The killing of the son of veteran Afghan guerrilla commander Jalaluddin Haqqani came days after the arrest of the Afghan Taliban’s top military strategist, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, in a joint Pakistani-U.S. operation in the city of Karachi.

A pilotless U.S. drone fired two missiles into a Haqqani network compound on Thursday in Pakistan’s North Waziristan ethnic Pashtun tribal region on the Afghan border, killing three people.

Mohammad Haqqani, a son of Jalaluddin Haqqani whose network is linked to al Qaeda and has carried out several high-profile attacks in Afghanistan, was among the dead, Pakistani security officials said.

But another son of the elder Haqqani, Sirajuddin Haqqani, is a much more high-profile target of the U.S. drones.

“Mohammad Haqqani is a younger brother of Sirajuddin. He (Mohammad) was killed in the attack,” a security official who declined to be identified told Reuters.

Jalaluddin Haqqani, who is in his 70s, has passed on the leadership of his militant faction to Sirajuddin.

U.S. forces in Afghanistan describe Sirajuddin as one of their biggest enemies and the United States has posted a bounty of up to $5 million for him.

Thursday’s drone strike was in Dandi Darpakhel village near North Waziristan’s main town of Miranshah where many members of Haqqani’s extended family have been living since the U.S.-backed Afghan jihad, or holy war, against Soviet forces in the 1980s.

Sirajuddin Haqqani was known to visit the village but another Pakistani intelligence agency official said he was not there at the time of the attack.

Residents and government officials also confirmed the death of Mohammad Haqqani.

U.S. drones have targeted the village several times and 23 people, many of the members of the Haqqani family, were killed in a strike there in September 2008.

“HIGH-WATER MARK”

Jalaluddin Haqqani has had close links with Pakistani intelligence, notably the military’s main Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.

U.S. ally Pakistan officially objects to the drone strikes, saying they are a violation of its sovereignty and fuel anti-U.S. feeling which complicates Pakistan’s efforts against militancy.

But at least some strikes are carried out with the consent of Islamabad, in particular those on Pakistani Taliban militants fighting the state.

U.S. envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke on Thursday hailed the arrest of Baradar, the Afghan Taliban’s number two man, as a high-water mark for Pakistani-U.S. collaboration.

But Interior Minster Rehman Malik suggested Baradar might not be handed over to the United States. Asked by a reporter about the fate of Afghans arrested in Pakistan, Malik said they would be investigated for any crime in Pakistan.

If found innocent, they would be returned to their country and not the United States, he said.

Pakistani cooperation against militants is a sensitive issue for the government of a country where many people are suspicious of the U.S.-led campaign against militancy.

Despite that, Pakistan has arrested hundreds of al Qaeda members since the September 11 attacks on the United States and handed many of them over to the United States.

The Haqqani faction does not launch attacks in Pakistan but sends fighters across the border into Afghanistan from its stronghold in lawless North Waziristan.

Separately, two pro-Taliban militants suspected of involvement in several high-profiles attacks in Pakistan were killed in a shootout with police in the central city of Faisalabad after they refused to surrender, police said.

In the southwestern province of Baluchistan, unidentified gunmen kidnapped four Pakistani aid workers employed by a Western relief agency.

Taliban operate in the gas-rich province as well as separatists not linked to the Taliban who have been waging a low-level insurgency for decades.

Separatists kidnapped an American working for the United Nations in Baluchistan last year and held him for more than two months before releasing him.

News of the Taliban arrests emerged as the US special envoy to Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, met Pakistan’s prime minister, Yusuf Raza Gilani, in Islamabad Photograph: Faisal Mahmood/Reuters

Pakistan has arrested two more senior Afghan Taliban figures, it emerged yesterday, raising the possibility that ­Islamabad has begun a major strategic shift away from backing “good” militants.

Mullah Abdul Salam and Mullah Mir Muhammad, the “shadow governors” of the northern Afghan provinces of Kunduz and Baghlan respectively, were captured in recent days inside Pakistan.

In a stark illustration of the domestic terrorism problems facing Pakistan, a bomb blast yesterday at a mosque in the north-western tribal belt killed 29 people, including some militants, and injured about 50 others. The explosion tore through the mosque in the Aka Khel area of Khyber, a local official said.

Islamabad has always been viewed as a reluctant partner of the west in Afghanistan, as it was believed to be secretly continuing to support the Taliban and host its leadership on Pakistani soil, despite officially breaking with the militant movement after the 9/11 attacks.

But this week it was revealed that Pakistani authorities had arrested the deputy leader of the Taliban, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, in Karachi and, when news of the two other Taliban arrests emerged, many analysts argued that a new Islamabad policy could be crystallising.

A more cynical interpretation suggested that, instead of turning its back on the Taliban, Pakistan was simply pressuring them to the negotiating table.

By weakening the Taliban, Islamabad could force the militants into cutting a deal that would still give it some measure of power and a strong say in Afghanistan’s future. “I think it’s a bit early to call it a strategic shift, but clearly the political calculations in Pakistan are changing,” said Shuja Nawaz, an expert on the Pakistani military at the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based thinktank. “The idea being they can play a role in getting the US to communicate [with the Taliban].”

The flurry of arrests does raise the question of why Pakistan’s military intelligence did not do this earlier. “They seem to have found their old address book,” quipped one senior US official in the region. Aside from the Taliban arrests, Pakistani officials also said that up to nine militants linked to al-Qaida were held in overnight raids in Karachi, with the help of intelligence provided by the US. One was identified as Ameer Muawiya, who officials said was in charge of foreign al-Qaida militants operating in Pakistan’s tribal area and was an associate of Osama bin Laden.

Pakistan’s powerful army and especially its military Inter-Services Intelligence agency, which runs policy towards neighbouring Afghanistan, had appeared to be keeping the Taliban going, in expectation of the day when western forces leave Afghanistan and the extremist movement could return to power, beholden to Islamabad, as it was before 2001.

“I think a shift is taking place inside the military,” said Khalid Aziz, head of the Regional Institute of Policy Research and Training, an independent thinktank based in the north-western city of Peshawar.

“At the end of it, if the old model had continued into a post-US withdrawal situation and Pakistan had continued supporting the good Taliban it would almost certainly end up as a civil war in Afghanistan.”

Renewed civil war in Afghanistan would blow over to Pakistan, especially its tribal area and North-West Frontier province, which is populated by Pashtuns, the biggest ethnic group in Afghanistan.

In a speech this month, Pakistan’s army chief, Ashfaq Kayani, claimed he had brushed aside the doctrine of “strategic depth”, which meant controlling Afghanistan to stop Indian influence there.

“If Afghanistan is peaceful, stable and friendly, we have our strategic depth because our western border is secure,” Kayani said.

Backing the Taliban in the past has also come at a massive domestic cost, as the movement spawned a copycat group in Pakistan that is even more violent and has squarely targeted the state. More civilians were killed in terrorist violence in Pakistan last year than in Afghanistan.

According to the official governor of Kunduz province, Mohammad Omar, the “shadow governors” were arrested in the Pakistani city of Quetta within the last two weeks. The so-called Quetta shura, or leadership council of the Taliban, is supposed to be based in that city. “This [the arrests] is because of the pressure of the world community on Pakistan, and the explosions happening inside Pakistan, the crisis in Pakistan,” said Omar.

Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said the US was pleased with the recent arrests. He declined to say whether they were the result of better intelligence or an increased willingness by Pakistan.

“What I will say to you, yet again, is that we are enormously heartened by the fact that the Pakistani government and their military intelligence services increasingly recognise the threat within their midst and are doing something about it,” Morrell said.

The eighth season of American Idol premiered on January 13, 2009 and concluded on May 20, 2009. Judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson continued to judge the show’s contestants, along with Ryan Seacrest as host. The season introduced Kara DioGuardi as the fourth judge on the Idol panel.[1] It was also Abdul’s final season as a judge.[2] Kris Allen was announced the winner of the competition on May 20, 2009, defeating runner-up Adam Lambert after nearly 100 million votes, the highest recorded vote total in the history of the show. Kris Allen is the only married winner of the competition at the time of his victory.

The eighth season saw numerous changes to the format of the show. There were 36 semi-finalists instead of 24, and thirteen finalists instead of twelve, nine contestants chosen by the public and four by the judges. Another addition was the “save,” which was used on the top seven results show to veto Matt Giraud’s elimination.

Changes from Season 7

Several changes were planned for season 8. Fox Entertainment president Kevin Reilly stated that Idol would feature fewer “William Hung-like” contestants and “funny auditions,” and would quickly move its focus to the potential singers during the earlier stages of the competition, thus moving the season at a faster pace.[3] Mike Darnell, president of Fox’s alternative programming, said the contestants would be more emotional and that viewers would learn more about them and their pasts than they had in the previous season.[4] Songwriter and record producer Kara DioGuardi was added as a permanent fourth judge on the panel. She had previously collaborated with Celine Dion, Hilary Duff, Enrique Iglesias, Leona Lewis and Christina Aguilera, and produced several Top 40 hits. As a songwriter, she had already worked with several American Idol alumni and winners, including Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, David Archuleta and David Cook.[5] Meanwhile, Ken Warwick became the new executive producer, as Nigel Lythgoe had left the show to focus on So You Think You Can Dance and his new show with Simon Fuller, Superstars of Dance.[6] Idol Gives Back was canceled for season 8, as the ongoing economic crisis and recession, left Idol officials uncomfortable asking financially struggling viewers to donate.[7] The semifinals saw the biggest change as the wild card round returned for the first time since the third season. After voters picked three finalists from each of three groups of 12 semi-finalists, the judges selected eight of the previously eliminated 27 semifinalists to return and perform a song on the March 5, 2009, show. They were judged by the panel, instead of a vote by the viewers, with four advancing to the finals.[8][9] Although the finals had been billed from the beginning of the season as a set of 12 contestants, the judges announced at the last minute that they would be advancing a fourth wild card/thirteenth contestant, Anoop Desai, as well.

Another change in the Idol format, which was revealed on March 11, 2009, is that the judges are eligible to exercise a veto power on one eliminated contestant at any given point of the competition and spare them from elimination for that particular week. This can only be invoked up until the Final 5. The following week two contestants will be eliminated if the save is used because nobody is eliminated on the week that the save is used. The save can only be used once and it must be unanimous.

Early process

Regional auditions phase

Locations

Auditions were held in the following cities:[10]
Episode Air Date Audition City Date Audition Venue Tickets to Hollywood
January 13, 2009 Glendale, Arizona[11] July 25, 2008 Jobing.com Arena 27
January 14, 2009 Kansas City, Missouri August 8, 2008 Kemper Arena 27
January 20, 2009 San Francisco, California[12] July 17, 2008 Cow Palace 12
January 21, 2009 Louisville, Kentucky[13] July 21, 2008 Freedom Hall 19
January 27, 2009 Jacksonville, Florida August 13, 2008 Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena 16
January 28, 2009 Salt Lake City, Utah July 29, 2008 EnergySolutions Arena 13
January 29, 2009 East Rutherford, New Jersey August 19, 2008 Izod Center 26
San Juan, Puerto Rico August 2, 2008 Coliseo de Puerto Rico 9
Total Tickets to Hollywood 149

Contestants are required to be between the ages 16 and 28 on July 15, 2008 and eligible to work in the United States. Contestants are ineligible if they were part of the top 40 from previous seasons (exception being for those who reached the top 50 from season 7), if they hold recording or management contracts or if they are not U.S. citizens or landed immigrants (i.e. temporary residents).
Hollywood phase

For this season, the Hollywood round moved from the Orpheum Theatre to the Kodak Theatre, which was previously used for the finale in seasons 1 and 3-6. In addition, the Hollywood round was extended to two weeks.

In the first round, the 147 contestants each sang a short solo a cappella performance of any song. The next round had the remaining 107 contestants performing in groups of three or four. The 72 contestants that passed group day performed one more solo song, this time accompanied by a band, before being narrowed down to 54. The final 54 then went to the “judges’ mansion” in Los Angeles for the final results, and the Top 36 were announced. Some contestants had a sing-off to determine who would enter the top 36.
Semi-finals

The top 36 were announced in a special two-hour broadcast on Wednesday, February 11, 2009.[14]
All 36 contestants, performing in three groups of twelve, sang songs that were Billboard Hot 100 Hits.

Below are the three semi-final groups with contestants listed in their performance order. In each group, three people advanced to the next round, based on votes by the viewers. The top male and female recipient advanced, along with the next highest vote recipient of the remaining ten contestants in each group. Each week two males advanced however it was never revealed who was the highest voted and which advanced through the non-gender specific slot. Following those nine singers advancing, eight of the remaining 27 semi-finalists were selected by the judges to compete in the Wild Card round. Following another performance by each Wild Card contender, the judges selected four contestants to advance to the final group of 13.

Semi-Final Group 1 - Billboard Hot 100 hits

* Jackie Tohn - “A Little Less Conversation” (Elvis Presley)
* Ricky Braddy - “A Song for You” (Leon Russell/Donny Hathaway)
* Alexis Grace - “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)” (Aretha Franklin)
* Brent Keith - “Hicktown” (Jason Aldean)
* Stevie Wright - “You Belong with Me” (Taylor Swift)
* Anoop Desai - “Angel of Mine” (Monica)
* Casey Carlson - “Every Little Thing He Does Is Magic” (The Police)
* Michael Sarver - “I Don’t Want to Be” (Gavin DeGraw)
* Ann Marie Boskovich - “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” (Aretha Franklin)
* Stephen Fowler - “Rock with You” (Michael Jackson)
* Tatiana Del Toro - “Saving All My Love for You” (Whitney Houston)
* Danny Gokey - “Hero” (Mariah Carey)

Advancing to the Top 13: Alexis Grace, Michael Sarver, and Danny Gokey
Wild Card Contenders: Ricky Braddy, Tatiana Del Toro, and Anoop Desai
Ryan Seacrest announced that there was a 20,000 vote gap between Michael Sarver and Anoop Desai.
Semi-Final Group 2 - Billboard Hot 100 hits

* Jasmine Murray - “Love Song” (Sara Bareilles)
* Matt Giraud - “Viva la Vida” (Coldplay)
* Jeanine Vailes - “This Love” (Maroon 5)
* Nick Mitchell / “Norman Gentle” - “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” (Jennifer Holliday)
* Allison Iraheta - “Alone” (Heart)
* Kris Allen - “Man in the Mirror” (Michael Jackson)
* Megan Joy - “Put Your Records On” (Corinne Bailey Rae)
* Matt Breitzke - “If You Could Only See” (Tonic)
* Jesse Langseth - “Bette Davis Eyes” (Kim Carnes)
* Kai Kalama - “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted” (Jimmy Ruffin)
* Mishavonna Henson - “Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)” (Train)
* Adam Lambert - “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” (The Rolling Stones)

Advancing to the Top 13: Allison Iraheta, Kris Allen, and Adam Lambert
Wild Card Contenders: Matt Giraud, Megan Joy, Jesse Langseth, and Jasmine Murray
Semi-Final Group 3 - Billboard Hot 100 hits

* Von Smith - “You’re All I Need to Get By” (Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell)
* Taylor Vaifanua - “If I Ain’t Got You” (Alicia Keys)
* Alex Wagner-Trugman - “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues” (Elton John)
* Arianna Afsar - “The Winner Takes It All” (ABBA)
* Ju’Not Joyner - “Hey There Delilah” (Plain White T’s)
* Kristen McNamara - “Give Me One Reason” (Tracy Chapman)
* Nathaniel Marshall - “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)” (Meat Loaf)
* Felicia Barton - “No One” (Alicia Keys)
* Scott MacIntyre - “Mandolin Rain” (Bruce Hornsby and the Range)
* Kendall Beard - “This One’s for the Girls” (Martina McBride)
* Jorge Núñez - “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” (Elton John)
* Lil Rounds - “Be Without You” (Mary J. Blige)

Advancing to the Top 13: Lil Rounds, Scott MacIntyre, and Jorge Núñez
Wild Card Contender: Von Smith
Wild Card Round - Billboard Hot 100 hits

* Jesse Langseth - “Tell Me Something Good” (Rufus and Chaka Khan)
* Matt Giraud - “Who’s Lovin’ You” (The Jackson 5)
* Megan Joy - “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” (KT Tunstall)
* Von Smith - “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word” (Elton John)
* Jasmine Murray - “Reflection” (Christina Aguilera)
* Ricky Braddy - “Superstition” (Stevie Wonder)
* Tatiana Del Toro - “Saving All My Love for You” (Whitney Houston)
* Anoop Desai - “My Prerogative” (Bobby Brown)

Advancing to the Top 13: Jasmine Murray, Megan Joy, Matt Giraud, and Anoop Desai
Finalists
Kris Allen

* Kris Allen (born June 21, 1985 in Jacksonville, Arkansas, 23 years at the time of the show) is from Conway, Arkansas and auditioned in Louisville, Kentucky. Allen’s interest in music began at an early age; he taught himself how to play guitar at the age of 13, as well as numerous other instruments.[15] Prior to Idol, he worked as a worship leader at New Life Church in Maumelle, Arkansas, and is a member of Chi Alpha Campus Ministries at the University of Central Arkansas, where he is a business major. Allen was announced the winner of the eighth season of American Idol on May 20, 2009.[16] He went on to release his first official single, No Boundaries, which was written by Idol judge Kara DioGuardi. As a part of winning Idol, Allen was signed by Jive Records and 19 Entertainment.[17] His first official album under the new label released November 17 2009.

Adam Lambert

* Adam Lambert (born January 29, 1982 in Indianapolis, Indiana, 26 years at the time of his audition) is from San Diego, California and auditioned in San Francisco, California. Lambert grew up in Rancho Peñasquitos, San Diego, California and attended Deer Canyon Elementary School, Mesa Verde Middle School, and Mt. Carmel High School, where he was in theater, choir, and also performed with the school’s jazz band.[18] Lambert has been a stage actor since the age of ten, performing in such productions as You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and Wicked.[19] Lambert roomed with Kris Allen.[20] Lambert was announced as the runner-up for the eighth season of American Idol on May 20, 2009.[16]

Danny Gokey

* Danny Gokey (born April 24, 1980, 28 years at the time of his audition) is from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and auditioned in Kansas City, Missouri. Gokey first began singing in church with his family, and has been a worship leader for his church in Milwaukee, Faith Builders International Ministries, for several years.[21] Four weeks before Gokey auditioned for American Idol, in July 2008, his wife Sophia underwent surgery due to congenital heart disease. She later died from complications regarding the extensive surgery.[22][23] He was eliminated from the Top 3 on May 13, 2009.[16]

* Allison Iraheta (born April 27, 1992 in Glendale, California, 16 years at the time of her audition) is from Los Angeles and auditioned in San Francisco, California. Iraheta began singing at an early age, performing at small venues for her family and friends.[24] In 2006, Iraheta won the Telemundo television series Quinceañera, where she won $50,000 and a recording contract, where only the prize money was granted.[25] She was eliminated from the Top 4 on May 6, 2009. She has been the youngest finalist as a 16 year-old turning 17 during Top 5 week. Her debut album, Just Like You was released on December 1, 2009 to positive reviews, with the single Friday I’ll Be Over U.

Matt Giraud

* Matt Giraud (born May 11, 1985 in Dearborn, Michigan, 23 years at his time of the show) is from Kalamazoo, Michigan and auditioned in Louisville, Kentucky. Initially eliminated from the Top 13, Giraud was chosen by the judges to rejoin the competition during the Wild Card round. Similarly, Giraud was eliminated during the Top 7, but was saved by the judges. Giraud grew up in Ypsilanti, Michigan, where he graduated from Lincoln High School in 2003.[26][27] He released an album called Perspective in 2003 and another in 2006 called Mind Body and Soul.[27]

Anoop Desai

* Anoop Desai (born December 20, 1986 in Cary, North Carolina, 22 years at the time of the show) is from Chapel Hill, North Carolina and auditioned in Kansas City, Missouri. Desai is an only child,[28] whose father was born in India and mother was born in South Africa.[29] Beginning his career as an actor for the television station WRAL-TV in Raleigh in a local television series entitled “CentralXpress.com”, and played the character “Raj.”[30] Desai attended Carnage Middle School and Phillips Middle School, then later went on to attend East Chapel Hill High School, graduating in 2004.[31] Desai’s performance as a soloist on the song “She Has No Time” was included on the 2007 iteration of the annual BOCA (Best of College A Cappella) compilation album.[32] Desai has credited his decision to audition for American Idol to the death of a friend, Eve Carson,[33] who was murdered.[33] Initially eliminated from the Top 13, he was chosen by the judges to rejoin the competition during the Wild Card round. His advancement to the finals made American Idol history, making it a top 13.

