 couples studied had children.

Undertaken in co-operation with the Center for Marriage and Families at the Institute for American Values, an organization headed up by Elizabeth Marquardt, a famously pro-marriage family scholar who argued in her book, Between Two Worlds: The Inner Lives of Children of Divorce, that even amicable divorces profoundly shape the lives of children in negative ways, the study set out to counter what it calls the increasingly individualistic tenor of modern life.

In that way, the study can be seen as another backlash against the popular divorce culture, not unlike books such as Mark OConnells The Marriage Benefit: The Surprising Rewards of Staying Together and Maggie Scarfs September Songs: The Good News about Marriage in the Later Years which criticized the consumerist attitude in modern marriage the idea that if a partner no longer pleases you as he did when you first acquired him, you promptly trade him in for a different model.

Since the 1970s and the advent of the Me Generation in North America, theres been a stress on seeing marriages as a vehicle for fulfilling individual needs as opposed to (at least in part) an opportunity to serve your spouse on a regular basis, something that is good for both you and your partner, comments W. Bradford Wilcox, associate professor of sociology at the University of Virginia. As marriage came under scrutiny in the wake of feminism, the focus of most academic study was on issues of gender equality, he notes.

And yet the Holy Grail of the equitable marriage is far trickier to find than a hot cup of tea for your beloved. Among those parents with high scores on the generosity scale, 50 per cent reported their marriage as very happy. Among those with lower generosity scores, only 14 per cent claimed to be very happy.

Its signaling to someone that you want to go above and beyond the call of duty. On a regular basis, its signaling that you value them, says Prof. Wilcox. Its really little acts of service that dont cost a huge amount.

Feeling appreciated goes a long way to making someone feel good, even if he does have to clean up the kitchen every night. But its not about positive reinforcement, the researchers quickly point out. Generosity is often motivated by a desire to benefit ones spouse, not to receive reciprocal benefits, they write in the study.

A generous marriage makes both the giver and the receiver happy. Kind acts help engender a sense of gratitude, which research shows is linked to positive feelings. And the giver benefits from the altruism, another important factor in studies of well-being.

It may seem self-evident a basic part of being human. But generosity toward loved ones or even friends is often overlooked these days. Part of it is that people are very busy, Prof. Wilcox says in a telephone interview. Theyre on their Facebook page or watching TV, and theres little free time to devote attention elsewhere. It may also be a function of the child-focused family model, in which helicopter parents spend more time devoted to nurturing their childrens talents and interests than they do cultivating their marriage.

All marriages are opaque, but this study parts the curtain a little bit on those private, domestic behaviours that make partnerships strong. Its a welcome respite from the popular pastime of cooing over celebrity marriages, seemingly made in heaven, as a couple canoodles on the red carpet only weeks, or even days, before announcing their split.

As a culture we underrate the importance of kindness in our romantic relationships. We think its about how hot someone is, what kind of car they drive or what someone does for a living. We are enamoured of the grand gesture being whisked away on a Caribbean holiday at short notice. But the study shows its not the big displays of affection but rather the small, frequent, even mundane, ones that matter.

Which reminds me of something Helen Gurley Brown, the former editor of Cosmopolitan, once said to me in an interview. Forget the charmer, she advised, wagging a finely manicured finger. Go for the man who is your best friend.

Being a kunwara (bachelor), and a single at that, has its perks. No commitments to tie you down and no partner to stay faithful to. South actor R Madhavan makes the most of his single status in this song Kunwara from the upcoming rom-com Jodi Breakers.

The song composed by Salim Sulaiman and sung by Salim Merchant of the duo has Madhavan hitting a night club and romping with foreign babes, drinking and dancing. The action then shifts to a swimming pool and we see Madhavan taking a dive and get frisky with the sexy girls underwater.

Jodi breakers stars Madhavan and Bipasha Basu in lead roles. It is a cheeky entertainer which takes a peek-a-boo into dysfunctional romantic relationships that eventually lead to breakups. Apparently, Madhavan and Bipasha Basu play two individuals who don’t believe in relationships and therefore engineer breakups between other couples. But will these Jodi Breakers fall for each other?

Jodi Breakers is slated to release on February 24. The film has been directed by Ashwini Chaudhary.

Check out the song ‘Kunwara’ featuring Madhavan from Jodi Breakers below: