online voting

For nine years, 'American Idol' fans could only vote for their favorite singers on the phone, either by calling or texting a number. Now, for season 10, the show is giving viewers the option to vote online starting with Tuesday night's first live show. So, get those clicking fingers ready!

During the voting window, head over to 'American Idol''s site and follow the directions. You'll be asked to log in using your Facebook account, which will take you a voting page featuring the names and photos of the eligible contestants. Then, simply choose your favorite contestant, complete a security verification and submit your vote. Fans with a registered Facebook account in the U.S., Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands will be able to vote online up to 50 times during the window.

"We have been wanting to do online voting for several years, and now Facebook has offered us a secure solution and we are ready to go," said 'Idol' creator Simon Fuller in a press release. "The show has always involved a high level of engagement with its viewers through texting and phone voting, and it's great to expand on this tradition."

The People's Choice Awards nominees were announced yesterday. The television nominees, which you can check out after the jump, aren't terribly surprising or all that interesting. For the most part, the picks reflect what's in the Nielsen top twenty with the exception of Jennifer Love Hewitt, who made the list again this year for "favorite female TV star." I'm beginning to suspect that Ms. Hewitt has a hardcore following over at Knowledge Networks, the market research company that compiles the votes.

The nomination process for the People's Choice Awards is a little less reflective of the proletariat's will than one might suspect given the "people's" part of the award title. Knowledge Networks finds a "nationally representative panel" of "pop culture-involved" men and women ages 18-49 and then gives them a list of candidates determined by "ratings averages, box-office grosses and album sales." They have a write-in option, but for the most part the nominees are pre-determined.