Lil Rounds

* Lil Rounds (born October 20, 1984, 24 years at the time of the show) is from Memphis, Tennessee and auditioned in Kansas City, Missouri. Shortly before her audition on Idol, a tornado hit Memphis, forcing Rounds to temporarily live in a motel.[34][35] Her grandfather once worked with the music legend B.B. King.[36]

* Scott MacIntyre (born June 22, 1985, 23 years at the time of the show) is from Scottsdale, Arizona and auditioned in Phoenix, Arizona. MacIntyre is the first legally blind person to audition for American Idol.[37] MacIntyre began practicing music at the age of six.[38] Home-schooled until the age of fourteen,[39] he later attended Arizona State University’s Barrett Honors College and Herberger College of the Arts soon afterwards.[40] In 2005, USA Today named him one of its twenty College Academic All-Stars.[41] He obtained his masters degree at Royal Holloway, University of London and the Royal College of Music, where he studied on a Marshall Scholarship. MacIntyre produced his first CD when he was eleven, and has recorded five more CDs since then. He recently has been accepted to both Oxford University and Cambridge University for further graduate-level education.

Megan Joy

* Megan Joy (born September 18, 1985, 23 years at the time of the show) is from Sandy, Utah and auditioned in Salt Lake City, Utah. Initially eliminated from the Top 13, Joy was chosen by the judges to rejoin the competition during the Wild Card round. In high school, Joy unsuccessfully tried out for numerous performance groups, including choir, and never had any singing lessons before her audition on Idol.[42] Joy graduated from Taylorsville High School in Taylorsville, Utah in 2003. She has one son named Ryder.[43]

Michael Sarver

* Michael Sarver (born March 28, 1981 in Sulphur, Louisiana, 27 years at the time of the show) is from Jasper, Texas and auditioned in Phoenix, Arizona. Sarver, an oil rig worker, began singing at the age of twelve, and has written over 890 songs for himself since that time.[44] Sarver graduated from Sulphur High School in 1998.[45] Sarver is married to his wife Tiffany, and has two children.

Alexis Grace

* Alexis Grace (born June 9, 1987, 21 years at the time of the show) is from Memphis, Tennessee and auditioned in Kansas City, Missouri. She gave birth to her daughter when she was nineteen. Grace began singing at an early age .[46]

* Jorge Núñez (born October 1, 1987 in Cidra, Puerto Rico, 21 years at the time of the show) is from Carolina, Puerto Rico and auditioned in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Núñez speaks three languages fluently, English, Spanish and French.[47] He was the eliminated from the Top 13 in the first week of the finals, along with Jasmine Murray.[48]

* Jasmine Murray (born March 14, 1992, in Columbus, Mississippi, 16 years at the time of the show) is from Starkville, Mississippi and auditioned in Jacksonville, Florida. Initially eliminated from the Top 13, Murray was chosen by the judges to rejoin the competition during the Wild Card round. In addition to competing on Idol, she also competed in the Miss America’s Outstanding Teen pageant in 2007.[49][50] She was eliminated from the Top 13 in the first week of the finals, along with Jorge Núñez.

Finals
Top 13 - Michael Jackson

* Lil Rounds - “The Way You Make Me Feel” (Michael Jackson)
* Scott MacIntyre - “Keep the Faith” (Michael Jackson)
* Danny Gokey - “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)” (Michael Jackson)
* Michael Sarver - “You Are Not Alone” (Michael Jackson)
* Jasmine Murray - “I’ll Be There” (The Jackson 5)
* Kris Allen - “Remember the Time” (Michael Jackson)
* Allison Iraheta - “Give In to Me” (Michael Jackson)
* Anoop Desai - “Beat It” (Michael Jackson)
* Jorge Núñez - “Never Can Say Goodbye” (The Jackson 5)
* Megan Joy - “Rockin’ Robin” (Michael Jackson)
* Adam Lambert - “Black or White” (Michael Jackson)
* Matt Giraud - “Human Nature” (Michael Jackson)
* Alexis Grace - “Dirty Diana” (Michael Jackson)

Eliminated: Jasmine Murray and Jorge Núñez

The judges chose not to save either Jasmine or Jorge. It was never revealed, out of Jasmine Murray and Jorge Núñez, who received the lowest amount of votes even though Jasmine was eliminated first.

This episode was re-aired on June 29, 2009, in a tribute to the death of Michael Jackson on June 25. This makes it the only episode of the show to be re-aired by Fox.[51]
Top 11 - Grand Ole Opry

Mentor: Randy Travis

* Michael Sarver - “Ain’t Goin’ Down (’Til the Sun Comes Up)” (Garth Brooks)
* Allison Iraheta - “Blame It on Your Heart” (Patty Loveless)
* Kris Allen - “To Make You Feel My Love” (Garth Brooks)
* Lil Rounds - “Independence Day” (Martina McBride)
* Adam Lambert - “Ring of Fire” (Johnny Cash)
* Scott MacIntyre - “Wild Angels” (Martina McBride)
* Alexis Grace - “Jolene” (Dolly Parton)
* Danny Gokey - “Jesus, Take the Wheel” (Carrie Underwood)
* Anoop Desai - “Always on My Mind” (Brenda Lee)
* Megan Joy - “Walkin’ After Midnight” (Patsy Cline)
* Matt Giraud - “So Small” (Carrie Underwood)

Bottom 3: Allison Iraheta, Michael Sarver, and Alexis Grace

Bottom 2: Michael Sarver and Alexis Grace

Eliminated: Alexis Grace

The judges chose not to use their save on Alexis.
Top 10 - Motown

Mentor: Smokey Robinson

* Matt Giraud - “Let’s Get It On” (Marvin Gaye)
* Kris Allen - “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)” (Marvin Gaye)
* Scott MacIntyre - “You Can’t Hurry Love” (The Supremes)
* Megan Joy - “For Once in My Life” (Stevie Wonder)
* Anoop Desai - “Ooo Baby Baby” (The Miracles)
* Michael Sarver - “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” (The Temptations)
* Lil Rounds - “(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave” (Martha and the Vandellas)
* Adam Lambert - “The Tracks of My Tears” (The Miracles)
* Danny Gokey - “Get Ready” (The Temptations)
* Allison Iraheta - “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” (The Temptations)

Bottom 3: Matt Giraud, Michael Sarver, and Scott MacIntyre

Bottom 2: Matt Giraud and Michael Sarver

Eliminated: Michael Sarver

The judges chose not to save Michael.
Top 9 - Popular iTunes Downloads

* Anoop Desai - “Caught Up” (Usher)
* Megan Joy - “Turn Your Lights Down Low” (Bob Marley)
* Danny Gokey - “What Hurts the Most” (Rascal Flatts)
* Allison Iraheta - “Don’t Speak” (No Doubt)
* Scott MacIntyre - “Just the Way You Are” (Billy Joel)
* Matt Giraud - “You Found Me” (The Fray)
* Lil Rounds - “I Surrender” (Celine Dion)
* Adam Lambert - “Play That Funky Music” (Wild Cherry)
* Kris Allen - “Ain’t No Sunshine” (Bill Withers)

Bottom 3: Megan Joy, Allison Iraheta, and Anoop Desai

Bottom 2: Megan Joy and Anoop Desai

Eliminated: Megan Joy

Simon made it clear that the judges would not even consider using the save on Megan.
Top 8 - Year They Were Born

* Danny Gokey - “Stand by Me” (Ben E. King)
* Kris Allen - “All She Wants to Do Is Dance” (Don Henley)
* Lil Rounds - “What’s Love Got to Do With It” (Tina Turner)
* Anoop Desai - “True Colors” (Cyndi Lauper)
* Scott MacIntyre - “The Search Is Over” (Survivor)
* Allison Iraheta - “I Can’t Make You Love Me” (Bonnie Raitt)
* Matt Giraud - “Part-Time Lover” (Stevie Wonder)
* Adam Lambert - “Mad World” (Tears for Fears)

Bottom 3: Anoop Desai, Scott MacIntyre, and Lil Rounds

Bottom 2: Anoop Desai and Scott MacIntyre

Eliminated: Scott MacIntyre

Paula and Kara wanted to save Scott, but Simon and Randy did not.[52] Since the judges must be unanimous for the save to be used, the save was not used on Scott.
Top 7 (first week) - Songs of the Cinema

Mentor: Quentin Tarantino

* Allison Iraheta - “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” (Aerosmith) from Armageddon
* Anoop Desai - “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” (Bryan Adams) from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
* Adam Lambert - “Born to Be Wild” (Steppenwolf) from Easy Rider
* Matt Giraud - “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?” (Bryan Adams) from Don Juan DeMarco
* Danny Gokey - “Endless Love” (Lionel Richie and Diana Ross) from Endless Love
* Kris Allen - “Falling Slowly” (Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová) from Once
* Lil Rounds - “The Rose” (Bette Midler) from The Rose

Bottom 3: Anoop Desai, Lil Rounds, and Matt Giraud

Bottom 2: Matt Giraud and Lil Rounds

*Saved from elimination: Matt Giraud

*Matt received the lowest number of votes but the judges decided to use their save on him and was not eliminated.
Top 7 (second week) - Disco

* Lil Rounds - “I’m Every Woman” (Chaka Khan)
* Kris Allen - “She Works Hard for the Money” (Donna Summer)
* Danny Gokey - “September” (Earth, Wind & Fire)
* Allison Iraheta - “Hot Stuff” (Donna Summer)
* Adam Lambert - “If I Can’t Have You” (Yvonne Elliman)
* Matt Giraud - “Stayin’ Alive” (Bee Gees)
* Anoop Desai - “Dim All the Lights” (Donna Summer)

Bottom 3: Anoop Desai, Allison Iraheta, and Lil Rounds

Eliminated: Lil Rounds and Anoop Desai

With no elimination the previous week, there was a second “Top 7″ week and two people were eliminated. It was never revealed who, out of Anoop Desai and Lil Rounds, received the lowest amount of votes however Lil Rounds was announced as the first to be eliminated and Anoop Desai and Allison Iraheta were called to centre-stage to form the rest of the lowest three vote getters.
Top 5 - Rat Pack Standards

Mentor: Jamie Foxx

* Kris Allen - “The Way You Look Tonight”
* Allison Iraheta - “Someone to Watch Over Me ”
* Matt Giraud - “My Funny Valentine”
* Danny Gokey - “Come Rain or Come Shine”
* Adam Lambert - “Feeling Good”

Top 2: Allison Iraheta, Danny Gokey

Bottom 3: Adam Lambert, Kris Allen, and Matt Giraud

Bottom 2: Adam Lambert and Matt Giraud

Eliminated: Matt Giraud
Top 4 - Rock music

Mentor: Slash
Each contestant sang one solo and one duet with a fellow contestant.

* Adam Lambert - “Whole Lotta Love” (Led Zeppelin)
* Allison Iraheta - “Cry Baby” (Janis Joplin)
* Kris Allen & Danny Gokey - “Renegade” (Styx)
* Kris Allen - “Come Together” (The Beatles)
* Danny Gokey - “Dream On” (Aerosmith)
* Allison Iraheta & Adam Lambert - “Slow Ride” (Foghat)

Eliminated: Allison Iraheta
Top 3 - Judge’s choice / Contestant’s choice

Each contestant sang two songs.[53]

* Danny Gokey - “Dance Little Sister” (Terence Trent D’Arby) (Paula Abdul’s choice)
* Kris Allen - “Apologize” (OneRepublic) (Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi’s choice)
* Adam Lambert - “One” (U2) (Simon Cowell’s choice)
* Danny Gokey - “You Are So Beautiful” (Joe Cocker)
* Kris Allen - “Heartless” (Kanye West)
* Adam Lambert - “Cryin’” (Aerosmith)

Eliminated: Danny Gokey
Top 2 - The contestant’s favorite / Simon Fuller’s choice / The winner’s single

Each contestant sang three songs. Allen won a coin toss to decide who performed first and who performed last, and he chose to perform last.

* Adam Lambert - “Mad World” (Tears for Fears) - Contestant’s favorite
* Kris Allen - “Ain’t No Sunshine” (Bill Withers) - Contestant’s favorite
* Adam Lambert - “A Change Is Gonna Come” (Sam Cooke) - Simon Fuller’s choice
* Kris Allen - “What’s Going On” (Marvin Gaye) - Simon Fuller’s choice
* Adam Lambert - “No Boundaries” - Winner’s single
* Kris Allen - “No Boundaries” - Winner’s single

Winner: Kris Allen

Runner-Up: Adam Lambert
Other performances
Group song

* Top 36/Group 1: “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz
* Top 36/Group 2: “Closer” by Ne-Yo
* Top 36/Group 3: “Hot N Cold” by Katy Perry
* Top 13: “I Want You Back/ABC Medley” by The Jackson 5
* Top 11: “T-R-O-U-B-L-E” by Travis Tritt
* Top 10: “Motown” Medley: “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” by The Supremes/”You’re All I Need to Get By” by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell/”Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell
* Top 9: “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey
* Top 8: “Can’t Get You out of My Head” by Kylie Minogue
* Top 7 (week 1): “Maniac” by Michael Sembello from Flashdance
* Top 7 (week 2): “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)” by The Jacksons; choreographed by Paula Abdul
* Top 5: “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” and “I Got Rhythm”
* Top 4: “School’s Out” by Alice Cooper
* Top 3: The Top 3 did not perform a group routine.
* Top 2: Top 13 performed “So What” by Pink and Top 2 performed Queen’s “We Are The Champions” who were guest performers

Guest performances

In addition, songs are played during the elimination night to promote an artist, single, album, or the show itself. Included is a list of those songs with their Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Digital Songs reactions.

Finale
Main article: Grand Finale (American Idol

The finale took place at the Nokia Theatre on May 20, 2009.

Controversies

Joanna Pacitti

Joanna Pacitti, who was originally selected as a semi-finalist, created controversy due to her being previously signed to A&M and Geffen Records. Later, she was found to have been having a “private relationship” with 19 Management. She was later disqualified, and replaced by Felicia Barton.

Telephone number

In the Top 13, the expected phone number for contestant Alexis Grace, 1-866-IDOLS-13, was not owned by American Idol, but by a company called Intimate Encounters, who used it as a phone sex line.[60] Although host Ryan Seacrest mentioned the replacement phone number, 1-866-IDOLS-36, several times, some commentators feared that the phone number confusion could lead to Grace being inadvertently voted off the show.[61][62] However, Grace was not voted off that week.

Overtime broadcast

On the April 7 (Top performance episode, Idol ran nearly eight minutes past its set ending time, such that viewers who recorded the program on digital video recorders completely missed the final performance, Adam Lambert’s performance of Mad World which received a standing ovation from judge Simon Cowell. The show attempted to prevent running over time the following week by having only two judges, either Randy and Kara or Paula and Simon, critique each performance; however, the episode still ended two minutes over the timeslot.

Lip-syncing

After the Top 11 program, Justin Guarini, while hosting Idol Wrap on TV Guide channel, asserted that the show’s group performances were being lip-synced.[63] Soon after Guarini’s assertion was aired, a spokesperson for the producers of American Idol said, “The Idols don’t lip-sync, period.”[63] The following day, the same spokesperson said that “due to extensive choreography and to balance their voices with open mics against a screaming audience, the Idols do sing along to their own prerecorded vocal track during the group performances only.”[63][64] The spokesperson maintained that the performers sing their solo songs live, but their performances available to download through iTunes are recorded prior to airing.

Finale vote

Kris Allen’s win over Adam Lambert resulted in speculation about voter manipulation, a Christian voting bloc, and as many as “38 million” votes coming from Arkansas, Kris’s home state[65][66], a state with only 2.8 million people. There were also allegations that AT&T may have influenced the results.[67] Fox had previously denied these claims as baseless stating that the network has no preference on who the winner might be.[68] AT&T meanwhile said in a statement that the vote tally above was based on incorrect information and apologized by saying that “AT&T does not divulge or confirm how many votes were cast in any state.”[69] On May 27, 2009, the producers of the show stated that they “stand by the outcome” and are “absolutely certain” that “without a doubt Kris Allen is the American Idol”.

ISLAMABAD: Various cultural organisations have got together to organise a festival ‘Umeed-e-Nau’ due to start from today (Friday), Lok Virsa Executive Director Khalid Javaid told Daily Times on Thursday.

Lok Virsa, National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage, National Institute of Cultural Studies (NICS), National Commission for Human Development (NCHD), Nomad Art Gallery and Society of Asian Civilizations Pakistan are moving spirits behind the event being staged to welcome the New Year, he elaborated.

He said major activities included four-day ‘Swat Cultural Festival’ at Lok Virsa Heritage Museum. “The festival is meant for finding ways to speed up rehabilitation of the internally displaced people (IDPs) particularly craftsmen, folk singers and musicians from Swat, Malakand and Mansehra,” Lok Virsa ED informed DT.

Javaid said that ‘Artisans at Work Exhibition’, folkloric performances, traditional cuisines, a ‘Children Art Exhibition’ and other attractions are highlights of the festival.

“Besides this, a book titled ‘Pariyoun Ka Des - Uzbekistan’ authored by Dr Syed Akhtar Jaffri from Lahore would also be launched to mark beginning of the New Year,” he added.

“The launching ceremony will be held today (Friday) at Lok Virsa. National Language Authority Chairman Iftikhar Arif and Ambassador of Uzbekistan H E Oybek Arif Usman will grace the ceremony,” he explained.

“The festival will continue till Sunday January 3, 2010 at the Lok Virsa Complex,” he said.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama cautiously accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on Thursday in Oslo , acknowledging “the considerable controversy” over his award because he’s accomplished little on the world stage in less than a year on the job and has just called for sending 30,000 to 35,000 more U.S. troops to war in Afghanistan .

Given the stature of some past winners, and the ordeals faced by humanitarian leaders who’ve never won, Obama said that “I cannot argue with those who find these men and women, some known, some obscure to all but those they help, to be far more deserving of this honor than I.”

In his acceptance speech at Oslo City Hall on a daylong stop that’s irked some Norwegians because of its brevity, the president wove themes of optimism and realism. He spoke at once of the inevitability of some war and his belief in a ” North Star ” of faith in human progress.

Obama hit on perhaps the central reason for the Nobel committee’s decision when he emphasized his belief that the U.S. must rely more on multilateralism to handle evolving conflicts. European frustration with former President George W. Bush’s unilateral approach, especially toward Iraq , has helped to fuel their investment in Obama as an alternative.

In turn, the president called on other nations to step up their commitments to U.N. peacekeeping efforts, nuclear disarmament and imposing serious sanctions on regimes that pose a threat to world stability.

“It is also incumbent upon all of us to insist that nations like Iran and North Korea do not game the system,” he said. “Those who seek peace cannot stand idly by as nations arm themselves for nuclear war.”

“I do not bring with me today a definitive solution to the problems of war,” Obama said. “There is no simple formula here. But we must try as best we can to balance isolation and engagement, pressure and incentives, so that human rights and dignity are advanced over time.”

Nobel committee Chairman Thorbjorn Jagland , in remarks before Obama’s, defended the choice, saying the prize should be an “instrument for peace rather than stamp of approval” and that “peace must be built again and again.”

Obama used his remarks to praise civil demonstrators in Zimbabwe and Iran and in Myanmar , where he singled out pro-democracy figure Aung Sang Suu Kyi by name.

While embracing the nonviolent messages of Martin Luther King Jr. , who also won the Nobel prize, and Mohandas Gandhi , who did not, the president said that “as head of state sworn to protect and defend my nation, I cannot be guided by their examples alone.”

“Evil does exist in the world,” Obama said. “A nonviolent movement could not have halted Hitler’s armies. Negotiations cannot convince al Qaida’s leaders to lay down their arms. To say that force is sometimes necessary is not a call to cynicism. It is a recognition of history, the imperfections of man and the limits of reason.”

Obama becomes the third sitting U.S. president, after Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt , to win the peace prize.

President Jimmy Carter won the prize two decades after his presidency. Former Vice President Al Gore’s Nobel came after the end of the Clinton administration.

In studying past acceptance speeches, Obama and his speechwriting team also pored over the words of nonpresidential winners, including George Marshall , the former secretary of defense and secretary of state and the first career soldier to win the Nobel for his initiative to rebuild Europe after World War II.

Obama arrived in Norway shortly after 8 a.m. local time Thursday, or 2 a.m. EST , the sky dusky and flecked with snow and sleet.

Accompanied by his wife and an official entourage, the president went by motorcade to the Nobel Institute for the ceremonial signing of the guest book. The motorcade passed clusters of onlookers, including children with flags, and protesters with a banner that read, “Obama, you won it now earn it.”

Then he was off to a bilateral meeting with Norway’s prime minister, Jens Stoltenberg , at which Stoltenberg announced that his country was raising its financial commitment to fund the Afghan army and police to $110 million through 2014.

“I only wish that my family could stay longer in this wonderful country, but I still have a lot of work to do back in Washington, D.C. , before the year is done,” Obama said.

The leaders took just two questions, one from each press corps.

Obama told U.S. reporters, in response to a question about whether July 2011 really was a firm date to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan , “I’ve been unambiguous about this, so there should not be a debate. Starting in July 2011 we will begin that transition, that transfer of responsibility.”

He said the pace and tactics would be conditions-based and that the drawdown would not be sharp, “but July 2011 will signal a shift in our mission.”

A Norwegian reporter asked what Obama would do to counter criticism that his Nobel prize was premature.

The president said his foreign policy goal “is not to win a popularity contest or to get an award” but “to advance America’s interests, to strengthen our economy at home and to make ourselves a continuing force for good in the world. . . .

“If I’m successful in those tasks, then hopefully some of the criticism will subside, but that’s not really my concern. And if I’m not successful, then all the praise and the awards in the world won’t disguise that fact.”

At the Slottet Royal Palace of Norway , the Obamas met with King Harald V, Queen Sonja , Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit.

The queen confessed wishing that she were taller to first lady Michelle Obama , who’s 5 feet 11, and when the queen asked whether the Obamas were accustomed to the crowd of news crews following them, President Obama’s answer was, “Unfortunately.”

MOSCOW - In an electric four-hour solo performance on live television, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said he will think about whether to reclaim the presidency - one of the strongest signals yet that he may run again for Russia’s top office in 2012.

Putin, who also vowed that Russia would step up its efforts against terrorism, spoke during a question-and-answer show on television and radio that highlighted his dominance of Russia’s political scene.

“I will think about it, there is still enough time,” Putin said when asked whether he will run in the next election.

“Don’t hold your breath,” Putin told another person who asked whether he was planning to leave politics.

Putin added he wants to focus now on his job as premier and make sometimes unpopular decisions without having to take electoral considerations into account.

Putin had to shift into the premier’s seat in 2008 following two consecutive terms in office, but since then the presidential term has been extended to six years and Putin is eligible to run again in 2012.

Some 2 million questions were submitted by telephone or on the Internet to Putin’s marathon television show, which was similar to previous call-ins he did when he was president. It clearly demonstrated that he continued to call the shots, overshadowing his designated successor, President Dmitry Medvedev.

Analysts said no one could miss Putin’s desire to reclaim the presidency.

“While he coyly said it’s too early for a decision, it certainly looked like he has already decided” to return to the presidency in 2012, said Nikolai Petrov of the Carnegie Endowment’s Moscow office.

“He’s too much of a professional to unveil his actual plans in such a format. But he did not reject the idea of returning to the presidency, and - unlike in previous comments - he made no mention of Medvedev,” Petrov told The Associated Press.

Olga Kryshtanovskaya, a sociologist who studies the Russian political elite, said Putin had decided to run again even before he stepped down.

“I think it was decided in 2007, when strategy was being planned,” she told the AP. “I think it was decided that Putin should not seek a third consecutive term, but that after four years he could return to the presidency.”

The bookish Medvedev, who has never made a similar TV appearance since his March 2008 election, was in Italy on Thursday to meet with the Italian leaders and the pope.

“If Putin doesn’t rule out running, neither do I rule myself out” for 2012 election, Medvedev told journalists in Rome when asked about Putin’s remarks.

Medvedev also said that he and Putin will act as “responsible politicians” and reach an agreement on the 2012 elections to avoid “elbowing one another” - echoing comments made previously by Putin.

Asked about his relationship with Medvedev, Putin said their common educational background and views allowed them to “efficiently work together.”

Putin, who has cast himself as a paternal figure protecting people from terrorism and economic upheavals, said Thursday that the threat of terrorism remains “very high” following a deadly train bombing that killed 26 people last week. He promised that authorities would act “very harshly” to root out militants.

“We have enough resolve and firmness for that,” he said.

The bombing last Friday of the Moscow-to-St.Petersburg express train fueled fears that Russia could face another wave of terror attacks. It was the first deadly terrorist strike outside the North Caucasus since the bombings of two airliners and a Moscow subway station attack in 2004.

Putin also focused heavily on economy during Thursday’s show, which featured televised links with workers from several industrial towns.

Putin said Russia has “overcome the peak of the crisis” and claimed credit for softening its impact. He added the government will have to spend more money to support the economy in the meantime.

Russia is weathering its worst economic downturn in a decade as commodities prices - the backbone of its economy - collapsed late last year. But it emerged from the recession in the third quarter, its GDP rising by a seasonally adjusted 0.6 percent.

Putin used the show to further burnish his common-man appeal, chastising the Russian rich for arrogantly showing off their wealth, saying their fancy imported cars looked as grotesque as golden teeth.

He congratulated a 55-year-old caller on her birthday and promised to send computers to a provincial school in reply to a student’s plea.

He promised more compensation to a widow whose husband was among 75 people killed in a disastrous accident at Russia’s largest hydroelectric plant, and offered wage hikes and more social benefits to others.

“If the situation demands it, I will come to you or to any other place in the Russian Federation, it’s my duty,” he said.

In a careful balancing act in response to a question about Josef Stalin, Putin credited the Soviet dictator for his industrialization drive and World War II victory but denounced the massive repressions under Stalin’s regime.

Delving into foreign policy issues, Putin sharply admonishing the United States for keeping “anachronistic” Cold War-era trade restrictions imposed to penalize the Soviet Union for its refusal to allow free emigration of the Jews.

“The Soviet Union is gone, but they (restrictions) have remained,” he said.

Putin also accused the United States of hampering Russia’s accession into the World Trade Organization.

“Accession into the WTO remains our strategic goal, but some nations, including the United States, are impeding Russia’s WTO bid,” he said.

WASHINGTON - Under pressure from Republicans and an impatient public to fix the sputtering economic recovery, President Barack Obama is refocusing on this politically potent issue by talking job creation with business and labor leaders at the White House.The White House has lacked a unified economic message in recent weeks, with its attention focused instead on health care and Obama’s three-month review of the Afghanistan war. With unemployment in double digits for the first time in decades, Democratic lawmakers are suggesting a second economic stimulus aimed directly at job creation may be needed.

Administration officials are hoping Thursday’s jobs forum, an Obama trip to Pennsylvania on Friday and a major economic speech on Tuesday will help counter Republican critics who contend the administration’s economic recovery efforts have failed and its oversight of the $787 billion stimulus package has been inadequate.

At the jobs forum, Obama planned to defend his administration’s handling of the economy and argue that it would be in far worse shape had Congress not passed the huge stimulus bill earlier this year. Under intense GOP attacks, public support for the stimulus effort has faded.

“I certainly hope it’s more than a photo op,” said the No. 2 House Republican, Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia. “All of us want to do anything we can to get Americans back to work. Past history has been, with this White House, that there’s been a lot of pomp and ceremony with very little follow-through in terms of delivering results.”

Administration officials said they don’t expect major policy announcements from the president, Vice President Joe Biden or members of the Cabinet who were scheduled to be on hand.

“Increasing employment is everyone’s responsibility, from government to businesses to households,” Obama economic adviser Larry Summers said in advance of the forum. “The White House jobs forum will take stock of where we are on the implementation of the Recovery Act and explore new job creation measures, including infrastructure investment, incentives for small businesses, developing our green economy and promoting U.S. exports.”

The nation’s unemployment rate is 10.2 percent, the highest since 1983. Some 15.7 million Americans are out of work. The average jobless worker has been unemployed for more than six months. These sobering statistics spell potentially serious trouble for Democrats in next year’s midterm elections.

The recession technically may be over, but analysts say many of the jobs lost in the downturn probably will not return and high unemployment is likely to persist.

WASHINGTON - The tally of newly laid-off workers seeking unemployment benefits fell unexpectedly for the fifth straight week, a hopeful sign that the job market is slowly improving.

Still, claims remain above the levels that most analysts say would be consistent with an economy that is adding jobs. The unemployment rate is at 10.2 percent and expected to keep climbing into next year.

First-time claims for unemployment insurance dropped by 5,000 to a seasonally adjusted 457,000, the lowest total since the week of Sept. 6, 2008, the Labor Department said Thursday. Wall Street economists expected an increase, according to a survey by Thomson Reuters.

A Labor Department analyst said the closing of state unemployment offices for last week’s Thanksgiving holiday was responsible for some of the decline.

Economists closely watch initial claims, which are considered a gauge of layoffs and a sign of whether companies are willing to hire.

The four-week average of claims, which smooths out fluctuations, dropped for the 13th straight week to 481,250, about 180,000 below the peak for this recession reached this spring.

But the Federal Reserve said in a report Wednesday that employers in most regions are reluctant to hire new workers, even as the economy stages a modest recovery.

Many economists say that claims need to fall to about 425,000 for at least a month to signal that employers are adding jobs. The nation’s economy has lost jobs for 22 straight months.

The department’s employment report for November, to be released Friday, is expected to show that employers shed another 130,000 jobs after cutting 190,000 in October. Economists forecast the unemployment rate will remain at 10.2 percent.

Meanwhile, the number of people claiming unemployment benefits for more than a week rose by 28,000 to 5.5 million, the department said. Analysts had expected a decline.

That total doesn’t include millions of unemployed Americans that are receiving benefits under extended programs paid for by the federal government.

About 4.5 million people were receiving extended benefits in the week ended Nov. 14, the latest data available. That’s an increase of about 300,000 from the previous week. The jump is a result of Congress adding another 14 to 20 weeks of extra benefits last month, the fourth extension since the recession began and the longest total extension on record.

That boosted the total number of weeks a person could collect unemployment to as much as 99 in the hardest-hit states.

Layoffs continued this week. Gannett Co. said it was cutting 26 newsroom jobs at its flagship USA Today newspaper and eliminating 11 positions at USA Weekend magazine. Another media company, the Greenspun Media Group, which publishes the Las Vegas Sun, announced it was reorganizing its operations in a cost-cutting move and would lay off an unspecified number of workers.

Among the states, California had the largest increase in claims, with nearly 15,000, which it attributed to layoffs in the service industry. Illinois, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Texas had the next largest increases. The state data lag initial claims by one week.

The largest decrease in claims was in Michigan, with a drop of 1,242, which it attributed to fewer layoffs in the auto industry. Indiana, Hawaii, Oregon and the Virgin Islands also reported declines.

WASHINGTON - Despite misgivings, members of Congress seem poised to back President Barack Obama’s plan to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan after getting assurances the commitment isn’t open-ended.

The surge-and-exit strategy that Obama announced Tuesday night marks the largest expansion of the war since it began eight years ago. Critics conceded that Obama will have little trouble early next year getting Congress to provide an added $30 billion or $40 billion to carry it out.

The president’s chief military and diplomatic advisers faced more questioning from lawmakers Thursday after encountering only tepid criticism Wednesday from members of the Senate Armed Services and House Foreign Affairs committees.

Anti-war Democrats, who rose to power because of voter opposition to Bush’s strategy in Iraq, said they are skeptical that the troop buildup is necessary or will work. But at the same time, party leaders - who were among Obama’s biggest supporters in his campaign for president - said it was unlikely that they would try to block the deployments or the money he wants.

Critical to winning Democratic support was a July 2011 deadline that Obama set to begin troop withdrawals.

Michigan Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said setting the date will “produce the sense of urgency in the Afghan government that has been lacking up to now.”

Republicans won assurances from Defense Secretary Robert Gates that the 2011 withdrawal date was flexible. They otherwise supported the troop buildup because it fulfills a request by U.S. commanders in Afghanistan for more soldiers and Marines.

“Once we achieve our objectives - an Afghanistan that can defend itself, govern itself, control its borders and remain an ally in the war on terror - then we can reasonably discuss withdrawal, a withdrawal based on conditions, not timelines,” said Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

Sen. Joe Lieberman, a Connecticut independent, told Gates, “You’ve struck exactly the right balance.”

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, said Thursday, “In July 2011, we’ll start to transition security responsibilities to Afghan forces.”

But there has been “no determination of how long that will take,” Mullen said on CBS’ “Early Show.”

Gates said Wednesday the president was committed to begin pulling at least some troops out by the target date. But the president will have the authority to change gears after the Defense Department conducts a formal assessment in December 2010.

“We’re not just going to throw these guys in the swimming pool and walk away,” Gates said of the Afghan security force.

Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., chairman of a military spending panel, told reporters he anticipates the Pentagon asking for $40 billion for the war early next year and Congress approving it.

“It’s not likely that there would be any circumstances where the president would lose this battle,” he said.

The football player and TV personality were eliminated Tuesday from “Dancing with the Stars.” Irvin failed to capture enough viewer votes to keep him in the competition, while Dacascos lost his spot during a last-ditch dance-off.

Former Dallas Cowboys receiver Irwin finished his run on the hit ABC show with his highest score of the season: He earned 23 points out of 30 for his fox-trot with professional partner Anna Demidova on Monday’s episode.

Judges’ scores are combined with viewer votes to determine which contestants are eliminated each week.

“Last night was a great night, and to see the audience here standing up, it’s their way of saying they appreciate the hard work,” Irwin said after learning his fate.

Dacascos collected a paltry 19 points for his misguided samba on Monday with a substitute partner after his usual pro, Lacey Schwimmer, fell to the flu. She was back for Tuesday’s episode, when the couple danced-off against Aaron Carter and Karina Smirnoff.

The “Iron Chef America” host’s trick-filled cha-cha earned praise from the judges, but Carter’s jive was more impressive.

Dacascos said being on the show was “one of the greatest experiences of my life.”

“It’s certainly much harder than it looks on television,” he said. “The bond you create with the pro dancers, my dancer, the other celebrities, it’s really special.”

Tuesday’s results show also featured performances by Rod Stewart, country singer Colbie Caillat and Ballas Hough, the rock band created by pro dancers Mark Ballas and Derek Hough. Ballas and his partner, actress Melissa Joan Hart, were eliminated from the competition last week.

Hough is still in the running for the mirrorball trophy with his partner, model Joanna Krupa.

Besides Carter and Krupa, remaining contestants include reality TV star Kelly Osbourne, singer Mya and entertainer Donny Osmond. Each will perform two dances on Monday’s episode.